Guest guest Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 A person who has cold symptoms without high TSH (above 2) should be under the care of an expert practioner - to rosolve this issue takes understanding and experience. Having said this let us think about how to keep warm. These issues are relevant for those with defeciency diseases - either from hypometabolism from various defecincies at a younger age and for those who are aging - cold and defeciency occur in aging people naturally. Since the cold we are referring to is independent of the outside temperature - although of course it is made worse in cold climate - the important issue is to warm the 'core'. False heat (especially the acid part) often creates the paradoxical symptom of cold sensation - this is because most of the cases of 'false heat' are caused by the many stagnation and defecincy states taking place - so under the many acid burning sensations there is an underlying stagantion - which often manifests as stasis. This stasis has mixed defecency and burning from the irritating acid conditions. This manifests often as hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity because these acid and other toxin accumulations are irritating the nervous system. So clearing the accumulations and invigorating the stasis will be very helpful. Blood stasis in varying degrees of intensity will make all hypometabolic conditions worse because first the blood stasis itself is a symptom of these stagnating conditions and second it makes the existing condition worse - blood stasis occurs eventually in all hypometabolic conditions. The most important organs to keep warm in this process of warming the core are the Stomach/Spleen and the Kidneys. The practical things to do to help achieve Stomach warmth is to never(!) take any substances that make the Stomach cold - either in temperature or energetics. This means never put anything in the mouth that is not at least body temperature - this includes water and all other liquids. Eat hearty warm soupy foods - like soups and stews. Ginger is the best friend of cold people - as it warms every cell - starting with the tounge and stomach - taking mildly stimulating warming substances with food helps tremendously with the Stomach stagnation which is creating dampness in the Spleen. Eating a diet that keeps fluid accumulations down will help both the Spleen and Kidneys. Accumulation of excess fluids is not helpful as the body must heat this fluid in the first place and secondarily this fluid accumulation has no proper circultion to it so it can hold cold on the surface from the environment inside the body if this cold stays and sinks into even deeper levels of the body (remember we are only talking about a degree or less of temperature decrease)then it can effect even the deepest levels of the body - contributing even more to cold at the 'core'. Those who hold excess fluids will naturally store the excess cold and other excesses (acids and other toxins including excess heat)in this sluggish accumulation of fluid. For non vegetarians - pork (organic if possible) - is an excellent warming food. Miso soup is used extensively by vegetarians to keep them warm in cold climate. My favorite herb for warming the body is Astragulus - this substance works at the deepest levels to warm the core - by toning the upright Qi - it also tones the Wei (wai) Qi which helps more than any other thing to protect us from external invasions of many types including cold. If there is severe Yin defeciency then start with low doses of warming substances with full yin support and slowly increase the warming substances (like Astragulus)as the body can accept them. Foods with a cold energetic like all raw fruits and vegetables - and cooling foods like celery, cucumber, watermelon, milk, etc. should be avoided. Look at any book that lists the energetics of food and avoid foods that have a cold or cool energetic. Eat warming food! Warm the Kidneys by remaining warm and cozy at the center of the body. In Japan they wrap the waist in baby flannel to achieve this. Layering ones clothing is helpful so that the body temperatures can be fine tuned. I wear (I am a 66 year old person with genetic hypometabolism inclinations)an undervest under a tee shirt - in cold climate I wear an overvest as well (I like these new fleece vests). I can then take off layers as I feel more warm. The Important thing is to keep the trunk of the body (where the internal organs are located) warm and cozy. If one has Kidney defeciencies then avoid sweating. Sweating can be used to warm the body but only by an expert. Sweating drains the Jing in those who are already Jing defecient - this is not wise. I prefer the use of FAR lamps for warming the body - these lamps (from China) are readily available in the Internet and are not excessively expensive and are a good investment for the chronically cold. This is helpful for not just the cold sensations but is very helpful where there are aches and pains. For those who can not do any exercises (which is one of the