analytical

Dec

2017

Food Wisdom for a Prosperous Life

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Dietary Basics According to

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Turning to traditional Chinese medicine and a Taoist concept of health and long life, one is moderate in every action and attentive to signals of the body and of nature. Eating when hungry and drinking when thirsty, we only ingest enough food and drink to satisfy actual needs that match activity. The dietary realm can be an exotic smorgasbord of delights and unknowns. Diet can also represent rote habit that lacks consideration beyond food cost and convenience. In the balanced view of traditional Chinese diet, neither extreme may be the better one when concerning nourishment. In oriental dietary practice, the overall properties and energetics of foods are always considered – rather than the individual constituents and compounds of nutrients. Foods have a direction they encourage Qi to move in and channels of affinity, as well as seasons and conditions for which they are most suited. The tastes that all foods and medicinals inherently possess is a basis for healing, whether by decoctions of healing herbs or by the preparation of the foods that we use in cooking. The 5 Food Tastes determine, in large part, therapeutic effects.

Principles to be mindful of:

BITTER · Drains and dries; Traveling in the bones.

SWEET · Tonifies, harmonizes, moistens; Traveling in the flesh.

ACRID · Disperses and moves; Traveling in the Qi.

SALTY · Softens and purges; Traveling in the blood.

SOUR · Astringes and draws fluids inward; Traveling in sinews.

BLAND, NEUTRAL · Balancing; Leeching dampness and gently promoting the elimination of fluids through urination.

A basic ‘Middle Burner’ diet of warm, freshly prepared foods might consist of a plentiful variety of fresh, organic vegetables, cooked whole grains, some prepared beans/legumes, and protein from plant-based sources; let’s say, your hens’ eggs and occasional cheese from a neighbor’s goat. The gift of humane sources of certain animal products can be dietarily beneficial in supplementing an otherwise healthy diet.Quality fruits, nuts and seeds are beneficial but it is important to keep these foods in limited proportion to staple foods. Fruit smoothies, which, though they are delicious and are touted as all the rage in many circles, smoothies are unfriendly choices to accentuate the wellbeing of the Stomach’s digestive functioning according to traditional Chinese medical knowledge.

Sugar is poisonous to the bones and alternatives such as rice or barley malt, maple syrup, agave – assuming that agave is better than sugar is questionable for people living in cold or 4-season climate, or honey from your local hives is suitable in small amounts. [Even raw honey is a simple sugar, and I would recommend no commercial grade honey as it has been pasturized and therefore its enzymes have been denatured.]. Oils and fats, too, should be kept at a minimum, fiber at a high, miso and tempe are a ‘yes’, and left-overs are a definite ‘no’. Soups are usually a harmonizing feature of a meal, and a soup starting with a fresh vegetable stock can balance a meal of fried food due to its clarity and neutral thermal nature. Congee, which is a rice porridge, has amazing, nutritive effects on the Spleen and Stomach Qi, which are the roots of ‘Postnatal’ or ‘Acquired’ Qi.

Ginger is a splendid food, beverage, a catalytic heater in the preparation of food dishes, and is a prized medicinal substance. Clinical conditions that can benefit from ginger as a medicinal element are: atherosclerosis, bronchitis, elevated cholesterol, heart disease, blood clots and varicosities and weight loss to name only a few.

When considering the stomach as a metaphorical soup pot, food in raw material form is catalyzed here to create nourishment by metabolic actions that require as well as produce warmth. It should be considered that the external heat source, as close to the origins of fire, will innately impart warmth to the conversion of food and promote the digestive process. Originally, the way humans cooked their food was over open flame, unequivocally. Over much time and innovation in approaches to cooking, such as current methods of the electric stove top and microwaving, fire has largely been replaced – although never improved upon. More than anything however, cooking fresh foods at home, no matter what the fuel source, is the strongest step toward maintaining good health.

The advice regarding water intake one encounters is to drink only when thirsty or drink a few sips regularly throughout the day and a few sips during a meal. Consuming more than what is essential is considered a defiance of nature and signals of the body. There are obvious cases where higher fluid consumption is important, such as for people who are perspiring profusely due to exercise, hot weather, or resulting from a feverish disease, those who are losing fluids due to diarrhea, as well as one who tends to form kidney stones. By eating the suggested servings of fruit and vegetables per day, plentiful amounts of water are provided; many fruits and vegetables being more than 80% water in content.

