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Goodbye April!
With some technical issues in April, this month's newsletter is a bit late! It turns out that living in paradise does have its drawbacks! This month we continue our in depth discussion about Chinese medicine and cancer, we have an excellent resource written by an ethnobotanist / cell biology professor along with an oncologist called Integrative Approaches to Cancer Palliative Care, and a fascinating article on External Qi Healing along with a delicious Eggplant Recipe for Fighting Cancer. Enjoy and we will see you next month (um, later this month...)!
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Here Are This Month's Articles...
- Cancer and Chinese Medicine - Part 2
- Integrative Approaches to Cancer Palliative Care
- External Qi Healing - Part 1
- Quote of the Month
- Inspiration - India Unveils Abmitious Plan to Make Every Car Electric by 2030
- Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture in the News
- Recipe of the Month with NourishU - Steamed Eggplant - Cancer Fighting Recipe
- About Chinese Medicine Living
Chinese Medicine & Cancer - Part 2
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
Nutrition - The Biggest Weapon Against Cancer
It is always amazing to me that patients receiving conventional treatments for cancer (chemotherapy and radiation) are given little to no information about what to eat. I know because I always ask if there was any nutritional counseling that went with the other therapies and more often than not, the answer in no. This shows an alarming lack of understanding about how important what we eat is to our health, and especially in the case of cancer.
I think that the correlation between what we eat and our overall health is understood by many industries, and certainly by many informed people, but the cancer industry (and I say that because it has turned into an industry), seems to be decades behind. Now, without getting into why that might be (which would be a whole other article), lets just say that there is a tonne of evidence to suggest that our food can both give us cancer and help keep us healthy so that we never get cancer. Food is also a powerful weapon in detoxing the body and healing from a cancer that already exists.
Foods to Avoid
Sugar
In my opinion, the number one thing to know concerning diet and cancer is to stop eating sugar. Completely. It is literally the food that cancer eats. The tests that Western medicine uses to find and diagnose cancer in the body, called PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and CT (Computed Tomography) scans, actually inject glucose - a type of sugar - and watch the cancer gravitate to it because sugar is what cancer eats. Eliminating sugar from your diet is the most important thing to do if you are either struggling with cancer, or having health issues in general. Sugar is a poison to the body, and most people in the developed world eat far too much of it. Now, let me be clear, I am talking about refined sugar which is in a huge amount of our foods, especially processed foods. There are naturally occurring sugars in things like fruits, and although we need some of these, it is a good idea to cut back when you are trying to heal from cancer. Refined foods of all types should be avoided whenever possible, and refined sugar is the worst of all.
Integrative Approaches to Cancer Palliative Care
By Dr. Kevin Curran
Dr. Kevin Curran, a cell biology professor, and Dr. Walter Tsang, an oncologist, have co-written a summary about integrative approaches to palliative care. Serious diseases, like cancer, often lead to some incredibly uncomfortable side effects. Often, there are no traditional medicines available to treat these issues. In these moments, it is good to remember that there are alternative remedies that can be very effective in relieving the problem.
A Review of Effective Treatment Options for Cancer - Related Palliative Care
By Walter Tsang MD and Kevin Curran PhD
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is a form of medical care that is focused on providing relief from the symptoms of a serious illness.
A serious illness, such as cancer, creates many stressful and uncomfortable symptoms (nausea, fatigue, anxiety). These symptoms may be caused by the biological progression of the disease or they may be the side effects of the treatment.
Palliative care seeks to improve the quality of life for the patient and the patient's family by providing relief from the symptoms of an illness and the side effects of treatment.
An integrative approach to palliative care includes both conventional and alternative treatment options.
- Conventional therapy includes: prescription drugs, surgery, chemotherapy
- Alternative therapy includes: herbal supplements, vitamins, diet, probiotics
It makes sense to be open to the best possible palliative care. Often, the best treatment includes a combination of both conventional and alternative therapy. Below, we summarize the most effective integrative approaches to common symptoms experienced by patients struggling with a serious illness.
External Qi Healing - Part 1
By John Voigt
**Disclaimer. This article is written for educational purposes only. It is not offered for the healing of any serious illnesses. If a person is sick he or she must see a proper professional, in either (or both) western or traditional Chinese medicine.**
Although External Qi Healing has certain general principles, it is an art as well as a science. Consequently it has many differing yet valid methods and techniques. Hopefully the information in this article—gathered from primary texts, personal teachers, the internet, and the limited personal experiences of the author—may prove instructive. For thousands of years the Chinese have been projecting vital life energy to heal illnesses. It was first called Bu qi (布氣) “Spreading the Qi.” Now it is called “External Qi Healing Therapy,” (Wai qi liaofa - 外气疗法). The basic technique has the practitioner emitting Qi [vital life energy] into the appropriate acupuncture points on the client’s body. There are different methods, but most often the healer emits qi through the fingers and palms. Traditionally there is no direct physical contact or touching and the client is fully clothed. However today, and especially in China, energy sending may be added into other Traditional Chinese Medicine methods such as qigong movements and meditations, acupuncture, acupressure, tuina-massage, moxibustion; even used in modern psychotherapy, and western medicine. In External Qi Healing (EQH), the qi-energy is transmitted from an experienced sender to an ill client, thereby regenerating depleted qi, opening blockages in the meridians, and bringing about the removal of pathogenic qi. The cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic and nervous systems are all stimulated and vitalized. This strengthens immunity to diseases, resulting in better health. There are numerous reports of External Qi curing life threatening diseases of all kinds. EQH works best on resolving chronic health problems. However the general belief is that it “cannot help in cases of purely physical damage, such as broken limbs … and it certainly cannot cure mental-illness.” [Paul Dong, Empty Force, 2006, p. 84.]
