Ross Rosen's Blog

Ross Rosen teaching Webinar on the Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis

2011-12-15T21:56:00.005-05:00

A reminder that I will be teaching a 5 hour webinar on the Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis system. Saturday December 17th. 12:00noon EST/9:00am PST.

For those in California, this course will count as a live class!

I will teach the underpinnings of the system, theoretical framework, methodology, describe the locations of the 28 pulse positions, discuss the sensations and interpretations of the majority of the 80+ pulse qualities, explain the pulse waves and their significance, as well as go over the importance of rate, rhythm, and stability, Dr. Shen's systems model and Heart patterns, including Heart Shock, and more....

PDA points approved...

You can access it here: http://www.prodseminars.net/product/introduction-shen-hammer-contemporary-chinese-pulse-diagnosis

Hope to see you there.

Next Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis Seminar

2011-01-03T14:10:00.003-05:00

The class details:
Type: Intermediate workshop
Dates: June 4-5, 2011
Times: 9am - 5pm
Location: Stockbridge, Mass.
Cost: $300
CEUs/PDAs: 14
Registration: email lonny@nourishingdestiny.com
Instructor: Ross Rosen, LAc, Dipl OM (NCCAOM)

Ross Rosen is one of a small group of close long-time students of Dr. Leon Hammer and a senior certified teacher in Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. He works closely with Dr. Hammer on a regular ongoing basis.

Ross Rosen...is a valued instructor of and a direct inheritor of my work and teaching. He is extremely observant and creative in his work, adding to our accumulated knowledge more than any other associate. Of great value is his ability to formulate the essence of Chinese medicine in simple terms accessible to the average person. Chinese medicine at its best, as practiced by Ross Rosen, is capable of discerning the disease process at a very early stage before it manifests an illness, therefore preventing disease, and above all capable of delineating and treating the individual who has the disease.

--Dr. Leon Hammer

Ross has published numerous articles on CCPD, which can be accessed at: http://chinesepulsediagnosis.blogspot.com/

The class will introduce the major concepts of CCPD, the Principle and 22 Complementary pulse positions and the most commonly encountered pulse qualities, clinical significance and some interpretation and much more. 70% of class will be dedicated to hands-on pulse instruction and training. Those attending will leave the weekend with a body of knowledge and skills readily and immediately transferable into one's clinical practice.

Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis™ (hereinafter "CCPD") is a sophisticated system of diagnostics which relies on the subtleties of the sensations, qualities and structure of the radial artery at both wrists. Heavily steeped in ancient wisdom and classical pulse diagnosis dating back thousands of years, CCPD breaks out of the dogma of pulse systems that in many respects are not relevant to the present day and age. CCPD provides insight into the modern diseases and constitutional imbalances that affect modern man in an industrial world.

CCPD, while having its roots in classical pulse systems, was significantly adapted by Dr. John H.F. Shen over the course of his long and well renowned career having seen hundreds of thousands of patients. After an intensive apprenticeship with Dr. Shen over a period of 28 years, Dr. Leon Hammer took on the arduous task of codifying and continuing the evolution of this pulse system.

The intricacies of CCPD are complex and require significant amounts of hands on training with a certified teacher to fully learn. Essentially, however, information is synthesized from the combinations of various qualities felt at the six principle pulse positions and the twenty two complementary positions, as well as the qualities perceived uniformly over the entire pulse and at each of the requisite depths. Integrating the information from these seemingly disparate parts, one is able to arrive at a complex diagnosis which prioritizes levels of imbalances of not just the symptomatic representations, but more importantly the root causes of disease.

Incorporating concepts and clinical realities that have not been diagnosed by any diagnostic methods in Chinese medicine, CCPD is truly a treasure which can change the lives of patients. By incorporating a precise measure of a healthy balanced pulse, even the subtlest deviations from this norm can be detected, thus establishing its importance not only in treating disease, but also as a preventative medicine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TESTIMONIALS

Thank you so much for this weekend's class. Almost 4 years out of school and I still struggled to find a context for pulse findings! CCPD changed my sense of loss to that of crucial discovery. I feel I've found a system that has given me solid footing, a way to asses the fundamental yet very complex diagnostic tool of pulse taking. What a relief. This system ought to be taught in every OM school - it is a gift deserving time and attention from current and future generations of Acupuncturists. Please thank Dr. Hammer for his life's dedication, it will not be lost.

Am looking forward to the next class. Keep me posted.

Joy

I just finished the introductory level class with Ross Rosen on Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD). Ross managed to relay a considerable amount of information in a relatively short time and with great care. Their patience and attention to detail was exemplary and showed incredible depth in understanding and synthesis and I was able to implement what I learned in my own practice the very next day. I would recommend this class with out reservation and much enthusiasm and look forward to future classes.

N.Fisher
Centerport, N.Y.

Taking the Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis weekend workshop with Ross added an entirely new depth and richness to our understanding of pulse and our pulse reading skills. CCPD is the most comprehensive, accurate, lucid and scientific method of pulse reading that we have ever come across. Never before have we had so much guidance, clarity and direction in defining pulse qualities and their significance. The subtlety, nuance and predictive accuracy of CCPD is mind-blowing. There is so much to learn in this system and yet with one weekend we were able to develop significantly enough to truly benefit our patients right away. We can’t wait to take another class!

Kevin Meddleton and Samantha Berg, Owners, Alaska Center for Acupuncture Palmer, Alaska.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Next Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis Seminar

2010-10-20T18:54:00.002-04:00

The class details:
Dates: December 11-12
Times: 9am - 5pm
Location: Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, 166 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ 07090
Cost: $300
CEUs/PDAs: 14
Registration: email centerforacupuncture@gmail.com and/or call (908) 654-4333 and send check made payable to 'Ross Rosen' to the above address.
Instructor: Ross Rosen, LAc, Dipl OM (NCCAOM)

Ross Rosen is one of a small group of close long-time students of Dr. Leon Hammer and a senior certified teacher in Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. He works closely with Dr. Hammer on a regular ongoing basis.

Ross Rosen...is a valued instructor of and a direct inheritor of my work and teaching. He is extremely observant and creative in his work, adding to our accumulated knowledge more than any other associate. Of great value is his ability to formulate the essence of Chinese medicine in simple terms accessible to the average person. Chinese medicine at its best, as practiced by Ross Rosen, is capable of discerning the disease process at a very early stage before it manifests an illness, therefore preventing disease, and above all capable of delineating and treating the individual who has the disease.
--Dr. Leon Hammer

Ross has published numerous articles on CCPD, which can be accessed at: http://chinesepulsediagnosis.blogspot.com/

The class will introduce the major concepts of CCPD, the Principle and 22 Complementary pulse positions and the most commonly encountered pulse qualities, clinical significance and some interpretation and much more. 70% of class will be dedicated to hands-on pulse instruction and training. Those attending will leave the weekend with a body of knowledge and skills readily and immediately transferable into one's clinical practice.

Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis™ (hereinafter "CCPD") is a sophisticated system of diagnostics which relies on the subtleties of the sensations, qualities and structure of the radial artery at both wrists. Heavily steeped in ancient wisdom and classical pulse diagnosis dating back thousands of years, CCPD breaks out of the dogma of pulse systems that in many respects are not relevant to the present day and age. CCPD provides insight into the modern diseases and constitutional imbalances that affect modern man in an industrial world.

CCPD, while having its roots in classical pulse systems, was significantly adapted by Dr. John H.F. Shen over the course of his long and well renowned career having seen hundreds of thousands of patients. After an intensive apprenticeship with Dr. Shen over a period of 28 years, Dr. Leon Hammer took on the arduous task of codifying and continuing the evolution of this pulse system.

The intricacies of CCPD are complex and require significant amounts of hands on training with a certified teacher to fully learn. Essentially, however, information is synthesized from the combinations of various qualities felt at the six principle pulse positions and the twenty two complementary positions, as well as the qualities perceived uniformly over the entire pulse and at each of the requisite depths. Integrating the information from these seemingly disparate parts, one is able to arrive at a complex diagnosis which prioritizes levels of imbalances of not just the symptomatic representations, but more importantly the root causes of disease.

Incorporating concepts and clinical realities that have not been diagnosed by any diagnostic methods in Chinese medicine, CCPD is truly a treasure which can change the lives of patients. By incorporating a precise measure of a healthy balanced pulse, even the subtlest deviations from this norm can be detected, thus establishing its importance not only in treating disease, but also as a preventative medicine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TESTIMONIALS

Thank you so much for this weekend's class. Almost 4 years out of school and I still struggled to find a context for pulse findings! CCPD changed my sense of loss to that of crucial discovery. I feel I've found a system that has given me solid footing, a way to asses the fundamental yet very complex diagnostic tool of pulse taking. What a relief. This system ought to be taught in every OM school - it is a gift deserving time and attention from current and future generations of Acupuncturists. Please thank Dr. Hammer for his life's dedication, it will not be lost.

Am looking forward to the next class. Keep me posted.

Joy

I just finished the introductory level class with Ross Rosen on Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD). Ross managed to relay a considerable amount of information in a relatively short time and with great care. Their patience and attention to detail was exemplary and showed incredible depth in understanding and synthesis and I was able to implement what I learned in my own practice the very next day. I would recommend this class with out reservation and much enthusiasm and look forward to future classes.

N.Fisher
Centerport, N.Y.

Taking the Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis weekend workshop with Ross added an entirely new depth and richness to our understanding of pulse and our pulse reading skills. CCPD is the most comprehensive, accurate, lucid and scientific method of pulse reading that we have ever come across. Never before have we had so much guidance, clarity and direction in defining pulse qualities and their significance. The subtlety, nuance and predictive accuracy of CCPD is mind-blowing. There is so much to learn in this system and yet with one weekend we were able to develop significantly enough to truly benefit our patients right away. We can’t wait to take another class!

Kevin Meddleton and Samantha Berg, Owners, Alaska Center for Acupuncture Palmer, Alaska.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Ross Rosen Lecture (Aug. 17th)

2010-07-16T08:32:00.002-04:00

Please join the Union County Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network for a special presentation by Ross Rosen. Ross will set the stage for a new paradigm in medicine where we will finally learn why people actually get sick; how our lifestyles contribute to our illnesses (both mentally and physically); how to understand the inner workings of our bodies from a holistic perspective; how to sift through all the conflicting data on nutrition and choose foods that are healthy and nourishing for our bodies and minds, and so much more.

In this informative presentation, Ross Rosen will debunk many of the most common western medical mythunderstandings and mythperceptions about our health while presenting the foundations of the Chinese medical paradigm.

Details here.

Ross Rosen, JD, MSTOM, LAc, Dipl OM (NCCAOM) is the President, owner, founder and clinic director of the Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, one of the largest and most respected alternative medicine clinics on the east coast. He is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist and herbalist and is one of a handful of people world-wide to master the intricate art and science of Chinese pulse diagnosis, Contemporary Oriental Medicine® and Chinese medical psychology and be certified to teach it. For more information on Ross Rosen, please visit his website at http://www.acupunctureandherbalmedicine.com/ or call 908-654-4333

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Next Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis Seminar has been scheduled

2010-03-01T17:03:00.003-05:00

The class details:
Dates: May 15-16
Times: 9am - 5pm
Location: Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, 166 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ 07090
Cost: $300
CEUs/PDAs: 14
Registration: email centerforacupuncture@gmail.com and/or call (908) 654-4333 and send check made payable to 'Ross Rosen' to the above address.
Instructor: Ross Rosen, LAc, Dipl OM (NCCAOM)

Ross Rosen is one of a small group of close long-time students of Dr. Leon Hammer and a senior certified teacher in Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. He works closely with Dr. Hammer on a regular ongoing basis.

Ross Rosen...is a valued instructor of and a direct inheritor of my work and teaching. He is extremely observant and creative in his work, adding to our accumulated knowledge more than any other associate. Of great value is his ability to formulate the essence of Chinese medicine in simple terms accessible to the average person. Chinese medicine at its best, as practiced by Ross Rosen, is capable of discerning the disease process at a very early stage before it manifests an illness, therefore preventing disease, and above all capable of delineating and treating the individual who has the disease.
--Dr. Leon Hammer

Aspartame by any other name is still Toxic

2010-02-17T16:20:00.001-05:00

Aspartame renamed to avoid the stigma. Check it out here:

Ross Rosen lecturing at Kamwo Herbs on Jan. 19

2010-01-06T17:21:00.001-05:00

Check out this link for information about the class. http://chinesemed.meetup.com/62/calendar/11786089/

Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis Seminar

2009-12-16T14:41:00.001-05:00

Please join us for a weekend seminar on the Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD) pulse diagnostic system. The class will be held Sat-Sun January 9-10, 2010. As always, these classes are limited in size to ensure significant one-on-one attention and instruction.

The class details:
Dates: January 9-10
Times: 9am - 5pm
Location: Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, 166 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ 07090
Cost: $300
CEUs/PDAs: 16
Registration: email centerforacupuncture@gmail.com and/or call (908) 654-4333 and send check made payable to 'Ross Rosen' to the above address.
Instructor: Ross Rosen, JD, MSOTM, LAc, CA, Dipl OM (NCCAOM)

Ross Rosen is one of a small group of close students of Dr. Leon Hammer and a certified teacher in Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. He works closely with Dr. Hammer on a regular ongoing basis.

Ross Rosen...is a valued instructor of and a direct inheritor of my work and teaching. He is extremely observant and creative in his work, adding to our accumulated knowledge more than any other associate. Of great value is his ability to formulate the essence of Chinese medicine in simple terms accessible to the average person. Chinese medicine at its best, as practiced by Ross Rosen, is capable of discerning the disease process at a very early stage before it manifests an illness, therefore preventing disease, and above all capable of delineating and treating the individual who has the disease.
--Dr. Leon Hammer

Swine Flu info

2009-11-23T12:51:00.002-05:00

Check out the following link:

http://madmimi.com/promotions/31457405557474/raw?fe=1&pact=381746608

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Pulling it all together (CCPD, COM, CCM, Classical pulse, etc.)

2009-11-11T15:51:00.027-05:00

Today an initial patient visit highlighted the integration of Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis, Contemporary Oriental Medicine, Classical Chinese medicine and Classical pulse diagnosis.

The patient, a 66 year old female artist (retired mostly due to jealousy of her now deceased husband and fear), complains of severe left hip pain and osteoarthritis. The pain began 5 years ago after her husband's death, a long drawn out illness of Alzheimer's and complications, in which the patient was the primary caregiver. She is a former yoga instructor (not in many years) and is troubled that she can no longer move her body freely. She is overly controlled by her aggressive daughter, as she was by her first husband (divorced, then re-married) and her sister in childhood. Her pain is on the left Gall Bladder channel around GB 29-30. Pain is localized, but is also felt around the knee cap and lateral shin, mostly Stomach channel. In addition, she has lost muscle tone in her left thigh. The hip pain is worsened upon walking and putting pressure on the leg during a full stride. Balance and posture have been affected.

Patient experiences anxiety and some panic, and fear since the death of her husband. When stressed, she experiences occipital tension and loss of smell and appetite with some nausea and occasional vomiting.

Childhood history: corrective procedure for being tongue-tied; polio age 13 (miracle cure by local healer); sled accident and back injury age 15.

A few relevant findings on the pulse:
1. CCPD:
HT qi deficiency (changing intensity (3-3+), Interrupted pulse, Changing Intensity (2) over Uniform Impressions)
HT blood deficiency (increase rate on exertion 28)
Yin-Jing-Essence deficiency (Ropy)
LR qi stagnation (Tense Robust Pounding (3+ to 4))
LR blood stagnation (Choppy, engorged distally (2+) and ulnar engorgement)
GB qi and blood stagnation (Choppy Inflated)
SP deficiency/connective tissue weakness (Squirmy entire right side, especially middle)(see comments for description of Squirmy)
ST qi stagnation with heat (Tense Robust Pounding (3+ to 4))
Blood Thick

2. CCM pulse:
HT not expressing its Shen
LU not diffusing wei qi to the surface
BL/KI sinew meridian activity
BL/KI divergent meridian activity
ST luo vessel heat/stagnation
LR blood stagnation

Analysis and Integration:
Seeing the connections between these two pulse systems and diagnoses and how they each relate and explain the patient's symptoms and findings are interesting.

Arthritis in COM has much to do with the HT and its ability to control the circulation and dissemination of blood to the distal regions of the body. It is very common to see HT qi deficiency on the pulse with arthritis. HT blood deficiency is another very common characteristic. I have written on this in the past in my journal article with Chinese Medicine Times. You can find that article here.

Arthritis in CCM is often the result of bi obstruction syndrome resulting from an invasion of wind-cold-dampness. Often the initial location affects the tai yang system. There are different interpretations on progression, the Su Wen detailing a longer history towards the formation of the bi syndrome (penetration from the head, to the throat, chest, abdomen, sacrum, Kidneys, triple burner mechanism to the Bladder shu points). The Divergent meridians are another theory on progression wherein the bodymind is unable to resist a pathogenic external invasion allowing for the yuan qi to come to the assistance of wei qi and translocate the pathogen to the interior (typically at the level of the joints). Resources are diverted to allow for this latency and over time are depleted resulting in more chronic degenerative conditions. Initially, the resource that is used up is yin-jing fluids at the level of the BL/KI. When taxed, the jing converts to blood at the second confluence (GB/LR), then to thin fluids-jin (ST/SP), then to thick fluids-ye (SI/HT), etc. So, looking at the BL/KI divergent meridian problem with degeneration, we are seeing a yin-jing-essence condition. This is also reflected in the Ropy pulse (CCPD).

So we can see the connection with the HT deficiency, Ropy pulse and the BL/KI divergent meridian activity. They reflect lack of resources and degeneration of structure.

One can look at the muscle pain that the patient experiences from a sinew meridian perspective as well. Pain with movement, particularly extension, relates to the tai yang sinew meridian of the leg. (Pain elicited by rotation would suggest shao yang (if seated shaoyin), pain with weight bearing, yang ming, etc.) When flaccidity is present with weakness it implicates a more chronic picture in which the pathogen has affected the yin internal pair, here the Kidneys. So yang and yin sinew meridians are involved in this case.

So, putting it together we see the location of the pain as relating to the GB channel at the hip (qi and blood stagnation on the pulse) and knee cap (yang ming) and lateral leg (GB and ST channels) with the nature of that pain being related to the tai yang leg sinew meridian (BL: BL sinew meridian pulse) and leg shao yin (due to it's chronicity). The chronic nature is demonstrated by the lack of muscle tone and weakness, a yin deficiency according to CCM creating lack of fluid volume and resources to nourish the muscles/connective tissue, etc. This is further evidenced by the Squirmy pulse (CCPD) reflecting the connective tissue weakness and SP involvement. The ST heat shows up from a luo vessel perspective from internal factors (lifestyle, diet, emotions). The ST luo vessel psychological make-up from a CCM pespective is a retreat from stimulation, weak lower limbs (can’t move to the places to provide you with the experiences you want); feeling of emptiness, no enthusiasm or animation. The 2nd trajectory of the ST luo vessel goes to the KI channel and deals with fear even to the point where the legs can paralyze (ie loss of tone). This is emptiness of the ST luo. The patient does show some of the major themes, especially of the second trajectory. Fear has been a major issue for her since her second husband died 5 years ago. This is the exact time frame that her pain started as well. The heat from the ST also contributes to the yin deficiency and lack of nourishment of the earth element which controls the 4 limbs and the connective tissue. This exacerbates the sinew meridian lack of tone. After all, wei qi has its origin not just in Du mai/Kidney yang, but also via ST yin (the pure nourishes the sensory orifices and the turbid the sinews and skin).

Emotionally, the anxiety and panic can be explained in COM as an imbalance of the HT and KI. Being tongue-tied at birth suggests HT as well.

The symptoms of occipital tension and loss of smell with stress and accompanied nausea/vomting can be seen as BL sinew meridian symptoms (occiput and nasal area) involvement with the LR/GB internal organ imbalances of qi and blood stagnation with rebellious qi into the vulnerable earth organs.

The polio can be seen potentially as the first major challenge to yuan qi weakening the taiyang and shaoyin conformations.

And of course, the initial trauma to the patient's back setting the stage for where the chronic degeneration would manifest.

What is significant in tying these systems of diagnostics together is the richness of the information that they provide. The depth at which one can understand a patient's complaints and experience of suffering only enhances one's options therapeutically. Understanding all of this from multiple paradigms also allows for increased treatment options and modalities and more specific as well as varied interventions. Using CCM, one's options in treatment are extended to the use of not just the primary meridians, but also the sinews, divergents and luo vessels. Each of these secondary channels has a greater affinity towards a specific level of imbalance and allows for a more targeted approach. Of course, this is not an in depth discussion of either system of CM, either in general or as it pertains to this case...

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上帝的神奇藥物God's Amazing Pharmacy

2009-10-28T19:01:00.003-04:00

I received this from a friend. I am trying to track down the original citation for it. If anyone knows, please comment so that I can give a proper reference.

