Vernal Equinox 春分 Seasonal Node

Today, Monday March 20th is the Vernal Equinox. At exactly 5:24pm Eastern Time the sun will be at an exact vertical angle to the equator. Over the next few months the sun will continue angling more and more towards the Tropic of Cancer meaning the days for us in the Northern Hemisphere will continue lengthening until reaching an apex at the Summer Solstice. Because of the time difference between China and the United States, tomorrow will be the beginning of the next Seasonal Node, also named Vernal Equinox.

At this point, in the Chinese calendar we are in the middle of Spring, but in the western calendar we celebrate Vernal Equinox as the beginning of Spring. In Persia this day was traditionally revered as the beginning of the year (called Nowruz), and Rosicrucian mystics count Vernal Equinox as the New Year as well. Why then does the Chinese calendar regard Vernal Equinox as the midpoint of Spring? Because we are now at the balance point of Yin and Yang. If the height of Yang is the longest day (Summer Solstice), and the height of Yin is the longest night (Winter Solstice), then the midpoints and thus points of balance are the Equinoxes. Even though the weather is still cold (this morning when I let my dog out there was till frost on the ground), the gradual awakening of all life in nature is clear.

 The three 5-day periods in this seasonal node are Swallows Arrive (xuanniao zhi 玄鳥至), Thunder Starts Resounding (lei nai fasheng 雷乃發聲), and Beginning of Lightning (shi dian 始電). In Yijing (I Ching) theory the Thunder Trigram (Zhen Gua 震掛) is a Wood trigram, linking thunder and lightning, yang activities of the heavens, with Spring. Zhen Gua is composed of one solid yang line on the bottom, with 2 yin (broken) lines above. This is the image of Yang emerging from underneath, continuing to grow up and out. Spring is exactly that time of year – the time when Yang of the natural world is slowly starting to push itself up and out of the Yin of Winter.

The main thing to focus on during this 15-day period is “Nourishing the Liver” (yang gan 養肝). One of the ways we nourish the Liver is to ensure normal Liver function. For example, this is the time of year to really ensure our patients' Qi is freely coursing (one of the main functions of Liver is to ensure normal coursing of Qi). The second “to do” during this time is to “both Clear and Supplement.” This means that when the Liver is hot or hyperactive, clear and sedate. When it is vacuous (e.g., has Blood vacuity), then supplement. Since any pattern of disharmony in Liver will impair some of its major functions, when we see Liver patterns during this seasonal node they must be treated. That said, this year, at least here where I am located, the weather is still chilly, especially in the mornings. As such we may have to protect the warm-Yang in the body at the same time we clear Liver or supplement the Yin-Blood. A beautiful example of this is harmonizing formulas such as Xiao Chai Hu Tang, or even Xiao Yao Wan. Both contain herbs that strengthen and supplement (e.g., Ren Shen, Bai Zhu) alongside herbs that course or clear Liver. We can also consider giving our vacuous patients pill-form warming and supplementing formulas together with powders or decoctions that have a more Liver coursing or clearing function.

As mentioned already, the Vernal Equinox is the time of balanced Yin and Yang. It is appropriate at this time to also have balanced mind states. Thus, one of the “avoids” during the Vernal Equinox is extremes of the Seven Affects. Chapter two of the Su Wen says that Spring is the time to not be angry. We should try to relax, and not allow our emotions to run too far in any direction. The second thing to avoid during this seasonal node is overdoing “bedroom activity.” Since sex stirs the Yang to mobilize Jing-essence, to keep an overall balance in health we need to seek a balance in sex. As this time of year is a time of balance, too much sex may deplete the Yin-Jing. That said, no sex at all can lead to stagnation in the circulation of Qi and Blood.

 

Diet for Vernal Equinox

Diet for the Vernal equinox should mimic the balance that is present in nature at this time. In general, the continued use of mildly acrid foods such as ginger and scallions help ensures normal coursing of Liver qi. This is especially useful for patients with Liver depression patterns. Patients who tend more towards vacuity patterns, especially Liver blood insufficiency, can increase consumption of sour foods such as pickles or vinegar. This year since the weather is cold though, we should continue to eat slightly warming foods. However, it is best to avoid very greasy or cloying warm foods (such as an overconsumption of very fatty meats), or very salty meals. While saltier and slightly greasier are ok in the cold of Winter, right now in Spring we need to be concerned with the normal and smooth movement of Qi and Blood in the body. The basic combination then is warming and acrid, such as the aforementioned ginger.

A simple tea most patients can consume during this time is rose bud tea. This tea is made by steeping Mei Gui Hua 玫瑰花 in hot water. Mei Gui Hua is warm and sweet and is found in the Qi regulating chapter of the Materia Medica. It courses Liver as well as gently quickens the blood. It is especially useful for our female patients who have menstrual irregularities due to Liver stagnation. In the Baijiquan 八極拳 system of Chinese marital arts, Mei Gui Hua tea is used as a general Qi and Blood moving tea for injury. For patients who suffer from more internal cold, Mei Gui Hua can be combined with Gui Zhi (cinnamon twig) or Sheng Jiang (fresh ginger).  

One traditional dish for Vernal Equinox is Stir Fried Pig Kidney with Eucommia (杜仲豬花). Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Organic pig kidney ¾ to 1 lb

  • Eucommia bark (Du Zhong 杜仲) 6-9g

  • 1 scallion, 1 piece of ginger (about the size of your thumb or a little larger), 1-2 cloves of garlic

  • Cooking oil, salt, soy sauce

 Cooking Instructions:

  1. Cook Du Zhong in about 1 cup of water by bringing to a boil and then simmering until only about ½ cup of liquid is left

  2. Cut kidneys into thin slices and then score one side of each slice; peel and slice the ginger, slice the garlic, and slice the scallion

  3. In a pan, add a small amount of cooling oil, and start by cooking the garlic and ginger just until fragrant and / or the garlic is transparent. Add in the kidney slices and cook for several minutes. Then add a small amount of salt and soy sauce.

  4. Add in the Du Zhong liquid, and cook down in the pan with the kidney. Add scallions. Cook until kidneys are thoroughly cooked through.

  5. Optionally can add Gou Qi Zi (i.e., Goji berries) at end as well before liquid has cooked down, cooking until slightly plump.

 

This recipe supplements the Kidney, boosts essence, and nourishes the Liver blood. It is good for lower back pain, knee pain, declining visual acuity, or other symptoms of Liver and Kidney vacuity. Because it is warming it is especially useful this year!

  

Acupuncture for Equinox

When considering acupuncture recommendations, first we should think about how Wood phase (for Spring) is functioning in our patients. Ideally, we should all be in a state of balance, neither in a state of insufficiency nor of repletion. Relative repletion, especially during the time of transition into warmer weather, frequently manifests as stasis. This is because the Qi of the body, as the time of year is becoming more Yang, wants to move. But since cold weather is still lingering, Qi has trouble moving and stagnation is the result. Another possible reason for stagnation is a failure to increase physical movement this time of year. If this is the case then points that course Qi and Blood throughout the body should be chosen. My recommendation is to consider the Metacarpal Three Needles (掌三針) consisting of Ling Gu 22.05, Da Bai 22.04 and Zhong Kui. On the lower extremities we can add Ren Huang 77.21. If the repletion also manifests with some internal heat, consider bleeding the apex of the ear. 

The opposite situation is having a patient with insufficiency of Wood, either in the case of Liver Vacuity (especially patterns of Liver Blood vacuity), or of general vacuity of the Yang. For Liver vacuity we can consider points such as the Upper Three Yellows (上三黃; 88.12, 13, 14). Alternately, we can choose the Lower Three Emperors (下三皇; 77.17, 19, 21), one main Dao Ma group for the Kidney. Why the Kidney Dao Ma group? Because strengthening Water-Kidney automatically strengthens Wood-Liver because of the Five Phase engendering cycle relationship.

I hope everyone will have a great Equinox!  

Awakening of Insects 驚蟄 Seasonal Node

I’ve just returned on the red-eye from a great teaching trip to Portland where we had a great weekend with the advanced practice doctoral students at my alma mater, the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. It’s morning now on the East Coast and just outside my window as I write, I see buds on many of the plants. I also just got an email from one of the gardens I get seeds and seedlings for the Chinese herbs that I grow. Life is bursting out all over in the natural world, and rightly so since we are starting the next segment of Spring today, Monday March 6th – the Awakening of Insects seasonal node (jing zhe 驚蟄).

Awakening of Insects is the third node of Spring, and thus also of the year in the traditional Chinese calendar. In China the three 5-day periods in this seasonal node are Peach Trees Begin to Blossom (tao shi hua 桃始華), Orioles Sing (canggeng ming 倉庚鳴), and Hawks Transform into Cuckcoos (ying hua weijiu 鷹化爲鳩). The Japanese versions of these smaller segments are Hibernating Insects Come Out (蟄虫啓戸 sugomori mushito o hiraku), Peach Trees Begin to Blossom (桃始笑 momo hajimete saku), and Caterpillars Transform to Butterflies (菜虫化蝶 namushi chō to naru).

The first ‘to do’ for this period of time is to guard and protect the Yang qi. Even though we are in Spring, cold can linger this early part of the season and temperatures will continue to fluctuate from day to day. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather, and perhaps travel with layers so as to neither overheat nor be chilled. As Yang qi continues to grow in the natural environment, now is the time to start doing more gentle exercise. This recommendation comes from the second chapter of the Neijing Su Wen, the The Great Treatise on Regulating the Spirit with the Four Seasons (Si Qi Tiao Shen Da Lun). There Qi Bo recommends that during Spring we should “upon waking take a walk in the courtyard, loosen the hair and relax the body, thus focusing the will on life.” Movement, especially in the morning, is a Yang activity. The Neijing recommends that “in Spring and Summer nourish Yang, and in Autumn and Winter nourish Yin (春夏養陽，秋冬養陰).”

The ‘to avoid’ during Awakening of Insects is undo stress and strain. As Chinese medicine practitioners we all know the mental pattern associated with Wood phase, and thus Spring, is anger. Patients who are prone to Liver depression or Liver repletion patterns should be monitored during this time period to be sure qi is circulating smoothly. This is the time when formulas in the Chai Hu family are appropriate for many people. For patients prone to resentment, frustration or anger, contemplative practices such as Japanese Naikan are appropriate.

Diet for this time of year should help protect the Yang qi as well. I generally recommend that people eat warming foods such as leeks, chives, and scallions. Likewise, it is appropriate to drink a little alcohol, provided the patient does not have specific sensitivities, morbidities, or medications that require abstinence. All of these foods, including alcohol, are warm and acrid, and thus course and warm the qi. I also suggest that everyone consume slightly more white noodles. In general, wheat husk (bran) is cooling, while the endosperm (inner white portion) is warming. White noodles, especially in soups, have the function of warming and supplementing the qi.

