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Yang-Sheng ( 養 生 Nurturing Life) is a FREE e-magazine and a network for health care professionals -complementary medical practitioners, Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki and other mind-body and spiritcultivators. It promotes methods of self-healing, positive mindfulness and health preservation. Yang-Sheng merges traditional knowledge with modern scientific research and clinical evidence andcombines ancient wisdom with modern experience to support health and well-being.Your participation, contribution, sharing and feedback are truly appreciated.2 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Volume 3, No. 3 www.Yang-Sheng.com (ISSN: 2326-277X) June-July, 2013Yang-Sheng Editorial BoardPublisher/Editor: Kevin W Chen, Ph.D.Editor-in-Chief: Michelle WoodAssociate Editors:Master Mantak ChiaHelen Hu, L.Ac. OMDRoger Jahnke, OMD, L.Ac.Rebecca KaliJoy E. Staller, B.ASolala TowlerChristina J. BareaMedical Editor: Sharon Montes, MD.Web Master: Rena ReeseAssistant Layout Manager: Melissa MooreColumnists:Ken Andes, L.Ac. D.Ac.Cindy Borgonzi-AregladoEric BorresonTimothy BoothShawn Cartwright, MBA.Salvatore Casano, R.N. Ph.D.Cindy CiceroChris D’Adamo, Ph.D.Felice Dunas, Ph.D.Marty Eisen, Ph.D.Ginger Garner, MPT, ACTChiuan GeeNadia Linda Hole, M.D.Dan KleimanEllasara KlingAihan Kuhn, CMD, Dipl., OBTLinda Lazarus, L.D.Lilly Lei, M.D.Violet LiPhoenix Liu, Ph.D.George Xavier Love, OMDLi-Jun Ma, MD,Ph.D.Elizabeth Mackenzie, Ph.D.Mark Melchiorre, L.Ac.Steffany Moonas, Ph.D.Narij Naik, M.Pharm.Mika OnoRodney J. OwenRebekah F. Owens, LMTRena Reese, M.S.Michael RinaldiniAndy Rosenfarb, L.Ac.Chun Man SitJessica Sommar, MSc.Michael WinnYuan Wang, OMDYang Yang, Ph.D.Tina Chunna ZhangSam ZhaoConsulting Editors:Master Kenneth CohenEffie Chow, L.Ac, Ph.DFaxiang Hou.Livia Kohn, Ph.D.Tianjun Liu, OMDNan Lu, OMD. L.Ac.Guan-Cheng Sun, Ph.D.Lama Somananda TantrapaMaster Zhongxian WuTony Zhuo, OMDTABLE OF CONTENTSFrom the Editor 编 者 的 话 .……….……….………………………..………...….…...………..…….. 5Food As Medicine 食 疗 .………………………….………….………….…...…...…..……….……....…. 6Herbs and Qigong for Cheer, Mood and Sleep! By Katrina EverhartBook Review 书 评 ……………..…………………………………….…………….……...….……..…. 9The Blood Sugar Solution Dr. Mark Hyman (with commentary by Fiona Tobler)Research Update 科 研 动 态 ……………………………..……..…...…………………….…………….. 11Recent Research Findings on Nutritional and Diet TherapyAncient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen 古 代 智 慧 、 现 代 厨 房 ..…..……………………………….………. 17Recipe: Perilla Seed Congee by Yuan Wang and Mika OnoFrom The Doctor 医 生 之 窗 ……………………………...…………….……….………..…………….... 20Raising Healthy Eaters—Part III: Cooking in the Kitchen With Your KidsBy Dr. Mark HymanMeditation in Motion 动 中 冥 想 ................................................................................................................. .24Proprioception and Kinesthetic Sense by Eric BorresonEast West Perspective 东 西 方 之 观 点 ………………………………..………..…..…….……….…….. 25The Contribution of Daoist Yangsheng Philosophy to the Modern Self-Care Movementby Anda PuduleBook Review 书 评 …………….…………..……………………………..…..………….…..……………. 32Heavenly Streams: Meridian Theory in Nei Gong by Marty EisenFeatured Article 精 选 文 章 ........…………………………………….………………………….…...…… . 33Chopping Your Food While Using Tai Chi Rooting, Alignment and Attentivenessby Raven CohanDaoist Internal Alchemy 道 家 内 丹 术 .…………………………………………..……….……...……… 36Internal Alchemy Q&A by Shawn CartwrightQi Cultivation & Dao 炼 气 与 道 ………..……………………….…………………….……..…………... 38A Consideration of “Transactional Energetics” for Qi Cultivators and Healthcare Providersby Jill Gonet, MFA and Guan-Cheng Sun, PhDBook Review 书 评 …………………………….…………………………………………...……………… 43The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi by Salvatore J. CasanoMethod of Self Healing 自 愈 法 .………………………..………………………………….…..….……….45Tai Chi Chuan Chang Chuan: The Mysterious Traditional Yang Family Fist Formby Rene J. NavarroMedia Review ............................................................................................................................................ 49Forks Over Knives (DVD) by Fiona ToblerScientific Qi Exploration 气 的 科 学 探 索 …….……………………………..……...…..………….…...… 50Scientific Qi Exploration. Part 3. Horary Cycle Qi Pathways from 3 p.m. to 3a.m.By Marty EisenSeasonal Harmony 季 节 的 和 谐 ……………………………………….………….…..………………… 55Food – It’s More Than You Think by Ellasara KlingComedy Moment. 开 心 一 刻 ...................................................................................................................61Support Yang-Sheng…………………………………………………..……………...……………… .62June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 3

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is to smile from the heart, mind, body, and mouth.Simple smiling increases the endorphins in theblood stream within 30 seconds. The effects ofjust 30 seconds of smiling can last for more thantwo hours. While endorphins are raised, cortisol,a stress hormone, decreases. As cortisol decreases,stress decreases. As stress decreases,mood improves thus breaking a cycle of decline.As the body improves during the day, sleep improvesat night.Food combined with exercise and smilingmaintains more than just weight. It helps monitorand maintain mood and organ health while decreasingstress, anxiety, and limits some forms ofdepression. Bodies experiencing frequent exerciseand proper eating are more able to handlestress internally and externally within the environment.They are less likely to catch colds, flu,and other illnesses such as pneumonia, partly becauseall the organs are working together, andexercise is helping move blood, hormones, oxygen,and toxins through the body and out of body.Certainly individuals with clinical or ongoingmood issues need allopathic or traditional westernmedicines and treatments. Yet folks with situationalstressful issues that are not described asclinical can use these herbal teas and tinctures aswell as Qigong to help improve mood, decreasinganxiety and depression. Everyone deals with issuesthat depress them. Eating the wrong types offoods as well as not being active enough can decreasegood moods. Eating the right types offoods and exercising regularly increase our goodmood and overall health. Qigong, smiling, andneutraceuticals help!Cichoke, A. J. (2001). Secrets of Native AmericanHerbal Remedies. A Comprehensive Guide tothe Native American Tradition of Using Herbsand the Mind/Body/Spirit Connection for ImprovingHealth and Well-Being. New York:Avery, a member of Penguin Putnam, Inc.Kavasch, E. B. & Baar, K. (1999). American IndianHealing Arts. Herbs, Rituals, and Remedies forEvery Season of Life. New York: Bantam Books.Wang, F., Man, J. K.M, Lee, E. O. Wu, T., Benson, H.,Frichhione, G. L., Wang, W. & Yeung, A. (2013).The Effects of Qigong on Anxiety, Depression, andPsychological Well-Being: A Systematic Reviewand Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complimentaryand Alternative medicine. Retrieved 4/11,2013 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/152738Katrina grew up in LA, earned herBachelor's at Stephens; Masters atUniversity of Missouri, and is ABD atWalden University. Specializing inconflict resolution/mediation, qualitative/quantitativeresearch, systemstheory, organizational behavior, projectmanagement, competitors, integrativemedicine/research, in stress,productivity, innovation, and decisionmaking. She’s worked in China, HongKong, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the U.S., training & conductingproduct research, product/service development and marketing.Past projects include Sprint's DSL, Talking Call Waiting,P&G Floor Care, American Express's Leadership Development.An author, Certified Project Manager, Mediator,Researcher, Indexer, Parliamentarian, and WoodCarver, shemanages her 180 year-old cattle farm and volunteers inCivil Air Patrol, USAF Auxiliary.Buhner, S. H. (2004). The Secret Teachings of Plants.The Intelligence of the Heart In the Direct Perceptionof Nature. Rochester, VT: Bear & Company.8 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Book Review 书 评By Dr. Mark HymanReviewed by Fiona ToblerFirst, forget everythingyou’ve beentold about the bloodsugar problem you’ve“inherited” from yourmother’s side or yourfather’s side, or fromyour ethnic or racialancestry.Truth is, the insulinresistance at theroot of weight gain,diabetes and a host ofdeadly diseases is almost100% preventable and curable no matterwhat your family history. So if you’d like to …Pass every blood sugar test with flying colorsfor the rest of your lifeMelt extra pounds away and never feelstarved or deprivedFeel years younger as a surge of energy fillsyour body and mindExperience freedom from nagging chronicillnesses of all kindsEliminate depression so often triggered byblood sugar problemsAnd never let insulin-resistance lead youdown the deadly path to diabetes, heartdisease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer…then The Blood Sugar Solution is exactly whatyou’ve been waiting for, and I promise you won’tbe disappointed.Why The Blood Sugar SolutionIs So Different From Any Program You’veTried BeforeThe Blood Sugar Solution is a personalized approachto health that works by pinpointing andthen eliminating the true underlying causes ofyour blood sugar dysfunction.It treats the imbalances in your body that aredriving the disease, rather than merely treatingsymptoms as they pop up. Put another way, ittreats the true causes of your weight gain and illnessinstead of just papering over symptoms withmedications.The rationale behind this approach is simple:when you restore balance to the seven key areasof your biology, great health happens! Illness anddisease go away, practically as a side effect.With The Blood Sugar Solution, there’s no misguidedeffort to “stabilize” your blood sugar or“manage” the problem with drugs. That’s whereconventional medicine takes a wrong turn.In fact, takingthe prescriptiondrugroute is usuallythe worstthing you cando becauseyour problemswill justkeep snowballing.June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 9