上帝的神奇藥物God's Amazing Pharmacy
It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh、made dry land、planted a garden、and made animals and fish、long before making man.
據說上帝在造出人類之前，首先將鹹水與淡水分離，造了陸地、在花園裏種上各種花草、造了各種動物和魚類…

To ensure healthful living、God left us some clues as to which foods we should eat to keep specific parts of our body healthy!為了確保健康的生活，上帝留給我們一些線索來告訴我們該吃什麼食物以對我們身體的一些部位有益。We call this God's Amazing Pharmacy.我們稱之為上帝的神奇藥物

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil、iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye. And yes、science now confirms that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to our eyes. 切片的胡蘿蔔看起來像人的眼睛。瞳孔、虹膜和放射的線條，看起來完全就是人的眼睛。科學也的確證明胡蘿蔔能大大促進血液向眼部的流動、改善眼部功能。

The tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. Research shows that tomatoes are loaded with lycopine、a wonderful heart and blood food.
番茄是紅色的有四個心房。心臟也是紅色的有四個心房。所有的研究都告訴我們番茄裏充滿了茄紅素，事實上它也是能淨化心臟和血液的食物。

Grapes hang in a cluster resembling the shape of the heart. An individual grape looks like a blood cell and research today shows that grapes are a wonderful heart and blood vitalizing food. 葡萄一串一串在一起形成心臟的形狀。每一顆葡萄看起來都像一個血液細胞，現代科學研究也都證明葡萄能極大增強心臟和血液的活力。

A walnut looks like a little brain、with left and right hemispheres、upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on a walnut are like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
核桃看起來像小小的腦，有左、右半球和上大腦、下小腦。連它上面的褶皺看起來也很像新皮質。現在我們知道核桃能為大腦多提供三打以上的神經傳導.

Kidney beans help heal and maintain kidney function and、yes、they look exactly like the human kidneys. 菜豆能治腎並幫助維持腎功能，而且它們看起來確實很像人的腎。

Celery、bok choy、and rhubarb look like bones. These foods target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet、the body pulls it from the bones、making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
芹菜、白菜、大黃葉柄看起來就像是人的骨頭。這些食物具有增強骨質的功效。骨頭含有23%的鈉，這些食物也含有23%的鈉。如果你從日常飲食中攝取不到足夠的鈉，身體就會從骨骼中吸收，從而使骨骼變弱。這些食物可補充身體對骨骼的需求。

Avocados、eggplant and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female、and they look just like these organs. Research today shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week、it balances her hormones、helps shed unwanted birth weight、and helps prevent cervical cancers. How profound is this? It takes nine (9)
months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.... There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
酪梨,茄子,梨具有改善女性子宮和子宮頸的功能，使之保持健康，它們看起來確實就像這些器官（子宮和子宮頸）。現在的研究證明，如果一個女人每週能吃一個酪梨，就可以調節荷爾蒙、甩掉贅肉，並且預防宮頸癌。那麼這當中究竟多少奧妙？一個酪梨從開花到瓜熟蒂落需要整整九個月的時間。它們都含有超過14，000多種以上的化學營養物質（現代科學只對其中的141種做過研究並命名）。

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
無花果裏面長滿了子並且是兩兩掛在一起生長。無花果可以促進男性精子的流動，並能增加精子數量，同時還能治癒男性不育。

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. 紅薯形狀像胰腺，可以調節糖尿病患者的血糖指數。

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries 橄欖有助於改善卵巢功能、保持卵巢健康。

Oranges、grapefruits、and other citrus fruits look like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts. 橘子,葡萄柚和其他種類的柑橘看起來就像女性的乳腺，事實上它們有助於保持乳房的健康，促進淋巴液進出乳房。

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion、garlic、also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.
洋蔥看起來就像是人體細胞。現代研究表明洋蔥可以幫助所有人體細胞清除廢物。它們還可以導致眼淚流出沖刷眼睛的上皮細胞。它的同伴大蒜也有助於從體內清除廢物和對人體有危害的輻射。

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Why are we so afraid to get sick?

2009-10-13T14:25:00.004-04:00

I wrote this as a comment on a friends blog, but thought I'd re-post it here as well:

1. There is no magic point prescription to prevent getting sick. One has to look to the individual constitution and support the deficiencies and resolve accumulated stagnations to promote health and wellness, harmonize ying and wei and boost yang/wei qi, etc. We are treating individuals who get sick, not sickness/illness.
2. Why do you want to prevent getting sick? I think most people will be shocked by this question. But the reality is that getting sick (and we are talking about external invasions) provide a very valuable opportunity to the bodymind to release accumulated stagnations. An example of this is chickenpox. I won’t get into the vaccine debate here, but according to classical Chinese medicine and pediatrics, children are born with inherited toxins from there parents. It is the exposure to a virus that allows for the release of this toxicity. And if handled appropriately, the child becomes stronger and healthier after the illness. I believe this to not be limited to pediatric infectious diseases. Of course, we are not talking about the reckless behavior that gets people sick, but why are we all so paranoid about getting the flu? You just might be healthier on the other side of it……

acupuncture in new jersey

Formula Families

2009-10-12T19:17:00.004-04:00

Currently reading and appreciating "Ten Key Formula Families in Chinese Medicine" by Huang Huang. The organization of the book is simple and direct, dedicating a chapter each to the formula families of ten key herbs. Huang begins each chapter, not by jumping in to an analysis of the formulas themselves, but first by outlining the formula family presentation or symptom-sign complex as well as the formula family constitution. When looked at in this way, it helps streamline one's diagnostic categorization by helping to understand the 'personality' of each formula family by first understanding the key functions of the chief herb itself and how each formula within the family highlights one of those key functions. Interspersed with nice case statistics and appendices it is a book I definitely recommend.

acupuncture in new jersey

Swine Flu Hype and Vaccines: A Nice Review

2009-10-09T07:13:00.001-04:00

Check out the article here.

Following the lead

2009-09-30T22:20:00.003-04:00

It strikes me how modern Chinese medicine has lost touch with many basics concepts. A major departure is in the way it deals with qi stagnation and it's resultant heat. Modern CM looks to move qi and clear heat. However, if one looks to the body's ecological response as a clue, a different treatment option becomes apparent. The issue is in the confusion of the response as the pathology. Here, heat resulting from the stagnation is not the pathogen. It is the body's attempt to rid the stagnation. It does this by mobilizing it's yang/wei qi to break open stagnant areas/blockages. When the stagnation is too great, or the yang/wei qi insufficient, heat becomes trapped and manifests. From this explanation, it should become clear that when one moves the qi and clears the heat, what is really being cleared is the body's yang qi. Instead, if one looks to assist the bodymind in rectifying the qi stagnation and heat, one should add some more yang/wei qi to disperse the stagnation. Once the stagnation is cleared, the heat resolves through its movement.

acupuncture in new jersey

Yang, where does it come from?

2009-09-29T20:34:00.004-04:00

The idea of ming men life gate fire is not found in the early classics. What many attribute to Kidney yang as being the source of all yang, some argue is really the Heart fire, Imperial fire. Both, of course, are shaoyin, but Heart is fire and Kidney is water. An interesting correlation to this is that the Heart acts through its proxy, the Small Intestine, which can be seen to be the outer manifestation of that fire as it guards the surface, ie wei qi and its tai yang association. The source of all yang comes from the Du mai (Governor vessel), which many attribute to the Kidneys, but in actuality has the opening point of Small Intestine 3 (also the wood point and can be seen as the acupuncture analogue to guizhi cinnamon twig -- see post below). Similarly, the lower dantian/cinnabar field is thought to be the root of yang and deriving from the Kidneys, but the main source of the lower dantian, Ren 4 (Conception vessel) is the front mu point of the Small Intestine.

So, today when a patient came in with significant yang deficiency of the Heart, needling Small Intestine 3 brought about a major change in her pulse.

acupuncture new jersey

Multiple Systems

2009-09-28T16:31:00.005-04:00

One of the great strengths of Chinese medicine is the ability to utilize multiple systems of diagnostics and treatments seamlessly in any given patient. Today is a small example:

90 year old female patient:
pulse examination utilized 3 different pulse methods:
1. Dong Han Korean: reveals Knotted pulse in Right distal position. (Here Knotted is akin to the Spinning Bean)
2. CCPD: Right Special Lung position shows a mildly Restricted pulse in the distal aspect of the position
3. Directional Pulse: reveals a Floating pulse in the San Jiao position suggesting a significant loss of latency.

I questioned patient about chest and breast symptoms which she then reported as tightness around chest and breasts. The concern, of course, here is with an obstruction in the chest, most likely due to a tumor with loss of latency (possible metastasis). These findings need to be confirmed on subsequent treatments.

What is interesting is how each pulse method confirmed and added information to the other to provide a clearer picture of the pathology.

The patient was treated with a San Jiao Divergent meridian treatment, SJ 16, Ren 12 with a Deep-Superficial-Deep needling technique, as well as ST 12 and LI 4. The Knotted pulse decreased by 50% as a result of this one treatment.

acupuncture in new jersey

COM, CCM: bridging the gaps

2009-09-28T15:57:00.005-04:00

One of my goals as a practitioner of Chinese medicine and, in particular, Contemporary Oriental Medicine and Classical Chinese Medicine is to see the links between these two lineages. One that I have pondered lately is the notion of waking with a feeling of not being rested, or early morning fatigue.

My training in COM with Dr. Leon Hammer looks at this symptom very differently from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as does most of my training differ from TCM (a simplified westernized practice of the medicine). But Dr. Hammer was unique in attributing this symptom to the Heart. A deficiency of the qi of the Heart would create a weakness in the circulatory system which would be most sluggish in the early morning due to the extended hours of sleep and yin influences of the night time.

My training in CCM looks at this symptom as a shao yang pathology. In this sense, as we see the transformation of yin and yang within a 24 hour cycle, it is the early morning that is associated with the shao yang or little yang as it emerges from the yin (jue yin). It is this lesser yang energies that propel the yang in its upward movement. Shao yang is wood and associated with the east and the rising sun.

The link of course is that each of these explanations, while slightly different in terminology and description, are both linking this phenomenon of waking tired with a deficiency in fire or yang. Wood is necessary to fan the wind to stir fire, and shao yang shares both a wood and fire association. A typical herb for treating this can be guizhi cinnamon twig, the wood herb of the wood class, and also a wonderful herb for treating the Heart.

acupuncture new jersey

Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis seminar

2009-09-28T06:58:00.003-04:00

Please join us for a weekend seminar on the Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD) pulse diagnostic system. The class will be held Sat-Sun November 21-22, 2009. As always, these classes are limited in size to ensure significant one-on-one attention and instruction.

The class details:
Dates: November 21 and 22
Times: 9am - 5pm
Location: Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, 166 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ 07090
Cost: $300
CEUs/PDAs: 16
Registration: email centerforacupuncture@gmail.com and/or call (908) 654-4333 and send check made payable to 'Ross Rosen' to the above address.
Instructor: Ross Rosen, JD, MSOTM, LAc, CA, Dipl OM (NCCAOM)

Ross Rosen is one of a small group of close students of Dr. Leon Hammer and a certified teacher in Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. He works closely with Dr. Hammer on a regular ongoing basis.

Ross Rosen...is a valued instructor of and a direct inheritor of my work and teaching. He is extremely observant and creative in his work, adding to our accumulated knowledge more than any other associate. Of great value is his ability to formulate the essence of Chinese medicine in simple terms accessible to the average person. Chinese medicine at its best, as practiced by Ross Rosen, is capable of discerning the disease process at a very early stage before it manifests an illness, therefore preventing disease, and above all capable of delineating and treating the individual who has the disease.
--Dr. Leon Hammer

Jan/Feb Charity of the Month

2009-02-24T21:33:00.001-05:00

The Center for Acupuncture has chosen St. Peter's Food Bank in Belleville, NJ as it is in dire need of food contributions for it's Pantry. Distributions are made twice monthly and typically they serve 40-50 families. They create food bags containing cereals, pasta, tomato sauce, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruit and soups, vegetables, dry milk, tea bags, etc. so that families who cannot afford food will have enough to eat. They also supply baby formulas, baby food and diapers when available. Last year they were so low on donations that they had to close up for many weeks. Hopefully, our donations will help prevent that from occurring this year. The Church of Saint Peter is located at 155 William Street, Belleville, NJ 07109. Phone (973) 751-2002.

Request for help

2009-02-02T13:40:00.001-05:00

This is an email I received that I promised to forward.....

Dear Friends,

This is an urgent notice on David S. Ware's health. David needs to
find a kidney donor.

David S. Ware was diagnosed with kidney failure in 1999 and he began
dialysis that fall. He had an intensive three week hemodialysis regime
toward beginning peritoneal (self-administered) dialysis, which would
allow him to travel. David has been on this self-administered dialysis
regime multiple times every day and night since October 1999. While
certainly difficult, he has been able to travel, and perform his music
undiminished, since then.

However, late this past December, David called to say that after 9
years this treatment was no longer working as it had been, and that a
kidney transplant is the only viable option for his survival.

Since then a number of friends and family members have offered to give
him one of their kidneys. Unfortunately, they have all been
disqualified due to health reasons or not having David's blood type,
O.

Some basic/initial requirements for viable donors are that they must
be under 60 years of age, do not have diabetes or high blood pressure,
are in general good health, and have blood type O (either O+ or O- is
fine).

The hospital where a transplant would take place is the very highly
regarded Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ
http://www.rwjuh.edu/

Willing and able potential donors should please get in touch with us
as soon as possible:

Steven Joerg / David S. Ware management
aum@aumfidelity.com
telephone: 718 854 2387

We will then get them directly in touch with the Kidney Transplant
Center at RWJU Hospital to begin the screening process for donor
viability.

Thank you on behalf of David S. Ware; please feel free to forward this notice.

Steven Joerg
AUM Fidelity

Ross Rosen Lecture

2009-01-17T09:17:00.005-05:00

The lecture I did last week on Chinese medicine, and in particular, on my upcoming book is now available at the following link.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Best of health,
Ross

Call in Support of Acupuncture Bill S1311

2008-12-08T11:00:00.001-05:00

Good News!!! Our acupuncture bill - S1311 - is on the agenda for a vote for the Senate Commerce Committee for Thursday, December 11th.

We would like some calls made to the committee members, but NOT a blitz of phone calls. Therefore, DO NOT have everyone you know make a call. JUST you.

You will most likely be speaking to a legislative aide when you call and not one of the senators. Please be brief and courteous and thank the senator for his past support and request the senator support our bill, S1311 again on Thursday, Dec. 11th. All but one senator voted in our favor the last time our bill came up for a vote.

Only one senator is new to this committee since our bill was last up for a vote and that senator is Senator Scutari. In his case, you should just ask for his support

The phone numbers are as follows:

Senator Raymond Lesniak - 908-624-0880

Senator Gerald Cardinale - 201-567-2324

Senator Bob Singer - 732-901-0702

Senator Nicholas Scutari - 908-587-0404

NJ Vaccine 'Choice'

2008-11-29T14:37:00.001-05:00

Please read:

Call-in ALERT !!

We are quickly approaching the Jan.1 deadline for NJ’s mandated flu shot
We just don’t know how many kids will be excluded from daycare & pre-school if they don’t have their flu shot as of January 1, 2009. We have never needed Vaccination Choice in NJ more… act now
And let your voice be heard! Apparently 10,000+ signatures on our petition are not getting the attention of NJ lawmakers.

Make just 5 phone calls (and email to everyone you know, to do the same) if you value VACCINATION CHOICE
Call-in will be on Mon. Dec. 1- Wed. Dec. 3 (and beyond).

Who to call:
(1) Governor Jon Corzine: (609) 292- 6000

(2) Heather Howard (NJ Health Commissioner): (609) 292-7837, or try her email: heather.howard@doh.state.nj.us or fax: (609) 984-5474

(3) Your 3 NJ Legislators: To find your district and your 3 state legislators, go to http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

and then check here to see if they are one of 35 sponsors already http://njvaccinationchoice.org
- it’s important to thank those already signed on, and encourage them to actively work to push it forward.
- If they are NOT on board- ask them urgently to co-sponsor NJ legislative bill A260/S1071, the Conscientious Exemption to Mandatory Immunization.

Message:
As the Jan. 1 mandatory flu shot deadline is upon us, it is URGENT that they support and pass
Assembly Bill A260 (on the Senate side it's known as S1071) as soon as possible. If time permits, share your own reasons why you want vaccination choice.

The coalition would also like to hear your stories of how the current system of religious and medical exemptions in NJ are working for your family. Please email them directly to: Sue at NJAICV@aol.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you want to go further:

(1) Call other key legislators that can move this forward:

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (856) 742-7600 – leader of NJ Assembly
Senate Pres. Richard Codey (973) 731-6770 – leader of NJ Senate, sometime NJ Governor
Senator Joseph Vitale (732) 855-7441 – Chair, Senate Health Committee
Senator Loretta Weinberg (201) 928-0100 – Vice-Chair, Senate Health Committee

(2) Refer to the Coalition’s Top Ten Reasons NJ needs this legislation, for talking points

(3) Visit the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice (NJCVC) at http://njvaccinationchoice.org
Our web page has:
- updates on CVC efforts (click here for a Status Report)
- coming shortly - FAQ’s about the new mandates
- how you can help support & join this fight
- timely news & info on our Blog
- informative video clips
- Details/pictures of our Oct. 2008 Rally in Trenton
- useful links for doing more research yourself
- and more…

Petition to make raw milk legal in NJ

2008-10-24T12:52:00.002-04:00

Please got to this site and sign.
Thanks,
Ross

Ross Rosen interview on Blog Talk Radio

2008-10-02T12:28:00.001-04:00

Request from a friend

2008-09-28T12:38:00.001-04:00

A wonderful human being, the brightest spot in a white space, fellow cyclist Rose Long, whom I hold dear in my heart, has suffered a tragic accident from a hit and run driver while riding in Vermont. The descriptions of her facial injuries are beyond what my soul seems to be able to bear and share here for this young woman. As I understand it, after flipping over the car that hit her, Rose landed on her face on a permanent bicycle rack on the street. Long-term repetitive surgeries will be necessary.

My tears of sadness here are not enough to heal Rose's misfortune. In addition to hospitalization, Rose has had to take the semester off from UVM and in doing so, has not received grant money used for rent and living expenses and is presently living on donations, mostly from fellow college students and college cyclists whom we all know do not have pockets, let alone deep ones.

I can think of no kinder, more gentle person to write and ask for your help in whatever way possible; to share Rose's web site <roselong.com> with as many people as possible so we can reach out with heartfelt compassion knowing that we, as riders, parents of riders, or just parents and human beings, have often narrowly missed being subjected to the same meaningless acts of cruelty that have befallen dear Rose. I can think of no person who deserved this less.

I am asking that you take this message of love and caring from all who know Rose to your own heart and your respective team's heart and colleague's hearts and contribute, giving what you can, whether that be a post for well wishes on her website, or a contribution for the things we all take for granted, a roof over our head and food to eat. Perhaps, together, we can right an unthinkable, tragic wrong. May the ultimate reason for all of this to be a renewed opening of our own hearts with love and compassion to a friend and human being with great light who needs it most, and perhaps, greater than us, has been willing to share her light with those in need. Please, find a way to give back to Rose.

With heartfelt appreciation and loving-kindness to Rose,

Bob

Please Vote on the effectiveness of acupuncture

2008-09-11T16:35:00.002-04:00

Go to http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/does-acupuncture-work and place your vote. Time for the public to send it's message to the medical community about the effectiveness of acupuncture.
Thanks,
Ross

Hiatus

2008-07-26T20:55:00.003-04:00

For those of you who are wondering why my posts have been few and far between, I wanted to assure you that I have not run out of material :)

Much of my time and efforts lately have been geared towards a couple of bigger projects. One is my course of study in Classical Chinese medicine with Daoist priest Jeffrey Yuen. It is an unfathomable amount of material to get through and digest. I will post material on this content and my experience with it soon.

The other is that much of my writing these days has been diverted into a book that I have begun writing on Chinese medicine for the public. I have made lots of headway on this project and am about 100 pages in. My goal is to have a book ready for publication by the end of the year. I will post excerpts soon.

Please don't stop visiting....

Thanks,
Ross

All Disease Comes From the Heart

2008-07-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

Check out this small article here.

Support for a friend

2008-07-09T11:05:00.002-04:00

I am forwarding this email from a dear friend who is embarking on a trip and fund raising effort for a noble cause. Please read below. Thanks.

Ross

I am going to Israel this November on a very special trip, and I want to take you with me! I am traveling with Rabbis for Human Rights – North America, an organization that works to protect the rights of all – Jews and Arabs alike – in Israel and the West Bank. We will be visiting with the leaders and members Rabbis for Human Rights and other Israeli human rights groups like Betzelem, the Israeli Human Rights organization, Machsom Watch, women who witness the treatment of Palestinians at checkpoints, Shovrim Shtika, soldiers who break the silence about human rights abuses and many others. Rabbis for Human Rights and these groups are partners dedicated to realizing the founding vision of Israel to be a state based on the prophetic ideals of justice freedom and peace. As Israel celebrates its 60^th anniversary, I am going to Israel to express my solidarity with their inspiring vision and the courageous work of these Israelis.

One of the most important events on this trip will be the planting of trees in Israel and on the West Bank as part of Planting Justice: The Two Trees Campaign of Rabbis for Human Rights. These will be trees of life hope and peace, trees planted with the intention of building a future where both Israelis and Palestinians will enjoy security, dignity and peace.

And this is how I'd like to take you with me: I hope you will want to be one of my trip supporters, and by extension, a supporter of the courageous and righteous work of Rabbis for Human Rights and its partners by making a donation to the Two Trees Campaign. Our group hopes to give Rabbis for Human Rights $36,000 raised from our friends, family and community. As part of my commitment, I've set a goal of raising $1,000 for Rabbis for Human Rights before I leave. You can give your contribution in honor or memory of someone and Rabbis for Human Rights will send the honoree a certificate. By participating in this way, you will be planning the trees with me. As another way of taking you with me on this journey, our group will send you a report on our trip when we return.