One traditional dish for Awakening of Insects is Schizonepeta and Mint Congee (荊芥薄荷粥). Congees are simply rice porridges. To make this congee start with 10g Jing Jie, 6g Bo He, and 10g Dan Dou Chi. First, place the Dan Dou Chi in about 5 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Then, add the Jing Jie and Bo He, simmering only for 5 minutes. After this, strain out the herbs and retain the liquid. Place the liquid back in the pot and bring to a simmer again. Lastly, add in about ½ cup of rice and cook until the rice breaks apart and becomes porridge-like (this can take 30-45 more minutes of cooking). Add in extra hot water as necessary if the congee becomes too thick. Schizonepeta and Mint Congee expels wind, resoles the surface, clears heat and eliminates toxins. It is useful for treating early stage colds, seasonal allergies, or just as a daily early Spring food.

The last recommendation I’ll offer for Awakening of Insects is the traditional Chinese practice of Pai Da – stimulating acupuncture points and channels by patting. As mentioned above, Spring is the time to increase movement. Liver (the organ of Spring) ensures the free coursing of Qi and Blood in the body. Thus, any exercise or practice that opens and circulates the channels of the body will have a beneficial effect on the Liver. One basic Pai Da technique is to use the hands held in loose fists to pat acupuncture points on the upper limbs. Start by patting the shoulders – the area of Jian Jing GB-21. Alternate right and left while patting. Then, continue with patting the sides of the elbows at Qu Chi LI-11. Finish with tapping the He Gu LI-4 area. For the lower extremities start with tapping at Huan Tiao GB-30, moving down then to Zu San Li ST-36, and finally Cheng Shan BL-57. For the lower extremities, both sides of the body can be tapped at the same time.

In the Hunyuan system of Qigong and Taiji I teach there is also a much more involved set of exercises that incorporate Paida. In this series we have a standing and moving posture for each of the 12 primary channels as well as some of the extraordinary vessels. Then, in addition to the postures, we use a special sack filled with rice and a Daoist lineage herbal formula that contains herbs to move Qi and soften the sinews (for example, the formula contains Ji Xue Teng and Shen Jin Cao); this sack is used to pat and tap along the channels. The combination of physical movement, breathing, visualization, and then mechanical stimulation of the channels is a very effective way of moving the Qi and Blood internally to balance the channel system. This is something we cover extensively in our newly created Clinical Qigong course for East Asian Medicine practitioners. Our current cohort is underway, but those interested in taking this class in the future can let me know and I’ll add you to our potential student list. The next cohort will most likely start in the Fall.

In just a few weeks we reach the Vernal Equinox, and I’ll be writing about that soon!

Rain Water 雨水 Seasonal Node

Today, Monday February 20th, is the beginning of the second seasonal node of the new-year and the new Spring – 雨水 Yu Shui, “Rain Water.”  Here in northern New Jersey we’ve been having a relatively mild February, and the weather today feels somewhat damp outside – right on time for the current node. We are also seeing some buds on trees and early blooming flowering bulbs.

As the next step of Spring, during Rain Water the expansion of Yang in the natural environment continues. So, while days can still be chilly, we are getting more and more light, and seeing plants budding and migratory birds on the wing. The three smaller periods of Rain Water are “Otters Sacrifice Fish” (ta ji yu 獺祭魚), “Swan Geese Appear” (hong yan lai 鴻雁來), and “Vegetation Sprouts” (caomu mengdong 草木萌動). The swan goose is a rare large goose native to northern China. While we don’t have them here in the US, we do have other species of geese, and here in New Jersey we are seeing flocks of geese flying north again heralding the warmer Spring weather to come. The Japanese versions of these smaller nodes are different: Rain Moistens the Soil (土脉潤起 tsuchi no shō uruoi okoru), Dew Begins Lingering (霞始靆 kasumi hajimete tanabiku), and Grass Sprouts, Trees Bud (草木萌動 sōmoku mebae izuru).

One of the statements in Chinese related to Rain Water says, “Yu shui lai lin shi qi zhong, dang xin pi wei shou shang hai” 雨水來臨濕氣重，當心脾胃受傷害 – “as Rain Water arrives damp qi is heavy, be careful not to damage the Spleen and Stomach.” When walking around outside, I’m struck by a palpable shift. On slightly warmer days, the ground is becoming moist with the release of water that was trapped in frozen form. This increased dampness outside in nature is attested to by my dog’s muddy paws as we come back in after evening walks. The point Xuan Shu DU-5 (懸樞穴) is located at L1, the vertebra associated with Rain Water. While this point treats the spine as a local or adjacent treatment, one of the other most important classical indications for Xuan Shu is undigested food in the stool. This point, located at the vertebra associated with Rain Water, thus treats manifestations of vacuity in the middle jiao, the very thing we need to be wary of this Seasonal Node. Thus, needling or applying moxa at this point is appropriate in the clinic during this time.

The basic “to do” recommendation for Rain Water is to supplement the Kidney and strengthen the Spleen. We do this because the weather is still chilly and can tax the Kidney as the viscera of cold and Winter. In addition we need to protect the Spleen because of increased environmental dampness. At the same time, the Spleen is the viscera associated with transformation and transition, and even though we are in Spring we are in a period of weather transition. Thus, another reason Xuan Shu is important this time of year is because, in addition to its ability to supplement the middle jiao, being a point on the lower portion of the Du Mai it also can strengthen the Kidney.

Other points to consider in the clinic are Si Hua Shang 77.08 (i.e., Zu San Li ST36) in combination with Ling Gu 22.05 and Da Bai 22.04. Ling Gu and Da Bai have the ability to course Qi and Blood, regulate the Kidney (because of the connection between the Large Intestine and Kidney channels mediated through relationships on the diurnal circulation of Qi through the channels), and expel external cold. Si Hua Shang supplements the middle burner, especially when treated with direct moxibustion.

The second “to do” for Rain Water is eat congee! Honestly, is there a season when congee is bad? For those not in the know, congee is a type of rice porridge or soup (depending on how thickly you prepare it). And why eat congee now? Because it dovetails with the other recommendations for Rain Water. First, congee is warming and supplements the Spleen. Furthermore, congee is mildly damp draining so it protects the body against the increase in dampness in the environment. Congee is incredibly easy to make, and in China it is a common breakfast or brunch food. People of all levels of health can benefit from being taught to make and eat congee.

The base recipe for congee is to add 1 part rice to 6 to 10 parts water. For example, we can cook ½ cup rice in 5 cups of water. This is cooked until the rice basically starts falling apart so that the resulting product is creamy white. Depending on the type of rice you use, this can take anywhere form 45 minutes to 2 hours of cooking. What I do at home and what I recommend to patients is that they put all the ingredients into a slow cooker overnight on low heat, and by morning perfect congee is done.

Just about any ingredient can be added into this basic congee. For patients with weak Spleens and damp accumulation, a basic congee starts with rice as described above. After that, add in several slices of fresh ginger, a handful of Yi Yi Ren 薏苡仁, and several Dang Shen 黨蔘 roots. Season with soy sauce to taste when finished. This basic Spleen-strengthening and damp-percolating dish can be eaten daily for breakfast.

During Rain Water, since it is a time period of early spring, we also need to stay warm and guard against Wind. As such, the basic “avoid” during Rain Water is “don’t rush to put away winter clothes.” The northeastern US is slowly starting to warm. But, we are early enough in the year that we will see more cold, and the increased dampness in the environment makes the temperature feel a little chillier than it actually may be. Stay warm, and remember to use moxabustion as necessary on yourself and on your patients.

Here is a basic tea recipe associated with the current seasonal node. Its function is to warm and resolve the exterior, strengthen the Spleen, and guard against Wind.

 

Five Sprits Tea (Wu Shen Tang 五神湯)

Jing Jie 荊芥

Ingredients:

  • Jing Jie 荊芥 9g

  • Zi Su Ye 紫蘇葉 9g

  • Sheng Jiang (i.e., fresh ginger root) 生薑 9g

  • Tealeaf (green or oolong) 6g

  • Brown sugar 30g

 Directions:

  1. Place the herbs in a pot with 3 cups of cold water. Let soak for several minutes.

  2. Bring water and herbs to a rapid boil over a high flame. Then, reduce and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.

  3. Strain out herbs and add in the tealeaf, letting the tea steep in the hot liquid for several minutes.

  4. Strain out the tea. Stir in brown sugar and drink warm throughout the day. Molasses or honey can be substituted for brown sugar (use to taste).

 

Here’s another recipe, this time a soup…

 

Job’s Tear and Lily Pork Soup (Yi Mi Bai He Shou Rou Tang)

薏米百合瘦肉湯

Ingredients:

  • ½ lb. lean pork

  • 1 large carrot

  • 1 oz. Job’s Tear barley 薏苡仁

  • 1 oz. Lily Bulb herb 百合

  • ¼ cup (or a little more) of corn (or about ½ ear fresh corn)

  • Ginger

  • Salt

Directions:

  1. Rinse Job’s Tear and Lily Bulb; place in a pan with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat

  2. While cooking, prepare other ingredients by cutting up carrot and pork into bite-sized chunks; remove corn from cob if using fresh corn; peel and slice ginger (an appropriate amount to taste)

  3. Add carrot, pork and ginger to the soup (add a little more water if necessary); simmer on very low heat for about 2 hours; add salt to taste

This recipe removes phlegm, strengthens the Lungs, expels dampness and opens the Spleen. Moreover, this is a light soup that won’t create internal dampness or damage the digestive function. It is also not overly warming.

 

Happy February!

Upcoming Taking Action Course with ToDo Institute

This month, starting February 18th, the ToDo Institute is running another excellent online course based on the principles of Japanese psychology. February’s focus will be on the Art of Taking Action, and again they’ve offered my readers, friends and colleagues 40% off the course tuition, which is already really low for a month-long course. As I mentioned before, I get no compensation for helping ToDo advertise, I just think they’re great! Consider joining in, and please use the discount code McCann when registering.

This is a link to go to their course website.

Last Day of Winter 節分 and Beginning of Spring 立春

Japanese Oni (鬼、おに)

Today, February 3, 2023, is a special day in the traditional Japanese calendar – Setsubun (節分　― せつぶん). The word “setsubun” literally means the seasonal division, and refers to the last day of Winter. On this day in Japan, many people engage in practices that had their origin in Chinese exorcistic rituals, purging negative entities in preparation for the beginning of Spring the day after. One of the most common rituals is known as mamemaki 豆撒き, or the scattering of toasted soybeans.

During this ritual, people will throw toasted soybeans out their front door while saying, Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! 鬼は外! 福は内!, or, “demons out and luck in!” In essence, this is a method of purging the negative Yin of the Winter and the old year (since the beginning of Spring is the new year in East Asian calendars), while welcoming in the nascent Yang of the new season.  

If today is Setsubun, the last day of Winter, then tomorrow is the Beginning of Spring 立春, and the start of the Beginning of Spring Seasonal Node. Remember, while modern westerners are accustomed to placing the beginning of Spring in March, the Chinese calendar marks seasonal change by position of the sun and relative daylight. As the days are now getting longer, we are in the time of everything waking from Winter’s slumber. The darkest and longest nights are now 6 weeks behind us, and in only another 6 weeks we will be at the Equinox – halfway to when the days will get shorter again.

