Health Intuitive

Stress can come in different forms and in varying degrees since most of us have experienced it at some point in our lives. Some people experience stress as a physical feeling that can take the form of a tight back muscles, headache, fatigue, or stiff neck while others may experience it as a type of mental stress such as too much worrying about family, work, or school that can keep them awake late into the night and prevent them from falling asleep. Emotional stress can also come in the form of strong negative emotions such as loss, grief, depression, sadness, anger, fear, irritability, frustration, worry, chaos, nervousness and indecisiveness, just to name a few and is not any easier to handle. Some may suffer from the whole spectrum of stress that can affect them emotionally, mentally and physically. Fortunately, many of us have found a way to alleviate the stresses in our lives and for sure there is something that works really well for each of us. More and more people in the States have found Qigong a blessing in their lives helping them banish stress in a natural way within just a few minutes and without the need for drugs. But in order to achieve long lasting benefits, one must practice Qigong on a regular basis.

Pronounced Chee-Kung, Qigong is an age-old Chinese healing technique that combines deep breathing techniques similar to Tai Chi with graceful coordinated movements. Qigong is where acupuncture in Walla Walla and Tai Chi originated thousands of years ago. The word Qigong is derived from two Chinese words: “Qi,” which means vital energy, breath of life, or air that moves within all things everywhere and “Gong” which means the ability of self discipline, cultivating, or working with. Put together, Qi and gong means the technique of cultivating one’s life force. Qigong can help enhance the amount of positive qi or good oxygen in the body and blood, improving metabolism to help burn calories more efficiently and strengthening the immune systems to word off illness and disease. Another advantage in practicing Qigong is that it relieves stress naturally as one exhales while transforming the air inhaled into healing qi.

Practicing Qigong helps enhance qi vital energy to bring you health, longevity, weight loss inner peace, and to lower stress. It banishes stress in the body be it emotional stress, mental stress, or physical stress. It also increases the amount of oxygen in your body which helps balance the emotions, melt away muscular aches and pains, and endow one with optimal health. The breathing exercises is an aspect of this practice’s mystery that allows us full deep breaths which raise and fill the stomach and makes use of gravity to push gently the air out as we breathe out just like little babies do when sleeping.

We can start by pressing our tongue on the upper palette of our mouth just behind our upper teeth while gently breathing with our nose, and at the same time relaxing our body as we breathe. Start to become conscious of where your breath begins and ends. Are you pulling your breath downward to your stomach filling it first or is your chest rising first? You will know the answer by placing one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest, while you deeply breathe in through your nose and breathe out gently through your nose. Breathe a few more times if you find yourself breathing from your chest. Imagine your breath coming in through your nose and flowing down into your stomach. Imagine your stomach inflating like a beach ball, and imagine when breathing out, you use gravity to allow the stomach to fall gently towards your spine. Perfect, you have just done Qigong breathing.

The other aspect of Qigong wherein we utilize the tools and wisdom of qigong training to gather more life force or qi is known as Cultivation.

Qigong stance

Pelvic tuck forward, feet shoulder width apart while standing, knees bent slightly, toes aligned with your shoulders while facing straight forward and relaxing your buttocks while your stand straight as if you’re rooted like a tree planted firmly into the ground. With elbows bent, place your arms at your sides and your palms should face the outer part of your thighs keeping space between your fingers. Now visualize that you’re carrying under each arm a bag of rice. Maintain the Qigong deep breathing, and be aware as you breathe, your stomach rising and notice when breathing out, it gently falls back toward your spine. Relax your hands, arms, chest, and shoulders, maintaining a rounded shape with your arms at the sides and palms facing the outer part of your thigh and relax at the legs, buttocks, and waist. Next move out your hands in front on the level of your bellybutton, align the finger tips as you make a rounded shape with your arms as if you’re hugging a person. Then relax your shoulders and keep on doing for nine deep breaths, the Qigong deep stomach breathing.

At this point inhale and raise your arms outward laterally and upward towards the sky with your palms facing high up over your head. Bend your elbows as you exhale and lower your arms down to your front with your palms facing down. Perform this activity a few times. This is known as pulling down the heavens movement and it’s designed to purify your energy downward to the ground. This exercise can help lower high blood pressure, headaches, and stress. When treating high blood pressure, perform a longer exhale and a shorter inhale and as well as the movement of pulling down the heavens.

Finally, we’ll end the Qigong practice by bringing our two hands onto our bellybutton one over the other. Concentrate on the area under your hands and feel the warmth generated by your hands focused into the center of your bellybutton. Imagine the sun glowing brightly from your hands into the center of your belly button filling your lower stomach with brilliant light and gentle warmth. Perform 3 more Qigong deep breaths, with your bellybutton covered by your hands. Good work, you have just cultivated your qi for health successfully within just a few short moments.

A new study has found that acupressure helped decrease persistent fatigue in women who have had breast cancer therapy.

One of the most common longstanding effects of breast cancer therapy is fatigue. About 1/3 of women suffer from moderate to extreme fatigue a decade after their therapy has ended.

The JAMA Oncology published the study that discovered acupressure has the ability to lessen fatigue by 27% – 34% after six weeks of treatment. 67% of women who used a certain type of healing method called relaxing acupressure attained normal levels of fatigue.