Below you will find a flyer about the Two Trees Campaign and a contribution form. You can also find out more about the campaign and make a donation online by visiting: http://www.rhr-na.org/story/two-trees-campaign-launched

Please let me know if you make the donation online so I can acknowledge your gift and count it towards my fundraising goal.

Please consider making a gift (multiples of $18) to help me meet my goal of raising $1,000 before I leave in November. [I will greatly appreciate any amount you can give.] It would be wonderful to take you with me to Israel in this way.

Thanks so much for considering my request. For more information about the work of Rabbis for Human Rights please visit www. rhr-na.org

and www.rhr.israel.net

B'virkat Shalom-Salaam/Blessings for Peace,

Phyllis

July Charity of the Month

2008-07-02T17:06:00.002-04:00

We have chosen Save Darfur as July's charity. For those unaware of this organization, you can learn more about Save Darfur here and here. You can take action by joining the coalition or donating here.

Be Happy

2008-06-19T13:01:00.001-04:00

June Charity of the Month

2008-06-02T15:01:00.002-04:00

June's charity will be Free Arts NYC. Free Arts NYC provides under-served children and families with a unique combination of educational arts and mentoring programs that help them to foster the self-confidence and resiliency needed to realize their fullest potential. You can find more information about this charity here, their programs here, and how to donate here.

S565

2008-05-20T10:17:00.001-04:00

Thank you to everyone who opposed this bill. I have been informed that all references to acupuncture have been removed from the chiropractic bill.

PLEASE Protect Acupuncture: Oppose Bill S565

2008-05-16T11:02:00.003-04:00

Please protect the profession of acupuncture. Take 5 minutes and print out the following and fax it to these senators. Or just make a quick telephone call to register your opposition to this bill. PLEASE.

Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, Primary Sponsor
Senate Commerce Committee Members
Senator Nia H. Gill (Esq), Chairperson

RE: S565 Strong Opposition

Dear Senators:
I wish to express my strong opposition to Bill S565, which would allow Chiropractors
to include acupuncture and Chinese herbs in their scope of practice, with minimal
training.

When I put my health and well being into the hands of a licensed healthcare professional,
I expect them to be fully trained and competent. Even though MDs practice acupuncture
with abbreviated training, chiropractors are not trained as MDs, and have inadequate
training in dealing with blood borne illnesses and invasive procedures. They also have
significantly less training overall, than an MD.

This bill significantly compromises public safety and consumer confidence by
allowing the licensure of lesser-trained health care providers and in allowing this
licensure, also lowers the standards of education of the profession of acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine.

Please Vote Against S565

Thank you.

Name_______________________________________________________________

City/State_____________________________________________________________

Email/Phone___________________________________________________________

Re: S565 STRONG OPPOSITION

Senator Nia H. Gill (Esq.)
Chairperson, Senate Commerce Committee
425 Bloomfield Avenue, 2nd Floor
Montclair, NJ 07042
sengill@njleg.org
973.509.0388 phone
973.509.9241 fax

Senator Raymond J. Lesniak
Vice Chair, Senate Commerce Committee
985 Stuyvesant Ave.
Union, NJ 07083
senlesniak@njleg.org
908.624.0880 phone ext.17
908.624.0587 fax

Senator Nicholas P. Scutari
Senate Commerce Committee
1514 East Saint Georges Ave., 2nd Floor
Linden, NJ 07036
senscutari@njleg.org
908.587.0404 phone
908.587.9312 fax

Senator Gerald Cardinale (DDS)
Senate Commerce Committee
350 Madison Ave.
Cresskill, NJ 07626
sencardinale@njleg.org
201.567.2324 phone
201.567.8514 fax

Senator Robert W. Singer
Senate Commerce Committee
2110 West County Line Rd.
Jackson, NJ 08527
sensinger@njleg.org
732.901.0702 phone
732.901.0587 fax

PRIMARY SPONSOR
Senator Stephen M. Sweeney
Kingsway Commons
935 Kings Highway, Suite 400
Thorofare, New Jersey 08086
sensweeney@njleg.org
856.251.9801 phone
856.251.9752 fax

Bees

2008-05-12T15:59:00.004-04:00

Check out this movie trailer. Click on the link below, then click on Trailer from the navigation bar. The bee population is disappearing (colony collapse disorder) with far-reaching impact to us all.

Vanishing Bees

More on Sleep

2008-05-06T22:22:00.002-04:00

Back in January I wrote a post on "Sleeping your way to being thin." It detailed the benefits of sleep on metabolism and on health in general. Just today I read an article in Acupuncture Today that echoed and expanded on the themes in that post. Please see the link below.

Acupuncture Today article

Call for Letters: Raw Milk

2008-04-24T14:54:00.003-04:00

In May, there will be a hearing on the legalization of raw milk in NJ. Long overdue. If those interested could send a letter in favor of legal raw milk it would go a long way. Please mail 4 copies of the letters to:

Judith Mudrak
58 Cranberry Run
Southampton, NJ 08088

Here is a sample letter that can be adapted by anyone:

Re: Legalize Raw Milk

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is intended to express my deep concern and belief in a very important area of health and nutrition, namely the dairy industry and the availability of raw milk.

The health benefits of raw milk far out weigh that of pasteurized milk and an increasing number of studies are confirming this fact, a fact that has been well-known since the inception of pasteurization. An historical look at pasteurization reveals that the purpose of this technique was to aid the dairy industry and small farmers in their ability to make milk accessible to the general public. Pasteurization was intended to be a short-term solution until the technology was available to allow raw milk to be sold inter-state.

However, like most things, money seems to be a determining factor in decision-making. Once the industry realized how much money was to be made by selling pasteurized milk, another alternative was never pursued. The ability of big business dairy farmers to have milk sit in vats for days on end putrifying with harmful bacteria only to be pasteurized and allowed to be sold wound up being the norm. But the time has now come to allow the individual to decide the kind of food/milk/dairy it would like to consume rather than big business or governmental agencies.

Pasteurized milk due to the loss of enzymes and probiotics cause diarrhea, cramps, bloating, gas, gastrointestinal bleeding, iron deficiency anemia, skin rashes, colic in infants, osteoporosis, increased tooth decay, arthritis and a host of other serious and chronic ailments. In fact, many prominent doctors believe that pasteurized dairy is a key factor in the formation of many cancers.

More and more studies are showing that raw milk is by far healthier than pasteurized/homogenized and that any health risks are far outweighed by the health benefits. The Mayo Clinic has undertaken a RAW MILK CURE to treat diseases. It has been used throughout the ages to treat an endless variety of illnesses. And until the big milk companies became involved, raw milk was widely accepted as a healthy, affordable food available to rich and poor.

By studying the history of pasteurizing milk, one comes to understand how big business has put money in to the pockets of legislators who will support their interests, not the interests and health of the citizens they represent. Please do not prove yourself to be one of these legislators.

Let’s put our focus toward maintaining healthy cows, producing healthy raw milk, who are allowed to graze on pasture – not on subsidizing big farms that own cows who can barely stand, never see grass, and are in pain due to all the hormones and antibiotics that are being pumped in to them – and by those very companies who want to suppress any facts which support the health benefits of raw milk.

Please help to expand our rights to buy raw milk. The health of all of our families, and countless others, depends on it.

Sincerely

A Boy Can Change the World

2008-04-12T13:17:00.003-04:00

My son has embarked on a new project: he has entered the world of blogging. Most days he will create blog posts with the intention of teaching and inspiring others to change the world. His topics will be on conservation, recycling, respect for nature and the environment and simplifying. If I were you, I'd bookmark it and check it out regularly.

Ben Saves The World blog

Therapeutic Relationship

2008-04-06T21:40:00.008-04:00

The ultimate aim of Chinese medicine is to treat the individual and the cause(s) of disease by distinguishing the individual from his or her illness. It seeks to understand and treat with respect for each patient as a cornerstone of therapy. This therapeutic relationship has myriad forms and like all of Chinese medicine is tailored to each person uniquely.

What distinguishes this from other systems of medicine is the relationship that is created and fostered between patient and practitioner which serves as the foundation for the initiation of the healing process. This is not a one-way street and requires cooperation by both parties.

First, the physician counsels the patient regarding the relationship between particular behavioral patterns (including diet, exercise, sex, etc.) and the illness in question, and then treatment assists and supports the body's own healing forces. A physician's job is to return physiology to normal. His effectiveness depends entirely on the accuracy of the diagnosis, on the wisdom of the counseling, on the patient's willingness to change, and on the correct choice of treatment modalities for the rebalancing of the body's physiology.
-Dr. Leon Hammer

Nobody denies that assuming responsibility for oneself is the ultimate in growth and development. The physician must identify the energy leaks, and the patient must seal them by changing his lifestyle. It is, however, only one step and cannot be taken until the organism and person are strong enough. This strengthening is a collaborative process and must often begin with help from an outside source. Chinese medicine provides this outside source in many ways.
-Dr. Leon Hammer

As health practitioners we are of value to the people who consult us only if we can offer them something significantly different from the usual response. Of course, we recognize and acknowledge the negative in all its destructiveness. However:

We are needed for our ability to recognize the positive quest for contact beneath the negative emotions and behavior.......

This is the beginning of a 'new experience' with someone who is reliably more concerned with finding, and responding to, the positive rather than the negative in them; with someone nourishing rather than condemning; with someone capable of putting, at least temporarily, another person's needs ahead of his or her own.

Only as we allow a 'new experience' and provide a new model can our contact with our patients be a truly healing, growing, therapeutic experience.
-Dr. Leon Hammer

Tell Leaders To Support Tibet

2008-04-03T20:29:00.002-04:00

On Monday, thousands of people in 84 cities worldwide marched for justice for Tibet--and delivered the 1.5 million-signature Avaaz petition to Chinese embassies and consulates around the globe. (Click below for photos.) Avaaz staff have engaged with Chinese diplomats in New York and London, delivering the petition and urging action. And a growing chorus of world leaders is joining the call.

China is on the fence--indicating an openness to talks with the Dalai Lama, while at the same time pressuring other governments to support its continuing crackdown. Each day, more leaders declare their stance. It's time to redouble our efforts--click below to send a personal message to your head of state, urging support for dialogue with the Dalai Lama--and check out the photo gallery from Monday's day of action!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_report_back/97.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

Together, we've built an unprecedented wave of global pressure. The Avaaz petition is one of the biggest and fastest-growing global online petitions on any topic in history; since it launched on March 18, it has been signed by 100,000 people per day--an average of more than 4,000 per hour, day and night.

Politicians understand that there is power in numbers. We need to show them that they have more to gain by listening to their own people--and heeding the cry for help from Tibet--than by giving China a pass in the lead-up to the Olympic Games.

We're privileged to be alive at a time when people anywhere can reach out and support people everywhere--instantly. If we have the power to make things better, we have a responsibility to act. Thanks for what you've done so far, for the people of Tibet and for a more humane world for all.

With hope,

Ben, Ricken, Graziela, Galit, Paul, Iain, Pascal, and the Avaaz team

PS--Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:

"China softens Dalai Lama stand" -- Wen Jiabao calling for dialogue
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080401/jsp/foreign/story_9081121.jsp

Dalai Lama expresses appreciation for world reaction, appeals for continued support; also sends appeal to the Chinese people:
http://dalailama.com/news.221.htm
http://dalailama.com/news.220.htm

China announcing support from governments around the world:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/20/content_7829212.htm

Leaders across Europe and Asia starting to back dialogue as the way forward:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7300157.stm

Chinese Prime Minister attacks "Dalai clique", leaves door open for talks:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/18/content_7813194.htm

Other Chinese signals:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/China_looks_at_India_to_talk_to_Dalai_Lama/articleshow/2875142.cms

April: Charity of the Month

2008-03-26T20:21:00.005-04:00

The Center for Acupuncture has chosen it's first charity. In light of current events, we have decided to donate to the International Campaign for Tibet. Information on this organization can be found on its website as well as a list of some of their projects and its mission.

Center for Acupuncture Gives Back

2008-03-26T13:21:00.004-04:00

The Center for Acupuncture is pleased to announce its new charitable donation policy. Each month, beginning in April, the Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine in Westfield, New Jersey will choose a different charity and donate $1 from each treatment in its busiest week of the month to said charity.

The Center for Acupuncture will post in its offices and website/blog information about each charity that it chooses. Final decisions about the charities chosen will be made by myself and my wife, Ann, but we strongly encourage patients and anyone so inclined to let their recommendations be known. We plan on choosing from local, national and international charities.

Information on our first charity is coming soon......

Petition for Tibet

2008-03-20T13:21:00.002-04:00

Stand With Tibet

Dear friends,

After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan people's frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. With the spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on China, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change.

The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not yet surrendered "will be punished". Its leaders are right now considering a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China.

We can affect this historic choice--China does care about its international reputation. China's President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the 'Made in China' brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention--and we need it in the next 48 hours.

The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world's people to support him. Click below now to sign the petition--and tell absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/97.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

China's economy is totally dependent on "Made in China" exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China, respected as a leading world power. China is also a very diverse country with a brutal past and has reason to be concerned about its stability -- some of Tibet's rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from Tibetans who seek dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in London, New York, and Beijing, but it must be a massive number before we deliver the petition. Please forward this email to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book--it will come up after you sign the petition.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak--we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

PS - It has been suggested that the Chinese government may block the Avaaz website as a result of this email, and thousands of Avaaz members in China will no longer be able to participate in our community. A poll of Avaaz members over the weekend showed that over 80% of us believed it was still important to act on Tibet despite this terrible potential loss to our community, if we thought we could make a difference. If we are blocked, Avaaz will help maintain the campaign for internet freedom for all Chinese people, so that our members in China can one day rejoin our community.

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:
BBC News: UN Calls for Restraint in Tibet - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7301912.stm
Human Right Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking Protesters - http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/15/china18291.htm
Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSSpPcDOPMoAiRLhPUyezuCRiXBQD8VFDD680
New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on Tibet Protests - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/world/asia/18access.html?ref=world
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ABOUT AVAAZ

Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.

More Organic Bytes....

2008-03-20T12:22:00.002-04:00

DISTURBING NEWS OF THE WEEK:
TOXIC SOUP OF PLASTIC TWICE THE SIZE OF U.S. FORMS IN OCEAN
The University of Hawaii is set to launch an expedition with the goal of confirming a new trash "continent" in the Pacific Ocean. A vast expanse of floating trash has been collecting in the Pacific Ocean into a mass that scientists are now referring to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The thick mass of plastic soup, located approximately 500 miles east of California, is now reported to be twice the size of the Unites States. The collection of debris comes as no surprise to experts in this area. According to a recent report from the UN Environment Programme, on a global level, each square mile of ocean water contains an average of 46,000 pieces of floating garbage.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10831.cfm

News Alerts from the Organic Consumers Association

2008-03-20T12:18:00.003-04:00

CONSUMER ALERT:
CANCER-CAUSING INGREDIENT FOUND IN LEADING "ORGANIC" & "NATURAL" PERSONAL CARE PRODCUTS
A newly released study commissioned by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and overseen by environmental health consumer advocate David Steinman (author of The Safe Shopper's Bible), revealed the presence of the undisclosed carcinogenic contaminant 1,4-Dioxane in leading shampoos, body washes, lotions and other personal care and household cleaning products claiming to be "natural" or "organic". The study results, to be released this weekend at the Natural Products Expo in California, are already sending shockwaves through the "organic" and "natural" body care industry. Laboratory tests showed that products certified under the USDA National Organic Program DID NOT contain this toxin, but most of the best selling personal care products claiming to be "organic" (but not USDA certified) contained the cancer-causing ingredient. All leading self-proclaimed "organic" brands have at least a few individual "certified organic" ingredients, but for most of these top-selling brands, the product, as a whole, is not USDA organic certified, thereby allowing the presence of synthetic toxins. Similar studies have revealed the presence of this toxin in conventional personal care products, but this is the first study indicating the presence in misleadingly labeled "organic" and "natural" products.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/comingclean.cfm

_______________________________

CONSUMER TIP OF THE WEEK:
HOW TO AVOID 1,4-DIOXANE IN YOUR PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS

Some of the products found to contain 1,4-Dioxane: JASON Pure Natural & Organic, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Kiss My Face, Nature’s Gate Organics (see a full list of OCA's study results here)
Remember that just because a personal care product labels itself with the words "organic" or "certified organic" doesn't mean it meets any specified organic standards.
Look for products that are certified under the USDA National Organic Program (or a similar German program) and products that bear the "USDA Organic" seal.
Search product labels for ingredients with the following in their names to avoid products containing 1,4-Dioxane: myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other eth, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol.
In general, avoid products with unpronounceable ingredients to be sure to avoid synthetic toxins and carcinogens.

_______________________________

QUICK RELATED BLIP:
INDUSTRY IGNORES CONSUMER CONCERNS & CREATES BOGUS "OASIS" ORGANIC STANDARD
A new "organic" standard for personal care products has been created exclusively by conventional industry members like Estee Lauder (owner of Aveda), Loreal and Hain (Jason, Avalon), without any input or comment period from organic consumers, organic farmers or personal care companies who have achieved USDA National Organic Program certification for the majority of their products. The OASIS standard allows a product to be labeled outright as “Organic” (rather than “Made with Organic Specified Ingredients”) even if it contains hydrogenated and sulfated cleansing ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate made from conventional agricultural material grown with synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and preserved with synthetic petrochemical preservatives like Ethylhexylglycerin and Phenoxyethanol. As always, the OCA recommends consumers look for personal care products certified under the USDA National Organic Program.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10886.cfm

__________________________________

We need your support today to continue to
our work fighting for the rights of organic farmers and organic consumers!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm

Expressions of the Heart

2008-03-18T19:09:00.004-04:00

My most recent article with my colleague and good friend Brandt Stickley has just been published with the Chinese Medicine Times relating to the Heart in Chinese medicine. You can access it here.

March in the Year of Sagely Living

2008-03-05T15:27:00.002-05:00

March in the YSL relates to cycles of rest and activity, sympathetic and parasympathetic, the 'peaceful tension between opposites' like inhaling and exhaling. Finding and honing this balance is the task of the next month. As my vacation entered the first two days of March, it strikes me that traveling with three young children one must endeavor to find this balance. Vacations are a time to rest and relax; to renew one's spirit and broaden one's base of experiences. Children do not let their parents relax; there is no down-time even on vacation. Here is a basic 'peaceful tension' in my life that follows me whether I am in work (13 steps away) or on vacation. Keeping this tension peaceful is the game.

So, while I would love to say that my vacation was a time of rest, and back to work a time of activity, the reality is that my home life, my work life and my vacation times are a blend of these opposites. My challenge this month will be to find a way to make these opposites more peaceful and blend together more seamlessly. How to find time to relax while working; how to be productive without compromising my health; to have dedicated time to practice my tai ji more diligently; to cut off working/studying with ample time to wind down before bedtime; and to retire in the evening earlier.

See you in 8 days

2008-02-22T21:49:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, February is the month of business in the Year of Sagely Living. I have found that to be successful in business it is imperative to take time away from business. It allows for a renewal of energy, perspective and vision for the future. My next week is designed to accomplish exactly that. I am off for 8 days to Manuel Antonio and Dominical, Costa Rica.

Pura Vida.

February in the Year of Sagely Living

2008-02-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

As February is the month of business, it would at first glance seem that I have an easy month, as much of my days are spent running a busy practice. However, I take this month as a challenge to redefine my goals of what exactly I want this practice to be; how I want it to run; the kinds of treatments I want to do; the kinds of connections with patients that I want to foster; the community that I want to build.

It is also very fitting that at the end of the month I go on vacation, back to a place that my family loves: Costa Rica. For us, there is no better place to get in touch with our essence; to truly be inspired. I will use this trip to help me solidify my truest goals for what I want in my life.

In addition, in the spirit of business, I have spent the last couple months updating/modernizing and augmenting my website for the sake of attracting more individuals to the benefits of acupuncture, herbal medicine, Contemporary Oriental Medicine, Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis and alternative medicine in general. Please take a look and browse the new site at your convenience: Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine website.

PreNatal Stress and Schizophrenia

2008-02-13T19:03:00.003-05:00

My friend and colleague, Dr. Stickley, posts an excellent study on his blog regarding the link between prenatal stress and schizophrenia. Dr. Stickley and I have studied under Dr. Leon Hammer for years and, while this connection to intra-uterine insults and psychological illness is not new to us, this study marks an important breakthrough for bringing this information to a wider audience.

Check out his post here.