The Chinese use both a lunar and a solar calendar to mark time, and because of this there are two dates that are considered the beginning of Spring. One is called Li Chun (立春) – the “Beginning of Spring,” which is one of the twenty four seasonal nodes. The solar beginning of Spring happens every year in early February and this year it starts tomorrow (February 4th). The other beginning of Spring is the lunar, also known as Chun Jie (春節), the Spring Festival. This day is the Chinese Lunar New Year, and it falls on the second new moon following the Winter Solstice (with the rare possibility of it falling on the third new moon in some years with an intercalary month). The Lunar New Year is one of the most important traditional holidays in China, and is a time for people to visit with family and friends.  The lunar festivals traditionally last about 2 weeks until the full moon. This year the Lunar new year happened on January 22nd.

During the Beginning of Spring seasonal node the Yang influences are growing in the natural world. As mentioned already, we are only about 6 weeks away from the Vernal Equinox (Chun Fen 春分), one of the two times of year when the Yang and Yin are most balanced and we have more equal day and night. Even with cooler weather lingering the days are getting longer and in northern New Jersey where I am, in the morning I am hearing some songbirds starting to return.  The increased activity in the natural world is also reflected in the names of the shorter 5 day segments (the 72 Material Manifestations of the year) that make up Beginning of Spring – Dong Feng Jie Dong 東風解凍 (The East Wind Liberates From Icy Shackles), Zhe Chong Shi Zhen 蟄蟲始振 (Hibernating Insects Begin to Stir), and Yu Shang Bing 魚上冰 (Fish Rise Up to the Ice).

Spring is the time associated with the Wood phase and the Liver, and the Liver is a Yang viscera (with Heart being the other Yang viscera). A traditional saying for Beginning of Spring is “Li chun yang gan shun tian shi, qu chu ji bing bao jian kang” – “At the beginning of Spring nourishing the Liver means to following the timing of Heaven, expel and rid yourself of disease and protect your health.” Diet recommendations at the Beginning of Spring then are designed to help and nourish Liver.

As a general rule this is the time to consume foods that help maintain normal Liver function, especially the Yang of Liver. Since the Liver governs free coursing, eating mildly acrid and warm foods will support this function. For example, appropriate foods this time of year include scallions, leeks, chives, cilantro, and garlic.  Here is another phrase for this time of year: “Duo chi jiu cai chao rou si, yang hu gan yang zhu sheng fa” – “Eat a lot of leeks and pork to nourish and protect the Liver yang and develop the nature of birth.”  In the Huang Di Nei Jing the Spring is associated with the term sheng 生 or “birth.” This is the same sheng as in, for example, Sheng Jiang 生薑 – fresh (or living) ginger. Tung recommended eating beef stewed with garlic for the treatment of Liver Vacuity (Tung, 1973). While he didn’t mention it specifically for Beginning of Spring, we can say that this recipe is perfect for the warming and strengthening of the Liver Yang that is now appropriate.

Patients with chronic Liver fire should take care this seasonal node as Yang is on the rise everywhere. A traditional Beginning of Spring drink for these patients is Yin Chen Da Zao Tang. For this drink take 20g of Yin Chen Hao and 30g of Da Zao. Place in a pot with about 2 ½ cups water. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes. Separate into 2 doses and drink in the morning and evening. This formula benefits qi, generates fluids, and protects the Liver. In the clinic we can mimic this basic formula with points such as Mu Yan 11.20 or Gan Men 33.11.

One more traditional dish for Beginning of Spring is Pork Bone Red Date Soup. Yes, even before bone broth became the latest health trend here in the US, it was considered an important food for health the world around. This dish can be taken daily; it builds blood, warms the interior without being too warming or drying, and can be taken both to prevent and treat colds.

 

Pork Bone Red Date Soup 豬骨紅棗湯

Ingredients:

  • Pork bone, about 3 lbs

  • Chinese dried red dates (Hong Zao, or Da Zao), about 6 pieces

  • Ginger

  • 1 Large scallion white

  • Salt

Instructions:

  1. Place washed pork bones into a slow cooker and add enough water to cover bones (about 2 quarts)

  2. Cut ginger and scallion into large pieces, place in slow cooker with bones; add dates as well to slow cooker

  3. Cook on low for 8 hours or more (the prep can be done in the evening and left to cook overnight)

  4. Drink broth daily

 

Other vegetables or ingredients can be added to this soup as desired. To read more about general Spring health care please click here.

Happy Spring and happy year of the Water Rabbit!

Upcoming Living on Purpose Course at ToDo

Many of you know I did professional training in Japanese psychology through the ToDo Institute in Vermont. I think they have some really excellent programs. This weekend they are starting another round of their online Living on Purpose Course and they’ve offered my readers, friends and colleagues 40% off the course tuition, which is already really low for a month-long course.

I get no compensation for helping ToDo advertise, I just think they’re great. Consider joining in, and please use the discount code McCann when registering. Click here or on the photo to get to the course information page.

Clinical Qigong Starts Soon - Last Call!

Our Foundations of Clinical Qigong course starts very soon. I blogged about this previously, but will say again that I’m very excited for this class as it is something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time.

This class will be a semester style 30 hours course meeting once a week starting January 10th. It is designed as a foundation for self-practice, but also for the East Asian Medicine clinician to start using Qigong and similar practices in clinical settings. Here is an overview of the course content as well as information on time, dates, costs, etc… We are NCCAOM approved for 30 PDA (CEU) hours.

Class is limited to 12 participants and we have a few slots left open. If interested please email to let me know!

Holiday Book Recommendations: My (new) Annual Book Review

So, I love books. If you were to come into either my office or home, you’ll see them everywhere and because of that I’m very grateful to have married someone who is also a fan of books and tolerant of my bad behavior of having them just about all over the place in just about all of my spaces. This year I thought I’d try to start a new tradition of blogging about my favorite recommendations for those who might be similar in their love of books and inhabit the same sphere of interests that I do. Some of these books have been sitting on my shelf for some time now, so it also gives me a chance to write a bit about them and encourage my colleagues to check them out and read them for themselves. Here we go…

 

Complete Compendium of Zhang Jingyue Vol 1-3

By Zhang Jingyue; Trans. by Allen Tsuar, Ed. Michael Brown

Purple Cloud Press, 2020

Purple Cloud Press in general has become one of my favorite newer publishers. Their mission focus is, “to the dissemination of various forms of traditional Chinese culture including medicine and healing, martial arts, Tai Chi and Qigong, philosophy, spiritual practice and art,” and their books clearly reflect that. This first book I’ll review is a translation of the first three volumes of the Complete Compendium of Zhang Jingyue 景岳全書, a massive work written by the late Ming Dynasty physician Zhang Jingyue (Zhang Jiebin; 1563-1640). Zhang is also the author of the Lei Jing (類經; 1624), an important commentary on the Huang Di Nei Jing. His Complete Compendium however was finished several years later in 1640, which collected and summarized his lifetime of medical understand and clinical experience, making it the lasting voice of one of later Imperial China’s most influential physicians.

In essence, I can state confidently that the main theme of this text is the Principle 理 that underlies Chinese medicine as a whole. This idea of Principle is a Neo-Confucian concept that there is some underlying organizing system that is at the heart of the universe and all that it contains, including within the heart of the practice of medicine. That means that the physician’s job is to look at signs and symptoms, understand their meaning, and then penetrate the fundamental mechanisms of the body that have become diseased in the specific patient in front of them. In today’s Chinese medicine in the west I’ve observed that we are, in some corners, moving further and further away from this idea evidenced by post after post on Facebook where acupuncturists ask, “what is the best point/herb/formula for [insert disease name here].” We see the same with the, to me, very bizarre thinking that so-called “orthopedic acupuncture” (i.e., acupuncture that focuses on a western understanding of anatomy) is the only effective way to treat pain with needles. There is a place for empirical formulas for sure, and I think that orthopedic acupuncture is very useful (I actually taught a semester on the topic at Pacific College several years ago). But to think that our own medicine is no longer useful, or that concepts of channels, or Yin-Yang don’t actually enhance treatment, is simply giving up on a medicine that is both profound, and incredibly effective. We sometimes just don’t bother to deeply ponder and then understand the structure of medical thinking that defines Chinese medicine (hint – the therapies we do don’t define Chinese medicine, the underlying thinking does). It would seem though that this isn’t a new phenomenon. In this text Zhang even laments, “Alas! Where can I find those who have communion with the bright spirit and perceive the formless, with whom I can share these discussions about our profession.”

But I digress…

In these first few volumes of the Complete Compendium Zhang lays out for readers a detailed and very cogent discussion of fundamental concepts in medicine starting with Yin and Yang followed by the Six Transformations (六變) of exterior, interior, cold, heat, vacuity and repletion. This should sound familiar to readers since they are, of course, the Eight Principles. And, this should also challenge one of the commonly heard false narratives in some corners of Chinese medicine today that Eight Principle diagnostics are somehow a modern creation of Communist medicine that don’t reflect pre- mid 20th century practice. To help the reader and aspiring (or even experienced practicing) physician understand these concepts, Zhang continues with a discussion of the Ten Questions as a way to illuminate and understand Principle. I think these sections would even be an excellent introduction to these crucial topics for new Chinese medicine students as, in my opinion, the discussion is better than that found in just about all of our basic entry level textbooks. 

Throughout the volume Zhang also discusses the importance of Ming Men, the concepts of Early and Later Heaven, and the importance of protecting the Yang Qi through warm supplementation. He does this though without dogmatically clinging to the idea, for example, that all patients should be given warming and supplementing treatment. Zhang’s goal is unblind us, and liberate us from the habits of treatment based on disease, or a dogmatic approach to treatment. Instead he tries to get us to see the uniqueness of each patient by seeing their root, following that very admonition we see in the Nei Jing that seeking the root is the imperative of medicine.

Although Zhang was primarily an herbalist, this book should grace the shelf of both herbalists and acupuncturists because of its very clear explanation of the underlying structure of our medicine.

Complete Compendium of Zhang Jingyue Vol 50-51 (Part 1)

By Zhang Jingyue & Chen Xiuyuan; Trans. by Allen Tsuar, Ed. Michael Brown

Purple Cloud Press, 2022

My next review is of the second of Purple Cloud Press’ Zhang Jingyue Collection, its next installment of the Complete Compendium of Zhang Jingyue 景岳全書. Where the previous volume discussed Zhang’s deep insight into medical theory and diagnosis, this current volume gives us the practical application thereof.

The main theme at the beginning of this volume is Zhang’s Eight Strategies of New Formulas 新方八畧引 which include supplementing (補), harmonizing (和), attacking (攻), dispersing (散), cooling (寒), heating (熱), securing (固), and corresponding (因). These methods eventually lay the ground for a discussion of formulas in a similarly arranged eight sections which Zhang calls his Eight Battle Arrays of New Formulas 新方八陣 – a name genuinely worthy of a Wuxia novel devoted to medicine!

