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Happy Holidays!
Our relocation is complete!! It has been quite a journey the past couple of months, but we are now settling into our new home in the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to live, the way Chinese medicine teaches, in a way that is connected to nature and in complete harmony with the natural environment. This move is the culmination of that dream, and I am working towards designing and building a house, growing all my own food and being completely self sufficient and off the grid. I have a ways to go, but I am very happy to say that I am on my way. Pura vida!!
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Here Are This Month's Articles...
- Living According to the Winter Season with Chinese Medicine
- Living in Harmony with Nature - The Culmination of a Lifelong Dream
- Happy Fun Qi Gong - Part 1
- Quote of the Month
- Inspiration - Muslim-Owned Restaurant Offers Free Christmas Dinner to Homeless & Elderly
- Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture in the News
- Recipe of the Month with NourishU - Winter Recipe - Mutton & Carrot Soup
- About Chinese Medicine Living
Living According to the Winter Season with Chinese Medicine
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
The ancient Chinese created a system of medicine thousands of years ago that is still used to this day. It has evolved over thousands of years and is still used today to effectively treat modern diseases. Chinese medicine is only a part of a greater concept the ancient Chinese used to live their everyday lives. It is a branch that springs from a larger tree that encompasses all aspects of life. This is why the doctor of Chinese medicine does not only deal with the body or physical aspects of one's health, they are teachers educating patients on how to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle, because this is how we attain health, and the Chinese knew it. It is deeply entrenched in their medicine.
Chinese medicine teaches to live in harmony with the seasons, and according to Chinese medicine theory, there are five seasons - winter, spring, summer, late summer, and fall. Each season has many associations which help us to change our habits as the season's change so that we may create more balance between our bodies and the external environment.
When Chinese medicine was being developed thousands of years ago, people were living in a state of complete harmony with nature. They rose with the sun, ate what grew in each season and were acutely aware of their natural environment as it had a direct effect on every aspect of their lives. The lives of the people had a flow that changed depending on the time of year. Things like what foods were eaten was dependent on what happened to be growing at that particular time and what was available. When to get up, how to dress and what kinds of activities were engaged in were dependent on the important connection that people had to their environment. Because these simple steps were taken people were able to stay healthy throughout the year and had the tools to keep their immune systems and their organs strong so that they could ward off disease.
Living in Harmony with Nature - The Culmination of a Lifelong Dream
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
We are drawn to things that resonate with us. Make sense to us. And that is why I think I was so drawn to Chinese medicine. Although my first experience with it was with acupuncture and herbs - so in the medical realm - from that very first experience, everything about it made sense to me. It was a way to explain the world, human beings and nature and their relationship to each other that made the chaos of my world, up until then - be gently placed into an order that was logical and ultimately, helped to explain everything. I am happy to say that it has continued to do so, and I expect it to continue, for as long as I live.
The ancient Chinese view of nature - the universe and the human being and their interconnectedness - is not unique. Many ancient cultures shared this reverence for the natural world and their societies and civilizations grew up around it. Most ancient cultures, in fact, lived in harmony with the natural world because their lives depended on it. Having an acute sensitivity to the changes in the seasons was imperative to growing successful crops and feeding your family and community. One had to be attuned to the weather in order to make changes that would allow a household to thrive. If one didn’t pay attention, the results could be disastrous. Being aware and attuned to the natural world was a matter of survival and thus an important skill that was instilled in every person.
The Modern World and the Price of Progress
Somewhere along the way, human progress turned away from a symbiotic relationship with nature and turned rather to a more domineering role - attempting to dominate and control nature. The industrial revolution was probably a large part of the beginning of this process, humans making goods without too much thought to the costs down the line, both to themselves and to the planet on which they lived. Our “modern” world is the result and although we have blossomed as innovators and creators, our connection to the natural world has largely been lost. Many people in the developing world are hungry for “progress” and want to share in the high living standards and consumerism that the first world has enjoyed for decades. The problem is that scientists have speculated that at the rate we are going and with the explosion in population all over the planet that our precious earth simply cannot support the first world lifestyles for all the people that will live on the earth in the next few decades. In our rush for progress, something important has been lost. We have forgotten our precious earth.
