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The fear

The fear

by | 33,Mar, 2020 | Traditional chinese medicine

It is associated with the Water element in TCM

Fear is part of the palette of human emotions. It manifests when the situation eludes us, when we have, or think we have, no more control. Physiologically, it corresponds to a strong release of adrenaline, resulting in an increase in blood pressure and pulse.

In other words, fear is a consequence of the analysis of danger which allows the subject to flee from it or to fight it. By extension, the term can also designate apprehension linked to unpleasant situations.

There are two types of fear: external fear and internal fear.

  • External fear is a reaction to an external situation that the individual seeks to avoid.
  • Internal fear is an internal fear connected to an often negative emotion (eg, low self-esteem).

Fear takes different forms depending on how an individual feels and describes it. This can range from being cautious to extreme paranoia. Fear therefore includes different emotional and cognitive states including worry, anxiety, terror, horror, panic and fear.

Chinese Medicine and Fear

Les reins

In TCM, fear or anxiety is directly linked to the kidneys. This state, if prolonged or persistent can seriously harm daily life.

In TCM, the lower back is the Palace of the Kidneys. So the kidney void is the root of all low back pain. Most of the time, all the energetic imbalances of the Kidney are manifested, among other things, by pain in the lower back and knees.

In TCM, we talk about the Kidney to speak of the organ made up of a yin kidney and a yang kidney, but also of the whole of the functions of this pair of organ. The Kidney governs birth, growth, development, aging processes and reproduction. It is on him that sexual functions and fertility rest. We owe him the endurance, the will, the energy we have.

The Kidney assumes the energy management of the body and the balance between Yin and Yang. 

The Kidneys also control the bladder and anal sphincters. Fear will cause qi down, causing kidney disease. Therefore intense fear can cause urinary or anal incontinence.

Kidney Void (or Kidney Energy Void)

Kidney deficiency can manifest itself through the following symptoms: weak willpower, dental problems, hair loss, bone fragility, water retention or edema, urinary problems (leakage, incontinence, etc.), hearing loss, etc.

It can be caused by repeated physical exertion, overwork, old age, sexual excess in men, and closely spaced pregnancies.

Kidney Fullness (or Excess Kidney Energy)

In case of excess Kidney energy, a person will experience great recklessness, heightened sexual excitement, night sweats, heat in the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, and insomnia.

How to have strong kidneys

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  • Sleep
    The kidneys, like batteries, recharge between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Lack of sleep during these hours inevitably results in a weakened kidney.
  • Eat properly.
    Certain foods strengthen the kidneys such as soy, duck, dried beans, lentils, nuts and dried fruits, oysters, sea shrimp, vegetables or roots (carrot, potato, turnips, etc.), apples, pears.
  • Hydrate properly.
    Drink fluids such as water or unsweetened fruit juices regularly and in reasonable quantities. All drinks not exceeding 1.5 liters on average per day.
  • Move.
    Here we can distinguish two kinds of activities. : intense activities causing a high heart rate, and more meditative activities such as tai qi or qi gong. The latter are highly indicated because they allow the qi to circulate freely, thus protecting the body from external attacks.
  • Avoid chemical drugs.
    See article on drugs harmful to the kidneys

Diabetes: TCM’s solutions

Diabetes: TCM’s solutions

by | 1515,Mar, 2019 | Traditional chinese medicine

Chinese Medicine solutions

 

Diabetes is experiencing alarming growth worldwide. A WHO report estimated that 422 million adults were diabetic worldwide in 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980. Cambodia is no exception, with 230,000 cases recorded in 2015. In some regions, the rate of diabetes reaches as high as 10%.

How can this phenomenon be explained? Risk factors are primarily linked to an unhealthy lifestyle: a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, excess consumption of refined foods, overconsumption of sugar in particular, and alcohol, not to mention emotional factors linked to an overly stressful lifestyle.

10 spoons of sugar in a soda

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In Cambodia, sugar consumption has reached alarming proportions: the proliferation of sugar-laden sodas, the ubiquitous use of white sugar in cooking, and sweetened condensed milk in coffee and various other drinks.

Drinking a can of soda is equivalent to eating 10 teaspoons of sugar!

However, it is encouraging to see that more and more Khmer people are becoming aware of the damage caused by sugar.

Indeed, the body is designed to assimilate the sugars naturally present in food and does not need additional sugar. Therefore, any additional sugar intake will create imbalances in the overall functioning of our body.

Diabetes is not inevitable

But diabetes is not inevitable! While some have a genetic predisposition, most type 2 diabetics can reverse their disease, or even cure it, by reviewing their lifestyle, diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy work-rest schedule. Type 1 diabetics can also improve their condition.

A clinical study conducted by Newcastle University and published in Cell Metabolism demonstrated that significant weight loss in type 2 diabetic patients immediately after diagnosis restored insulin production, thereby leading to a cure.

A closer observation showed them that this weight loss led to a reprogramming of pancreatic cells, which returned to normal function. They thus proved that diabetes could be cured, contrary to popular belief.

