Neutral alternative to green tea/Hair Thinning/Weight G

[Guest guest]

Two Western-defined conditions that can have the symptom of hair loss

are hypothyroidism and magnesium deficiency.

 

Victoria

[Guest guest]

Restricted blood flow to an area will also cause hair loss. So

cardiovascular circulation problems and even tight clothing can also

cause problems.

 

Donald

 

victoria_dragon wrote:

 

>Two Western-defined conditions that can have the symptom of hair loss

>are hypothyroidism and magnesium deficiency.

>

>Victoria

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Diane,

 

On the subject of green tea, actually I'm not understanding, because green

tea's quite broad. The variety's spectacular. However, it is true that most have

a cooling effect on the body.

 

For example, there's Jasmine, which I adore, and if you buy the good brand,

usually it comes in the form of fat little pearls, which when brought in water,

slowly open up into long narrow leaves. The tea has a bit of fragrance from the

flower, and very relaxing, but too much drinking isn't good for a body, male or

female. For me, it's a kind of indulgence, and I waste nothing (have the habit

of chewing on the tea leaves afterwards.)

 

Then there's the Japanese variety, which show off with their true beautiful

green color. The taste is far more concentrated, very pungent, but the effect

is...potent, like comparing a Godiva chocolate to a Hershey. You can't have too

many cups of that.

 

Let's say you go to a chinese restaurant for dim sum, people never ask for

green tea, they name a type, such as LongJing (much milder but perfect to digest

fatty dishes), or Pu Er with Chrysanthemum (slightly sweet, with a little flower

fragrance, but the tea's more neutral, having none of the coolness that people

with more sensitive constitutions fear.)

 

Do you have tea from tea leaves, or tea bags? Maybe it's just habit, but for

me, if I can't see the tea leaves, I can't be assured of its quality, and that

brewing processing, when you control how concentrated your tea is, is just as

important, as far as if you think the tea's too strong for you.

 

It's funny. I met someone who was a tour guide in Chna, and he told me he

graduated from college majoring in tea. I thought, can it be so complex to

deserve a study? Really, but until I stepped into a tea shop, and looked into

all those jars like those belonging to an apothecary, I'd never thought. The

sheer variety will dazzle you.

 

The fun, I think, is discovering the tea to drink, depending on your current

state of mind/body.

 

 

Merl

 

 

 

andieW3 wrote:

 

In a message dated 1/20/2008 11:27:14 A.M. Central Standard Time,

tymothys writes:

 

You might want to try Yerba Mate, i think it is a bit warming, but

pretty mild.

Tymothy

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I found something called Guayai -- red tea with mate. Do you think this

would be warming? Gosh, I'm learning so much being on this list the last

couple weeks. This tastes pretty good and the box says it full of

antioxidents.

Here's my situation:

 

My accupuncturist said I have a cold damp condition. For a week or so,

I had been drinking lots of green tea thinking that might help (I thought he

had

said that...but then again, I'm foggy). In the middle of last week I started

feeling

bloated, my scalp felt lumpy and sore and my hair seems to fall off more and

more.

Dry mouth and can't drink enough water, felt edgy, some diarrhea. Are all

these

symptoms sounding like cold dampness?

 

 

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[Guest guest]

On Jan 21, 2008 11:57 AM, Donald E. Jacobs <donald.jacobs6

wrote:

 

> Restricted blood flow to an area will also cause hair loss. So

> cardiovascular circulation problems and even tight clothing can also

> cause problems.

>

> Donald

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right, and there is also a stress-induced situation where the muscles of the

neck and shoulders tighten up and impede that blood flow to the scalp. Thus

relaxing the neck and shoulders (or eliminating stressors) can make you a

hairy sherry once again.

 

--

, DAOM

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , andieW3 wrote:

 

> You might want to try Yerba Mate, i think it is a bit warming, but

> pretty mild.

> Tymothy

>

 

I thought Yerba Mate was cooling, but I am not sure. My

understanding is that it grows in a warm environ and therefore would

be cooling. Is that a hard and fast rule or more a guideline like

the 5 tastes?

 

>

> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

>

> I found something called Guayai -- red tea with mate. Do you think

this

> would be warming? Gosh, I'm learning so much being on this list

the last

> couple weeks. This tastes pretty good and the box says it full of

> antioxidents.

 

Well, I've run out of cinnamon sticks, but I think I will take a

variation on Victoria's suggestion and try cinnamon with green tea.

Will report later.

 

 

> Here's my situation:

>

> My accupuncturist said I have a cold damp condition. For a week or

so,

> I had been drinking lots of green tea thinking that might help (I

thought he

> had

> said that...but then again, I'm foggy). In the middle of last week

I started

> feeling

> bloated, my scalp felt lumpy and sore and my hair seems to fall off

more and

> more.

> Dry mouth and can't drink enough water, felt edgy, some diarrhea.

Are all

> these

> symptoms sounding like cold dampness?

 

I have cold dampness, and experienced all of that before I had

acupuncture. With the exception of the water, I had no thirst which

I believe is the typical cold damp symptom though.

 

>

> I'd love it if my hair would stop falling out and am open for any

> suggestions. Also

> I have food allergies and stayed on this warming diet (other than a

few

> yogurts on

> a bad row) and that green day. My weight N-E-V-E-R budges no matter

what I

> do.

> Exercise every day etc. Open for any reactions or suggestions to

my

> situation.

