holistic health

Feb

2014

The 250 Year Old Man

When Lǐ Qīngyún 李清雲 was 105 years old, he traveled to Pingliang County in Gansu province of Tibet to collect herbs. In the Kunlung mountains Li met a hermit who was much older than he. Li asked the elder for the secret of long life, and the old hermit laughed, saying, “Why are you asking me? Aren’t you doing quite well on your own?”

“Ren Shen參, Zhu Ling猪苓, Ling Zhi靈芝, and the orchid are herbs of longevity,” the hermit said. “The mountains, forests, and the wilderness are all places of quietude. Nature is the secret of longevity, and you have all of this, so why are you asking me?” But, Li was persistent, even begging the elder. The old hermit spoke of some breathing [Qigong] and a word of dietary advice to follow.

After his encounter with the elder, Li recruited three Taoist adepts to go to Emei Mountain, a famous Taoist mountain in Sichuan province, to live in practice of these ways. There, Li built a hut and taught the methods to the others. According to Li, within a few years he was able to abstain from grains [bìgǔ 辟谷], learning to lighten the body.

Exercises practiced every day, regularly, correctly, and with sincerity, Li was able to achieve the power of Bìgǔ, attested to by the brightness of his eyes and the sharpness of his senses. He was full of energy, exceeding his former self. At that time he was already 140 years old, but the people who met him said he looked like he was in his 40s.

Li remained at Mei Mountain for about 100 years. The number of his followers grew to around 100; all baby-faced, white-haired elders, each over 100 years old. After the Manchu Dynasty ended and the Republic was born, Li decided that he was quite old now and decided to move to the Chen Compound in Kaixian 开縣.

What annoyed Mr. Li was that living in the town was just too noisy and there were too many social functions. Some people there challenged him, openly telling him that they did not believe him to be 250 years old. He showed no sign of anger, but his answer on one occasion revealed his displeasure. “Why should I tell a lie?”, he would say. “It’s up to you whether you believe it or not. If you believe I have lived 250 years, it doesn’t benefit me. If you don’t believe, it doesn’t hurt me. But I have to tell you, during my life I have never lied and I have never cheated.”

AvoidingGrains

Dec

2013

Post-Menopause

A woman, post-menopause, has great potential to realize within herself the wise woman and the mother of her greater community. With her inherent embodiment of female wisdom, post-menopausally she may cultivate the spiritual power of the Sage.

From the progression of blood sent from the Heart down to the Bao Mai [uterus] in preparation for potential growth of a human addition to the world, in menopause, this direction of flow ceases. Rather than blood nourishing the uterus, blood instead remains focused in the Heart to nourish a woman’s own spirit.

Women routinely ask how one keeps their sanity during this transition?

My response is ever-the same:

Nature, Art, Diet, Meditation, Kindness, Chinese Medicine, Movement

Nov

2013

LONGEVITY PRACTICES FROM A 102 YEAR OLD ☯

Mr. Tsui

飯勿吃太飽，覺要睡得好，運動每天做，營養不可少，

盡量找快樂，切莫尋煩惱，赤子心常在，百年也不老，

不作虧心事，人格比天高，為人不貪墨，子孫也逍遙。

Sleep well, Exercise daily, Do not over-eat, but never be in want of adequate nutrition.

Always try to be happy; keep yourself free from worries and troubles, and always retain a good conscience.

Then, you may live in good health and youthfulness even when you have reached the age of 102.

102 year old Mr. Tsui says: “The normal human life span is about 125-150 years. Longevity lies in adequate sustenance, adequate sleep, adequate exercise, having a cheerful spirit and a good conscience.”

Before his retirement at age 66, Tsui, like people his age, was showing usual symptoms of aging. After retirement he began practicing a daily routine that he had learned as a young man in the army, taught to him by a Buddhist monk in a temple in Manchuria. Since retirement, Mr. Tsui has practiced this regimen without missing a day; rising at 4:30am, opening windows to let fresh air circulate through his house, then doing his exercises (analogous to Qigong) in bed. The results are evident and Mr. Tsui has not used his medical insurance nor been to a doctor since commencing his longevity practices.

☯ Mr. Tsui’s Life-Nurturing, Longevity Regimen ☯

• The primary key to longevity is always be happy and optimistic without quandary or drama. Living life naturally and exercising often, even when tired.

• Mr. Tsui exercises everyday in his bed, practicing 20 modalities such as fetal breathing, eye massage, ear massage, hair-combing, hip-swinging, and others.