This book, part 1 of this section of the Complete Compendium, covers the first four of the Battle Arrays with discussions of 71 formulas. Some of these are quite commonly used and important formulas today; for example, we have elucidations of Zuo Gui Yin, You Gui Yin, Zuo Gui Wan, You Gui Wan, and Chai Ling Yin. For each of the formulas Zhang gives us a description, ingredients, and cooking methods. Another thing Zhang provides is short case studies. The use of case studies to teach Chinese medicine is something both historically important and clinically useful (dare I say vital). As a teacher of case studies at the advanced practice doctoral level I think this is something we don’t utilize enough in our entry level masters or entry level doctoral education, and is notably absent in basic textbooks. As such, I appreciate Zhang’s allow us readers to sit beside him in the clinic as he sees actual cases. Another thing I appreciated about his cases in this volume is that they are not all immediately successful. He shares with us his initial failures in treatment, and how he reasoned his way to success. These include instances when herbal treatment alone fell short and he needed other therapies such as moxibustion to ultimately achieve clinical results.

The other feature of this volume is the inclusion of critical writings by Chen Xiuyuan 陳修園 (1766-1833), a Qing dynasty physician of great importance to the history and modern practice of our medicine. Let’s just say that Chen, a proponent of conservative approaches to Shang Han Lun and other canonical texts, was not a fan of Zhang’s approach to medicine. Chen accuses Zhang of never having read the Shang Han Lun, and thus not understanding real approaches to medicine and thus harming people with his methods. Ouch! There are also other additional commentaries included by other physicians. These are a very useful addition to this translation and they illustrate the scholarly written discussion throughout history that really is a vital part of Chinese medicine. Nothing has come down throughout time that has not been interpreted and reinterpreted by real physicians, with real clinical practices. It is an encouragement to us modern readers that we need to evaluate everything we take in and make it relevant to our own clinical practices. As it is said in Chinese, 盡信書不如無書 – believing everything you read in a book is worse than not having that book at all.

But, in the end, I think Zhang would value dissenting voices. One of his own stated goals is to break physicians out of a rigid approach to medicine or rigid application of formulas. Like a masterful military strategist, the physician needs to flexibly adapt to the uniqueness of any situation. Zhang understands the seemingly contrary nature of his writing then, to use set formulas to teach people how not to rely on set formulas. To use concrete examples, to illustrate formless Principle. This though, is exactly why this volume and the one I reviewed above my kind of books.

Healing Virtue-Power: Medical Ethics and the Doctor’s Dao

By Sun Simiao & Sabine Wilms

Happy Goat Productions, 2022

This is really an excellent little book that should be required reading for all those who practice East Asian Medicine. While a book presumably on medicine, it really is a discussion on developing Dé 德, a word commonly translated as Virtue, but one that Dr. Wilms renders as Virtue-Power hinting that it is this Dé that gives the physician potency. As Wilms quotes, a line from a thousand years ago tells us that, “for a person who lacks enduring Virtue-Power, it is impossible to become a physician” 無恆德者，不可以作醫. Dé, at heart, is also about how we really become human, in addition to becoming a competent physician.

Wilms opens the book with a great introduction that brings up questions more so than giving answers or prescriptions. It is an invitation to readers to think about the role of medical ethics today, how we can define medical ethics beyond what we would normally consider it to be, and how we can consider moving beyond just methods so as to develop virtuosity in practice. Since it was so engaging, I read and reread the introduction a few times and thought about it for a few weeks before I went on to the rest of the book.

To really explore these topics the bulk of the book is a translation and discussion of Sun Simiao’s two essays “On the Professional Practice of the Great Doctor,” and the “On the Sublime Sincerity of the Great Doctor.” These two essays are presented in the original Chinese, Pinyin transliteration, and then Dr. Wilms’ translation. As someone who likes to read the original Chinese text and think about how it was translated, this is a welcome feature. And, as always, Wilms’ discussion is both thoughtful and thought provoking.

One thing I really love about the book is Wilms’ conversational style of writing. It is almost as if I, as the reader, am just sitting together with her in the presence of Sun Simiao discussing life through the lens of medicine. Really, it is through conversation and interaction with others that we learn about life, and about medicine. When we can’t have that conversation in person, having a conversation through the written word is a way to sustain the heart. So, until my friend Sabine and I can meet again in person, share a cup of Pu-Erh, or walk with our dogs together, I’m happy to chat with her through this, her latest book.

Primer for Translating Daoist Literature

By Louis Komjathy

Purple Cloud Press, 2022

This is not a book on Chinese medicine, but rather language and Daoism, both topics that I know many of my readers will appreciate. This is also an excellent offering from our friends at Purple Cloud Press, although in their collection of books related to philosophy and spiritual practice.

When I was young my initial interest in Chinese and broader East Asian culture came first from my exposure to martial arts and East Asian spiritual-religious traditions such as Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Daoism. Unfortunately for all of us, back then much of the treatment of Daoism was a sort of go-with-the-flow New Age glossing over of a very deep and meaningful tradition, and this was a great disservice. Over the last few years though I’m pleased to be witnessing what I think and hope will be the successful transmission of authentic Daoism to the western world. We see this with groups such as Parting Clouds as well as with the publication of books such as this one.

While there have been quite a few texts on the market devoted to reading and translating classical Chinese, and there are also some devoted specifically to classical Chinese in medical texts, this is the first to my knowledge on translating Daoist literature. In this book Louis Komjathy, a scholar of Daoism with a Ph.D. from Boston University, presents 28 lessons (maybe because there are 28 Lunar Mansions?) on important passages taken from very early literature such as the Nei Ye and Zhuang Zi, to later writings important to Daoism.  Each lesson provides context for the piece, important Daoist technical vocabulary, and discussion of aspects of language such as classical Chinese grammar. In doing so the reader can improve skills of translation while studying important themes within the context of Daoism.

That said, while this is a book on translating Daoist literature, it will be of interest to anyone interested in Daoism whether or not they intend to translate texts for themselves, and even if they don’t read classical Chinese. This book really does offer insight, using original source material, into the philosophy, history and practice of authentic Daoism as a tradition. For those who do have some familiarity with modern or classical Chinese, or other East Asian languages such as Japanese, this is an excellent way to get started on an under-explored aspect of Chinese religion and culture through original classical literature. Finally, for western Daoists or aspiring Daoists, this will be an enduring and essential reference for us to keep on our shelves. 


Thanks to all my readers and to those of you who have come to the end of this rather long blog post. Hopefully some of these books will end up on gift lists either to yourself or to friends (I’m giving some to friends myself). I wish everyone a beautiful holiday season, and a healthy and prosperous, on all levels, New Year.

Winter Solstice 冬至 2022

I’ve been behind on blogging about the seasons over the last month or so. But I thought that now would be a good time to get back to it, in that today is one of the most important astronomical events of the solar year – the Winter Solstice. This Solstice is the natural embodiment of post tenebras lux, as it is the literal as well as metaphorical return of light. Thus, Solstice is the original Winter holiday, that which is the basis for why other holidays – Christmas, Julian Calendar New Year, Hanukah, Saturnalia – are celebrated this time of year. It is the promise of the eternal renewal that is part of the cyclical process of the cosmos.

In 2022 the astronomical Winter Solstice arrives at 4:48pm Eastern Standard Time today, Wednesday December 21, and this same day starts the Winter Solstice Seasonal Node. This is the moment when the elliptical orbit of the sun reaches the point where, because of the tilt of the planet, the sun’s rays hit the Tropic of Capricorn at 90 degrees. This angling of the planet towards the sun means the fewest hours of daylight for the northern hemisphere out of any day of the year, and in the most northern latitudes there is 24 hours of darkness. However, after today the Earth’s path around the sun changes such that the tilted northern hemisphere will gradually be hit more directly by the sun’s rays, slowly making the days longer and the warmer.

The Chinese term for Winter Solstice (dong zhi 冬至) literally means the “extreme of yin,” and symbolically this node is represented by Hexagram 24, which is comprised of one Yang line at the bottom of 5 Yin lines. Hexagram 24’s name is Return – Fu (復). What is returning? The Yang and the light are returning. One of the basic laws of Yin-Yang theory is that of mutual transformation. When something reaches an extreme, then it naturally reverts to the opposite. Now is when Yin has reached its extreme thereby giving birth to Yang. The smaller segments, the Material Manifestations, for this node are Earthworms Congeal (Qiu Yin Jie 蚯蚓結), Moose Deer Shed Their Horns (Mi Jiao Jie 麋角解), and Aquifers Stir (Shui Quan Dong 水泉動).

During Winter Solstice we should consider the Chinese folk saying, “Dong zhi yang sheng you da dao, xia bing dong zhi shi miao zhao” (冬至養生有大道，夏病冬治是妙招) – “Nourishing life at Winter Solstice is a great Dao, treating summer’s disease in winter is very clever!” (Yes… It rhymes better in Chinese…) What can we do then to stay healthy during this time period? The first basic recommendation is taken from the Su Wen chapter 1: “Zao shui, wan qi” (早睡晚起) – go to bed early and sleep late. Winter is the time of year that is most yin, and, ideally, we should sort of be hibernating, both physically and mentally. Finding more time for rest and reflection puts us into harmony with the Yin of Winter.  That said, too much sleep is also not great. Sleep (which is Yin) when excessive damages the Yang, which is why the Su Wen says excessive sleep (literally, lying down) injures the Qi (久臥傷氣). The recommendation I typically give patients is that 7-8 hours of sleep is plenty for the average healthy person.

The second recommendation is “Chi xu yun dong” (持續運動) – persist in moving. Even though Winter is the time of yin quietude, as mentioned above the Winter Solstice marks the birth of yang.  Because movement is Yang it is important for us to “persist in moving” during this time of year. Appropriate exercises include gentle movement such as Taiji, Qigong or Yoga.

To stay healthy this time of year there are also some things to avoid. Since this time of year has an abundance of Yin influences (i.e., the cold and dark) and a lack of Yang, the first admonition is to guard against weakening the Yang Qi. As Winter Solstice is the time of Yang Qi’s birth in the natural world, it is important to be sure that there is adequate Yang Qi in the body. For patients with Qi Vacuity cold it is especially important to avoid excess cold exposure. This is a time period where those patients can apply moxibustion at home on points such as Qi Hai REN-6, Guan Yuan REN-4, or Zu San Li ST3-6. Alternately, they can do moxibustion on Tung’s point Huo Fu Hai 33.07. Another traditional recommendation for this time of year is to try exposing oneself to sunlight as much as possible. If possible, traditional medicine recommends allowing the back to be exposed to the sun, and this can be done inside a warm room with large windows. Why the back? In Chinese medicine the back is seen as Yang while the anterior of the body Yin. Warming the back is a way to warm and strengthen the Tai Yang (greater Yang) channel, and in general the Yang of the entire body.

The second thing to be cautious of during Winter Solstice is excessive “bedroom activity.” Since Winter is the time of storage, a traditional recommendation for the season is to guard our sexual vitality. Jing essence is the stored and most precious form of Yang Qi, and is stirred during sex. Hence Chinese medicine suggests guarding against excessive sexual activity in Winter. However, we should be careful to not read this only literally. More broadly, sexual activity is a metaphor for expending our essence on all levels. This is why in many cultures around the world this time of the year is the time of reflection and planning for the next year to come. It is a time to step back and move inwards rather than to expend our vitality outwards.