You’ll start with a pill for blood sugar … then soonyou’ll need another pill for cholesterol … then anotherpill for high blood pressure … and theneven more pills for depression, neuropathy, andother problems triggered by blood sugar disease.Then, you’ll need insulin injections as well whenyou cross over into full-blown diabetes.It’s not a pretty picture. And it’s made worse bythe fact that these drugs are ineffective, have sideeffects, and can even increase your risk for deathin some cases.Rather than letting you fall into this trap, TheBlood Sugar Solution helps you treat the underlyingroot causes of the condition. I want to helpyou cure your diabetes once and for all, not just“control” it!*The above was taken with permission from Dr. Mark Hyman .Go to www.drhyman.com for additional information.On a personal note from Fiona Tobler, AssistantBusiness Manager, Yang-Sheng.com:Kevin Chen and I were fortunate enough to attenda lecture by Dr. Mark Hyman in May 2013 onhis latest book “Blood Sugar Solution.” The lecturewas eye-opening!The book “Blood Sugar Solution” includes real lifecases of illness that were reversed by diet, lifestyle changes, and supplements. The book includesvarious “Ultra-Wellness Quizzes” thatmake you stop and think, big time! The book recommendsdiet changes and nutritional supplements.One of the things I like best about thebook is that specific blood tests are recommendedto see if you are on the path to poorhealth.The chapters are concise, the case studies arebrief, the descriptions of supplements and foodchoices are very clear – also, awesome recipes areincluded in the book.This book got my attention — while I am notoverweight and did rank low on almost all of the“UltraWellness Quizzes,” I got my big “AH-HA”moment when I took the quiz for food addiction.Oh my goodness, now I understand my addictionto sugar and am successfully on the path to drasticallyreduce my sugar in-take with the goal ofeliminating my desire for sugar altogether. Atthis moment, I have no desire for SUGAR!I have bought two copies of this book already forgifts. I highly recommend this book for everyone!Mark Hyman, M.D. has dedicated his careerto identifying & addressing the rootcauses of chronic illness through agroundbreaking whole-systems medicineapproach known as FunctionalMedicine. He is a family physician, a sixtimeNew York Times bestselling author, and an internationallyrecognized leader in his field. Dr. Hyman strives toimprove access to Functional Medicine, and to widen theunderstanding and practice of it, empowering others tostop managing symptoms and instead treat the underlyingcauses of illness through healthy eating and lifestyle. Getmore info about Dr. Hyman at http:// drhyman.comFiona enjoyed a fulfilling 34-year careerwith the Nuclear Regulatory Commissionas a Program Manager. For the lastthree years, she has been practicingqigong. Qigong played a key role in healinga back issue that had side-lined herfor a year from doing all the things sheloves: running, yoga, swimming andbiking. Back to an active life again, Fiona especially enjoyshiking with her precious pup, Marty! Fiona has been a studentof Buddhism for many years. She is certified in ReikiLevel II and has experienced healing from this modelity aswell. Fiona feels strongly that we should empower ourselvesto be the best we can be and that we should walk innature every day!10 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Research Update 科 研 动 态Recent ResearchFindings on Dietand NutritionalTherapyCompiled by Kevin Chen, Ph.D.Effect of lower sodium intake on health: systematicreview and meta-analyses. BMJ. 2013 Apr 3;346:f1326. By Aburto NJ, Ziolkovska A, HooperL, et al. from Dept of Nutrition for Health and Development,World Health Organization, Switzerland.nancy.aburto@wfp.orgOBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of decreasedsodium intake on blood pressure, related cardiovasculardiseases, and potential adverse effectssuch as changes in blood lipids, catecholaminelevels, and renal function.DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Central Registerof Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase, WHO InternationalClinical Trials Registry Platform, theLatin American and Caribbean health science literaturedatabase, and the reference lists of previousreviews.STUDY SELECTION: Randomised controlledtrials (RCT) and prospective cohort studies innon-acutely ill adults and children assessing therelations between sodium intake and blood pressure,renal function, blood lipids, and catecholaminelevels, and in non-acutely ill adults all causemortality, cardiovascular disease, stroke, andcoronary heart disease. Potential studies werescreened independently and in duplicate andstudy characteristics and outcomes extracted.When possible we conducted a meta-analysis toestimate the effect of lower sodium intake usingthe inverse variance method and a random effectsmodel. We present results as mean differencesor risk ratios, with 95% confidence intervals.RESULTS: We included 14 cohort studies andfive RCTs reporting all cause mortality, cardiovasculardisease, stroke, or coronary heart disease;and 37 RCTs measuring blood pressure, renalfunction, blood lipids, and catecholamine levels inadults. Nine controlled trials and one cohortstudy in children reporting on blood pressurewere also included. In adults a reduction in sodiumintake significantly reduced resting systolicblood pressure by 3.39 mm Hg (95% confidenceinterval 2.46 to 4.31) and resting diastolic bloodpressure by 1.54 mm Hg (0.98 to 2.11). When sodiumintake was 0.05). There were insufficient RCTs toassess the effects of reduced sodium intake onmortality and morbidity. The associations in cohortstudies between sodium intake and all causemortality, incident fatal and non-fatal cardiovasculardisease, and coronary heart disease werenon-significant (P>0.05). Increased sodium intakewas associated with an increased risk ofstroke (risk ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval1.08 to 1.43), stroke mortality (1.63, 1.27 to2.10), and coronary heart disease mortality (1.32,1.13 to 1.53). In children, a reduction in sodiumintake significantly reduced systolic blood pressureby 0.84 mm Hg (0.25 to 1.43) and diastolicblood pressure by 0.87 mm Hg (0.14 to 1.60). CONCLUSIONS: High quality evidence in nonacutelyill adults shows that reduced sodium intakereduces blood pressure and has no adverseeffect on blood lipids, catecholamine levels, orrenal function, and moderate quality evidence inchildren shows that a reduction in sodium intakereduces blood pressure. Lower sodium intake isalso associated with a reduced risk of stroke andfatal coronary heart disease in adults. The totalityof evidence suggests that most people will likelybenefit from reducing sodium intake.Dietary fiber intake and risk of first stroke: a systematicreview and meta-analysis. Stroke. 2013June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 11

May;44(5):1360-8. By Threapleton DE, GreenwoodDC, Evans CE, et al. from School of Food Science& Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.D.E.Threapleton@Leeds.ac.ukBACKGROUND: Fiber intake is associatedwith reduced stroke risk in prospective studies,but no meta-analysis has been published to date.METHODS: Multiple electronic databaseswere searched for healthy participant studies reportingfiber intake and incidence of first hemorrhagicor ischemic stroke, published betweenJanuary 1990 and May 2012.RESULTS: Eight cohort studies from theUnited States, northern Europe, Australia, andJapan met inclusion criteria. Total dietary fiberintake was inversely associated with risk of hemorrhagicplus ischemic stroke, with some evidenceof heterogeneity between studies (I(2);relative risk per 7 g/day, 0.93; 95% confidenceinterval, 0.88-0.98; I(2)=59%). Soluble fiber intake,per 4 g/day, was not associated with strokerisk reduction with evidence of low heterogeneitybetween studies, relative risk 0.94 (95% confidenceinterval, 0.88-1.01; I(2)=21%). Therewere few studies reporting stroke risk in relationto insoluble fiber or fiber from cereals, fruit, orvegetables.CONCLUSIONS: Greater dietary fiber intakeis significantly associated with lower risk of firststroke. Overall, findings support dietary recommendationsto increase intake of totaldietary fiber. However, a paucity of data onfiber from different foods precludes conclusionsregarding the association between fiber type andstroke. There is a need for future studies to focuson fiber type and to examine risk for ischemicand hemorrhagic strokes separately.h t t p : / / s t r o k e . a h a j o u r n a l s . o r g /content/44/5/1360.longNutritional support and functional capacity inchronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematicreview and meta-analysis. Respirology. 2013May;18(4):616-29. By Collins PF, Elia M, StrattonRJ. From Institute of Human Nutrition, SouthamptonGeneral Hospital, University of Southampton,Southampton, UK.Currently, there is confusion about the valueof using nutritional support to treat malnutritionand improve functional outcomes in chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD). This systematicreview and meta-analysis of randomized,controlled trials (RCT) aimed to clarify the effectivenessof nutritional support in improving functionaloutcomes in COPD. A systematicreview identified 12 RCT (n = 448) in stableCOPD patients investigating the effectsof nutritional support (dietary advice (1 RCT),oral nutritional supplements (10 RCT), enteraltube feeding (1 RCT)) versus control on functionaloutcomes. Meta-analysis of the changes inducedby intervention found that while respiratoryfunction (forced expiratory volume in 1 s,lung capacity, blood gases) was unresponsiveto nutritional support, both inspiratory and expiratorymuscle strength (maximal inspiratory12 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

mouth pressure +3.86 standard error (SE) 1.89cm H2 O, P = 0.041; maximal expiratory mouthpressure +11.85 SE 5.54 cm H2 O, P = 0.032) andhandgrip strength (+1.35 SE 0.69 kg, P = 0.05)were significantly improved and associated withweight gains of ≥2 kg. Nutritional supportproduced significant improvements in qualityof life in some trials, although meta-analysiswas not possible. It also led to improved exerciseperformance and enhancement of exercise rehabilitationprogrammes. This systematicreview and meta-analysis demonstratesthat nutritional support in COPD results in significantimprovements in a number of clinically relevantfunctional outcomes, complementing a previousreview showing improvements innutritionalintake and weight.Systematic review and meta-analysis of differentdietary approaches to the management of type2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar;97(3):505-16. By Ajala O, English P, Pinkney J. from Dept ofDiabetes and Endocrinology, Peninsula College ofMedicine and Dentistry, Plymouth, UK. olubukola.ajala@nhs.netBACKGROUND: There is evidence that reducingblood glucose concentrations, inducingweight loss, and improving the lipid profile reducescardiovascular risk in people with type 2diabetes.OBJECTIVE: We assessed the effect of variousdiets on glycemic control, lipids, and weight loss.DESIGN: We conducted searches of PubMed,Embase, and Google Scholar to August 2011. Weincluded randomized controlled trials (RCTs)with interventions that lasted ≥6 mo that comparedlow-carbohydrate, vegetarian, vegan, lowglycemicindex (GI), high-fiber, Mediterranean,and high-protein diets with control diets includinglow-fat, high-GI, American Diabetes Association,European Association for the Study of Diabetes,and low-protein diets.RESULTS: A total of 20 RCTs were included(n = 3073 included in final analyses across 3460randomly assigned individuals). The lowcarbohydrate,low-GI, Mediterranean, and highproteindiets all led to a greater improvement inglycemic control [glycated hemoglobin reductionsof -0.12% (P = 0.04), -0.14% (P = 0.008), -0.47% (P < 0.00001), and -0.28% (P < 0.00001),respectively] compared with their respective controldiets, with the largest effect size seen in theMediterranean diet. Low-carbohydrate and Mediterraneandiets led to greater weight loss [-0.69kg (P = 0.21) and -1.84 kg (P < 0.00001), respectively],with an increase in HDL seen in all dietsexcept the high-protein diet.CONCLUSION: Low-carbohydrate, low-GI,Mediterranean, and high-protein diets are effectivein improving various markers of cardiovascularrisk in people with diabetes and should beconsidered in the overall strategy of diabetesmanagement.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/97/3/505.longFat Intake After Diagnosis and Risk of Lethal ProstateCancer and All-Cause Mortality. JAMA InternMed. 2013 Jun 10:1-8. By Richman EL, KenfieldSA, Chavarro JE, et al.Nearly 2.5 million men currently live withprostate cancer in the United States, yet little isknown about the association between diet afterdiagnosis and prostate cancer progression andoverall mortality.OBJECTIVE To examine postdiagnosticfat intake in relation to lethal prostate cancerand all-cause mortality.DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospectivestudy of 4577 men with nonmetastatic prostateJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 13

cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-upStudy (1986-2010).EXPOSURES: Post-diagnostic intake of saturated,monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans,animal, and vegetable fat.MAIN OUTCOMES: Lethal prostate cancer(distant metastases or prostate cancer-specificdeath) and all-cause mortality.RESULTS: We observed 315 events of lethalprostate cancer and 1064 deaths (median followup,8.4 years). Crude rates per 1000 person-yearsfor lethal prostate cancer were as follows(highest vs lowest quintile of fat intake): 7.6 vs7.3 for saturated, 6.4 vs 7.2 for monounsaturated,5.8 vs 8.2 for polyunsaturated, 8.7 vs 6.1 fortrans, 8.3 vs 5.7 for animal, and 4.7 vs 8.7 forvegetable fat. For all-cause mortality, the rateswere 28.4 vs 21.4 for saturated, 20.0 vs 23.7 formonounsaturated, 17.1 vs 29.4 for polyunsaturated,32.4 vs 17.1 for trans, 32.0 vs 17.2 for animal,and 15.4 vs 32.7 for vegetable fat. Replacing10% of energy intake from carbohydrate withvegetable fat was associated with a lower risk oflethal prostate cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71;95% CI, 0.51-0.98; P = .04) and all-cause mortality(HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.61-0.88; P = .001). Noother fats were associated with lethal prostatecancer. Saturated and trans fats after diagnosis(replacing 5% and 1% of energy from carbohydrate,respectively) were associated with higherall-cause mortality (HR, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.05-1.60;P = .02] and 1.25 [95% CI, 1.05-1.49; P = .01],respectively).CONCLUSIONS: Among men with nonmetastaticprostate cancer, replacing carbohydratesand animal fat with vegetable fat may reduce therisk of all-cause mortality. The potential benefitof vegetable fat for prostate cancer-specific outcomesmerits further research.BACKGROUND: Adequate nutrition is importantfor optimal immune and metabolic function.Dietary support may, therefore, improveclinical outcomes in HIV-infected individuals byreducing the incidence of HIV-associated complicationsand attenuating progression of HIV disease,improving quality of life and ultimately reducingdisease-related mortality.OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness ofvarious macronutrient interventions, givenorally, in reducing morbidity and mortality inadults and children living with HIV infection.METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (up to August2011), MEDLINE (1966 to August 2011),EMBASE (1988 to August 2011), LILACS (up toFebruary 2012), and Gateway (March 2006-February 2010). We also scanned reference listsof articles and contacted authors of relevant studiesand other researchers.SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlledtrials evaluating the effectiveness ofmacronutrient interventions compared withno nutritionalsupplements or placebo in the managementof adults and children infected with HIV.DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS: Three reviewersindependently applied study selectioncriteria, assessed study quality, and extracteddata. Effects were assessed using mean differenceand 95% confidence intervals. Homogenous studieswere combined wherever it was clinicallyNutritional interventions for reducing morbidityand mortality in people with HIV. Cochrane DatabaseSyst Rev. 2013 Feb 28;2:CD004536. ByGrobler L, Siegfried N, Visser ME, et al. from Centrefor Evidence-based Health Care, StellenboschUniversity, Cape Town, South Africa. liesl.nicol@gmail.com.14 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

meaningful to do so and a meta-analysis using therandom effects model was conducted.MAIN RESULTS: Fourteen trials (including1725 HIV positive adults and 271 HIV positivechildren), were included in this review. Neithersupplementary food nor daily supplement ofSpirulina significantly altered the risk of deathcompared with no supplement or placebo in malnourished,ART naive adult participants in thetwo studies which reported on this outcome.A nutritional supplement enhanced with proteindid not significantly alter the risk of death comparedto standard nutritional care in childrenwith prolonged diarrhoea. Supplementation withmacronutrient formulas given to provide proteinand/or energy and fortified with micronutrients,in conjunction with nutrition counselling, significantlyimproved energy intake (3 trials; n=131;MD 393.57 kcal/day; 95% CI: 224.66 to562.47;p

