Practitioners' News

Spring is ruled by the Wood Element, which represents new beginnings. Wood is the intermediary between the dormancy of the seed associated with the Water Element and the flowering of the Fire Element. Wood is a time for new beginnings, for creating a new ‘‘big picture,’’ for planning and strategizing so that the mature versions of our ideas and of our actions develop in the strongest possible way. Chinese herbs are powerful allies during the Wood Phase because they are so effective for removing obstructions and nourishing what is lacking. Here are some formulas you and your patients can use to help create a sure course of development for this new season.

The face shows a remarkable amount of information in a relatively small space. We are all face readers as we evaluate faces every time we meet someone new or engage in conversation. Chinese Face Reading gives the benefit of thousands of years of observation, where minor differences in the shape and size of every feature were categorized, the various places on the face were correlated with the organs and every detail of the face was given importance. The most difficult aspect of face reading is combining the traits into a profile of a unique individual. We inherit many traits, but ultimately, each person is responsible for what shows on his or her face. Only you have the ability to control how you act and react and what you chose to express. So, the next time you feel like frowning, you might want to transform it into a smile. Or when life gives you a learning experience, it is truly a chance to grow and gain wisdom and your face will show it.

The 15th annual COMS event has come and gone, and all those that attended this year’s in-depth event can attest to the richness of information that was shared by the two very different speakers.

“Shen Guan” means Kidney Gate. This is Dr. Tung’s master Kidney point (#77.18), and there is no more powerful point for the Kidney. It tonifies not only the Kidney, but also the Spleen and the Yin, and benefits Qi. It connects UB 23 and Ren 4, and this internal pathway between the Kidney back Shu and front Mu points is what makes it such a powerful point for the Kidneys. It addresses Kidney deficiency and all accompanying signs and symptoms.

A number of years ago, I introduced a group of pediatric formulas to the Golden Flower herbal repertoire. These 2 oz bottles are meant for infants, toddlers and young children; they come as sweet-tasting syrups, using glycerin instead of alcohol, and are ready for direct administration.

Nature’s designs are efficient. They never waste energy and they always have a purpose. These two design basics increase the organism’s chance of survival. In fact, many engineering wonders are the result of studying natural phenomena, such as the strength of spider’s web or the structural differences between a bird’s wing feather and a body feather. Similarly, we can learn a lot from how nature has designed probiotic bacteria.

Modern science has discovered the healing properties of emu oil and have studied the oil in a variety of skin-related disorders such as contact dermatitis, herpes zoster and simplex, burns including sunburn, bed sores, skin ulcers and aged skin, just to name a few. The oil has shown to have profound anti-inflammatory and skin-penetrating action which may account for its pain relieving properties.

February 16, 2018 is the start of the Chinese Year of the Yellow Dog. This is a Yang Earth Year, which will bring much more stability, with a few notable exceptions. The Elements are Yang Earth on top of Earth, which means that they harmonize with each other. So, overall, it is will be a much calmer year and may sometimes even seem boring. But there is a Chinese saying that “Boredom is good luck, because you have choices!” After two fiery years, it is time to exhale and take in a deep breath to regroup. There will be a palpable feeling of relief from the tensions of the previous years, especially as we get deeper into the year. Life should get easier and more relaxed.

Acupuncturists in lecture audiences and students alike have long asked me to write up the treasures that I now pass along in class. They tell me that when they overthrow their stab-in-the-dark practice of Chinese medicine to incorporate insights about the workings of channel Qi, their clinical results are vastly improved. They have satisfaction in knowing what they’re doing, as opposed to that nagging feeling that they’re just guessing and hoping for the best.

The tradition of starting the New Year with resolutions has become ingrained in many of us over the years. When something new begins, we intuitively want to institute some measure of change along with it. This year, I have noticed more articles in the press advocating we drop the urge to make resolutions. The naysaying voices reflect that resolutions lead to bad feelings. The better strategy is to drop them and just be the perfect you that you are already!

What are your plans for your 60th birthday, if you haven’t had it yet? How does running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days appeal, as an idea? Well, that’s exactly what Dr. Pushpa Chandra is doing – starting at the end of January, 2018. She’s taking part in the World Marathon Challenge, which starts in Antarctica and moves on to Cape Town, Perth, Lisbon, Cartagena and, finally, Miami. During this intense 7-day period, she will eat and sleep on airplanes and be ready to run a 42.2-kilometre marathon each time she touches down.

Acutonics embraces both ancient wisdom traditions and new paradigms in health and wellness, while remaining firmly based in science and strongly supported by case study documentation and research. It is a re-unification of art and science, music and medicine and elegantly harmonizes the cosmobiology of both patient and practitioner.

The Chinese understood human beings to be microcosms, meaning that within us are the same elements that are found in Nature. When these elements are functioning in health and balance within us, we experience health. If the elements are imbalanced, disease must be the result.

Modern cupping techniques using plastic or silicone cups, both in the clinic, or at home for self care, are opening up new dimensions to healing and health. Maintaining healthy fascia is instrumental to aging well.

Folate, also known as Vitamin B9, is an important nutrient that we need in our diets daily. Vitamin B9 can be found in leafy greens, broccoli, and dried legumes such as beans and lentils. This key nutrient is used by your body to make DNA and other genetic material, produce new cells, and to support nervous and immune system functions. So, it's no surprise that folate is especially important to women during pregnancy.

Live Well Live Long, by Peter Deadman, explores the wonderful Chinese tradition of nourishing life (yangshen). Continuously developed over more than 25 centuries, it serves as a workshop manual for the care of the human body, mind and spirit. Its teaching can help us improve our health and lengthen our lives through cultivating our mind, emotions, diet, exercise, sleep, sexual behaviour, and much more. As this book reveals, these teachings are comprehensively backed up by the findings of modern lifestyle research. Read chapter one.

Our “first line of defense” against external pathogens includes: zheng qi, wei qi, mucosal linings, and innate immune response – depending on which conceptual prism we are using. But the throat is arguably the last defense against external pathogens because once an external pathogenic factor (EPF) has passed beyond the throat, it becomes internal. In this article, we cover several Golden Flower formulas that benefit the throat.

Bruce Bentley presents a new explanatory framework and treatment vista for cupping by using flexible and easy-to maneuver silicone vessels to remodel discordant fascia. The practical focus will be on treating chronic hip pain and restricted mobility.

This September, Eastern Currents was pleased to welcome world renowned cupping therapy practitioner and teacher, Bruce Bentley, for five days of hands on learning. Throughout the event, Bruce relayed stories and fascinating facts about the history of cupping across numerous cultures that have developed a wide array of practices and applications. Cupping is not unique to Chinese Medicine, but has historical roots across all cultures. Participants practiced the skills they learned on each other, so they were able to immediately practice the skills demonstrated in class.

The Stomach, known as "The Official of Rotting and Ripening Food and Drink", with its paired Official, the Spleen, represent the Earth Element within us. In the cycle of the seasons, Earth is associated with Late Summer – a time when growth has reached completion. The harvest is abundant, the fruits ripe, round, sweet, and ready to be picked. What had been once a seed has come to fruition. The Earth generously provides the nourishment we need to live and thrive. The Officials of Earth within us receive the food, make it into a proper digestive mixture, and transport its essence to fuel every organ, function, and system. No organ or physical or non-physical process could occur were it deprived of nourishment.