Elements (nightshades)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/25/2002 6:47:59 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

victoria_dragon writes:

 

I wrote:

< Too much Yin will make one aggressive. One gets greedy and

possessive. I have a Water element predominant dog that I see this happen

to all

the time.

 

I forgot to mention that there are different types of aggression. It seems

like the first thing we think of with aggression is an excess Yang situation

.... a Hot Liver situation.

 

Anger is associated with the Liver. Aggression can be due to anger ... but

it isn't always due to anger. My dogs aggression was not related to anger.

There is aggression based on greed ... aggression based on fear ... as well

as aggression based on anger. My dogs aggression was based on greed.

 

By continuing to study the 5 Element theory I was able to help my dog.

Utilizing cooling foods and attempting to subdue the Liver, only made the

problem worse. It took me a very long time to see and understand this ... I

found it so perplexing.

 

It wasn't until I looked past the aggression and looked towards what was

motivating him ...along with viewing it in relation to his constitutional

predominance ... that I was able to begin to resolve the issue. I also

believe that my solution for him ... would have been the same ... had he been

a person.

 

Kit wrote:

<< it's too bad food studies are done on animals, since they have differently

designed digestive systems. I.E. Dogs and cats can become anemic on onions

and garlic....believed to be health foods for us.

 

I find working with animals very helpful. Yes ... they are put together

differently ... yet they are also made up of the same " 5 elements " that we

are. My dog responds to food .... in accordance with the principles. The

only difference that I have found thus far is that his diet needs to contain

a higher amount of protein ... and a lesser amount of vegetable. IE his diet

needs to be more acidic than mine. Dogs are not the same as cats .... cats

need even more protein. I suspect rats and mice and pigs and horses ... all

have their unique differences ... but ....

 

We all share the same common bond of the elements.

 

Lynn

[Guest guest]

> Too much Yin will make one aggressive. One gets greedy and

possessive. I

> have a Water element predominant dog that I see this happen to all

the time.

> If I feed him too many Yin foods ... he gets aggressive ...

greedy ...

> possessive .... full of himself ... etc

 

For those new to TCM, in the message base are some posts from Dagmar

titled Letter from China. In some of these, Dagmar goes into the

different types of energy and people (5 Element theory). Sometimes

there will be an imbalance with one Element (Wood, Fire, Earth,

Metal, or Water) predominating.

 

This sounds very esoteric, but there are some practical

applications. TCM recognizes many different approaches to analysis.

For example 8 Principle Patterns (Exterior/ Interior, Excess/

Deficiency, Hot/ Cold, and Yang/ Yin), analysis according to

Fundamental Processes (Qi, Blood, Shen, Jing), analysis according to

Pernicious Evils (Heat, Cold, Wind, Dryness, Dampness, Fire).

Analysis according to Organ (i.e., Kidney Yin Deficiency, Lung Qi

Deficiencym Damp Heat in the Gall Bladder, etc.). Sometimes one

approach will be enough to analyze and treat correctly; sometimes

various approaches are combined. 5 Element Theory is another approach

that looks at relationships between Organs. Actually between

Elements. For example, if one's Kidneys are not up to par, one's

Liver eventually will not be either. This is because Water (Kidneys,

Bladder) is the " mother " of Wood (Liver, Gall Bladder). Tonifying

the " mother " (in this case Water) automatically tonifies the " son "

(Wood in this cases). Put in Organ analysis terms, the person has

joint Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency. It's not going to be enough

just to tonify the Liver Yin because in time the Liver will become

Yin Deficient again because the Kidneys simply do not have the Yin to

supply the Liver.

 

All these different approaches are going to seem very confusing to a

person who is just learning about TCM. But as you gain familiarity

with the strange-sounding terms and concepts, everything will start

to fall into place. The different approaches to analysis are

different perspectives. They enable the healer to come up with the

best possible understanding and most effective treatment for what

ails the person.

 

Not all TCM schools teach 5 Elements, but I recommend learning it. A

5 Elements approach can be invaluable when trying to work

with " knotty " (complex) cases. These are cases where there are so

many imbalances that when the healer starts to treat one, it can

worsen another. Pull on one strand of the " knot " and it causes

another strand to " knot " up worse. In these cases 5 Element Theory

sometimes can guide the healer to an approach that would not have

been considered otherwise.

 

Also, it is theoretically possible to do effective acupuncture and

acupressure using only the Transport (Element) acupoints. I'll be

posting more on these special points in a future post. I believe

there already is some info about them in the message base.

 

Victoria

[Guest guest]

yet they are also made up of the same " 5 elements " that we

are. My dog

responds to food .... in accordance with the principles. The

only

difference that I have found thus far is that his diet needs to contain

a

higher amount of protein ... and a lesser amount of vegetable. IE his diet

 

Hi Lynn,

Actually I was thinking more in terms of research studies. Interesting

about the five elements. More applicable to dogs than cats, I would

guess, because you can include more vegetables. I have taken the

tack of feeding mine, as closely as possible and still watching nutrients,

as they would eat in nature. That is raw meat with the bones. The cats

are getting almost 100% meat, mostly whole quail...with sweet meats

added & offerings of grasses. The dogs are getting mostly 50/50

(mea tw/bones to veggies)right now with heated broth....since they are on

diets.

I'll alter the percentage when they are at a healthy weight. About to add

green

tripe (dogs)...ugh, not looking to forward to that...but dogs will love, it

I'm sure.

These are the types of foods that their digestive systems have evolved to

handle

and what it's proven they thrive on. BTW: Emotions have improved, too.

I would be dead in a month ;-), I think......if ony for the

ugh-factor.....;-( Kit