It it very interesting to see soy milk gets bad press in the US by various so-called "health experts". This is extremely odd to me because I have been drinking soy milk (called Dou Jiang in Mandarin Chinese) since I was little. My mom would pay this old lady who had a breakfast stand to feed us breakfast (soy milk or rice milk with some bread buns). The soy milk and the bread were always made by hand and made on the same day. The old lady would get up at 3am everyday and start preparing the soy milk and her bread to our town. We drank a small bowl a day (around 300cc) as part of our breakfast for years.
However, the way I see people consume soy milk in the US is to drink soy milk as their beverage all day long. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the wisdom says that even the good thing will turn bad when consumed in excessive amount. I used to buy my soy milk from the store and they would last in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks without going bad after I opened it. Homemade soy milk takes just a day or two to rot. From that point, I rarely purchase soy milk in the US. I pick my soybeans carefully and only drink homemade soy milk.
In ancient Chinese medical text, soy milk was considered to supplement vacuity and moisten the dryness, to clear heat and to move the intestine and bowl. In Asia, sometimes women who don't have enough breast milk would feed their babies soy milk. Babies are very healthy and balanced.
So if you like soy milk, prepare it by yourself and don't buy it from the store. Make sure to purchase non-GMO soybeans and make sure the soybeans are not tainted with aspergillus flavus (a type of fungus).
To good health,
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot)
Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot) is Chinese medicine classical text authored around 450 BC. Together with Su Wen, the 2 volumes of books are called Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Classics). The text covers a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to how to stay healthy, where illnesses are coming from, acupuncture and other medical theory, human physiology, how to live in harmony with nature and the universe and how to stay balance in four seasons. This basically lays out the blueprints on how to be the best we can be as a human. For those of you who are familar with astrology or numerology, it is a mind-opening experience to study this text. With the modern internet, ancient classical text like Huang Di Nei Jing is able to be freely distributed. I can't help but feeling very fortunate to be born in this era.
I ran across a book written by Dr. Zhao Wang's about Ling Shu Acupuncture a year ago, but didn't start reading it until recently. The discussion of Ren Ying pulse vs Cun Kou pulse is quite intriging to me. Nowadays, very few people practice this form of acupuncture. It takes time and some thoughts into this practice. You see, acupuncture is very individualized. I am often asked, how long would the needles stay in? When I first start practicing, I would tell my patients, oh, around 15-20 min because that's what my teacher told me. However, in just a few months into practice, I realize that each person is very different. Some people's qi arrived around 5 min., and some people takes 35-50 min (elderly). How do I know their qi arrived? Well, I can feel through their pulses. That's the beauty of the Chinese medicine, the body can't lie. This is precisely what Ling Shu is trying to tell us, be perceptive. Withdraw the needles when the body's qi is balanced. How to tell? Well, by feeling their Ren Ying and Cun Kou pulses.
Even if patients complain that they are not getting their money worth by just receiving a few minutes of treatment, as a Chinese medicine practitioner, it will be up to you to decide which way to persue? Is patient's ultmiate health more important or keeping them as a long-term client? Good practitioners may not be rich and wealthy in dollars, but good virtue is definately more meaningful than anything else.
Peace,
I ran across a book written by Dr. Zhao Wang's about Ling Shu Acupuncture a year ago, but didn't start reading it until recently. The discussion of Ren Ying pulse vs Cun Kou pulse is quite intriging to me. Nowadays, very few people practice this form of acupuncture. It takes time and some thoughts into this practice. You see, acupuncture is very individualized. I am often asked, how long would the needles stay in? When I first start practicing, I would tell my patients, oh, around 15-20 min because that's what my teacher told me. However, in just a few months into practice, I realize that each person is very different. Some people's qi arrived around 5 min., and some people takes 35-50 min (elderly). How do I know their qi arrived? Well, I can feel through their pulses. That's the beauty of the Chinese medicine, the body can't lie. This is precisely what Ling Shu is trying to tell us, be perceptive. Withdraw the needles when the body's qi is balanced. How to tell? Well, by feeling their Ren Ying and Cun Kou pulses.
Even if patients complain that they are not getting their money worth by just receiving a few minutes of treatment, as a Chinese medicine practitioner, it will be up to you to decide which way to persue? Is patient's ultmiate health more important or keeping them as a long-term client? Good practitioners may not be rich and wealthy in dollars, but good virtue is definately more meaningful than anything else.
Peace,
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The magical year of 2009
Despite the financial turmoils and other unsettling events in the world, I feel 2009 will be a magical year for those who are seeking the truths. There may be some fear at times, but the faith will carry us through the unexpected. For me, the year of Ox signifies more diligence towards the Chinese medicine. I would like to find more ways to communicate Chinese medicine with both my patients and the general public.
