by Angela Tian Zhu | Oct 11, 2010 | Seniors & Dementia
I once had a 70 year old patient who was also my friend. He was very friendly honest and nice. One day he had a car accident. The car was terribly damaged but luckily he was ok. The only problem he had was controlling his urine. He started seeing me for acupuncture treatments. After the treatments he felt much better and was able to control his urine again. Checks in the hospital also showed he was fine. Unfortunately though he started forgetting things a little while after the accident and it got progressively worse. He has two daughters. He forgets their names and doesn’t know what they do. The problem was diagnosed as Dementia. When watching him I noticed he was making very small steps, leaning forward, using the front of the feet, head down reminding me of a rocking doll.
One of my other students has an older neighbour who used to be very active and happy. One day she was robbed on the street which was a great shock to her. Very soon after this incident she was diagnosed with Dementia. The shock had brought on the dementia. In Chinese medicine we say the kidney controls bones, marrow, brain and also fear and shock. When people get shocked the kidney Qi gets destroyed and cannot carry the energy to the brain and the marrow. We say the brain is the sea of the marrow. Therefore the brain very much depends on the kidney energy. When the body gets older, Qi deficiency is natural. Especially in the kidney, the life energy becomes deficient. This is natural to a certain extent. When we get older we are already deficient but having a shock is tragic and Dementia can easily happen.
How to protect kidney energy
Good nutrition, avoid shock and play safe. Fear and shock is normal to a certain degree and not harmful. But having fear for a long time can destroy kidney energy. One of my patient’s mother lived in fear for all her life. One member of her family was very sick and the husband was very controlling. Those many years of fear gradually destroyed her kidney Qi, very similar to a great sudden shock. It’s very important to find out the reasons for your fear and getting rid of it to strengthening the kidney energy. Exercise is also very good, so is good nutrition, avoiding being frightened and shocked. It’s also very important to see a doctor regularly. Walking, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and yoga are good exercises. For prevention of Dementia needs to be done early and you should start thinking about it after the 45th year of your life, especially if there have been cases of Dementia in the family. It is also important to remove any kind of fear.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor.
© Copyright Angela Zhu 2010
by Angela Tian Zhu | Jul 19, 2010 | Women's Health
There are four important stages of womanhood:
- Puberty (around 13-14 years old)
- Monthly periods (generally about 35 years long)
- Pregnancy and giving birth (even post-miscarriage and termination)
- Menopause (around 49 years old)
The main difference between men’s and women’s health is the cycle of blood in the body. In TCM the woman’s body is described as a ‘blood body’. The movement of Qi promotes blood circulation. Deficiency of Qi can causes depletion of blood or menorrhagia (excessive flow). So it makes sense that if our blood circulation is out of balance our health will be out of balance and we can suffer from:
- PMT
- Period pain
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Post-natal depression
- Low energy
- Hot flushes
- Bleeding problems (too little or too much)
- Acne
- Breast cancer
- Help infertility
Tips:
Take care when you menstruate. Don’t be too tired, don’t drink cold drinks and don’t catch the cold temperatures. Don’t get too hot either, don’t drink too much alcohol and don’t do drugs. Avoid spicy food and don’t go to emotional extremes. Don’t have sex during your period. This will help you maintain your uterus. It also balances the hormones.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor.
© Copyright Angela Zhu 2010
by Angela Tian Zhu | Jul 19, 2010 | Seniors & Dementia
One of the things we can do to regain the balance and help avoid these health issues is:
According to TCM, the kidneys support and nourish the brain through Qi (energy). The kidneys support the brain, spinal cord and bones by producing marrow, which is why TCM calls the brain, “the sea of marrow.”
If the kidney energy is deficient, the support system is deficient and weakened. This can ultimately lead to problems in the brain such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. So to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s, one of the things to focus on is strengthening your kidney energy. One of the things you can do is:
Bring your column up. There are four things involved with the column.
- Lifting the Hui Yin up (prenim)
- Hui Yin connects up with the Dan Tian (under the navel, inside the stomach. Prenatal and postnatal energy comes from here!)
- Use the Dan Tian to push the spine up
- All the way up to the Bai Hui into the sky (crossing point from both tips of the ears and the middle line of the body)
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor.
© Copyright Angela Zhu 2010
by Angela Tian Zhu | Jul 19, 2010 | Women's Health
Post-natal depression (PND) is painful. It has a detrimental effect on the mother, the new-born baby and their family.
According to source material, children can inherent depression from a mother who has suffered from PND. We must have knowledge of the effects of PND in order to raise awareness and to help sufferers recover. Having suffered from PND before, one should avoid the possibility of it happening again.
Causes:
Generally speaking, PND can stem from previous experience of depression, menstrual irregularities, nervousness and anxiety (emotional reactions), chronic disease/pathology, debilitation of Qi and blood developed during pregnancy and after childbirth. These factors can cause depression of Qi.
During pregnancy the foetus requires a large amount of Qi and blood from the mother’s body to be gestated. During labour the mother’s body loses a significant amount of Qi and blood. After childbirth, the mother’s body needs to replenish Qi and blood so that the newborn can be breast-fed.
Depression develops when the required amount of Qi and blood is greater than the amount the body can supply.
Tip 1:
Fragrant Qi Gong is a great help. Making subtle circles in the body through the Qi Gong helps the energy in the whole body.
Tip 2:
Rainy days affect our mood significantly. Exercise helps and also ginger tea can help during those days.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor.
© Copyright Angela Zhu 2010