Most yin quality foods in a healthy diet contain a significant quantity of water making it feasible to get the 2.5 liters a day without drinking copious amounts of water. However, the popular impression is that for good health one must drink 2.5 liters of water per day, when essentially, emphasis needs to be placed on consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, not on high volume water-intake. Health advisories recommend that sedentary women consume approximately 2,000 calories per day, for which the suggested 1 ml/calorie translates to only 2.0 liters of total water needed. Adding 1.9 liters of water from drinking glass after glass of water simply doubles such suggested intake. Drinking large volumes of water appears to be inconsistent with age-old wisdom inherent in moderation.

Green tea offers many health benefits that are validated by science, however, it is valuable to realize that drinking tea is something unto itself, to be done for its own sake. There is something in the nature of tea that leads us to quiet contemplation. Only in this way can one taste the mysteries of sunlight, wind and clouds, and minerals of the earth. Tea drinking engenders empathy with nature and kinship with one’s fellow beings. As a rule of thumb, white and twig teas are lowest in caffeine and the least drying to the fluids in the body. For people with a fatty constitution or after a greasy meal, pu erh would be the prime tea choice. Drink only organic teas and add no sweeteners.

Photo ©Elemental Changes

Daily supplementation with Chinese herb formulations is a potent catalyst toward a lifestyle of health and balance. Chinese herbal medicine is well-suited for everyday life. Even when healthy, the body as a whole is complimented by food quality and dietary combinations, and also by supplementation with herbal medicines.

Traditional Chinese medicine originally made no reference to pesticides and GMOs. Chemical preservatives and additive compounds have only fairly recently become factors to be recognized. ‘Poisoning,’ however, was described in the ancient Chinese categorizing of pathology. Bu Nei Bu Wai Yin, ‘not inside; not outside,’ differentiates the pathological factors derived of chemical poisoning – which is not to be confused with ‘food poisoning’ derived from wrecked food; food which is impure, spoiled or no longer fresh.All evidence suggests that eating chemically contaminated food is of detriment to long-term heath. This is why it is fully advisable to eat organic food and to use all products that are 100% ethical and free from chemical contamination. Let us be supplemented by food and our way of living, not contaminated by it. I think that eating vegan or ethically sourced vegetarian, even if only periodically, is a necessity, necessarily promoting a lightening on the digestive system rather than undertaking the extreme of depleting ‘cleanse’ regimens. My motto is to leave it off the menu if the source is tainted or is created from suffering or environmental degradation in some way. At this time we all must reconcile that we are each stewards of our health and stewards of this precious natural world.

“The human organism and its nutritional needs have evolved over millions of years. But in the space of fifty years, we have created an entirely new diet which we justify by juggling numbers. In short, we have lost sight of the forest for the trees. Western science has spent so much time myopically examining the minutiae of life that it has lost sight of the broad generalizations which have been tested empirically for hundreds of generations – Age-old wisdom of people living traditionally in consonance with nature and with the laws of human development.” · Bob Flaws

Food must address an individual’s health requirements. When eating is for luxury or convenience, diet can be sabotaging. “One who takes medicine and neglects diet wastes the skill of the physician.” ~ Chinese proverb

LET’S TALK.

Author’s footnote: In my opinion, meat is strictly regarded as medicine and animal by-products used with the highest respect and constervatism. My patient’s are free to eat and live to their calling. I respect everyone’s choices and work with people within the scope of their beliefs and the parameters of Chinese medicine.

Elemental Changes Oriental Medical Arts

Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

(828)281-4330

Nov

2017

Bach Flower Essence Questionnaire

The gentle power of Bach essences promotes healing through levels of the subtle energetic, emotional body. Such healing can point the way to further steps in an individual’s process of growth. With a positive mental attitude and sense of balance, overall wellness is achieved. Bach essences are safely used with all other healing modalities.

Read further about Bach Flower Essences:

tinyurl.com/y98ov6ur

1) AGRIMONY
• Do you hide your worries behind a cheerful, smiling face to conceal your pain?
• Are you distressed by arguments and quarrels often giving in to avoid conflict?
• When pressures weigh on you, do you often turn to food, work, alcohol, drugs or other outside influences to help you cope?

2) ASPEN
• Do you feel apprehension or anxiety without knowing why?
• Do you fear something bad may happen but not sure why?
• Do you wake with a sense of anxiety about what the day will bring?

