Nourish our energy. When you take a drink of cold water you need to spend extra energy to warm up the water before your body can absorb it.
Strengthen the energy of your organs blood circulation. When cold water passes your chest, it may cool your heart, lungs and bronchi and effect breathing.
Protect your Stomach energy. Cold water can make your stomach contract, weaken the energy of the stomach consequently effect your digestion.
Help gynecological health. Cold water can give you period pain, irregular periods.
Help to reduce allergies. So, the energy can flow better in your body.
Help mental energy and enables us to be happier.
I suggest that people with depression, anxiety, tiredness and digestion problems, drink warm water.
Get up with the sun. The Rising Energy in nature helps our growing energy.
Avoid wind and keep warm. Spring wind blows away the cold winter energy and the weather changes very often and dramatically. So, avoid wind and keep warm to help the growing energy and prevent disease.
Eat more green vegetables and less red meat, spicy food and alcohol.
In winter more people get flu, bronchitis, poor circulation. Some people have winter depression. Or more frequent urination, etc.
Why is there a higher percentage of death rate from disease in winter than in any other seasons? Why does more depression exist in winter? Why do asthma, emphysema and bronchitis worsen in winter? Why is there frequent urination? Should only pollen be blamed for hypersensitivity in spring?
The laws of nature are: Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. Our human bodies also follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and preserve health.
To go with it will bring health, to go against it will bring illness”.
Winter is the season for preservation and storing. But why to preserve and store, what to preserve and store, how to preserve and store?
A. Why to preserve and store?
Winter is the coldest season of the year. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)’s Yin-Yang theory Yin is cold and dominated by static energy while Yang is warm and dominated by active energy. With winter’s low temperature and cold wind, Yin energy prevails and Yang energy hides. In nature, everything goes into a state of dormancy and animals hibernate (after the harvest season of autumn). Nature is preserving and storing its Yang energy. As a part of nature, humans should follow the law of nature, preserve and store the Yang energy inside our body. Only if enough Yang energy is preserved and stored in the body that sprouting becomes possible in spring, growing in summer and harvest in autumn for our body and nature.
B. What to preserve and store?
TCM holds the view that the Yang energy in the kidney is warm and has a driving force. With strong Yang energy in the body we can resist against cold, has good blood circulation to enhance mental health and physical health and to prevent depression and anxiety.
Preserve and store the mental energy,
We have Seven emotions “excitement, anger, worry, sadness, grief, fear, shock”, they are normal emotions.
But the extreme emotions can damage our inner energy lead to depression and anxiety.
C. How to preserve and store?
Early sleep and later getting up. (at the time when the sun rises)
Eat warm food, avoid eating and drinking cold food.
Keep warm, especially the lower back (that is near the kidney), abdomen, head, legs and feet.
Try to keep in a stable mood, stay calm.
Appropriate amount of physical exercise. Avoid excessive sweating,
D. Tips for preserving and storing Energy.
Wear a singlet to keep the kidney, chest and belly warm, wear socks and hat to keep warm in winter.
People who have bronchitis, emphysema and asthma especially need to pay attention to keeping the chest warm.
Having feet bath in hot water helps improve winter depression and poor circulation.
Eat more sesame, walnuts, nuts and meat to help the Yang Energy.
Ginger and lamb soup is good to strengthen the Yang energy in winter.
Have walnut, honey and ginger at the same time, it is good for your brain, and it helps with the Yang energy.
Preserving health in winter, you will get healthier in the coming spring.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Tian Zhu (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
During autumn, every time it rains it gets a little colder. The days become shorter, nights become longer, nature’s Yin Qi as cold energy will grow, and Yang Qi as warm energy will recede.
For people who have digestion
problems, stomach problems or irritable bowel problems, it is a good idea to
start to have warm breakfasts and more warm meals and drinks.
People who often have colds,
bronchitis, pneumonia and high blood pressure in winter should start to have
hot footbaths in the evening, and warm meals and drinks.
For people who have sore backs, this
is a good time to start to keep your back warm.
People who have had
winter depression and those who feel lethargic should have more ginger, lamb,
cinnamon, walnuts, soup. These will help us to reduce anxiety and prevent
winter depression.
