Ancient Healing for Modern Women

Ancient Healing for Modern Women
It is compelling look at the stages of a woman's life and includes a wealth of practical suggestions for living in harmony with nature's rythems to maintain health and prevent disease.In Western medicin, we have medicalized the natural an healthy satges of a woman's life. Weover-prescribe birth control pills, hormonal medications, antidepressants, and many other medications. Much to the detriment of woman's health. In contrast, in Chinese medicin, the stages of a woman's life are honoured and celebrated.

-YIN AND YANG:All things in nature , as well as all activities in life, have two opposing aspects: a Yin aspect and a Yang aspect. Yin means "the shadowy side of the mountain," while Yang translates as "the sunny side of the mountain." Yin is associated with shades, cold, contraction, the moon, water,inactivity, the feminine and matter. Yang is regarded as brightness, hot, expantion, the sun, fire, activity, the masculine and energy. These apparently opposing aspects are two sides of the same coin. Hot and cold are characteristics of temperature; day and night are aspects of time. They exist only in relation to each other, for how could there be night without day, or back wothout front?

-UNDERSTANDING QI: In the western word there is no equivalent word for Qi, though it is often described as "vital energy." In Chinese Qi mean "vapour" or "steam," and " uncooked rice" or "grain." Don't try to comprehend Qi with your rational mind. Try to feel it.THE ZANG-FU ORGANSThe term Zang-Fu itself is used to describe the principle of Yin and Yang as applied to the Organs. Yin Organs are referred to as Zang, and Yang Organs are reffered to as Fu. Each of the five Zang Organs_ the Liver, heart, spleen, Lung and Kidneys_ have corresponding Fu Organs_ the Gallbladder, Small Intestine, stomach, Large Intestine and Urinary Bladder respectivly.

-THE FIVE PHASES THEORY: The harmonious movement of Qi in the world is a reflection of the balance of five basic phases: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Wood promoptes Fire: Fire burns Wood, thereby promoting Earth: within Earth there is Metal: and Metal, melted by fire, promotes Water.The five phases are used to describe aspects of climate, colour, flavours -Virtually everything in the universe. And because each of us is a microcosm, we each possess within us a unique combination of the influence of the Five Phases. Each of our five major Organs corresponds with one of the phases. Because the Heart has warming properties,it is associated with Fire. The Liver is assiciated with Wood, the spleen with Earth, The Lung with Metal, and the Kidney with Water.

-MAINTAINING HARMONY: Moving toward well-being depends on the harmonious functioning of our physical, emotional and spritual aspects-the three levels of energy known as the "Three Treasures." They are Jing, or "Essence," Qi, the natural enlivening energy of the universe, and Shen, meaning "Spirit" or "Mind." Jing is inherited from our parents and is the most substantive and material of the Three Treasures. Three Tresures requires that we become aware of, and bring into harmony, our emotional states, lifestyle,diet and our interaction with our environment to cultivate spiritual wholeness.In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are three categories of causes of disharmony: Exterior Causes, Interior Causes or Neither. These pathogenic, or desease-causing,factors can disturb the balance of the Three Treasures within our body and produce a hospitable environment for desease.

-EXTERIOR CAUSES OF DISHARMONY: The Exterior Causes, also known as the "six Excesses," are Cold, Wind, Heat, Dampness, Dryness and Fire.

-INTERIOR CAUSES OF DISHARMONY: The Interior Causes of disharmony are our seven emotions: joy, anger, obsession, sadness, horror and fear.

-NEITHER EXTERIOR NOR INTERIOR CAUSES OF DISHARMONY: The Neither Exterior nor interior Causes of disharmony include diet, physical exertion and sexual activity.

-DIET; An unbalanced diet can be the origin of disease,since it can promote patterns od disharmony in the body, and possibly diseases.

-FOOD HERBS; The Nei Jing states, "If no food is eaten for half a day, Qi is weakened; if no food is eaten for a whole day, Qi is depleted." Each food has a specific flavour that resonates with a particular Organ. For example sour foods, like vinegar and citrus fruits, are associated with the Liver; salty foods, like dark green leafy vegtables and bitter melon, with the Heart; sweet foods, such as yam and tuna, with the spleen; and pungent foods, such as tofu and garlic, with the Lungs.