Stop Deceptive Labeling of "Naturally Raised" Meats

2008-02-13T17:37:00.001-05:00

I came across this news item from the Organic Consumers Association.
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Alert: Stop Deceptive Labeling of "Naturally Raised" Meats
Consumer polls indicate the average person imagines meat labeled "Naturally Raised" comes from animals that spent their drug-free lives freely roaming the fields of a family farmer, eating wild flora and fauna, and being (at least somewhat) humanely slaughtered. In fact a 2007 Consumer Reports survey shows 83% of consumers assume such labeling means “it came from an animal raised in a natural environment.” In stark contrast, the USDA, under pressure from big agribusiness, has released a standard for "Naturally Raised" meats that is so weak it would apply to a cloned animal raised in the confines of a factory farm. The public comment period on this labeling standard only lasts until January 28, so take action now before this type of labeling becomes as ubiquitous as corporate lobbyists on Capitol Hill.
Learn more and take action:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22287

Tell EPA to Ban Toxic Pesticide Endosulfan

2008-02-13T17:35:00.002-05:00

I cam across this alert from the Organic Consumers Association:

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2/8/2008

EPA WANTS YOU TO DECIDE -- SHOULD TOXIC PESTICIDE BE BANNED?
The EPA has opened a public comment period on whether a toxic pesticide used on food and cotton in the U.S. but banned in much of the world, should be taken off the market. The pesticide, endosulfan harms the hormone system, and low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm and other birth defects. The Organic Consumers Association is joining with Pesticide Action Network and other allies in gathering tens of thousands of petition signatures to ban this toxic pesticide off the market now. Learn more and take action:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10124.cfm

NJ Vaccines

2008-02-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

Please support this legislation to create a 'conscientious belief' exemption to mandatory vaccines in the state of NJ. Most states currently have this in addition to the medical and religious exemptions. This would allow a parent to refuse vaccinating their child(ren) for moral and ethical beliefs. Please follow the link below and sign the petition.

http://www.gopetition.com/online/16754.html

Aspartame Documentary

2008-02-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World.avi

1 hr 29 min 41 sec - May 26, 2007
Average rating: (318 ratings)
Description: Excellent documentary showing how dangerous artificial sweetner Aspartame is. From its history, to its effects this video is enough to shock anyone into really looking at there food labels next time they shop. Aspartame is a toxic food that came into the world as an investment By Donald Rumsfeld, while ignoring the deadly effects the tests showed. Take a good look at this video, it could save lives.

January Update on the Year of Sagely Living

2008-01-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

The YSL is off to an ambitious start; which makes sense as everything in my life is ambitious to some degree: busy acupuncture practice, thriving family with three children; PhD program; etc.

So, what did I actually accomplish:
1. I have committed to watching a minimum of one hour of my PhD dvd lectures while taking detailed notes at least 2 nights per week after the kids go to sleep. I have been able to achieve this thus far and have been doing so 4 nights per week.
2. I have committed to a more diligent practice of Chen taijiquan. I have continued to take weekly classes, driving into NYC every Sunday morning. And each night (more like 5 nights per week) I spend approximately 1/2 hour practicing my forms after studying. It's been a great way to unwind from the less than perfect posture of watching dvds on a laptop computer.
3. More time with family: I have made a concerted effort to spend more uninterrupted time with my kids (without checking the phone, emails, etc.). I have spent Tues and Fri afternoons with the family as I finish with patients early on those days. I have taken the kids bowling, away for the weekend and have taken my son out of his kindergarten wrap around program to spend more time with him. (We are also in the process of organizing a plan to homeschool. Yes, more ambitious. I'm sure this will spur some more blogposts soon.) My lunch break has been more playtime than worktime.
4. While I have not been able to take any additional classes in Tibetan medicine as my translator is not available and Rinpoche is travelling, I have been continuing my Medicine Buddha practice.
5. As January deals with learning, I also read The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. An excellent book (which also ties in my tai ji practice). See it here.
6. Publishing articles and video lectures: No additional publishing this month, however, I am starting to work on the next article which has a mid Feb deadline. The video lecture will gain some momentum in mid March after my vacation to Costa Rica and trip to Gainesville.
7. In the midst of all this, January has been a month of tremendous reflection on how I want to live my life, how I want to raise my children, where I want to live, and how to propel myself in that direction. The discussions go on daily in my household as I try to practice more of what I preach. One of my biggest lessons this month is that change must come.

So, all in all, it's been a good month. A good start with a long road ahead.

Hugs are Good Medicine

2008-01-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

Sleep Your Way To Being Thin

2008-01-13T22:01:00.001-05:00

A very interesting discussion by my teacher Jeffrey Yuen related decreased metabolism (and metabolic issues) and lack of sleep. The idea is that we are highly affected by seasonal/climactic factors and the amount of light that our eyes pick up (i.e., BL 1 and activation of wei qi). The more light our eyes pick up, the more our body thinks it's summer all the time (ie, lots of yang energy). Due to technology, we live with light most of the time, albeit artificial light in our homes, workplace, etc. The body' natural mechanism is that it wants to consume more carbs/sugar/fruits because the more the body can take in, it can store it as energy for the winter. However, winter never truly comes for us anymore because of artificial heating and lighting. So, we keep consuming sugar/carbs. The excess sugar stimulates fat and cholesterol accumulation, and leads to imbalances like diabetes and arteriosclerosis because our bodies are not following the cyclical nature of sunlight and seasonal influences. One major treatment is to increase sleeping. Without sleep, we lose/consume jing-essence faster. Taxation occurs. So, there is a cyclical relationship between our eyes (BL 1 and wei qi) and metabolism. The remedy is to synchronize our days with lighting, relaxing/resting once the sun goes down. Wei qi needs to go inwards to support the Kidneys at night. Sleep!

Everything Changes, Can You?

2008-01-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

To be healthy requires that we experience a balance between yin and yang, and have a smooth flow of qi and blood throughout our bodies. This is best maintained by living a moderate lifestyle in accord with the energies of nature. As summer is not afraid to end and transmute into fall, so we too must be willing to let go and change where appropriate. Part of my path as a Buddhist and practitioner of Chinese medicine is to recognize when I fall prey to attachment towards particular behaviors, thoughts, emotions, etc. Likewise, I must point these issues out as they become relevant to my patients in the course of their healing.

While watching my dvd lectures from my teacher, Jeffrey Yuen, he discusses how so often patients come to see practitioners to rid themselves of their symptoms, but never see the connection to their lifestyles. Most look forward to getting back to their lives pain -free, cancer-free, or free of whatever ailments are plaguing them. But we must instruct our patients that their lifestyles are the problem. To do otherwise, we are simply treating the branch, the manifestation.

To heal, we need to change. We need to be brave enough to change our lives in a way that is conducive to health. On a spiritual level, this means non-attachment. It means cultivating a way of life that transmutes our physicality towards spirituality. The goal of qi gong, for example, is to alchemically transmute our jing (essence) to qi, then from qi to shen to expand our consciousness and experience emptiness, the non-duality of all things.

On a physical level, healing requires significant lifestyle modifications. Dietary changes (avoiding cold, damp, greasy, fried, preservatives, chemicals, refined sugars, etc. and eating for health, not pleasure, eating live whole foods, etc. (see the Resources page on my website for a really good introduction to Eastern nutrition), habitual patterns of movement (ie, sitting all day at a desk leaning over our keyboard which kills the qi in our chest), and perhaps most importantly our habituated emotional responses. If we are living lives of quiet desperation, unhappy in our marriage or work, unhappy with how we look or feel, we must make radical changes to secure our health. If we are having difficulty containing our anger, if we are experiencing depression, we must seek out their roots.

Dealing with roots of our habituated responses is incredibly powerful and the entire subject of humanistic psychology as detailed in Dr. Hammer's Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies is very well laid out. Learning how one's behaviors, rooted in early life, shape our health across the entire bodymind spectrum, and gaining the tools to make the appropriate changes can spark a profound healing.

So, as we have decided this is the 'year of sagely living' we must strive towards this ideal by rooting out our behaviors that are synonymous with imbalance, and replacing them with habits that foster health and well-being.

"Year of Sagely Living"

2008-01-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

The mark of the superior physician has traditionally been a high degree of cultivation. Eastern medicines have long held the scholar-warrior-physician as the benchmark for all doctors to aspire to. In this day and age, the scholar-physicians are few and far between. But there are a growing number of practitioners of Chinese medicine who seek to strive towards this ideal and see the importance of resurrecting this tradition.

The "Year of Sagely Living" is the brainchild of my good friend Brandt (Abdallah) Stickley (see Even Unto China) and Eric Grey (see Deepest Health) and I am fortunate to be involved in this at its inception. The idea is that over the course of the next year (beginning today) we make the commitment to cultivate the skills (academic, clinical, spiritual, etc.) of the superior physician. A syllabus of sorts has been created (see below) that will help guide the process. January 1st marks the beginning of scholarship and study. Each month will have a unique theme based on a synergy with the energies of each season and time of year. Excerpted below is the syllabus from Deepest Health.

January - Gall Bladder, Zi 子 (Rat): Scholarship/Study: This category will contain practices to develop us into true scholars in the Confucian/neo-Confucian tradition. Why this pairing? The seasonal energy is still in winter, a contemplative mood prevails, but the Yang is rising. Similar to this, we can see scholarly pursuits as ACTIVE passivity. One generally sits still, but one’s mind is hard at work.

February - Liver, Chou 丑 (Ox): Strategy/Business: This category will contain practices in the realm of business development and strategic planning in the professional world. Why this pairing? The Liver is the general of the body, so has a natural affinity for this kind of activity.

March - Lung, Yin 寅 (Tiger)- Activity/Rest: This category will contain practices having to do with appropriate cycles of rest and activity in daily life - for instance, appropriate waking times throughout the seasons. Why this pairing? This earthly branch and the essence of the Lung Zang is all about peaceful tension between opposites, like the time of the year associated with both. Further, being mindful of our need for balance between rest and activity is great preparation for the often overactive spring/summer energy.

April - Large Intestine, Mao 卯 (Rabbit) - Care of the planet/consumption: This category will contain practices that develop us into compassionate and sane consumers, while helping to develop our deep relationship with the natural world. Why this pairing? April is a time when we can see the beauty of nature all around us, so is a great time to contemplate our dependence on it and responsibility towards it. Also, the negative side of LI/Rabbit is a tendency to run rough-shod over the needs and wants of others, these practices will seek to counterbalance this.

May - Stomach, Chen 晨 (Dragon): Physical cultivation: This category will contain practices that help us to shape our physical bodies into ideal vehicles for the transmission of healing energy. Why this pairing? The natural world has exploded into full splendor and the weather in the Northern hemisphere will be warm enough in most places to warrant moving around outside. The ST is an Earth organ and is related to the flesh of the body, which we will be building with these practices. Think also of the dragon and its association with martial arts and other physical cultivation practices.

June - Spleen, Si 巳 (Snake)- Food choices - This category works in tandem with the previous one to help maintain the physical form of the body in an optimal way. Why this pairing? June is actually a great time to do fasting or other food restriction activities because most of us don’t feel any great desire to eat excessively in the summer heat. Further, reducing the burden on digestion will help us to focus on absorbing the pure Yang energy so abundantly available in June.
July - Heart, Wu 午 (Horse) - Community building/charity - This category speaks to our need to be an integral and contributing member of a number of communities. It also involves the practice of compassion in a world where inequality is the norm. Why this pairing? The summer is a wonderful time to participate in community-oriented projects! Also, the Heart and Fire (the Heart’s element) are about intimacy, about connection to Spirit — both of which are well represented in the idea behind this category.

August - Small Intestine, Wei 未 (Sheep)- Ethical Behavior - This category will include practices not covered in other categories that have some ethical dimension. These practices are likely to be very individual and defined by a person’s background, spiritual/religious practice and culture. For example, practicing “Right Speech” through abstinence from cursing. Why this pairing? The Fu (hollow, Yang) organs are said to transmit the essence of their associated Zang (solid, Yin) organs. SI exemplifies this relationship in its devotion to sacrifice as a way to manifest the Heart’s mandate of connection to Spirit in the purest sense. Also because many of the “ethical behavior” practices we discussed are somewhat prohibitive, it resonates with the descent into metal energy that the earthly branch Wei represents.

September - Bladder, Shen 申 (Monkey)- Arts/Aesthetics: This category involves the use of our creative faculties - particularly as they pertain to the arts associated with Chinese medicine, such as calligraphy. Why this pairing? These activities are Yin within Yang - they are still, yet active - like scholarship. More importantly is the symbolism of 申. One of the meanings of this character is to stretch, and the oracle bones show it as two hands pulling something in opposite directions. We might think about this as the intercourse between Heaven and Earth, the Human Being in the middle being the substrate that is stretched between those two poles. I think Art facilitates this threefold communication.

October - Kidney, You 酉 (Rooster/owl): Chinese medicine specific skills: This category includes the refinement of Chinese medicine related skills, such as hand techniques in acupuncture. For those not in the field, you might look into developing skills that will help you in your work. Why this pairing? The Kidney is often said to be the root of all skill and expertise. Also, with the cool calm energy of autumn, one can become focused enough to substantially increase specific skills.

November - Pericardium, Xu 戌: Relationships: This category will involve practices that help us develop more mature and meaningful relationships with others. Why this pairing? Pericardium is frequently said to mediate intimate relationships. One interesting symbolic note is the association of the earthly branch Xu, which means - essentially - weapon. This speaks on many levels to me. For instance, we must be careful to avoid violence in relationships, on whatever level. Also, relationships are a bit like handling weapons — if you’re not careful and mindful, it can come back to bite you. Finally, the late fall and winter are good times for relationship oriented activity, given that most of us desire to stay at home with family and friends as the weather cools.

December - Triple Burner, Hai 亥: Spiritual cultivation: Although we will be looking at spiritual dimensions of all kinds of activity throughout the year, this month we will give it special attention. These practices will probably be quite individual, but there may be some shared goals - such as having a daily meditation practice. Why this pairing? I’ve always learned about TB as being the mysterious “in between,” the mover between worlds, the ultimate stillness. What a metaphor for spiritual practice!

While all these categories are areas that many of us are already cultivating to various degrees, the syllabus will allow a renewed commitment and strengthened focus on a monthly basis. Each of us involved will also share our experiences online on our respective blogs.

To assist in this endeavor, I will also institute some ground rules. As I have been ongoingly engaged in studying pulse diagnosis and writing about it, I am committed to publishing articles regularly on this topic and have an agreement to publish a series with the Chinese Medicine Times. (The first article can be found here.) I also have plans with others to publish a video lecture on the same topic.

As I have recently begun a PhD program in Classical Chinese medicine, I also commit to studying the video lectures at least twice weekly and integrating the information into my practice.

I have been involved in martial arts since the age of 8, however, the demands of raising a family and running a busy practice have sidelined that passion for approximately 5 years. In November I have once again begun the study and practice of tai ji quan and commit to regular practice and qi cultivation.

I also have the unique opportunity of a close personal relationship with Lama Doctor Tsewang Ngodrup Rinpoche (see Rangnang Ogminling Bendirya Kunphen Ling) a gifted spiritual teacher and traditional Tibetan doctor. I have begun private classes with Him in Tibetan medicine and will continue to pursue this avenue of cultivation. My Buddhist practice is tied in with this study, and my commitment to bring this spirituality into my practice and life in a more authentic way is strengthened.

I also dedicate uninterrupted time to spend with my wife and three children. So often the busy days pass with squeezing in work and family time, the two often commingled into the same block of time. I will make separate time for work and for family, the latter being more active and involved.

More to come....

The Seasons

2007-12-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

When asked how many seasons we have or how long each season lasts, many would argue 4 and that they last 90 days each. In Tibetan and Chinese medicine, we say that there are 5 and that they each last 72 days. Where the difference comes from is aligning the 5 seasons with the 5 elements/phases of nature: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal Water.

Wood is associated with spring; Fire with summer, Metal with autumn and Water with winter. Earth is seen as mediating and bridging each season together harmoniously. Thus, the 18 day period between summer and fall, between fall and winter, between winter and spring and between spring and summer is earth.

So, typically in the lunar calendar of Tibetan and Chinese medicine, when we are starting winter according the western calendar on December 21st, winter is actually half over. The shortest day of the year (the least light), marks mid-winter. As our bodies are a microcosm of our world, this becomes very important and instructive on the kinds of behaviors and lifestyle that we should be following. And, as clinicians, it is equally important that we advise our patients appropriately and that we do not misinterpret signs on the pulse and symptoms incorrectly.

Call to Action: OPPOSE Chiropractic Acupuncture Bill

2007-12-27T17:33:00.000-05:00

I urge all supporters of acupuncture and Chinese medicine to please take 5 minutes out of your day to call and email the following two assembly persons regarding this bill. Please leave a message with their office OPPOSING this bill. In addition, please send an email (you can use the text below, just cut and paste it). This is urgent. Chiropractors are trying to pass a bill that would allow them to practice acupuncture without going to acupuncture medical school. Their training would consist of a couple hundred hours (a weekend course and home study). Acupuncturists spend 4 years in school and over 3,000 hours studying acupuncture. Should this bill pass, the quality of care will be dangerously low and the risk to public safety dangerously high.

Assemblyman Joseph Roberts: asmroberts@njleg.org: 856-742-7600
Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman: aswWatsonColeman@njleg.org: 609-292-0500

Hi. My name is __________ and I am requesting that Assemblyman Joseph Roberts and Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman OPPOSE Assembly Bill 3122, the Chiropractic Scope of Practice Bill. This bill allows chiropractors to practice acupuncture (an entire system of Chinese medicine) with abbreviated (barely any) training and presents a significantly increased risk to public safety. Unless all references to acupuncture are removed from the bill, I am OPPOSED to A3122. This is a significant public safety issue and I urge an opposition to this bill.

Thank you very much for considering my position on this issue.

What's In Your Fish?

2007-12-15T22:06:00.000-05:00

This article is a must read if you or your loved ones eat fish. Get it here.

USDA at it again

2007-12-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

USDA PROPOSES RULE UNDERMINING ORGANICS AND SMALL FARMS
The USDA is accepting public comments until December 3 on a new proposed rule that would force small farms growing green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce, to put into place industrial-style sterilization measures that reduce biodiversity and soil fertility. The proposal follows in the wake of the USDA's recent controversial crackdown on raw almonds, continued interference with raw milk production, and bans on the sale of locally produced organic meat directly to consumers. The proposed rules basically cover up the fact that e-coli 0157H contamination in lettuce and spinach crops comes from feedlot or industrial livestock-contaminated irrigation waters or contamination in large processing plants. The rule limits hedgerows, and other non-crop vegetation commonly found on and around small organic and sustainable farms. In addition, although every organic farmer knows that healthy soil is literally alive with multiple types of healthy bacteria, the rules also discourage the development of beneficial microbial life in the soil. Send a message to the USDA today:
Learn more and take action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_8679.cfm

Take action now at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21743&t=

Are You Right or Left Brain Oriented?

2007-11-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

Check out the following link to see whether you are right or left brain dominant. If you try, you can see the object move in both directions.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22535838-5012895,00.html

Acupuncture Politics

2007-11-20T20:25:00.000-05:00

Politics and powerful lobbyists have infiltrated the profession of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Today marks a significant decline in the profession as chiropractors have finally managed to influence the New Jersey State legislature by passing through the assembly committee a bill that would allow them to practice acupuncture with a minimal few hundred hours of training. This exception has already been carved out for M.D.'s, unfortunately, and now, with this precedence, the chiropractic lobbyists have widened the loophole.

What is acupuncture without the theoretical framework of Chinese medicine? It's just sticking needles in people. And, unfortunately, an uneducated patient without understanding the distinctions in training, can undergo significant harm. The qualifications of the average acupuncturist is stated below. Compare that to the chiropractors and M.D. acupuncturists. Not to mention that many acupuncturists like myself, spend their entire careers training in this medicine....

Excerpted from an older post on Acupuncture vs. Medical Acupuncture

It is not uncommon for prospective patients to call my office and ask whether or not I am a "medical doctor." Typically, this question stems from the fact that some medical insurance companies will only reimburse if acupuncture is performed by an MD, and the lack of understanding of the training of Chinese medicine practitioners and that of the medical doctor.

Practitioners of Chinese medicine train for approximately 4 years in medical school, just like medical doctors. The difference is that we spend 75% to 80% of our time training in the theories and practice of Chinese medicine, including extensive clinical internships and externships. The remainder of our training is in western medicine and sciences. Cognizant of the fact that we live in a world dominated by western science, the practitioner of Chinese medicine must be knowledgeable of western medicine.

During our time in medical school, we spend over 3,000 hours studying acupuncture (channels, acupoints, clinical techniques and applications), Chinese medical theories, physiology and pathophysiology, herbal medicines (including herb combinations, synergies, and formulations), classical Chinese medicine, and treating patients under the guidance of supervising acupuncturists and herbalists. Not to mention that many practitioners, like myself, have extensive post-graduate training with senior practitioners and masters in the field.

So, what training do MDs or Chiropractors have in acupuncture? None. The one's who will advertise as "medical acupuncturists" have trained for approximately 200 hours, typically a weekend course and some "homework." This is the standard recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) so that doctors know when to refer out to fully-trained acupuncturists. MDs, osteopaths, naturopaths and chiropractors only have this limited training. They are not practicing Chinese medicine, just using needles. Sticking needles in someone without knowledge of the underlying theories of Chinese medicine is not practicing acupuncture and is not recommended by this practitioner.

Acupuncture is strong medicine with the power to bring awareness of our imbalances to the body and mind and help correct them. Despite what you hear from an MD, its influence extends far beyond neural pathways and the release of endorphins. Improper training in and use of this sacred healing art is an affront to every skilled practitioner and to the majesty of Chinese medicine.

A strong foundation in the principles of Chinese medicine is prerequisite to being a good acupuncturist. But it is only the beginning. The simple act of inserting a needle requires significant cultivation on the part of the practitioner to feel for the arrival of Qi under the needle. According to Yanagiya Sorei and Shudo Denmei, two famous Japanese master acupuncturists, forcing an acupuncture needle into the skin of a patient is akin to rape. In 1980 Master Yanagiya stated:

Inserting needles and applying moxa, this is an art. Ours is a profession which requires a sense of adventure. Isn't it incredible how all manner of diseases can be cured with nothing more than a needle or a few pieces of moxa? Isn't it grand how needles and moxa can be used to create the effect of all manner of medicine?

