You give permission for us to track usage with Google Analytics

Rainy Days- Prevent Dampness in the Body

Rainy Days- Prevent Dampness in the Body

by | Apr 30, 2022 | Yin Yang Wisdom

Over the last few days lots of patients have been telling me they have more phlegm, coughs, runny nose and uncomfortable stomachs, heavy head, fuzzy head, less appetite, sore and tight joints, tiredness and low mood. All of these symptoms are indicative of dampness in the body.

What is dampness?

Dampness comes from our external environment or internally in the body. It may be due to Qi (Energy) deficiency preventing us from moving fluid from the inside to the outside of the body, or the external dampness from the weather or living conditions. Or eating and drinking excessively. It can stay in our body to make us unwell.

Apart from the symptoms listed above, how do we know more if we have dampness in the body?

1.    Difficult to wake up in the morning and or puffy eyes and face

2.   The tongue is bigger and has teeth marks. The coating on the tongue is thick and creamy.

3.    Coughing with phlegm, heaviness in the head, sleepiness, poor memory, feeling depressed or anxiety and sometimes a heavy feeling on the chest.

What can we do?

Lifestyle:

  1.      Exercise daily.
  2.      Make yourself sweat lightly by having a warm soup or hot tea.
  3.   Eat light food, with less salt.
  4.      Have a nap if you can.
  5.     Do not sleep or sit in a damp place.  Keep your clothing and linen dry.
  6.     Make sure clean the mould in the house and have indoor ventilation.

Food tips

Food tips:

  •     Have pumpkin soup with ginger.
  •    Barley with mung bean soup – add 1 handful each of barley and mung beans, simmer in 1 litre of water or more for half an hour.
  •   Drink ginger tea, use more ginger in cooking, eat a bit more onion and garlic.
  •  Make sure to go to toilet every day.
  •   Drink less cold icy drinks, eat less sweet, fat and creamy foods, and drink less alcohol.

Qi Gong tips:

  •       Reverse breathing – breathe in and expand your stomach out, breathe out hold your stomach in. Do this a few times in a row, and a few times each day.
  •     Massage your stomach and ribs in a circular motion.

Being healthier makes you happier and being happier makes you healthier.

Traditional Qi’s two concepts are prevention and wisdom.

Written by Angela Tian Zhu,

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner

Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor.

Copyright 2022

Enjoy this article?

Mental Well-Being in Summer Humidity

Mental Well-Being in Summer Humidity

by | Nov 26, 2020 | Yin Yang Wisdom

Often my patients tell me that whenever the weather is humid and hot, they feel depressed and pessimistic. These feelings are worse on rainy days. Sometimes they can feel heavy in their body, tired and have digestive problems.

Why does the humidity affect us?

  1. Nature’s effect

Nature is the big universe, and the body is the small universe therefore we are part of nature. When the weather is humid and damp, the dampness from the external environment will cause dampness inside our body.  Healthy people have enough Qi (vital energy) to eliminate and adjust the heavy dampness inside their body. But for those whose Qi is deficient or for those who may already have some fluid stored in their bodies, the dampness cannot be eliminated easily. When too much dampness stays in the body, it will make feel people tired and sometimes generate phlegm. When dampness is trapped in the stomach, it can block Qi movement, which may make you feel depressed or anxious.

  1. Too much cold drink and food

Human bodies are supposed to decrease dampness and reduce heat by sweating. In our modern society people prefer to stay in an air-conditioned room or have icy cold drinks but this will keep heat and dampness in the body. With all the heat and dampness kept inside the body it can lead to fatigue, indigestion, and feelings of depression and anxiety. Also, we may catch a cold easily. (Special attention should be given to children)

  1. External dampness plus internal dampness

Women’s health Special attention should be paid during menstrual period. The external dampness may cause abnormal menstruation, period pain and PMT with feeling more depressed and anxious.

Catching chill at night

In the hot weather, we enjoy having icy cold drinks during the day and keeping the air-conditioning on while we sleep at night. When we are asleep, it’s easy to catch a night chill. It can cause fatigue, headaches, make us feel tired, nauseous, and mentally disturbed.