-PHYSICAL EXERTION; Another cause of disease is fatigue, which can be the result of too much or too little physical exertion or work. Forceful and vigorous exercise, such as high-impact aerobics, commands the Qi and blood to our muscles to sustain and support the activity, instead of fulfilling its role by circulating through the Organs of the body. However, it is important to do certain amount of physical exercise daily; Qi and blood become sluggish.

-SEXUAL ACTIVITY; A lack of sexual activity can lead to disharmony in women. Orgasms promote the smooth flow of Qi throughout the Orhans systems. How ever, frequent pregnancies over a short period of time deplete a woman's essence and shorten her life.

-MENSTRUATION OR HEAVENLY WATER; The start of heavenly water is a milestone in the feminine cycle. It is the beginning of reproductive phase of our lives and marks a turning point in terms of our health. Because the onset of mensruation is a radical transition, it is time of heightened vulnerability and must be supported with special attention and care. It normaly starts at the age of fourteen, it is originating from Kidneys... it is red like blood, but it is not blood. That is why it is called Heavenly water. During menstruating soups with eggs, raw cane sugar and homemade rice wine helps to increase circulation,nourish the body and keep it warm, thus aiding the smooth and free movement of blood and Qi, and on the harmonious working of our Zang-Fu Organs.

-SEX AND WELL- BEING; In Traditional Chinese Medicine, sex is an important factor in maintaining good health-as important as food and sleep. Not only sex a tremondous source of pleasure and fulfillment, but it is a means to attain increased energy, physical well-being and a long lifespan, as well as an expression of our wholeness as a human being.When sex is engaged in, bodily fluids intermingle and breathing synchronizes so that neither Yin nor Yang dominates the other.

-PLANTING THE SEED; In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Kidney system is responsible for human reproduction, growth and development. The Kidneys are where we store our Jing, or Essence, which is the foundation of the body and its functions, and can be transformed into Qi. The strength of our Essence, or Kidney Qi, is also a significant factor in conception and determines the health and vitality of our children. There are two kind of Essences. The first is prenatal Essence, which the genetic material we inherit from our parents when we are conceived. It endows us with our unique constitution, vitality and nature. The second type of Essence is postnatal Essence, which we produce from the food we eat and how we live our lives.

-MOVING INTO WHOLENESS OR MENOPAUSE; In the West, the transition is known as menopause, a term derived from Greek that means the stooing of the monthly period. However, the association of menopause with an abrupt absence of periods is a limited view of this complex transition. We grow up and grow old. We are in the constant process of change. Cells have devided and died, we have seen something new, realized an insight, thought a new thought, heard an unfamiliar sound or experienced a feeling.The words of the poet T.S. Eliot come to mind:In orde to arrive at what you do not knowYou must go by a way which is the way of ignorance.In order to possess what you do not possessyou must go by the way of dispossession.In order to arrive at what you are notyou must go through the way in which you are not.And what you do not know is the only thing you knowAnd what you own is what you do not ownAnd where you are is where you are not.

HELPING OURSELVESDIET: Diet is one way that we can proactively suport our Kidney system and other Organnetworks. We should eat nuritiosly balanced meals at regular intervals. The quantity of food we consume is also important. Over eating can tax our spleen, and undeeating or dieting can reduce the amount of Blood and Qi that is produced.Since Qi flows through the stomach and spleen systems between 7 and 11 A.M., it is particularly important to eat a breakfast that is agreeeable to these organs, such as warm cooked foods.Additional self-care practices to undertake during second spring are to go to sleep at the same time each evening nad have a sound. undisturbed sleep. Do not ove work yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. If possible avoid tobacco products and second-hand smoke, as they tend to dry up body fluids and Yin. Also minimize the use of drugs such as cortisone, diuretics and antacid.

By XIAOLAN ZHAO, C.M.D.

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