Guest guest Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 As an interesting counterpoint, the great Egyptian Jewish scholar and physician to many sultans include Saladin, (who, also, BTW was also offered the position as personal physician to Richard the Lionhearted), Moses Maimonides says in the Laws of behavioral traits: 4:16-- that when bathing, " ...One should wash his entire body with hot water that does not scald the body, and the head alone may be washed with water hot enough to scald the body. Then he should wash his body with lukewarm water, and then tepid water, and so on until he washes with cold water. (But) over his head he should not pour either lukewarm or cold water. In the rainy season one should not bathe in cold water. One should not bathe until one perspires and one's entire body becomes soft like dough (as one is after a massage), nor should one remain too long in the bath. Rather, as soon as one perspires and the body becomes relaxed, one should rince off and leave the bath. " Sincerely, Yehuda < wrote: I encourage patients to use hot foot soaks, with perhaps epsom salts or vinegar (helps the skin, as far as I know). For cold limbs, i.e. winter. Also hot fresh ginger tea to warm limbs. One motivation is a curious saying that appears more than once in the MaWangDui manuscripts (written first half of 2nd Century BCE): " keep your head cool and your feet warm. " One level of meaning here is maintain yang moving down and yin up; at least avoid yin and yang separating by moving oppositely and away from each other. (One of my rationales for this is an interpretation of the fact that yin channels run upward and yang channels downward (from the perspective that the hands are extended above the head), i.e. life/qi moves yin and yang together forming living process, as opposed to yang moving up and yin down, away from each other -- as in death. Similar to a Native American saying that life is the dance of fire and water.) Another perspective is keeping the head cool as in daoist/zen non-attachment, where heat is metaphorically the restless desire of attachments. As in Jeffery Yuen's interpretation of the complex foot-shao-yang/gall-bladder channel on the head as in part to siphon heat away from the brain/shui. Keeping the feet warm would be the taiyang, enabling the primary motion -- extension, walking -- of the sinew channels, hence fundamental muscular activity. -- Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.4.0/760 - Release 4/13/2007 8:04 PM Ahhh...imagining that irresistible " new car " smell? Check outnew cars at Autos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Hi Yehuda and all - The beautiful thing about Yin Yang theory (also the thing that frustrates many scientists) is its ability to " reframe " itself. Chris and M.Maimonides seem to describe opposing views on bathing, yet we can easily find justifications for each system using yin yang theory. I see M.Maimonides' suggestions as being almost exactly in line with what Chris relates from the MaWangDui - they are different only in their methods. M.M. seems to describe a process of activating yang (hot baths) without depleting yin (avoiding sweating as well as avoiding loss of tone (spleen " essence " ?)) and without creating obstruction (applying cold to the head), but rather encouraging flow throughout, and finally, consolidating the exterior via application of cold to the body (not the head). It would also be interesting to know how M.M.'s recommendations would change based on different climates. Thanks, Hugo Chinese Medicine Monday, 16 April, 2007 12:34:07 PM how to bathe As an interesting counterpoint, the great Egyptian Jewish scholar and physician to many sultans include Saladin, (who, also, BTW was also offered the position as personal physician to Richard the Lionhearted) , Moses Maimonides says in the Laws of behavioral traits: 4:16-- that when bathing, " ...One should wash his entire body with hot water that does not scald the body, and the head alone may be washed with water hot enough to scald the body. Then he should wash his body with lukewarm water, and then tepid water, and so on until he washes with cold water. (But) over his head he should not pour either lukewarm or cold water. In the rainy season one should not bathe in cold water. One should not bathe until one perspires and one's entire body becomes soft like dough (as one is after a massage), nor should one remain too long in the bath. Rather, as soon as one perspires and the body becomes relaxed, one should rince off and leave the bath. " Sincerely, Yehuda < (AT) well (DOT) com> wrote: I encourage patients to use hot foot soaks, with perhaps epsom salts or vinegar (helps the skin, as far as I