Guest guest Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 A vegetarian, restricted low fat diet, even vegetable fats, coupled by life-style changes has been shown, in clinical trials by Dean Ornish, to heal coronary artery disiease. This seems to be a better alternative than a by-pass or a stent for discipllned patients. ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 In my practice, I try to correlate what I understand about Chinese medicine with western nutrition. I have been pondering the idea of a vegetarian diet not providing enough of some nutrients that support the kreb cycle and fatty acid metabolism.... so I went looking. The first nutrient I researched was carnitine because of it's ability to help the mitochondria burn fatty acids for energy. This would definitely corollate to increasing yang in my mind. Here is a quick article on it. L-Carnitine is a vitamin-like nutrient essential for energy production and lipid metabolism in many organs and tissues such as skeletal muscle and heart. Even if L-carnitine can be synthesized, most of the carnitine present in human body is provided by food. The objective of this study was to determine the level of free L-carnitine present in food commonly consumed in Western countries. A radioisotopic assay was used to estimate L-carnitine content in raw and processed foods. From this study, it clearly appeared that meat products were the best sources for L-carnitine. Dairy products, seafood and fish are generally relatively low in carnitine whereas vegetables are mostly very low in carnitine. An omnivorous regimen allows to meet the general recommendation on L-carnitine intake. Vegetarian are clearly below recommendation and their carnitine homeostasis has to be carried out by a functional biosynthesis. Revue / Journal Title Food chemistry (Food chem.) ISSN 0308-8146 CODEN FOCHDJ In a message dated 3/26/2007 11:45:37 PM Eastern Standard Time, writes: Hi Attilio and all, I used to have a vegetarian diet in my teens and 20's (I am now 50), for about 8 years, until I contracted mononucleosis. Then I started craving meat proteins like crazy, but mostly salty processed meats - looking back, I was probably craving salt and fat, but not the meat itself. Prior to this, my diet was not terribly nourishing, with lots of pasta, pizza, and processed foods. Now I have a diet that includes most foods, but meats usually in small amounts, like small bits in stews, for example. My diet is mostly cooked vegetable matter, and I find that if I have only vegetable sources of protein (beans, nuts, tofu), I will start to feel weak in about 7-10 days. This might correlate to what you call weak yang qi. I feel particularly bad if I use those protein drink powders - too much sugar or other sweeteners, plus they're cold, and I get the blood sugar blues. I have had periods where I derived most of my protein from tofu and beans, and I find it hard to keep warm when I eat this way. I never did get into tempeh. Fish did not do much to keep me warm either, and neither did chicken. So I do eat small amounts of beef, pork, and various fishes. That's my 2 cents. , L.Ac. ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Hi Attilio and all, I used to have a vegetarian diet in my teens and 20's (I am now 50), for about 8 years, until I contracted mononucleosis. Then I started craving meat proteins like crazy, but mostly salty processed meats - looking back, I was probably craving salt and fat, but not the meat itself. Prior to this, my diet was not terribly nourishing, with lots of pasta, pizza, and processed foods. Now I have a diet that includes most foods, but meats usually in small amounts, like small bits in stews, for example. My diet is mostly cooked vegetable matter, and I find that if I have only vegetable sources of protein (beans, nuts, tofu), I will start to feel weak in about 7-10 days. This might correlate to what you call weak yang qi. I feel particularly bad if I use those protein drink powders - too much sugar or other sweeteners, plus they're cold, and I get the blood sugar blues. I have had periods where I derived most of my protein from tofu and beans, and I find it hard to keep warm when I eat this way. I never did get into tempeh. Fish did not do much to keep me warm either, and neither did chicken. So I do eat small amounts of beef, pork, and various fishes. That's my 2 cents. Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto wrote: > > Zev and Yehuda, > > I've been a vegetarian for some 16 years. > > Have you and other vegetarians noticed a distinctive lack of Yang Qi in your > bodies? > > I'm convinced that my Yang Qi is weaker, almost passive, when compared to > most meat eaters. I'm sure this is due to a lack of eating meat, which is > predominately Yang in nature and a good source of protein. I try and get > protein from alternative sources, but it's not easy. > > Have other vegetarians noticed the same thing? How do you deal with it? > > Kind regards, > > Attilio D'Alberto > Doctor of (Beijing, China) > BSc (Hons) TCM MBAcC MATCM > Editor > Times > +44 (0) 1189 612512 > enquiries > <http://www.chinesemedicinetimes.com/> www.chinesemedicinetimes.com > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 For vegetarians or semi-vegetarians who feel they have weakened yang qi, I have a great suggestion. Try cordyceps mycelium (dong chong xia cao), it greatly strengthens the kidneys and warms the yang. The mycelium is grown on brown rice. Also, use of warm spices such as ginger and garlic helps a great deal. Some of it may be constitutional, but I haven't eaten red meat in 38 years and I don't miss it a bit. On Mar 26, 2007, at 9:44 PM, wrote: > Now I have a diet that includes most foods, but meats usually in > small amounts, like small bits in stews, for example. My diet is > mostly cooked vegetable matter, and I find that if I have only > vegetable sources of protein (beans, nuts, tofu), I will start to > feel weak in about 7-10 days. This might correlate to what you call > weak yang qi. I feel particularly bad if I use those protein drink > powders - too much sugar or other sweeteners, plus they're cold, > and I get the blood sugar blues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Thanks, Z'ev. I like the herb idea. Ginger and garlic haven't been enough. <zrosenbe wrote: For vegetarians or semi-vegetarians who feel they have weakened yang qi, I have a great suggestion. Try cordyceps mycelium (dong chong xia cao), it greatly strengthens the kidneys and warms the yang. The mycelium is grown on brown rice. Also, use of warm spices such as ginger and garlic helps a great deal. Some of it may be constitutional, but I haven't eaten red meat in 38 years and I don't miss it a bit. On Mar 26, 2007, at 9:44 PM, wrote: > Now I have a diet that includes most foods, but meats usually in > small amounts, like small bits in stews, for example. My diet is > mostly cooked vegetable matter, and I find that if I have only > vegetable sources of protein (beans, nuts, tofu), I will start to > feel weak in about 7-10 days. This might correlate to what you call > weak yang qi. I feel particularly bad if I use those protein drink > powders - too much sugar or other sweeteners, plus they're cold, > and I get the blood sugar blues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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