decrease in BMI of 8% was the threshold level atwhich insulin sensitivity improved. As moreweight loss programs are designed for obese adolescents,it will be important to have reasonableweight loss goals that will yield improvements inmetabolic and cardiovascular disease risk factors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022347613004204Early parenteral nutrition and growth outcomes inpreterm infants: a systematic review and metaanalysis.Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Apr;97(4):816-26.By Moyses HE, Johnson MJ, Leaf AA, Cornelius VR.From National Institute for Health ResearchFoundation Trust, Southampton, UK.h.e.moyses@soton.ac.ukBACKGROUND: The achievement of adequatenutritional intakes in preterm infants ischallenging and may explain the poor growth oftenseen in this group. The use of early parenteralnutrition (PN) is one potential strategy toaddress this problem, although the benefits andharms are unknown.OBJECTIVE: We determined whether earlieradministration of PN benefits growth outcomesin preterm infants.DESIGN: We conducted a systematicreview of randomized controlled trials(RCTs) and observational studies.RESULTS: Eight RCTs and 13 observationalstudies met the inclusion criteria (n = 553 and1796 infants). The meta-analysis was limited bydisparate growth-outcome measures. An assessmentof bias was difficult because of inadequatereporting. Results are given as mean differences(95% CIs). Early PN reduced the time to regainbirth weight by 2.2 d (1.1, 3.2 d) for RCTs and 3.2d (2.0, 4.4 d) in observational studies. The maximumpercentage weight loss with early PN waslower by 3.1 percentage points (1.7, 4.5 percentagepoints) for RCTs and by 3.5 percentage points(2.6, 4.3 percentage points) for observationalstudies. Early PN improved weight at dischargeor 36 wk postmenstrual age by 14.9 g (5.3, 24.5g) (observational studies only), but no benefitwas shown for length or head circumference.There was no evidence that early PN significantlyaffects risk of mortality, necrotizing enterocolitis,sepsis, chronic lung disease, intraventricularhemorrhage, or cholestasis.CONCLUSIONS: The results of this review,although subject to some limitations, show thatearly PN provides a benefit for some short-termgrowth outcomes. No evidence that early PN increasesmorbidity or mortality was found. Neonatalresearch would benefit from the developmentof a set of core growth outcome measures.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/97/4/816.longNonpharmacological interventions for ADHD: systematicreview and meta-analyses of randomizedcontrolled trials of dietary and psychological treatments.Am J Psychiatry. 2013 Mar 1;170(3):275-89. By Sonuga-Barke EJ, Brandeis D, Cortese S, etal and European ADHD Guidelines Group. FromDept of Psychology, University of Southampton,UK. ejb3@soton.ac.ukOBJECTIVE: Nonpharmacological treatmentsare available for attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD), although their efficacy remainsuncertain. The authors undertook meta-analysesof the efficacy of dietary (restricted eliminationdiets, artificial food color exclusions, and freefatty acid supplementation) and psychological(cognitive training, neurofeedback, and behavioralinterventions) ADHD treatments.METHOD: Using a common systematic searchand a rigorous coding and data extraction strategyacross domains, the authors searched elec-16 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

tronic databases to identify published randomizedcontrolled trias that involved individualswho were diagnosed with ADHD (or who met avalidated cutoff on a recognized rating scale) andthat included an ADHD outcome.RESULTS: Fifty-four of the 2,904 nonduplicatescreened records were included in the analyses.Two different analyses were performed.When the outcome measure was based on ADHDassessments by raters closest to the therapeuticsetting, all dietary (standardized mean differences=0.21-0.48) and psychological(standardized mean differences=0.40-0.64)treatments produced statistically significant effects.However, when the best probably blindedassessment was employed, effects remained significantfor free fatty acid supplementation(standardized mean difference=0.16) and artificialfood color exclusion (standardized mean difference=0.42)but were substantially attenuatedto nonsignificant levels for other treatments.Kevin W Chen, Ph.D., s an associateprofessor at the Center forIntegrative Medicine, Universityof Maryland. Dr. Chen was educatedin the universities of bothChina and the United States, andhas years of experience andtraining in blending eastern andwestern perspectives, and in thepractice of life-nurturing methods.As a long-time practitioner of Qigong Yang Sheng, he isone of the few scientists in the U.S. to have both hands-onknowledge of mind-body practice, and an active researchcareer in mind-body medicine, which is funded throughgrants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and variousfoundations. Dr. Chen devotes his career and life to thepractice of Yang Sheng, and promotion of self-healing andmind-body-spirit integration through the non-profit organization,World Institute for Self Healing (WISH) (http://www.wishus.org).CONCLUSIONS: Free fatty acid supplementationproduced small but significant reductions inADHD symptoms even with probably blinded assessments,although the clinical significance ofthese effects remains to be determined. Artificialfood color exclusion produced larger effects butoften in individuals selected for food sensitivities.Better evidence for efficacy from blinded assessmentsis required for behavioral interventions,neurofeedback, cognitive training, and restrictedelimination diets before they can be supported astreatments for core ADHD symptoms.June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 17

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen 古 代 智 慧 现 代 厨 房Recipe for Perilla Seed CongeeBy Yuan Wang and Mika OnoCongees (rice porridges) are a staple in East Asia.This congee features perilla seeds (a.k.a. Beefsteakplant seeds or "zi su zi" in Chinese), whichare used in traditional Chinese medicine to easecoughs and asthma. The leaves and stems of theperilla plant are also featured in traditional Chinesemedicine.1/8 inch strips), etc. (all optional)Directions1) Heat a dry frying pan over medium high heat.Add the perilla seeds and roast for about 60 seconds,shaking the pan the whole time. Be carefulnot to burn the seeds. The seeds are done when anutty fragranceisreleasedand theseeds arecrunchybut notburnt. Immediatelypour theseeds outof the pan and let them cool for at least a minute.This recipe makes 2 servings.Ingredients2 teaspoons (1/5 ounce or 5 grams) of perillaseeds¼ cup short-grain white rice2 ¼ cups of water2 green onions, cut into ¼-inch pieces, roots andtough tips discardedSoy sauce or salt to tasteCondiments: grated fresh ginger, sesame oil,minced garlic, roasted nori seaweed (cut into ¼ x2) Put the seeds in a spice mill or coffee grinderand whir until powdery (for us, this took 5 to 10seconds).3) Add thegroundperillaseeds, rice,and waterto a smalltomedium-size pot.Cover andbring to aboil.18 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

For the full blog entry, see Mika's Adventureswith Perilla Seeds .http://ancientwisdommodernkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/adventures-with-perilla-seeds.html4) Lower the heat to achieve a simmer and leavethe lid slightly ajar to let a little bit of the steamescape. Stir occasionally to push the seeds thatclump onto the sides of the pot back into the mixtureand to make sure the rice is not sticking tothe bottom of the pan. Cook for 40 to 60 minutesor until the rice is soft and your congee is the desiredconsistency. Add more water if your congeeis drying out; if there is too much water, removethe lid to boil off some of the water.5) Spoon the congee into serving bowls and garnishwith the green onions and any other condimentsyou desire. Add soy sauce to taste.Themes and VariationsDifferent varieties of rice will require differentcooking times and different amounts of water. Ifyou prefer brown rice, for example, use 1/6 cupof rice and about 2 ¾ cups of water then cook for1 ¾ to 2 hours.Especially Good forAnyone suffering from a cough or asthma.For Those Familiar With Chinese MedicinePerilla seeds, which are considered pungent andwarm, redirect the qi downward to treat coughingand wheezing, often when the patient has copiousphlegm.Yuan Wang, OMD, grew up in SichuanProvince, China, where shelearned to cook by helping hermother and grandmother preparemeals for the extended family. Followingher interest in traditionalChinese medicine and nutrition, Dr.Wang pursued a rigorous course ofstudy and eventually became a lecturer, researcher,and physician-in-charge of several departmentsat the Chengdu Traditional ChineseMedicine Hospital. Now a member of the facultyat the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in SanDiego and practitioner at The Source ChineseMedical Clinic in Poway, California, Dr. Wangfinds that food tends to be a neglected area inWestern medicine. Both in the clinic and in theclassroom, Dr. Wang hopes to raise awarenessabout the importance of food for health and healing.Mika Ono is a writer and editorwho is fascinated by issues inhealth, science, and society. Mika,who grew up in a rural area outsideof Toronto, Canada, earned abachelor’s degree in English fromReed College and a master’s ininternational affairs from TheFletcher School of Law and Diplomacyat Tufts University. She is currently directorof communications at The Scripps Research Institute,one of the largest independent biomedicalresearch institutions in the world. Her work—from magazine articles to web content—has wonawards from organizations including the InternationalAssociation of Business Communicators,the Communicator Awards, the Mercury Awards,and HOW Design. For more information,seewww.mikaono.comJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 19

From The Doctor 医 生 之 窗Raising Healthy Eaters – Part III: Cooking in theKitchen with Your KidsBy Mark Hyman, M.D.In this blog on raising healthy eaters I share effectivetactics to introduce your little ones to thekitchen, create a playful and safe space for experimentingand learning, and instill a lifelong lovefor the process of nourishing themselves andtheir loved ones.Employing excellent tactics for tricking your kidsinto preferred behavior is underrated in parentingtoday. This may sound sneaky but bear withme. Think for a minute about the foods you dislikedas a kid, and possibly still dislike today.Brussels sprouts? Yuck! Fish? Eww!Even one of our most notable leaders, GeorgeH.W. Bush, proclaimed to detest broccoli(perhaps one of the healthiest vegetables available).Chances are President Bush’s parents (noryours for that matter) did not employ creativeways to get him onboard with healthy eating.They probably relied on the old fallback,“Because I said so!” (Sound familiar?!)Getting kids to love the process of planning, preparing,serving, and enjoying healthy meals is rewardingfor parents and involves simple yet effectivemarketing tactics on your behalf. Getready–here comes your future chef!First Tactic: InvolvementWe know children need to feel included and, justlike adults, they crave meaning and purpose. Involvechildren in meal preparation to help buildtheir self-esteem and identity within the family.Culinary skills build on so many different areas oflearning and cognition that enhance your child’sbrain. Think about the math, reading, creativity,planning, science, culture, and history that youpass on as you teach your child how to cook!And, a playful milieu is the best environment forkids to learn in, mixing fun into their kitchen experienceonly serves to enhance their experience.With my kids, we loved listening to musicwhile we cooked together. To this day, I still turnup the tunes as I cook!Figuring out how to make cooking attractive and“cool” is not hard when you have a few tools atyour disposal.So, are you ready to get cooking? Here are someways to involve your child in the kitchen:Meal Planning: Brainstorm with your childabout your weekly menu. Kids like to have options,provide them with some ideas and havethem weigh in. Keep your sentences short andthe meal names simple and easy to visualize.Children look forward to these meals andyou get to teach them about how to compose ahealthy plate, using local and seasonal foods. Adouble winner! For more information on how tomake a healthy meal visit The Blood Sugar Solutionand previous blogs in this series on Raising20 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Healthy Eaters.Grocery Shopping: Have your child help you createthe shopping list. If they are too young forthis, you can talk out loud to help familiarizethem with the names of foods. At the storethey can help you find the foods on yourlist. Most stores have mini shopping carts foryour child to help you – encourage them touse these to gather non-breakable items (thisteaches them shopping cart etiquette aswell). You can teach them how to select thehighest quality fruits or vegetables by showingthem what to look for in texture, color, andaroma. You can also teach them how to shopthe perimeter first and why the choices offeredin the middle aisles aren’t as healthy.Back at Home: Have them help bring in the groceriesif they are old enough and put everythingaway where it belongs. I told you cookingwith kids would be rewarding!Get Cooking Together: Starting around the ageof 3 (depending on your child’s readiness),kids can begin to help you in the kitchen. Kidscan have fun, feel important, and learn a lot bydoing everything from taking ingredients outof the pantry or refrigerator, to going outsideto pick herbs from the garden. What else canthey do?. Wash vegetables, fruits, and herbs.. Help assemble dishes, especially simple andcolorful ones such as salads.. Help with measuring, keeping track of time,and testing food (their favorite).. Crack eggs, grind grains, and prepare nutsand seeds if you are toasting them.. And, as they get older, peel, grate, or cutvegetables (usually around 5 years of age iswhen a child has the coordination to hold achild’s knife but you should still supervisetheir every move).Serving: Nothing makes a child feel more specialthan knowing they get to be the star of everyone’sfavorite time of day–dinner! Allow yourlittle helper to serve your family by teachingthem how to set the table and encourage themto make it a beautiful space. Creating idyllic“meal-scapes” is not only fun, but also teachesyour young eater that meal time is a sacredtime when nourishment and community takeplace. Teaching this at an early age encourageslifelong healthy eating habits and fostersa happy and healthy association withfood. Have them decorate the table with flowers,candles, clean place mats, cups, utensils,and napkins. Every once in a while, have yourchild make place cards for family membersand ask them to place them around the table–this gives your child the control they craveand let’s them be in charge!Clean Up: Your little chef needs to understandhow to complete the cycle of fun in thekitchen by learning how to properly clean upafter him or herself. You will reap the benefitsof this for years to come! Your child canhelp carry dishes to the sink, wash and drythem, or work the dishwasher. To completethe cycle, teach them how to recycle andcompost discards and leftovers, if your familydoes this.Tactic Two: PresentationMarketing healthy food to your young eater is achance for you to think like a kid again. Gettingyour child interested in the kitchen is easy if youturn on your creativity and appeal to their interests!When I wanted to encourage healthy eatingin my children I realized that it wasn’t as simpleas saying “eat your spinach because it is good foryou”. I had to get them interested and excited.I’m sure you can relate to having a picky eater oran eater who goes through a picky phase. EitherJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 21

