Guest guest Posted February 17, 2003 Report Share Posted February 17, 2003 Hi > > get a raw-herb formula prescribed. She took the > herbs > > and felt better every time she took them, and lo > and > > behold, she belatedly found out that FuLing had > > been an ingredient. > I do need to point out that allergies do occur > sometimes, and they are not in the patient's mind. Maybe, but for sure it was in her mind this time. I'm not actually disagreeing with you, I just have never seen the term " allergy " well defined, and I do believe it's another of those trash diagnosis where everything without a clear explanation gets thrown in. Like I know a man who was diagnosed by his doctor of having an allergy to cold water. I know that I'm allergic to this sexual-heroin/stick-child advertising which is so pupular now - everytime I see one of these billboards my eyes itch and feel hot and I have a pain in my ribs and I find that I'm yelling and stomping around. hahaha All of our experiences as human beings are real. We are just responsible for finding a clear and correct source for these symptoms and not just throw them into the Catch-All Container. > Sometimes Fu Ling can cause problems when there is > Phlegm. Also when a person suffers from both > Dampness and Dryness. EXACTLY. EXACTLY!! Instead of saying allergy, I have found that with enough conscientous thought, we can arrive at a TCM imbalance which allows us to see the source of the " allergy " and therefore correct it. Simply saying " allergy " does two things: abrogates us from responsibility and stops the thought process. I believe we have been done a _great_ disservice by the western establishment with their extremely unjust judgement of " hypochondriacs " , because now people have reacted the opposite way (and have gone to the same place the western MDs are, interestingly) and try to find a Real, physical, " non-mind " , reason for their symptoms (if that's possible)... and perhaps have trouble realising that there's no separation between the mind and the body, that our perception of what is mind and what is body is simply an abitrary screen drawn across " wholeness " . Anyway, it's very difficult to remove that screen, arbitrary as it might be, so... I'd like to state that having something created by your mind is not an insult, it's not a de-validisation of your condition, it is actually GOOD NEWS, because how many of you out there really want to have an organic disturbance?! We should always _seriously_ consider the " created by mind " scenario when looking at our various signs and symptoms. Note how I also said signs. All of us on this forum should know how much prayer / visualisation affects recovery from disease, but so often I hear the opposite, people trying to find a " real " reason for their symptoms, instead of realising that our minds are as real as anything else. I am a bit of an expert on this because my mother had liver cancer with an EMOTIONAL pathogenesis. That means it came from her mind primarily, people. It WAS cancer and it DID come from her mind. WM of course didn't differentiate it that way (they just didn't know). So the point is that TCM is very explicit in this, and perhaps we forget: Disease pathogenesis occurs via three dynamics: 1. Emotional Factors 2. Dietary Factors 3. Environmental Factors Let us not forget our doctrine. :] TCM, unlike WM, is always explicitly confronting its practitioners and patients with one thing: Personal Responsibility. That is why we have a strong ethical foundation and WM does _not_. WM spends much of its time passing the buck to disembodied environmental factors.(haha) But again this is really good news, because it means that we really do have much much control over our condition, if we just take responsibility. We don't have to live in fear or paranoia, we can be what TCM suggests: courageous and cautious. There's one more point which I believe is very very important: I believe that the main reason people have so many confounding, confusing allergies is because we, as a society, do not exercise. Going for a walk, running on a treadmill or anything else like that doesn't cut it. The main TCM principle here is that if there is sufficient blood and a strong circulation of it then there will be no wind (many claimed allergies can fall under the category fo wind) and all fall under weak blood and poor circulation. The exercise that most are familiar with will do this to a small extent; but the second level is missing. When we exercise for real and we are present (not listening to music or otherwise distracted) and we are enjoying the movement of our bodies we will begin to feel our energy move. When we reach this point we are at the beginning of a very important process which most people never attain for any length of time - the dredging of all the channels of the body. Anyoen who has performed attentive, intense exercise of this sort (proper yoga, tai chi, simple stretching, doesn't necc. have to involve exertion - like qi gong) will know what I am trying to convey: the feeling of lightness, supplness and power, clearness of mind and full motion of the body - meaning that energy and blood is felt to Move Unobstructed Through the Body. This feeling of unobstructed movement is what is meant by " rebalancing the body " . All the organs are in such balance that one can't tell that there are divisions, and in fact there are none! - the body is a seamless whole. Again this is basic TCM doctrine: " If the energy and blood move, then how can the hundred diseases arise? " (or something like that) Disease is caused by the sectioning of the whole into parts; that's what excess and deficiency, obstruction and stagnation are. I believe all allergies are due to weak blood, improper circulation but MAINLY due to deep pockets of stagnated energy, blood and fluids distributed throughout the body and its organs. These pockets release stagnated energy or material on provocation (caused perhaps by