3) BEECH
• Are you annoyed by the habits and shortcomings of others?
• Do you often find yourself being overly critical and intolerant, looking for what someone has done wrong, not right?
• Do the incompetence and foolishness of others irritate you?

4) CENTAURY
• Do you regularly neglect your own needs in order to please others?
• Is it difficult to say no to those who impose on your good nature?
• Do you tend to be easily influenced by those stronger in nature than yourself?

5) CERATO
• Do you constantly second-guess your own decisions and judgment?
• Do you often seek advice and confirmation from others, mistrusting your own intuitions?
• Do you change direction often, even after asking advice, feeling unsure or confused?

6) CHERRY PLUM
• Are you afraid you might lose control physically, mentally or emotionally?
• Do you fear you may think or do something that is wrong?
• Do you feel like hurting yourself or others, possibly becoming explosive or violent?

7) CHESTNUT BUD
• Do you seem to make the same mistakes regardless of ultimately knowing better?
• Do you wish you wouldn’t repeat the same patterns over and over?
• Do you neglect to learn from the mistakes of others even when they directly apply to your situation?

8) CHICORY
• Do you need to be needed and want your loved ones close at hand?
• Do you feel unloved / unappreciated by those close to you?
• Are you possessive of those you care for, feeling you know what is best for them?

9) CLEMATIS
• Are you often spacey and absent-minded?
• Are you preoccupied, unable to concentrate for any length of time; dreamy?
• Are you drowsy and listless, sleeping more than necessary?

10) CRAB APPLE
• Are you obsessed with cleanliness, or overly concerned with toxicity and contamination?
• Are you embarrassed or ashamed of yourself, or feel physically unattractive?
• Do you tend to concentrate on small physical imperfections such as blemishes or marks?

11) ELM
• Do you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities?
• Do you feel overwhelmed by the many tasks ahead of you?
• Do you become exhausted or depressed faced with your daily commitments?

12) GENTIAN
• Are you easily depressed or discouraged when things go wrong?
• Are you easily disheartened when faced with difficult situation?
• Do you allow your depressed attitude to prevent you from accomplishing something?

13) GORSE
• Do you feel hopeless, as if there is no reason to try?
• Do you lack faith that your circumstances will improve and therefore make no effort?
• Do you believe that nothing is likely to relieve your pain and suffering?

14) HEATHER
• Do others avoid you because you talk too much?
• Do you dislike being alone, seeking others to have someone to talk to?
• Do your conversations usually come back to your problems or interests?

15) HOLLY
• Are you suspicious of others, feeling others having “ulterior motives”?
• Do you have great anger toward other people and situations?
• Are you prone to feeling hate, mistrust or jealousy?

16) HONEYSUCKLE
• Do you live in shades of the past; homesick for the way it was, nostalgic?
• Are you always looking back which prevents moving forward?
• Do you often contemplate past regrets?

17) HORNBEAM
• Do you often feel too tired to face the day ahead?
• Do you feel overworked or bored with your life?
• Do you routinely procrastinate on difficult or tedious tasks?

18) IMPATIENS
• Do you feel a sense of urgency, always rushing to get through everything you do?
• Are you impatient and irritable with people who do things at a slower pace than you?
• Do you prefer to work alone?

19) LARCH
• Do you lack self-confidence?
• Do you feel inferior and often becoming discouraged?
• Are you so sure you will fail that you do not even try?

20) MIMULUS
• Do you have fears of identifiable things, i.e. illness, death, pain, heights, darkness, the dentist?
• Are you shy, overly sensitive and often afraid?
• Do you often worry about everyday situations, i.e. traffic, bills, etc.?

21) MUSTARD
• Do you feel depressed without knowing why?
• Do you experience significant mood swings?
• Do you experience deep gloom, which descends and lifts for no apparent reason?

22) OAK
• Are you exhausted but struggle onward despite odds?
• Do you have a strong sense of duty and dependability no matter what obstacles you face?
• Do you neglect your own needs in order to complete a task?

23) OLIVE
• Are you utterly and completely exhausted, both physically and mentally?
• Are you totally drained with no reserves, finding it difficult to carry on?
• Have you recently been through a long period of illness, stress or strain without relief?

24) PINE
• Do you set overly high standards for yourself, never satisfied with your achievements?
• Do you feel guilt and self-reproach?
• Do you blame yourself for everything that goes wrong, sometimes event the mistakes of others?