In terms of diet, this is the time of the year to eat more foods that help supplement the Kidney and Spleen, such as rice congees, lamb, beef, shan yao (nagaimo), and winter squash. It is also appropriate to eat a small amount of mildly acrid foods such as fresh ginger, scallions and black pepper (to help keep things moving and to birth yang). Try to avoid cold foods in general, or foods that are difficult to digest such as greasy, raw, or very spicy foods. This is especially so for those patients who tend towards Spleen and qi vacuity patterns.

Here’s a traditional recipe for Winter Solstice:



Longan and Lamb Soup 龍眼羊肉湯

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. Lamb (deboned and cut into chunks)

  • Dried longan fruit (龍眼肉) 15g

  • Fresh ginger (peeled and sliced) about 20g

  • Scallions (chopped)

  • Salt

  • Cooking wine

Directions:

  1. Put lamb in a pot with 3 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer for just about 2 minutes; strain out lamb and discard water to remove the fat

  2. Place lamb back into pot with enough water to complete cover the meat (6-8 cups), the sliced ginger and scallions, dried longan, and a small amount of cooking wine

  3. Bring to a rapid boil on high flame, then reduce flame to a low simmer and cook for about 2 hours; remove from heat and add salt to taste

 

This recipe warms the interior and builds Qi and blood, and nourished the Heart to quiet the Spirit.

 

In the north of China there is a long tradition of eating dumplings around Winter Solstice. In Japan, where dong zhi is pronounced tōji (とうじ), a common tradition is to take baths in water scented with Yuzu citrus. One of the foods of choice in Japan is kabocha, where it is commonly stewed together with adzuki beans to create a dish called itokoni (いとこ煮). The red color, as a symbol of Yang, is thought to ward off evil and confer good luck.

 

The Gallbladder and Winter Solstice

Yes, the Gallbladder channel has a lot to do with Winter Solstice, yet in my experience even many Chinese medicine practitioners are slow to make this connection. In Chinese medicine there are 12 main channels in the body, each linked with an internal organ. These 12 channels are also associated with the 12 watches (時辰), the 12 two-hours time periods that make up the day in the traditional Chinese method of counting time. Since there are 12 months in the year, the 12 watches of the day correspond each to one of the months. The Gallbladder channel is associated with the time 11pm – 1am, the Zi (子) hour. This time of day, because it is a Water phase earthly branch, is the time that goes with the second month of Winter, the month of the Winter Solstice.

This helps us see the Gallbladder channel in a new and interesting light. One of the things I mention when I teach is that we, as Chinese medicine practitioners, eventually need to deepen our understanding of Chinese medicine beyond the very basic things we memorize in our initial training. I think our inability to do this is what leads some to eventually adopt all sorts of supplementary ideas (let’s all do muscle testing, tuning forks, or use a pendulum to decide what herbs are good for a patient, as examples) that have nothing to do with Chinese medicine. For me, Chinese medicine is deep enough and rich enough of a medical system in its own right that not even 5 lifetimes would be enough to really study all of it!

So, back to the Gallbladder… In school we all memorize a Five Phase association with each of the organs and channels, but this is just the beginning of understanding the complexity of these theories (special thanks to Heiner Fruehauf for opening my eyes to looking at the channels in this layered way). To start then, we know that the Gallbladder is a Wood Phase channel. But that’s only step one!

As I just mentioned above, the Gallbladder is associated with the Zi Hour (11pm-1am), the time also associated with the second month of Winter and the Winter Solstice. This time of day is a Water time of day (not a Wood time of day). Thus, the Gallbladder channel, while primarily Wood in nature, also has a Water association. This helps us understand why the Jing Mai chapter of the Ling Shu (LS10) says that the Gallbladder channel governs disorders of bones, and why the Gallbladder is one of the Six Extraordinary Fu, and a Fu that stores clear essence (清精之腑).

In addition to the Water and Wood associations, Gallbladder is also a Fire organ. Why? The Gallbladder is the Shao Yang. Each of the six channel families is associated with one of the Five Phases, and the Shao Yang specifically has a Fire association. The Shao Yang is also one of the pivot channels (the Yang pivot channel), meaning it is also symbolic of the Winter Solstice – the time of year where all of nature pivots towards Yang.

Now, the theory is interesting but in the end if it has no practical application to medicine for us it is of no use. The Gallbladder association with Wood, Water and Fire though actually clarifies why some points on this channel actually do what they do. Let’s take Tung’s Nine Miles Dao Ma Group. The main point of the group, Middle Nine Miles (88.25 Zhong Jiu Li 中九里) overlaps Feng Shi GB-31. In Tung’s acupuncture one of the things this point treats commonly is pain (in multiple parts of the body). The Wood phase partly deals with the smooth movement of Qi and Blood in the body, and the Shao Yang as the pivot has the same function. The Gallbladder channel having a Water (and a bone) association then helps us understand why Middle Nine Miles is indicated for bone spurs (i.e., a type of stagnation at the level of bones).

Lastly, “lack of strength in the nerves” (神經衰弱) is an important indication for Middle Nine Miles. This term is actually a psychological symptom, often translated as the now out-dated term neurasthenia. Neurasthenia included a wide range of presentations such as insomnia, fatigue, depression and a wide range of anxiety based disorders. As we said above, the Gallbladder as the Shao Yang has a Fire association. Furthermore, we know that the Shao Yang communicates with the Shao Yin (Heart), the other pivot channel. The close connection with the Fire and Heart illustrates the use of this point in treating Shen-spirit disorders. This is why in my clinic the stressed-and-tired Winter Solstice treatment is the combination of Middle Nine Miles with the Lower Three Emperors (77.17/18, 19, 21), one of the main point groups for the Kidney.

Obviously there’s a lot more exploration we can do for any channel – looking at the other channel connections, names of points, etc… One of my resolutions for the coming year (and I encourage everyone else to do the same) is to try as hard as possible to look more and more deeply at Chinese medicine so we can better understand the system and how to use it in the clinic. Happy Solstice!

On the Dan Tian 丹田 (re-post)

This is a blog post I put up back in the summer of this year. I thought it was an interesting topic, and one that will be coming up during our Clinical Qigong course that starts in January. Please enjoy again, and if interested in our Clinical Course let me know!

Recently one of our new online Qigong class students posed a question about the Dan Tian. At the end of most all of our postures we do a maneuver called ‘collecting in the qi’ (my loose translation of 收功), in which, while moving the hands down in front of us and sinking, we visualize everything in the body returning down to the Dan Tian (丹田), the space in the abdomen between the navel and Ming Men (命門). As I frequently point out in class, our’s is the Neigong (i.e., Qigong) in the lineage/tradition of Hu Yaozhen (胡耀真), one of my great-grand teachers, and a key feature of this tradition is the almost constant focus on Dan Tian.

The Dan Tian, from a colorized version of the Diagram of the Inner Landscape 內經圖 found at the White Cloud Temple 白雲觀 in Beijing.

A common English translation for Dan Tian is the ‘elixir field.’ The word ‘tian’ (田) just means field. The word ‘dan’ (丹) is a bit more complicated. One meaning of the word is cinnabar, a scarlet-red mineral form of mercury sulfide (HgS) that is a common ore source used for refining pure liquid mercury. Since Daoists used mercury as one metaphor in their descriptions of the meditative processes used for transcendence or immortality (and in some unfortunately cases experimented with ingesting actual mercury while seeing the same), the term ‘dan’ became associated with the process of spiritual transformation. ‘Dan’ and the compound term ‘Dan Tian’ thus becomes a synecdoche - a stand in for the entire process of cultivation. It is the symbolic elixir that, when taken, confers a higher state. Hence, the translation of Dan Tian as ‘elixir field’ – the place that is used to create the elixir of immortality and transcendence.

In the body, the Dan Tian is conceived of as a physical location, although the physicality of Dan Tian is a topic of debate. For our purposes however, we will take it as a physical location. Properly speaking, there are three Dan Tian in the body: an upper (上丹田), middle (中丹田), and lower (下丹田). There are some slight variations on the locations of these three structures depending on the source. Most agree that the upper Dan Tian is located in the head. The middle Dan Tian is sometimes associated with the area of the chest, that location that in Chinese medicine is referred to as the Sea of Qi 氣之海 (not to be confused with the acupuncture point of the same name), or the Tan Zhong 壇中.  In Hu Yaozhen’s lineage, we located the middle Dan Tian not in the chest, but rather in the abdomen between the navel and Ming Men. Hu Yaozhen then places the lower Dan Tian at the base of the abdomen in the pelvic cavity, just above Hui Yin 會陰 – the perineum. While a large number of modern Qigong texts situate the middle Dan Tian in the chest, it is interesting to note that in some older texts it is located in the abdomen as Hu teaches. For example in the Yuji Qiqian (雲笈七籤), an anthology of the Daoist Canon written circa 1029, the middle Dan Tian is associated with the middle jiao, the abdomen, and the area ‘below the heart’ (心下).

Regardless of the variations, somewhere in the area of the abdomen seems to be the most important of the Dan Tian used in various schools of meditation, Qigong, martial arts, etc… But why is this? Why is it so important?

A large (about 4 inches from top to bottom) piece of Cinnabar ore 硃砂 in my private collection.

For Chinese medicine practitioners this is an interesting question. If we look at the earliest of Chinese medicine cannons, we can’t find the term ‘Dan Tian.’ For example, the only chapter of the Huangdi Neijing that mentions it is the Treatise on the Origin of Disease (本病論). Unfortunately, this is one of the two apocryphal chapters of the Su Wen. While it may have been in circulation for over 1000 years by now, it is most likely not original to the Han Dynasty version of the text and was not a chapter Wang Bing would have seen or worked with in writing his highly important and definitive edition of the Neijing. That said, the abdomen is an important location. Most of the Zang Fu are located there. Furthermore, highly important vessels originate in the abdomen. For example, according to the Treatise on Bone Hollows (SW60 骨空論), the Chong, Ren and Du all originate from a location in the abdomen. These are extremely important vessels, with the Ren and Du respectively being tied to the core Yin and Yang of the body. For example in the Song Dynasty text Xi Shang Fu Tan (席上腐談) the Ren and Du are called the Seas of Yin and Yang (陰陽之海). The Chong is associated with all the channels, and in the Treatise on the Seas (LS33 海倫) the Chong is said to be the Sea of the 12 Channels (衝脈者，為十二經之海) – i.e., all the channels. Clearly, even though the Dan Tian is not mentioned by name, the abdomen is tied to basically all the important structures of the body.