University of Michigan associate research professor of family medicine Suzanna Zick says “Across various types of chronic diseases, particularly cancer, fatigue is an underappreciated symptom. It can have a substantial impact on a person’s quality of life. Patients can do acupressure themselves and this therapy is easy to learn “.

Acupressure originated from a healing system known as traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. TCM involves the application of pressure with a device, thumbs, or fingers over specific pressure points on the body. Scientists examined two forms of acupressure: stimulating acupressure, which is utilized to increase energy and relaxing acupressure, which is used to traditionally treat insomnia. These two methods differ by which acupoints on the body are activated.

Researchers examined 424 breast cancer survivors from the Michigan Tumor Registry. These patients were randomly designated to usual care, which involves regular sleep-management methods, stimulating acupressure, or relaxing acupressure. The women learned how to locate and stimulate the pressure points so that they could do it at home once a day for one and a half months.

Both acupressure therapies lad sustained meaningful improvements in fatigue at the end of the study. However, it was only relaxing acupressure that improved the patients quality of sleep (that included overall quality of life and disrupted sleep).

Past research suggests acupuncture in Tarzana might work in relieving fatigue. Unfortunately, many insurance companies do not acupuncture therapies; in addition, it requires people go visit a therapist one or two times a week for at a month and a half.

On the other hand, acupressure proved it can be done at home and can be easy to learn in this study.

The subjects in the trial had 15 minutes of training and were able to locate precisely the proper pressure points and utilize the right amount of pressure. Some females experienced slight bruising at the selected acupressure points. About 12% of the subjects did not continue the study because they thought it was very time-intensive.

According to Zick, “Acupressure can be a low-cost option for the treatment of fatigue given the brief training required to learn it”.

To teach acupressure, the researchers have developed a mobile application. They intend to study why acupressure affects fatigue and whether it also works for patients in active therapy and with cancers other than cancers of the breast.

With an acupressure massage therapy, you can clean toxins and waste material that have accumulated out of the various systems of your body. This type of massage is a product of the ancient healing art of acupuncture but unlike acupuncture in Cleveland stimulates healing without the needles. Acupressure massage therapists administer light to medium pressure on selected trigger points on your body. This form of treatment bolsters the Chi or vital energy of the body in order to optimize immune function and restore balance in the body. Science has now given us the ability to identify and stimulate the acupressure points of the body via modern massage chair brands which are available in the market today.

Acupressure massage uses techniques that can liberate blocked energy in the meridians or energy channels of your body. Scientists have been able to prove the existence of Chi and the meridians using electrical techniques. For thousands of years, practitioners of Chinese medicine have been aware of the existence of these channels. Based on their observation, they discovered that certain junctures or centers can become blocked or inhibited causing imbalance in the body. Through the use of hard, medium or light pressure on selected pressure points in the body, the flow of energy can be restored.

Acupressure massage therapy can be administered through vibration, tapping, and kneading massage procedures. Combined with the activation of the acupressure points, these procedures can be implemented throughout the body. Acupressure massage therapy works by applying moderate pressure through rapid circular movements on selected trigger points in the body. The trigger points are then stimulated and body massage is performed to allow movement of blocked energy. Energy flow is then restored and the body returns to healthy balance.

Listed below are just a few benefits of massage acupressure therapy:

• Relieves pain
• Reduces stress
• Treats muscles tension and aches
• Removes toxins that have accumulated in the body

As toxins gradually build up in the body, it causes the muscles to harden. This stiffness adds adverse pressure on the lymphatic and circulatory systems and causes imbalances in the body putting it in disharmony.

Technology has given us massage chairs that can accurately locate the trigger points in our body. These points can be mapped in our bodies by software programs built in these chairs. Acupressure massage chairs can be programmed to specifically suit the user’s needs. There are over a hundred trigger points on our backs alone. These chairs are incredibly efficient in activating the acupressure points and in implementing massage techniques such as vibration, percussion, and kneading to the user. They can be quite helpful in relieving aliments such as soreness in the back, shoulder, and neck and in treating aches and pains.

Some acupressure massage chairs are designed with air compression systems that target the lower body. These systems come with uniquely designed airbags with special nodes to activate trigger points in the lower areas of your body. When turned on, the air compression system causes inflation of the airbag which causes the node to gently push into the trigger point. The trigger points are usually found in the back of the calves and bottom of the feet. When stimulated, these trigger points can free built up tension resulting in the relaxation of the body.

Current studies dealing with acupressure massage therapy suggest its effectiveness in the relief of digestive problems, constipation, insomnia, dizziness, motion sickness, and headaches. Western medicine is just starting to realize the incredible healing power of acupressure, which the ancient Chinese have already known for thousands of years. Using modern technology to manufacture reliable massage chair recliners has led to a very useful and efficient way of treating bodily ailments using the techniques of acupressure massage therapy. To manage stress in your body and to help you relax, make it a point to go for acupressure massage treatment on a daily basis. Each day, stress can be a major factor that can wear down your body and weaken you immune system; therefore it must be periodically alleviated.