25) RED CHESTNUT
• Are you often quite concerned and worried about your loved ones?
• Are you distressed or disturbed by other people’s problems?
• Do you worry that harm may befall to those you care for?

26) ROCK ROSE
• Are you susceptible to feelings of panic or terror?
• Do you become helpless and frozen in the face of your fear?
• Do you suffer from nightmares?

27) ROCK WATER
• Do you set high personal standards and take pride in setting a good example for others?
• Are you greatly concerned with diet, exercise, spiritual disciplines, and work?
• Are your ways extremely disciplined, always striving for perfection?

28) SCLERANTHUS
• Do you find it difficult to choose between possibilities?
• Do you lack concentration, nervously fidgeting?
• Do your moods shift from one extreme to another; laughing to crying, optimism to pessimism, etc.?

29) STAR OF BETHLEHEM
• Have you suffered a recent shock in life such as an accident, loss of loved one, illness, terrible news?
• Are you numbed of withdrawn due to traumatic events in your life?
• Have you suffered grief, loss or trauma from which you have never recovered?

30) SWEET CHESTNUT
• Do you suffer from extreme mental or emotional anguish?
• Are you at the limits of your endurance?
• Do you feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel?

31) VERVAIN
• Do you have so much drive and energy that you are tense and unable to sleep?
• Do you have strong opinions and try to convince others of them?
• Are you sensitive to injustice and dedicated to causes almost to extremes?

32) VINE
• Do you tend to take charge of meetings, projects, situations, etc.?
• Do you consider yourself a natural leader?
• Are you strong-willed and ambitious and may appear aggressive and domineering to others?

33) WALNUT
• Are you experiencing any change in your life-a move, new job, new relationship, divorce, puberty, menopause, divorce, addiction cessation, etc.?
• Do people or situations often drain your energy?
• Do you need to make a break from strong forces or attachments in your life that are holding you back?

34) WATER VIOLET
• Do you appear to others to be aloof or overly proud? And prefer to be alone when faced with too many external distractions?
• Are you withdrawn?
• Do you bear your grief and sorrow without talking to others?

35) WHITE CHESTNUT
• Is your head full of persistent worries, unwanted thoughts that take you out of the moment?
• Do you revive unhappy events or arguments again and again?
• Are you unable to sleep at times because your mind is cluttered with mental arguments and spinning thoughts?

36) WILD OAT
• Do you find yourself in a complete state of uncertainty over major life decisions?
• Do you feel ready for a change of direction, but unsure of which way to go?
• Do you have ambition but feel life is passing you by?

37) WILD ROSE
• Are you apathetic and resigned to whatever happens in your life?
• Do you have an, “It doesn’t matter anyhow” attitude?
• Do you lack motivation to improve the quality of your life?

38) WILLOW
• Do you feel resentful, bitter?
• Do you have difficulty forgiving and forgetting?
• Do you feel certain situations/life unfair, eroding your pleasure and interest in life.

Return this questionnaire at your next visit

for your personalized Bach Essence formula.

How to take Bach Flower Essences:
-Add 4 drops of your chosen remedy to any beverage and sip at intervals.
-When combining remedies, fill a 2 oz tincture bottle with 4 drops of each remedy, and take 4 drops under the tongue at least 4 times daily.
-Bach remedies may also be taken by placing 2 drops under the tongue directly; or by rubbing onto the lips, behind the ears, on the temples, or wrists.

Oct

2017

Sun Simiao’s Code of Medical Ethics

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Sun Si Miao 孙思邈 [581—682 A.D.], a revered Chinese alchemist, scholar, monk, and clinician, has been venerated as the ‘Medicine God,’ Medicine Buddha, a deity invoked during healing practices, and commonly referred to in China as ‘King of Medicine.’ During the Ming Dynasty [1527 A.D.], eight stone tablets engraved with quotations from his works were erected in his birthplace in Shanxi Province, and to this day there are activities each year in his hometown that celebrate his memory. Sun Simiao is credited with the first Chinese code of ethics for doctors, less a formal code per se, and more of the philosophy of a virtuous physician and values that suggest an ethical practitioner. The principles primarily focus on compassion, humility, conduct, and beneficence rather than physician truth-telling and self-importance. A Heart of empathy and quiet, free of wants and desires, pledged to heal and rescue sentient beings from their suffering.

• First develop compassion, not giving way to wishes, desires, and judgments.