way, make your food come alive in the eyes ofyour child and you will be very pleased with theend results.Some tried and true tricks:Disguise vegetables by putting them in healthymuffins. Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, andeven spinach work well in muffins. Soups, sauces,dips, spreads, and smoothies are also ways tosneak those vegetables in.Sometimes changing the appearance of a vegetableis all you need to refocus your child’sopinion of food, especially vegetables. Usecookie cutters, ice cream scoops, or fun-sizedbowls for food presentation. My family lovesAsian food so we learned that Asian marketsare a great place to find all sorts of utensils tocut fun shapes from food. Have your littlechef turn that zucchini into a flower andwatch them smile! Hearts, letters, stars, andleaves are also winners.Make plate-art by creating pictures, designs, orfun colors with food. Instead of a pile of turkey,some sweet potato and asparagus, howabout asparagus “trees”, a sweet potato“sun”, and turkey “clouds”? Making storiesfrom food can get any picky eater interestedin their meal. Just remember to keep yourchild focused on erasing the canvas for thenext meal by eating their art!Tactic Three: Being a Good Role ModelHaving fun in the kitchen is really effortless whenall the right precautions are in place. It is alwaysimportant to set the tone about being safe andresponsible around hot stoves and ovens, sharpknives, glass, and all the other potential hazardsin your kitchen. Practicing safety is the first thingyou always do when working with anyone, notjust kids! Practice careful cooking and your childwill too.Here are my basics of kitchen safety to remembereach time you cook.Always clear and clean before, during, and aftercooking. Use non-toxic soap or cleaners toprep your space. Make sure your utensils,counters, and hands are clean, your cuttingboards are washed/sterilized, and your workarea is cleared from all food, crumbs, orkitchen equipment not in use.Practice working slowly and deliberately–no runningin the kitchen! If you walk around witha knife, hold it so the blade is facingdown. And of course, this should remind youto wear close-toed shoes in the kitchen anddefinitely ensure your child is properlydressed.Make sure you read the recipe carefully and haveall your ingredients in place and organizedfrom the start. This makes cooking not onlysafe, but less stressful! Once you are ready,assemble all gadgets and safety tools you willneed such as oven mitts, cooling racks, ortowels for cleaning up spills. And when thoseinevitable spills happen, clean them up rightaway to prevent injuries.Always stay in the kitchen with your little chef,especially when the stove or oven is on.Let your child know you are available for questionsand that you want to help and cook togetheras a team. Learning how to work togetherin the kitchen teaches your child toshare space and communicate clearly.Most of all make the kitchen welcoming for yourchild. In my family, we had special cookingtools, utensils, bowls, boards, cups, plates,etc. for our kids to use. Their smaller handswon’t feel as awkward handling a kidfriendlyknife, and you will feel safer aboutthem using it.22 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

If your child can walk, then he or she can certainlystart to learn just how transformative themagic cooked up in a healthy kitchen is. Everyage presents new milestones for you to introducenew tasks and a way for your child to be moreinvolved.Enjoy this time watching your little chef blossombecause before you know it, they will be allgrown up, asking you for that recipe you used toMark Hyman, M.D. has dedicatedhis career to identifying& addressing the root causesof chronic illness through agroundbreaking wholesystemsmedicine approachknown as Functional Medicine.He is a family physician,a six-time New York Times bestselling author,and an internationally recognized leader in hisfield. Dr. Hyman strives to improve access toFunctional Medicine, and to widen the understandingand practice of it, empowering others tostop managing symptoms and instead treat theunderlying causes of illness through healthy eatingand lifestyle. Get more info about Dr. Hymanat http://drhyman.commake together when they were kids!To read the previous blogs in this series pleaseclick on Raising Healthy Eaters–Part I and RaisingHealthy Eaters–Part II: A Journey ThroughoutYour Baby’s Lifecycle.Please leave your thoughts by adding a commentbelow–but remember, we can’t offer personalmedical advice online, so be sure to limit yourcomments to those about taking back our health!To your good health,Mark Hyman, MDTo view the original blog for this article pleasevisit: http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/12/06/raisinghealthy-eaters-part-iii-cooking-in-the-kitchen-with-yourkids/June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 23

Meditation in Motion 动 中 冥 想By Eric BorresonTaiji is a great exerciseto improve proprioceptionand kinestheticsense. During movementof any kind, we are constantlylosing our balanceand regaining it quickly.The better our ability toregain balance, the saferand more skillful ourmovement. Better balancemakes athletes less likelyto be injured and reducesfalls among the elderly.Balance is improved by improving your proprioceptionand kinesthetic sense.Proprioception represents your body's ability to react toexternal forces. A kinesthetic sense is your ability tosense where your body is in space. It should be pointedout that not everyone agrees on the definitions of theseterms.ProprioceptionProprioception is an inner sense that works withthe central nervous system. It is the ability of your brainto communicate and coordinate the movement of differentparts of your body. It is your reflexes working tokeep your body in balance. Good exercises to improveproprioception are those that challenge your balanceand equilibrium, like taiji.Proprioception works through proprioceptive nerveendings to sense your body's location. Muscle spindlefibers in the muscles communicate information to allowthe muscles to maintain proper muscle tension to supportthe joints. These nerve endings and muscle spindlefibers degenerate without regular use. Taiji works manymuscle groups to restore and improve function.Kinesthetic SenseKinesthetic sense, or kinesthesia, is an outer sensethat works with your body in space and time. It is yourmind knowing where each part of your body is in relationto things around you. Good exercises to improvekinesthetic awareness are those that require coordinationand movement control.Your kinesthetic sense can improve through practice.Just be aware of every movement in your taijiforms. Be precise aboutplacing your hands andfeet. Check your placementto give yourselffeedback, and learnfrom that feedback.ConclusionCombining proprioceptionand a kinestheticsense improvesyour ability to controlyour body's movements.Improving your proprioceptionand kinestheticawareness can turn youfrom an eternal klutzinto a skilled athlete. Ithelps you make moreprecise movements with less effort. In other words, itimproves your balance and coordination. Taiji is veryprecise and controlled. This brings the player's focus tothe movement and that focus transfers to everyday life.Eric Borreson – a student andteacher, finds teaching taiji, qigong,and meditation to be a path to amore meaningful life. Eric is thefounder and director of Meditationin Motion, specializing in teachingabout living healthier and happierlives. He teaches taiji, qigong, andmeditation at the prestigious HeartlandSpa, a top 10 destination spa, located in Gilman, IL. Inaddition, he teaches taiji (Yang 24, Sun-style taiji, and Dr.Paul Lam’s Taiji for Arthritis) at other venues. He conductsworkshops and teaches private lessons on request. Hewrites a weekly wellness column athttp://eric-taichi.blogspot.com.24 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

East-West Perspectives 东 西 方 之 观 点The Contribution of Daoist Yang-sheng Philosophy to theModern Self-Care MovementBy Ande PulaThe concept of self-care, especially in healthrelated disciplines, has become increasingly relevantin today’s world. The main reason lies in theslow realization that modern medicine only focuseson the symptoms rather than the cause.Looking to medicine to treat illnesses and injurieshas become unquestionable. These attitudes oftenneglect to pay sufficient attention to thecauses of the contracted diseases. These are themain reasons why self-care has become morepopular than ever. Today’s generations have realizedthe importance of taking care of their healthand are continually looking out for ways andmethods to preserve health and attain longer life.One of the challenges of the modern world is itsfast-paced environment which leaves little timefor the individual’s needs. High stress lifestylesand a constant lack of time have created unhealthyhabits. Mind-Body exercises and philosophieshave gained recognition as a way to regaincontrol and balance in one’s life.Amongst different philosophical ideas DaoistYangsheng is one that is becoming more popular.Yansheng literally means nurturing and preservinglife’s energy. In a similar way to the modernself-care movement, it looks into keeping one’sbody healthy by means of proper diet and variousexercises. This essay is going to explore DaoistYangsheng and its beneficial qualities. I will lookinto the modern self-care movement today and atthe ways Yangsheng philosophy can be of greathelp to those who are looking to improve theirlifestyle, those looking to achieve better healthand longer life, and most importantly those lookingto achieve a level of balance and harmonywithin themselves and the environment they livein.Before the first scientific achievements inmedicine, people had to cope on their own in theface of illness. The era of modern medicine haschanged all of that. “At the low point of self-care –around the 1960’s in the West – self-care and self-medication were regarded as unnecessary andpotentially even unhealthy practices. This paternalisticapproach to medicine, supported byhealth systems designed to treat sickness (ratherthan to prevent disease) remains a familiar aspectof healthcare in many countries to this day.”Undeniably medicine has had a positive impacton generations of people. Statistics show that “In1900, the leading cause of death was influenzaand pneumonia - which peaked in 1918 when between50 and 130 million people around theworld died in a pandemic.” Because medicine hasimproved greatly since then, the statistics nowadaysdisplay a completely different picture. Researchdone by the World Self-Medication Indus-June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 25

try shows that “Chronic “lifestyle” conditionssuch as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetesare taking over from infectious diseases as theprimary cause of death and disability in mostcountries. These chronic non-communicable diseasesare significant in that they are substantiallypreventable through better self-care – by individualsavoiding risk factors such as smoking andobesity.” This clearly illustrates the relation betweenillness and lifestyles led by many peoplenowadays.According to the American Heart Associationstatistics, in 2012 in the US: “among children ages2-19, about 1 in 3 are overweight and obese.” Aswell as in the US, obesity is one of the developedworld’s problems that are in many cases directlycaused by poor lifestyle habits. Besides physicalissues, mood disorders and depression can alsobe caused by the pressure of the stressful environmentwe live in today. “Approximately 18.8million American adults, or about 9.5 percent ofthe U.S. population age 18 and older in a givenyear, have a depressive disorder.” In order toavoid these health issues, the importance of selfcarehas to be strongly highlighted. Proper, balanceddiet and exercise is important to each individualand it is also each individual’s personal responsibility.“Self-care is what people do for themselves toestablish and maintain health, prevent and dealwith illness. It is a broad concept covering hygiene,nutrition, life-style, physical activity, avoiding risks(e.g.smoking, obesity) and responsible self-medicationwith nonprescription medicines (OTCs).”The concept of personal responsibility to livehealthily is widely recognized today and has generateda demand in the global market. The industryof self-care products has become incrediblywealthy. The products in demand include but arenot limited to “…over-the-counter medicines andcomplementary medicines, such as vitamins andminerals, herbals, homoeopathic and aromatherapyproducts.” Market research shows that “Theglobal market for over-the-counter (OTC) drugsis expected to surpass $70 billion by 2015.”The increasing understanding of the importanceof self-care clearly demonstrates that peoplearound the world are eager to have moreknowledge and control over their health. DaoistYangsheng has a great potential to provide theknowledge necessary without unnecessary costs.Yangsheng is a body-mind philosophy in ChineseTraditional Medicine which has helped generationsof people to find balance and harmony intheir lives. The health issues addressed are ofparticular relevance nowadays when the impactof incorrect eating and sedentary lifestyle hasstarted to show. As Mike Adams once said,“Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease iscaused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritionaldeficiencies and lack of physical exercise.”It is significant that Yangsheng practice focuseson preserving life and health before the illness,therefore it has much to contribute to the26 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Western approach where the main focus lies onhealing diseases after they have been contracted.Despite the concept of self-care becoming moreand more popular in the West, not many pay sufficientamount of thought to it before experiencingsome health difficulties of their own.In the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine,the Emperor asked his minister Qi Bo if hethought people had started to age faster and dieyounger than they used to. The answer to thatwas: “In the past, people practiced the Tao, theWay of Life. They understood the principle of balanceas represented by the transformations of theenergies of the universe. They formulated exercisesto promote energy flow to harmonize themselveswith the universe. They ate a balanced dietat regular times, arose and retired at regularhours, avoided overstressing their bodies andminds, and refrained from overindulgence of allkinds. They maintained well-being of body andmind; thus, it is not surprising that they livedover one hundred years.”In order to understand the ways Yangshengcan contribute to the modern self-care movementin the world, it is important to understand howYangsheng works and how it can bring individualbenefits to those who practice it. It is essential tofirst appreciate the importance of the life force Qi( 气 )in order to unlock the potential healingpowers our bodies possess. “Qi is the foundationalenergy of the universe, the basic stuff of theDao, the life force in the human body, and the basisof all physical vitality.” Qi has many levels ofenergy and one of the strongest qi levels is jing( 精 )which is the essence. “The basic concern forall longevity seekers and Daoist practitioners is toregulate and slow down this process of decline, tokeep jing in the body, and to reverse the downwardmovement of qi. By reverting essence backto qi through various physical disciplines andmeditation practices, they renew life and enhancevigor, laying the foundation for ultimate energeticrefinement.” It is believed that unbalanced qi energieslead to diseases and ill health; thereforethe concept of Yangsheng self-care practices isbased around balancing and nurturing them.The various practices and aspects of DaoistYangsheng include food Yangsheng, Yangshengmind-body exercise, balancing emotions, environmentand lifestyle that promote personal wellbeing.Each of them is designed to help peopleregulate their qi and return to their more balancedand natural state, which in turn will rewardthem with better health, energy levels andlongevity. Since Daoism promotes returning tothe natural state and living in harmony with nature,it is essential to return to the natural stateas often as possible. Yangsheng principle statesthat: “one should attempt to spend as much timein the midst of natural settings, far from the pollutionand artificial environs of cities, as possible.”Whilst it is sometimes complicated, if notimpossible, to influence the environment, all theother aspects of Yangsheng are easily manageableby practitioners regardless of their gender,age, location or wealth.One of the aspects often discussed around theworld is the topic of healthy eating. One has toagree that the unhealthy eating habits are commonnowadays and are a cause of health issuessuch as obesity and chronic illnesses around theworld. A lot of money is spent on diet pills, healthsupplements and implementing fad diets thatsimply aren’t healthy and the results are not efficientenough. CBS news have reported thatAmericans spend about 35 billion dollars a yearon weight loss products, however the results areJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 27