This article is a short summary that strives to describe the complex relationships of the various systems in our body. Chinese medicine has certain obvious advantages over conventional Western medicine in that it tries to explain the cause of a health problem and also uses a holistic approach for treatment of a disease.

The five elements theory in Chinese medicine in Walla Walla is based on an apocryphal approach of connecting energy channels in the body. After all, if we’re able to control energy, we can also control our health. In the system of the Five Elements, there is no such thing as absolute law. The classical Chinese perspective of the universe doesn’t allow room for the existence of absolutes. The rules of the Five Elements pertain to the tendencies toward change based on the foundation of the Five Elements.

The connection between the organs of the human body (zang fu) and the Five elements are as follows:

Elements – Water, Wood, Metal Earth, Fire
Yin (Zang) – Kidney, Liver, Lung, Spleen, Heart
Yang (Fu) – Bladder, Gall Bladder, Large Intestine, Stomach, Small Intestine
Sensory organs – Ear, Eye, Nose, Mouth, Tongue
Tissues – Bone, Tendon, Hair/Skin, Muscle, Blood Vessel
Emotions – Fear/Fright, Anger, Melancholy/Grief, Worry, Joy
Notes – Yu, Jiao, Shang, Gong, Zheng

The energies of the Five Elements, as a means of expression, are believed to contain the following creative qualities.

Water has the tendency to create Wood

Wood has the tendency to create Fire

Fire has the tendency create Earth

Earth has the tendency to create Metal

Metal has the tendency to create Water

The Cycle of Control (or Controlling Cycle) brings balance and harmony through opposite and complementary qualities. It is a type of control in what would otherwise be an unending increase.

The Cycle of Control:

Water has the tendency to control Fire

Fire has the tendency to control Metal

Metal to control Wood

Wood has the tendency to control Earth

Earth has the tendency to control Water

Broken Balance

When the balance is broken, the Insulting and Over Acting sequences govern the irregular relationship among the Five Elements.

Both the Controlling Cycle and the Over Acting Cycle have the same pattern save for the fact that each Element over-acts on another by one Element being energetically in excess.

The Over Acting Cycle is the opposite of the Insulting Cycle. The former cycle deals with energetics that’s opposed to the latter cycle.

There are Ten Stems in the theory of the Five Elements

Each Element has an aspect of Yin and Yang with one balancing the other – this is essentially what defines Yin-Yang.

As Yin lowers, Yang rises

As Yang lowers, Yin rises

If Yin rises, Yang lowers

If Yang rises, Yin lowers

Within each Element, there is an opposite and complementary balance.

Cycle of Creation of the Ten Celestial Stems

The understanding of the Ten Celestial Stems following the tendencies of the Cycle of Creation demonstrates how the elements of Yang create each other and the elements of Yin create each other.

Were there no restriction on the tendencies to create, the outcome would be a incremental rise from one Element’s energy to the other.

One way this is balanced and checked is through the aspect of each Elements’ Yin and Yang with each Element balancing one another within the system.

The system can also maintain balance by balancing the Yin and Yang aspect of any Element by means of the Controlling Cycle.

These tendencies are discussed below:

Ten Celestial Stems

Cycle of Control Balances

The balances follow a Yin/Yang pattern and are bi-directional. If Yin decreases, Yang increases and vice versa.

Wood Yin generated by Water Yin generates Fire Yin.

Fire Yin generates Earth Yin generating Metal Yin, which generates Water Yin.

The Yang elements are the same as the just mentioned Yin energetics.

The entire system is a fragile balance of all its parts.

This system continues to maintain and generate itself in perfect harmony; however, any number of changes of this imbalance can arise if any imbalance or disharmony develops anywhere in the system. The impact of transformations may generate symptoms deemed to be negative effects. Some transformations may not manifest any symptoms at all. Any of the Element’s Yin/Yang energetics can influence the other Elements in a manner based on the specific strength of their Yin or Yang.

The key to harmony is balance.

There is a passage in the book Lu Shih Chun Chiu that perfectly illustrates the dangers of stagnation and the importance of movement.

“The reason the door’s hinge does not age, yet the door does or the water in the stream remains vital, yet stagnant water does not, is because they move. The association between the Chi and the form is the same. The Jing does stream if the form does not move. The Chi turns stagnant if the Jing does not stream. Stagnation becomes like wind or like a tumor if it’s in the head. Stagnation leads to deafness, if it’s in the ear.”

Chung points out in the Lun Hung, written around 82 AD, “Illness is like chaos and confusion. The Shen and Jing become mixed up and confused.”

In the Huai Nan Tzu, the complementary viewpoint is emphasized. Order is the “going through without commotion” that allows action.

Within the Ten Stems, this relationship can be an integral and vital approach and is a better guide to determine diagnosis, disease, symptoms, and energetics.

The exciting implication of this is that if we understand this order and facilitate it, we become more capable.

Conclusion

The key to wellbeing is certainly movement with the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the body intimately tied to each other.

If you try to enhance only the physical, the system will collapse eventually; without yin, yang cannot exist.

This article is designed to express an opinion about the myriad of relative energy or tendencies related to each other as well as the integrity of yin and yang and also to make the reader understand that besides soft and hard, weak and strong, negative and positive, and yin and yang, that there are other countless numbers of relative energies between those opposites.