Traditional Qi’s two concepts are prevention and wisdom.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor. Copyright ,2020
When we are complaining about the hot humid summer weather, autumn is not far away.
The laws of nature are: Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. And our human body should follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and preserve health.
“To go with it will bring health, to go against it will bring illness”.
Circulation and blood to keep up with our energy consumption, therefore, people can get energy-deficient sometimes.
In autumn, the law of nature is like this: everything matures and calms down in this season, the Yin energy increases, temperature drops, (atmospheric pressure goes up), dry heat diminishes.
Nature uses these natural phenomena to drive away the wet and humid weather. People have a clear and crisp climates’ feeling in autumn.
Restrain the functioning of Qi in autumn.
Preserve the Qi of our bodies. Early to bed and early to rise, keep a peaceful mind.
Avoid diarrhea and indigestion.
Diarrhea is a common illness in autumn, our gastrointestinal system can store some damp-heat, symptoms like diarrhea and gassy stomach might come along in autumn.
What can we do about it?
Have lighter food, cut back on oily food and icy drinks. Keep the abdomen warm at night.
Tips:
Clear the heat and dampness in our intestines and stomach.
Eat more light food, vegetable and fruit. Try to have less fried food and meat.
Kiwi fruit has good effect on relieving the stomach and cleaning the bowel.
Chinese radish: It has the effect of relieving gassy stomach, clearing bowels and food retention in stomach. You can have raw Chinese radish, boil it in soup or stir-fry it
Reduce anxiety and promote relaxing.
Have warm drinks and food, try not to get over-excited and exhausted, keep doing appropriate exercise, so that you can get enough energy to avoid and resist depression and anxiety.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
A client came to see me recently with an upset stomach and diarrhea which started with the bush fires and the smoky air. Even though he is not near the bush fires, nor does he have a lung and heart condition, he can suffer as a result of the particles in the air which circulate throughout the whole body. The smoke can make people feel nauseous and give them an upset stomach with diarrhoea.
People who have mental disorders could feel worse because of the lack of oxygen in our whole body.
People generally who have poor digestion, or a stomach condition, may feel depressed too. People who feel depressed have anxiety and sometimes this affects their digestion – it works both ways. They are very much connected because in TCM, Stomach energy governs our digestion, the absorption of nutrients and it also nourishes our muscles. When we inhale a lot of smoke, it can weaken our Stomach energy and it may lead to problems such as poor appetite, abdominal distension, loose stools and tired muscles. It can make you feel emotional, depressed, anxious, easily upset or fearful because the Stomach is considered our second brain.
What can we do?
Avoid smoky air whenever possible
Eat light food regularly
Avoid eating heavy, oily and too much food all at the same time
Avoid eating when you are angry and upset
Eat food and drink liquids at body temperature to preserve your energy
Have a warm breakfast
Try not to drink and eat at the same time to avoid a bloated stomach
Try to keep your stomach warm with appropriate clothes
Consume less alcohol, coffee and soft drinks
Take short showers, at medium temperature, to preserve your energy
Massage your ribs which helps digestion and also moves the bottom of your lungs – to release matter which has settled there. Place your palms on your ribs circling inwards, down and to the side, several times.
The Qi or energy state of seniors may be one of deficiency due to age, illnesses and their lifestyle.
Wellbeing For Seniors
Qi Gong can help increase energy and make seniors stronger. With stronger energy, blood circulation improves nourishing the skin and muscles while helping the internal organs function well.
Circulation and Wellbeing
If you think about blood circulation, blood as fluid tends to flow down due to gravity. We need our circulation to go up to nourish the brain, eyes, hearing and our teeth.
When we get older, we tend to be energy deficient and our circulation doesn’t pump the fluid as efficiently. This can lead to reading problems with our eyes, problems with our teeth and can also affect the brain with memory issues.
Without good blood circulation to the brain, brain cells can then die very quickly reducing the size of the brain. This leads to a loss of brain function which may include dementia and even stroke.