most helpful things for cold people) these lamps are extemely useful. There are many devices that have been developed to deliver the FAR waves - from mattresses to saunas - but I prefer the lamps as they are much more flexible. The regular adjustable theraputic lamps used in clinics are the cheapest and the most effective. Use the lamps 15 minutes on the kidneys and 15 minutes on the abdomen - focused on the stomach area below the sternum. Using the lamps in the afternoon (when many cold people feel their coldest) is best. Have a cup of hot ginger tea before or after. Quick warm baths (without sweating)are helpful as are long warm soaks in the bathtub - get an aquarium thermometer from the pet shop and do not let the bath water rise above 101 degress Fahrenheit. One lady told she takes long afternoon baths at 101F with aromatherapy and candles. Aromatic oils that quicken the Qi such as eucalyptus, menthol, or camphor in small amounts in the warm bath water are helful. One caviat about long soaks in warm water - make sure that after getting out of the water to keep yourself warm - do not allow any cold to invade the body including the ears and head. Ayurveda uses a specific powder containg camphor for this - a good substitute is to put a dab of aromatic oil like White Flower Oil (Vicks can also be used)on the crown of the head and at the entrance to the nostrils - put a little bit down each side of the throat - put cotton balls in the ears until the body relaxes and regains its balance - dry the hair well and stay warm. Best to lay down under warm covers and relax until the body recomposes itself. Warming the body with warm water then catching cold from the open pores caused by this warming can obviously be counterproductive. Stasis and Spleen/Liver disharmony are key concepts in these syndromes. Resolving these issues will be the starting point in the theraputic approach to these loss of functioning disorders. Keep warm internally and externally - and think warm and cozy thoughts. Maybe others have suggestions on how they have warmed themselves when cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 The technology i often refer to called FAR is also called TDP - FIR - And other things - this is a type of Infra - red technology that when used on living organisms delivers warming Infra-red waves deep into the tissues - it is used in the Orient for all types of damp defeciency conditions like pain from Arthritis and other conditions - it is an excellant therapy for most pain and other stagnation issues. Here is a link for a company selling the type of lamps I reccomndeed in the previous posting today. I am not reccomneding this particular company - just do a search on these lamps and you may find a better price - I have seen these products sold by Chinese companies at cheaper prices than this company has. This company does give a little info on the technology and it's theraputic uses. Most natural healing clinics in Japan use these lamps for a broad number of conditions. http://www.healinglamp.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Is anyone familiar with Chinese Healing using traction for low back pain. If I lay on the floor and someone pulls my legs it relieves my pain. So I am intersted in something that might be used for traction. I have some narrowing of the spinal column and this is pinching off some nerves. OF course my Drs. tell me it is not bad enough to be causing all this leg and lower back pain. Any info someone may have I would appreciate it. Thank you candace Candace J New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 I think this is interesting my TSH is 0.65 and they assure me it is fine. I do not agree with this at all. I believe this is why I feel so cold all the time. When everyone else is able to wear one layer of clothes I have on 3. They recheck and recheck it and it never goes above that. They assure me it is not the problem. . I really find all the info on this site so helpful.Thank you candace Candace J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 > I think this is interesting my TSH is 0.65 and they assure me it is fine. I do not agree with this at all. I believe this is why I feel so cold all the time. When everyone else is able to wear one layer of clothes I have on 3. They recheck and recheck it and it never goes above that. They assure me it is not the problem. . I really find all the info on this site so helpful.Thank you candace > > Candace J > Recently I have posted on the subject of the two types of hypometabolism - the classic Thyroid defeciency and the non-thyroid form of deminished metabolic functioning. The second type is a disease of stasis - and although it may have thyroid resistance at the cellular level - it is not a thyroid disease as the T3- T4 and TSH functions are normal. One confirmatory test is Thyroid antibody tests - if there are not any abnormal antibody readings then it is most likely a disease of stasis. For the majority this test is certainly not needed since we should assume Thyroid resistance at the