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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

Danger for the kidneys!

Danger for the kidneys!

by | 1515,Jul, 2017 | Allopathic medicine

Many medications are harmful to the kidneys

Taking chemical medicine can cause many side effects and damage to certain organs such as kidneys.

In nearly 10% of acute renal failure there is taking drugs. The kidney functions of elimination of toxins from the blood, and of regulation of the acid-base metabolism of the body become brutally faulty result, water retention with risk of edema to the lungs, see in extreme cases an uremia, urea is retained in the blood (lethal). Traditional Chinese medicine invites us to reconsider our lifestyle and seek natural treatments instead of taking significant risks of intoxication. Chemical drugs do not treat the cause. They may quickly improve our condition, our pain but in no case will treat the cause.

Traditional Chinese medicine invites us to reconsider our lifestyle and to seek natural treatments instead of taking important risks of intoxication. Chemical drugs do not treat the cause. They may quickly improve our condition, decrease our pain, but in no way will they treat the cause of our ailments.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of medications that can generate harmful side effects to the kidneys. Generally speaking, it is prudent to limit their use over time, or even avoid them if possible by favoring 100% natural treatments.

  • Analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs:

ibuprofen, naproxen, aceclofenac, acetaminophen …

  • Antirheumatic drugs:

infliximab (Remicade), chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, lithium

  • Antibiotics:

methicillin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, sulfonamides.

  • Anticonvulsants:

Phenytoin (Dilantin) and trimethadione (Tridione) used in the treatment of seizures.

  • Antivirals:

Acyclovir (Zovirax) used to treat herpes, indinavir and tenofovir used to treat HIV

  • Antihypertensives:

Captopril (Capoten).

  • Chemotherapy treatments based on :

Interferons, pamidronate, cisplatin, carboplatin, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, quinine, mitomycin C, bevacizumab…Propylthiouracil

  • Antithyroid drugs:

Propylthiouracil