By Elisabeth Rochat de la Vall¨¦e THE CHARACTER On the left hand side of the character for essence, jing, ¾«, we find the grain of rice or husked seed, Ã×, ready to be ground, kneaded and cooked. On the right, a green color is added, Çà, qing. This is the green of young growing plants, …
By Andrew Gaeddert What are medicinal mushrooms? Medicinal mushrooms are fungal organisms that are used in traditional Chinese Medicine, nutritional supplements and drugs. It is estimated that China is responsible for 70 percent of the world¡¯s mushroom production. Shiitake cultivation is reported to have begun in China in the 12th century. It is estimated that …
By Amanda Collins Your surroundings have a powerful effect on what you attract into your life. When the energy around you is blocked or unbalanced, your prosperity, health and relationships can be adversely affected. Feng Shui improvements unblock the flow of positive energy, remove negative influences and allow you to attract the prosperity and abundance …
Traditional Chinese medicine brings to mind acupuncture and the use of natural herbs as healing remedies. Cupping is a lesser-known treatment that is also part of Oriental medicine, one that can provide an especially pleasant experience. Cupping is the term applied to a technique that uses small glass cups or bamboo jars as suction devices …
I was sitting at the desk in my office when a woman in her seventies suddenly appeared in the doorway and asked me, ¡°Excuse me, do you treat cancer patients?¡± As I was looking for the right words to form my answer, the woman made that task easier for me. ¡°You see, my husband has lung cancer, and he is undergoing chemotherapy. His doctor is happy with the results because my husband¡¯s metastases have stopped spreading. Before starting the treatment, however, he was active and energetic, but now he spends most of the day in bed. Can acupuncture help?¡±
I believe massage therapy has a ripple effect–a radiating energy, an extension of our clients¡¯ own healing processes, on through to the other humans within their circle. In our work with pregnant clients, this connection is even more obvious, and infinitely rewarding. When we work with a woman who is carrying another human inside her, we are essentially working with two people simultaneously. As practitioners of touch therapy, we must be fully present to be mindful of that fact. Part of our role as therapist is to educate our clients (and other health care practitioners) about the many benefits that purposeful bodywork engenders for both the mother and the baby.
Herman Kauz has been a prominent teacher of tai chi for over 60 years. For the past 15 years, he has instructed the free Push-Hands class on the San Diego campus. In the 1970s, he trained with Cheng Man-ching, himself a student of Yang Chengfu, who was one of the most famous teachers of tai chi ever to have lived. Cheng Man-ching¡¯s short-form Yang-style tai chi, one of the first to be introduced to the West, has since become the most widespread style of the art in the Unites States.
The Chinese New Year is an opportunity to honor family and friends and enjoy some of China’s traditions. Lucky colors for the year are brown, red, and purple, and lucky numbers are two and seven. Some foods are considered lucky because of the similarity of their names to other words in the language, such as the fact that the Chinese word for “orange”, ³È ch¨¦ng, sounds like the world for gold, ½ð j¨©n, or that the word for “tangerine”, ¸ÌéÙ g¨¡nj¨², sounds like the word for “luck”, ÔËÆø y¨´nq¨¬. The bright orange color of the fruits also represents the metallic sheen of gold. Find out what other lucky foods to eat and display to ensure a prosperous and happy new year!
Traditional Chinese Medicine can provide an alternative treatment for seasonal allergies and sinus problems. Most medical practitioners will recommend using decongestants, non-steroidal nasal sprays, allergy shots, antihistamines, or nasal corticosteroids to combat these sinus problems. While these options have been successful for many patients afflicted with burning throats, itchy eyes, inflamed eyes, and stuffy nose, there are many individuals that do not respond well to these treatment plans, or who would like to go a more natural route.
Pediatrics as a specialty is one of the oldest topics discovered in the Chinese medical literature. Sabine Wilms discusses that as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), there is mention of pediatric treatments in at least 19 volumes within the Imperial Library, (Venerating the Root, Part 1, 2013). Sun Simiao was a notable author in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) who emphasized the treatment of children and women above any other medical issue.