cellular level caused by stasis if there are no clear indications in the TSH test. Remember that stasis starts slowly as generalized sluggish conditions and can develop to severe and dangerous malfunctions - one can be anywhere in this process of deminished circulation and the resultant hypometabolic functioning and toxin accumulation. The toxic accumulations are what are causing the many pain and other uncomfortable symptoms - like unusual skin and muscle symptoms. Phlegm is always involved in these conditions - in fact in Ayurveda phlegm (ama) is the basic symbol of stasis as it is considered to be an original cause of the developing sluggish conditions. The cold symptoms usually appear in the mid phases of stasis and get worse as the circulatory issues get worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Candace, in TCM terms, it sounds like you have a Kidney Yang deficiency. This would account for the coldness as well as the lower back pain. Since I've been using herbs for Kidney Yang deficiency my lower back pain is almost non-existent. I've been doing some research trying to correlate what happens in Western terms that causes the back problems and as near as I can understand it, the biochemical changes that accompany this syndrome called Kidney Yang deficiency include an increase in the hormone relaxin, which " loosens " the joints. It's the same hormone that's released during labor to allow room for the baby to be pushed through the birth canal. If the joints are loose all the time, however, it allows them to slip out of place causing pain and pressure on nerves. I have the same thing as you, with the " normal " TSH values. Vinod has written on here before about this and explained it so very well. Look back through the archives over the past few weeks where he writes about hypometabolism. Nancy S+13 candace J. wrote: > I think this is interesting my TSH is 0.65 and they assure me it is > fine. I do not agree with this at all. I believe this is why I feel so > cold all the time. When everyone else is able to wear one layer of > clothes I have on 3. They recheck and recheck it and it never goes > above that. They assure me it is not the problem. . I really find all > the info on this site so helpful.Thank you candace > > Candace J > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Thank you so much for the info. I will do some back reading. Candace New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC for low, low rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 I've been doing some research > trying to correlate what happens in Western terms that causes the back > problems and as near as I can understand it, the biochemical changes > that accompany this syndrome called Kidney Yang deficiency include an > increase in the hormone relaxin, which " loosens " the joints. It's the > same hormone that's released during labor to allow room for the baby to > be pushed through the birth canal. If the joints are loose all the > time, however, it allows them to slip out of place causing pain and > pressure on nerves. Whenever Qi is defecient, and hypometabolic symptoms occur as a result, the Sympathetic nervous sytem becomes over stimulated by the stagnation processes. This keeps us overtense unable to relax the muscles - this is a major source of the fatigue associated with these syndromes. When large muscle groups like those in the lower and upper back remain contracted never really releasing then we expend large amounts of unnecessary energy - if this goes on for a long period (some have chronic tension in the muscles for years) we will eventually become exhausted by the struggle. This chronic tension of course inhibits proper metabolism in the local area and all levels of metabolism are ineffecient - the cells are not properly nourished and toxins accumulate - it is no wonder that those who suffer such syndromes are tired and full of all types of aches and pains. Imagine this by holding your arm out in front of you - tense the muscles in the arm and hold it - shortly the muscles will become fatigued and start aching - perhaps the arm will start trembeling - this is concrete example of muscle fatigue - many people have contracted muscles throughout their bodies that simply never 'let go'. Common areas where this takes place are in the lower back - the shoulders - ham strings - stomach - jaw - etc. If we try to imagine this in those who are already tired or depressed we see how easy it might be to slide into exhaustion states. It is these types of high muscle 'tonus' that causes a host of symptoms associated with exhaustive states - symptoms like tense stomach that interferes with digestion - insomnia has as it's immedite cause these tense muscle states which are preventing one from being able to easily fall into sleep - also this residual chronic tension keeps waking us up even when we do fall asleep. We always feel 'over reved' - anxious and achey. This in the early stages is Yang defeciency - but as we become more fatigued the Yin gets further depleted and we have generalized