Qi Gong Helps Reduce Inflammation
Throughout our life’s journey, we build up stagnation (Chinese Traditional Medicine), or inflammation (Western Medicine). Inflammation occurs when our body fights sickness —infections, toxins, injuries or stress. This may lead to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and more. Stagnation is a sickness. For example, if you have dementia your brain cells stagnate and they die or they shrink. Cancer is stagnation, so is arthritis —where your body is not working properly.
When your whole body stagnates your life is finished because movement and breathing become difficult and you don’t have warmth— you don’t have energy. Qi Gong can help.
Increasing Your Energy
You’ll have increased energy helping to fend off the stagnation or inflammation. Your organs will be stronger, circulation better and tend to live longer. You will move better and be more flexible and active, leading to a better quality of life.
We should encourage seniors to use their Dan Tian (their energy centre) for walking and standing upright as much as they can. When they walk we recommend that they try to put their heel down, otherwise they shuffle, as when we age we take smaller steps and use less Dan Tian.
We encourage seniors to walk early morning using their Dan Tian to be proud of their body and to visualize putting down the heel down first and if you can, and more difficult, putting your five toes down evenly. That takes concentration. If you can encourage them, safely, to take larger steps they will use your Dan Tian. steps became smaller.
Women have four special stages in life: 1.Puberty, 2.Menstruation, 3.Pregnancy and birth, 4.Menopause.
In Chinese medicine, we say the blood carries the energy that we need, and our energy moves the blood. So, with healthy energy and blood flow, it makes the four stages easier.
But most people don’t think about this.
Women’s mental health can be linked to blood and energy flow in these four stages.
Puberty
In puberty, when the blood starts to flow, it indicates a change in your body and your moods.
Menstruation
When you have a difficult period, then your energy doesn’t flow freely and can cause PMT.
After Birth
After birth, with blood and energy loss, women can suffer post-natal depression.
Menopause
At the last stage, menopause, means you stop having a period and you no longer have the energy to produce eggs, your body is getting older, and you don’t have enough blood nor energy to get pregnant. That’s a very simple way to explain menopause but it also depends on the previous three stages in your life.
Transitions
The best time to change your mental and physical health is when you are in one of the transitions. For example, you could adopt Qi Gong, change your diet, stop any habits such as heavy drinking, drugs or smoking.
Even with women’s illnesses, such as breast cancer, it has much to do with our energy. When your energy doesn’t flow well, it can lead to stagnation or inflammation that may affect your breasts, uterus or ovaries.
If you have strong energy you can counteract the stagnation and rid yourself of it.
With healthy energy circulation, you can stay well. But if you don’t look after yourself—a bad diet, no exercise or you are negative it may lead to illness.
Mental Health
The same goes for our mental health too. If I feel low or depressed for just one day, it’s not depression. If you are a little bit anxious for some reason, that’s very normal, it doesn’t lead to a mental disorder. It’s only when it is too extreme, or goes on for too long, that it leads to a mental disorder. The quantity changes the quality of your mental and physical health.
Qi Gong For Preventative Wellbeing
Practising Qi Gong assists in changing the quality as a preventative. Whoever you are, or whatever you do, if you practice Qi Gong, it helps you make better decisions because physically and mentally you are balanced, have a clear mind and more energy.
By practising Qi Gong, it gets you to a balanced state where you make better decisions, not only in your life but about food choices and your habits along with becoming more aware of how those habits affect you.
Daily Tips
Here are some of the daily tips that we can suggest for women: First of all, be aware of the Dan Tian and your energy when walking or exercising.
There are two other important things for women in modern society: one is to keep warm because your blood and energy circulates more easily and the other is to control your emotions. Healthy energy and blood flow, together, look after the four stages.
Practising Qi Gong helps you become more aware of your wellbeing and your energy levels. By increasing your energy levels other things are going to change as well. When your energy flow improves you are likely to move through the four stages of life with greater ease.
When we are complaining about the hot humid summer weather, autumn is not far away. Lately, I’ve been told by some patients that they are suffering from some phlegm in the throat and their children keep coughing up phlegm.
The laws of nature are: Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. And our human bodies should follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and preserve health. “To go with it will bring health, to go against it will bring illness”. Summer is the perfect season for everything to grow, it is a season full of Yang energy. The weather is hot and people usually go to bed late and get up early. With a lot of sweat and being switched back and forth between the air-conditioned environment and outside temperature, our bodies keep adjusting the Qi and blood to keep up with our energy consumption, therefore, people can get energy-deficient sometimes.
