Inherited Diseases and other issues

[Guest guest]

A poster gave a link to Julia Chang's site -

www.sensiblehealth.com

 

I found this site very informative – she made many points that I

always want to make here but never find time for. The role of the

Liver in exhaustion, depressive states, inflammations and infections

can not be underestimated. Bob Flaws frequently says that in all

depression conditions there is Liver involvement. I agree with this -

for many years I have suggested that all-exhaustive cases I meet to

have antibody tests for all three of the Hepatitis viruses. There is

an unheralded epidemic of Hepatitis around the world – in Japan a

very virulent form of Hepatitis C is causing great havoc – in US and

Europe as well there is a hidden epidemic of Liver disease. Many

people have had infections from these viruses without knowing it –

but this liver problem is the source of their downward spiraling

health issues. Scars and low-grade infections and inflammations in

the Liver are an important source of Liver stagnations with heat.

 

Here is a statement from Julia Chang's home page – her exposition of

the problems are very good – but I do not agree with her therapeutic

conclusions. For many cases of Liver disease the types of draining

therapies (Liver and Gall-bladder flushes) are definitely

contraindicated. Also her knowledge of herbs in not sufficient to be

recommending specific herbs (especially single herbs) for Liver

disease this is not correct herbal practice. She is not an

herbalist – rather someone who has healed herself from disease – I

see many people who have had success with one protocol or another

and end up making a business out of selling products that they used

in their healing process – the Internet is full of such people. The

problem is that there is no such thing as a universally useful

therapy or medicine for most chronic disease patterns. I would

recommend that no one with advanced Liver disease should do draining

therapies – fasting, sweating, purgation, Liver flushes, etc.

without the advise of an expert. By definition those with deficiency

diseases should be careful not to further deplete themselves.

 

" I have learned from personal experience that a weak liver can be

the cause of many chronic health problems. Gallbladder problems, bad

breath, constant fatigue, sleep disorders, heart palpitations, poor

memory, skin problems, poor complexion, allergies, arthritis,

thyroid problems, frequent numbness in the extremities, frequent

infection and fainting are a few examples of what may result when

the liver is stressed. In addition, women's health problems such as

uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis and painful

menstruation may also be the result of weak liver.

Having suffered from these disorders for more than two decades, I

sought help from both medical doctors and traditional Chinese

medicine practitioners but my problems persisted. Western medicine

did not offer much help to me in addressing chronic health problems

and traditional Chinese medicine lacks an understanding of hormones.

I have B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in chemistry and had worked for more

than 6 years in the chemistry laboratory of a large hospital in

Toronto, Canada. I also have strong personal interest reinforced by

family tradition in Chinese herbal medicine. I decided to treat

myself with both Chinese and Western approaches, using one to

complement the other. Through a combination of Chinese herbs, diet

control and regular exercise, I gradually overcame most of these

health problems. I would like to share my experience with others who

may have similar chronic health problems. "

 

Another thing that Chang mentions that I do agree with is Y-Dan –

this is an excellent system for those who can not do any stressful

exercises.

 

Victoria commented on my posting on the role of the woman in the

developmental issues of their children – saying -

 

" I see this as a wake-up call for the need to be more supportive of

pregnant women and families. "

 

In many places in the world there are social movements to try to

help women have `ideal' pregnancies. In Japan several of the `New'

Buddhist movements – like the Pure Land School - have programs to

help women and men prepare themselves for conception and pregnancy.

This is a wonderful trend and one I would like to see universally

adapted. In my mother culture there are ancient texts that elaborate

the conditions for healthy conception and pregnancy. In fact the

Brahmins have long lists of rules for who can marry who (and why)

the proper condition of the man's semen (Sanskrit – shukara – which

has the same meaning as Jing) – the rules for when and how to

conceive are very elaborate – but the rules and injunctions

concerning pregnancy are extensive and thorough – full instructions

are also given for what is necessary to set the child on the right

foot in his first stages of development after being born. These

types of rules were well known especially in the royal and

aristocratic households. In China and Japan the Emperor's physicians

had elaborated the rules for delivering healthy children. We must

come to understand the importance of the many factors that

contribute to health and disease at the time of conception and

during pregnancy. Bob Flaws and Honora Wolfe have written

extensively on some of these issues. Both of these practitioners are

Master Gynecologists and Obstetricians. Our future as a species is

dependent on these understandings.

