Health Blog by YinTeing

I read Dr Mao’s column on Secrets of Longevity at Yahoo Health news. And I find that his articles are very informative- he has attempted to put forward an ancient and effective healing technique in a way that is most easy for one to understand (because in the orthodox text of Chinese Medicine, it would be hard for the untrained to understand the terms and jargons used). 

And yet, I was shocked when I read very negative comments left by some of the readers on the articles that he had written. It is obviously left by readers who find the idea of elements in our body being totally illogical- and not even pausing or keeping an open mind, they write some very sarcastic remarks. 

You may have noticed that lately in this blog, there are more posts written with more energy healing and traditional Chinese medicine cures instead of the more conventional ones that you probably are accustomed to. I am moving and exploring to this part because I’ve found that a lot of answers that cannot be found in conventional medicine could be found in ancient healing systems. 

Following, I want to share some of my observation and personal experiences to show you that by keeping an open mind and learning about ancient healing techniques, they can greatly complement the treatment that you are undergoing now. 

I studied Biology till pre university levels- the Biology pre university paper (STPM) is a very tough paper during my time and high standards were set to it. My mom is a retired staff nurse and I still mix around with her retired friends- they were trained in the days where nursing standards were high and their qualifications were recognized in all Commonwealth countries (the subsequent batches are not longer recognized). She could have easily migrated to UK or Australia because those days, these countries were so short of nurses but she chose to stay back because we were very young then. But her friends who did went overseas to work are now PR of those countries. 

So I had the background- and some of my mom’s friends who were good at what they were doing- when I asked them about a certain health problem, they could give the prescribed options of treatment. 

And yet, most of them are suffering from either one or more of the following problems (and those in orange are what holistic branch of healing could offer):

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Even though there are as many studies that claim coffee is good for health, the deeper effects of coffee on our health are often not known. Just like we know that cigarrettes are not good for our lungs, many people sort of instinctively know that coffee may not be good for health as some claim or as they would like it to be. Herein, I want to offer some insight into the effects of coffee from the aspect of chi regulation in the Chinese healing systems.

Coffee, even decaffeinated ones is known to be one of the most disruptive substance affecting the smooth flow of liver chi. It is said that it would be tough to correct any liver imbalances if a person is a frequent coffee drinker. Coffee also heats the liver and greatly amplify a person’s emotional temperament.

However, a caffeine addict would suffer withdrawal symptoms when they do not take coffee. At first, try using green tea that is cooling in nature to replace coffee for caffeine dose. Then slowly reduce the amount and eventually eliminate it all together.

In Chinese healing systems, the liver affects the following functions in the body:

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A friend of mine recently went for Acu cupping  treatment, a traditional Chinese treatment whereby certain meridian points and energy gateway of the body are activated.  Usually, it is believe that the dampness and wind are trapped in certain part of your body, blocking good chi and energy flow- and also bring about pain, especially during winter, when caught in the rain or in cold weather. The pain due to “wind dampness” does not show up in scans and x-rays and the usual conventional treatment is to give the patient painkillers.

Though I believe that another cause of pain could be muscle imbalance- having blocked energy, chi or meridian flow may also cause the pain.

After the treatment, my friend’s back looked horrible. But he told me that the lower back pain that had been bothering him for quite a while due to his past habit of bathing at night/after gym and taking cold drinks are now gone. He has felt much better.

My friend has been very kind- he has allowed me permission to use the photo if it could benefit others.

I know the do-it-yourself acu-cupping equipment can be bought commercially- consisting of a glass cup, sterile needles and suction equipment. But I do not suggest that you do it yourself because you may not know the correct point to poke the needle- and many people cannot bring themselves to poke their body with a needle.

As usual, you need to know that all forms of traditional treatment are usually all inclusive- that means you usually have to watch your food intake. There are certain forbidden food that will reduce the effectiveness of the treatment and certain food that you need to take more. Also you may have to make some lifestyle adjustment such as not bathing at night.

If you or someone that you know seemed to complain of stomach ailments, such as wind, gastric, indigestion, acid reflux, etc, check the physical activity levels.

From my personal experience, years ago I used to suffer from stomach spasms, pain and discomfort. When I combined higher intake of fiber, drink more water with exercise, I find the instances of pain is dramatically reduced. Even when I got back to my old eating habits, the pain outbreaks were nowhere near as frequent as the time when I was not exercising.

Even if we take the best supplements, take lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and/or medication to cure or improve our existing stomach condition, if we do not exercise, things will not get moving along the digestive track. And whatever that goes not get moving may be get stuck along the intestine walls…. and eventually well, sort of just rot there.

And whatever that rots triggers bacteria reaction, produces acid with painful side effects, together with constantly passing gas.

If you have been constantly going to the doctor for treatment of supposedly common stomach condition, the next time you see your doctor, please ask him/her if it is safe for you to begin an exercise program (doctor’s confirmation is especially required if you have pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart condition).

You need not be an exercise freak- perhaps you can start by taking morning or evening brisk walks 2 or 3 times a week. When doing the walking, do not take your own sweet ‘shopping’ or ‘sightseeing’ speed. In order to see results, you need to do fast paced walking to raise your heartbeat. If you can do some jogging or running, it will be better. Followed by stretching- I find the yoga sun salutation series to be good for stretching the body and improving circulation- you can do that after walking/jogging.