In autumn, the law of nature is like this: everything matures and calms down in this season, the Yin energy increases, temperature drops, wind becomes stronger (atmospheric pressure goes up), dry heat diminishes. Nature uses these natural phenomenon to drive away the wet and humid weather. So people have a clear and crisp climates’ feeling in autumn.
How to preserve our health in autumn?
Restrain the functioning of Qi in autumn.
Do not expose the Qi of our bodies. Early to bed and early to rise, keep a peaceful mind.
Avoid diarrhea and indigestion.
Diarrhea is a common illness in autumn, especially for children. Because of the wet and humid weather in summer, our gastrointestinal system can store some damp-heat, especially in those who are used to drinking icy water and having cold food. When the weather becomes cool in autumn, our bodies will automatically adjust to eliminate the dampness and heat inside, therefore symptoms like diarrhea and gassy stomach might come along in autumn.
What can we do about it?
We have to pay attention to our diet from late summer to early autumn. Try to have lighter food, cut back on oily food and icy drinks. Please remember that bowel movement is necessary every day, so that our bodies can eliminate the waste in our alimentary canal to get rid of heat and dampness. For children, it’s important to keep their abdomen warm at night.
Prevent cold and cough.
In hot summer, our bodies dissipate heat by keeping the pores open and sweating. When autumn comes, the temperature drops, usually it’s warm during the day and chilly at night, and the air becomes drier. If no special attention is paid to keeping warm at night, then it’s easy to get a cold and cough and fatigue.
So, in this season, we should make sure to keep warm if the weather suddenly change and have enough sleep at night, drink warmor room-temperature water, hot tea.
Avoid depression, Enhance mental health
Summer goes and autumn comes, temperature fluctuates and then drops. Nature enters a phase where Yin energy thrives and Yang energy decreases, some people may have depressed mood sometimes. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Yin energy (chilliness) increases, Yang energy (warmth) will decrease, during this time, depression can be triggered easily.
Therefore, to avoid depression and the recurrence of depression, we have to make sure our Qi and blood is strong. Pay attention to our clothing – keep warm. Eat warm food and have warm drinks.Have enough sleep and good lifestyle, restrain your Qi and be positive and optimistic. Preserving our health in autumn lays a good foundation for us in winter.
Prevent arthritis
It is common for arthritis to occur during the end of summer and at the start of autumn. Cold, heat, wind and damp can be easily stored at the joints. Especially for people who are suffering from arthritis or people who have joint pain, recurrence could take place easily so it is important to conduct certain exercises for the joints. Cold, heat, wind and damp can be discharged of the joints with certain physical exercises. Also do not stay or sleep in the draft. Keep your joints warm when the weather is getting colder. Take more rest when the joints are inflamed.
Tips:
Clear the heat and dampness in our intestines and stomach.
Eat more light food, vegetable and fruit. Try to have less fried food and meat.
Kiwi fruit is rich in Vitamin C, which has good effect on relieving the stomach and cleaning the bowel.
Chinese radish: It has the effect of relieving gassy stomach, clearing bowels and food retention in stomach. You can have raw Chinese radish, boil it in soup or stir-fry it.
Tips for cold and cough
Peppermint tea: It has the effects of detoxification and clearing heat in the lungs.
Stay away from draught.
Cut back on spicy food.
Avoid depression and anxiety.
Generally speaking, those people who are depressed or anxious because of the temperature drop, their constitution is characterized as weak in Yang energy. Yang energy has the effects of stimulating and promoting warmness. So, people who are weak in Yang energy should pay attention to keeping themselves warm, have warm drinks and food, try not to get over-excited and exhausted, keep doing appropriate exercise, so that they can get enough energy to avoid and resist depression.
Rotation practice for the joints
Practice rotation exercise for the ten major joints every day clockwise and anti clockwise. The ten joints are: Left and right shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles. At the same time, rotate your waist in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions as much as you can comfortably do, with Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Yoga.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