While the Nanjing (Classic of Difficulties) does not specifically mention the Dan Tian either, it does get a little closer in identifying the Kidneys and the Moving Qi between the Kidneys (i.e., the Ming Men) as being core aspects of our vitality. The idea of Ming Men the way we conceive of it today is absent from the Neijing, unless of course you are a creative reader in the way that Zhao Xianke was (there’s a good Chinese medicine inside reference for you!). This Moving Qi between the Kidneys, in addition to being associated with the Ming Men, have also been associated with the Dan Tian by some physicians. For example, the 66th Difficulty says that, “the Qi moving below the navel and between the Kidneys are a human’s life. They are the origin and root of the twelve channels, and thus are called source” (臍下腎間動氣者，人之生命也，十二經之根本也，故名曰原). Yang Xuancao, a commentator writing in the 7-8th c. CE said of this line that, “the Qi moving below the navel and between the Kidneys are the Dan Tian. The Dan Tian is a human’s origin and root” (臍下腎間動氣者，丹田也。丹田者，人之根本也). Yang continues with a beautiful description of the Dan Tian that is too long to quote in its entirety here, but, for example, he says that the Dan Tian is yellow in the center, green-blue on the left, white on the right, red on top, and black on the bottom. This of course is just metaphorical language that says the Dan Tian in the abdomen is connected to all of the Five Phases, and thus all the organs and all the channels.

It may very well be that this sort of medical theory that we see in the Nanjing, and not in the Neijing, arose because of the influence of people such as the inner alchemists and Daoists – an example of cultivational literature influencing medicine (we see many other examples of the opposite of course). Some of the more conservative medical commentators (i.e., the Neijing purists) have pointed this out as a criticism, and an example of adding theory to medicine that has no legitimate right being there. I’ll let my medical providing readers decide for themselves if they find these ideas relevant to their clinical practices.

Hua Tuo’s Chart of Neigong from the writings of Hu Yaozhen (who was probably the actual author of the chart). Notice the upper Dan Tian in the head, and the lower Dan Tian just above the perineum. The middle Dan Tian is located in the space level with the navel, although here called the ‘Entrance Hall’ - a Buddhist term.

Aside from our discussion of medicine, the Dan Tian is described extensively in the literature of internal alchemy and other aspects of Daoism (which in turn become some of the important sources from which Neigong/Qigong concepts of Dan Tian spring). For example, the Direct Pointers to the Great Elixir (大丹直指 DZ 244), a Quanzhen text attributed to the Daoist master Qiu Chuji (1148-1227 CE), discusses Dan Tian as a part of the process of cultivating transcendence. It says that the navel at the center of the body is the Central Palace (中宮), which it also identifies as an alternate name for the Dan Tian (但臍在人身之中，名曰中宮、命府、混沌、神室、黃庭、丹田). The Direct Pointers goes on to say that the Dan Tian stores essence and marrow, and connects the hundred channels and nourishes the entire body (此處包藏精髓，貫通百脈，滋養一身).

In Hu Yaozhen’s teaching, the meditative process of bringing attention down to the abdomen is called the Three Senses Return to the One (三性歸一). In reality the number three here is a symbol for all of the senses, not just literally three of them. By bringing the meditative focus to the interior we can induce a still calmness. I am not qualified to talk about this from a real internal alchemy or Daoist perspective, but certainly this inward focus can have a profound effect on centering the mind and pulling us back into a state of centered focus. In other words, it helps to tame the monkey mind that is our norm. Even in the clinic I will often ask patients undergoing acupuncture to simply bring their focus down to their abdomen and breathe deeply. In terms of Tung’s acupuncture this is another example of how we apply the Moving Qi (動氣) needling method that is a part of achieving De Qi (得氣 – for more on what De Qi really is please see my class on classical treatment strategies expressed in Tung’s acupuncture). But I digress…

Aside from inducing calm centeredness, the cultivation of Dan Tian, from both the alchemical and medical perspectives presented above, must also have a beneficial health effect on pretty much all the channels and organs. If the Dan Tian is connected to everything and nourishes the entire body, it means that a robust Dan Tian leads to robust health.

Hu Yaozhen may very well have focused heavily on the Dan Tian because one of his main teachers was a Daoist master and practitioner of inner alchemy by the name of Peng Tingjun (彭庭隽), and Peng in turn was a disciple of a Daoist hermit by the name of Huo Chengguang (霍成光). It is from Peng that most of Hu’s Neigong came down to us. To be honest, I think the better question is why don’t all schools of Neigong/Qigong focus more on the Dan Tian? It would seem natural to me that it be a major part of most every posture in one way or another.

I hope my short musings help stimulate more thought, as they have for me just sitting down, collecting my thoughts, and putting them to paper (or screen as the case may be). Whether you, the person reading this, are a physician, Qigong practitioner, or just someone interested in East Asian medicine or cultures, I hope thinking about the role of Dan Tian deepens your own practice.

Foundations of Clinical Qigong Course approved for PDA hours

Our Clinical Qigong online course for 2023 is now NCCAOM approved for 30 PDA (CEU) hours! Classes start January 10th. If you'd like to participate please let me know soon as I'm limiting students to 12 (with a few extra guests I've already invited). Here you’ll you’ll find information on specific dates, topics for each class, breakdown of PDA hours, and other relevant information. I'm REALLY excited to be teaching this class and I hope participants will be excited as well! Again, for those interested in participating, please contact me as soon as possible.

Beginning of Winter 立冬 Seasonal Node

I know… It seems odd for me to be blogging about Winter when today when I got to my office it was close to 70° Fahrenheit (20° Celsius). We are having a bit of a warm and humid streak here in the northeast US, but the days are definitely growing shorter and shorter, and the leaves by now are mostly off the trees.

In the traditional calendar today we enter the Beginning of Winter (立冬) seasonal node as by this time of the year we are only about 6 weeks away from the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice. While in the modern American calendar we think of Winter Solstice as the start of Winter, in Asia the seasons are calculated by the balance of Yin and Yang in the natural environment as evidenced by the relative balance of day and night. Since Winter Solstice is the darkest time of year, it is the apex of Yin, and hence mid-winter. Therefore, the early part of November is the beginning of Winter, the time of year moving into the darkest and most Yin.

Chapter 2 of the Huang Di Nei Jing says Winter is the time of “closing and storage” (閉藏). It is the season of hibernation and represents the death phase. However, this should not be construed as a bad thing. We need to enter the phase of ultimate silence and stillness, in other words the death phase, so that Yang (and Yang is life) can be reborn again. The organ associated with the Winter is the Kidney, and the phase is Water. Keeping this in mind will help us understand the basic health recommendations of this seasonal node.

The three Material Manifestations that make up the Beginning of Winter Seasonal Node are Water Begins to Freeze (Shui Shi Bing 水始冰), Earth Begins to Harden (Di Shi Dong 地始凍), and Pheasants Dive into the Watery Abyss to Become Giant Clams (Zhi Ru Da Shui Wei Shen 雉入大水為蜃). All three contain striking Yin images, specifically images of water, of earth, and of moving deep to a hidden and quiet place. The main environmental manifestation of Winter is cold, and Chinese medicine teaches that cold creates hardness and stagnation. Thus, as expressed in these names, both water and the soil of Earth become hard and impenetrable.

The first suggestion for this seasonal node is to nourish and protect the Yang, or warmth of the body (養陽護陽). This is especially true for seniors, since as we age the body become less tolerant of temperature extremes. Be sure to dress appropriately for the cooler temperatures. Likewise, foods should be cooked or warmed when eating. This is not the time for copious amounts of raw vegetables, juices, or chilled foods and beverages. Soups and stews are winter foods! While in some seasons eating too many warming foods can trigger internal heat, this is less so in Winter. Why? For one, Winter is cold. Eating warming foods is necessary to counteract the exterior temperatures as they drop. Second, the natural Qi movement in Winter is inward and downward. As already mentioned, this is the time of “closing and storage.” Eating more warming foods in the Winter allows the body to secure and store that warm vitality, thereby strengthening the body for the seasons to come afterwards. Thus, eating more warming foods in Winter has fewer side effects than doing so in other seasons.

Another recommendation for Beginning of Winter is the consumption of tonics. These are Chinese herbal formulas, often in pill form, that have an overall strengthening effect on the body. The specific tonic should be determined based on individual need, but in general formulas such as Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan can be taken in small but regular doses.

Since Winter is the season of the Kidney, the third recommendation for Beginning of Winter is to safeguard the Kidney and the Jing-essence. According to Chinese medicine there are three things that really deplete the Kidney and the Jing: (1) excessive sex, (2) staying up late and getting too little sleep, and (3) losing one’s temper. Excessive sex is something that varies greatly from person to person. The question to ask patients is does sexual activity leave one feeling refreshed, or tired and worn out. If the latter, then it may be excessive. Staying up late goes directly against the movement of Winter, which is the movement of hibernation; Su Wen chapter 2 tells us that in Winter we need to get to bed a little earlier and sleep a little later, waiting until well after sunrise to get out of bed (早臥晚起，必待日光). Lastly, losing temper or having a generally angry disposition harms the Kidney. In the 39th chapter of the Su Wen it says that anger causes the Qi to rise (怒則氣上). Since the movement of Kidney is a movement of downward storage, anger forcing the Qi to rise depletes Kidney (i.e., it is the opposite movement of Kidney) and impairs the storage of Qi that is the natural and essential movement of Winter.

Here in northern NJ we are thankfully having relatively low COVID numbers, but we are seeing a lot of other upper respiratory tract infections such as influenza and colds (especially since most people are going without masks again). Allergies are still plaguing some as well. Winter is the time of year for these conditions, and in Chinese medicine this means that the exterior layers of the body are being challenged. A great basic acupressure to teach patients to help both expel and protect against wind evils is stimulation of Feng Chi GB-20. Massaging this point on a daily basis can help ward off colds and relax stiffness of the next and back that is a main characteristic of Taiyang patterns. If there is concurrent nasal congestion, they can also include acupressure on Ying Xiang LI-20. For this, have them hold Feng Chi on one side of the head while simultaneously pressing into Ying Xiang on the other (for example, their right hand presses right Feng Chi, while the left hand presses left Ying Xiang). Hold until there is a sensation of clearing in the sinuses, and then switch sides. Here’s a video I did of this for my own patients.

 

Diet for Beginning of Winter

The basic idea for Beginning of Winter diet is to focus on foods that are nourishing and supplementing agents. In general then we want to focus on foods that are warming and nourishing, usually meaning more animal products. We can incorporate foods that are slightly oilier, while still consuming in season fruits and vegetables while they last (we are in the very tail end of apple season here in New Jersey). Foods to incorporate more regularly include lamb, beef, chicken, sparrow, soybeans, sesame, wood ear mushrooms, peanuts, sweet potato, and persimmon (fresh or dried). Warming spices to use include ginger or cinnamon. And patients who are dry or have Yin insufficiency can take either cow or goat milk.

China is a land of multiple culinary traditions and thus seasonal eating recommendations vary from place to place. In the north of China people eat dumplings (jiaozi 餃子), especially those made of lamb and scallion (we’ll discuss a dumpling legend below). In the west of China where it is particularly cold people commonly eat more beef and lamb often in hot pots. In the areas of the high plateaus and mountains the weather is very dry and as such more fruits and vegetables that are still in season are consumed. In the south of China, where it is still relatively more warm even though it is Winter, duck, chicken and various types of fish are traditionally eaten now (i.e., foods that are supplementing but not overly warming). 