Happy Fun Qi Gong - Part 1
By John Voigt
The Body Heals With Play. The Mind Heals With Laughter. The Spirit Heals With Joy.
- Chinese Proverb
Introduction
The goal of my qigong teachings is to have people experience and enjoy the benefits of qi-energy. Depending on the group’s potential for playfulness, I usually interject various Happy Fun Qigong gymnastics and visualizations to liven up the sessions. Several of these are described below.
Preparation
Ground - Center - Rise Up - Smile
Grounding. I tell the group to feel the gravity of Mother Earth grounding and supporting us, connecting us to her. Together we visualize roots growing down from our feet deeply into the earth and drawing up its nourishing yin energy.
Centering. We breathe down into our lower belly, the body’s center of gravity. We do this nice and easy, slowly, deeply, silently.
Rising up. Keeping our heads straight, and chins slightly tucked in, we straighten our backs and remaining rooted to the earth and breathing calmly and deeply, we feel our head, neck, and upper shoulders rise up toward the heavens. I say things like, “Feel the strength filled yang energy of the sun and stars enter you and protect you.”
Smile enigmatically like the Mona Lisa.
Quote of the Month
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
– Neale Donald Walsch
Inspiration
Muslim-Owned Restaurant Offers Free Christmas Meal to the Homeless and Elderly
The Shish restaurant in Sidcup, London has left a sign in their window dedicated to the elderly and homeless community stating that they’re serving free 3-course meals on Christmas because “no one should be alone”.
The meal will open with a choice of soup or cacik followed by casserole or shishi and rice pudding for dessert.
Another sign in the Turkish restaurant reads: “We are here to sit with you. Three course meal for the homeless from 12-6pm. Any homeless or elderly are welcome.”
The gesture has been widely shared on social media with an outpouring of support and love for the restaurant owners, saying “this is what Christmas is all about”, and “glad there’s still people willing to help the less fortunate”.
Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine in the News
Chinese Delegation Discusses Collaboration in Traditional Medicines
Church in China Offers Free Medical Care Including TCM to Local Villagers
TCM Doc Develops Diuretic and Anti-Inflammatory Pill to Treat Male Genital Diseases
Chinese Scientist Receives Award for Researching Effect of TCM in Treating Deadly Form of Leukemia
Acupuncture Plus Herbs Quiet Tinnitus
Home of the Acupuncture Master Featured on NASDAQ Billboard, New York
Magic of Chinese Traditional Treatment
How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help You Become A Morning Person
Can Acupuncture Help Breast Cancer Patients?
Businessman Suggests Acupuncture To Treat Duterte's Migraine Headaches
El Paso's Holistic Hubs Continue to Grow
Global Institutefor Traditional Chinese Medicine Launched
More Foreign Health Professionals are Learning and Practising Traditional Chinese Medicine in China
5 Very Good Reasons To Drink Licorice Root Tea
Acupuncture Saves Little Girl from Eczema
Acupuncture Repairs Motor Function After Spinal Cord Injury
Balancing Digestive Disorders with Acupuncture
Needling The Pain of Peripheral Neuropathy
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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
Winter Recipe - Mutton Carrot Soup
SYMPTOMS
Blood and qi deficiency manifested as lack of energy, dizziness and headache, numbing of extremities, lack of appetite, night blindness.
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Nourish spleen and liver to promote blood and qi; improve eyesight; improve appetite; strengthen the body.
INGREDIENTS
- Mutton - 640gm
- Carrot - 320gm
- Chinese yam (shan yao) 淮山 - 80gm
- Ginger - 5 slices
- Honey dates - 5
DIRECTIONS
- Wash mutton and cut into pieces and stir-fry them slightly with cooking oil and ginger.
- Cut carrot into pieces. Rinse herbs.
- Put all ingredients into a pot with adequate water (about 10 cups) and bring to a boil for a few minutes. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 3 hours.
- Add seasoning to serve. Drink soup and eat some meat only.
USAGE
Not suitable for people with hot liver syndrome manifested as red and itchy eyes.
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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