• S/he sympathizes with those who experience grief as if s/he has been affected by it.

• S/he does not ponder fortune or misfortune of self, above preserving life and having compassion for it.

• By no means should there arise an attitude of rejection. Sympathy, compassion, and care should develop for whoever suffers from conditions looked upon with contempt by people.

• Treat all patients alike, whether powerful or humble, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, resentful relatives or kind friends, locals or foreigners, fools or wise men.

• Neither dangerous mountain passes nor the time of day, neither weather conditions nor hunger, thirst nor fatigue should keep her/him from helping wholeheartedly.

• S/he makes a dignified appearance, neither luminous nor somber.

• It is not permissible to be talkative and make provocative speeches, make fun of others, raise one’s voice, decide right from wrong, and discuss other people and their business.

• The wealth of others should not be the reason to prescribe precious and expensive treatments. The object is to help.

• It is inappropriate to emphasize one’s reputation, belittle other physicians, and praise one’s virtue. Indeed, in actual life someone who has accidentally healed a disease then strides around with head held high, showing conceit, and announcing that no one in the entire world could have measured up to yield such results; underscoring one’s own merits and abilities. Such conduct has to be regarded as contrary to the teachings of magnanimity. In this respect, all physicians are, evidently, incurable!

Adaptation derived from a review of related articles by Paul Unschuld, Subhuti Dharmananda, and S.Y. Tan, MD.

Aug

2017

My Visit to Master Wang’s Clinic in Chengdu

While visiting Chengdu China in July of 2017, I observed and participated in treatments at Master Wang’s clinic. Master Wang’s work consists of his patients soaking in Chinese medicinal herbal baths in large bamboo tubs, followed by a uniquely vigorous type of manual therapy administered, simultaneously, by his two apprentices. As a practitioner of Chinese medicine myself, I was allowed to observe and palpate patients on the treatment table undergoing treatment, guided by Master Wang to discern the therapeutic changes taking effect. I also experienced the methods personally, as a patient. I experienced notable results for my sacrum and shoulder joint which at the time were nagging me, and right before my trekking pilgrimage in Tibet – a blessing to have resolved in one session of herbal bathing and 30 minutes of Master Wang’s highly vigorous manual therapy methods.

Patients from all over the world come to stay in Chengdu to be treated in Master Wang’s clinic. While there, Master Wang, his family, apprentices and I shared a delicious vegetarian lunch that was prepared by Master Wang’s wife and daughter-in-law. Over our leisurely meal I learned that Master Wang’s treatment methods were passed down to him despite cultural revolution precepts, by his life-long teacher, a Shaolin monk. Master Wang has only trained a handful of students in these methods during his 65 year career. Master Wang, his staff, and family were all warm and welcoming. I consider myself fortunate to have had this enriching educational and therapeutic opportunity while I was in Chengdu and am ever-grateful to those who helped to make it happen.

Traumatic Injury, Blood Stasis, and Zheng Gu Shui Liniment

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Supple and elastic tissues tend to be more resilient to injury, however, force can wound any area of the body. Bones, joints, veins, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and the associated organs of injured parts may fall into a condition of blood stasis, both acutely and chronically, as the body attempts to promote healing. The circulation of blood and Qi at the sites of traumatic injuries becomes impaired, and if left untreated in the immediate phases of trauma care and subsequent rehabilitation, over time can transform into a stubborn and recalcitrant disorder of pain and limitation.

The great news is that in the aftermath of traumatic impact Chinese medicine has acupuncture and Tui Na techniques, and time-tested herbal formulas that work wonders, such as the famous Chinese liniment Zheng Gu Shui, which translates as ‘Bone Correcting Water.’

The Chinese herb constituents in Zheng Gu Shui have the synergistic effect to control bleeding and transform blood stasis, thereby opening portals, and move stagnant Qi, relieve pain, reduce swelling, eliminate bruising, strengthen bone and sinew to help regenerate damaged tissues and bone. This essential formula is for external application only and is not to be applied to open wounds. It has a vast range of trauma applications, from bone fractures and joint dislocations, to sprains and strains. It is invaluable in the clinic and should be part of everyones’ personal medicine cabinet.

Photo by E.C.O.M.A.

Acupuncture should follow wound care and bone setting and be continued, often daily, in the days or week(s) following the initial trauma.