There are weak and strong areas between the opposite poles at all distances between the opposites similar to the various lines of a magnetic field. Endless tendencies exist between yin and yang in constantly moving and vacillating strengths of energy.

This article has shown us why movement is extremely vital in all things. Joints solidify if they don’t move. Blood stagnates if it doesn’t flow the right way. Death follows if the lungs stopped breathing. There needs to be some changing of thought into the physical by doing, because thinking is not enough.

For optimum health, balance is necessary in all activity.

Are you feeling disconnected from your body? Imagine spending 50 or even 80 hours a week in an office, extremely fatigued, and hunched over a computer. Working ourselves to death absolutely produces zero benefits in terms of general health and well being. In fact, it can ruin our lives and the lives of people who love and care for us

By neglecting the body, we pay a high price in our mental and physical health.

Getting centered is one of the most effective ways to connect with our bodies. Centering is an essential aspect of mind ~ physical practices such as dance, tai chi, martial arts yoga, and sports. Our center is called by different names: In Sanskrit, it’s called the Lower Chakra, in Japanese, Hara, in Chinese, Dantian, and the belly or gut in the United States.

The Location of the Center

The center lies in the middle of the body, approximately a couple of inches below our umbilicus or belly button. It is where our stability and balance originates. Strozzi Institute founder Richard Strozzi-Heckler said, “When people are centered, they become utterly relaxed. In this manner, they get an ally with gravity, rather than resisting it”.

You may recall a time when you felt grounded in your body and deeply relaxed even though things around you are beginning to turn chaotic. Maybe, you’ve felt time slowing down. This is the mystery of your center – the place or state of mind where your body and mind converge.

However, this center tends to be a moving one. Wherever you direct your consciousness, your center goes. The center could be in your head if you are deep in thought. It might be in your chest if you’re experiencing low heavy emotions.

The mind also becomes still and quiet when your center is in the midpoint of your body. Rather than thinking ahead to the future or dwelling in the past, you need to stay rooted in the present. Accept who where you are and who you are unconditionally without trying to change things. Chuang-Tzu said, “Let your mind be free and flow with whatever may happen: keep centered and accept whatever you are doing and whoever you are.”

The following is a list of basic recommendations for getting centered right now:

1. Align your body by standing up or sitting straight.
2. Take few slow and deep breaths.
3. Focus your attention on a point two inches below your belly button.
4. Allow your body to completely relax from head to toe and free any tension.

A few people think that, in theory, this sounds great, but do they have the time to perform this?
Tom Crum said that, any time can be the time to discover your center.

As an example, when a person takes a walk, with each step he takes, he may become more conscious of his center. From time to time, press your index finger on a point two inches below your umbilicus. When you do this, imagine that you’re pushing a button that energizes your center.

One other ideal time to become centered is when you’re stuck in traffic. Rather than getting stressing out, Crum recommends using the seat belt to center yourself. You can use the clicking sound of the seatbelt to remind you to connect with your center. Use a belt buckle, if you’re not in a car. Adjust the buckle so that it is comfortably placed on your center.

Most people unfortunately are off-centered for most of the day. So they become stressed and easily irritated which are surely signs that they have lost their center.

To restore your center, select certain times of the day to take centering breaks. Try it and see what happens! These times can be a great opportunity to regain the mystery of your center!

“Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview St #2200
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 549-4322
http://www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com
”

Most of us would agree that the heart is the organ of the body most closely connected to emotion. When we talk about the heart, the terms heartache, heartbroken, sweetheart, or heartstring come to mind. This is the organ that’s notorious for not being subtle; it represents emotions that are on opposite poles, like ecstatic joy or intense sadness.

The heart, in traditional Chinese medicine in Fremont or TCM, has a physical function that has parallels in Western medicine. It is responsible for the function of sweating and the blood vessels. Excessive perspiration is a sign that the heart needs to be supported and built up (tonified). Because the heart also controls the tongue, it can also affect speech. Speech problems such as loss of words and stuttering are signs of heart deficiency.

But the most important responsibility of the heart is to manage the shen and store the mind. One’s “Shen” can be determined by the overall health and well being of the mind. You will know if a person is well spirited and healthy just by looking at his or her eyes. Their eyes have a sense of health and a certain bright lucidity that shines from within. Acupuncturists would consider this person as having good shen.

Conversely, you also have people with eyes that look cloudy and dull or shifty (that shift from side to side) when you observe them. These people are considered to have a weak or feeble shen. This weak shen are sometimes the product of distraction or mild depression; and if the shen is severely sick, it can also indicate a type of mental imbalance.

The heart is both the effect and cause of ecstatic joy. This type of joy is considered a good thing to most people, but its effect can cause ADHD or manic depression. ADHD is sometimes attributed to a heart that cannot control the mind properly.

Wise individuals argue that the heart’s job is to follow the principles of propriety. For instance, this would be a person wearing a bathing suit. If that person wears a bathing suit in a bank meeting, this just shows that his or her heart was not providing him or her with the appropriate information on what to wear on a specific occasion. But the heart is doing its job if the person wears the bathing suit in a swimming pool during summer. This would imply that the responsibility of the heart is to follow proper behavior for the situation at hand.

