125 Camino Alto, Ste B, Mill Valley, CA 94941 (415) 383-9900
www.Acupuncture-Marin.com Chris@Acupuncture-Marin.com
According
to the Huang Di Nei Jing (Inner Canon), the ancient medical text from China
which was written more than two thousand years ago, maintaining order rather
than correcting disorder is the ultimate principle of wisdom. To cure disease
after it has appeared is like digging a well when one already feels thirst,
or forging weapons after the war has already begun.
Chinese healing modalities focus on the principle of movement. When energy is
stuck in the body, it is due to blockages of Qi (pronounced “chee”)
in the meridians, resulting in patterns of disharmony. The three main factors
that lead to imbalance are emotions, climate, and life-style. In the Traditional
Chinese Medicine paradigm, the emphasis is on prevention of illness rather than
intervention. There is an old saying that a man is not sick because he has an
illness, but has an illness because he is sick. This implies that a disease-state
exists prior to illness, allowing the illness to take hold of the body.
To ensure a healthy life-style, one must make a conscious choice to live harmoniously
with the natural laws which govern human nature. Some suggestions include:
• Arise before or at sunrise
• Move the bowels and bladder—fluid intake helps this via the gastro-colic
reflex
• Exercise ( some will consider this more appropriate after meditation
but still before breakfast )
• Shower and personal hygiene like cleaning tongue, clipping nails, brushing
teeth
• Meditation
• Light breakfast
• Main activity of day giving emphasis to the most physical aspects when
possible
• Main meal at noon
• Short walk
• Continuation of day’s activity with emphasis on mental rather than
physical aspects
• Lighter and smaller evening meal
• Short walk
• Activity which is soothing and calming such as reading and family discussions,
and other bonding activities; TV generally is too dynamic and stimulating for
evening viewing
• Retire before 10PM.
In addition, the following is a daily checklist to further a healthy life-style:
Examine your tongue daily for any signs of toxic accumulations. If you see a thick,
white coating in the middle portion of the tongue, then your digestive system
is working sluggishly and foods which are more bland and non-acidic would be beneficial.
If the coating is yellow then it means heat in the body, therefore avoid heat-producing
foods such as peppers, onion, alcohol, caffeine, and barbequed foods. If it is
dark brown or black then fungal infestation may be present. A moist, pink tongue
is ideal. If you see teeth marks along the margins of the tongue, this indicates
a compromised function of the spleen and stomach. When the spleen is not able
to absorb and assimilate the food nutrients, the body becomes depleted in energy,
thus resulting in low-energy and slow-metabolism..
Your stool should be examined for hardness, looseness, floating, frequency, transit
time, and color. Hardness is associated with dry colon—maybe too little fluids
or too much dry foods. Often, this will result in constipation and over-straining.
Looseness, on the other hand, may indicate an imbalance in the digestion or in
your intestinal motility—often related to irregular lifestyle. The stool
should be well-formed in the shape of a banana. It should come daily regularly
at least once or twice. It should float. Ideal transit time ranges from 18 to
24 hours.
Examine your urine. Dark, yellow, and scanty urine indicates heat in the body.
Long and clear urine indicates cold in the body. Frequent, incomplete, dribbling,
and urination in the middle of the night indicates a deficiency in the kidney
organ.
Examine your emotions. Human emotions should be proportional to the event which
elicits the emotion. For example, if someone cuts you off on the highway and this
prompts a raging fit on your part, then there’s an imbalance between the
cause and effect. The inappropriateness of the behavior is damaging to one’s
health. Excessive thinking and worrying, over-attachment, and excessive anger
are all detrimental to one’s well-being. All of these may be a precipitating
factor to insomnia which is an indication of the spirit’s inability to rest.
For more information on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Marin County and other healing therapeutic services and introductory classes offered in Acupuncture and T.C.M. (Traditional Chinese Medicine), please contact:
Acupuncture of Marin - Across Bitter Sea Healing Center
Chris Veiga, L.Ac.
www.Acupuncture-Marin.com Chris@Acupuncture-Marin.com
Marin
County Acupuncture Chinese Herbal Medicine Clinic:
125 Camino Alto, Suite B
Mill Valley, California 94941 USA
(415) 383-9900 FAX: (415) 383-2428
Click here for a map to our Marin County North Bay Acupuncture Center