Acupuncture is of the mind. This should be considered very carefully. One needle can be used to unlock the key to all manner of diseases. It is only natural, therefore, that one's technique needs to be perfected.

Which kind of acupuncturist will you go see?

Another Quote

2007-11-07T15:58:00.000-05:00

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways ,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

and always remember:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

By George Carlin

Quote of the Day

2007-11-02T11:12:00.000-04:00

Because it lacks consciousness, I must admit that a word cannot praise me. Undoubtedly, the cause of my delight is that another is delighted with me.

But what does it matter to me whether another's delight is in me or someone else? His alone is the pleasure of that delight. Not even a trifling part of it is mine.

-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"

From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.

"Hand of Hope"

2007-11-02T10:26:00.000-04:00

An amazing picture that I just came across. Perhaps others have seen this before, but I thought I'd post it just in case you haven't. A surgery was done on this fetus to correct spina bifida at 21 weeks gestation. The fetus/baby, as you can see, reaches through the incision and grabs the doctor's finger. Pretty cool....

Coca Cola and Chinese Medicine? I don't think so!

2007-10-16T09:44:00.000-04:00

Big pockets are constantly trying to cash in on alternative medicine. This is another attempt. Check out the following link. Imagine how difficult it will be for this Center (owned by Coca Cola) to conclude from its research and tell the world how dangerous Coca Cola is to one's health. This is such an egregious conflict of interest and attempt to misappropriate and co-opt Chinese medicine. I suppose we'll start hearing soon how healthy aspartame and splenda are with the new Coca Cola funded research. There is a lot of truth to Sun Tzu's words: Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer. I guess Coca Cola has been studying.....

Sleep Your Way Back to Health

2007-10-15T10:56:00.000-04:00

Check out this article on just how important sleep is to the health of our children.

Can You Be Cured?

2007-10-06T20:32:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, I hosted Lama Lobsang who lectured on Tibetan medicine. One of the more notable things I wanted to share from that talk was the following statement:

If you can get a disease, you can cure a disease. We just need to know the cause.

And while he did acknowledge certain "karmic diseases" that have no cure, most diseases were curable. He said that was the only logical way to understand the ability of someone to get sick. If one can get sick, one can get un-sick. Knowing the cause of the disease is the most difficult part. In fact, he stated that in many instances we will never know the real cause; that it is hidden, as in karmic diseases. But placing the emphasis on diagnosis is the real key to understanding the causes (or coming as close to the cause as one can), and then healing the person from that disease. He gave the analogy of knowing what country a person is from by looking at their face and features, but not being able to know the exact town or street address or the specific details. The more details you can uncover, the better your success at treating the disease.

That is where traditional diagnostics come into play, especially the pulse diagnosis and knowing one's psychology. The specificity of the details come into sharper focus.

Boys and Cervical Cancer?

2007-09-18T18:16:00.000-04:00

Check this link.

Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?

2007-09-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

A very important article to read. You can access it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/magazine/16epidemiology-t.html?ex=1190606400&en=6f2433873fafc89c&ei=5070&emc=eta1

The Art of Diagnosis

2007-09-09T23:18:00.000-04:00

The art of diagnosis is disappearing and I take this as a very sad occurrence. One of the problems, perhaps, is that western medicine and scientists try so hard to ensure that there is no art to diagnosis; that it is a strict scientific discovery. In prior posts I have demonstrated how the art and the science must co-exist to arrive at a comprehensive and holistic diagnosis using our minds (theory) plus our senses (touch/palpation, listening, smelling, looking, etc.) and our experience and intuition.

Just yesterday, a New York Times Magazine article was brought to my attention. It was about diagnosing a young girl with periodic fevers and abdominal pain that would come and go every so often. The doctors were perplexed and it wasn't until she had a positive test that they had any real idea of what was going on. If only this was a rare occurrence, I would pay it no mind. But the following quote was made by one of the doctors. It struck me how sad it is that a doctor could make this statement; especially as it seemed to be stated out of a pride for the advancement of western diagnostic tests. What about the decline of medical diagnosis? The quote was:

"In medicine, we can only really know a disease once we have a test that can reliably identify it."

Living Without Reference Points

2007-09-06T22:12:00.000-04:00

What would your life be like if you could live each moment in the moment without judging it based upon your past experiences or projecting it into the future? Experiencing things as they truly are with no bias or duality or theoretical constructs......

Surfing in La Jolla

2007-09-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

Back from La Jolla and a week at the beach. The week wouldn't have been complete without a surf lesson. I didn't have my camera, but luckily someone caught a shot of me :)

picture from facs.scripps.edu/surf/surfphotos.html

Environmental Toxins Killing 13 Million Children per Year

2007-08-22T11:38:00.000-04:00

excerpted from organic consumers newsletter:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the most extensive research to date on the impacts of environmental toxins on children's health. The report indicates that over 30% of childhood diseases can be linked to exposure to environmental toxins. According to WHO researchers, 13 million deaths could be prevented annually by improving the environment. The vulnerability of children is increased in degraded and poor environments. The report states that due to environment-related diseases, one in five children in the poorest parts of the world will not live longer than their fifth birthday. The Organic Consumers Association's "Appetite for a Change" campaign is focused on implementing policies and practices that can one day provide a safe environment for our children.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/afc.cfm

The State of our Healthcare System

2007-08-07T21:50:00.000-04:00

I urge everyone to see this film (Sicko). While Michael Moore is seen by many as controversial and presenting one-sided arguments, this is a side of the story everyone should be aware of. And while many may think these horror stories cannot happen to them, I was just informed this morning of how my mentor and friend was thrown out of the hospital with severe injuries because his health care insurance (Medicare) would not pay to admit him.

The Four Examinations, Part 6 (Palpation Diagnosis)

2007-07-30T18:26:00.000-04:00

Palpation

Pulse: (mostly TCM here, not Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis, except for a few concepts)

Left Right
Distal = cun (inch) = heart and small intestine lungs and large intestine
Middle = guan (bar) = liver and gall bladder spleen and stomach
Proximal = chi (cubit) = kidney (yin) and bladder kidney (yang)/san jiao and PC

Speed: hot/cold
Location: interior/exterior
Strength: excess/vacuity
Yin/yang

Pulse has a close relationship to HT
Depends on HT qi
Can reflect pathogenic changes in
The HT, yin, yang, qi, blood; as well
As viscera, bowels, and channels

Location, speed, strength, form tell
About location, form and nature of disease
And the strength of the evil and right qi,
Strength of disease circumstances and
Prognosis of patient

Rate, Rhythm and Stability

Rate and rhythm are considered “larger segments” of the pulse along with the Stability of the pulse, uniform qualities on the entire pulse, at all depths or in each burner. The qualities at individual positions are unreliable signs until the larger picture is addressed. It is possible to deal only with the larger issues and achieve the greatest impact on the patient in terms of their needs and treatment.

“Big is Big”.

Deviations from normal in the larger segments of the pulse are generally the most critical in terms of seriousness of disharmony and order of treatment. Rhythm, rate and stability are clinical issues that take precedence over any quality or combination of qualities in diagnosis and treatment. Frequently when rate, rhythm and stability are brought into order and balance, other qualities and findings will automatically change.

Rate

Alteration from a normal rate is much more often a sign of significantly more far reaching processes than Heat and cold influences. In Dr. Hammer’s experience the rate more commonly involves factors that affect the Heart function and circulation, such as shock, over-exercise, overwork, physical and emotional trauma.

Normal Rates according to Dr. Shen (Hammer, 152)
Age Rate
Birth to 4 years 84-90/min
4-10 years 78-84/min
10-15 years 78-80/min
16-40 years 72-78/min
40-50 years 72/min
50+ years 66-72/min

Rapid Rate—
Common causes are External: pathogenic factor (wind-heat), heat stroke or trauma (physical or emotional) or Internal: heat from Excess (Heat in Qi level, Heat in the Blood: heat or Thick, liver Qi stagnation with heat, Nervous system Tense or “vigilance” pulse).
--Deficiency heat—Tight and less rapid than with Excess heat.
--Trauma—Effects of trauma on the pulse will depend on the condition of the True Qi of the person at the time of the trauma and since then depending on lifestyle, whether the trauma was local or extensive, time elapsed since the trauma.
Extensive physical trauma causes the pulse to be Very Rapid, Bounding, Tight to Wiry.
Local trauma will produce a less Rapid pulse with Tight to Wiry quality in the area of pain.
Emotional trauma leads to a very Rapid Bounding pulse with a very Tight quality over the entire pulse, especially in the Pericardium position at first, and later the left distal position. Change in Intensity and Rough vibration may occur over the entire pulse. The tongue and eyes are normal. (Hammer, 154)

Trauma is a shock to the circulation. Circulation into and out of the area is compromised. If the True qi is strong the pulse will become Inflated, meaning the energy is trapped in an area and it can’t get out. If the True qi is deficient, the pulse will become Flat, meaning the outside energy can’t get in due to the diminished Qi.
If the stagnation persists without intervention for a long time, energy is gradually depleted and the pulse becomes increasingly Reduced. It will be Feeble-Absent in the position corresponding to the body site affected by the trauma.

Slow rate—External cause: Cold from external pathogenic influence.
Internal causes:
--Cold from deficiency of qi and yang (chronic disease, overwork, over-exercise, over-sex, protracted emotional stress)
--Heart qi and yang deficiency—Heart is unable to circulate qi and blood which leads to a slowing of the rate. If constitutional, the left distal and proximal positions are Feeble-Absent; if the cause of the deficiency occurs after birth, the entire pulse is Feeble and the left distal Feeble or Absent.
--Aerobic exercise
--Poisoning/Toxicity
--Shock—over time will lower the Ht rate if unresolved.

Rhythm

Rhythm is the single most significant aspect of pulse diagnosis. It is a measure of Heart and circulatory function. Instability in the Emperor is tantamount to chaos in the empire. This must be dealt with first. Irregularity is considered in terms of whether it occurs at rest or with movement, whether we are able to count a rate, whether the changes in rate are small or large, and whether it occurs constantly or occasionally.

Interrupted: Misses beats with no fixed cadence. If able to measure a rate, indicates moderate Heart qi deficiency. If unable to count a rate due to the arrhythmia, indicates Heart qi and yang deficiency.

Intermittent: Misses beats with regular cadence (every 2 beats or every 3 beats). Indicates Heart qi, blood and yang deficiency. (Hammer, 121)

Change of rate at rest: Heart Qi Agitation, if found occasionally (Heart Yin Deficiency, page 409). Heart Qi Deficiency if found consistently.

Rate on exertion: An 8-12 beat increase is normal. An increase greater than 12 denotes Heart blood deficiency. A decrease in rate on exertion is a sign of Heart qi and yang deficiency. The method for assessing the change in rate on exertion will be demonstrated in the hands-on portion of class.

Normal Pulse

The normal pulse is resilient, compressible, of moderate strength and with spirit. The qualities, intensity and amplitude are consistent over time and in each position. Seasonal variations occur in rare instances where there is little pathology. Normally the pulse is somewhat stronger on the right side in women, and on the left side in men.

Three features: (1) Stomach Qi: reflection of post-natal qi (even, calm, good rate)
(2) Spirit: orderly w/o chaos, not changing (in rate, rhythm, stability…)
(3) Root: reflects KI: prenatal qi. Is there a KI pulse?; also reflected in deep level of all positions

The following are some characteristics of the Normal pulse which serve as a baseline and standard for health:
1. Rhythm - Consistently regular
2. Rate - Consistent with age
3. Quality - Compressible, resilient and elastic
4. Shape - Long, smooth and continuous without turbulence
5. Strength - Moderate with spirit - luster
6. Spirit - Moderate Spirit (languid, Leisurely, Relaxed, Slowed-Down) depending on body build
7. Root and depth - Balanced between superficial, middle and deep. The greatest strength should be in the root, at the deepest or Organ depth and becoming lighter as one ascends to the Qi depth. There is strength in the proximal positions. The pulse is deeper in heavy people and more superficial in thinner people.
8. Balance - Balanced between positions with the middle position occupying the most space, the proximal position the next most area and the distal position being the most confined.
9. Intensity (buoyancy, elasticity and resilience of the pulse) - Stable over time
10. Amplitude (height of the pulse) - Stable over time
11. Consistency - Qualities stable and consistent over time.
12. Wave - Sine curve that begins at the Organ depth and gradually rises to the Qi depth, and then subsides again to the Organ depth.

Qualities, intensity, rhythm and rate are consistent over time and in each position. The pulse is resilient, compressible, moderate strength with spirit.

Pulses of women and children tend to be more rapid than those of men. Athletes tend to have slower rates. Normally, the pulse is somewhat stronger on the left for men and on the right for women. Seasonal variations occur in rare instances where there is little pathology.

Buoyancy: The normal pulse in a child and sometimes in a vegetarian may be more yielding. In a woman it may be more thin and in a man more wide.

Shape: Pregnant women usually have more slippery and more rapid pulses.

Wave Form: Normal is a sine curve that begins at the organ depth, gradually rises to the qi depth, and subsides again to the organ depth.
The wave form is the movement of the blood through the vessel. The fingers can perceive the shape of this movement. Abnormal waves give us information about the condition of the patient.

Depth:
Tells about location of disease
Floating: exterior disease (usually): can be internal wind
Deep: interior

Strength: tells of length of disease: chronic or acute
New onset will be forceful b/c evil and right qi are strong
Chronic and enduring, qi will be forceless due to evil qi and right qi weakened

Does pulse match signs and symptoms? If no, prognosis is more difficult.

Considerations in taking pulse:
Time of day: best time is b/w 3:00am to 5:00am
State of mind: of you and patient. Must be calm, concentration, etc.
Time:
Rate: count for 60 seconds
Each position: spend a few minutes, check for abnormalities, changes in qualities, intensity…
Position of Patient: should be sitting down with hands at height of just below HT. Pillow under arms
Pressure/Techniques:
See 3 depths.
Rolling methods to access aspects of both principal and complementary positions. Soulie de Morant and Maciocia document rolling the fingers as an integral part of pulse diagnosis. Maciocia states: “Nearly all ancient Chinese texts on pulse diagnosis say that the pulse is felt not by keeping the fingers absolutely still on the artery, but by moving the fingers in five different ways: (1) lifting tells you whether the pulse is Floating; (2) pressing (down) tells you whether the pulse is Deep; (3) searching (not moving the finger) is used to count the rate; (4) pushing (from side to side) tells you about the shape of the pulse (5) rolling (distally to proximally) tells you whether the pulse is Long or Short
Watch for abnormalities:
Fan Guan
San Yin Mai
Ganglion Cysts
Trauma
Sex and Age:
Men’s pulse usually larger, and stronger on left
Women’s pulse thinner and stronger on right
Menstrual cycle affects: weaker after period; stronger before
Kids: faster rates
Elderly: weaker due to decline in qi and blood
Emotions:
Excess joy damages HT and causes pulse to be vacuous, or in extreme conditions deep
Overthinking injures SP/HT and pulse becomes bound, when extreme, string-like
Anxiety damages LU/HT/KI and pulse becomes rough, when extreme, surging
Anger damages LV and pulse becomes soggy; when extreme, rough
Fear injures KI and pulse becomes deep, when extreme, soggy
Taxation/inactivity/poor diet:
With poor nutrition: weak and forceless
After meals may become surging, slippery
Alcohol: rapid (choppy LV)
4 seasons:
spring: string-like
summer: surging
fall: floating
winter: deep

Depth:
Floating
a. Floating: exterior, superficial, usually associated w/ Lung; cork floating on water
i. forceful: exterior repletion
ii. forceless: exterior vacuity

1. floating and moderate: wind damp in exterior
2. floating and slow: wind stroke
3. floating and tight: wind cold
4. floating and slippery: wind phlegm or food stag
5. floating and rapid: wind heat
6. floating and scallion stalk: blood loss
7. floating and scattered: extreme taxation
8. floating and rough: blood damage

b. Scallion Stalk/Hollow: floating and large, hollow in center; arrives softly, when pressed, center is empty
indicates severe blood loss and yin damage

1. hollow and rapid: vacuity heat
2. hollow and slow: blood loss w/ vacuity cold (shock)
3. hollow and skipping: blood stasis binding internally (usually from trauma)

c. Soft/Soggy: floating, fine and soft; like cotton floating on water
governs vacuity taxation and vacuity cold of SP/ST and warm damp diseases, ie (uterine bleeding, post partum bleeding)

d. Scattered: floating large and scattered. No root. Empty at middle level and disappears at deep w/ pressing. Abnormal rhythm and feels chaotic. May be seen before delivering baby; HIV
severe KI qi vacuity

e. Leather/Drumskin: floating stringlike and large. Tight on outside and empty inside. Hard and straight w/ light pressing, empty within as if pressing on skin of drum w/ heavy pressure. Like scallion stalk but also stringlike and tight
blood collapse, essence defic; uterine bleeding; chemotherapy, hemorrhage

Deep
a. Deep/Sinking: felt only w/ heavy pressure
interior diseases

1. deep and forceless: interior vacuity
2. deep and forceful: interior excess
3. deep and slow: interior cold
4. deep and fast: interior heat
5. deep and tight: cold pain
6. deep and stringlike: swelling and pain
7. deep and slippery: phlegm food accum
8. deep and rough: accum of qi (masses)

b. Hidden: deeper than deep pulse; deepest part of muscle/ b/w tendon and bone; need heavy pressure
1. hidden and forceful: repletion evil hiding internally and obstructing movement of qi and blood; can be accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting
2. hidden and forceless: chronic and enduring diseases

c. Confined/Firm: hard, confined and fixed; deep in muscle layer; replete, large, stringlike and long; vessel feels hard and fixed
chronic diseases w/ deep evil; usually masses, obstructions and stagnations

Speed:
Rapid
a. Rapid: can indicate heat (interior or exterior; repletion or vacuity) or can indicate HT shock, etc. (see Hammer)
1. rapid and surging: exuberant yang repletion heat
2. rapid and fine: vacuity heat
3. rapid and stringlike: phlegm fire or heat in LV/GB
4. rapid and rough: yin or blood stasis causing heat

b. Racing: usually infection or severe HT shock; extreme repletion of yang when yin is exhausted and can’t control yang. Or if racing and forceless, yin of lower burner is exhausted and yang of upper burner is hyperactive. Beginning of separation of yin and yang.

c. Spinning Bean/Moving/Stirred: only felt at middle position (I’ve felt it at special lung pulse); feels like spinning bean; slippery rapid forceful
very serious, impending death or illness in organ system; or with extreme pain, palps or w/ pregnancy (3 mos.)

d. Slippery: arrives and departs smoothly; round and slippery; pearls sliding under finger
strong qi and blood
overabundance of qi and blood, ie heat, phlegm, dampness, food accum

1. slippery and floating: wind phlegm
2. slippery and deep: phlegm rheum or food stag
Hammer: can be infection, damp heat in organ
3. slippery and rapid: damp heat or phlegm fire
4. slippery and slow: lower bowel problems (dysentery)

Slow
a. Slow: cold patterns (interior or exterior; repletion or vacuity) or can indicate HT qi defic; toxicity
1. slow and floating: exterior cold
2. slow and deep: interior cold
3. slow and slippery: cold phlegm
4. slow and fine: yang defic
5. slow and stringlike: pain
6. slow and forceful: cold damp obstructions

b. Moderate/Leisurely: rate neither fast nor slow. But when combined w/ other qualities can be abnormal. Can be slightly slow/retarded.

c. Rough/Choppy: opposite of slippery. Knife scraping bamboo. Feels rough, w/ edges
Stagnation of blood (in tissues). TCM says also stag of qi, food, phlegm.
Can also have change in rate or rhythm. If pulse consistently rough/choppy, look for masses. Can be stringlike and rough if qi stagnation.

Force
Deficiency:
a. Empty/Vacuous: slow large forceless. Felt w/ light pressure only.
Vacuity of qi and blood
1. empty/vacuous and floating: qi defic
2. empty/vacuous and rough: blood defic (can lead to stasis)
3. empty/vacuous and rapid: yin defic heat
4. empty/vacuous and slow: yang defic

b. Minute/Faint: extremely fine, extremely soft; sometimes disappears. Extreme qi and blood defic; serious loss of blood or fluids (diarrhea, sweating, vomiting)

c. Weak: deep fine and forceless. Vacuity of qi and blood, but more of an internal condition where original qi is being consumed.

Excess:
a. Replete: arrives w/ force, full and large.
Excess heat, fever, food stag, constip.
Watch for replete pulse w/ chronic condition. Can be separation of yin and yang
Good in healthy person

b. Tight: like a twisted string vibrating under finger and hitting w/ force
indicates cold, pain, fright-wind, cold phlegm, hernia

c. Flooding/Surging: comes w/ strength and goes softly like a wave. Usually large vessel and loose. Normal in summer.
Yang ming pattern: 4 Bigs (pulse, sweat, fever, thirst)
May also appear in vacuity patterns where it will be forceless waves

Rhythm
a. Abrupt/Skipping: rapid, skips beats w/o pattern
1. skipping and forceful: yang repletion w/ evil blocking flow of blood
2. skipping and forceless: HT palps or chronic vacuity cough

b. Knotted/Bound: slow and irregular
1. Bound and forceful: qi and blood stag; phlegm and food accum; masses; emotional problems (depression….)

c. Regularly Intermittent: forceless and skips w/ regular rhythm
indicates organ qi vacuity, esp Heart; extreme pain patterns or extreme fright; can be (normal if 3 mos. Pregnant?)

