In seeking guidance for our own work with patients, those of us at the Jade Institute and others have put together a listing and links to resources that we have found to be particularly valuable. The information below comes from a variety of wise and experienced sources, all given generously by their authors. It is encouraging to see the outpouring of help offered by teachers and doctors, both in the West and in China, in support of practitioners here and their ability to understand…
The following article was translated by Dr. John Chen and Lori Hsu and includes the recommended herb formulas, acupuncture and moxibustion protocols for prevention and treatment of Coronavirus according to TCM experts in China. The Medical Treatment Unit of Wuhan’s COVID-19, Prevention and Control Headquarters issued a “Notice Regarding the Agreement to Recommend the Use of Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Pneumonia due to Infection from the Novel Coronavirus”. The “Notice” emphasizes that all designated medical institutions in Wuhan will ensure that all infected patients take Chinese medicine.
One of the interesting things to keep in mind this year of the Rat, is that because the Rat is the first of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, this Metal Rat year is the first year in the 12-year cycle of the Hsia calendar. Therefore, this time period is considered a year of new beginnings and renewals as new initiatives and decisions made this year will have significant influence for the next 12 years. For this reason, plans and actions must be chosen carefully. In general, this year is said to be favorable for new ideas and ideals, providing opportunity for the disruption of the established order. Of course, this tendency can manifest for better or worse, depending on how individuals and societies choose to set their trajectory.
Historically, the demon wind resided in caves, tunnels, or valleys created by Pan Gu as he emerged from the egg (ancient China’s version of the big bang theory) (Zhang and Rose 1995). These caves, tunnels and valleys are also used in acupuncture literature to designate points in the skin through which qi is able to penetrate the body (as well as flow out) and at which it is appropriate to apply needles in order to influence the inner qi (Unschuld 1985)…
The Sinew meridians are called Jing Jin. The character Jin represents something forceful, bamboo, inside the body. That is it is the power of the muscles, which like bamboo are striated and have regular intervals, knots. The Sinew meridians can be seen as muscles regions which can be tapped into at the knots, just like bamboo can be cut at the knots, and which provide the animation/rhythm of muscular movement….
Insomnia and anxiety are typically defined as being yin-deficient conditions in TCM. Due to the depleting effect of our modern lifestyle however, there is usually an underlying yang deficiency present in these patients. Stress can be defined as a situation when we spend our (yang) life-force rather than safeguarding and storing it. The primary problem we have here is therefore one of yang storage.
In the case of Fu Zi, or aconite, processing dramatically changes the fresh root from being a deadly poison, to an herb that is hailed as “King of the 100 Herbs”. Because it is highly toxic in its raw form, it has been demonized by Western medicine researchers who usually study the root without understanding or taking into account the precise processing and decoction methods required….
This case started with a fairly typical flu, most likely caused by a wind-cold pathogen. The prescribed antibiotics constrained the pathogen in the muscle layer. Antibiotics, usually considered cold and bitter, are not appropriate in such situations, which require an acrid warm approach to disperse and release the exterior cold. The patient had a fairly robust constitution, which helped prevent the pathogen from sinking…
When it comes to the retina, in ancient times, it was not even recognised as a separate part of the anatomy. Now we know it is anatomically part of the brain and nervous system. Consequently spontaneous degeneration of the retina has a similar aetiology and pathology to spontaneous degeneration of the brain and peripheral nerves…
While traditional pulse palpation is observation of the internal environment through the medium of blood vessels, channel palpation may be thought of as diagnosis through observation of interstitial fluid pathways. Classical physicians believed that the openings and spaces one feels when palpating the channels not only make up a crucial part of physiology, but can also reflect the state of internal organs…
When the Triple Burner functions smoothly, all qi in the body flows smoothly and all Fire in the body circulates endlessly. In SLE patients, the Triple Burner is obstructed, qi and Blood do not flow smoothy and there is disharmony between ying qi and wei qi. Insufficiency of ying qi and Blood and loss of control of the defensive exterior…
Acupuncture treatment uses the extraordinary point Shimian M-LE-5 as the “target” zone for local treatment. This point is located on the centre of the heel in the region of the attachment of the plantar fascia to the calcaneus. Palpation will reliably help determine the precise site for needle insertion. Variations of paired needles at…