herbs or emotional winds)- some of which may be toxic, or they may simply obstruct energy flow therefore generating heat or swellings (throat constriction is a good example of this). A main disease of this society is our lack of movement. Not needing to move, we can get away with the diets we get away with as well as the emotional excesses. Regular movement of this nature extinguishes wind (including the emotional winds) and forces one to choose between the feeling of well-being and the feeling of stagnation and sickness that a poor diet causes. We should all move and wiggle more. We have these extremely complex, robust, expressive and expensive bodies and we hardly use them! That's ridiculous!! Everyone stretch!!! =] Bye, Hugo " Let the vibe flow through; the Funk can not only Move it can ReMove, dig? The desired effect is what you get when you improve your Interplantetary Funksmanship... " - George C. and Parliament Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2003 Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 > Maybe, but for sure it was in her mind this time. I'm > not actually disagreeing with you, I just have never > seen the term " allergy " well defined, and I do believe > it's another of those trash diagnosis where everything > without a clear explanation gets thrown in. Complicating things is that Western allergy doctors don't even agree on what an allergy is. Some are " purists " and say that in order for it to be a true allergy, Ig-E (immonoglobulin E) has to be involved. Others say that some other substance - like Substance P - may be acting as a mediator instead of IgE. > Like I > know a man who was diagnosed by his doctor of having > an allergy to cold water. The doctor was being careless in using the term allergy. Yet, cold can produce many of the symptoms of an allergic reaction - like breathing problems. Let's look at what happens from both a Western and a TCM standpoint when people's breathing problems are triggered by cold, be it water which is too cold or the surrounding air. First, the Western. When muscles (or anything) get cold, they contract. This includes the muscles of the back. If those muscles contract too violently or stay contracted too long, they can pull the spine out of alignment in some people. This misalignment is what triggers the breathing problems. By the way, there is an adjustment that DOs and chiropractors can give that will ease breathing. What they are doing is setting the spine back in alignment. BTW, these adjustments tend not to last on people who have a senistivity to cold until the sensitivity to cold is addressed and treated. The person gets the adjustment, is ok for a while, and then gets exposed to cold, and the spine is out of alignment again. Adjustments also tend not to last on people who are magnesium deficient. Muscles need Mg in order to relax. If muscles stay contracted - either from cold or from Mg deficiency - the back just gets pulled out again. Now, from a TCM standpoint. Cold damages Yang, and the Kidneys are particularly vulnerable to Cold. One way Yang Deficiency can manifest is through edema. Edema can occur anywhere, including the Lungs. No allergic reacion is involved, fluid is collecting because of Yang Deficiency. Also, one type of Yang Deficiency is Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi. This is all the symptoms and signs of Kidney Yang Deficiency plus breathing problems because the Kidneys are unable to grasp Qi. (Sounds strange but it has to do with TCM physiology, not Western anatomy and physiology.) But what usually is happening when the person has allergic symptoms but the allergy tests are negative is that the person has a weak Spleen and is Spleen Qi Deficient. It works like this: (I'm directing this to the people who are new to TCM.) A lot of people have allergic-like reactions when they eat dairy or wheat, but yet they are not allergic to these two foods. Dairy and wheat are very Damp-engendering. What is happening is that the Spleen is too weak to handle these two foods. One of the functions of Spleen Qi is to " transform and transport fluids " . (Yes, Qi Deficiency also can manifest as edema.) Every time the person eats one of these two foods, the body can't handle the Dampness they generate, and congestion results. In some people, this congestion (Dampness) tends to accumulate in the Lungs, and the person has problems breathing because of the congestion. The congestion is not coming from an allergic reaction and inflammation but from a weak Spleen and Deficient Qi being unable to handle the increased Dampness generated by either of these two foods. ?I know that I'm allergic to > this sexual-heroin/stick-child advertising which is so > pupular now - everytime I see one of these billboards > my eyes itch and feel hot and I have a pain in my ribs > and I find that I'm yelling and stomping around. > hahaha That sounds more like a Liver imbalance to me. (grin) (For those new to TCM, all the symptoms he mentioned can come from Liver imbalance. In TCM, the Liver " opens into the eyes " . Very often, when a person has trouble with the eyes and/or vision, the Root is in the Liver. Pain is felt in the sides because the Liver meridian (path of Qi flow) transverses the sides of the body. Suspect Liver imbalance and rule in or rule out when the person has pain in the side (or feelings of tightness in the sides). Anger is the emotion most associated with the Liver. The Liver is most vulnerable to anger, and once Liver imbalance has occured, the person will be more inclined to feel anger than a person without Liver imbalance would.) Victoria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2003 Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 > EXACTLY. EXACTLY!! Instead of saying allergy, I > have found that with enough conscientous thought, we > can arrive at a TCM imbalance which allows us to see > the source of the " allergy " and therefore correct it. > Simply saying " allergy " does two things: abrogates us > from responsibility and stops the thought process. BTW, many Westerners are confused when they first see a TCM healer because the TCM healer won't settle for just a Western-diagnosis as shorthand to symptoms. The TCM healer will pin you down as to the symptoms. Don't say " allergies " and expect the TCM healer to get the information s/he needs from that. Go into detail about symptoms. Like for example, I have breathing problems. I have more problems with breathing problems in the winter than the summer. (Points to possibility of Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi.) Or, Every time I eat dairy I get allergic symptoms. (Points to the possibility of weak Spleen and Deficient Qi.) Or, the main problem way my allergy manifests is as red, dry, itchy eyes. (Points to possibility of Liver imbalance.) As newcomers to TCM probably are starting to figure out, Western- defined medical condtions can have one or more of several TCM imbalances as a Root. What TCM healers analyze and treat are TCM imblances, not Western-defined medical conditions (unless the TCM healer also happens to be a MD or DO.) > There's one more point which I believe is very very > important: > I believe that the main reason people have so many > confounding, confusing allergies is because we, as a > society, do not exercise. Going for a walk, running on > a treadmill or anything else like that doesn't cut it. If the allergies or allergy-like symptoms have a Root of weak Spleen and Deficient Qi or Kidney Yang Deficiency, those things will need to be addressed first. Otherwise, the excercise, even walking can cause the person to become even more Qi Deficient. The activity is overdoing it for someone with a weak Spleen, and further weakens the Spleen which results in the person being even more Qi Deficient. In the case of Kidney Yang Deficiency, the person often may not have the energy even for walking, not less aerobic excercise. (Kidney Yang Deficiency can result in the most crippling and severe fatigue there is.) (The Spleen is very vulnerable to over-doing phsycially. Also to excessive thinking and studying.) > The main TCM principle here is that if there is > sufficient blood and a strong circulation of it then > there will be no wind (many claimed allergies can fall > under the category fo wind) and all fall under weak > blood and poor circulation. There is an increase in allergy and allergy-like symptoms when it is windy. Windy weather falls under the category of Wind in TCM. This also includes not only wind, but changes in barometric pressure and changes in concentrations of ions. This is Exterior Wind, and it can invade the body. BUT, Wind also can be generated in the Interior. One of the things that can do it is Blood Deficiency. BTW, the Liver is particularly vulnerable to Wind. (The Kidneys to Cold, the Spleen to Dampness (though the Spleen also is vulnerable to Cold), the Lungs to Dryness, and the Heart to Heat.) Part of the reason why allergies and allergy-like symptoms tend to be more prevalent in the spring than in the fall is that Wind is more prevatlent in the spring than at other seasons. Vicoria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2003 Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 --- " victoria_dragon <victoria_dragon " <victoria_dragon wrote > > I believe that the main reason people have so > many > > confounding, confusing allergies is because we, as > a > > society, do not exercise. Going for a walk, > running on > > a treadmill or anything else like that doesn't cut > it. (Victoria goes on to mention that exercise can aggravate many conditions, which is correct) I was unclear. There are many conditions for which exercise is contraindicated, even the QiGong (which is the main thing I was talking about). What I am saying is that because of our cultural aversion to real movement, there is a much greater incidence of even these fatigue diseases. Any 'regular' athlete can tell you that they have to be careful of what they eat, especially before meets. What this means is simply that because they have to function at a high level, not just any 'food' will cut it. Whereas, if we are in a position where we do not have to funciton at a high level, then we can certainly get away with weak lungs which won't support a sprint, tense upper back which could never support a pole-vault, and poorly functioning cells which won't output very much pure energy - and if we can get away with these things, it means that we don't need to give our bodies high-calibre material. Therefore, greasy meat, greasy potato chips, lots of refined sugar, over-eating, under-eating etc etc. We don't need to have our body be strong, therefore we can feed it a 'subsistence' diet - just enough to keep it alive. Therefore, if, from a young age, we are encouraged to make real movement a part of our lives, then from a young age poor diets will not be acceptable to us. This means increased health throughout our lives because we will have a life-long habit of real movement and therefore a life-long habit of proper eating. Since we don't get those two things from a young age in htis culture, we have a very high incidenc of diseases that are due to stagnation and obstruction, or a type of disease which is fatigue due to malnutrition, or a combination of both. It seems to me that proper movement adjusted to the individual is integral to that prson achieving health. Again, the type of exercise I am talking baout is not what many of us have become familar with - the gym, or heavy 'workouts', aerobics, and certainly not going for a first thing in the morning run. It is defined by full, even, extensions of the body combined with breathing and our attention. Tai Chi and Qigong are good examples of this type of exercise (which can be fast but does not have to be). Thanks, Hugo Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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