Many people I have talked to that have visited Beijing to study Chinese Medicine often say that all the classical lineages and treatment methods are no longer practiced in mainland China. This could not be further from the truth. I would agree that the last hundred and fifty years of invasions, civil wars and revolutions have greatly hurt traditional healing methods and Chinese Culture as a whole. That does not mean it no longer exists. Their are plenty of sweet spots all over Beijing and all over mainland China. You just need to know where to look.
In two thousand and eleven I met my teacher. He is a third generation tuina master. Tuina is another name for Chinese massage. At the hospital he is the doctor that get results with patients that have tried every other doctor. His tuina is very different from other tuina methods that I have seen being taught in America. It is not a protocol based system like most TCM style therapies are. He treats your main complaint as well as strengthening your overall body condition. By this I mean he will not just treat your back pain but he will also treat your insomnia, digestive troubles or whatever other complaints you have as well. One interesting case I saw while there was him treating a patient with Shingles. After two treatments she was 80% better. continue reading
Broth has been used in many civilizations for thousands of years because many of its great healing properties. Bone broth is currently the craze right now in the health world. There are now bone broth bars in cities across the country. Drinking bone broth has many great benefits for people of all ages and health conditions. The problem with bone broth is it is extremely time consuming to make. Most people suggest cooking times of anywhere from twelve to seventy hours. A great alternative to bone broth is actually plain beef broth made from meat instead of bone.
Cold is a major disease factor in Chinese medicine. Cold causes qi and blood to slow down and stagnate. This slowing down has an effect on your physical body as well as your mental and emotional body. Cold is referred to as a yin pathogen and overtime will harm the bodies life force or yang energy.
Sweet potatoes are a great tonic food for the digestive system. It is a great food to eat if you have weak digestion. They are helpful for both loose stools and for constipation. It is also really good at helping with blood sugar imbalances. I suggest to my patients that they should eat their sweet potatoes steamed. If you eat too much baked sweet potato it can cause constipation. Steamed sweet potato generally does not cause this problem. I will talk about the effects of different cooking methods in future posts.
It has been quite a while since I wrote the original posting on the benefits of drinking hot water. I was inspired to write more on the benefits of drinking hot water since we are in the middle of the winter season and this is the most important time of the year to consume warm food and beverages. The original post was put up in 2012 and I have gained some more insight and easier ways of explaining the benefits of consuming hot water rather than cold.