far from ideal: “I estimate I spent, you know, tensof thousands — maybe $100,000 — on differentkinds of diet products, diet services," says WendyShanker. "And I was still fat." The main problemlies in the fact that diet industry makes peoplebelieve the weight loss is easy and they don’thave to change their lifestyles in order to regainfitness.“The Taoist diet relates the five basic flavorswith an element of nature: sweet (earth), salty(water), sour (wood), bitter (fire), spicy (metal).They believe that becoming greedy and puttingone flavor on a pedestal above another causesyou not to taste at all, so it is important to balancethe flavors in order to reach internal harmony.”Daoist diet offers its own philosophy to everyonewho is open to use it in their daily life. It does notrequire expensive food ingredients or a radicallifestyle change in order to become healthier. Themain focus lies on consuming home grown, seasonalingredients: “Each individual generally becomesadapted to the climate; foods that areeaten in a hot country may not be suitable for acolder climate. It is advisable to eat food that isgrown locally and in season. Food that comesfrom a distance may not be fresh or may havebeen stored, but above all it is probably out ofseason.” It is also essential to enjoy food slowly sothat each different taste can be fully appreciated.The art of mindful eating includes the knowledgeof when to stop. Yangsheng practitioners suggestthat stopping before being full is the best way incontrolling one’s portion size and preventingovereating. It comes as no surprise that Daoistdiet has already sparked some interest aroundthe world.from around the world.” Unfortunately, nowadaysmany countries produce and consume largeamounts of the same type of food which can bethe cause of health related issues. These patternscan be changed with sufficient knowledge thatcan be readily provided by Daoist Yangsheng foodphilosophy.“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercisewill sooner or later have to find time for illness.”Regular exercise is one of the modern selfcare’scorner stones. Exercise has the ability tostrengthen the body and immune system, improvewellness and physical fitness. It has alsoproved to help with mental disorders, such as depression.Daoist Yangsheng exercise includesTaiji, Qigong, Daoyin, Daoist breath regulation,Five Animal Frolics and others. Daoist exercisesfocuses not only on the body itself, but also themind and spirit. Kevin W. Chen in his essay onYangsheng points out: “These exercises focus onthe integration of body-mind-spirit, cultivate onenessor emptiness through regulating breathing,body and mind, and intend to eventually achievea state of harmony and peace within, or reach ahigh level of spirituality.” These exercises areused to relieve tension, stress and anxiety in thebody and mind. There has been much researchdone on the subject and the outcomes demonstratethe potential benefit Yangsheng exercisecould bring to the modern self-care movement.One such research was conducted in the UnitedPeople were born to eat different types andvarieties of food. Daoists agree that having smallamounts of different food is essential in the questfor long and healthy life. Niraj Naik in his essay‘Twelve longest living cultures in the world’points out that: “Long living cultures tend to eat awide range of foods everyday. Japan recommendseating 30 different varieties of food daily. Macauand Singapore have some of the world’s largestports providing a richly diverse range of cuisine28 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

States, by Dr. Cecilia Rosenfeld in 1976.“After practicing the Internal Exercise and experiencingan immediate improvement in health,Dr. Rosenfeld decided to prescribe these exercisesto her patients. Internal Exercises weretaught to her patients and within one week, about80% of the patients showed positive results.Then eight nurses were hired, taught about theInternal Exercises, and trained in the instructionand supervision of patients. Afterward, severalpatients were assigned to each nurse after thepatients were examined and given a prescriptionof specific Internal Exercises. Most patients reportedthat they experienced immediate improvementsin health, without feeling pain or discomfort,and the nurses themselves reported thatthey had boundless energy even after a day ofperforming and demonstrating the exercises.”Since the pace of life in today’s world has greatlyincreased compared to fifty years ago, anothermajor problem today’s generations face is stress.Researchers have proven that stressful lifestylescause many health issues: “…evidence shows thatchronic stress can result in muscle tension andfatigue for some people. For others, it can contributeto stress hypertension, migraine headaches,ulcers, or chronic diarrhea.” Whilst thereare many self-help books available on stress managementin daily life, they tend to focus on dealingwith stressful events and experiences ratherthan taking a better look at one’s lifestyle andwell-being requirements. It is hard to find harmonywhen emotions are out of balance; thereforebalancing them is of the utmost importancein Yangsheng philosophy. “Acting in accordancewith Yin Yang theory, fear restricts joy, anger restrictsanxiety, joy checks grief, grief blocks anger,and anxiety prevents fear. In this way it ispossible to allow the emotions to check and balancethemselves in a very natural manner.” Interestingly,these Daoist ideas have alreadyreached the Western world in the field of psychology.“The principles of Taoism are an integralelement of many Western counseling theories.Principles such as authenticity, or being true tooneself, and the need for balance in the universe,the yin and yang, are two examples that can befound in many theoretical practices. Methodsbased upon the teachings of Tao have been effectivelyinterwoven into Western therapy.”The concept of Daoist well-being lifestyle describeseach person’s daily routine and includesthe activities conducted throughout the day suchas walking, sleeping, eating and having sex. “ATaoist lives each day fully and actively. Thismeans life is rich and full of experience. This isimportant to provide an edge to keep one healthy,flexible and strong.” Yangsheng practices alsohighlight the importance of sex. A satisfying sexlife can be an essential part of personal wellbeing.Dr. Felice Dunas believes that: “Not onlydoes a healthy body lead to better sex, but bettersex produces healthier bodies and souls.” In theend, Daoist beliefs are that life should be enjoyedand every new day should be welcomed with excitement.As previously mentioned, the modern selfcareconcept includes all of the things individualscan do for themselves in order to increase thewell-being and quality of their lives. Nowadayspeople are aware they need to take care of themselves,eat proper diet and exercise; however it isnot easy for everyone. Christine Meinecke in herarticle ‘Self-care in a toxic world’ points out that“Medical and mental health professionals pio-June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 29

neered the concept of self-care by prescribinghealthy lifestyle changes and stress managementbehaviors. Unfortunately, these prescriptions areoften ignored because they require hard workand perseverance.”Daoist Yangsheng offers a different perspectiveon self-care whilst still focusing on the issuesthat are relevant around the world. By implementingdesigned self-cultivation practices, suchas Taiji and Qigong, while applying Daoist knowledgeto the food choices and daily activities, it ispossible to achieve a healthier body and a happiermind without needing unnecessary healthsupplements or medical drugs.Bibliographyhttp://www.asmi.com.au/consumer/Self-Care-Products.aspxhttp://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2012/07/thechanging-cause-of-death-in-america-over-thelast-100-years.htmlhttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-2222867.htmlDavis, Martha, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman,Matthew McKay, The Relaxation&Stress reductionworkbook, 5th edition, New HarbingerPublications Inc., 2000http://www.depressionperception.com/depression/depression-facts-and-statistics.htmlhttp://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/Quotes.htmlhttp://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-a-Taoist-Diet?&id=5080559United States of America: Three Pines Press, 2006Liu, Da, The Tao of health and longevity, London,Melbourne and Henley: Routledge & Kegan Paul,1978Ming-Dao, Deng, Everyday Tao: Living withbalance and harmony, United States of America:HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1996Moss, Rochelle C. and Kristi L. Perryman, EastMeets West: Integration of Taoism Into WesternTherapy, Ideas and research you can use: VISTAS2012, Volume 1,Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/Ni, Maoshing, translated by, The Yellow Emperor’sClassic of Medicine (Neijing Suwen), 1 st edition,Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1995http://personaltao.com/taoism-library/articles/secrets-of-taoism-longevity-and-lifestyle/http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/everybody-marries-the-wrong-person/201006/self-care-in-toxic-worldhttp://www.thegreattao.com/html/taoofrevitalization.htmlSoo, Chee, The Taoist Art of K'ai Men, 5th revisededition, Seahorse books, 2006The story of self-care and self-medicationhttp://www.wsmi.org/pdf/storyofselfcare_bdpage.pdfhttp://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319588.pdfKohn, Livia ed. by, Daoist Body Cultivation –Traditional models and contemporary practices,http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02262/Over-thecounter-Drug.htmlhttp://www.vagabondjourney.com/90-ch-007-chinese-medicine-health-cultivation.shtmlhttp://yang-sheng.com/?p=8596http://www.wsmi.org/pdf/30 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

storyofselfcare_bdpage.pdfWorld self-medication industryFootnoteshttp://yang-sheng.com/?page_id=55The story of self-care and self-medication,http://www.wsmi.org/pdf/storyofselfcare_bdpage.pdfThe story of self-care and self-medication ,http://www.wsmi.org/pdf/storyofselfcare_bdpage.pdfhttp://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2012/07/thechanging-cause-of-death-in-america-over-thelast-100-years.htmlhttp://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heartpublic/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319588.pdfhttp://www.depressionperception.com/depression/depression-facts-and-statistics.htmlThe story of self-care and self-medication,http://www.wsmi.org/pdf/storyofselfcare_bdpage.pdfhttp://www.asmi.com.au/consumer/Self-Care-Products.aspxMaoshing Ni, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic ofMedicine (Neijing Suwen), p.1Livia Kohn, Daoist Body Cultivation, p.3Livia Kohn, Daoist Body Cultivation, p.12http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02262/Overthe-counter-Drug.htmlhttp://www.vagabondjourney.com/90-ch-007-chinese-medicine-health-cultivation.shtmlhttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-2222867.htmlIbid.http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-a-Taoist-Diet?&id=5080559Chee Soo, The Taoist Art of K'ai Men, p. 36http://yang-sheng.com/?p=8596Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby (1826-93), Britishstatesman. The Conduct of Life, address at LiverpoolCollege,http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/Quotes.htmlhttp://yang-sheng.com/?page_id=55http://www.thegreattao.com/html/taoofrevitalization.htmlMartha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MatthewMcKay, The Relaxation&Stress reductionworkbook, p. 3http://www.vagabondjourney.com/90-ch-007-chinese-medicine-health-cultivation.shtmlRochelle C. Moss and Kristi L. Perryman, EastMeets West: Integration of Taoism Into WesternTherapy,Article 33http://personaltao.com/taoism-library/articles/secrets-of-taoism-longevity-andlifestyle/http://yang-sheng.com/?p=3576June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 31