How to look after ourselves in the summer days:

  1. Appropriate amount of sweat every day is necessary. But too much sweat can damage Qi (vital energy)
  2. Exercise properly and gently. Exercise accelerates blood circulation and sweat, which will benefit Qi (vital energy)
  3. Try to cut back on icy drinks and food
  4. Make sure to have a bowel movement every day. It helps with the elimination of waste and dampness.
  5. Drink a lot of water. Urinate frequently.
  6. Fresh ginger has the effect of dispelling cold, clearing damp, eliminating phlegm, and warming the stomach. Drinking ginger tea or using ginger in cooking helps achieve these effects.
  7. Barley has the effect of clearing damp and eliminating phlegm. Put some barley together with rice when cooking rice or put some in when cooking soup.
  8. Watermelon has the effect of removing heat and clearing damp, it accelerates urination.
  9. Mung beans have the effect of clearing dampness and heat. Mung bean soup and mung bean sprouts are perfect food for summer.
  10. Tofu has the effect of clearing heat.

Preserving health in humid summer days has a direct effect on our health in autumn.   It also helps our mental and physical health.

Written by Angela Tian Zhu 

Third Generation of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Tai Chi &Qi Gong Instructor

Copyright 25 November 2020

Copyright 25 November 2020

WARM WATER to PRESERVE ENERGY

WARM WATER to PRESERVE ENERGY

by | Sep 20, 2020 | Food

 

 

  • 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.

  • Makes you sleep better.

Please try to drink warm water.

Writer: Angela Tian Zhu

Copyright 20/09 2020

SPRING HEALTH

SPRING HEALTH

by | Sep 9, 2020 | Yin Yang Wisdom

Angela Tian Zhu

The law of nature is: “Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store and hibernate in winter

Spring has a growing energy

Growing energy is part of human vital energy. It helps people to grow, metabolise and recover.

Growing energy is not only for children and young people to worry about – adults and seniors also need to have growing energy to metabolise cells in the body.

Springtime is the season to strengthen the growing energy.

Suggestions:

For physical health:

  • 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.
  • Drink a lot of water (preferably warm)
  • Exercise 

For mental wellbeing:

  • Try to stay calm to reduce anxiety and depression.
  • Avoid extreme emotions.

Tips:

  • Comb your hair often – the action promotes head micro circulation.
  • Bathe your feet in warm water – this promotes lower body micro circulation.
  • Breathe deeply, especially when you are emotionally unsettled to help your mental health.
  • Try to move your bowels daily.
  • Drink Green tea, Mint tea or Chrysanthemum tea
  • Eat kiwi fruits – to encourage daily bowel movements.
  • Stay away from drafts (especially seniors)
  • Breathe deeply.
  • Tai chi (Taiji) and Qi Gong exercise can help the growing energy.

Good Health in spring will help you to have good health in summer.

Traditional Qi’s two concepts are prevention and wisdom.

Written by Angela Zhu

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner

Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor

Copyright 8/9/ 2020 

Energy and Immunity

by | Aug 19, 2020 | Yin Yang Wisdom

ENERGY AND IMMUNITY

In Traditional Chinese Medicine,energy is the most essential substance to constitute the human body and sustain our life activity.

It is desribed as a life energy and life force and is the most important function of the body. Without it we would not exist.

If we have srong energy , our immune system will be strong, and we will have the ability to resist Covid-19. When we have strong energy,

it wil benefit our mental health and reduce depression and anxiety.

How do we strengthen our energy? 

1.  Sufficient sleep (7-8 hours)

2.  Eat good, nutritious food

3. Drink plenty of water

4. Exercise every day 

What weakens our energy?

1. Staying up late

2. Poor nutrition

3. Drink and eat too many cold items

4. Ether too much, or not enough exercise

The spring is coming, please avoid the wind and cold. 

I wish everybody is safe and healthy!

  Angela Tian Zhu

 Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner

 Tai Chi & Qi Gong instructor

Tai Chi and Qigong  Classes :  https://www.traditionalqi.com/tai-chi-and-qi-gong-classes-workshops/

Preserving Health in Winter

Preserving Health in Winter

by | Jul 4, 2020 | Yin Yang Wisdom

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?

  1. Early sleep and later getting up. (at the time when the sun rises)
  2. Eat warm food, avoid eating and drinking cold food.
  3. Keep warm, especially the lower back (that is near the kidney), abdomen, head, legs and feet.
  4. Try to keep in a stable mood, stay calm.
  5. Appropriate amount of physical exercise. Avoid excessive sweating,

    D. Tips for preserving and storing Energy.

  1. Wear a singlet to keep the kidney, chest and belly warm, wear socks and hat to keep warm in winter.
  2. People who have bronchitis, emphysema and asthma especially need to pay attention to keeping the chest warm.
  3. Having feet bath in hot water helps improve winter depression and poor circulation.
  4. Eat more sesame, walnuts, nuts and meat to help the  Yang Energy.       
  5. Ginger and lamb soup is good to strengthen the Yang energy in winter.
  6. 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)

© Copyright Angela Zhu 2020