Traditional Chinese medicine has always given us unique and different ways of treating certain types of disease. These techniques are painless, safe, and natural and often do not involve the use of medication. The body, in Chinese thought, is deemed to preserve a delicate balance with the environment via the transfer of energy. The body always removes negative energy from the body and allows positive energy to circulate through. The entire systems of the body work for this exchange simply to preserve balance. One typical way this is achieved is with auricular acupuncture in Orlando.

A Chinese healing concept, auricular acupuncture focuses on the outer ear or auricle for treatment. The auricle is considered a complete bodily system that is responsible for the vital activities of the ear and the other body organs. This area of the ear is comprised of a number acupuncture points that are connected to the whole body. Filiform needles are inserted in these points which stimulate these points producing signals that reach the brain that in turn activates a targeted organ. This activation boosts the functioning of that organ by releasing toxins, increasing blood flow, and enhancing muscle movement.

Auricular acupuncture works according to the following theories:

Delta Reflex

This theory states that auricular acupoint stimulation results in the stimulation of the associated body part. This leads to a rise in temperature of that body part and a related body part which causes a rise in the temperature of the outer ear. Both work as lock and key whereby an auricular acupoint serves as a key for the lock of body organs.

Anatomical Model

According to this theory, the location of the auricular acupoints on the map can be likened to that of an inverted fetus. Whatever signals are conveyed to the parts of the body reaches back again to the outer ear thereby making it a bidirectional movement.

The meridian Theory

In Chinese medicine, this theory is the most commonly accepted norm. The meridian theory sates that energy or chi circulates through energy channels within the body called meridians. Any obstruction in this channel is the underlying root cause of any health issues; therefore, stimulation of specific auricular acupoints generates therapeutic effects on the meridians.

Chinese principles and method have been adopted in the western world. Western scientists have formulated the same techniques as Chinese medicine albeit with a few changes in the form of improvements. The use of needles in auricular acupuncture treatment is a Chinese based idea but Western medicine has now developed it in the form of modern auriculotherapy. Here, advanced technologies are used to activate the acupoints in the auricle without the use of electricity, pellets, pressure, magnets, laser, etc. Modern auriculotherapy was developed and refined by Dr. Paul Nogier, a French neurologist.

Since the various parts of the body is connected to each other via acupoints, auricular acupuncture treatment can provide a lot of therapeutic effects on the body. It balances a person’s emotional and mental status by relieving insomnia, stress, depression, and anxiety. Various forms of bodily pain such as muscular tension, migraine, headaches, back ache, and arthritis can be relieved by this therapy. Its connection with the respiratory and digestive organs can help treat constipation, bronchitis, asthma, colitis, indigestion, and many other health problems. In addition auricular acupuncture can significantly help in giving away the habit of drinking and smoking. It can help maintain balance in women during their menstrual period.

There is a there is a specialized type of acupuncturist who is trained in the art of auricular acupuncture who knows all about ear muscles. These professionals are completely aware of the over two hundred acupoints found in the auricle. It’s important to note that during treatment, the needle should be inserted into the auditory canal that reaches to the inner ear. This may result in total hearing damage to the individual therefore one has to be very careful during this process.

Qigong and Taiji share one thing in common. They are both mind-body-spirit practices, including the distinct way they are spelled. This article will use Tai Chi/Taiji and Chi Kung/Qigong which may be both different spellings but still mean the same thing. They also have other key differences as well. What practice is best for you will depend on how you answer the following questions.

1. Are you interested in learning self defense?

Tai chi translated means ‘ Ultimate Supreme Fist.’ In the past, this practice was primarily designed for the martial arts that just happened to provide energy and health benefits. However, Tai Chi is now mainly practiced for its energy and health benefits; for some, it is practiced as a martial art.

While not a martial art, chi kung has special types of practice that can be used to enhance self-defense capabilities although it does not provide any self defense benefits. Chi Kung is mainly performed to develop spiritual and mental cultivation, enhance energy, and boost health.

2. How much free time do you need to learn the moves?

The main similarity between chi kung and tai chi is that they are a mix of mind, energy, and form. This implies that external gentle forms or movements are often coordinated with breathing techniques and practice in a contemplative state of mind.

While a set of Tai Chi typically comprises 24 – 108 distinct patterns, a set of qigong has three or four patterns. This implies that learning one set of Tai Chi takes a considerable longer time to master than a tai chi set and what we mean by a considerable longer time is months. The reason for this is besides not only do you have to remember ‘what comes next?,’ you should also be able to move from one pattern to the next in a flowing manner. People who practice tai chi usually commit their entire life to mastering one set of tai chi. If you have the time to invest in tai chi, then that’s absolutely fine.

On the other hand, a set of chi kung involves significantly fewer patterns, which means it can be mastered in a much easier and quicker way.

3. Are you interested in learning complex theory?

The Taoist practice of Tai Chi can be very confusing and complex, often intentionally so. The reason for this is that this art was originally taught in a very personal way (face to face by master to student). Because of this, the students comprehended what ‘bring chi to the dan tien’ meant and other esoteric terms and they, first and foremost, learned how to do it.