Book Review 书 评Book Review: Heavenly Streams:Meridian Theory in Nei Gongby Damo MitchellReview by Marty EisenThe title “Heavenly Streams” refers tothe Meridians which contain streamsof heavenly energy. This book shouldbe studied by students and practitionersof Chinese internal martial arts,Chinese medicine, and all others usingMeridians in their practices.Most people, even after years of studyand memorization of the Meridians,are still dissatisfied because they cannotfeel, sense or see the Meridians in themselves or others.Also, there is no modern scientific device for visualizingthem. This is one of the few books that gives a Qigongpractice which allows you to feel or sense your own Meridiansand Acupoints. It also teaches you how to inject Qiinto Acupoints.This last procedure will help acupuncturists to improvetheir treatment. It also paves the way for “needleless acupuncture.”How this Qigong method is used to treat variousChinese disease patterns is also described.Being able to sense or feel your own Meridians woulddispel the nagging doubt about their existence and lendcredence to one the historical ideas that the Meridianswere discovered through meditation.Marty Eisen, PhD, a retired scientist, who constructedmathematical models in medicine. Hehas studied and taught Yoga, Judo, ShotokanKarate, Aikido, Qigong, Praying Mantis KungFu, and Tai Chi. Dr. Eisen studied ChineseMedicine through apprenticeships and correspondencecourses . His latest project is to help arrangefree courses for veterans in Chow Qigong for health or as avocation - see http://eastwestqi.com/. For more informationabout Dr. Eisen please visithttp://home.comcast.net/~carolezak32 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Featured Article 精 选 文 章Chopping Your Food While Using Tai Chi:Rooting, Alignment and Attentivenessby Raven CohanAny mundane routine requires alignment. Thosewho study tai chi/taiji and chi kung/qigong and/or the more internal counterpart, called neigung,can discover many things along the path that isyour Tao. You begin to notice that you are not inyour best learned alignment when doing yourdaily life performances of routinethings. It becomes ablessing when you begin applyinga better posture to everythingyou have previouslydone via an automatic pilottype of regimentation whichmay well be cluttered withstray and distracting thoughtsand actions.Cooking for others andyourself is a gift you are givingto the food itself as well asthose who will eat it. The eatingof it will offer to you morehealth benefits by improvingthe food preparer’s attitudeand posture. That will continueinto the cooking. Thefood may not be genuinelyalive in the sense that wethink of when it is no longerThe author reminds you that this pose shows a left push which is adapted as acutting hand and right handed ward off hand which is now holding the food tobe cut. Please use your imagination.rooted into Mother Earth.There remains a soul naturethat the plant world maintains.Some believe in it while others do not, (justas some believe that a part of a human continuesafter we die. Others do not.). This article is not intendedto judge the right or wrong of one side ofthis opinion. However, some of those who studyTao speak of the part of the soul that “lives” in theLiver organ. It is known as the ‘hun’ soul, whilethe part of the soul that does not “continue,” livesin the Lungs and is known as the ‘po’ soul. The authorhas experienced this understandingfrom a connectionto spirit she has longbeen in touch with sincechildhood. Perhaps if youdon’t resonate to that idea,you might still improve sometechniques for cooking.When one begins respectinglife, whether it is human,animal, vegetable, and evenmineral… one has an attitudeof gratitude that can enhanceyour existence. When you arecooking attentively and thinkingof the food in a gratefulway, the author is of the opinionthat the meal comes outtasting better and benefitingthe body in a way that youbecome more sensitive towardand more easily notice.The author herself hasbeen a person (and can stillrevert to one) who curseswhen things go wrong. Chopping food requires agreat deal of attention. That attention can be madeJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 33

more awakened and real to you if you are connectedto the knife that chops as it slices and dicesyour food. (People who do sword forms might wellrelate.) How are you holding the knife? Are youthinking of unrelated thoughts or listening to radioor TV, or are you on the phone? How can yourfood be given the attention it needs? If you cursewhen you cut yourself, or simply because the foodslipped to the floor, this negative energy is aroundyour rather sacred space that you might come toenjoy. If you were to take on the task of cookingwith a sense that you are making a better meal bybeing more alert and in a more joyful mood, considerthe idea that your food might be enjoyedmore by you and others who eat it. If a voice insideis objecting loudly, hold on for a bit to hear morepoints that will be made.Your attention and attitude play a great part inhow you are approaching your role as chief cookand possibly bottle washer, too. A better moodemerges simply by standing in bow and arrowstance, as done in most tai chi/taiji forms. It is astrong point to note that standing with your feettogether too closely, (or even in a horse stance,)causes you extra tension. Your feet and legs areless likely to grab Mother Earth’s gravity withrooting power.Let us review what you do in any ‘ward off’motion in tai chi. (Newcomers can well get the pictureby looking at the photo of the author suppliedhere.) Connecting with Mother Earth happenswhen you use martial art power most effectivelytransformed into healing power:Your back leg is behind you in a somewhat longstance with your own L. heel being lined upwith your left eye if you are left handed. (thephoto is showing the pose as required for lefties.)The knife would be held in the left hand.Right handed people, please reverse this andall further points.1. The toe of that back foot is rotated at a 45 degreeangle between your side and front.2. Your belly, sternum, eye and your right hand isholding the food you are cutting up all lined upwith your center.3. Your weight in your back Left leg is 30%. Thefront, Right leg has 70%. It connects down into theearth via your Kidney 1 point and brings up theplant world spirit. (This position is a variation ofholding a small chi/qi ball, in my humble opinion.The way a ball in tai chi/taiji, is held comfortablyis a facing of the back of the ‘ball’ with base ofpalm out and it’s fingers up. (L. hand) and front ofthe ball with your R. hand. It’s palm faces you withand its’ fingers to the L. (Please remember thismust be reversed for ‘righties.’)4. To get the most relaxation and power intoyour knife, please, put the cutting board close tothe edge of the counter. The first slice will bemade, (certainly attentively,) while you feel thechi/qi power coming through your back leg fromthe foot up the inside and back of your leg andbring chi/qi to your L. front-of-hip-joint, as itshows in the photo.5. From there, the energy travels up your spinevia the governor route, then it goes over your L.shoulder and down your upper L. arm and knifeholdinghand. (The inside of the hand is quite empowereddue to the laogong point being at palmcenter. It is projecting the Mother Earth qi/chi intoyour knife that is cutting straight into, let’s say… acucumber.) Your cutting arm is round-in straightat a 135 degree angle or a bit smaller.The round-in-straight elbow points down to thefloor. This is why you must stand enough of a distanceaway from the counter. If you have beenpreviously tense when cutting food, this willchange the tendency to tighten your chest whencutting or mixing food. Your shoulders and elbowsof the front, food holding hand are also relaxed.Letting go of muscles is the key. It helps if youkeep your all your shoulder and elbow jointsdown.How many chops will you need? Maybe you mightengage your mind in counting them. Countingthem keeps you in rhythmic relationship withyour food rather than jumping steps ahead in your34 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

cooking process. Each slice you make projects thecut cucumber to fall nicely on the board. Successivecuts enable the chi to go into the food andenlist it to iterate the power of Mother Earth below.This will be especially true if you also engageFather Heaven, (Universal and/or Cosmic energy,)to co-join in a flirtation with your cucumber. Eachslice can enjoy being attended to in this lovingway. You may get a warm feeling in your belly,(lower tan tien,) as if you already ate the greatmeal you are making.Like all chi kung/qigong practices, the moreyou do it, the smoother it gets. So please do notinsist that the process should happen overnight.(Yet perhaps you were a cook in another life for aTaoist Monastery many years ago in AncientChina? Maybe it will feel totally natural to chopthis way. In that case, you can write your own articlethrough your own vantage point. We are all sounique.)Apply this same process to mixing food on thecounter or at the stove and in fact, every move youmake in life. Your muscles won’t bully you andwind up aching anymore. Now your stomach willbe hungrier, and the author would imagine you(and your dining companions) will have a mealwhich you will digest as easily as mother’s milkwhen you were just a baby.Calling All AuthorsWe welcome your submissions forthe next issue of Yang-Sheng!Articles related to health & wellness,taichi, qigong, natural living,Food as medicine, spirituality,and other mind/body practices arewelcomed.Please send your article for review toeditor@yang-sheng.comRaven Cohan is a SeniorInstructor for MantakChia’s UniversalHealing Tao system ofinternal practices andmany medical andmartial practices thatconsider the importanceof Chinese Alchemy. She began in Chia’s firstclass given to Westerners in 1981 in N.Y.C. Sheresides and teaches in Hollywood Beach FL.,33019between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Please look ather Web address: http://www.taoTLC.comCheck us out online atYang-Sheng.comJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 35

Daoist Internal Alchemy 道 家 内 丹 术By Shawn CartwrightWe received a number of questions about InternalAlchemy as a result of the publication of ourrecent whitepaper Interpreting the Ancient Codes:Exploring the Classics of Taoist Alchemy, An Introductionto the Zhou Yi Can Tong Qi. We have consolidatedthem here for your convenience.Q: What is Internal Alchemy?A: Internal Alchemy or Nei Dan ( 內 丹 )is China’smost important contribution to the world. InternalAlchemy provides a set of principles and techniquesfor the sincere practitioner to transcendthe mundane and realize perfection in this lifetime.Stated classically, the Nei Dan practitioner transmutesthe three treasures of the body, Jing ( 精 )Qi( 氣 )and Shen ( 神 )to reunite with the Dao ( 道 .)For this reason, Nei Dan is also sometimes called“Immortality Training.”Many forms of Qigong ( 氣 功 ,)also called NeiGong ( 內 功 )are influenced by Nei Dan. However,even if Nei Dan can be called the highest the formof Qigong, all Qigong is not Nei Dan. Qigong, however,can be very good preparation for beginningNei Dan practice.Q: What are the main parts of the Nei Danteachings??A: The Nei Dan teachings usually consist of threeparts: 1) Dao ( 道 ,)the great principles behind thework, 2) Fa ( 法 ,)the actual methods or approachused by various schools, and 3) Shu ( 朮 ,)thespecific techniques of the practices.Collectively, they serve as a guide to inform yourunderstanding and practice. The Dao is usuallyavailable openly to anyone who is interested. TheMethods are generally available to students, althoughoccasionally certain methods are consideredsecrets. The Techniques are rarely writtendown and when they are, certain key parts areusually omitted, the so called “oral secrets.”These teachings are organized into a series ofstages with associated designations:1. Building the Foundation: Human2. Transmuting Jing to Qi: Ren Xian (Human Immortal)3. Transmuting Qi to Shen: Di Xian (Earthly Immortal)4. Refining Shen to Void: Shen Xian (Spirit Immortal)5. Shattering the Void to Realize the Dao: TianXian (Celestial Immortal)The number of stages may vary by teacher of tradition,but the overall progression is similar. Inthis model, the first three stages are called CultivatingImmortality (Xian Gong), the last two, CultivatingDao (Dao Gong).Q: What are the major schools of Nei Dan?A: There are many different lineages of Nei Danwhich are generally grouped in a few categories:36 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

The major Nei Dan schools include the Southern( 南 派 ,Nan Pai), Northern ( 北 派 ,Bei Pai), Eastern( 東 派 ,Dong Pai), Western ( 西 派 ,Xi Pai), Yin Xian( 隱 仙 派 )and the Yin-Yang ( 阴 阳 派 .)Although the general principles utilized by thevarious schools and lineages are similar, there isoften quite a bit of variation in the specific practices.This is because the specific techniques areoften tailored to the needs of an individual student.Q: Which Internal Alchemy school is the best?A: This question is like asking, “What is the bestcuisine in the world?” The answer is unique foreach person and depends upon the common affinitybetween the student, teacher and art.Q: I don’t have a teacher, how do you startpracticing Nei Dan?A: The best way to start Nei Dan practice is, ofcourse, to find a teacher.If you are serious about wanting to study Nei Danbut do not have a teacher, then the best advice Ican give without knowing you personally wouldbe to establish a diligent Qigong practice of somesort. By diligent I mean daily and committed. Acommitted daily practice is essential for successin any art, especially internal cultivation. There isa saying “Those who start are as numerous as thehairs on the ox. Those who finish are as rare asthe phoenix‘s feathers and the unicorn‘shorns” ( 闻 道 者 多 如 牛 毛 , 得 道 者 凤 毛 麟 角 ,WenDao Zhe Duo Ru Niu Mao, De Dao Zhe Feng MaoLin Jiao). That is, many people learn it, but feware committed enough to follow through with thepractice. If you have established a good dailypractice ethic, you will have a good foundation tolearn Internal Alchemy when the time, place, andpeople are right.Q: Can you recommend any good sources forfurther reading or self-study?A: One of the most accessible introductions to theprinciples and language of Nei Dan is found inFabrizio Pregadio’s translation of Foundations ofInternal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan byWang Mu. Although the texts it cites are from NanPai tradition, other schools use them as well.If you want to experience traditional Nei Danmeditations based on the Sun and Moon and WuXing visualization see Yin-Yang Harmony QigongMeditation: Restore Vitality & Inner Power andFive Element Qigong Meditation: Rejuvenate withNature, both published by TCCII.For those of you who want to read one of the importantclassical Nei Dan texts see Pregadio’stranslation of Zhang Boduan’s ( 張 伯 端 )Awakening to Reality: The “Regulated Verses” ofthe Wuzhen pian, a Taoist Classic of Internal Alchemy.Pregadio offers a scholarly summary ofthe history of Nei Dan in his free ebook, The Wayof the Golden Elixir: A Historical Overview of TaoistAlchemy.Mr. Shawn Cartwright is the ExecutiveDirector of the TraditionalChinese Culture InstituteInternational (TCCII). As a cofounderof TCCII, he is dedicatedto promoting deeper andbroader understanding of theChinese cultural traditions, andworks tirelessly to revitalize thetraditions that have specialmeaning and relevance to today’s world. He provides adiverse curriculum and rich experience for his students,drawn from his many years of intensive training in InternalAlchemy, Qigong, Tai Chi, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, andFujian Baihequan. A consistent practitioner of both themartial and healing arts, he excels in helping students connectthe principles with practice, and integrate them intotheir daily life. To better bridge the Eastern and Westerncultures, Mr. Cartwright hosts the Silent Tao blog(www.silenttao.com) and TCCII video channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/tccii) where he shares the richcontext and first-hand experiences in his study of Chineseculture. He co-authored and produced the Chinese ClassicalMeditation CD Series and training DVDs on Qigong, TaiChi Chuan and Kung Fu. Mr. Cartwright earned his MBAand BS from Vanderbilt University. He studied publichealth at Johns Hopkins University.June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 37

