Medical Qigong Update
The Wednesday night Medical Qigong class will be continuing through the end of June. Starting in July I will be taking a break from teaching the weekly class. We will have a Foundations of Medical Qigong workshop in late summer/ early fall and will probably have a new class format for ongoing students starting in the fall. I'll have more information here in the coming months and you can always check the classes page on the website for class information.

Jewish Free Clinic in Cotati
Thank you for your donations! We are continuing our program as the herbal dispensary for the Jewish Free Clinic's Chinese medicine interns. As I mentioned previously, Lori (my wife) and Erin (one of my interns) are in acupuncture school at the Acupuncture and Integrated Medicine College (AIMC) of Berkeley and are acupuncture interns at the Jewish Free Clinic in Cotati (http://www.jewishfreeclinic.org). The Free Clinic provides free medical care to low-income clients in the area. In conjunction with AIMC, the Jewish Free Clinic is providing acupuncture and now, with the help of our dispensary, Chinese herbal medicine (when the interns and supervisors prescribe it). The herbs are given to the clients at cost or free, depending on what they can afford. To support Chinese herbal medicine for the community we are accepting small donations to cover the cost of the herbal medicine for those that can’t afford it. Even adding a few dollars to payment for herbs or consultations will help us to do this. Please feel free to contact me for more information on this program.

Within the Three Causative Factors of Chinese medicine, External Factors include anything that originates outside of the body. This whole category can be seen as expressions of the environment and season, although In modern terms this would also include pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and so on. There are six traditional environmental influences that may have this effect: Cold, Heat, Summer Heat, Dryness, Dampness and Wind.

If our body does not adapt to these environmental conditions, or if the conditions are too extreme, there is an internal reaction that alters the normal functioning of the body. In that situation the environmental factor enters the body, causing a disturbance of the qi that leads to physical and mental disorder.

Cold
Cold is the energy of drawing in, contraction and stillness and is associated with the season of winter. It causes the movement of nature to slow, turning activity to stillness. Within the body excessive cold slows physiological functions and movements. It can damage the transformative functions of the body and cause contractions and pains of the physical structure. Because of the slowing down that occurs with cold, it is often accompanies by accumulations and obstructions.

Heat / Summer Heat
Heat is the rising up and quickening of energy, causing activity to increase and substance to expand. Activities increase in response to heat, rising, if not restrained, to a feverish pitch. Within the body this quickens the internal rhythm, eventually scorching the substances and drying out the fluids. Inflammation is created and we become increasingly sensitive to physical and emotional stimulation as the heat creates an increased reactivity within the body.

Summer Heat is a specific seasonal quality of heat. If it becomes lodged within the body there is usually an acute state of overheating. This corresponds to the modern medical view of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Dryness
Dryness is associated with the season of autumn, although like all of the environmental influences, can occur anytime. If external dryness becomes lodged within the body, it most commonly affects the skin and the Lungs. The Lungs are the most exposed of the internal organs as they have direct contact with the environment via the airway. Dryness sensitizes, removing the protective moisture that normally lubricates and nourishes. Sometimes, if dryness persists, phlegm may be produced in an attempt to protect the dry tissues.

Dampness
Dampness as an external factor is an accumulation of moisture due to rain, fog or geographic features. Dampness can penetrate the defenses of the body, either making its way into the joints, which are particularly vulnerable, or settling directly into the interior of the body. Dampness in the joints causes a painful congestion that is usually accompanied by heat or cold. If the dampness makes its way into the interior space of the body it collects in the center, affecting the digestive processes. This accumulation of moisture overwhelms the transformative power of the digestion, creating a swampy feeling within the digestion and an overall bogged down feeling mentally and physically.

Wind
Traditionally, wind is seen as the current of movement between Heaven and Earth. In harmony, the winds move in every direction, carrying the virtue of Heaven to every corner of the Earth. The movement of the wind is a manifestation of the movement of Qi. Wind is associated with the seasonal influence of the springtime.

If the wind is too strong, it may agitate and disrupt the normal rhythms of the body, physically and emotionally. It may also penetrate the surface of the body, carrying external influences inwards. Colds, flu and allergies are all categorized as “wind invading the surface.” Wind is often accompanied by other environmental factors such as cold, heat or dampness.

In summary, if environmental influences are too strong, or if we are overly vulnerable, they may become External Factors that adversely effect the normal functioning of the body. However, it is important to understand that these same processes are fundamentally necessary to the natural order of life; whether the same influence is helpful or harmful is simply a matter of context. Too much rain (dampness) causes flooding, while too much dryness causes drought. In balance, the proper levels of moisture allow the crops to flourish and grow. Looking at these environmental influences and their affect on us in this manner can help us to understand the processes of our own body.

In the next newsletter I’ll discuss the traditional theory of the emotions as they relate to the Three Causative Factors of imbalance within Chinese medicine.