When one deems that such information was very valuable and usually attained at huge personal cost, it was then essential to keep it hidden so that only the initiated could correctly apply and understand the concepts even if this information fell into the wrong hands.

There are a lot of very complex theories to be mastered if you wish to become a Tai chi master and they can only be learned and applied when learned from a master of those theories. Such masters have always been rare and hard to find.

Chi kung theory, on the other hand, is relatively simple to perform when compared to Taiji. From Chi Kung’s point of view, there is just one disease and this disease is an issue dealing with energy. Disease, regardless of what name we give, it is deemed to be the result of obstructions to balanced flow of energy of the meridians or energy channels of the body. Chi Kung strives to eliminate these obstructions or obstacles and once balanced flow of energy is brought back good health will be also restored.

However, that’s just the initial step. Chi kung then boosts the circulation of energy once balanced flow of energy is brought back which then restores vitality. Finally, Chi Kung develops a wealth of energy which then extends your longevity.

Probably, the biggest benefit of chi kung is that as long as you practice it properly, there is no other theory that you need in order to benefit from its practice.

The main difference between chi kung and tai chi is that if taught properly, the latter can be used for self defense, whereas the former cannot. If there is no need to defend yourself, then the best way to decide between practicing Chi Kung or Tai Chi is to ask yourself how much time you can allocate to their practice. Chi Kung is probably the better choice if you haven’t much time to spare.

One ideal way to choose between chi kung and tai chi, if you still are undecided, is to attend a chi kung and tai chi class and see which you prefer. On this decision, you should trust your instincts.

Amy-SuiQun Lui, L.Ac.
Asian Health Center
27059 Grand Army of the Republic Hwy
Cleveland, OH 44143
Tel: (440) 833-0983
http://www.clevelandacupunctureclinic.com/

Aliment, nourishment, or nutrition, is the stockpile of food needed by cells and organisms to survive and thrive. In Chinese Medicine, nutritional therapy is a system that provides clients the right dietary choice combining food-like Chinese herbs and pertinent foods.

Foods, from the viewpoint of Chinese medicine, are arranged in a manner similar to herbal food therapies. For instance, we have foods with hot, warm, cool, and cold properties. We have foods that that help drain or dispel the pathogenic elements and we also have foods that nourish our bodies. When a pattern of disharmony is recognized by a practitioner, in addition to acupuncture treatments in Bellmore, specific foods are recommended to either destroy the pathogenic factors or tonify the body. We have Chinese herbs that are acceptable to be eaten as foods. These are known as food-like herbs and they are often mild, with zero or minimal side effect even when taken in the long term. According to the State Administration of Drugs of China, there are more than 60 herbs that are deemed food-like herbs. In Chinese nutritional therapy, these herbs can be indicated as part of the daily diets of the patient.

Commonly Eaten Foods that can be considered as Chinese Medicines

Chinese nutritional therapy involves the use of food-like herbs and foods in order to address disease illness and encourage health.

In Western dietary therapy, foods are assessed for their nutritional contents. These include vitamins, proteins, and calories. In both Western dietary therapy and Chinese nutritional therapy, foods as well as herbs are categorized into hot, warm, cold, and cold energies with five flavors. They can be prepared and appropriately chosen to regulate the balance of yin and yang of the body, eliminate pathogenic factors, and tonify the body.

The healing effects of foods with Different Thermal Properties (hot, warm, neutral, cool, and cold) and Flavors

The energy that foods generate refers to their ability to create sensations – either cold or hot – in the body. Neutral, cool, warm, hot, and cold are the five types of energy, and this pertains not to the food’s physical state but on its impact on the human body. Foods with cold or cool quality are usually indicated to patients with heat or warm constitutions or patients categorized as heat patterns. Foods with hot or warm quality are usually indicated for patients classified as cold patterns or patients with a cold constitution. Foods are also indicated based on their functions and flavor. When it comes to the aspect of nutrition, a balanced diet is of course the most important factor.

Foods with pungent flavor tend to bolster circulations, distributions, and perk up appetite.

Pungent tasting foods include among others wine, onion leeks, Sichuan peppercorn, green onion, garlic, Chinese radish, celery, mustard seed coriander, Chinese chives, kumquat fresh ginger, , tangerine peel radish leaf, spearmint, sweet peppers, turnips, chili pepper, leaf mustard, taro, cinnamon, Shanghai cabbage, and tangerine peel.

Foods with sweet flavor tend to nourish and lubricate the body, neutralize the toxicity of other foods, and impede acute reactions. Examples of sweet foods are abalone, carps, longan aril, lotus seed, grapes, chestnut, cherry, pears, apple, milk, peanut, sugar cane, corn, wheat, rice, soybean, peas, glutinous rice, carrot, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, taro, shiitake mushroom, dates, and honey.

With their astringent quality, sour foods can help prevent heavy sweating, emission, diarrhea and other irregular fluid seepage from the body. Examples of sour foods include royal jelly, lemon, vinegar, tomatoes, tangerines, strawberry, pomelo, pomegranate, plums, pineapple, pears, peaches, papaya, oranges, olives, mango, loquat fruit, hawthorn fruit, grapes, and apple.