Qi Cultivation and Dao 炼 气 与 道A Consideration of “Transactional Energetics” forQi Cultivators and Healthcare Providersby Jill Gonet, MFA and Guan-Cheng Sun, PhDWhen Taoist practitioners develop the energeticbody via qigong and/or martial arts practice, inaddition to developing the power of the musclesand tendons, there’s also a development of thereflexes, which may become so quick they’re almostimperceptible. However, this type of rapidreaction can also have drawbacks. In the case ofmartial arts practitioners and qigong practitionerswhose bodies are extremely advanced, theremay be a discrepancy between body and mind ifthe awareness is not advanced enough to keepthe practitioner balanced. For example, excellentreflexes can be led by external stimulations easilyand automatically without the individual’s beingconsciously aware of it at the level of the intellectualmind; this may cause unexpected energy loss,or undesirable energy exchanges, or unexpectedoutcomes. This kind of unconscious dynamic energyexchange might be termed “transactionalenergetics.”When such discrepancies between reflexes andmind, body and mind - in other words, when suchpassive-reactive “transactional energetics”- arepronounced, the awareness will have to work tokeep pace with what happens to the body whenthe body and its energetic development have becomeadvanced.In order to overcome reactions relating to“transactional energetics,” practitioners must godeep into the level of the organs and, thus, of thevirtues. The energetic development of the virtuesof the internal organs takes place as the practitionercomes to regard situations with enhancedclarity. This is a grass roots development, andforms a central focus in many Taoist schools. It’snot that we decide intellectually, ‘oh, I should bemore virtuous because it will make me more holyand that will make me look good.’ It’s more thecase that the energetic development of the organsthemselves makes the new vantage point and/orcourse of action possible. In all cases, the real issueis one of mastery. A reaction, whether in behavioror in emotion, that does not flow from thehigher ground of the virtues and alignment withthe Tao, is not a decision. A decision is an entirelydifferent order of creation, intent, and will,than an emotionally or behaviorally passivereactiveresponse.It is, therefore, very helpful to engage in practicesthat quiet the mind, allowing the catch-and-Transactional Energetics and Passive ReactiveResponses38 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

elease of thought forms (and thereby slowingthe pace of reactivity), to cultivate the energies ofthe mind, and firmly bridge the energies of themind and ground them into the body. Doing soallows a greater range of responses, a broaderspectrum or array of possibilities, and more skillfulmanagement of those possibilities.When we look at transactional energetics, thosewho “get it,” (i.e. who learn the ropes of transactionalenergetics, who learn to recall the mind, togo to the higher ground, etc.) continue to enrichthemselves as those who do not “get it,” continueto lose energy, stature, treasure, and time.Development of Body-Mind UnionWhen practitioners begin to synchronize themind and the body, they also become aware thatthe body itself has “mind” in all of its parts. As qiflow is enhanced and increases, this awarenessthat the body is also the mind, grows intuitivelyand experientially. There is a mind in the liver.There is a mind in the stomach. There is a mindin the heart. There is mind in the knees, in thehip joints, in the blood. There is mind in the intestines.All of these parts of the body, all parts ofthe body, are mind and all are associated withemotions, with virtues, and with particular elements.This is not intellectual book learning, butthe body-mind union learning to read the book ofitself!As mind and body become more comfortable andestablished in this connection and their synergy,an understanding comes about regarding expendituresof energy. It is important to note here thatthe attainment of the virtues described is not justoccurring within the ordinary, mundane parametersof the persona, or with self control or withconcern over appearances. The level of attainmentdescribed above is a reflection of the harnessingof highly conscious energies that havebeen grounded at the level of the internal organsand have thus created the spontaneous emanationof a higher-order of energies within the organs.To reach this degree of realization requiresdis-identification from previous habits we mayhave considered to be our “self.” This “self” isvery much tied up with body memories ofwounds received by that personality, and whilethat personality may not have any ultimate reality,the body has stored the wounds of that personalityand those vibrations become real andself-perpetuating in the body because the bodyremembers all injuries.The saving grace is reunion with the one qi, thetrue source - a quiet and powerful and concentratedsource and communicating reality that allowsnew possibilities to emerge. It will, for example,allow us to observe energies at a lowerlevel with which we may have previously identified– to observe them, see them trying to findtheir way back to us (e.g. belligerence, depression,apathy, etc.) and with time and repeatedpractice and experience, see them lose theirstrength so that instead of the old reflexes of ourold “self,” there may come to be new reflexesReunion with the True Source of Healingwhich are developed and which have a tremendouspower behind them.Transactional Energetics and Healthcare ProvidersHow does the development of such awarenessrelate to the field/s of healthcare, and how mightit be applied within them? Energetic communicationsare happening in many situations, such asJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 39

etween physician and patient, between nurseand patient, between therapist and client, betweencolleagues, between friends, between familymembers, between the individual and his/herliving environment, and so forth. Again, such energeticcommunications might be called“Transactional Energetics,” or perhaps even “Qimailcommunications.”For example, in psychotherapy treatment sessions,a phenomenon has been observed, since1946, which is termed “Projective Identification.”Projective Identification occurs in circumstanceswhere A (psychotherapist) experiences feelingsthat belong to B (client) but that B is unable toaccess; and instead "projects" them into A (his orher therapist).1 Projective Identification hasbeen known as unconsciousness communicationsbetween therapist and client. The problem is thatboth the therapist and client are not aware or notconscious of these kinds of communications duringpsychotherapy treatment sessions. If thetherapist is not aware of projective identificationsfrom their clients, over time, the projective identificationscan become a root cause of compassionfatigue and burnout of the therapist, or the therapistcan become a victim of the client’s projections.Or to take some other examples, while the medicalprofession prepares for treating millions ofpatients who will be newly insured under thecurrent healthcare law, the Mayo Clinic(Rochester, Minn.) reports that nearly one in two(45.8%) of the nation's doctors already suffer asymptom of burnout.2Most nurses enter the field of nursing with theintent to help others and provide empathetic carefor patients with critical physical, mental, emotional,and spiritual needs. Empathic and caringnurses, however, can become victims of the continuingstress of meeting the often overwhelmingneeds of patients and their families, resulting incompassion fatigue.3 One of the causes of compassionfatigue and burnout for healthcare providersmay be inadequate awareness of transactionalenergetics and therefore of the skills requiredto do healing and service work in a balancedway over an extended period of time.Importance of Authentic Qi Cultivation forHealthcare ProvidersWhen healing chronic health conditions, thehealth condition might require attention not onlyat the level of the physical symptoms, but mayalso need to be treated at the internal energylevel, emotional level, mental level, spiritual level,or in relation to habitual behavior, personal andprofessional relationships, and so forth. The authenticqi cultivation can assist healthcare providersin seeing the client as a whole person at alldifferent levels. The study and practice of medicalqigong, as well as medical Yijing, greatly enhanceshealthcare providers’ ability and performancein understanding the root cause of healthconditions and fosters an ability to treat a patientor client not only at the level of the symptoms butat the global level, as a whole person.Medical Qigong and The Healthcare SystemMedical Qigong is the study of authentic qi cultivationand management of the body based onclassical Taoist alchemical cultivation, traditionalChinese medicine, as well as modern life science.Medical Qigong techniques can be practiced ononeself for self-healing, self-care and selfcultivationor can be performed to facilitate thehealing process of others. The authentic Qi holds40 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

the key to the healing and improvement ofchronic health conditions.Qi is a complex of bioenergy and intelligence ofthe body including different forms of energiesand health-related information and healing intelligence.Medical Qigong exercises can be used forspecific health conditions such as type 2 diabetes,chronic pain, hypertension, arthritis, cancer recurrenceprevention, chronic fatigue symptoms,fibromyalgia, chronic migraine, chronic anger,depression and so forth.and circulation of internal Qi-energy. The Qi pathwaysor acupuncture meridian system are an interfacebetween the physical body’s hardwareand the body’s “software” - e.g., the mind, consciousness,memories, emotions, and intelligenceof the body. The Qi network is responsible ingreater measure than is generally realized byWestern medicine practitioners for the managementand coordination of the activities of the internalorgans, tissues, cells, genes, and also forthe sharing of the body’s resources.Qigong is a several-thousand-year-old internalauthentic qi cultivation practice that empowersindividuals to explore and develop their inherentpotentials for self-healing, self-care and for improvingthe quality of practitioners’ lives. When aQigong practitioner has mastered the techniquesand skills of internal authentic qi cultivation andmanagement, she or he will be able to facilitatehealing for others as well.Whereas modern western medicine has focusedon the body’s “hardware” care and managementfrom an “objective” anatomical and physiologicalpoint of view, Medical Qigong excels at healing ofnon-crisis illness (such as chronic pain, type 2diabetes, arthritis, insomnia, fibromyalgia, and soforth) by improving the balance and harmonyThe integration of humanbody hardware care withhuman body softwarecare holds great promisefor the future of humanhealthcare. There is, currently,a big gap in understandingbetween theEast and West regardingthe human body’s hardwareand the humanbody’s software. The authenticQi represents abridge between the Westand East, as well as abridge between the humanbody’s hardware andhuman body’s software.Medical Qigong offersnew light and brings new hope to health care,particularly regarding chronic health conditions,and it also offers important awareness and selfcarepractices to both eastern and western providersof healthcare.An accomplished Medical Qigong practitioner willbe aware of “transactional energetics” in Qigongclass settings, professional consultation sessions,and even during phone conversations and emailcommunications. An important aspect of trainingin Medical Qigong is the overcoming of the passive/reactivebehaviors of the body at energeticand information levels, which are then redirectedconsciously and proactively. Thus an accomplishedMedical Qigong therapist becomes able tocultivate their awareness and, thereby, to release,June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 41

