This summer season, I had the chance to study and shadow at a standard Chinese language medication (TCM) hospital in Internal Mongolia known as Shen Nong Hospital. This chance took place as a result of my TCM physician, Dr. Kun Liu, goes again to her hometown in Internal Mongolia yearly to go to her household, and this 12 months, I occur to be in China on the similar time. She is aware of I am a TCM fanatic, so she requested if I am occupied with coming to study at her father’s hospital for per week. I completely jumped on the alternative.
(Me in entrance of Shen Nong Chinese language Drugs Hospital)
That week I discovered loads, and it is one of many coolest experiences I’ve ever had. I wrote an in depth weblog publish about my expertise right here, however I do know not everyone seems to be into the main points of TCM, so on this article, I am going to simply share some PSA (public service announcement) kind well being recommendation that I received from the medical doctors there. In abstract, they’re
Have good posture
After sitting for some time, rise up and do some neck and shoulder stretches
Train sufficient
Eat a balanced food plan suited to your physique structure
Keep away from AC and chilly wind straight blowing onto the pores and skin, particularly the neck and higher again
Domesticate constructive feelings
Principally, I requested the medical doctors in every division there what the commonest sicknesses they deal with are, and the way individuals can forestall them. In spite of everything, we should always make the most of wholesome occasions to stop sickness. By the point we do get in poor health, remorse is already too late.
Therapeutic massage Division: Neck, Shoulders, and Digestion
Within the grownup therapeutic massage division, the physician stated, “90% of my sufferers come to me for shoulder and neck issues. I am doing shoulder and neck therapeutic massage virtually all day. Typically I am going to get sufferers with decrease again issues or native accidents.”
When it comes to prevention, he stated, “Prevention is basically easy. Most individuals get shoulder and neck issues because of unhealthy desk posture for a chronic time frame. So #1 is to have good desk posture. #2 is after sitting down for some time, possibly 30-60 minutes, rise up and stretch your neck and do some shoulder workout routines for a couple of minutes. #3 haven’t got AC blowing straight onto your neck and again as a result of that chilly wind will enter the physique and trigger the muscle tissues there to change into tense, creating issues long-term.”
I requested if there are any particular workout routines to do. He stated, “No, any are effective. It isn’t that sophisticated.”
He then confirmed me some fundamental workout routines, and certainly, it is simply what you’d count on should you searched up “neck and shoulder workout routines” on the web.
Within the youngster therapeutic massage division, the physician stated most children come to him for digestive points (sure, TCM therapeutic massage can assist digestion, and I do it for myself each day). I used to be stunned but additionally not stunned. Shocked by the truth that youngsters have already got digestive points. However then not stunned due to the large quick meals and takeout tradition in fashionable society. This alerts that as a society, we must be extra conscientious of our dietary habits. Much less processed meals, fried meals, and restaurant meals. Extra pure meals, greens, and home-cooked meals. For extra on wholesome consuming, try this text: Wholesome Consuming 101 and TCM: Meals and Cooking.
Moxibustion Division: Coldness and Digestion
Moxibustion is when a practitioner burns moxa sticks to use warmth onto particular acupoints or areas of the physique. The physique then absorbs the warmth and natural qualities of the moxa.
The human physique wants warmth, or what TCM calls “Yang”, to perform, and people who find themselves poor in Yang are likely to have signs equivalent to getting chilly very simply, having chilly palms and toes, simply drained, simply catches colds and flus, free stools or diarrhea, and having a white coating on the tongue.
I requested the pinnacle physician of the moxibustion division what the commonest sicknesses he treats are. He stated that folks often come right here for considered one of two causes: deficiency in Yang and chilly abdomen. Individuals can get poor in Yang because of many elements, equivalent to climatic elements (i.e., chilly winter), poor food plan, overwork, and previous age (individuals’s Yang power decreases with age).
When it comes to food plan, consuming an excessive amount of cold-natured meals, cold-temperature meals, and uncooked meals all hurt the abdomen. Chilly-temperature meals hurt the abdomen as a result of the abdomen wants warmth to digest meals, and consuming actually chilly meals will shock the physique, inflicting it to immediately must direct a number of warmth in direction of the abdomen, which could be very irritating. Uncooked meals (e.g., uncooked salads) additionally hurt the abdomen as a result of it’s a lot more durable to digest uncooked meals in comparison with cooked and mushy meals, so uncooked meals create extra “put on and tear” on the abdomen.
Consuming an excessive amount of cold-natured meals will make the physique chilly, which incorporates the abdomen, which in fact reduces digestive energy. In TCM, meals will be categorised into 5 natures: chilly, cool, impartial, heat, and sizzling.
For instance, most fruits are chilly, so consuming a number of uncooked fruits can result in diarrhea. After all, an acceptable quantity is ok, particularly in sizzling climate. Each particular person’s physique is completely different, so we can’t use one normal for everybody. However when you’ve got a chilly physique structure, then it’s best to eat much less cold-natured meals and extra warm-natured meals, equivalent to ginger, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, pumpkin, walnuts, and so on. When you do eat cold-natured meals, you’ll be able to combine in some warm-natured ones. For instance, seafood tends to be chilly, which is why Japanese individuals pair seafood with wasabi and ginger.