know). For cold limbs, i.e. winter. Also hot fresh ginger tea to warm limbs. One motivation is a curious saying that appears more than once in the MaWangDui manuscripts (written first half of 2nd Century BCE): " keep your head cool and your feet warm. " One level of meaning here is maintain yang moving down and yin up; at least avoid yin and yang separating by moving oppositely and away from each other. (One of my rationales for this is an interpretation of the fact that yin channels run upward and yang channels downward (from the perspective that the hands are extended above the head), i.e. life/qi moves yin and yang together forming living process, as opposed to yang moving up and yin down, away from each other -- as in death. Similar to a Native American saying that life is the dance of fire and water.) Another perspective is keeping the head cool as in daoist/zen non-attachment, where heat is metaphorically the restless desire of attachments. As in Jeffery Yuen's interpretation of the complex foot-shao-yang/ gall-bladder channel on the head as in part to siphon heat away from the brain/shui. Keeping the feet warm would be the taiyang, enabling the primary motion -- extension, walking -- of the sinew channels, hence fundamental muscular activity. -- Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.4.0/760 - Release 4/13/2007 8:04 PM www.traditionaljewi shmedicine. net ------------ --------- --------- --- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible " new car " smell? Check outnew cars at Autos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 " The head alone may be washed with water hot enough to scald the body " . This doesn't sound like good TCM advice. I've made bathing instructions for those with skin disorders (you'll be surprised they often have very hot baths or showers) and it doesn't include any reference to using very hot water on the head. That's just a no no. Attilio www.chinesemedicinetimes.com Chinese Medicine , yehuda frischman < wrote: > > As an interesting counterpoint, the great Egyptian Jewish scholar and physician to many sultans include Saladin, (who, also, BTW was also offered the position as personal physician to Richard the Lionhearted), Moses Maimonides says in the Laws of behavioral traits: 4:16-- that when bathing, " ...One should wash his entire body with hot water that does not scald the body, and the head alone may be washed with water hot enough to scald the body. Then he should wash his body with lukewarm water, and then tepid water, and so on until he washes with cold water. (But) over his head he should not pour either lukewarm or cold water. In the rainy season one should not bathe in cold water. One should not bathe until one perspires and one's entire body becomes soft like dough (as one is after a massage), nor should one remain too long in the bath. Rather, as soon as one perspires and the body becomes relaxed, one should rince off and leave the bath. " > > Sincerely, > > Yehuda > > > > < wrote: > I encourage patients to use hot foot soaks, with perhaps epsom salts > or vinegar (helps the skin, as far as I know). For cold limbs, i.e. > winter. Also hot fresh ginger tea to warm limbs. > > One motivation is a curious saying that appears more than once in the > MaWangDui manuscripts (written first half of 2nd Century BCE): " keep > your head cool and your feet warm. " > > One level of meaning here is maintain yang moving down and yin up; at > least avoid yin and yang separating by moving oppositely and away > from each other. (One of my rationales for this is an interpretation > of the fact that yin channels run upward and yang channels downward > (from the perspective that the hands are extended above the head), > i.e. life/qi moves yin and yang together forming living process, as > opposed to yang moving up and yin down, away from each other -- as in > death. Similar to a Native American saying that life is the dance of > fire and water.) > > Another perspective is keeping the head cool as in daoist/zen > non-attachment, where heat is metaphorically the restless desire of > attachments. As in Jeffery Yuen's interpretation of the complex > foot-shao-yang/gall-bladder channel on the head as in part to siphon > heat away from the brain/shui. Keeping the feet warm would be the > taiyang, enabling the primary motion -- extension, walking -- of the > sinew channels, hence fundamental muscular activity. > > > > -- > > > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.4.0/760 - Release Date: 4/13/2007 8:04 PM > > > > > > Ahhh...imagining that irresistible " new car " smell? > Check outnew cars at Autos. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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