Xiāo Kè or the syndrome of useless thirst

Diabetes has been known and treated for over 2,000 years by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In Chinese, diabetes, Xiāo Kè or “unnecessary thirst syndrome,” is identified as a global disharmony, itself linked to a yin deficiency.

To avoid Xiāo Kè, you should refrain from:

  • drinking alcohol,
  • eating sugar, or foods or drinks with added sugar,
  • eating excessively fatty foods (fried foods).

And above all, you must move! Regular and intensive physical exercise is essential to prevent diabetes.

Acupuncture and pharmacopoeia

TCM does not measure blood glucose levels. It applies personalized treatment to each patient after a complete diagnosis. First, palpation of the Chinese pulse, questioning, observation, and palpation of the body are used.

The patient is treated with acupuncture and Chinese pharmacopoeia. This treatment gradually restores the body’s energy balance, allowing the organs to return to their natural, and therefore healthy, functioning.

The more the patient agrees to review their diet and lifestyle, the greater their chances of recovery.

The Chinese medicine doctor may recommend, in particular, the practice of qigong, whose health benefits are well-proven.

Pouls chinois

Le diabète n’est donc pas irrémédiable. Mais mieux vaut encore suivre le précepte de ce grand médecin chinois du 13ème siècle, Zhu Zhenheng : « Entretenir la santé vaut mieux que de traiter la maladie. »

The action of qigong on diabetes

Qigong has been practiced for over 2,000 years in China, particularly for its therapeutic effects. This discipline—when practiced regularly—has a beneficial and regulating effect on the entire metabolism. People with diabetes therefore have every interest in practicing it.

In an article published in 1984, Dr. Zhan Ke Fu recounts his own experience. A diabetic who relied on insulin, he decided to start practicing Tai Ji Qigong. After 15 days of diligent practice, he stopped using insulin. Three months later, his blood sugar and urine glucose levels had returned to normal.

Five other patients participated in an experimental study, practicing Tiao Xi Bu Gong, another style of qigong, every day for three hours. After three months, the results were such that all five were able to stop all their hypoglycemic medications or insulin. During a follow-up six months later, these patients’ blood sugar levels remained normal.

Qigong classes at Essence of Health

How TCM works

How TCM works

by | 99,Apr, 2014 | Traditional chinese medicine

Pathologies seen by Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) takes a different look at our pathologies. It seeks their origins in order to treat them by restoring balance, the prerequisite for health.

As a preamble, let’s recall a fundamental principle: no doctor cures their patient! It is the patient who is the architect of their own healing, with the help of their doctor, who practices their art through various techniques.

In this spirit, the Chinese doctor is interested in the patient’s health and not their illness. They will diagnose imbalances, potential factors of illness, and use various tools (acupuncture, tuina massage, dietetics, herbal medicine, etc.) to restore the patient’s overall balance, the prerequisite for health.

However, if we choose to talk about illnesses, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treats all illnesses. In some cases of advanced illness, TCM can improve an individual’s underlying condition and their general state of health. TCM can also seriously delay the progression of a serious illness. It will finally have the great merit of limiting the destructive side effects generated by chemical drugs. A medicine that is 5,000 years old.

A specific diagnosis

Since June 1979, the WHO (World Health Organization) has recognized more than forty-two diseases that can be treated with acupuncture. This list is, of course, exhaustive, given the effectiveness and power of Chinese Medicine, which has been proven for over 5,000 years. However, it is encouraging that the WHO has finally recognized TCM as a medicine in its own right. It is validated in its status as traditional medicine, not complementary or alternative medicine (see WHO document).

Diagnosis in TCM is different from diagnosis in Western medicine. It is therefore misleading to try to translate Western terms to find their correspondence in Chinese medicine.

To understand the difference between the approaches of these two medicines, let’s look at two types of images: the first is a photograph, the second is a film.

Allopathic medicine will observe a photograph, that is, an apparent situation at a given time characterized by one or more symptoms. It will make its diagnosis based on what it can observe. Of course, since what is not in the photo cannot be taken into account, being invisible!

TCM treats imbalances, the source of disease

Chinese medicine, on the other hand, observes a film, a moving image. During the diagnosis, TCM gathers information about the patient’s past, their current health, of course, but also about potential health changes. It thus observes the film of life. Through its holistic approach, it observes energetic imbalances and their impact on the patient’s physical, emotional, and psychological dimensions. Thus, Chinese medicine can treat imbalances before they become symptoms or illnesses.

Who would think of comparing cinema and photography? Even if it is possible to take a still from a film!…

Thanks to its holistic study of the human being, TCM does more than treat symptoms; it targets the root cause of the illness. It takes into account all aspects (emotional, physical, and psychological) of the patient.

Finally, TCM is a natural medicine, which does not use any chemical drugs and therefore does not induce any side effects in the patient. This is no small advantage!

To conclude, a little common sense! Would Chinese medicine, one of the oldest in the world, have survived if it hadn’t proven its effectiveness and provided solutions to all the ills of its people?