Chinese Medicine

The three main sciences studied by the Taoists were Astrology /astronomy, Feng shui, and Medicine. The Taoist have maintained an unbroken tradition of reverence for the Earth Mother [Ti Mu] and this has made the sacred peaks important repositories for unusual forms of plant life and wildlife. Many of these places have essentially been nature preserves for thousands of years.

Chinese medicine, chi kung, and internal martial arts such as T'ai-chi, all have as their underlying theoretical framework in the theory of yin and yang. This theory deals with the principle of balance, the balance of opposites. According to the Taoists who originated this concept, the principle of balance, harmony and cooperation is the key to understanding all living things.

Chinese dietary therapy springs from these same roots and is considered to be fundamental to any other form of healing. To achieve balance the Chinese paid equal attention to what went in (in other words the types, preparation and amount of food), and to what came out (the symptoms or patient’s complaints). They paid close attention to the energy, or chi, of each food. This was achieved by carefully studying the effects of specific foods on the body over a long period of time.

Ideally one is able to put all yin yang modalities to use for healing and therefore would modify the diet, receive acupuncture or acupressure if needed, and practice T'ai-chi on a regular basis. Each of these is informed by the understanding of energetics based on the yin yang theory.

You have to get beyond "likes" and "dislikes" and understand your life more in terms of energy, which can only be experienced in the present moment. The stress of our modern lives is greater than at any time in history. the generation growing up since World War II has been subject to toxic pollution, processed food, overcrowding, nuclear foreboding, and electronically induced materialism. We have had these ever increasing stress levels to deal with and, make no mistake, we have been injured by it.

In attempts to handle the high stress world we were born into, we have tried drugs, (and been unbalanced more) fad diets, and "alternative lifestyles." Often, in casting about for answers (holistic and otherwise), we have been led farther away from harmonizing with the patterns of change in the universe.[1] Master Ni, Hua ching, states that for the modern world "the dilemma is 'how to be'." How to be so that the basic goal of longevity without sickness can be realized. Master Ni continues, "The Taoist tradition. . .has put all its attention on 'how to be in accordance with one's true nature."[2]

S. H. Kwan, the Taoist priest trained on Hua Shan whose life story is recounted in 'The Wandering Taoist' recommends a way out of this cycle of mental and physical imbalance brought about by the stress of the modern world. In the author's notes at the end of the book, Deng, Ming Dao write this about Rev. Kwan's teachings:

"His basic theme was self-sacrifice to achieve purification and perfection. This meant the seemingly simple task of avoiding degradation of ourselves, of our bodies, of others, or the world around us."[3]

This is the process that leads to the basic goal of the Integral Way. The first step in this process is to obtain an accurate energy diagnosis. Our daily lifestyle, our habits, indicate most readily our relationship to the Tao. Chinese doctors ask their patients what their favorite food is; almost every time the answer will point to the patient's imbalance. The body craves that which continues the imbalance.

When indulgent habits become part of the daily lifestyle they weaken the chi, reducing the personal potential for healing and personal cultivation. In the West, especially, we have placed all faith in materialistic science and we are preoccupied with the quick fix, the heroic application of science and technology, "an external manipulation that will protect us from the need of making a radical change in ourselves."[4]

Chinese doctors explain that out of balance people crave foods and lifestyles that, in turn, produce more imbalance. "Don't trust your thoughts when you are out of balance" is an old Chinese saying. You have to get beyond "likes" and "dislikes" and understand your life more in terms of energy, which can only be experienced in the present moment. Amy called this understanding your "now situation." This is a difficult step for many to take. Master Ni gives us this insightful translation of Chapter 71 of the Tao Te Ching:

"To know what one knows is to be highly enlightened. To know what one should know is sick. Only one sick of suffering can be saved from suffering."

Chinese doctors will tell you that patients who are really sick listen to their advice much better than people who are just a little sick. Many fad diets and purification practices can actually bring about deficient chi syndromes because the vital, positive energy is eliminated with the toxicity.[5] Without sufficient understanding of energetics, more harm than good may be accomplished. Many sincere people have experienced these results from supposedly balancing regimens that were in truth very extreme and therefore harmful.

First the Chinese doctor will advise the patient to eliminate foods, habits and living conditions that aggravate the condition. Later they will advise the addition of foods, exercises, etc. that will benefit the condition.[6]It is really helpful to obtain an accurate energy diagnosis from a TCM practitioner. This is not always possible. What can you do if Traditional Chinese Medicine is not available to you at the present time? You can avail yourself of the "Three Free Therapies" as the Chinese call them. They are exercise, relaxation, and diet.[7]

The exercise should last at least twenty minutes and cause just barely noticeable sweat. Profuse sweating dissipates energy and can increase the body's fire too rapidly.[8] Walking at a brisk pace combined with T'ai-chi Chuan or Pa Kua practice is recommended.

The relaxation portion of the regime needs to also last at least twenty minutes. A daily practice of deep relaxation is the key to reducing stress. The discipline must be carried out daily to have a cumulative benefit. Seated and standing meditation programs can be combined with floating in an isolation tank several times a month.

Diet is the most important aspect of any holistic health program. What and how much we choose to eat is within our control, while a lot of sources of stress are not. The Chinese have a unique understanding of the energetics of food. When the wrong foods for a particular individual are eaten repeatedly they prevent the body from receiving the nutrition that it needs and stagnates the flow of chi and blood throughout the body. This leads to pain in areas where blood stagnates and places where channels have been damaged through injury. Chinese medicine is a process whereby the stuck energy is removed with acupuncture and the diet is corrected for the individual's body so that they removed with acupuncture and the diet is corrected for the individual's body so that they don't continue to dump the bad energy back into the channels. The patient's nutrition is supplemented with herbs. If a person is given acupuncture and the channels are opened and they continue to eat the incorrect diet it has the potential to make the problems much worse because the negative energy from the food can go in deeper and become stuck.

In any disciplined approach to fitness and personal purification each person comes to a "sticking point" in the process that must be overcome. In Chinese medicine this is called the "healing crisis," at which point the attempts to move the blocked energy have made the patient weak. If treatment is suspended, the patient may get much worse.

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