After all, not everybody has a chilly physique structure. Some individuals have a very sizzling physique structure, which could result in signs equivalent to all the time feeling sizzling, sizzling palms and toes, dry mouth and nostril, dry stools or constipation, oily face, pimples (no surprise I used to get pimples after consuming quick meals), unhealthy breath, and a yellow coating on the tongue. This may be because of extra fried meals (deep-fried meals are very excessive in Yang), spicy meals, and alcohol. My physician talked about that a number of westerns have extra Yang due to consuming an excessive amount of quick meals, particularly fried rooster (a double-whammy on Yang). For individuals who have extra Yang, consuming some cold-natured meals could be useful. The objective is all the time steadiness.
Wholesome consuming in TCM encompasses extra than simply heat or chilly natures, and should you’re occupied with studying extra, you’ll be able to learn this text: TCM Meals And Cooking. I am going to simply point out a number of extra ideas right here:
Go for a brief stroll after meals to help digestion. Do not sit down straight away.
Eat till 70-80% full. Consuming too full hurts the abdomen.
Eat at common occasions.
Attempt to eat a wide range of flavors. It is simple to eat candy and salty in western meals. Attempt to add some bitter, spicy, fragrant, and bitter flavors into the food plan. Every organ responds to completely different flavors.
Eat a wide range of colours. Every organ responds to completely different colours.
Cupping Division: Colds and Feelings
Cupping is when a practitioner applies suction cups to attract out and clear out toxins from the physique. The colour left behind signifies completely different well being conditions. For instance, gentle pink is wholesome, darker colours point out stronger stagnation, crimson signifies warmth, and purple signifies coldness. Typically the cup turns into damp inside, which signifies dampness within the physique.
I requested the cupping practitioner what sufferers often come see her for. She stated, “Normally for coughs, again issues, and liver stagnation.”
Coughs and colds are a bit unavoidable. All of us catch a chilly on occasion. However I discovered that other than viruses, we are able to additionally catch a non-contagious kind of chilly when the physique goes from a extremely sizzling setting to a chilly one. This really occurred to me in Fuzhou, China.
In the summertime, it is 40 levels exterior, however all of the rooms are air conditioned. I used to be transferring a number of packing containers and furnishings between rooms, so I went from 40 levels to immediately 20 levels, forwards and backwards. I used to be sweating loads, so all my pores have been open, then I enter an AC room, and that chilly air straight enters my pores. Furthermore, I used to be a bit overworked and sleep-deficient, leading to a weakened immune system. When the exterior pathogen (on this case, the chilly wind from the AC) is stronger than the physique’s defensive power, the particular person will get in poor health, and I certainly caught a chilly.
I additionally observed that many individuals in Fuzhou put on a lightweight wind-breaker jacket to stop AC from straight blowing onto their pores and skin. I used to be very intrigued at first as a result of I’ve by no means seen individuals do this within the west. However now I do know that if somebody is sitting nonetheless, and there is AC blowing straight onto the pores and skin, particularly the neck and higher again, it is very simple for the chilly wind to enter and accumulate within the physique, which can ultimately create issues.
My physician additionally stated that almost all of the cold-natured sufferers that she sees have a tendency to take a seat in an workplace setting all day, that means they lack train, and train creates Yang. In addition they have AC blowing on their our bodies all day. So it is essential for us to rise up and do some easy workout routines after sitting for some time, to decorate heat sufficient in an AC room, and keep away from AC straight blowing onto the pores and skin, particularly the neck and higher again.
Again issues are additionally associated to again posture and lack of train, although typically they are often because of native accidents. I did not ask extra about this one to the physician, so I will not say that a lot.
Liver stagnation is often because of emotional disharmony, equivalent to anger, frustration, stress, and nervousness. In response to TCM, exterior pathogens must undergo many defensive layers earlier than they will attain our inner organs. Nonetheless, feelings straight and instantly have an effect on our organs’ well being. I by no means realized how severe emotional administration was for my well being till I discovered TCM.
So if we need to forestall liver stagnation and different well being issues, it is essential to domesticate happiness, calm, and peaceable feelings. Recurrently do actions like yoga, tai chi, going for walks in nature, or no matter lets you really feel calm, relaxed, peaceable, and pleased.
Conclusion
Once we are wholesome, we would not assume an excessive amount of about stopping sickness. However after we get in poor health and really feel actually uncomfortable and painful, we predict, “Ah! If solely I knew this might occur earlier, I’d have achieved extra to stop it!” So let’s make the most of wholesome occasions to protect towards sickness.
In abstract, the medical doctors on the hospital really useful:
Posture is essential for our neck and again. Apply good posture.
After sitting down for some time, rise up and do some fast neck and shoulder workout routines.
Train sufficient.
Keep away from having AC blow straight onto your pores and skin, particularly the neck and higher again.
Eat a wholesome and balanced food plan. Extra chilly and extra warmth all create issues.
Wholesome feelings are key to a wholesome physique. Handle unfavourable feelings, domesticate constructive feelings, and nurture good relationships.
A giant thanks once more to Dr. Kun Liu and all of the medical doctors on the Shen Nong Hospital, and I hope readers will discover a few of this recommendation helpful!
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