October 2005 Newsletter Part 1
In this month's
newsletter there is information on staying healthy during the Autumn,
Chinese Herbal FAQs and the latest information on Medical Qigong
programs.
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Staying Healthy in the Autumn
As there are so many
colds going around this time of year I thought that we would take a
look at some of the strategies for preventing colds and staying healthy
in the Autumn according to the principles of Chinese medicine.
Within Chinese medicine, the ideal is to prevent an illness from
developing rather than treating a disorder that has already occurred.
There is a famous quote from the Neijing Suwen Chapter 2 that describes
this as “treating an illness once it has occurred is like digging a
well when one is thirsty, forging weapons when one is already engaged
in battle...”
In that same chapter of the Neijing Suwen there are guidelines for
each season in terms of activity and rest levels, exercise and mental
outlook. During the Autumn the traditional recommendations for staying
healthy include getting to bed early and rising early, practicing
Qigong and other exercises to harmonize with the season and strengthen
the lungs, and spending extra time focusing the mind in a calm and
peaceful way in order to soften the harsher influences of the Autumn.
In terms of diet, it is helpful to eat cooling and nourishing foods
such as pears, shitaake mushrooms and green vegetables (cooked) and to
moderate sugar and alcohol in the diet.
Following these general guidelines helps us to harmonize with the
qi of the season, thus giving us the best chance of preventing colds.
However, everyone gets sick sometimes, so in our next newsletter I’ll talk about what to do if you catch a cold.
See our website for more information on Chinese Medicine.
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Medical Qigong Update
Our October 15th
Foundations of Medical Qigong workshop is filling up although there are
still a few spaces left. This will be our last Foundations course of
the year. The Foundations of Medical Qigong workshop covers the core
exercises of Medical Qigong that are necessary for developing an
effective Qigong practice at home.
We are excited to be offering an intermediate Medical Qigong
workshop on November 12th for students who have taken the Foundations
of Medical Qigong Workshop. The November workshop is called Linking the
Channels: The Art & Skill of Qigong. This will be the first time
that we are offering this format for more advanced studies of Medical
Qigong.
For more information on either class please see the link below to visit our classes page.
For more information on the Medical Qigong classes click here.
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Chinese Herbal FAQs - Do you have a Chinese herbal formula for ... (fill in whatever specific health problem that you like)?
Addressing a health problem within Chinese medicine begins with the
process of identifying the underlying cause or root of the issue. Zhu
Dan Xi, a famous physician from the Yuan Dynasty, emphasized this by
writing: "Just as grass has its roots, so disease has its root. If one
cuts off the leaves without eradicating the root, the grass will still
stand there..."
In order to address any specific health problem, from the
perspective of Chinese medicine, there must first be the identification
of the underlying cause. Identification of the root cause of imbalance
takes place through pattern assessment, which includes the traditional
diagnostic arts of pulse taking, observation of the tongue and body and
detailed questioning. This process is at the heart of Chinese
herbalism, as any specific symptom or condition can be caused by many
different underlying patterns of unbalanced or abnormal qi.
If the underlying patterns are not identified then a therapeutic
strategy can't be effectively developed and the herbal treatment will
result in a haphazard effect. When people with a specific complaint
choose an herb symptomatically a certain number of them feel better, a
certain number feel worse and a certain number feel no different at
all.
In other words, understanding the underlying cause of any
particular condition leads to identifying the fundamental pattern of
imbalance. This pattern is then addressed with an herbal formula or
formulas, Qigong and other methods. If the assessment was accurate and
the treatment appropriate, then the symptoms, like the blades of grass
that Zhu Dan Xi described metaphorically, will naturally fall away.
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As always, feel
free to email or call me (707) 763-8040 with any questions on anything in
the newsletter.
With best wishes for a healthy
Autumn,
Sean
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