Form
a. Large: vessel is large
heat: repletion or vacuity
if forceful, beginning of disease
b. Fine/Thready/Small/Thin: clearly felt like a thread
qi and blood vacuity; yin defic
c. Long: exceeds normal pulse positions; soft and flexible, yet forceful
normal in spring
surplus of yang qi
repletion patterns

d. Short: felt in middle positions, but not in others
Lung or HT qi vacuity

e. String-like/Wiry: long and straight and stiff under fingers (violin string); like a tight pulse w/o vibrating. Usually thin and narrow
Liver pulse: liver stag, wind, fire; LV/GB heat
Slightly string-like is normal in spring
Phlegm accum or masses

Head:
Feel for temperature, quality (rough, smooth), moisture, lumps, bumps
Look for discoloration and visible lumbs
General color
Use back of hand to feel face
Feel forehead for heat and feel hands at same time
If palm is hotter than forehead: vacuity heat
If dorsum is equal or hotter than forehead: repletion heat

Neck/Head:
Look at fontanel in child/infant.
If protruding: liver wind stirring
If sunken: fluid depletion

Feel for lumps/bumps on neck. Are they soft and moveable (qi stag) or hard and fixed (blood stag)? Are they painful? Hot?

Forearms:
Feel for temp, moisture/dryness, swelling
Hotter on inside: yin defic heat
Hotter on outside: yang repletion

Skin:
Exterior heat: scorching when first touch, then diminishes
Internal heat: gets hotter and hotter
Heat blocked: don’t feel heat right away, then gets hot
Sweat on body: info on body fluids
Skin rough/dry: yin, blood vacuity
Skin swollen and sinks when touched: water swelling
Skin swollen and tight and doesn’t sink: qi swelling

Hands and Feet
If hot: hyperactive yang
If body and limbs are cold: yang defic
If limbs ice cold: reverting cold; yang exhaustion
Palms hot, body not hot: yin defic heat
Dorsum hot, body hot: external evil
Children w/ high fever: if fingers get cold watch for convulsions
If hands and feet both cold: SP/ST yang defic

Body
If sores on body, palpate sores: hot or cold? Soft or hard?
If protrudes the skin and hot and pain worse w/ pressure: yang type sore
If level w/ skin, not hot, only slightly painful: yin type sore
If hard and painful when press, pus hasn’t developed
If soft, pus has developed

Chest/Abdomen
Lying down comfortable w/ knees slightly bent (supported from underneath)
Make sure your hands are warm

HT

SP

LU LV

KI

If pain in abd relieved by warmth: cold pattern
If pain in abdomen relieved by cold: heat
If better when pressed: vacuity
If worse when pressed: excess

If lumps: where are they? What do they feel like:
If soft and moveable: jia: conglomeration (middle jiao)
Qi-type Ju: gathering (lower jiao)

If hard and fixed: zheng: concretions (middle jiao)
Blood-type Ji: accumulations (lower jiao)

Channels and Points
Palpate bilaterally (note differences)
Palpate 5 shu points; front mu; back shu; xi cleft; yuan source; luo connecting (tell about repletion/vacuity in channel itself and associated channel); lower he sea

Look for tenderness, abnormalities, lumps, muscle tone (tense=repletion; soft=vacuity), changes in color and temperature

Palpate A-shi points

Lung: LU 1, KI 27, UB 13, LU 6
HT: UB 15, Ren 14, HT 1
Women: SP 6,9, Ren 4
General Constitution: Ren 4,6

The Four Examinations, Part 5 (Inquiry/Asking Diagnosis)

2007-07-30T18:22:00.000-04:00

The "10 Questions"

Inquiry/Asking

Demographics: name, age, sex, profession, life circumstances, birth place, where they live…

Past Medical History: Birth history (did mom have trouble conceiving, did she have any health problems during or prior to pregnancy, early, late, induced, breech, forceps, stuck in birth canal, cord wrapped around neck, jaundiced, blue, other complications…)

Childhood illnesses, learning disabilities

Traumas: sudden death of loved one, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, verbal), major accidents, broken bones……………

Vaccinations

Medication history: antibiotics

Smoking/Recreational Drugs/Coffee

Exercise history: child athlete?………….

Family Medical History:diabetes, hepatitis, high blood pressure………….

Chief Complaint: why did they come in, when did it start (acute, chronic, what induced it), where is it located, progression, what makes it better or worse…..

10 Questions: 1. temperature: hot/cold; fever/chills
w/ chronic heat, can be from too much yang or too little yin
acute pathogenic invasion: wind-cold, wind-heat
yang pathogens: w-h, dryness, summerheat
yin pathogens: cold, damp
simultaneous fever and chills:
a. wind cold: more chills than heat (subjective), strong aversion to cold (wei qi can’t get to surface and warm you up; blankets don’t help), body aches; tongue normal b/c acute; pulse floating tight. This is the tai yang level of disease –most superficial
b. wind heat: more fever than chills, slight aversion to cold, sore throat, rashes, tongue normal or thin yellow coat, pulse slightly rapid and floating.
Alternating fever and chills: bitter taste in mouth, hypochondriac pain (malaria at its worst). The pathogen has penetrated into shao yang level.
Fever and no chills: internal heat
Chills and no fever: internal cold

Temperature can also tell us about vacuity/repletion
Vacuity:
Cold: maybe spontaneous sweating, body/limbs cold, clothes help, fear of cold
Heat: no aversion ot cold, heat in 5 centers, chronic

Repletion:
Cold: strong aversion to cold, bland taste in mouth, no thirst, diarrhea, clothes don’t help
Heat: acute, strong fever, 5 bigs

2. sweating
lungs disperses wei qi; fluid of heart; spleen and kidney w/ fluid metabolism; yin or qi defic? Excess yang or heat
a. where is person sweating?
a. Only on hands: nervous condition or lung qi defic
b. Only on extremities: spleen qi defic
c. Only on head and back of neck: ST heat or dampheat
d. Only on chest, palms and soles: yin defic
e. On head only: defic
f. All over body plus constip: repletion heat
b. What time of day?
a. Spontaneous sweat during day: qi is not holding/regulating pores/qi defic
b. Sweats in evening or during sleep: yin defic
c. Quality of sweat
a. Oily: yang defic. Looks like pearls
b. Profuse cold sweat after chronic illness: yang defic
c. Yellow: damp heat
d. W/ external pathogen: wind cold or wind damp: if doesn’t resolve: wei qi defic
d. Smell of sweat
e. Quantity of sweat

3. pain/head (dizziness)
head is most yang aspect of the body. All yang channels meet there. Sense organs on head

a. headaches:
i. acute: exterior attack, usually wind cold
ii. gradual onset: interior condition
iii. severe: excess/repletion
iv. annoying dull: defic/vacuity
v. daytime headache:
i. yang defic (annoying/dull)
ii. qi defic
vi. night headache: annoying: yin defic/ blood defic
Location: locations of meridians are important.
i. back of neck into eye: Tai yang channels
ii. frontal HA: yang ming
iii. side of head: shao yang
iv. vertex: liver
v. whole head band around: dampness
vi. pain inside head: damp; phlegm
What makes it better or worse.
i. worse w/ cold: cold pathogen. Better w/ heat
ii. averse to heat: heat pathogen
iii. better w/ pressure: vacuity
iv. aggravated by pressure: excess
v. fixed location/stabbing: blood stasis
vi. pain moves location and intensity: qi stag
vii. heavy: damp
viii. worse w/ activity: defic. Better w/ rest
ix. worse w/ rest: repletion. Better w/ activity

b. dizziness: due to wind, fire, defic of qi, or phlegm
i. swaying, losing balance: vertigo: internal wind
ii. head and ear clogged: phlegm

i.and ii. Are both excess conditions w/ fire components bringing up phlegm

iii. worse w/ fatigue, change of position: qi defic

4. hearing and vision
kidneys open to ears; liver to eyes. Gb and SJ have special affinity w/ ear

Ears:

Pain:
i. acute and repletion patterns: dealing more w/ channels involved and EPI and occasionally w/ externally/internally related channel (liver)
ii. chronic and gradual onset: vacuity. Dealing more w/ Kidneys
iii. better w/ pressure: defic
iv. worse w/ pressure: excess

Quality of Sound
v. tinnitus:
a. low pitch: KI defic
b. high pitch/whistle: repletion/Liver
vi. deafness:
a. sudden onset: repletion
b. gradual: vacuity

Vision:
Liver opens to eyes. Many meridians feed eyes (ht, st, gb, ub, sj)
Repletion:
Pain, swelling, itching, redness (wind-heat (acute) or internal liver fire)
Sharp stabbing pain like needles: toxic heat, fire poison in heart channel
Sand in eyes: spleen damp
Deficiency:
Blurred vision, floaters, flowery, photophobia, chronic dryness: liver blood defic
Pressure in eyes: kidney yin defic

5. stool and urine
Stool:
no pain w/ bloating: LV qi stag (harmonize ST and SP)
amount and color; well formed w/ no undigested food; easily eliminated
better w/ bowel movement: replete
energy of bowel movement tires you: defic
constipation: due to excess, defic, defic qi, blood, yin, yang, liver qi stag
acute: full heat in ST or intestines (yang ming). Tongue red w/ thick yellow coat
constip: from dryness in intestines
goat stools: small hard droppings (heat in intestines drying or LV qi stag)
abd cold to touch: cold or yang defic
abd hot: heat
alternating constip: LV qi stag invading SP and ST

diarrhea: could be same etiology as above; could be SP qi not transforming
foul smelling: heat
lack of smell: cold
cock’s crow: first thing in morning: KI and SP yang defic
blood in stool: damp heat in intestines
black stools: more serious: blood stasis (high in GI tract)
pus/mucus in stool: dampness
flatulence: LV qi stag
w/ odor: damp heat
no odor: cold in ST
borborygmus: gurgling: SP qi defic
Urine:
Ask about color, amount, pain, inhibition, etc.
Color:
pale/clear: cold in bladder or kidney
Dark yellow/brown: heat
Cloudy/turbid: damp
Amount:
scanty: heat (dried out fluids), KI yin defic (scanty but frequent), KI qi defic
copious: KI qi defic not consolidating (KI should mist up to Lungs and control bladder)
dribbling: KI qi defic
Pain:
Pain before urination, relief after: qi stag in lower jiao
Painful urination: heat in bladder
Retention of urine: damp-heat in bladder
Inhibited urine: can also be LV qi stag

6. appetite and thirst (taste)
Appetite: tells about SP and ST
Aggravated by eating: replete
Alleviated by eating: vacuity
Better w/ bowel movement: replete
Lack of appetite: SP qi defic
Excess appetite: ST heat
Appetite (hunger) w/o desire to eat: ST heat turning to yin defic heat. (May have red tongue w/ no coat)

Taste:
Desire for hot temp: cold
Desire for cold temp: heat
5 Element correspondences
craving or aversion for 5 element tastes
little stimulates: too much dampens/weakens
odd taste in mouth: look to 5 element correspondence; (ie bitter taste = LV/GB disharmony)
No taste: SP
7. sleep
shen is stored in HT and blood peacefully stored in LV. Sleep depends on state of blood and yin in body. If enough blood and yin, you sleep peacefully
Insomnia:
Can’t fall asleep, but once asleep, stays asleep: HT blood defic
Wakes easily: KI yin defic, HT yin defic
Combo of first two: HT and KI not communicating: usually more severe sx
Excess HT fire
Excess LV fire
ST heat due to food stagnation
Lethargy/Somnolence:
Sleepy after eating: SP qi defic
Fatigue (extreme) and cold: yang defic
Fatigue and heavy limbs: damp
Lethargy w/ signs of stupor and heat: external invasion of PC
Wakes up and doesn’t feel rested: GB qi defic
Grinding teeth:
Parasites
Emotional

8. chest and abdomen: pain/pressure, etc.
tightness in chest: lungs, heart, muscular
pain in sides/ribs/hypochondria: LV qi, GB qi stag (binding, constricted, can’t take deep breath, gas, bloating)
pain in lower abd/navel: intestinal cramping (SP), menstrual (LV/KI)
pain in epigastrium/solar plexus: ST region, food stag, or ST qi defic (differentiate by how pressure makes it feel)
pain in inguinal region/testicles: liver channel

9. gynecological: thorough history, first onset, timing, quantity and quality of blood, PMS, pain before, during or after periods, pregnancy and contraceptive, and sexual history, discharges, etc.
Chong and Ren: Need good LV blood and storage to fill Chong. Need enough KI yin and essence to make blood and SP to hold blood
If periods to frequent or comes early: heat: Liver gets hot; or SP qi not holding or LV qi not storing
Excess: thick, fire engine red
Defic: thin, watery
Period too late (more than 35 days): pregnant?:
Cold: congealed blood
Qi blood stagnation
Not enough blood: blood defic
Little blood: obstruction (qi, blood, cold) or defic
Lots of blood: qi defic (not holding) if pale, thin, or heat (more bright red and thick)
Leukorrhea:
White discharge: no odor: cold (yeast infection?)
Yellow discharge: smell: heat (yeast infection?)

10. lifestyle: rest/sleep/stress/emotions/tendencies
previous illnesses
old illnesses may show root of present disease
prior successes, failure
habits contributing to illness
demographics and emotional life and exercise, working conditions, etc.

The Four Examinations, Part 4 (Listening and Smelling Diagnosis)

2007-07-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

Some info on the Listening and Smelling exam

Listening and Smelling
Quality of voice: faint, frail, diffic getting words out: Lung qi defic or Yuan qi depleted

Rough, loud, full: repletion of yang qi

Hoarse voice: repletion if something blocking voice (will have other sx)
Defic if other defic sx

Reluctant speech, withdrawn, slow: coldness

Incessant speech: heat

Sudden loss of voice: wind heat

Gradual loss of voice: lung vacuity

5 element sounds:

Quality of Shen thru verbal expression:
full and impaired consciousness and talking loud: dampheat

listless and mumbling: heart qi vacuity

Listening to movements: keeps still but utters groans: joint pain
Clear voice but distinct and low and succinct: headache
Weak and indistinct: chest constriction/weakness
Respiration:
Coarse and loud: repletion/fullness
Difficulty breathing: vacuity/feeble/emptiness

Asthma: Diffic inhaling: feeble/empty: feels better w/ deep breath: Kidney qi not grasping Lung qi (slight wheezing)
Acute: coarse and loud: better w/ exhale (can’t exhale): repletion pathogen in lung: phlegm

Coughs: loud: fullness/repletion
Dry: unproductive, no phlegm: lung yin defic
Dry w/ tickle at night: kidney yin defic (KI 6)

Hiccoughs: if short, just diaphragmatic spasm
Loud: repletion heat –usually stomach qi
Long-term, but low and weak: weak stomach qi (usually coldness)

Smell: bad breath: stomach heat or oral dental decay
Belching: foul or sour belch is retention of food in stomach
5 phase smells:
hepatic problems: sticky sweet
cancer and diabetes: ammonia

strong or foul smells usually associated with heat and repletion.
Absence of smell or ammonia: cold diseases and vacuity

The Four Examinations, Part 3 (Pediatrics: Diagnosing Children with Chinese Medicine)

2007-07-30T16:54:00.000-04:00

PEDIATRIC DIAGNOSIS – WIND, QI AND LIFE GATES
In pediatrics, we have this problem in that we can’t really palpate the way we palpate adults. So we have a very special diagnosis, which is part of the Looking diagnosis for children. And we look at a vein on the index finer. This is only good for children under the age of 3, because after that the area in this space thickens. Basically, we look at this vein (lateral side of index finger). Now if you look at your own hand you have all these little joints, phalangeal joints… you stretch the skin and then you rub it 40-50 times (in China they actually use different mediums – ginger based water or water – to act as a medium and magnification). So you rub and you watch to see how far the vein comes up. These are called Gates or Bars. This (proximal joint) is called the Wind Gate or Bar. The middle one is called the Qi Bar or Gate. And the distal one is the Life Bar or Gate. Wind, Qi or Life.

As you massage, the vein becomes more distended. How much it rises gives you your prognosis. If it rises just a little past the Wind Bar, the diagnosis is mild, external Wind attack. The prognosis is very good. If it goes up past the Qi Bar, then the diagnosis is usually that the internal Qi has been affected; usually the disease is in the Zang Fu organs – there might be problems with digestion, constipation; there might be more of an organ problem. Still manageable, but more deep. If it goes past the Life Bar, then we have a very serious condition. It just gives us how deep has it penetrated (doesn’t tell us what it is or where it is).

Now in a healthy child this vein is really thinly visible, but it’s visible. Usually pale purple, maybe a little brownish in color. And only in that Wind Bar area. As you massage it, if it goes up, you’re developing a pathogen interiorly. If it turns more red, it usually indicates more heat. Green or blue indicates more cold. If it turns black, that’s usually blood stasis.

The Four Examinations, Part 2 (Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine)

2007-07-30T16:29:00.000-04:00

TONGUE
The tongue is one of the major pillars of diagnosis, the other main one being the pulse. The tongue body proper is going to give you information more about the Yin organs, the blood organs in particular. How much is it feeding? The tongue coating is the result of digestion. So we’re looking at two overall things. We’re looking at a body and we’re looking at a fur coat. Now the body itself is going to have not only color, but a size and shape to it. And it might have cracks, and it might have red raised areas. And whether or not you can hold it out and it stays firms or moves around and quivers is going to mean something. And the tongue fur, it’s going to have a color and a thickness to it. And it’s going to have areas that it’s distributed in, and maybe some areas that it’s not.

When reviewing the tongue, the best light to look it is natural light. And foods also affect the tongue (change the color, etc.). Pepto Bismal does a nice job on a black tongue. Eggs make it yellow and orange juice also makes it yellow. Cigarettes do lots of things… stain it a little bit of brown.

The tongue is a muscle. It reflects the Yin organs. All channels are indirectly reflected in the tongue. SP connects w/ root of tongue and scatters over bottom; KI goes to root; HT connecting vessel goes to root; UB and SJ tendinomuscular channels go directly to tongue. Mostly it reflects the state of the Spleen and Heart. It shows the state of the Blood and it shows the state of Yin. The tongue coat shows the state of digestion. When you digest, the Stomach and Spleen digests, part of the Essence is said to go up to the tongue to become dirty dampness – it coats the tongue. Tongue coat shows the effect of the organs, especially the Stomach Qi. Now, when you’re dealing with a pathogenic invasion, the tongue coat tells you about the penetration of the pathogen. For instance, when you first get sick, the coat doesn’t change. As it (pathogen) progresses in, it (tongue coat) gets thicker; it might change color.

Eg. Somebody comes in with a Wind Cold attack. The cold penetrates in. Two days later, it’s now trapped heat. The tongue coat was nothing; now it’s thicker white. Then it becomes thicker and it’s going to turn yellow. Now the cold has changed to heat, they now have a fever of 104-105. They’re sick. Now the tongue is very red and the tongue coat is yellow. Three days later this person has burnt up all their Yin. The tongue coat falls off. Now they have a bright red tongue with cracks and it’s peeled. It’s absolutely glossy. Now it’s really deep in. They break out with delirium, macules and now they’re dead.

A normal tongue should be pale red (they say the color of fresh meat). So it should be red, but not bright red. It should be supple, soft and flexible, even shaped and it should have no cracks. And it should have an even, slightly moist, thin, white coat.

TONGUE MAP
The very tip of the tongue – that’s said to be the Heart. The area behind the tip, that’s associated with the Lung. The area in the middle is associated with the Stomach and Spleen. The rear of the tongue is associated with the Kidneys, but also with the whole Lower Jiao area, so it also includes the intestines, both small and large, the bladder and the uterus. Now the Liver and Gallbladder are on the sides. The right side is thought to be more associated with the Gallbladder and the left side is associated with the Liver, but most folks just say Liver and Gallbladder. So that’s the most common use. Another easier way is to say that the back of the tongue is the Lower Jiao, the middle of the tongue is the Middle Jiao and the front of the tongue is the Upper Jiao.

The tongue body shows the condition of Zang Fu organs, especially Zang, the Yin organs. Especially about blood. The overall color, that’s the state of the blood. The tongue is the only muscle that you can see and reflects what the muscles look like inside; that’s how much they’re nourished.

SPIRIT reflects good moisture/fluids, qi and blood
1. thriving: soft, flexible, moist
2. withered: dry, stiff, can’t protract, emaciated, dusky: no spirit

COLOR AND SHEEN
We look at the color first. It’s either going to be paler, redder or purplish or bluish.

Pale: A tongue can be slightly pale, but when you see a pale tongue, it almost looks white. It looks like it’s not being fed blood. Pale being Qi and Blood deficiency, Yang deficiency and Cold.
Difference between Qi insufficiency and Blood insufficiency is going to be in the moisture. If the tongue is insufficient in Qi or Yang, it’s going to be moist. If a tongue is insufficient in Blood, that’s going to be more of a dry tongue.