Chinese medicine is a common-sense medicine. The answer to health is all there in the ancient text, and we just need to find a way to remember and rediscover our lost root. The ultimate form of health, as I normally told my patients, is practiced through proper diet, adequate rest and moderate exercise. So how do you know if you are healthy? Check out the following health indicators provided by your own body, free of charge (this is a partial list provided in courtesy of Dr. Ni, my teacher, the greatest Shang Han Lun practitioner of our time).
1. Sleep soundly through the night
2. Hands and Feet are warm in all seasons
3. Regular Bowel movement (at least once a day, 1st thing in the morning)
4. Good appetite and adequate level of thirst
5. Urinate 5-7 times a day, good force and light-yellow color
6. Erection/yang response
So if you are taking a lot of supplements or medications/herbs and your can't sleep at night or your hands and feet are freezing in the winter, you may want to reexamine what you are putting into your body. Getting to listen to our body is the first step towards good health. Good health is the most important foundation for enjoying a vast abundance in life.
May you have a healthy 2009!
Peace,
Chinese medicine is a common-sense medicine. The answer to health is all there in the ancient text, and we just need to find a way to remember and rediscover our lost root. The ultimate form of health, as I normally told my patients, is practiced through proper diet, adequate rest and moderate exercise. So how do you know if you are healthy? Check out the following health indicators provided by your own body, free of charge (this is a partial list provided in courtesy of Dr. Ni, my teacher, the greatest Shang Han Lun practitioner of our time).
1. Sleep soundly through the night
2. Hands and Feet are warm in all seasons
3. Regular Bowel movement (at least once a day, 1st thing in the morning)
4. Good appetite and adequate level of thirst
5. Urinate 5-7 times a day, good force and light-yellow color
6. Erection/yang response
So if you are taking a lot of supplements or medications/herbs and your can't sleep at night or your hands and feet are freezing in the winter, you may want to reexamine what you are putting into your body. Getting to listen to our body is the first step towards good health. Good health is the most important foundation for enjoying a vast abundance in life.
May you have a healthy 2009!
Peace,
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Hello again, Ecuador!
Ecuador feels like home to me, it is like time travel to the past. Here in the high Andes, it feels like Taiwan in the 70s. Life is simple and people tend to stay in the NOW. It took me one week just to wind down from the fast-paced US city life. Things are more real here. You got to breathe really good air, drink really clean water. The shower water feels like spring water with very high vibrations.
Meeting a cow or a donkey at the road is not uncommon. Here I am full of joy to touch this little cow.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Menopausal symptoms of hot flash, night sweat and irritation
I have been seeing quite a few women in their late 40's and early 50's with hot flash, night sweat and irritation. Some of them were put on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and some of them are just being miserable. When I share with them that Chinese medicine can address these issues quite effectively, they tend to open their eyes, and say "really?"
It's hard for us who have never experienced hot flash to imagine how it's like to be in the situation. When these women experience hot flash, it literally feels like they are on fire -- very uncomfortable, and naturally, irritable. So how could Chinese medicine address this sort of mysterious symptoms that tend to happen with women who are approaching their 50s? In my clinical practice, I often find these women's Kidney Yin and Yang are not in the right relationship. For example, if yang is not able to enter ying, people won't be able to fall asleep and the heat is be floating above. In addition, most of patients' Kidney Yin and Yang are not in their full potential by the time they reach 50s due to life. The most common treatment principal is to supplement the Kidney Yin and Yang and subdue the deficient fire if any. This is really easy to achieve in Chinese medicine, and any basic practitioners should be able to address. Of course, each individual is very different, and an office visit can give practitioners good ideas on how to fine tune their herbal prescriptions. For example, one menopausal patient may experience hot flash but have cold hands and feet, and another patient who also displays hot flash, night sweat and irritation may feel warm all the time. In this case, the pattern diagnosis would be quite different and herbal prescription will need to be adjusted accordingly.
For me, each patient is very unique and I truly enjoy listening to them telling me on how much Chinese medicine helped them. One of my patients came to see me for the 4th time today, and she has been off HRT (with her doctor's permission, of course) for 3 weeks now (she is currently taking an herbal formula prescribed by me). You know what, no mood swing, no hot flash, no night sweat, good sleep, good appetite and good eliminations. It's all good! I told her she only need to come back to see me if needed. It's the most exciting thing in the world for me to see how Chinese medicine performs miracles.