Foods classified as bitter tend to bolster depressing effects like bowel movements and urination, boost appetite, dry dampness, and eliminate heat. Examples of bitter foods include coffee, bitter gourd, wine, wild cucumber, vinegar, turnips, tea leaf, seaweed, plum kernel, pig’s liver, peach kernel, lotus leaf, lily bulb, Indian lettuce, gingko, bergamot, asparagus, arrowhead, and apricot seed.

Foods that are salty can emolliate intestines to stimulate bowel movements, tonify blood, soften hardness, and deplete accumulations. Examples of salty foods are cuttlefish, amaranths, seaweed, sea shrimps, sea cucumber, sea clams, razor clam, preserved jellyfish, pork, pigeon’s egg, pig’s organs, pig’s bone marrow, pig’s blood, oyster, millet, laver, kelp, ham, field snail, duck meat, dried mussel, crabs, barley, and abalone

Cold Foods

Soya sauce, bamboo shoot, wild rice stem, watermelon, watercress, water spinach, water chestnut, tomato, sugar cane, star fruit, sprouts, snails, seaweed, sea clams, salt, root of kudzu vine, preserved jellyfish, pomelo, pig’s bone marrow, persimmon, mulberry, lotus root, lettuces, kelp, grapefruit, cuttlefish, crabs, chrysanthemum, bitter gourd, banana, arrowhead, and angled luffa

Cool Foods

Barley, millet, buckwheat, wheat, eggplant, coix seed, wax gourd, cucumber, Chinese radish, loofah, celery, lettuce root, broccoli, peppermint, leaf mustard, cauliflower, Peking cabbage, spinach, amaranth, Chinese cabbage, lily bulb, Indian lettuce, , mung bean, pea, muskmelon, apple, pears, coconut, pineapple, orange, strawberry, loquat fruit, tangerine, papaya, mango, tea leaf, water caltrop, mushrooms, bean curb, duck egg, lily flower, pig skin, egg white, conch, rabbit meat, sesame oil, frogs, yogurt, cheese, and cream.

Neutral Foods

Sugar, round-grained rice, honey, white fungus, turnips, sweet potato, sunflower seed, soybeans, soybean milk, shiitake mushroom, sea shrimps, sea eels, royal jelly, rock sugar, radish leaf, quail egg, quail, potato, pork, plums, pistachio nut, peanut, oyster, olives, milk, lotus seed, loach, lemon, grapes, goose, fuzzy melon, fig, egg yolk, duck, corn, taro, cashew nut, carrot, cabbage, black sesame, black fungus, beetroot, beef, adzuki beans

Warm Foods

Chinese chives, coriander, wine, walnut, vinegar, venison, vegetable oil, tobacco, sword bean, sword bean, sweet peppers, sweet basil, star anise, spearmint, sparrow egg, sparrow, Sichuan peppercorn, sea cucumber, rosemary, rose bud, raspberry, pumpkin, pomegranate, pine nut, pig’s liver, peach, osmanthus flowers, onion, nutmeg, mutton, mussels, maltose, longan fruit, lobster, litchi, leeks, jasmine, ham, hairtail, green onion, goose egg, goat milk, glutinous rice, ginger (fresh), garlic, Garland chrysanthemum, fresh water shrimps, fresh water eels, fennel, dill seed, dates, cumin, coffee, clove, chicken, chestnut, cherry, carps, brown sugar, asparagus, apricot, and abalone.

Hot Foods

Mustard seed black pepper, ginger (dried), chili pepper, cinnamon, and mustard seed.

There are foods that may possess a bland flavor or foods with two kinds of flavors. Bland Foods often tend to bring about urination and can be used as diuretic. Wax gourd and coix seed, for example, can be utilized for this aim.

Moreover, there are foods that have a powerful scent that are considered “aromatic.” They include citrus fruits, peppermint, coriander, fennel, and basil. Eat these to stimulate the spleen’s circulation (In Chinese medicine, the spleen is the organ responsible for digestion, not the Western medicine concept of spleen), detoxify, eliminate turbidity and dampness, promote energy circulation, and boost appetite.

If you have been spending time researching Chinese medicine, you might have encountered a strange form of therapy called moxibustion. Generally speaking, moxibustion isn’t as popular as Chinese herbal medicine or acupuncture, nonetheless, it is a relaxing technique that carries a ton of health benefits – more so when it’s used in combination with regular acupuncture treatments.

If you are searching for a clinic that offers Chinese medicine, be sure to find one that provides moxibustion therapy, especially if you suffer from persistent health issues. According to the “Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor” or the Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu, which is considered the oldest known medical text in the world, diseases that cannot be resolved by acupuncture can be treated by moxibustion.” Moxibustion these days is usually used on people who are hypersensitive to or have found little or no success with either acupuncture or drug therapies.

This article will help you better understand what moxibustion therapy is and how it’s used, so you may have other options that can affect your well being.

What is moxibustion?

Chinese medicine practitioners have several types of moxibustion treatments to choose from. The practice of moxibustion is as old as acupuncture itself; actually, acupuncture in Chinese is called zhenjiu, which directly translates to moxibustion and acupuncture. Moxibustion is believed to have originated in China less than 3000 years ago. Some researchers believe that simpler forms of moxibustion have existed that are even older than acupuncture.