Repletion cold: fur is white slippery and thick, pale body
Vacuity cold: body pale and enlarged and tender, damp and scalloped

Red tongue. This is going to be either a full heat or empty heat.
Full/replete heat, the whole tongue is red.
Empty heat, the tip of the tongue is redder. The tip of the tongue is the Upper Burner (heat rises). Can be tender, with little or no fur.
If red in specific area, heat in that organ

Crimson, scarlet or deep red color – it just means there’s some extreme heat in the body. Usually they’ll have some febrile disease or you’re really insufficient in Yin. Can also be blood stasis. Heat in blood level.
Vacuity heat: little fur left/peeled
Blood stasis: crimson w/ stasis macules: usually skin disorders, too

Purple or dusky – usually the Qi or Blood is static. Now purple’s a mixture of two colors – blue and red. If it’s more blue-purple, it’s usually dealing with some cold. And if it’s a red-purple, it’s usually dealing with more heat stagnating.
Cold: cold in LV/KI and tends to be dampness
Qi and blood stagnation creating heat: stasis macules, a dry mouth (w/o desire to drink)
Purple: heat in blood
Swollen and large: alcohol toxins affecting HT
Purple or Blue-Green: less severe stasis, just certain areas, usually LV/GB first

Every once in a while there’s an orange color to a tongue (on the sides). Giovanni and Hammer say it’s liver blood insufficiency.

SIZE, SHAPE AND FORM
When you talk about size and shape, you’re talking about something that’s either too big or too small. Flabby or swollen usually has to do with either Qi or Yang is insufficient to hold it, or there’s excess Damp that’s making it too big. Sometimes there’s teethmarks on the side. That’s called scalloping. It’s usually worse in the morning.

Tough and Tender:
a. Tender: looks like beaten meat; indicates vacuity
b. Tough: appears hard and rough: indicates repletion

Swollen
Swollen w/ scallops: spleen qi defic w/ dampness
Swollen and pale: yang qi defic: replete yin
Swollen pale white tender and moist: SP/KI yang vacuity
Swollen and red: damp heat

Thin or narrow:
Thin and red: Yin insufficiency
Thin and pale: Qi insufficiency. Can also still be Yin/Blood Insufficiency as they often come together.

Prickles: if papillae stick up high
Usually reddish: heat

Fissures/Cracks: usually yin defic.
Crack down center, depending on length, can indicate severity of disease and progression
Crack in Center: SP/ST yin defic
Crack down center to tip: HT pathology

Scallops: SP qi vacuity often w/ dampness

Tongue Sores: usually LV/GB and HT
Protruding, tight, painful, red: heat toxins in HT
Ulcers, herpes-type: heat in LV usually (can be HT)
Less painful and not protruding or tight: yin defic heat

Sublingual Veins/Network Vessels: under tongue
If dark and distended: blood stagnation
How far does the vein go?

DEMARCATIONS
The demarcations that you look for are cracks or raised areas. The cracks, they might be congenital, otherwise they mean something has eaten up the fluids. If you find cracks that are horizontal, that almost always means Yin Insufficiency. If you find cracks on a pale tongue, it usually means that the Qi and the Blood is deficient. And if you find cracks on a red tongue, it usually means that there’s heat – either excess heat that’s burned up the tongue or there’s insufficiency of Yin, usually Stomach Yin. You’ll start finding that (vertical) central crack that usually gets deeper and deeper. That’s usually Stomach Yin burning up.

The eruptions, the red areas that get raised, the little prickles – they’re always replete heat. Most people have it in the back of the tongue and the other place you’ll find them is on the side.

MOTILITY/BEARING
How one moves the tongue. Now the tongue should be able to be flexible and it should be able to sit there for a little while without shaking or moving around like a snake.
Rigid, can’t stick out – Wind. Or it can be a problem with Phlegm heat or Heat, but really extreme though. Delirium.
Deviated, that actually pulls off to the side, shows that there’s some obstruction of Wind and Phlegm in the channels. Wind stroke.
Trembling: heat creating wind; Wind or Qi or Yin Insufficiency. When it’s Qi or Yin insufficiency it’s really mild. When it’s Wind… their tongue is wandering all over.
Dog tongue, the panting or lolling tongue: replete heat.
Limpness: floppy soft w/o strength, hard to turn from side to side or curl: usually in serious conditions
Limp and pale: serious qi and blood defic
Limp dry and red: heat burning yin
Stiffness: hard stiff and straight, not flexible, diffic to stick out or retract: lack of ST qi (critical)
Contracted: unable to extend out of mouth. Critical sign: wind-stroke or extreme heat burning yin
Protrusion and Worrying: licking lips constantly
Developmental problems, ie source qi defic
If adult and red: heat in HT and SP
If adult and purple: epidemic toxin affecting HT
If occurs suddenly in children: fright wind (childhood epilepsy)
Tongue Doubling: veins under tongue swollen and distended, looks like second tongue: due to fire heat surging up HT channel
Palsy: numb and doesn’t move flexibly: due to blood defic causing stirring of LV wind or wind-phlegm
Protracted: extends out, difficult to retract; long and hangs out
If numb: qi and blood defic
If deep red and drool: wind phlegm, phlegm fire

SUBLINGUAL VEINS
Tell us about circulation. When diseased, they are swollen, distended; one side or the other or both. They become bluish-purplish – tells us about blood stasis. The distention tells more of Qi stag; the purple/blue/black tells of blood stasis.

TONGUE COATING
This is the excess of the turbid Stomach qi. Good stomach qi produces a good tongue coat. It’s part of the healthy digestive process. Normal coat is thin white smooth and evenly distributed and slightly moist. Abnormal coat is generated by evil qi.

The coat can also tell of a pathogenic invasion and location. How deep the pathogen has penetrated.
Color:
white: cold, exterior conditions, dampness
body red, coat thin white moist: external wind heat
body normal, coat thin white moist: wind cold
thin white and dry fur: ext evil transforming into heat and damaging fluids (body usually red)
thick white glossy: damp turbidity or cold damp, usually w/ pale white body
thick white can mean heat in certain situations: if looks like snow powder and body is red can be damp heat internally or epidemic type disease or hidden heat
Yellow: heat, deeper the color means stronger the pathogen
Yellow thin: wind heat or wind cold transforming
Yellow thin and dry: heat damaging fluids
Yellow thin and moist: fluids still ok
Yellow thick and glossy: damp heat accum and stag in SP/ST
Yellow thick and dry: heat evil damaging fluids
Yellow thick w/ pale white enlarged body: SP/ST defic w/ water dampness
Yellow slimy: damp heat in SP/ST or phlegm or food accum
Yellow burnt w/ cracks and prickles: extreme heat consuming qi and yin
Yellow and white together: evil moving internal
Grey black: extreme heat (w/ crimson body) or cold (w/ pale body and moist/swollen)
White → yellow → grey (chronic) → black
Repletion Heat: black dry burnt w/ red body
(Yang) Deficiency Cold: thin black damp w/ pale white body and tender or pale purple

Moldy Sauce: mixed colors: yellow/red/black
Long term chronic damp heat complicated w/ summerheat

Peeling: where is it peeling?
If many sections: depletion of ST qi/yin

True fur has root (ST qi rooted). If fur can be scraped off → false fur (no ST qi)

Thickness/Texture:
Thin: can see thru coat: normal
Thick: can’t see tongue body: excess repletion. Thicker the coat: stronger the pathogen
Tofu: large clumps of fur, unrooted,
Loose: can be brushed off: severe dampness; stomach not transforming; repletion heat evaporating and transforming turbid dampness in SP/ST
Moldy: over entire tongue or in spots: improper rottening and ripening of ST
Pus-like: thick and sticky and looks like sores: internal abscess
Greasy: pathogen plus dampness
Slimy: greasy and dirty; smaller pellets/clumps which are sticky: damp turbidity
Peeled: no coat: either stomach yin defic (can’t make coating) or Kidney yin defic if no coat all over and red

Topography: see diagram above

Moisture: tells about state of body fluids; normal is moist w/ no pooling, supple
Too wet: yang qi not transforming or dampness
Dry: heat or body fluid dryness (blood)

Water makes tongue more moist
Olives, coffee, plums, turn fur black/yellow
Vitamins C, riboflavin, tea, cigarettes, stain yellow
Milk makes fur white
Antibioitics cause tongue to peel and/or thick tongue fur
Eggs stain fur orange
Candy will change fur color

Tongue Body reflects:
a. circumstances of right qi: change in color, form or bearing reflect right qi, viscera and bowels; ie. Thin=qi vacuity; pale=blood vacuity; deviated=wind/blood stasis
b. vacuity and repletion of zang fu
c. debility/exuberance of qi and blood

Tongue Fur reflects:
a. circumstances of evil qi: yellow=heat; white=normal or cold
b. depth of disease: tongue fur thicker if interior.
c. existence of ST qi

The Four Examinations (Chinese Medicine Diagnosis, Part 1)

2007-07-30T16:24:00.000-04:00

One of the major strengths of Chinese medicine is its ability to diagnose imbalance. It does this via the 4 Examinations or 4 Diagnoses, Inspection/Looking, Listening/Smelling, Inquiry/Asking and Palpation (pulse, abdomen, channels).

Over the next series of posts, I will present an outline of my teaching notes on these examinations.

1. Inspection, “Looking examination”
a. looking at the form of a person, how they’re built, how they carry themselves: their form, their bearing. individual structure; the complexion, the sense organs; you look at their Shen, their eyes
b. tongue

2. Listening and Smelling exam.
a. We listen to the quality of someone’s voice, the quality of the sounds they make; the quality of a cough, quality of respiration; coughing, wheezing.
b. And then we smell, we use our nose. The pictogram of smell is actually to taste the air around them. And we smell any unusual odors. Probably the hardest one to describe when we start talking about that. Overall, we’re going to smell unusual odors.

3. Inquiry or Asking exam.
a. We’re going to ask questions from head to toe. We’re going to ask a lot about the chief complaint, the onset of the chief complaint, plus the progression of the illness (the clinical course of the chief complaint – what have they done, how did it start, what’s the past history, how has it changed?)
b. Ten Questions. symptoms overview in terms of Chinese Medicine. We ask about their temperature, how they feel – whether they’re hot or cold. We ask whether or not they sweat, we ask about any problems with their head or dizziness. We ask about their hearing, we ask about their respiratory system. We ask about their appetite, their taste. We ask about their digestion and elimination – we ask about bowels, we ask about urine. We ask about any pain that they have. And for women, we ask about their menstrual cycle. It’s basically a patient’s subjective response to questions regarding their condition.

4. Palpation Exam or Touching.
a. We palpate the chest, the abdomen, the limbs. We palpate the channels and acupuncture points.
b. Pulse: very detailed at the radial artery, the pulses on both sides

Diagnosis involves using your eyes, ears, nose and mind plus your hands to touch. Must be present you’re your patients to find out what’s wrong with them. The goal is to determine a pattern of disharmony.

Inspection:

STRUCTURE
Bone structure, shape, form – Jing. Long-term changes. Then, flesh, nourishment – Qi. Medium term changes. Then, complexion – Shen. Momentary changes. The Three Treasures.

SPIRIT
Shen is about engaging in the world, in terms of interactions, communication, appropriateness. It’s about participation in this world. It’s a combination of the Jing and the Shen. It’s a combination of the facial expression, complexion, the quality of the voice. But when we’re looking just at Shen, we’re looking at somebody who either has Spirit or does not have Spirit. And then we have something called False Spirit.

When someone has Spirit or has Shen, what you’re really seeing is someone who’s bright-eyed and chipper; respond coherently to questions. It means that their True Qi is unchanged, that their vitality is not really being taxed completely and their prognosis is good. Even if they’re in a lot of pain, even if they seem to have a serious illness, their prognosis is good because their Shen is still present and clear. So, they are present, they are able to respond to you appropriately.

Now someone who lacks Spirit (Weismann likes to refer to this as Essence Spirit Debilitation – he always combines the Jing in there). They have a severe lack of either mental vigor or physical vigor. Usually they have a dull facial complexion, a dull look to their eyes. There might be abnormal speech or abnormal responses to questions. Now there’s a lot of space between these two. But you either have someone who has spirit or you have someone without spirit. When someone is without Spirit, their prognosis is very poor because they’re not there to work with you.

False Spirit
Worst prognosis is something called False Spirit. Now, False Spirit is not someone trying to be happy when they’re sad – that (person) still has Spirit. False Spirit is very, very specific. False Spirit is really the last, flickering light of a dying individual. It’s when someone who is at death’s door, without other changes, all of a sudden becomes spirited; all of a sudden becomes alert and active and engaged without any other real significant changes. If somebody’s going to get better, that happens slowly, they slowly come into themselves, they slowly regain their appetite. When someone all of a sudden, who’s at death’s door, turns lucid and clear and hungry and available. This is called False Spirit. When Yang and Yin are separating and Yang rises to the surface, which gives that last burst of energy before death. It could be 2 weeks, it could be 2 days, but the prognosis is not good. Usually it’s associated with something called the Grease Paint Smear – along the places you have a malar flush, it looks like oil paint, like a red smear right here (across cheeks). It’s bright red, much more of a vibrant color. This is a time usually when death is imminent. It’s time to say goodbye.

COMPLEXION - COLORS
Complexion reflects the state of Qi and Blood.
First, you look at the texture, the luster of the skin. Healthy skin should have a shine to it, should have a luster, but should not be oily. Unhealthy is usually oily or dry: dry being usually deficient or having more vacuity and oily being more of a repletion state. If it’s just shiny, it means the stomach Qi is good. If it’s too shiny, it’s oily and there’s repletion. If it’s dull there’s usually some insufficiency, usually the stomach Qi is not forming the fluids well.

Green/Blue (Qing – the color of dragon scales). Wood. Liver or Wind. Or it’s associated with congealed Blood or congealed Qi. Qi and Blood Stasis. Around the eyes, around the mouth, around the sense organs… the temples, especially for the liver, the gall bladder, the gall bladder meridian area, between the eyes. But usually around the sense organs, where the bones come up, and around the mouth. You’ll see lips turn blue: blood stasis; when you have a heart attack or poor circulation.

Red. Fire. Heat patterns.
Vacuity heat: malar flush. Usually afternoon.
Full heat: whole face is red.
False Spirit red, which is that strip of great paint.

Yellow. Earth. Dampness or with Vacuity, usually. Spleen not transforming fluids properly. You often will call this sallow, kind of like a pale yellow, puffy skin. Sallow. It’s usually associated more with Spleen/Stomach vacuity.

Jaundices in Chinese Medicine. Yang type jaundice and a Yin type jaundice.
Yin type jaundice. It’s called Cold Damp Yin Jaundice – it’s usually associated more with some disharmony of the Spleen, Spleen Damp Coldness. Person just looks yellow, not yellow sclera. It’s the color of yellow and usually in Western Medicine you’re going to be seeing something like cirrhosis of the liver or pancreatic cancer, chronic hepatitis. Basically… the organs are getting taxed in a more malingering way where the tissue is actually drying out. It’s a Cold Damp Yin type jaundice.

Yang type jaundice. Yang type jaundice is a Damp Heat Yang jaundice. More associated with the liver. The person has yellow skin and yellow sclera (the whites of the eyes). This is more hepatitis or acute gallbladder attack or gallstones.

What you see mostly is some people come in and they look kind of yellow, diagnose someone as jaundice, it’s usually stomach and spleen deficiency – it’s not uncommon. It’s kind of a yellow, sallow color to the skin.

White. Metal. pale. White usually indicates Cold or Vacuity. Now, the major thing here is what kind of moisture somebody has. If you have someone who comes in and they have a bright white complexion and they’re real puffy; bright white and there’s swelling. This usually is some sort of Qi or Yang Vacuity. So basically we have the Qi not transforming – so you have a bright white, puffy complexion as opposed to a lusterless, dry, white face, not puffy, but almost drawn. That’s more Blood deficiency. That’s more vacuity of blood. I like to say a withered complexion, that drawn look.

If somebody turns white suddenly, that sudden white, is usually associated with Faint, shock… it’s usually some sort of Yang Qi Desertion: Yang Qi just leaving through the feet, leaving the face white. Also, it can be associated sometimes with pain, but it’s the Yang Qi deserting.

Gray/Black/Purple. Kidneys, Water. And that usually means Kidney vacuity or Blood Stasis. Because a lot of those dark colors are just that purple, lingering for a long time – it starts looking gray or black. So Kidney Insufficiency or we have that kind of congealed blood kind of purple that turns black.

Facial Diagnosis according to the

Su Wen and Ling Shu:

Problems on the cheeks, both cheeks, if it’s not on one side, then you’re looking more at the Lungs. If the cheeks are puffy, we’ll say it’s more phlegm in the Lungs. Another place we look is something called a flaring ala nasi. The flaring ala nasi and with red around it, we’ll see as Lung Heat. Usually if the sores are more inside the nostrils, it’s more Large Intestine. But the nostrils should be even shaped. If they’re too small, that’s a constitutional weakness in the Lung. If they’re very large, they tend to also have ______________.

The nose is associated with the spleen. It should be well-formed, well-shaped. If it’s swollen, we tend to be looking at Stomach Spleen Dampness and Heat. A bulbous nose, from alcohol indulgence, Dampness and Heat. The size and the shape of it is more Spleen. If it’s white, if the nose is too pale, that’s usually Qi insufficiency of the Spleen. Some say it’s a Heart condition, too. There’s differences of opinion.

Liver. Usually when we’re looking at the liver, we’re looking more at the area, the frown lines (between the eyes). A large one is said to be a liver disharmony, especially if it’s red in excess. And two smaller ones, that could be called more Gallbladder. Right above the nose, like where the glasses fit, that’s more spleen. If that’s more white, that could be the digestive system getting cold. Liver is really right between the eyes. Also, the eyebrows are said to be the liver also. And the shape of them… one big solid one is said to be very angry…nice shaped ones have a nice disposition. The other place to look for liver and gallbladder is usually in the temples, where the gallbladder channel passes through. But we do look at the heart up here (forehead), too.

Ears. The ears are the opening to. Good big earlobes mean a really good, strong constitution, long life. Shouldn’t be attached. If they’re dry and withered, it’s often a sign that the Kidney Jing is very weak. If they’re red, it’s heat; if they’re blue, it’s cold. If they’re black it’s exhausted. All the meridians connect at the ear at some point.

We see the kidney underneath the eyes – so puffy eyes, swollen eyes are usually kidney disharmony. Puffy is usually the Qi insufficiency. By the time it gets black we’re usually looking at Blood Stasis. The other place to see the Kidneys is in the chin. A good, strong chin is supposed to be a solid foundation. This is supposed to be the reproductive area, too, like the pelvis, and they kidney’s associated with reproductive capacity by storing the Jing. Outbreaks here are also very common for women premenstrually; urinary tract infection, you’ll find that over here, prostatitis in men. Cleft chins – thought to be associated with sexual virility. So a cleft chin, also associated with good strong reproductive capacity.

Filtrum (between the nose and mouth), especially in women, becomes very important. It’s associated with the reproductive system. Usually a crease here (horizontally, between nose and mouth), you’ll see that problem with women who have hysterectomies. In older people you’ll see a vertical line.. as people age, that’s more Yin insufficiency – the little tiny ones. With hysterectomy it’s a sudden onset and that’s more like a big crease. As you get older, it’s more like a puckering.

Lips and mouth are the opening of the Spleen, usually associated with Stomach, Spleen. If they’re pale, usually you’re looking at cold, insufficiency. If they’re redder than normal, you’re looking at heat. If they’re dry and scorched you’re looking at drying of fluid. If they are Qing colored, that blue/green, you’re usually looking at pain, cold or stagnation of blood. If they’re chapped, you’re looking at either Stomach or Spleen heat. The corners of the mouth.. Upper lip being more associated with the stomach, and large intestine being the lower lip. Sometimes can be thought of as the whole thing being the Spleen. The corners of the mouth I’ve been taught at different times as being the small intestine… I’ve also read where the corners were associated with the Kidney.

Excessive salivation means the Spleen is weak or there’s Stomach Heat.
Mouth Askew or open, that’s usually thought to be Spleen weakness.
Can’t close your mouth, that’s great weakness.
Paralysis, when you’re pulling off to one side, that’s Wind. So when you have one side of the mouth, one side of the face drooping, that’s Internal Wind.

Jowls. Weakness in the legs. If this is the urinary tract (chin), then these are the legs (jowls). So if you have jowls, it’s weakness in the legs.

Teeth – ends of the bones – usually associated with Kidney, excess of bone. Usually weak teeth, gums that are swollen, red; usually Stomach Fire. It could be Yin deficiency from the Kidney. Loose teeth….

Hair is the magnificence or the opening, or shows the state of the Kidneys. But it’s also associated with the Glory of the Blood. It means, it tells you about the Kidney Qi and tells you about the state of the Blood. Usually if it falls out easily, you’re dealing with Jing Insufficiency or you’re dealing with dry Blood. You see this a lot with women who have been dieting. When it comes out in patches, usually the blood is being affected by Wind. Then you also have jing insufficiency as congenital baldness. Post-chemotherapy, you’re seeing heat that’s dried up the blood and also impacts the Jing.

Now the other thing you need to know is the Ling Shu. And it’s very different, it takes the whole body… and all the Yin and Yang organs are right here (nose). And I will not ask you to be able to draw it out. I would just like you to know where they are generally. Just be able to recognize on a picture….