One simple traditional recipe for Beginning of Winter is Ginseng Congee. To make this simply put 1 cup of rice in with about 8-10 cups water (increase or decrease based on how watery you like your congee), and 9-12g of high quality sliced and dried ginseng root. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 40 minutes, or until the rice starts to break up to make a porridge like soup.  Another idea that is easy to implement is adding Gou Qi Zi (Goji berries; 枸杞子) to a favorite chicken soup recipe. Doing so focuses the recipe on building the blood, and strengthening the Liver and Kidney.

Zhang Zhong Jing and the legend of dumplings…

Did you know that one of our most famous historical doctors, Zhang Zhong Jing, was not only a master of herbal medicine but also a culinary innovator? According to popular Chinese legend, Zhang was the inventor of the dumpling – jiao zi (餃子). Zhang held a mid-level government position in Changsha. The year he retired from political life he did so around the Beginning of Winter seasonal node. On his travels back to his hometown he came across many people who had suffered frostbite, and as a result had lost parts of their ears. This touched Zhang deeply as he felt sorrow for the suffering of those poor folk.

Once home he found his hometown suffering from an infectious epidemic. The people were starving from lack of food, and also suffering from frostbite. To remedy this he had his assistants set up a large pot on a public square to cook up a remedy. The formula he decided on was a combination of mutton with a number of very warm cold expelling herbs known as Qu Han Jiao Er Tang (去寒嬌耳湯) – Delicate Ears Expelling the Cold Decoction. After cooking the meat was chopped up and wrapped in small wheat flour skins in the shape of ears, and then cooked more and served to the people together with some of the soup. And thus the dumpling was born, as well as the tradition of eating them around the Beginning of Winter!

Naikan 內觀

The Japanese practice of Naikan 內觀 is a method of introspection that asks us to take stock of our life in a very profound way. Personally, I’ve engaged in the practice and it has been very meaningful on many levels. The ToDo Institute (where I did my professional training in Japanese psychology) is once again offering their online month-long course, Gratitude, Grace and a Month of Self-Reflection. This class is an excellent introduction to Japanese psychology in general, and Naikan more speficically.

ToDo has generously offered my students and readers 50% off the course. Please see the flyer below for more information (and click on it to go directly to the ToDo Institute website). Don’t miss this excellent opportunity.

White Dew 白露 Seasonal Node

Walking around outside I’m struck by how many trees are either brown or already starting to drop leaves. The drought here in the northeastern United States is really apparent. Because of this I predict we won’t have as spectacular a fall foliage this year.  But, we are now well into Autumn in the Chinese calendar, and the midpoint of Autumn, the equinox, is only about 2 weeks away. This coming weekend is also the Chinese Mid-Autumn moon festival, held on the full moon of the 8th lunar month.

Autumn is one of the two Yin seasons (along with Winter), and in Five Phase theory it is associated with the Metal, the Lungs, and the direction West. Today, Wednesday September 7th, is the start of the next seasonal node, the 3rd node of Autumn - White Dew (Bai Lu 白露). The name White Dew is a direct reference to Five Phase association of Autumn, as white is the Metal Phase’s color.

Japanese Wagtail (Alpsdake - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22624968)

According to the Su Wen, the movement of Autumn is the movement of harvest (收). All of nature is now in the stage of slowly winding down; for example, in the last few days I’ve been noticing that the mornings are not quite as bright by the time I’m waking up, and the sun is noticeably setting earlier. The names of the three smaller material manifestations of White Dew reflect harvesting of food for the Winter to come, and the return of birds in their migratory patterns: Hongyan lai 鴻雁來 (Swan Geese Pass Through), Xuanniao gui 玄鳥歸 (Swallows Go Back), Qunniao yangxiu 群鳥養羞 (Flocks of Birds Stockpile Morsels). The Japanese versions of these small mini-seasons are slightly different, but paint a picture of a similar migration of birds during the cooling weather: Kusa no tsuyu shiroshi 草露白 (Dew glistens white on grass), Sekirei naku 鶺鴒鳴 (Wagtails sing), and, like the second of the previous Chinese names, Tsubame saru 玄鳥去 (Swallows leave).

Even though we are in Autumn (a Yin time of year) it is clear that Yin and Yang are engaged in a closely intertwined dance. During White Dew, the days can still be quite warm and somewhat humid. The daily temperatures here in New Jersey this week are going to vary between the 70s and 80s, however, evenings are starting to dip in temperature. Therefore, one of the traditional prohibitions this time of year is wearing clothes that are too light or too exposing of the body. During the early morning hours or in the evening be sure to wear clothing that affords protection against the gradually cooling temperatures (last week I had to wear my fleece one night walking my dog Nelson for the first time in months). In some places the weather continues to be fairly warm and thus slightly out of sync with this Seasonal Node. In those places guard against rapid temperature fluctuations as they may trigger colds or other upper respiratory problems. 

Another caution this time of year is overconsumption of cold foods. Eating cold foods burdens the Spleen and Stomach, and this is more so during the Yin and colder times of the year when the body is trying to consolidate its Yang warmth. Thus in Chinese it is said, “bai lu shen bu lu, zhao liang yi xie du (白露身不露，著涼易瀉肚) – during White Dew be sure not to overexpose the body as cold can easily lead to diarrhea.

The conceptual idea to start focusing on during White Dew is Nourishing the Yin (養陰). Now, this doesn’t mean that we should all go out and start taking Yin nourishing herbs such as Di Huang! To understand this, we need to think deeply about the real meaning of Yin and Yang beyond basic correspondences. The Su Wen tells us that the sage nourishes Yang in the Spring and Summer and nourishes Yin in the Autumn and Winter (所以聖人春夏養陽，秋冬養陰). Here, Yin means the movement of contraction/harvest (收) going towards storage (藏). These are the very defining concepts of the Autumn and Winter seasons. This time of year we should all start slowing down, going to bed just a little earlier, and taking stock of our lives (i.e., literally moving our minds inward in self-reflection).

In more concrete medical terms, some of the most common problems our patients will see this time of year are seasonal allergies and rhinitis. Here in New Jersey I’ve seen a significant rise in allergy complaints in the last few weeks. Patients can be taught simple home remedies such as using a Neti pot to keep sinus passages clear and open. Alternately, they can do a steam inhalation with eucalyptus oil. Since Autumn is the season of dryness, if patients suffer from very dry nasal passageways, they can rub a small amount of coconut oil inside their nose on a daily basis.

When choosing treatment points this seasonal node we can focus on those that have a Lung association. In Tung’s acupuncture, some useful points include Mu (木穴; 11.17), and the Dao Ma combination of Chong Zi (重子穴; 22.01) and Chong Xian (重仙穴; 22.02). In both September and October, Mu is one of my most frequently used points. It has the association of Lung Channel in Tung’s Five Phase system, and it lies on the palmar surface of the index finger (thus placing it on the Hand Yangming – also a Metal channel). It treats a wide range of conditions of the upper burner related to Wind patterns such as the common cold, seasonal allergies, and sinus congestion. Patients can also be taught to massage these points as needed. For a more detailed discussion of these points please refer to the Practical Atlas of Tung’s Acupuncture.

Aside from Tung’s acupuncture, this is the time of year to start doing preventive moxibustion on Zu San Lu (ST-36), or other treatment of the Stomach channel. Chinese medicine has a variety of ways to match time and channels or organs. According to the Zun Sheng Ba Jian, the second month of Autumn corresponds to the Stomach channel, which is why the seasonal node exercise for White Dew is associated with it, and treats lips turned dark in color, swelling in the neck, retching, mental disorders, and flushing of the face (all Stomach channel symptoms). Finally, since Soil-Earth is the mother of Metal, treatment or supplementation of the Stomach channel has a beneficial and supplementing effect on the Lung.

 

Diet for White Dew

During White Dew the foods we eat should gently moisten dryness and protect the Lungs. While the days are still hot we can eat mildly heat clearing foods but again being cautious about eating very cold (or chilled) foods. In order to help build Yin in the body we also can increase mildly sour foods. White Dew is still a season of fresh fruits that fit these guidelines perfectly, such as peaches (although we are really at the tail end of peach season in New Jersey), apples and pears. Other foods to eat include watery vegetables such as zucchini. For those near Asian groceries, White Dew is the time to eat nagaimo (shan yao 山藥 in Chinese) and fresh lily bulbs (百合).

Rice congees are a perfect fit for White Dew in that they are gently moistening and, taken warm, supportive of the Spleen and Stomach. One of the traditional White Dew congees is Lily Bulb and Pear Congee. To make this take one large Asian pear and slice into bite sized pieces (the peel can be left on). Then take one fresh edible lily bulb and separate out the corms. Cook the pear and lily bulb in a medium sized pot of water and rice (with a rice to water ratio of about 1 to 6). Simmer until the rice starts falling apart and the mixture becomes like watery oatmeal. Finish by adding a small amount of local honey to taste.

To read more about general health tips for Autumn please click here.

Walk 100 steps and live to 99!

Over the last decade I’ve been making at least a weekly trip to visit my Taijiquan (Tai Chi) teacher Wang Fengming. In the Chinese tradition, a few years after I met him, I became a formula lineage disciple, meaning our relationship was more family-like than a basic teacher-student. In Chinese, once one becomes a disciple, the teacher is no longer called teacher, but rather Shifu (師父). The second half of that word, “fu,” means father, attesting to the close connection that develops. I often joke that Wang Shifu is as much my Chinese language teacher as a Taijiquan teacher, as we communicate 95% of the time just in Chinese. Over the years we’ve probably spent as much time around his kitchen table talking and drinking tea as we have worked out together

As in English, in Chinese there are a lot of sayings that just about every Chinese person knows and understands. One of the first ones Wang Shifu taught me was “飯後百步走，活到九十九! (Fàn hòu bǎi bù zǒu, huó dào jiǔshíjiǔ).” It rhymes in Chinese really nicely. In English the not so lyrical translation is, “if you walk 100 steps after eating, you’ll live to 99!” This made sense to me on a few levels. In Chinese medicine, digestion is one of the most important functions in the body. If we eat too much, or if the digestive system becomes weak from say disease or aging, then it’s hard for the stomach to process that which we have eaten. Movement of the body simply helps with movement in the digestive system. For example, one of the problems of immobility in aging people is developing constipation. Move the body and the contents of the stomach and intestines will move as well. But this common understanding of the relationship between eating and moving is not unique to the Chinese. During many of my teaching trips to Europe taking a walk after eating was a common activity, especially in Germany. The common wisdom there was to also move around a bit after eating a meal.

Modern research is yet once again proving what we (in both Asia and Europe) knew traditionally through observation and experience. Over the last few years news headlines have called sitting the new smoking. This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but in truth inactivity is a problem. Over the last few years with more and more people working from home and spending too many hours on Zoom, I’ve seen this truth over and over again in the clinic – people are just not moving enough.

One recent study published in February of this year looked at some of these questions in a more scientifically rigorous way. The article, a review of several smaller studies, looked at what breaking up prolonged periods of sitting, either through just standing, or walking, would do in terms of various health markers. The authors of the study noted that, “[l]ight-intensity walking was shown to significantly reduce postprandial glucose and insulin compared to prolonged sitting and equal durations of intermittent standing.” In other words, walking after eating significantly lowered blood sugar levels, suggesting that walking can be beneficial to both treat and/or prevent diseases such as diabetes. And, the best news is that the walking doesn’t have to be particularly long, or particularly intense. So, perhaps 100 steps (not that much), can make a big difference!

