Tai Chi and Qi Gong In China there is no conceptual distinction made between Tai Chi and Qi Gong, in fact, the terms are used interchangeably. The term Qi Gong is usually used to denote not only Tai Chi and “classic” Qi Gong, but is also used to describe such practices as Hsing I, calisthenics, [...]
Meditation and Qi Gong In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is commonly understood that emotional and physical health are closely allied and are, in fact, wholly interdependent. Illness arising from an organic source will eventually lead to or create an emotional response, for instance, chronic pain of any type is always followed by a depressive [...]
Green Tea Benefits Most people assume that “green” means herbal. The fact is that there is actually a tea plant, Camellia sinensis, which is related to the ornamental shrub known for its beautiful and fragrant flowers. Legends in Asia harking back to 3000 B.C., relate the use of C. sinensis as a beverage plant. Its [...]
Sugar and Health A recent report showed that the average American guzzles about fifty-three gallons of soda pop each year. Since the 60’s the average U.S. citizen has increased their annual intake of added sugars by twenty four pounds which brings the total average intake of sugar to over 100 pounds per year. That equals [...]
The Anti Diet The theory of the Anti-Diet has one simple axiom that guides the rest of the theory, “eat a little bit of everything and not too much of anything”. The theory holds that if one eats from a wide variety of foods, not over consuming any one thing, the full range of dietary [...]
Chinese Medicine Chest In the year 1253, the herbalist Chin Po Wei published a document titled “The Medicine Chest Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold”. The manuscript was a compilation of herbal medicines that Chin Po Wei advised that the Imperial Court never be without. I am often asked about the contents of a well [...]
Wabi In this article I would like to explore the Japanese concept of wabi. The concept was once described to me as the crack in the teacup that I held during a tea ceremony in Los Angeles. I asked my mentor why imperfect china was used on such a profound and sacred occasion. He told [...]
Traditional Chinese Medicine III, Herbal Medicine Herbal medicine is the main treatment method of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), and TCM is the world’s oldest, continually practiced professional medicine. TCM written history stretches back over 25,000 years and its practice is undoubtedly much older than that. Although acupuncture was the first Chinese modality to gain wide [...]
Traditional Chinese Medicine II, Acupuncture The healing modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), are many, but the most well known fall into four categories, the first of which is acupuncture. Acupuncture is the use of thread fine surgical steel needles at specific points on your body to remove blockages in the energetic system that regulates [...]
Traditional Chinese Medicine I, Overview Equilibrium is a dynamic state of harmony and balance. In the fast paced, high stress environment of North America in the twenty first century, there are many factors that cause disharmony and imbalance. Dis-equilibrium is any mind/body disharmony that eventually leads to disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been in [...]
Yin & Yang The fundamental premise of Chinese philosophy is the concept of the Unity of Opposites. The short hand way of describing everything that is contained in the physical universe is to say that all things are governed by the rule of the unity of opposites. An even shorter version of describing the same [...]
How Scientific is Medicine? The medical community has often cautioned the public that acupuncture is not fully scientifically validated and although hundreds of peer reviewed scientific studies have shown that acupuncture does work, its operational mechanism is as yet unproven. The current scientific explanation for the mechanism of acupuncture is that the insertion of acupuncture [...]
The Wisdom of Earth Centered Traditions What is the wisdom of Earth Centered Traditions? Coming from a multitude of locations and a diversity of cultures, the Earth Centered Traditions underlie all religion. These traditions have much more in common than not, the prayers, rituals and rites of these traditions may vary from one to the [...]
The Three Treasures Some of the most profound life style changes we can make are to take advantage of “The Three Free Therapies” (say it three times real fast), which the Chinese refer to as San Bao or “The Three Treasures”. These Treasures are inherent in all of us and can be brought forth at [...]