FIVE WHEELS
The pupils should be normal, they should have some luster; should show some interest in the world. Five wheels shows the state of the different organs. The upper lid is thought to be associated with the Spleen. The lower lid is thought to be associated with the Stomach. The canthii, inner and outer canthus (corners), they’re going to be associated with the heart. The sclera, the white of the eye, that’s associated with the Lung. The coloring of the eye, the iris, is associated with the Liver. In iridology this (iris) is what they look at to diagnose the whole body. The very center of the eye, the black area (pupil), that’s associated with the Kidneys. This is called the Five Wheel Cycle.

So if you have red sclera, you might have Lung Heat. But you also might have Liver Fire or Heart Fire… Dark rings around the eyes, we talked about Kidney vacuity. Swelling under the eyes, slight puffiness, we have edemas due to Kidney insufficiency. Now in old age kidneys deplete – that’s normal – and what happens to the eyes? Most of the time you’ll see puffiness and that’s fairly normal. Bulging of the eyes – that’s phlegm; Phlegm Fire.

FORM AND BEARING
So Form and Bearing refers to how you’re built and how you carry yourself. Form means your physical aspects. Bearing is how one moves through the world. Now, when dealing with form, we’re dealing with the 3 constitutional things we talked about before. Constitutional ties with Jing being associated with the bone and long term changes. We talked about the Shen… Again, just like there’s many different constitutional types and there’s many different ways of reading the face, there’s very different form, like how your hands shake, how your ear’s shaped, you know, diagnosing through all these things. And then we talked about long term changes being the Qi and Flesh. And we talked about short term changes being the Complexion and Shen.

FORM
We’re going to look at these constitutional types, Forms. This is what you inherit. You have the earth character, Earth type, who has a large head with a fleshy, wide jaw. Usually they’re going to be tending toward a sallow complexion, tending towards overlarge bodies, but not always. Usually Earth types are either Damp or Deficient if they’re going to be out of balance. With Damp, you usually see fleshiness without support underneath: they say large physique with vacuous Qi. It’s not just size though. But we have the idea of fleshiness, flesh being associated with Spleen and Stomach. So you have this idea of large physique with vacuous Qi being Earth type, but also Stomach/Spleen Deficiency, where you can’t put on weight.

Now very few people will have just one of these. You have mixtures…

Metal – Metal types have broad shoulders usually, strong build, triangular face. Metal people have “hands like piano players”, long delicate fingers. And metal types are also very impeccably dressed, very sleek, put together, discriminating. Remember we talked about metal cutting through things. Harsh critics.

Water types have round faces and round bodies and really long spines. Usually more a tendency toward being “intense”.

Fire type has a small face, pointy head, balding usually. They usually have small hands. These people are said to have good lives, but short ones. Very fast, fun-loving individuals; know how to throw a good party.

And the last is Wood, which has a tall, slender, wiry body; very muscular. Very lithe and muscular. A tendency toward a kind of squarer head and a tall, slender, very wiry body.

But overall, you want…somebody who has a good, well-developed, strong body means a strong constitution. A poorly developed, emaciated body means a weak constitution.

BEARING
How to carry yourself. All the movement; of the whole and all the body parts.

Agitated movements, rapid movements, jerky movements all indicate conditions that are more Replete, more Yang and more Hot. Slow movement, dislike of movement, sleeping curled up – this indicates more Cold, Vacuity and Yin condition.

Twitching, convulsions, deviation(deviation of the mouth, deviation of the eyes), shaking – they actually all indicate Yang excess conditions, but they also indicate Liver Wind. Dizziness can also be Liver Wind. A lot of times migraines are associated with Liver Wind. If we’re blood deficient, wind can take the space of Blood. They say nature abhors a vacuum, so if there’s not enough blood, wind comes in. Pronounced forceful contractions, that’s really a Repletion of Heat. Milder contractions, you’ll see more Vacuity and Wind. Contractions are all Wind.

Shaking can be, you either have wind or you have Qi deficiency. You see it with the tongue. You see it with a muscle. If I tell you to hold your hand up – after a while your hand’s going to start shaking… your Qi is deficient and you can’t hold it up anymore.

Do you have a pulse?

2007-07-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

Often people check the pulse to see if someone is still alive. In Chinese medicine, this is no different. In our medicine, however, we are checking for life, or health, in every aspect of one's being. We look to each and every organ system in isolation (on its organic or parenchymal level) and in relation to every other system, i.e., how it participates or contributes to the overall energy, blood and dynamic of the organism.

In Chinese medicine, it is not enough to take a snapshot of an organ or area of the body in order to assess its health or lack of disease. As no organ acts in isolation, the information that this would provide would be insufficient to understand the person's well-being. For example, a patient with fibroids is recommended by her doctor to remove her uterus based solely on the presence of a mass in that organ. But this completely ignores that there is an etiology behind the formation of this mass and ignores the fact that this etiology will remain despite the surgical removal of an organ. Was it caused by Liver stagnation and poor blood circulation in the tissues; maybe a weakness of the Kidneys and hormonal system, or a sexual trauma effecting the Heart and circulation to the pelvis, etc.?

One can never understand health without understanding relationships and interrelationships. Pulse diagnosis is the single best tool to see these relationships in a real-time precise and objective manner. One can determine the mechanisms behind the fibroid and virtually every other symptom in the body. Is there excess in the Liver from stagnant blood invading into the Stomach and causing reflux and indigestion? Is that Liver excess moving into the Heart and causing anger and anxiety? Is their a rough vibration over the pulse reflecting a serious trauma? Is alveoli function impaired in the Lung causing shortness of breath and asthma, or is it from a weakness of the Kidneys not grasping the Lung qi? Are the headaches caused by excess in the Gall Bladder, weakness in the digestive organs, or a trauma to the head reflected by a vibration and pounding in the neuropsychological position? Is the person's adrenal exhaustion a result of genetics and poor constitution, or lifestyle, drug use, excessive sex, or an obsessive personality reflected in the hesitant pulse wave and a constant firing of the sympathetic nervous system?

Without taking into consideration all the organ systems and the myriad relationships, one can never decipher the subtle signs the body is trying desperately to convey. It truly is the hallmark of the superior diagnostician.

Breaking Bad Habits

2007-07-19T19:48:00.000-04:00

This is a response I wrote to a comment from a post in June on the Effects of Lifestyle. As comments from older posts are not as accessible, I thought I'd re-post it here. It was essentially a question on how to motivate oneself to make change in one's life:

Your question is significant and, of course, hard to answer. I can only discuss what motivates me and how I approach this subject, understanding that there are many roads to travel.

My first step is to come to the conclusion that I am not as healthy as I'd like to be. If you believe that you are healthy and feel great and can't benefit from changing your habits, then it is hard to make the change.

Secondly, you need to be confident that what you have learned about healthy living and eating, etc. can make the improvements you are seeking.

You see, it's not about sacrifices. We are not looking to deprive ourselves. We are looking to nourish ourselves. The difference is huge. One needs a shift in perspective. People think, oh, the ice cream tastes good, it makes me feel good, etc. and not having it feels like deprivation. A different perspective would suggest, what is the long-term (or even short-term, not immediate) effect of what I am doing? Knowledge would tell us that the ice cream which is filled with refined sugar, chemicals, empty calories, etc. is restricting our circulation in the stomach and intestines, draining out our adrenals, creating a mucus lining in out gut that prevents assimilation of vitamins and nutrients necessary for our well-being, etc. When I think of it that way, I don't feel deprived. I feel empowered.

Understanding the tremendous difference between pleasure and happiness is crucial. Yeah, ice cream tastes good to many, but it also leads to suffering/illness/imbalance in the future. Is it worth it?

These are the kinds of questions to ask oneself to help motivate change. But, yes, you are right. Change isn't easy. It's really difficult. And the best way to do it is to make small changes daily and commit to the process for one's own sake.

I hope this helps. Maybe it's too vague? Let me know. I'd love to continue the discussion.

Ross

The Disease as Part of the Treatment

2007-07-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

Often in medicine, the tendency is to view illness as antagonistic. But, like everything else, a simple shift in perspective can point one in a whole new direction. If one thinks of their illness as part of themselves rather than something separate, one can view their illness as a way of getting to know oneself better. The Type A personality who has a heart attack may have an opportunity to slow down and "smell the roses;" the father who suddenly loses his job gets to spend time with his children; the cancer patient who comes to terms with her mortality and can fully appreciate the time that she has left, are just a few examples. I have had patients who later became very thankful for their illnesses and the lessons that they learned from them.

Illnesses, symptoms, etc. are a chance for us to purify ourselves; purify our negative karma, change faulty beliefs, let go of pain, sorrow, anger, etc. that no longer serves us. We need to view our symptoms as something that is trying to teach us something. Our job is to figure it out. We can't squash it with pain medication, or antibiotics, or chemotherapy. We need to face it head-on. To be a warrior and fight through the suffering to get to the other side. Be on a quest for truth, simplicity and finding one's inner nature.

And above all, don't be afraid to change. If you see your imbalances as rooted in your thought patterns, your past actions and your behaviors, without changing one can never heal. Your symptoms are your opportunity to make the necessary changes and adjustments. Failure to adapt and change breeds illness. Awareness is the first step.

Rangnang Ogminling Bendirya Kunphen Ling

2007-07-08T22:46:00.000-04:00

I wanted to inform everyone of the above-referenced monastery and medical school/clinic that Rinpoche has asked me to create on His behalf. I am in the process of forming a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in this name. This is a project that I am hoping will keep Rinpoche here in NJ for a good part of each year. He has expressed to me that He would like to spend the majority of His time here, and this monastery/school/clinic is the first step in ensuring this happens. Upon Rinpoche's request, the location of the monastery will be my home and office for the time being. When Rinpoche returns from Tibet in October, He will be bringing back all the silks and throne materials to make everything formal and official!

As with all ventures of this nature, help from as many interested parties is welcomed and necessary. The areas of help include:
1. Initial Fundraising: to set this monastery up properly and professionally we need to raise approximately $1,000 for the incorporation fees, filing of 501(c)(3) status, lawyer fees, articles of incorporation and bylaw drafting.
2. Website: I have begun putting up a temporary website. The address is http://rangnangogminling.blogspot.com . I am hoping for the assistance of those of you sangha members with web design experience to create a professional website for us. Anyone who can help with this please contact me as soon as possible.
3. On-going Fundraising: to keep the business running, there are a number of on-going fees, including: (a) website maintenance, hosting, design; (b) state and federal corporation and registration fees; (c) raising monies for the eventuality of a separate location (ownership, rental, etc.); (d) funding the workshops, lectures and other Buddhist teachings that will take place at the monastery, etc.
4. Executive Board: We will need to appoint/elect an executive board, so those of you who are interested in being an on-going part of this venture, please contact me.
I am very much determined to have this completed by the time Rinpoche returns from Tibet in October. Thus, time is of the essence!

To make a donation, or to help in any way, please contact me as soon as possible.

Thank you to everyone for their anticipated support. And PLEASE pass this information on to everyone that you know who may be interested in this project and all members of the sangha (as I do not have email addresses for most of them). We will need as much support as possible.

Recent Vaccine Study

2007-07-05T21:43:00.000-04:00

For some reason, the debate regarding vaccines still goes on. I'll let you guess my opinions on this subject :-) As this subject is immense, as I have mentioned in the past, I choose not to post much on it due to time constraints to do it justice. However, my friend and colleague, Dr. Stickley links to a recent study on vaccines and the strong correlation with neurological diseases, ADHD and autism. You can check it out here.

State of Mind

2007-07-05T21:22:00.000-04:00

There is no more important determinant of one's health than the state of mind. Of course, genetics, constitution, lifestyle habits, etc. have a large impact, but the power of our minds has the most pivotal of roles. In Chinese medicine we differentiate causes of disease into multiple categories: (1) internal: emotions and state of mind (including, anger, fear, grief, overthinking, etc.); (2) external: climactic factors (wind, cold, damp, heat/fire, etc.); and (3) miscellaneous (which is not meant to minimize its importance): habits, trauma, toxins, etc.

Of these three categories, the emotions make up the largest percentage of the etiology of disease. Controlling one's emotions, therefore, would seem to have a tremendous impact on our health and the prevention of disease (or treatment thereof). Listening yesterday (again) to a series of lectures that Taoist priest Jeffrey Yuen gave on cancer and Chinese medicine, I couldn't help but notice the correlation between what Jeffrey states and Dharmakirti's psychological law (see previous post). Essentially, Jeffrey was mentioning how the diagnosis of cancer is viewed as a death sentence by most of us and that it is, in fact, how one handles this diagnosis that has tremendous influence on whether or not someone will heal. So often, people get so overwhelmed by the fear of death that they are constantly focused on death. This reinforcement perpetuates negative states of mind and set a vicious cycle in which the disease grows stronger and the patient's health deteriorates (mentally and physically). Jeffrey even goes to say that cancer support groups are for the most part detrimental in that they give credence and power to this deadly disease. He advocates for support groups which foster hope and the desire to heal.

As always, our minds have the greatest power and potential to either bring us towards happiness and health or towards undesirable states of mind and illness. It all depends on how much attention we give positive thoughts and emotions or negative thoughts and states of mind. On a website I visited recently, I read the following tale:

One evening an old Martial Arts Master told his young students about a “Great Battle of life and death” that goes on inside all Human Beings.
The wise man said, "The battle is between "Two Dragons" … They are battling for dominance inside us all.
One is Dark, it represents Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Light, it represents Good. It is joy, love, peace, hope, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, serenity, compassion and faith."
The students thought about it for a while and then asked the Master: "Which Dragon wins?"
The old wise man simply replied, "The one you feed."
Unknown Author

Battle of the Emotions

2007-07-05T21:09:00.000-04:00

HH The Dalai Lama's book The Universe in a Single Atom: the convergence of science and spirituality has a wealth of interesting discussions on the nature of consciousness, the origin of the universe, and on scientific exploration in general into the truth of reality. A relevant passage to achieving happiness mentions Dharmakirti's "psychological law" which posits psychological states and emotions as a field of opposing forces in constant flux. One family of emotion may consist of hate, anger and hostility, while the other consists of love, compassion and empathy. The argument is that if any one side of this polarity gains strength, the other weakens. Thus, the goal is to practice and reinforce the desired states of mind, effectively weakening the undesirable and transforming one's thoughts and emotions. Just as turning on a light dispels darkness, cultivating love and compassion can eliminate hate and anger over time with dedicated practice and intention.

Stop Drinking Cold Water

2007-06-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have written about this a number of times in the past and speak to all my patients about it. It is such a common occurrence for Americans to drink cold beverages. Go to any restaurant and the first thing put on your table is a glass of ice water.

The Chinese and Tibetans have discussed the effects of cold liquids on one's health for thousands of years. It's very basic: the nature of cold is to contract and constrict. Drinking cold liquids causes constriction of the blood vessels and nerves in the Stomach and digestive tract creating spasm, tightness and restricted circulation. Digestion requires heat; in other words, yang or metabolic energy to digest. Cold extinguishes this heat, preventing proper digestion and assimilation of food, toxic gases and byproducts of this failed process. It also forces the body to expend additional yang/heat or metabolic energy further draining the organs from which this energy originates: Kidney yang/Adrenals. This leads to slowing of metabolism, weight gain, adrenal insufficiency, thyroid problems, etc.

A recent article discusses the danger of cold liquids during meals and an increased risk of heart attacks and cancer. You can check it out here and click on the article links at the bottom.

Scientific Method Hardly Scientific

2007-06-19T21:51:00.000-04:00

It's one of the biggest contradictions. The scientific method by definition isolates variables and observer in pursuit of objectifiable empirical data. All scientific studies rely on this standard and any claim must live up to it. The problem is that this classical notion of rudimentary physics, in fact, has been effectively undermined and replaced by quantum mechanics which recognizes the need to eliminate the separability of subject and object. With this new understanding of nature, it is recognized in the scientific community that the objectifiability of empirical data is simply an illusion. Yet, for some reason, the lack of objectifiable data in alternative medicines like Chinese medicine (acupuncture and herbs) is portrayed as unreliable, mystical, quackery, etc. And western pharmaceuticals with their double-blinded studies are put on a pedestal as real medicine. Chinese medicine sees through the smoke and mirrors and the illusions. Its focus is on the interrelationships between phenomena; the analysis of the particular stressor(s) on the unique landscape of the individual. The true test of any medicine is on its ability to diagnose deviations from nature and help initiate movement back to its original nature. In this sense, the scientific method is a significant barrier to health.

The Effect of Lifestyle

2007-06-13T22:14:00.000-04:00

I probably sound like a broken record, but I can't stress enough the importance of a healthy lifestyle in achieving and maintaining health. Everyone wants to be healthy, but how many of us really want to live healthy? Following natures rhythms, rising with the sun, retiring with the moon. Eating foods that nourish us when we are hungry. Avoiding refined, processed, denatured, store-bought preserved foods. That's right, no ice cream, sorry. And how well does our career fit in with nature. The day to day stresses mostly over office politics and deadlines for the sake of what? How hard would it be to change to a line of work with a social benefit? To walk or ride a bike instead of jumping in the car. You can extrapolate further.

If one understands that the causes of disease/illness are mental/emotional excesses of grief, anger, fear, anxiety, stress, overthinking, greed; environment, pollution, chemicals, habits, diets, posture/structure, one sees the importance of moving back into harmony with nature. So, what price are you willing to pay to live or not live a healthy lifestyle. Will you gamble your health to live for convenience and a scoop of ice cream or will you forego transient pleasures to live in accord with nature and experience good health, vitality and longevity? These are questions I ask myself daily. In theory it is a no-brainer. In practice, a whole different story.

America Runs on Dunkin

2007-06-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

Each time this commercial comes on t.v. I comment to my wife how frustrating it is to see these foods/drinks being promoted. Yesterday she said, "but it's true, America does run on Dunkin." Seems so basic, but it is remarkable how an entire population can be persuaded to consume food and drink that is so detrimental to one's health. And one cannot blame those eating and drinking these products as there is no voice out there that highlights these issues on any large scale. An incredible shame. We live in a society where the norm is to drink multiple cups of coffee daily (often iced coffee, even worse!), live on fast food, microwaved, denatured, preserved garbage. But the companies that spend billions on advertising include, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc. They control the information being disseminated. The average person who doesn't think to question the relationship to what he/she is eating, how it is prepared, etc. to his/her health really doesn't stand a chance. It's a full-time job keeping up. But the cost is too large not to. A real predicament. The huge price for living in a society that values business more than health. Take a look at the following link from Dr. Stickley's blog on what people across the world eat in a week. Notice the difference between the industrialized and non-industrialized menus. Check it out here.

My Boy Turns 5

2007-06-12T19:28:00.000-04:00

Today Benjamin turns 5 years old! The best 5 years I could have imagined. It's amazing how fast it is flying by.

Ben Shen

2007-06-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

These two words have much import in my medicine (and in my personal life: it is the names of my first two children). Ben is the root or the source. Shen is the spirit (consciousness). They reflect an important principle in acupuncture therapy as recounted in Chapter 8 of the Nei Jing Ling Shu (one of the earliest texts on acupuncture dating back thousands of years ago) which is (and I'm paraphrasing) "above all, the most important thing is, with every needle not to miss the rooting of the spirits."

These words weigh on me daily. Ninety plus percent of all the patients that come through my doors have their roots in emotional and spiritual causes. The effects of the emotions on our physiology is complex and beyond the scope of this blog post, but excesses of the emotions have profound impact on our health. Without rooting the spirit, what kind of therapy are we actually giving? While I do see benefit in relieving the symptomatic discomforts of my patients, without getting to the root, we can affect no real lasting or meaningful change. If the spirits do not reside peacefully, one cannot be truly healed.

And while I am very mindful that to truly heal oneself is a life-long pursuit which entails significant exploration of our minds, the above titled post is a reminder of where our intentions should be while we treat each individual. Often, patients who seek care are unaware of the lack of rooting of their spirits and it is this disconnect which often perpetuates their imbalance. Whether it be the elderly patient suffering from depression regarding what he can no longer do, or the mid-life crisis as one begins to contemplate one's mortality, or the young adult who was the victim of an early life trauma, everyone needs the stability of a rooted spirit to maintain and ensure vitality and health.

Of course, as you can imagine, this puts a tremendous responsibility on the practitioner of eastern medicine. And I can attest, I have yet to live up to this ideal. I try daily, and fail often. But when the rooting of the spirits can be facilitated, it is as if a miracle has taken place. This keeps me on the path.

Faith

2007-05-29T21:23:00.000-04:00

A few quotes that struck me today......

"If one believes in only what modern nihilists can see, one cannot believe that there is anything beyond ordinary existence. With this view, there cannot be any religion with a spiritual foundation. If one only wants to believe what ordinary nihilists believe, one cannot be spiritual, because being spiritual means believing in what is sacred and beyond the ordinary."

"Defined simply, nihilism is disbelief in anything beyond what is perceived by ordinary, shortsighted senses, and spirituality is belief in what is beyond these senses, which is the basis that sustains all religions.......If one were to believe only in material reality, there would be no immaterial object of faith as a basis for belief, and therefore no spiritual path to follow or result of enlightenment to attain."

"If there is no belief in spiritual appearances, then one cannot create positive phenomena, because no matter what religion is followed, positive phenomena originally come from believing in spirituality......All the divine messages of the Koran, the Vedas, the Bible, and the Buddhist scriptures, as well as celestial appearances of heavens, gods, and purelands, cannot be canceled just because they are not perceived with obscured senses."

Excerpted from: A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, by Thinley Norbu