Acupuncture
Late Summer and remember to vote for Best Of on Mtn Xpress
22/08/11 17:02
Hello!
Oh the beauty of Late Summer......of course it a season unto itself within Chinese medicine, culture, and philosophy. We are still in the fullness of Summer, yet we feel, smell, and sense the approach of Fall. The winds of change bring the pivotal shift out of the full heat of summer and and into the more moderately warm and less humid days of Late Summer. This season is under the domain of the Spleen. One of the roles of the Spleen is that of transitioning between the seasons. Healthy Spleen Qi fuels this smooth progression, helping us to stay centered and calm. When the Spleen Qi is flourishing, the mind is clear. The glorious color association of Late Summer is that of yellow.
I would like to suggest an ode to yellow......both poetically and metaphorically within ourselves.
Yellow is in abundance around us in many of the blooming wildflowers right now, such as: St. John's Wort, Goldenrod, Jerusalem Artichoke, Sneezeweed(really it is named that!), and Mullein. It is so bright and beautiful.
Yellow is the color associated with the area of the body just beneath the heart, above the navel. This area is actually called The Yellow Court. It is our center, our sacred place that protects our heart, harboring all the positive, infinite possibilities of who we are. It is essentially the holding place or residence of unconditional love within us. It is helpful to visualize yellow incubating and expanding outward from this area.
Haiku for Late Summer:
open to yellow
while swallowing bright flowers
tranquility smiles
Oh the beauty of Late Summer......of course it a season unto itself within Chinese medicine, culture, and philosophy. We are still in the fullness of Summer, yet we feel, smell, and sense the approach of Fall. The winds of change bring the pivotal shift out of the full heat of summer and and into the more moderately warm and less humid days of Late Summer. This season is under the domain of the Spleen. One of the roles of the Spleen is that of transitioning between the seasons. Healthy Spleen Qi fuels this smooth progression, helping us to stay centered and calm. When the Spleen Qi is flourishing, the mind is clear. The glorious color association of Late Summer is that of yellow.
I would like to suggest an ode to yellow......both poetically and metaphorically within ourselves.
Yellow is in abundance around us in many of the blooming wildflowers right now, such as: St. John's Wort, Goldenrod, Jerusalem Artichoke, Sneezeweed(really it is named that!), and Mullein. It is so bright and beautiful.
Yellow is the color associated with the area of the body just beneath the heart, above the navel. This area is actually called The Yellow Court. It is our center, our sacred place that protects our heart, harboring all the positive, infinite possibilities of who we are. It is essentially the holding place or residence of unconditional love within us. It is helpful to visualize yellow incubating and expanding outward from this area.
Haiku for Late Summer:
open to yellow
while swallowing bright flowers
tranquility smiles
Prevention of allergies
17/05/11 10:39
This article explores the use of a popular Chinese herbal formula for the treatment and
prevention of allergies. It also touches on simple, effective household kitchen remedies.
With springtime in full bloom, many people experience the frustration of allergies. There
is a classic Chinese herbal formula called Jade Screen that is quite effective at both
preventing and treating allergies. It is called Jade Screen because it creates a protective
barrier, as if one is seated behind a wind screen of jade. Jade is a special stone, especially
in Chinese culture, where it is revered for its purifying and cleansing effects. To be
protected from the wind is to ward off unpleasant irritants in the air, such as pollen.
At this point, it is worthwhile to examine the role of wind in Chinese culture and
medicine. The wind is thought to be "the bringer of 100 diseases." This alludes to both
the atmospheric conditions as well as other pathogenic factors. For instance, often when
a person has been out in windy weather, or extreme hot or cold, damp or dry conditions,
he or she is prone to a wind invasion which often leads to allergies or a common cold.
Being exposed to wind could also mean being around someone who is sick, as in being
around germs.
If one must be out in the wind, taking Jade Screen is the ultimate protective preventative.
The formula consists of three herbs which secure the exterior, meaning enhancing the
immune system in order to ward off the wind and keep it from penetrating though the
body's outer layers of immune defense.
The herbs that do this are Astragalus root (Huang Qi), Atractylodes rhizome (Bai Zhu),
and Siler root (Fang Feng.) While a small, simple formula, it is quite effective at keeping
allergies at bay, as well as taking at the earliest onset of common cold symptoms to
prevent a further progression.
For a person who is prone to allergies or catching colds easily, it is great to
preventatively take Jade Screen during the spring (or whatever season proves to be most
challenging.) If the allergies develop into an infection or if the beginnings of a cold get
more severe, then it is no longer appropriate to take Jade Screen.
In addition to Jade Screen, eating a bit of local honey on a regular basis is an excellent
way to build the body's resistance to pollen. Also, making a tea of fresh ginger and fresh
mint is a simple form of kitchen medicine to help with early signs of allergies. Drinking
a strongly brewed cup of green tea with lemon and honey is also an effective way of
delivering a significant immune boost at the initial sign of allergies or a common cold.
The green tea is packed with antioxidants, while the lemon is chocked full of Vitamin
C, and the local honey carries the pollen from the local wildflowers, altogether making a
kitchen medicine version of Jade Screen!
Look for Jade Screen at your acupuncturist's office or possibly at the health food store.
prevention of allergies. It also touches on simple, effective household kitchen remedies.
With springtime in full bloom, many people experience the frustration of allergies. There
is a classic Chinese herbal formula called Jade Screen that is quite effective at both
preventing and treating allergies. It is called Jade Screen because it creates a protective
barrier, as if one is seated behind a wind screen of jade. Jade is a special stone, especially
in Chinese culture, where it is revered for its purifying and cleansing effects. To be
protected from the wind is to ward off unpleasant irritants in the air, such as pollen.
At this point, it is worthwhile to examine the role of wind in Chinese culture and
medicine. The wind is thought to be "the bringer of 100 diseases." This alludes to both
the atmospheric conditions as well as other pathogenic factors. For instance, often when
a person has been out in windy weather, or extreme hot or cold, damp or dry conditions,
he or she is prone to a wind invasion which often leads to allergies or a common cold.
Being exposed to wind could also mean being around someone who is sick, as in being
around germs.
If one must be out in the wind, taking Jade Screen is the ultimate protective preventative.
The formula consists of three herbs which secure the exterior, meaning enhancing the
immune system in order to ward off the wind and keep it from penetrating though the
body's outer layers of immune defense.
The herbs that do this are Astragalus root (Huang Qi), Atractylodes rhizome (Bai Zhu),
and Siler root (Fang Feng.) While a small, simple formula, it is quite effective at keeping
allergies at bay, as well as taking at the earliest onset of common cold symptoms to
prevent a further progression.
For a person who is prone to allergies or catching colds easily, it is great to
preventatively take Jade Screen during the spring (or whatever season proves to be most
challenging.) If the allergies develop into an infection or if the beginnings of a cold get
more severe, then it is no longer appropriate to take Jade Screen.
In addition to Jade Screen, eating a bit of local honey on a regular basis is an excellent
way to build the body's resistance to pollen. Also, making a tea of fresh ginger and fresh
mint is a simple form of kitchen medicine to help with early signs of allergies. Drinking
a strongly brewed cup of green tea with lemon and honey is also an effective way of
delivering a significant immune boost at the initial sign of allergies or a common cold.
The green tea is packed with antioxidants, while the lemon is chocked full of Vitamin
C, and the local honey carries the pollen from the local wildflowers, altogether making a
kitchen medicine version of Jade Screen!
Look for Jade Screen at your acupuncturist's office or possibly at the health food store.