 

I had a slow metabolism before acupuncture as well. What they tell

me at the clinic is to focus on one problem at a time. When we

specifically worked on weight loss, my metabolism sped up and has

remained so I might add. Can't eat MacDonald's everyday. But if I

avoid wheat and dairy I can have a little sugar and still lose

weight.

 

Initially, I had gone in for edema, which cured my IBS right away.

Lifted a lot of the fogginess. But I think he was very aggressive

with the herbs initially. One was considered toxic. Kind of gave me

a quick jump start. I got the sense that others at the clinic would

not have taken this approach. Will return to the edema later because

it is a " deeper " problem.

 

>

> BTW: This list seems to have lots of nice and helpful people. To

the woman

> who

> posted that her accupuncturists were bad -- thanks for saying that.

My TCM

> doc

> has limited interpersonal skills. I'm so into learning and making

changes.

> The

> last time I saw him, he was so snotty to me and demeaning. This is

all a new

> world (TCM) and has it's own logic. I try things that make sense to

me

> (salads,

> fresh fruit etc) and apparently it's bad for my condition. I didn't

deserve

> to be treated

> like an idiot since my attempts were off mark. Anyway, thanks for

that post.

 

Yeah, you didn't deserve that. I go to an acupuncture college and

one of the interns yelled at me. " It's not magic, you got to make up

in your mind that you are not going to eat . . . " yadda yadda.

 

I bet he has a full practice now. Honestly, I think he really missed

the point. I think Chinese medicine has hastened changes that could

have happened with lifestyle change alone. I mean eventually, my

stomach fire would have died down and gotten used to lighter meals,

but how long would that take and how long would I have lasted with

such severe hunger pangs? Then, too, changing my lifestyle made TCM

more effective. Kind of circular like the Yin-Yang dynamic itself.

 

Anyway, in general, I feel at the college I get the best of both

worlds. The professors have a great deal of knowlege, and the

American students have good bedside manners-for the most part-and

some cultural understanding. You'll just have to find someone you

like. It's like trying find a good western doctor. -sjb

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Al Stone " <al wrote:

>

> On Jan 21, 2008 11:57 AM, Donald E. Jacobs <donald.jacobs6

> wrote:

>

> > Restricted blood flow to an area will also cause hair loss. So

> > cardiovascular circulation problems and even tight clothing can

also

> > cause problems.

> >

> > Donald

> >

 

>

> Right, and there is also a stress-induced situation where the

muscles of the

> neck and shoulders tighten up and impede that blood flow to the

scalp. Thus

> relaxing the neck and shoulders (or eliminating stressors) can make

you a

> hairy sherry once again.

>

> --

> , DAOM

> Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

>

>

Interesting, well, I obviously have poor circulation and when I am

severely stressed my hair just goes ahead and falls out. Happened 3

times since pregnancy. I bet the two are interacting to cause the

hair loss.

 

I went out out and bought some blue green algae and supplemented with

iron to build the blood, but I guess that does me no good if the

blood isn't getting all the way up there anyway. Still doing the

iron though, it helps with energy-I've always tended toward anemia.

 

I am thinking about getting massage every other week--if only 20

minute chair massage. Some study somewhere said it is at least as

effective for depression (and perhaps therefore stress?) as weekly

talk therapy. Plus, it's good for circulation.

 

I had hypothyroidism ruled out before going for TCM. Well, my tests

are good anyway.

 

Speaking of tests, I have wanted to ask. I have higher than normal

cholesterol, overall, but the good cholesterol is off the chart like

over 110 and the bad cholesterol is in a normal range so my western

doc says I am good to go. High cholesterol from a TCM standpoint is

blood stagnation, I believe, or at least sluggish blood.

 

But they way the western doc explained it is that the bad cholesterol

is the garbage and the good cholesterol are the dump trucks which

doesn't sound like I have sluggish blood at all. But is there any

TCM perspective on the good and bad cholesterol? Or rather, has

anyone in there practice noticed some correlation between certain

syndromes in relation to good and bad cholesterol?

[Guest guest]

On Jan 23, 2008 8:57 PM, syriajboyd <syriajboyd wrote:

 

> I thought Yerba Mate was cooling, but I am not sure. My

> understanding is that it grows in a warm environ and therefore would

> be cooling. Is that a hard and fast rule or more a guideline like

> the 5 tastes?

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, not at all a hard and fast rule. These doctrines of signatures and

warm/cool issues that you mention apply to a lot of herbs. However it

doesn't apply to all of them. Not all red herbs go to the Heart, for

example. Or herbs that grow in cool areas tend to be warm, but not always.

 

Sometimes I think that the Chinese kind of reverse engineered the clinical

effects of their herbs to explain them in terms of growth environment and

physical nature as you mentioned. For instance, if the color agrees with the

channel tropism (eg red herbs go to Heart) then that is described as why it

works. However if this herb goes to let's say the Lungs, and it is still a

red herb, then what will be used is other ideas to describe its essential

nature such as being harvested in the autumn (associated with the metal

element/Lung organ).

 

This has been a topic of great interest to me and someday, I'll publish a

book on the topic with the help of my mentor who is a Chinese TCM

practitioner who is STEEPED in the classics and has always taught me herbs

from this perspective. It actually made me love herbs so much that I rarely

do acupuncture any more.

 

Here's one example of our work together:

http://gancao.net/ht/ginseng.shtml

 

-al.

 

--

, DAOM

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.