Medicinals can not work to their potential, or at all, if used incorrectly for the particular needs of the condition. Consult your licensed acupuncturist for the appropriate guidelines in applying Zheng Gu Shui.

Apr

2017

Good Luck – Bad Luck, Who Can Say?

Horse of Tang dynasty 618-906 CE

A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I’m so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We will see.”

A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We will see.”

One of the wild horses kicked the man’s only son, breaking both his legs.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I’m so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We will see.”

The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer’s son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said.. “We will see.”

Good Luck, Bad Luck, who can say?

Jan

2017

Qigong Self-Massage

by Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Cultivation by Chinese internal and Qigong exercises helps to improve and develop internal energy – true Qi. Self-massage is a simple yet important aspect of practice. Dao Yin and Qi Gong daily practice is beneficial, keeping the spirit and body supple and strong. Avoid taxing vital Qi with meaningless forms of exercise. Taoists and martial artists have preserved Jing essence for millennia by concentrating Qi flow to organs, joints, and musculature without undue strain on the body. Additionally, Qigong self-massage is an excellent health practice that stimulates acupoints to bring quiet to the mind and awaken and refresh the body with renewed vital energy. Such gentle Dao Yin daily practices help all people of every age. ☯︎︎

Dec

2016

Winter Solstice Qi Node · Dōng Zhì 冬至

✍️Wᴇɴᴅʏ Bʀᴏᴡɴ 文婷中医

Winter Solstice · Dong Zhi · 冬至 · Qi Node begins on December 21st – 22nd

This is the point in the year where the extreme of Yin energy is upon us, and hence, in the Universal balancing of Yin-Yang, Yang begins its return. In so, we enjoy the increasing presence of light. Warmth, rest, and reflection puts us in harmony with the contractive Yin nature of Winter. Keep Yang Qi strong by avoiding prolonged exposure to cold. Eat warming, nourishing foods. Sleep, but not too long as too much sleep produces too much Yin. Move, but in a gentle manner, as with T’ai Chi Chuan and Gentle, Yin, Restorative yogas. Mindfully preserve Kidney Essence and keep a conservative perspective with regard to bedroom activity. Introspection is called for. Contemplate your forthcoming life, reveling in the austere beauty of this moment and season.

Heaven engenders water to make Earth fertile.

Water dwells in the North, is the season of Winter, and among viscera pertains to Kidney.

Water represents the elemental trigram of Kǎn☵ in the iChing Book of Changes.

Water flows onward, uninterrupted, reaching its destination.

“Being sincere, one has purity and thus meets with success.”

Well-Wishes, Health and Light to All.

Apr

2016

Wu Wei 无为 Action Through Non-Action

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Do not burden yourself with depressing thoughts, do not get anxious about future events that may never happen, and do not dwell on things that are well in the past. All of these emotions dissipate the brightness of Shen (Heart Spirit). If we over-extend our Heart we will harm its Qi. If this happens, Jing (Kidney Essence) will also suffer damage, and the Shen, consequently, will lose its residence.

Doctrines of both Confucius and his student Mencius taught to refrain from striving, inflexibility, egotism, self-righteousness, expectation, and the use of force at any level. Even though both masters never said much about medicine, the art of nourishing the Spirit and Essence was understood. Wu Wei is a common truth in Taoist Chinese practices that can help to preserve this interdependent relationship between the Heart and the Kidney and show the path of Tao.

Dreaming of Butterflies. Yuan Dynasty.

An understanding of Eastern philosophy benefits us today as much as ever. The ‘causality’ approach to life is very often anathema to the timeless Tao (or Way) of the Universe. Countless scenarios play out before us that we become compelled to change. Do we engage in interactions through which we intend to prevent, prepare, or secure an outcome? Any force-of-will moves to create specified responses to our desires. Whatever must be asserted and managed is necessarily skewed to a particular perspective and liable to subsequent folly.

The wisdom of the Tao values balance, receptivity and emptiness. Many problems arise from re-acting, striving, and controlling.

