Digest Number 558

[Guest guest]

Hello lr4444lr,

 

Just a couple of comments I have with some things I learned while observing

in an acupuncture clinic:

 

" The urination frequency seems pretty extreme but I could be

wrong--it seems like I pass everything I drink at least and so

have limited it. I used to religiously do 8 cups a day at least and

tolerated going to the bathroom 10 or more times a day. This

seems unreasonable as I hardly sweat anyway. "

 

The master at the clinic would tell patients to listen to their bodies.

Therefore your instinct here might be correct for your body needs and

symptoms at this time. He would laugh when hearing patients say that they

must drink eight glasses of water a day. Some of them would already be

loaded with excess water in their bodies--adding too much at that time would

only exacerbate their symptoms. In addition some people live in a cold

climate, others in a very warm climate and would therefore need different

amounts of water. Some have a fever and need more water. Others are cold and

do not need as much water (at least until their symptoms are changed into

health).

 

Additional comments from you:

 

" I seem to have a dry mouth more frequently than I actually feel I need

water. That

is, I feel like washing out the mouth, but not swallowing. "

 

This would make perfect sense to this practitioner, as it probably might

indicate some blockage in the body, possibly in the throat area. This need

not be a diseased organ, but could be some sort of chi or blood stagnation or

blockage of some other sort in the body's metabolic flow.

 

Sarah :>)

[Guest guest]

> The master at the clinic would tell patients to listen to their

bodies.

> Therefore your instinct here might be correct for your body needs

and

> symptoms at this time. He would laugh when hearing patients say

that they

> must drink eight glasses of water a day. Some of them would

already be

> loaded with excess water in their bodies--adding too much at that

time would

> only exacerbate their symptoms. In addition some people live in a

cold

> climate, others in a very warm climate and would therefore need

different

> amounts of water. Some have a fever and need more water. Others

are cold and

> do not need as much water (at least until their symptoms are

changed into

> health).

 

 

Thanks, Sarah. What's good for one person is not necessarily good for

another. There are no " one size fits all " treatments in TCM.

 

Usually listening to one's body works well. The main problem in the

West is that many Westerners have been conditioned not to listen to

their bodies. They've been told by the medical establishment that

this is a sign of hypochondria, and there in something wrong with

them if they do pay attention to their bodies. Westerners often have

to learn to listen to their bodies and go against the conditioning

that they shouldn't.

 

This also is the same medical establishment that makes big bucks off

of having a lot of customers taking a particular medication. Drug

companies shy away from creating drugs for conditions which don't

affect a lot of people. There are not enough profits in these drugs.

And when a company does have a " winner " , it frequently starts to try

to push the drug for anything and everything in order to increase

profits even more.

 

This also is a medical establishment that all too often embraces easy

answers and dogmas instead of taking the time to use what training

practitioners do have to figure out what's best for individuals.

Western medicine by and large has lost the ability to look at

patients as individuals, instead practicing assembly line medicine.

They see test results, not people. It's more profitable. Herd 'em in,

move 'em out. Quantity and the increased profits are more important

than thoughtful analysis of individuals.

 

Doctors are taught not only to mistrust patients and their reports

but also to distrust their own observations and abilities! How can

anyone know the best tests to order for an individual or how to

interpret them correctly if one mistrusts one's own observations and

abilities as well as mistrusting the reports of the patients?

 

Having said this, there are some times when people cannot go by what

their bodies tell them. When there is imbalance - especially severe

imbalance that has gone on for some time - there often can be

competing voices from the body. The loudest " voice " seldom is taking

into account the entire picture, instead desperately trying to

correct one part of the imbalance. A good example is mixed Dampness

and Dryness patterns. Because of the Dampness, the person feels an

aversion to drinking liquids. This is fine for the Dampness problems,

but aggravating the Dryness problems. Long-term and severe Yang

Deficiency will complicate the problem still more. In addition to the

aversion to drinking because of the Dampness problem, the person also

will not want to drink because even room temperature water cools the

person down even more, and this is a person who is severely cold

already. The blood can end up as thick as syrup in these cases.

 

> Additional comments from you:

>

> " I seem to have a dry mouth more frequently than I actually feel I

need

> water. That

> is, I feel like washing out the mouth, but not swallowing. "

 

This also can be Yin Deficiency. Thirsty but with no desire to drink -

just rinse out the mouth. This can sound weird to anyone who hasn't

experienced it, but it happens. The person will feel thirsty but not

drink.

 

With Yang Deficiency, the person often does not experience thirst.

The person can be just a dehydrated as s/he can be but yet not feel

thirsty. The odd times when the person does feel slightly thirsty,

s/he wants hot liquids like soup. This is a person who needs warming

up.

 

And, as you point out, a person is not going to feel thirsty if s/he

already is getting enough water.

 

Dampness often will be associated with an aversion to any liquids.

Long-time Yang Deficiency can increase this aversion as the person

also is trying to avoid becoming even cooler than s/he already is.

Room temperature water or even slightly heated water can be chilling

to a person who is Yang Deficient.

 

More on this later.

 

Victoria