How to Do It: A - The Preliminaries.
The beginning student of EQH should be able to sense qi; and then be able consciously to lead and guide it in his or her body—the common standard being the “Microcosmic Orbit” (xiǎo zhōu tiān - also translated as “Small Heavenly Circuit”) where the qi is cycled up the back and down the front of the body. It is also important that the healer be in good physical and mental health. The stronger the qi of the healer, the more effective he or she will be. There are several qigong exercises that help to accomplish this. “Standing Post” and “Muscle/Tendon Change Classic” are often cited as superior methods to increase and strengthen a person’s qi. See Zhan Zhuang and Yijin Jing in the Bibliography below.
Quote of the Month
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 thirsty or forging weapons after the war has already begun.
~ Huang Di Nei Jing
Inspiration
India Unveils Ambitious Plan to Make Every Single Car Electric by 2030
In a bid against the hazardous air pollution plaguing the country, the energy minister of India has just announced earlier this week that they will be making sure that every car in the nation will be electrically-powered by 2030.
The Indian government will be assisting the renewable automotive industry for the next two to three years, until the market stabilizes. Officials believe that electric cars will then become the more affordable option for consumers, as prices are driven down “by demand and not by subsidy”.
Though electric power stations can be powered by coal plants, studies show that electric cars are still drastically safer for the environment and the public’s health than petrol or diesel-fueled cars.
According to Sherry Boschert, author of Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that Will Recharge America, using hybrids and electric cars that draw power from a main grid would still dramatically reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide released into the air by 32% to 99%. Switching to low emission vehicles could also reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 17% to 71%, depending on the area.
The energy plan comes as a welcome follow-up to a similar initiative launched by India’s capital territory of Delhi, in which the city announced plans to ban all diesel-powered vehicles from the roads by 2025.
The campaign couldn’t come at a better time, either; according to a recent Greenpeace report, India’s air toxicity levels surpassed China in 2015, making it one of the most toxic nations in the world.
“We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way. We are going to make electric vehicles self- sufficient like UJALA. The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country,” said Power minister Piyush Goyal during the CII Annual Session 2017.
Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine in the News
Cambridge's Traditional Chinese Medicine Mission Gathers Pace
Fudan Uni Breaks Down Barriers Between TCM and Western Styles
Russians Flock to China for Herbal Therapy
Inner Mongolia Draws Attention with Traditional Medicine
Acupuncture and Wellness Therapies Emphasized at Cancer Centre
Acupuncture Beats Drug for Indigestion Relief
South Yorkshire Nurse Up for Award for Using Acupuncture to Reduce Sickness
Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Related Therapies for Palliative Care for Cancer
Transforming Capitalism - 7 Acupuncture Points
Needles Keep Addiction at Ear's Length
Experts Defy Exclusion of Acupuncture in Two British Governmental Guidelines
Battlefield Acupuncture for CT Veterans
How Local Acupuncturists Are Helping Traumatized Communities
Acupuncture for Your Cat? What to Know About Alternative Medicine for Pets
Can Acupuncture Relieve Cancer-Related Pain?
Can Acupuncture Help Your Skin?
Mind-Body Therapies: Supportive Care for Breast Cancer Patients
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If you would like to read about the latest scienntific studies involving Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, please see our "Current Research" page to find all the latest. :)
Recipe Of The Month with NourishU
Steamed Eggplant Cancer Recipe
SYMPTOMS
High Blood Pressure / High Cholesterol / Hardened Arteries / Gout Pain / Tumors
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, soften arteries, alleviates gout pain, anti-tumor growth.
INGREDIENTS
- Chinese Eggplants – 2
- Minced ginger – 1 spoonful
- Vinegar – 1 spoonful
- Sesame oil – 1 spoonful
- Soy sauce – half spoonful
DIRECTIONS
- Rinse and cut eggplant into finger-like pieces and put in cold water with one spoonful of salt to soak for 10 minutes. Remove and drain.
- Put eggplant on a plate and steam for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the above seasoning to serve.
USAGE
No restrictions.
Read full article..
About Chinese Medicine Living
Chinese Medicine Living is a place where Chinese medicine principles are applied to the way we live our lives to improve health on every level. In our articles, interviews and information we strive to teach how the body and the world is seen through the eyes of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) so you can better understand its theories, and how to live a healthy balanced lifestyle according to its principles. How TCM views the body and its connections to emotions, living in harmony with the world around us, and how to achieve the balance synonymous with health are the ways in which we strive to impart the limitless wisdom of Chinese medicine. Welcome.
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