Prevention In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Seasons and time – know the strengths and weakness of Yin and Yang, use different methods to prevent disorders and strengthen the body.
Diet – complete diet will enrich Qi and Blood to nourish  the organs within, eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty, eat many small meals
Lifestyle – we must unite the body and spirit to keep healthy
Environment – keep a clean and balanced home
Exercise – if something is not used it will cease up, the more one moves and uses their joints they will be in better health
 
Treating Diseases For Each Season
Spring and summer – nourish Yang
Fall and winter – nourish Yin
Spring – liver – predominance of Wind
Summer – heart – predominance of heat and Fire
Fall – lung – extreme dryness
Winter – kidney (warm cold)
 
Spring

Yang energy is abundant, everything is growing upward, body essence is being transformed with body fluids, blood and Qi nourish the body’s Yang Qi to stimulate the metabolism.
Maintain happy thoughts and stay calm.

Build up will, ambition and ideals (Zhi Sheng) build up the spirit and the mind.
Less sleep is needed. Spend more time outdoors.
Eat pungent, sweet, warm foods.
Exercise should be gentle and smooth.
Liver Qi is strongest in spring – easily show liver yang rising symptoms.
Appetite should increase.
 
Summer

Yang energy is strong – full of life, hot weather.
Bodies yang Qi is easily lost due to the open pores.
Strengthen yang Qi.
Clear and harmonize the mind and spirit, stay mellow.
Less sleep is needed but an afternoon nap is recommended.
Bland tasteless foods, not rich foods, easily digested food, fruits and veggies.
Do not eat cold which is too cold.
Exercise in the morning or evening when the temperature is not too hot.
 
Indian summer

Hot and dampness is most prominent, this easily damages heart and spleen function.
Recessive fee r, sticky/clammy sweating, poor appetite, heavy limbs, fatigue, soft stool.
Drink plenty of fluids to prevent body fluid deficiency, aromatic and cool foods.
 
Fall

Everything is ripe, Yang Qi stats to close and Ying Qi starts to grow.
Start to protect body fluids from dry season.
Stay positive, calm and happy.
Sleep early and get up early.
Do not get cold yet stay cool.
Eat lite, cool foods, promote body fluid production foods (pears).
Exercise less than in spring and summer – try to store yang Qi for the winter.
 
Winter

Everything is stored – ying Qi is strongest, yang Qi is hiding.
Protect yin Qi, wear warm clothing
Do not overeat
Lots of sleep needed, go to bed early and get up late
Exercise till sweating lightly before stopping.
Kidney Qi is easily injured – tonify and enrich kidney essence

Foods According To The Season
Spring – cooling foods – avoid warm clothes, warm drinks, warm food (barley).
Summer – cold foods – avoid hot food, hot drinks, avoid dampness, don’t over eat (green beans).
Fall – dryness -flaxseeds, sesame seeds, eat many lubricating foods  Winter – Cold – keep warm, eat warm foods.

Treating Diseases Due To Diet
The diet is the bodies source to maintain it’s development physiologically and functionally.  If there is irregular diet there will be disease

Poor Diet

Over eating, starving or hungry.
Unclean food, rotten food.
Cravings (eating too hot, too spicy, too cold, too greasy.)
           
Regular Diet

Amount of food and time of meals stays similar.
Eat best in morning, have big lunch, eat small dinners.
Hygiene (clean water and clean food sources)
Harmonize flavors (do not eat to much of a sweet, salty, pungent, bitter, sour flavor)

Adjust diet to season

Spring - pungent/sweet/warm  – help yang Qi
Summer - sour, sweet, light foods
Fall - avoid pungent foods eat sticky, lubricating, oily foods – protect yin (especially of Lung)
Winter - warm foods, grains, rich foods – store yang Qi
 
Body Type

Growing children - high in nutrients
Middle aged - do not drink alcohol to much
Seniors - eat light food, soft food, warm food
Women - period, pregnancy – nourish Qi and Blood Foods (eggs, soups, dates, fish)
            – over weight – cave man diet (raw veggies, meat, no starches)
            - skinny – sweet, lubricating, easily produce fluids foods
            – yang body- bland foods, cooling, dark green leafy veggies
 