Of course other types of exercise are also important and effective methods of health management. For example, some research suggests that traditional practices such as Taiji (Tai Chi) are useful in managing blood sugar levels and other markers in patients with Diabetes.

Here’s a link to a CNN article on this study, and for those who want to read the original research paper please click here. Happy walking!

Four Words for Qigong & Taijiquan Practice (repost)

This is a repost (with some small changes) of a previous blog. I hope everyone enjoys reading it again!

Much of the Neigong and Daoyin (i.e., Qigong practices) I teach come from the Hunyuan system. The founder of Hunyuan, Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang 馮志強, learned his material from the legendary Hu Yaozhen 胡耀真. After Hu passed away his daughters continued to teach, and happily today we have a lot of material passed down from Hu, either in written form or in the form of oral transmission outside of his writing. Hu was a brilliant practitioner and teacher, so I thought periodically I would blog about his take on the topics of body cultivation culture, Qigong and Daoist Neidan.

To start off, I’ll talk about four words for cultivation. It was and is common in Chinese martial arts, Qigong, medical practice, etc… to have short “songs” or sayings that are reminders for practice. These can be a short series of words, or slightly longer poems or other pneumonic devices. Here I’ll present a series of four Chinese characters that remind the practitioner of important practice ideas. While not unique to Hu’s teaching, they are mentioned by him and his students.

 

Inhale Xī 吸

This first word, Xī, means to inhale, absorb, or suck in (as in the breath). It also means to attract to oneself (as in magnetic attraction). In Qigong one very important technique we practice is the drawing in of Qi from the natural environment. Xī refers mainly to this. The drawing in of Qi is such a fundamental form that in most all of our classes this is what we start with doing.

In addition to drawing in Qi, the word Xī can also refer to the drawing of Qi into various circulatory patterns in the body, which we do by coordinating breathing with visualization or intention.

 

Hua Tuo’s Chart of Neigong from the writings of Hu Yaozhen (who was probably the actual author of the chart).

Stick or Attach Tiē 貼

Tiē, sticking or attaching to something, is the second word we have.  In Qigong practice this refers mostly to the tongue touching the upper palate in the mouth. We do this to connect the circuit of the Du Mai (Governing Vessel; the vessel that runs up the spine and over the head) and the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel; the vessel that runs from the Huiyin cavity to the tip of the tongue). This pair of vessels is an important Qi circulation pattern called the Lesser Heavenly Cycle (小周天), or the Microcosmic Orbit. While we only really have to place the tongue at the palate when working on this Qi circulation pattern, some practitioners (including me) place the tongue here during almost any Qigong practice.

In Taijiquan practice, the work “stick” also has special meaning. While the character Tiē is not specifically used in Taijiquan, the words “adhere” (沾連), “stick to” (粘), and “follow” or “go along with” (隨) are key to practice. In Taijiquan we want to always be aware of what our partner/opponent is doing, and how we can effectively neutralize that. The main way we practice these four characters in Taiji is through push hands and other related practices. By sticking to our partners’ every move, we develop the ability to “listen to” or feel what they are doing and how they are moving (聽勁). At the same time this allows us to “listen to” or feel what we are doing with our own body.

 

Hold Zhuō 捉

The third word, Zhuō, means to hold, to clutch or to grab. In Qigong practice this refers to lifting up of the Huiyin cavity, or perineal area, during practice. This movement is similar to Kegel exercises, except that we practice it gently, and often times coordinated with the breath. In some systems of Qigong the anal ring (which is also gently lifted with this exercise) is divided into 5 parts, each gently contracted to help focus on different internal organs during Qigong practice.

In Taijiquan practice the word Zhuō, which also means to capture, is a reference to Qinna (擒拿) techniques. A significant portion of Taijiquan’s posture applications are Qinna, and grasping and manipulating joints and limbs is essential in push hands as well.

 

Close Bì 閉

The final work is “close,” or “shut” – Bì. This word refers to bringing attention to one of the Qi orifices that we focus on during practice. This can be attention on the Dan Tian (any of the three – see my post on the Dan Tian for more information on this important structure), on the Huiyin cavity, or Ming Men cavity to name a few. Literally, we are trying to “close” or “shut” our attention to the outside world, and bring one pointed focus to the cavity we are working with. This is a very important method of practice.

 

For those interested in regular training please consider joining our classes - either in-person or online. While writing about this material is good, a lot of the explanation continues to happen with oral transmission and then with specific examples as they come up in practicing together.

End of Heat 處暑 Seasonal Node

Earlier this week on Tuesday August 23rd we entered the current seasonal node - Chu Shu 處暑, ‘End of Heat’.  While the model of the seasonal nodes describes the “ideal” change in the natural world at a given segment of time, we should remember that it is not always exactly on time, and it may vary for different geographic regions. In other words, the model of the seasonal nodes is not one that always describes actual local weather conditions. Rather, it teaches us about the overall ebb and flow of weather patterns and how it can affect health. It also may need to be reevaluated sometime based on the unfortunate fact we are now dealing with manmade climate change.

That said, this year the hottest part of the summer, with over a month of no rain and high temperatures here in NJ, seems to now behind us.  While we can continue to expect warm weather for the near future, there is a cooling trend now that is starting in a real way. The days are also noticeably shorter. Thus, ‘End of Heat’ is a good description for the general pattern we are starting to experience where I am located in the Northern Hemisphere.

End of Heat is the second seasonal node in Autumn, and Autumn is the time of year when Yin grows. All things are gradually moving towards the hibernation phase and many plants are being readied for harvest. This is why in the Neijing, the movement of Autumn is described as 收 – receiving, taking in, putting away, gathering in. The names of the smaller 5-day periods of this seasonal node are quite interesting and illustrative of this idea. The first is called Ying Nai Ji Niao 鷹乃祭鳥, Hawks Start to Sacrifice Birds. This time of year starts the slow march towards the death phase of nature, and many plants and animals with short life spans won’t make it to next Spring. The image of hawks harvesting or killing smaller birds then fits perfectly with this image. The next two 5-day time periods are Tian Di Shi Su 天地始肅, Heaven and Earth Become Austere, and He Nai Deng 禾乃登, Rice Plants Are Harvested and Presented as Offering. Just as this is the time of year for bringing things to harvest, it is also the time for us to start becoming quieter and more introspective, for us to take stock of what, out of the myriad things in our lives, is really important (i.e., we become austere like Heaven and Earth). In Japan, instead of Hawks Start to Sacrifice Birds, the first segment is called Wata no Hana Shibe Hiraku 綿柎開 – Cotton Flowers Bloom.

In more tangible respects there are things to keep in mind to maintain health this time of year. The first traditional recommendation for Chu Shu is Ben Franklin’s favorite – ‘early to bed, early to rise’ (zao shui zao qi 早睡早起). When Yin predominates in nature, we can mimic that in our own body by getting more sleep. In the summer it is permissible to stay up later and still wake up early because in the Yang time of year less sleep is just fine. However, now that Autumn (a Yin season) is upon us, we need to get a little more rest. My general recommendation to patients is to get into bed a bit earlier, preferably before 11pm or midnight. Here’s a little quiz for other Chinese medicine providers – why is it important to get to bed before this hour? (Hint – it is not because of the Liver hour just afterwards)

The weather pattern associated with Autumn is dryness, and given that here in NJ we have been in a drought, we’ve been seeing this early this year. Thus, another caution during Autumn is not becoming too dry. One way we do this is through diet; now is the time to start focusing on shao xin, zeng suan 少辛增酸 – ‘less spicy, more sour’. Spicy flavors are mildly drying. Spicy also promotes sweating which can dry the body. To the contrary, sour foods are gently moistening and hold in sweat. Increasing the amount of foods such as vinegar, pickled vegetables, and fruits such as plums is appropriate to Autumn. Other moistening foods include milk, soymilk, and fruit juices (especially apple or pear). This recommendation should be taken less seriously for those with very damp constitutions or presentations, and can also be moderated when the outside weather continues to be damp.

One traditional recipe for this season is Pear and White Wood Ear Soup. This dish is just simply delicious, and it is effective for supplementing the Lungs, nourishing fluids, and moistening dryness (without being so cloying as to create dampness).

 

Asian pear and white wood ear mushroom soup

Pear and White Wood Ear Soup 雪梨銀耳湯

Ingredients:

  • 1 large Asian pear 雪梨

  • 2 dried white wood ear mushrooms 銀耳

  • 1 small fresh edible lily bulb 百合

  • About ½ cup white or rock sugar

 Directions:

  1. Soak wood ear for about 30 minutes, until softened

  2. Rip wood ears into bite sized pieces, peel and cut pear into medium bite sized chunks, and separate out lily bulb into individual corms

  3. In a pot, put about 6 cups of water together with all ingredients; bring to boil and simmer for 30minutes to 2 hours on a very low heat




For those who like wood ears crisper, go for the shorter simmer time. For those who like things softer and more gelatinous, cook longer. My suggestion is to take small tastes along the way. This soup can be served warm or chilled (depending on preference and outside temperature).

The last recommendation that I will offer is for those patients who continue to experience symptoms of damp, heat, or the combination thereof in the form of summerheat. A traditional channel-based recommendation for End of Heat is regular acupressure on Cheng Shan BL-57. This point helps expel damp and clear heat, and treats many symptoms of lingering summerheat such as headache, body aches, heavy limbs, or diarrhea. Notice that this area of the leg is one of thick flesh, and remember that the seventh chapter of the Ling Shu describes a needling method based on the five tissues and their relationships to the five viscera. One of the passages from that chapter reads:

四曰合谷刺，合谷刺者，左右雞足，針於分肉之間，以取肌痺，此脾之應也

The fourth is called united valleys piercing. United valleys piercing is to pierce left then right from the same hole, like a chicken's foot. Pierce to the division between the flesh. This treats flesh block (bi). It is in resonance with the Spleen.

Here we see that needling into fleshy areas of the body treats problems of the flesh as well as treats problems of the Spleen. As dampness is the disease evil of the Soil/Earth phase (and thus the Spleen), this needling technique also has resonance with its treatment. For example, over the last few weeks, patients in my office have been complaining of aching and heaviness in the joints, especially of the knees, hips and in general lower extremities. This is because dampness, as a Yin disease evil, commonly moves down in the body. One of the points I’ve been using over and over again to work with this is Jian Zhong 44.06. The point, located on the shoulder, is in a fleshy area of the body just like Cheng Shan BL-57 is. Likewise, it treats damp accumulation of the joints and extremities. Other points in the shoulder area, such as Bei Mian 44.07, are specifically indicated for digestive problems such as abdominal distension, vomiting or enteritis. This is because, like Jian Zhong 44.06 and Cheng Shan BL-57, Bei Mian is in an area of thick flesh and thus treats problems of the Spleen. This time of year as we are still experiencing summerheat and dampness, these types of points can be frequently used.

Stay hydrated, stay cool, but prepare for the cooler weather to come.

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