defecincy states. this is variously called - Kidney defeciency/ Jing defeciency/ Yin-Yang defeciency/ Essence defeciency. Muscle relaxants are one way to deal with this problem but I would strongly advise against the use of substances like Relaxin - I have mentioned here before my adversion to using HRT when there is not a clear defeciency in the substance. Some clinicians are using Relaxin for syndromes like FM - this is not a correct approach. Many people benifit to varying degrees from Magnesium supplements for relaxing tense muscles - but since this in no way deals with the real reason for why the Autonomic Nervous System has become imbalanced in the first place it is only a pallative measure. One simply works on building the three treasures and balancing the left/right imbalance (like Spleen/Liver disharmony) - this will build the energy reserves of the body and this will resolve the stagnations. Yin/Yang defecient people should eat very simply (complicated chemistry from foods further excite the SNS) - this also helps the tense stomach - any further stress on the Stomach precludes resolution of these problems since digestion must!!! be improved not further challenged. Select herbs that build the Treasures and that also relax (including mild diaretics) - since there is an accumulation of toxic acids then one should eat plenty of alkalizing vegetables and herbs like Oyster shell - dragon bone - pearl - kuzu root - etc. The Yang can only be supported to the degree that the Yin can accept it - so start on the Yin with small amounts of Yang and as stability improves slowly increase the Yang. Do not give too strong Yang building herbs like Ginseng or Deer horn - unless one is sure the body can accept it. anyone with Yin defeciency hypertension should avoid powerful tonic herbs. Small amounts of animal protein and plenty of vegetables are more effective for very weak people than Yang tonic herbs. Improvement of digestion (Stomach/Spleen)is the key to cleaning up the blood (blood building herbs are very helpful here) this releaves stress on the Kidney and Liver - this along with harmonizing of the Spleen/Liver will allow the nervous system to start relaxing as local metabolism is improved because of the reduced irritants and more proper nutrition. This solves the muscle tension problems which will allow the overstimulated SNS to finally relax - this will allow the Parasymathetic system to resume it's proper function of helping us recover our composure and balance when stressed. Once the Parasympathetic system is functioning again we will be able to sleep properly and Endocrine and brain chemistry problems improve - then we will surely be on the road to recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Chinese Traditional Medicine , Nancy S+13 <nancy wrote: > > I've been doing some research > trying to correlate what happens in Western terms that causes the back > problems and as near as I can understand it, the biochemical changes > that accompany this syndrome called Kidney Yang deficiency include an > increase in the hormone relaxin, which " loosens " the joints. It's the > same hormone that's released during labor to allow room for the baby to > be pushed through the birth canal. If the joints are loose all the > time, however, it allows them to slip out of place causing pain and > pressure on nerves. There are some other things that could be going on. Since there are people on the list who are new to TCM, I'm going into some basics. TCM Organs are not equivalent to anatomincal organs. For example, the Kidneys are not equivalent to the kidneys. TCM Organs are collections of functions. The Kidneys not only include the functions of the kidneys, they also include many of the functions of the adrenal glands. Some modern Chinese medicine healers believe that some of the functions of all the endocrine glands may fall under the Kidneys. The health of the Kidneys can be revealed in the condition of the bones and teeth. Whenever a client has bone problems or problems with the teeth, TCM healers automatically suspect Kidney imbalance and rules in or rules out. The adrenal glands (as well as some of the other endocrine glands) play a role in mineral absorption and utilization and loss. This includes the substances from which bones are made. This relationship can be direct - like the effect of parathyroid hormone on bone, or it can be inderect like the effect that diuretic-acting hormones can have on electrolyte balance. From a TCM standpoint, one of the symptoms of Kidney Yang Deficiency is that the person can produce very large amounts of colorless urine in a short period of time. A lot of minerals can be lost in that urine. On the other hand, Kidney Yin Deficiency can result in a person not having to go to the bathroom very often, and producing small amounts of very concentrated urine. This in turn can lead to certain substances building up in the body. But there can be other things going on with Kidney Yang Deficiency. The number one cause of sensitivity to weather conditions (the effects