As with most ancient Chinese therapies, moxibustion is designed to balance in the body and ensure an uninterrupted flow of chi in the body. Balance, in this instance, can be accomplished by heating moxa or artemesia vulgaris or mugwort directly or very near the skin. The potent herb has been used for hundreds of years both in the West and in China, and in America it’s probably best known for its close association with the “witches” of 14th century Europe. This is due to the fact that it has been widely used as folk medicine to relieve abdominal pain, itchy skin, menstrual disorders, and anxiety.

Within a modern Western medical framework, moxa is considered as a natural diuretic and a form of mild stimulant. It can also activate additional flow of blood to the pelvic area – particularly in the uterus. It is therefore, used to treat uterine cramping and absent or light menstruation. Moxibustion can also be recommended for turning breech babies.

Through the application of therapeutic heat, moxibustion can aid in the stimulation of deficient, sluggish, or stagnated chi especially when it’s performed by a skilled Chinese medicine practitioner. It tends to amplify the benefits of acupuncture and helps ameliorate chronic stagnation.

Direct and Indirect Moxibustion

In direct moxibustion, the practitioner applies a flaming moxa ball directly on the skin. The practitioner will light up a stick of incense to ignite the moxa “wool” while the patient calmly lies on the acupuncture table. As the herb ball smolders, it generates heat that warms the affected acupoints. This heat can vary based on the condition and other personal attributes of the patient.

American practitioners commonly use indirect moxibustion as it is deemed to be a safer treatment than direct moxibustion. This procedure is typically administered in a couple of ways. One way is for the practitioner to hold very close to the skin the smoldering edge of the moxa stick, until the acupoint warms sufficiently. This indicates that the vital fluids including the blood of the patient have been properly channeled along the meridians, which leads to the treatment of the patient’s ailments. (Modern clinics these days avail of smokeless and slower-burning sticks of moxa that can be more tolerable if you’re sensitive to the smoke generated by the moxa). The practitioner can also use a tiger warmer in indirect moxibustion, or a buffer such as aconite, salt, or ginger or garlic slices between the moxa and the skin. This keeps the body extremely warm.

One other indirect moxibustion approach is to wrap smaller moxa balls around the acupuncture needles and ignite them. The heat then moves down the shaft of the needle and into the acupoint, augmenting the healing benefits of acupuncture. In each session, a moxa wool ball is usually placed on a single or a couple of needles. Most patients report soothing and warm sensations during and after a round of treatment.

Does moxibustion really work?

Despite ongoing research, scientists still do not know the exact mechanisms of moxibustion therapies. According to some experts, moxibustion and other heat-based therapies such as saunas, warming creams, hot tubs, and heat packs all work in a similar manner. While in Western medicine, moxibustion is used as a treatment for localized pain, in Chinese medicine, heat is used to alleviate whole-body and more systemic health problems.

Who should use moxibustion?

Moxibustion is widely used to eliminate stagnation and cold and the issues that arise because of them because yang or fire is the therapy’s central component. From Western medicine spectacles, ordinary illnesses that may be connected to stagnation and cold in some way or another include:

 Hypothyroidism
 Sluggish digestion
 Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
 Poor immunity
 Hypersensitivity to cold
 Depression and low mood
 Fluid retention
 Arthritis and joint pain

Western medical studies have slowly begun to verify the efficacy of moxibustion in treating those abovementioned conditions. Moxibustion has been shown to be very beneficial for people suffering from osteoarthritis in one placebo-controlled clinical trial. Researchers concluded at the end of the trial:

Moxibustion therapy is easy to perform, simple, and very cost-effective. It can be more easily replicated than acupuncture, which is subordinate to changes emanating from the different methods of needling of individual therapists. These findings indicate moxibustion to be an effective, easy-to-use, and safe therapy which can be used as a complement to conventional medicine for the relief of pain and for the functional improvements of patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.

In another study, researchers used indirect moxibustion on two acupoints in 45 people suffering from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Aside from taking prescription drugs, they discovered that group given moxa therapies experienced improved thyroid function compared to those that only took medications.

For women, the most intriguing uses of moxibustion are its capacity to turn breech babies. Almost all or 95 percent of breech babies need to be delivered via cesarean section, but most mothers prefer not to go through this very invasive procedure. Studies recently done have showed that when combined with acupuncture and postural methods, moxibustion can help turn babies over so they may be delivered in a natural position at birth. This can also be due to the ability of moxibustion to set off uterine contractions that can turn breech babies gently around.

Conclusion

As with acupuncture, moxibustion’s healing qualities to date have been backed by a considerable amount of medical studies. As knowledge of the safety and effectiveness of this therapy increases, more and more research studies will soon be looking into its mechanisms and applications soon.

People who failed to get adequate results with other treatments can also find moxibustion to be an effective treatment for their problems. It can be used on people who are still suffering from a wide range of conditions after trying both conventional and alternative treatments. Chinese medicine practitioners often provide their patients with moxa rolls and instruct them on how to heal themselves at home. Sustained and consistent application is key, as with most traditional Chinese treatments.

We recommend searching for experienced and qualified Chinese medicine healers in Overland Park who are willing to work with moxibustion and a wide range of treatments at their disposal.