After about a week or two of doing that, your condition would likely improve. The idea is to improve your blood circulation so that things get moving more efficiently.

Aside from that, for those suffering from digestive problem, please read my past article series on tummy health and avoid drinking cold water. I have explained in the past article while drinking cold water is bad for you.

Please also remember to go for checkup if your condition does not seem to improve. I’ve looked at some past report on the cancer survival rate in Britain (for year 2000) and was surprised to see that the overall survival rate for stomach cancers for all ages is only slightly better than lung cancer. That is why we always need to watch the diet we are taking to ensure adequate fiber, drink more water, minimize processed/fast food and exercise as often as we can.

Here are some signs that your body’s toxin levels may be a bit too high due to our lifestyle. You could see that many of the factors below are very much related to your digestive system.

1. Constant lethargy

If you feel tired, especially after meals, it could mean that your body’s digestive system is sluggish.  Factors that could contribute to it:

• habit of taking cold/iced drinks especially with meals.
• insufficient intake of fiber such as vegetable or fruits
• high intake of fatty food, heavy meals, processed food- you make the body work too hard
• insufficient exercise- sedentary lifestyle (physically inactive) causes everything in our body to be sluggish- toxins as the result of chemical byproducts and digestive process does not get removed and important nutrients does not get transported to the cells.
• taking laxatives- it makes the peristalsis movement sluggish and in the long run, damages the digestive track

2. Constipation

Clearing our bowels daily is important- as the bowels are waste product that our body is looking to eliminate. If you do not take the time to clear your bowels everyday, take enough fiber and drink lots of water, you would suffer from constipation. Worse still, the body will reabsorb the toxins as it attempt to absorb water from the bowels, causing this toxins to be recirculated in your system.

Read further on how to battle constipation.

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 Dr Joseph J Sweere, in his book, Golden Rules for Vibrant Health in Body, Mind, and Spirit: A Holistic Approach to Health and Wellness, wrote about the significance of recurring dreams/nightmares and the health message that your higher consciousness may be trying to bring you.  

Personally, I’ve had recurring dreams for about 10 years- leaving me with fatigue problems and inability to wake up. When I left a successful job that had clashed with my core values, and face up to things that I’ve been subsciously running away from (and what I felt I was placed on this earth to do), the nightmares subsized, and I’ve been sleeping better. With that, I am able to slowly transition from a night owl to a morning person.

The book contained a lot of advice and tips on areas of complementary healing, and the not-so obvious cause of diseases and health conditions like cancer, stroke, arthritis (he mentioned that if an arthritis person is more forgiving, the pain would be reduced), etc. Below is a case study on one of his patient (I type almost word for word), found on pages 51- 53 of the book:

Interpreting Dreams

Louise had been referred to me for arthritis and the degeneration in her spine, hips, knees, and ankles that had become progressively more disabling every year. She moved very slowly and was in obvious pain as she entered my consultation room. Using two sturdy wooden canes to help support her every step, this large-boned, significantly overweight woman could barely fit between armrests of the generously sized chair next to my desk. In reviewing the comprehensive history form Louise had filled out, I noted she wrote that, in addition to having advanced stages of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis for many years, she also had bloating, congestive heart failure, extreme fatigue, fluid retention, high blood pressure, long standing constipation, and shortness of breath. She listed ten separate prescription drugs that she took, along with several over-the-counter pain relievers. Louise said she almost never drank water, but did drink about 10 cups of coffee a day and two or three cans of diet soda. She needed the caffeine, she said, to help her stay awake because she was always tired. She simply was not getting enough sleep due to the same recurring nightmare, a nightmare that she had experienced many times over a forty-year span.

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Do you suddenly find that you develop skin rashes for no apparent reason? Probably you find that a certain area of your skin becoming itchy and when you give in to the urge to scratch it, a red patch formed- the rash seemed to have spread. Sometimes, it feels a little painful.

I wrote this article because when I recently participated in Yahoo Answers, I’ve noticed that a number of people suffer from unexplainable skin rashes and can’t figure out why.  I have this condition on and off and have learned to identify the triggers and quickly deal with it. But I could never resist the urge to give it a good scratch when it’s itchy- so it is not uncommon that my colleagues would stare at a spot on my neck, face or arms and ask me, ‘you scratched yourself again?’

It becomes a bit embarrassing if the rash and the red patch forms at your face. It looked awkward and others may wonder if you have a permanent skin condition or a fungal infection. If your doctor also could not figure out what’s wrong with you and only could prescribe some anti histamines, perhaps you may want to explore further:

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Last weekend, I bought a very simple tool from a local market that can be used to improve circulation and help you if you constantly suffer from numbness in your extremities:

It was sold by an old man who likely would have made the tool himself. All is required is to cut some bamboo shoots into small strips- tie them with a white string and hold it together with a plastic pipe (that acts as a handle as well). Because the bamboo strips can bend easily- when cut to the correct size and tied in a bundle, it will be less painful if used to hit on the body. Furthermore, it is lightweight.

It cost me only RM5 (less than USD2). 

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