of Pernicious Evils in the environment invading the body) is Protective Qi Deficiency. BUT when a person has had long-term Kidney Yang Deficiency for some time, this sensitivity to weather conditions can be even more extreme than in the case of just Protective Qi Deficiency. People with long-term Kidney Yang Deficiency can be extremely sensitive to Cold in the environment. Not only are their core temperatures low, they are affected by cold in the environment much more than healthy people are. What's cold to them often is what is comfortable to a healthy person. Cold causes things to contract. This includes muscles. Muscles staying overly contracted from any reason results in fatigue and pain. Some people are so sensitive to cold and their muscles contract so much that the muscles can pull the spine out of alignment. Chiropractic and DO adjustments tend not to last on these people until the problems with cold are addressed. Muscles need magnesium in order to be able to relax. The same remarks about the contracting effects of cold on muscles also apply to muscles staying overly contracted because of Mg deficiency. When there is excessive urination, there can be excessive loss of Mg. Kidney Yang and Kidney Yin Deficiency almost always occur together though one will be more severe than the other. Sometimes one Deficiency can be so much more severe than the other as to almost mask the symptoms of the other. Sometimes one Deficiency will predominate and then the other will predominate. Some people will cycle back and forth between which is the more severe. Other people may have a brief period of one predominating and the other predominates the rest of the time. Some of the possible symptoms of Mg deficiency are some of the symptoms of Kidney Yin Deficiency. Nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, muscle spasms, and fatigue. One of the symptoms of predominate Kidney Yin Deficiency is the person is tired but has trouble sitting still. Some people will describe this as " nervous energy " . Something else to keep in mind is that Mg is a GABA enhancer. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. An example of an excitatory neurotransmitter is NMDA. Inhibitory and exitatory neurotransmitters are supposed to be more or less in balance so that nerves " fire " neither no much nor too little. If they are not firing enough, coma can result. If they fire too much, seizures can result. But long before the seizure stage is reached, the person can suffer from a sensory overload because the nerves are firing too often. The patterns in a rug or the smells in a supermaket can seem overshelming. A touch can feel painful. One of the symptoms of both Mg deficiency and Kidney Yin Deficiency is that the person will have a lowered threshold to pain. In the case of Mg deficiency, not only is the person experiencing pain from muscles tending to stay overly contracted, the person's threshold to pain is lower than it would be were the person not Mg deficient. Keep in mind that the role of Yin in the body is to calm (relax), cool, and moisten. The role of Yang is to activate, warm, and dry. The fatigue of Kidney Yang Deficiency is the most servere fatigue there is. I would say that it's impossible for a healthy person to exercise or overdo to the point of feeling the very severe fatigue and exhaustion that is possible with extreme Kidney Yang Deficiency. In the case of a healthy person exercising to the point of exhaustion, it's primarily the muscles which are affected. Practically everything else is working fine. In the case of Yang Deficiency, the energy simply is not there for any system or any part of the body. Yin and Yang are cosntantly waxing and waning according to the season, the time of day or night, the individual's activities, etc. Yin Deficiency tends toward insomnia; Yang Deficiency tends to needing to sleep a lot. So what happens when both are severe. The person may awake every hour or even every 15 minutes The person also may awake frequently to have to go to the bathroom to urinate. Something else to consider is that the body depends on Qi to " hold it togehter " and to " keep things in " . Spleen Qi Sinking is a special case of Qi Deficiency. When Qi " sinks " (when it's supposed to ascend) the result can be prolapsed organs. Prolapsed stomach, uterus, anus, etc. Qi also holds things in that needs to be held in. Sweat, urine, bowel movements, etc. One of the symptoms of Qi Deficiency is excessive sweating. Bladder Qi Deficiency results in urinary incontinency. Spleen Qi Deficiency can result in loose bowel movements. So what's the link to the Kidneys. The Kidneys are the Organ which is the most vulnerable to Cold. But the Spleen also is very vulnerable to Cold. If the person is Cold, eventually the Spleen is going to be weakened. The resulting cold sweating further can chill muscles, causing them to contract more. There can be a lot of things contributing to the pain and fatigue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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