More later,
It's hard for us who have never experienced hot flash to imagine how it's like to be in the situation. When these women experience hot flash, it literally feels like they are on fire -- very uncomfortable, and naturally, irritable. So how could Chinese medicine address this sort of mysterious symptoms that tend to happen with women who are approaching their 50s? In my clinical practice, I often find these women's Kidney Yin and Yang are not in the right relationship. For example, if yang is not able to enter ying, people won't be able to fall asleep and the heat is be floating above. In addition, most of patients' Kidney Yin and Yang are not in their full potential by the time they reach 50s due to life. The most common treatment principal is to supplement the Kidney Yin and Yang and subdue the deficient fire if any. This is really easy to achieve in Chinese medicine, and any basic practitioners should be able to address. Of course, each individual is very different, and an office visit can give practitioners good ideas on how to fine tune their herbal prescriptions. For example, one menopausal patient may experience hot flash but have cold hands and feet, and another patient who also displays hot flash, night sweat and irritation may feel warm all the time. In this case, the pattern diagnosis would be quite different and herbal prescription will need to be adjusted accordingly.
For me, each patient is very unique and I truly enjoy listening to them telling me on how much Chinese medicine helped them. One of my patients came to see me for the 4th time today, and she has been off HRT (with her doctor's permission, of course) for 3 weeks now (she is currently taking an herbal formula prescribed by me). You know what, no mood swing, no hot flash, no night sweat, good sleep, good appetite and good eliminations. It's all good! I told her she only need to come back to see me if needed. It's the most exciting thing in the world for me to see how Chinese medicine performs miracles.
More later,
Monday, June 16, 2008
Interesting look on food...
Just received the following from a newsgroup that I belong to. Treat your body with these healing foods daily and you'll live till 100! Mmm...Yummy.... Mother nature really rocks!
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomat
o has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks
like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also
nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen
neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidne
y Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they
look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods
specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are
23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it
from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of
the body.
Eg
gplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? ... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the
motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm to swell
to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Grapefrui
ts, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary
glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the
movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear
wa
ste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears
which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.A Tomat
o has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks
like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also
profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the 
nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozenneuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidne
y Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, theylook exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods
specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are
23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it
from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of
the body.
Eg
gplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? ... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the
motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm to swell
to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Grapefrui
ts, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammaryglands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the
movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear
wa
ste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tearswhich wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.
Friday, May 23, 2008
So your uterus dropped down....
I know this image wasn't pretty, but sometimes bladder or uterus slipped out of the body whether you like it or not. One patient of mine recently experiences just that. Her uterus dropped down from lifting some flower pots from her yard. She can touch the uterus every time she is in the shower.
In Chinese traditional medicine, body functions are governed by Yang qi. So when an organ is not staying in the right position, the yang function of the organ (which is lifting) is weak. As a Chinese medicine practitioner, my goal is to help patients regain their yang qi, specifically Spleen and Kidney.
Her MD wants to take out the uterus, so it won't sag down any longer (no kidding!), but the patient doesn't want to go through this procedure. I teach her Mayan Abdominal Massage (MAM) so she can do this at home on a daily basis. I also give her Chinese herbs: Yang Qi Shi, Bu Gu Zhi, Ba Ji Tian, Xu Duan...etc. Acupuncture points such as Bai Hui, Guan Yuan and San Yin Jiao were used every time she came to see me.
I saw her last week, and she told me that she couldn't feel her uterus during showering anymore. This is good news because this means her uterus has been lifted. Considering the patient's age, I thought it would take more than 5 treatments to make any changes. Fortunately, we are able to make some shift within a fairly short period of time. More work still needs to be done to help the uterus stays lifted, but this is a good beginning! :-)
More later,
In Chinese traditional medicine, body functions are governed by Yang qi. So when an organ is not staying in the right position, the yang function of the organ (which is lifting) is weak. As a Chinese medicine practitioner, my goal is to help patients regain their yang qi, specifically Spleen and Kidney.
Her MD wants to take out the uterus, so it won't sag down any longer (no kidding!), but the patient doesn't want to go through this procedure. I teach her Mayan Abdominal Massage (MAM) so she can do this at home on a daily basis. I also give her Chinese herbs: Yang Qi Shi, Bu Gu Zhi, Ba Ji Tian, Xu Duan...etc. Acupuncture points such as Bai Hui, Guan Yuan and San Yin Jiao were used every time she came to see me.
I saw her last week, and she told me that she couldn't feel her uterus during showering anymore. This is good news because this means her uterus has been lifted. Considering the patient's age, I thought it would take more than 5 treatments to make any changes. Fortunately, we are able to make some shift within a fairly short period of time. More work still needs to be done to help the uterus stays lifted, but this is a good beginning! :-)
More later,
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