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,

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,