Tao is eternally inactive,
and yet nothing is left undone

A Taoist pivot is active in cultivating awareness of the ways of the universe and one’s part herein. Cultivating a state of being that flows and responds with minimal action for our efforts reflects Wu Wei. This is not an expression of laziness or a lack of interest, but rather effortless efficiency. Guided by elemental rhythms of the natural world, as well as supernatural and alchemical influence, a classical Taoist finds an earthly pivot in Wu Wei. Letting all things play out, not engaged by will and ego, but keenly observant of an authentic progression of every moment, is Wu Wei. We are neither caring nor uncaring and yet Wu Wei does not imply overlooking those who are afflicted. Wu Wei may be considered an experience of one’s life path that is clear of rote emotional reactions, favoring a pivot where one acts rather than reacts, and one allows rather than resists changes. Our progress occurs naturally when we act in harmony and seek no progress at the expense of our genuine devotion to the ways of the Sage. Correcting our own thoughts, attitudes, and actions sets a course for whole-hearted improvement.

Action by non-action thereby allows evolution to take place instead of revolution and conditions that might further extremes.

The Taoist path of Wu Wei is neither difficult nor easy. By observing and simply ‘being’ we come to sense the natural and the supernatural and align with the way of Tao. Mirroring the universe we become whole. Our experiences and interests in the outside world become synergistic and complete. “Cherish the people and order the kingdom, and you can do without meddlesome action.” “If kings and nobles could but hold fast to this principle, all things would work.” Remember, these ideas are most valuable when they are absorbed slowly and applied loosely to everyday life.

The Tao that Can Be Named

is Not The Eternal Tao

Mar

2016

Acupuncture Detox for Chemical Addiction Cessation

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Auricular acupuncture is clinically proven to be the most effective natural method of chemical detoxification. Chemical addictions are insidious, and acupuncture can reduce cravings and lessen associated withdrawal symptoms that plague people in the process of quitting, and which so often sabotage success. It must be established, however, that acupuncture is not a magical cure. Although it does effectively mute and redirect the buildup of craving energy and bestows resilience to the human vessel, acupuncture treatment for cessation of addiction does not turn cravings off per se. A commitment from the patient to move forward with treatment and the healing process can only be made on a personal level by the patient. The physical and psycho-emotional health of an individual develops as it overcomes and transforms the shackles of chemical addictions, and acupuncture helps significantly.

My own hand-drawn design - aren't you impressed?

my drawing-design of the 5 auricular points

The Treatment: 5 auricular(ear) acupuncture points have proven highly effective for breaking addiction. Investigations into the efficacy of acu-detox have repeatedly demonstrated that acupuncture stimulates endorphin release, the body’s ‘feel-good’ hormones. At the same time, specifically, the principles of Chinese medicine show that acupuncture needling heals by stimulating a person’s inherent Qi. Harmonious Qi flow circulates and adjusts within the body, creating equilibrium that preserves and strengthens organ function and grants the organism structurally and emotionally flexibility. Adjusting Qi to release calming, pain-inhibiting endorphins amounts to a most successful natural method of successfully getting a handle on addiction to move beyond destructive habits toward freedom and health.Chemically addicting agents enter the Heart orifice, altering and injuring Shen (spirit that resides in the Heart), thus causing obfuscation of the Heart sovereign’s sensing and processing of thought. Addictions exhaust blood and shorten lifespan. In Chinese medicine, tobacco, specifically, is categorized as having a pungent taste and a hot, toxic nature. Tobacco use depletes Jing (essence of the kidney), which lends explanation to the particular toxicity of tobacco during pregnancy. According to Chinese medicine, tobacco pathologically dries vital fluids and Jing-Essence, on top of the focal harmful effects on the lungs, which is why it is considered to be largely, if not likely entirely, without medicinal benefit.

Tobacco was introduced in China in 1575. The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chong Zhen (1611 –1644), enacted laws against smoking and by the Qing Dynasty it became known medically that tobacco scorches Kidney Jing and the vital fluids with its pungent and drying nature, damaging the lungs, throat, and stomach, as well. Tobacco was noted to lessen the perception of food and drink tastes, and to make the tongue coating dark yellow, or eventually black, indicating heat toxicity critically building up in the body. I offer to assist patients break their substance addiction, and most commonly for nicotine cessation.

Note from Wendy: Having gained hands-on knowledge from fieldwork and training in New York City and Boston area facilities that successfully apply the 5-point auricular method; Having participated in treating heavily drug and alcohol-addicted populations by applying the 5-point ear detox acupuncture method, and witnessing the noteworthy results it yields in the three decades that I have offered this method to patients; I invite you to please share this post with anyone interested in quitting their chemical addiction.

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Adaptation derived from a review of related articles by Paul Unschuld, Subhuti Dharmananda, and S.Y. Tan, MD.

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