 

Another poster – wrote -

 

" Hi, Vinod! Within that alarming cascade of conditions and hypo-

functioning body systems that you list in your reply to Nancy S+13,

you said, " ...phlegm develops (many of these children have a series

of infections and fevers in childhood) - immunity weakens

further... " How does this square with the claim of Modern Western

Medicine that these infections & fevers are actually GOOD for the

child's body - that they don't weaken immunity, but strengthen it?

Apparently this has been proved, so I'd like your opinion. It seems

to me that if there is some foul matter in the body that needs to be

burnt off, that is good event - you don't want it piling up. "

 

This is another case of not all rules apply to everyone. What is

refereed to is the `stress' response or the `training' effect' also

called adaptive mechanism. This understanding is true – for some –

for those with stress disorders fevers can be further depleting –

not strengthening. For many hypometabolic people the accumulation of

toxins is a major issue but simply heating and draining these

conditions is not appropriate to their decreased metabolism. I have

discussed this issue above in referring to `draining' or `cleansing'

therapies. Fever is an extreme answer to the problem of toxin

accumulations and for children potentially dangerous. The correct

way to deal with these accumulations is to stop the practices that

are causing these accumulations in the first place – usually wrong

food and wrong food combinations – then the body will not have to

mount an extreme measure like fever to deal with these excess

conditions. One important aspect to this issue is that many people

thrive on stress and living a challenging life makes them stronger

and stronger -–but this is a very different type of individual from

those who often breakdown under stress. We must always remember that

there is no size fits all when it comes to human conditions – we are

very different from each other and some have opposite needs and

conditions to thrive than others do. This is the meaning of

constitutional medicine in traditional medical systems – and why I

always advocate personal therapies as opposed to syndrome oriented

therapies.

 

The same poster wrote -

 

" since we are talking about the thyroid here, I have this absolutely

fascinating book, 85 pages in length, publ. 1940, by A Sstudent of

the Rosicrucian Fellowship, entitled The Mystery of the Ductless

Glands.

It discusses the spiritual significance of the 7 ductless glands. "

 

I have read this work many years ago – many of these concepts came

from ancient Indian, Arabic, and Egyptian medical understandings –

Alice Bailey and many of the Theosophists that came after her have

gone into these issues in depth. There was a book I read as a

teenager that equated the various Hindu deities to various areas of

consciousness – this was very similar to the concepts expressed in

the concept of `The Mystery of the Ductless Glands " . The Chinese

Astrological systems have also gone deeply into these ideas of

the `Shen' of the various organs. Nine Star astrology has done the

same thing. For all TCM practitioners knowledge of these ideas is

essential. Lonny Jarrett goes into great depth about the

psychological and spiritual meanings of the organs of the body.

Personality and `spirit' are reflections of our personal organ

strengths and weaknesses (primordial Qi) and the balance of these

with each other – this is what makes us `individuals' because these

patterns are different for all. An advanced practioner can easily

understand the conditions of the organs and the ductless glands by

observing posture, body types,behavior patterns, and affect.

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Vinod Kumar " <vinod3x3

wrote:

>

> A poster gave a link to Julia Chang's site -

> www.sensiblehealth.com

 

Vinod, that " poster " was moi, Mrs. Barley, who gave the link to Julia

Chang's

site.

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

> Another poster – wrote -

 

Er, that " another poster " is me, too, Vinod. - Mrs. Barley.

 

* * * * *

 

You rightly note that fever is not " the answer " . But what about when

Nature says it is? Once the fever has taken place, because wrong

foods ARE consumed, what do we do? Suppress them or not? Watch them

carefully? I think that traditional western naturopathic medicine

might be helpful here.

 

 

* * * * *

 

> The same poster wrote - (re book on ductless glands)

 

That " same poster " is me - Mrs. Barley.

 

* * * * *