• Turtle breathing is natural respiration, but with deep, long, smoothing breaths; completely relaxed, which stimulates the self-healing power inherent in the body.

• Always eat breakfast of hot porridge (congee).

• Walk in a nearby park or place of nature after breakfast.

• Walk everywhere that is in walking distance.

• Diet should be comprised mainly of vegetables. Picky eating is unuseful.

• No eating meat, or fried, frozen, overly-spicy or salty foods.

• Refrain from sweets.

• Soak vegetables in water for 20 minutes before rinsing and cooking them.

• Do not eat exotic foods such as abalone, shark’s fin, etc. Simply enjoy tea and simple foods.

• Never ingest anything other than drinking water after 7:00pm.

• Never smoke, drink or chew gum or betel nut.

• Health of the brain: “Comb” all ten fingers through your hair from front to back of the head 108 times.

• Health of the brain-also: Place one hand on the forehead and the other on the back of the head to massage the head horizontally 108 times.

• Health of the brain: Never play mahjong more than eight rounds, and never sacrifice sleep staying up late playing games.

• Teeth health: Concentrate energy in your teeth. Clench them together during bowel movement. This action helps to prevent tooth decay.

• Mouth hygiene: Do not use toothpaste. Only brush with salt to clean your teeth.

• Preserve eyesight: Press the tips of your thumbs on the inner aspects (canthi) of both eyes 180 times.

• Preserve eyesight-also: Use both the middle and ring fingers to massage the rims of eyes outward 108 times.

• Preserve eyesight: Use saliva secreted from your mouth to wipe your eyes.

• Preserve good hearing: Hold both earlobes between middle and ring fingers and massage up and down 108 times.

• Preserve good hearing-also: Use middle fingers to massage the areas in front of the upper earlobes 108 times.

• Preserve good hearing: Use both hands to massage the entire area of both earlobes 36 times.

• Digestive health: Place your index, middle and ring fingers on the navel area, massaging clockwise 81 times.

• Health of bladder: Place your hands one on the top of the other below your navel and rub 108 times.

• Alleviate waist pain and stiffness: Lie down with both legs drawn to the abdomen and kick out 108 times.

• Alleviate hemorrhoid pain: Lie down, bending the tips of both feet inwards while contracting your anus 10 times.

• Preserve leg strength: Lie down, bending the tips of both feet inward while stretching both legs straight out, lifting upward 30 times.

• Keep shoulders straight: Hold hands together in front and lifting them above head 36 times.

• Strengthen arms and waist: Do 36 pushups.

• Self-healing exercise: In lotus posture, breathe deeply 36 times with tongue lightly touching the upper palate of the mouth, while inhaling through the nose – exhaling through the mouth.

Photos of Mr Tsui’s Practices: ☯ http://www.nwdsy.com.cn/wenzhang/file.asp?id=399

Oct

2013

Okyu Thread Moxibustion

• Originally from China, Okyu direct moxibustion acquired a high degree of sophistication in Japan.

• Deeply penetrating heat applied here stimulates Yang, encouraging circulation.

• Increases white blood cells to strengthen immunity and restore energy.

• Thin cones of mugwort are ideal for Okyu moxibustion treatment.

Jul

2012

Safe, Effective Treatment with Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbal medicine, a vital aspect of Chinese medicine, relies upon collecting detailed information from a patient by means of questioning, visual examination, pulse and tongue diagnosis, and some bodily palpation to derive a specified diagnosis that is unique to each patient’s expression of what may seem by the primary symptoms surrounding the illness to be one and the same. However, by the traditional methods of pattern discrimination, TCM practitioners derive the particulars of how an individual generates and bears the disorder by their underlying interconnections. This is the basis of pattern discrimination according to TCM.

From the pattern we derive the diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis. A formula of medicinals in their raw form is composed, or if a prepared medicine fits the pattern, it may be used. Additional formula modifications are taken into account that continue to address current and evolving patient experience and characteristics of their disease. This is in contrast to a single herb or herbal blend prescribed by cookbook-style symptom identification. Access to information regarding herbs and sundry home remedies is routinely taken out of context leading to adverse cumulative effects or none whatsoever with regard to conditions requiring resolution. If something has the ability to facilitate healing, it can also elicit harmful changes if used inconsistently with the unique roots of the condition. This is commonplace in philosophical health goals and self-diagnosis to identify and treat health problems. An experienced, licensed acupuncturist who is also a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner, is able to offer sound guidance in deriving results using herbal allies safely and effectively for an infinite array of health conditions.