The Art Of Chewing
Slow chewing and swallowing
Concentrate on eating (heart and mind help spleen digest)
Be happy – do not eat when angry
Post meal – warm hands and rub abdomen
Post meal – rinse mouth, brush teeth after meals
Post meal – 20 minutes after – take 100 step walk (traditional)
(100 steps = live till 99 yrs old)
 
Lifestyle To Unite The Body And Spirit
Regulate the lifestyle to maintain good health
 
Principles
Keep regular hours (sleeping, eating …)
Balance working and resting, balance physical work and mental work
Good sleeping – follow sun (traditional) 8-10 adult, 11-12 infant, 9-11 teenager,  7-8 senior 
Sleep with head pointing east
Sleep in fetal position, preferably on yang side (right)
Don’t talk to much before bed
Don’t sleep on full stomach
Avoid wind when sleeping (open windows) and don’t cover head
Hard mattress with firm pillow
Clothing - wear according to season
             - stay warm when pores open (after exercise)
             – dress according to body type (pregnancy, puberty, child, senior)
             – don’t wear wet clothes

Environmental Factors
A good environment will have clean water, green plants, mountains, lots of sunlight, lots of circulating air and proper sanitization of the soil, water and air.
 
Positive Environment
Visually pleasing – clean air/water/soil, nice weather (like BC)
Not polluted
Need sunshine and natural light
Need circulating air
Quiet atmosphere
 
Negative Environment (anything in excess can be negative)
Too hot and too damp – tropical – easily develop muscular disorders (spasm, numbness,bi-syndrome)
Too cold – easily develop interior cold disorder, distended abdomen
Too flat – plains – lack of exercise – easily have ‘rich disease’
Too mountainous – lacking metals
Too toxic – too much radiation
Too polluted – respiratory disease
Too noisy – mental disease – anxiety, insomnia …
Too dirty – rodents – rats, insects

Exercise
Exercise is needed to maintain physical and mental health by concentrating on ones breathing  with body movements.  Doing too much or not enough exercise will be detrimental.  The amount and the intensity will be different depending on the individual and will change with the seasons.

1. walking

    – elderly – 2-3miles per day
    - stimulates organs & body’s metabolism, calms the mind
    - pulse should be kept around 130 beats per minute
    - walk and massage abdomen for digestive disorders
2. Five Exercises – Wu Zing Xi 
    - Tiger Exercise – works on 12 meridians
    - Bear Exercise – works on lumbar and waist
    - Deer Exercise – works on neck
    - Monkey Exercise – stretches whole body
    - Bird Exercise – ready to fly!
3. Tai Ji Stick – shoulder width stick, massage whole body with stick, aids in digestion
4. Ba Duan Jing

    – Slow exercises which correspond with TCM thinking
    – Whole body exercise (good for the knees, back, body of seniors)
5. Self massage

    - mouth massage
    - face massage
    - scalp/hair massage
    - nose massage
    - ear massage
    - eye massage and exercises
    - kidney massage (massage KD 1 to lower blood pressure)
    - foot massage – from ST 36 – top of foot with feet in hot water
    - massage knees with feet in hot water
    - respiratory disorders – tap REN 22 (superior end of sternum)

Seeing Eye Dog

I was flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles. By the time we took off, there had been a 45-minute delay and everybody on board was ticked.

Unexpectedly, we stopped in Sacramento on the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be another 45-minute delay, and if we wanted to get off the aircraft, we would reboard in 30 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. I noticed him as I walked by and could tell he had flown before because his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight. I could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him and, calling him by name, said, "Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" Keith replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to take a walk."

Picture this… all the people in the gate area came to a completely quiet standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with the Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, they also were trying to change airlines!

Men & Women

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change & she does.

A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

There are 2 times when a man doesn't understand a woman: before marriage & after.

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot & love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot & not try to understand her at all.

Married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die.