Articles & Podcasts
Regain & Maintain Your Health
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Feel Calmer: Detoxify and Tonify Your Liver |
The Tao of Health
New York Times
Health Section
Teahouse Experiences
Conscious Connections
Yin and Yang: Your Health and Your Life
The concept of Yin-Yang calls your attention to the need for a sense of balance in your life—and how this balance is already built-in to life itself: You breathe in (yang) ... you breathe out (yin). You get tired and go to sleep (yin) ... you awaken with energy (yang).
Your Health
This idea of balance is represented by the Yin-Yang symbol, shown on this page.
Think of the circle as representing your life and its circumstances. Let the white side represent health, and the dark side, illness. The components of Oriental Medicine work to keep your energy (chi) strong, as represented by the wide portion of the white side of the symbol; but if your energy (chi) weakens, illness— represented by the wide portion of the dark side—begins to appear. As you rebuild your energy (chi), illness dissipates and health reappears.
This is the change that needs to be balanced throughout your life, and is represented in the Yin-Yang symbol by the dots, which tell us: In health is the potential for disease, and in disease is the potential for health.
Your Life
By practicing exercises such as Chi Kung and Tai Chi you can become adept at spotting yin and yang in operation—in your body, in your mind, and in the behavior of those around you. This power of observation enables you to predict the outcome of events and gives you the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments along the way to maintain your health and well-being.
Winter to Spring: Everything Old Is New Again
In this episode of Seasonal Health Tips, Kitty talks about how the Earth energy affects your health as we transition from the cold dark days of Winter into the pulsing possibilities of Spring.
(To get the most out of what Kitty has to say, open the 5 Element Theory chart in a new window while listening.)
Length 6 min.; Size 7.0 MB
As the dark, cold days of Winter wane, the Water energy of the season drains downward, bringing us back in contact with the Earth energy.
Healthwise, this is a time to start rebuilding the strength of your kidneys, which are somewhat depleted from their Winter work, and preparing for the slow surge into the Wood energy of Spring; a time when the health and vitality of your liver and gallbladder will become the focus of your body’s attention.
Just as certain Chinese medical herbs improve with age, so too do practitioners of Oriental medicine.
Earth Energy
‘Earth’ energy, as described by the Five Element Theory of Oriental Medicine, is a predominant environmental force five times a year: during the transitional time between seasons, when you start to feel one season changing into the next, and in late Summer.
In a practical sense, these are important times to focus on strengthening, or just paying attention to, your digestive system; its overall health, and the vitality of its individual organs. This means doing what needs to be done to improve your diet and nutrition, and finding out what type of Chi Kung (energy-building exercises) would benefit your specific situation.
Related Links
Staying Healthy in Spring
Spring Health Tips (1)
Spring Health Tips (2)
The Way Through
Benjamin Franklin and Oriental Medicine
Did you know there’s a connection between Oriental Medicine and one of America’s Founding Fathers? You may have heard the old saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: This health advice from Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century still applies today in the 21st. This is the same wisdom practiced and prescribed by doctors of Oriental Medicine for thousands of years.
In a practical sense, preventing disease is primarily a matter of having a strong immune system, and cultivating and maintaining a strong immune system is a primary focus and specialty of Oriental Medicine.
And remember: It’s always better - and easier - to correct imbalances in your health, through small incremental changes, before they become more serious problems.