neutralize, and transform unhealthy or undesirableenergies and information from their clients,work place or living environment. Such knowledgeand techniques can be extremely valuablefor healthcare providers in terms of self-healing,self-care and coping with stress from their workingenvironment as well as for enhancing the effectivenessof treatments for patients and clients.References:1. Michael Jacobs, Psychodynamic Counseling inAction, London 2006, p. 109.2. Janice Lloyd, Doctor burnout: Nearly half ofphysicians report symptoms. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-20/physicianburnout/57173110/13. Barbara Lombardo, RN, MSN, PMHCNS-BCCaryl Eyre, RN, MSN., Compassion Fatigue: ANurse’s Primer. http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-16-2011/No1-Jan-2011/Compassion-Fatigue-A-Nurses-Primer.html--------------------------------------Jill Gonet, MFA earned herBA at the University of Massachusetts,and her MFAfrom the University of Washington.Her writing has appearedin numerous literaryjournals over the years, includingPoetry, Ploughshares,The New England Review,The Gettysburg Review, and The BestAmerican Poetry, among others. She is the recipientof awards from the Poetry Society of America,as well as grants from the Seattle Arts Commission.She was interested in ancient Daoist classicssince high school years, and has studied Dao DeJing-the Way of Virtues, Yi Jing-the Book ofChange, Ling Shu-the Spiritual Pivot, Zhuang-Zi,Lie-Zi, diligently. She meditated and practicedQigong daily for over 20 years. She has combinedher interests in writing, Chinese culture, and theart of internal cultivation by collaborating onmany writings with Dr. Sun.Guan-Cheng Sun, PhD is thefounder and executive directorof the Institute of Qigong & IntegrativeMedicine. Dr. Sunearned his Ph.D. in moleculargenetics from the GraduateUniversity for Advanced Studiesin Japan in 1993, and wasawarded a fellowship from theJapan Society for the Promotion of Science. From1994-1997 Dr. Sun conducted postdoctoral researchin molecular endocrinology at the Universityof Washington. This research enriched histheory and practice of Qigong. His understandingof modern molecular genetics and scientific principles,as well as his experience with internal cultivation,allowed him to create a unique bridgebetween cultures. Dr. Sun has spent over 35 yearsrefining his skills and has developed a new systemof Qigong called “Yi Ren® Qigong” (http://www.iqim.org/), and two Medical Qigong CertificatePrograms–Medical Qigong Self-Care Program,and Medical Qigong Therapist Program—through Bastyr University, Seattle, Washington(http://www.bastyr.edu/continuing-education/certificate-training-programs-noncredit#Medical-Qigong).42 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Book Review 书 评The Harvard Medical School Guide to TaiChi by Peter M. Wayne and Mark L. FuerstReviewed by Salvatore CasanoThis book is for anyoneinterested in taichi and how it relatesto good health. This isnot a manual on tai chiforms, nor does it promoteany specific styleof tai chi. It is obviousto all Americans thatour health care systemis in need of change.Due to escalating costsof our current medicalcare system, there is amovement towards preventative medicine. Thisbook helps to bridge the gap of how concepts fromEastern medicine can integrate with allopathicmedicine thereby helping to reduce medical costs.“ A 2009 study by Harvard Medical School facultyfound that more than 60 percent of personal bankruptciesare due to medical costs , and in the majorityof these cases, those claiming bankruptcy weremedically insured.” The World Health Organizationrated America 37 th in health outcomes, puttingus equal with Serbia. Our citizens are payingmore and becoming less healthy showing an increasesin chronic diseases and decreasing lifespan. Susan Blumenthal, MD, former AssistantSurgeon General of the United States stated “ Today’shealth–care reform efforts must reestablishpublic health and prevention as prioritiestransformingour country from a sick–care systemto a health–care system.”This book provides insights into the traditionalprinciples of Tai Chi through the eyes of modernmedicine, gives a simplified Tai Chi set of exercisesthat were used for a number of clinical studies,insights on the physiological processes thatexplain how Tai Chi can improve health, discussionsof the many research studies provided in theliterature supporting the health benefits of Tai Chi,and how what the author terms “ The Eight ActiveIngredients of Tai Chi” can be integratedinto everyday life.The Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi provided ameans of performing double-blind research studiesto measure the effectiveness of tai chi practiceon the mind-body–spirit connection and the resultinghealth benefits. These ingredients includeawareness, intention, structural integration(dynamic form and function), active relaxation,strengthening and flexibility, natural breathing,social support and embodied spirituality(including philosophy and ritual). In Chapter 3,the author provides a detailed 12-week simplifiedtai chi program which includes warm up exercises,and specific tai chi movement exercises. The exercisesare thoroughly explained and easy to followphotos of the movements provided.The remaining chapters in the book deal with themedical aspects of balance, the musculoskeletalsystem, bone density , and how tai chi exercisescan have a positive effect on helping with theseissues. Aches , pains, arthritis , postural alignment,meditation and psychological components, breathingare discussed and how tai chi practices canJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 43

make a difference in outcomes. Chapters 6 and 7reflect on the cardiovascular and respiratory conditionsthat have been helped with tai chi practicesbased on clinical studies. Chapters 8 and 9involve how tai chi affects mind enhancement,stress reduction and sleep disorders. In Part III ofthe book , Chapters 10-14 discuss how tai chipractices can have a positive effect on everydayliving , socialization, cross training for othersports, corporate wellness programs, enhancedcreativity and how to develop a good tai chi practice.This book is well researched and has over 50pages of citations and notes for all the chapters ifthe reader wishes to follow up on the many aspectsof the presented material. This book was ajoy to read, and I would recommend it for allhealth-care workers, tai chi players, and the generalpublic for each group will gain insights intothis complex martial arts form based on TraditionalChinese Medicine.I would like to end this review with a quote fromThomas Edison , “The doctor of the future will giveno medicine but will interest his patients in the careof the human frame, in diet and in the cause andprevention of disease. “Salvatore Casano R.N., PhD – a registerednurse with a PhD in HolisticHealth, and is an ATCQZ certified TaiChi and Qigong instructor. His Tai Chiand Qigong journey began over 20years ago while working as a chemistryinstructor, when he felt the needfor a more holistic approach tohealth care. Participating in many programs and projectsrelating to health, Dr. Casano educates the communityon living a healthier lifestyle to avoid obesityand diabetes, and as a way to reduce stress. Over theyears, he has learned from many masters includingBill Philips, Marc Issacs, Richard Chu, as well as twoATCQA advisors, Dr. Roger Jahnke, and Bill Douglas.Dr. Casano, along with his wife Veronica, often sojourntogether on his healing path, as they use their skills inhelping others connect the mind, body, and spirit.They have four adult children, seven grandchildren,and a cat, “Tiger.”44 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Method of Self Healing 自 愈 法Tai Chi Chuan Chang Chuan: The Mysterious TraditionalYang Family Fist FormBy Renee J. NavarroIn the presence of several knowledgeablemartial artists, I recently mentioned the TraditionalYang Family Tai Chi Chuan Chang Chuanform. Nobody recognized it. Not even the masterwho had studied many systems.Yang Jwing Ming, the famous martial arts authorand teacher in Boston, does not appear tohave studied or heard about it himself. In hisbook "Tai Chi Theory and Martial Power" publishedin 1996, he does not mention it. He doessay, however, that:"Chang Chuan (Changquan): ... Long Fist orLong Sequence. When it means Long Fist, it isnorthern Shaolin Chinese martial style which specializesin kicking techniques. When it meansLong Sequence, it refers to Taijiquan and impliesthat the Taiji sequence is long and flowing like ariver." (p. 255)In his list of Tai Chi Chuan forms in the samebook, nothing is mentioned about Long Boxing/Chang Chuan which seems to show that he didnot know of the existence of the Tai Chi ChuanChang Chuan form when he wrote the book in1996.Jou, Chung Hua, author of the book "The Taoof Tai Chi Chuan," one of the most comprehensivebooks on Tai chi Chuan, did not mention it either.(1)Neither did Zheng Man Zhing, the legendaryTai chi chuan master and "Master of the 5 Excellences,"nor martial arts authority Robert Smith.Nor did Wayson Liao, author of "Tai Chi Classics,"which is probably one of the best books onTai Chi Chuan. It is only one of two books Iknow of that list the 34 or so types of jing (theother is Yang, Jwing Ming's cited above). Morethan any other book I have read, it lays a programfor the development of fa jing (transfer or dischargeof energy). Sadly, it does not mention Taichi chuan Chang Chuan, although it suggests auxiliarytraining like the weapons, and especiallythe sword.What he also said significantly is, "... the modifiedform of Tai chi became today's Tai Chi Chuan,or the so-called Tai Chi Exercise. This is the TaiChi practiced publicly in China today; it is the Taichi Dance, also called the Chinese Ballet by someWesterners. In these modern times, a person mayreceive instruction in and practice the art of TaiChi for years, and, regardless of which style is beingtaught, still stands a very good chance oflearning only 'public Tai Chi.' In other words,most of the Tai Chi practiced today is not theoriginal Tai Chi, and it is devoid of meaning... It iswhen a person becomes serious in the study ofTai Chi that the search for the authentic art, thetemple style, begins. One can only then appreciatethe courage and dedication of the masterswho have preserved the line of temple Tai Chidown through the centuries. This is our heritage."(pp. 14-15). I wonder what he would havesaid about Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi ChuanChang Chuan.That many Tai chi chuan practitioners do notknow - or at least do not mention - Chang Chuanis a mystery, isn't it?Chen Weiming, who studied with the legen-June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 45

dary Yang Cheng Fu, mentioned the form in hisbook on the Tai Chi Chuan sword and gave thenames of the postures, but he did not explain orillustrate them.The Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan (2)curriculum is composed of many varied forms -standing postures (Zhan Zhuang), fist sets (forsolo and partner training), Push Hands (onehand,2 hands, single step, double step, BrokenFlowers, etc.) and weapons (3 Knife forms, 2Sword forms, 2 Spearforms), halberd and qigongforms. There are also variedways of doing the forms dependingon the frame(Small, Medium and Large)and levels (Snake, Tiger andCrane). What became popularwas the slow Solo formin different versions, especiallythe Large Frame,Crane level, which YangCheng Fu taught publicly. Inthe public perception, thisslow form became identifiedas the Yang Family Tai ChiChuan.In the book "Tai ChiTouchstones: Yang FamilyTransmissions" translatedby Douglas Wile, YangCheng-Fu is quoted as sayingthat there are fist andweapons forms. Among thefist forms, he mentioned theTai chi chuan solo form andLong Boxing. I claimed in anearlier article entitled "YangFamily Tai Chi Chuan Curriculum"(written originallyfor and published in RapidJournal) that the solo form is the 108 movementset while Long Boxing is Chang Chuan. Dependingon the lineage, different schools call the ChangChuan form differently. Sometimes it is calledSmall Frame Form or Fast Form.Among the children of Yang Cheng Fu, it wasthe oldest son, Yang Sau-Chung, who masteredthe curriculum of the family. He was only 18 or19 when he was regarded as a master of the artand taught in his father's behalf. The other childrenlearned, but not as extensively since theywere still small when their father died and theylearned from each other and from older relatives.Yang Zhendo, the third child, and the most popular,promotes not the traditional Yang Familyforms, but the Wu-shu style competition forms. Itis probable thatthe two older survivingchildrenmay have learnedthe Tai Chi ChuanChang Chuanform, but we haveno way of verifyingat this point.According to VincentF. Chu, son ofChu Gin-Soon ofBoston, one of thesurviving children,Yang ZhenJi, claimed tohave studied theform; Vincent alsosaid that there area couple of bookson the ChangChuan form inChinese.Master GinSoon Chu of Boston,Massachusetts,second discipleof GrandmasterYang Sau-Chaung, teachesthe Chang Chuanform in his school. It was directly from him that Ilearned Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi ChuanChang-Chuan in the early 90s. Chu sifu teachesChang Chuan when the student is ready for it.When it is taught at all, it often comes after atleast 5 years of training, i.e., after the Solo form,Push Hands, staff-spear, knife and sword, and46 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

sometimes the 2-man sparring set (san-sou).Tung family patriarch Tung Ying Jieh choreographeda dynamic form known as the Tung FastSet which is now a part of the Tung Family Tai chichuan curriculum. According to the Tung familyin Hawaii, Yang Cheng Fu and Tung Ying Jiehwere planning to choreograph a fast Tai chichuan form but it did not materialize. The TungFast Set is not the same as the Traditional YangFamily Chang Chuan set. From what I have seenand heard, the Tung Family does not have theTraditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan ChangChuan form.Note some of the names like "Shoot theGoose" and "Fishtail Single Whip." The posturesare actually similar to "Shoot the Tiger" and"Single Whip" respectively but with some variationin the speed and the trajectory and form ofthe hand.Although the names of the Chang Chuan posturesare the same as in the solo form, they aredifferent in the execution, so much so that thetwo sets appear to be from different schools. Inthe Chang Chuan set, one version of the SingleWhip has the right hand open, that's why it iscalled a "fishtail;" in the "Shoot the Goose" posture,the strike is upwards. There are other differences.It is true that the Chang chuan form is shorterthan the 108 solo form, but because of the fastmovements alternating with slow movements,the Chang Chuan is more difficult and tiring.What is it in the Chang Chuan form that makesit an essential training for martial art?The Chang Chuan form is not the solo formdone slow and fast. It is an entirely different set. Ihave no information as to when it became part ofthe Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan curriculum.But unlike the solo form, it seems tohave undergone the least change through its history.The form is unpredictable. One time the practitioneris moving slowly and then suddenly,without warning, goes fast and back to slow.Unlike the solo form that's done slowly throughout,you can actually change the speed of theChang Chuan form as you wish. Sometimes theperson doing it begins to look like a cartoon characteror a clock that's been wound up.There are many explosive martial techniquesin the form. You can picture the slow movementsgathering chi and the fast movement dischargingit. There are also kicks and jumping movementsin Chang Chuan that are not in the solo form.Some people call it Tai chi Fast Form,” becausesome of its movements are fast; others call it “FaJing Form” because of its explosive movements.But to Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuanpractitioners, it is “Tai Chi Chuan Chang Chuan.”It is always a pleasure to watch a good performanceof the Traditional Yang Family ChangChuan set. This unique set is a real heirloom. Nowonder the Yang Family taught it only to theirclose relatives and trusted students.We are fortunate that the faithful practitionersof Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi Chuanlike Sifu Gin Soon Chu of Boston have rescued theChang Chuan form from obscurity and shared itwith their students. Now, like the classical soloform, Chang Chuan can be a gift to the Tai chichuan world.------------------------------1. I am not sure either if he verified his informationabout the Yang Family, but he said that YangCheng Fu "had four sons. They are teaching Taichi in either Hong Kong or Hawaii." (p. 47). Hemust have had in mind the descendants of DongYing Jieh who lived in Hong Kong and Hawaii. Thechildren of Yang Cheng Fu lived in China andHong Kong. Only Yang Sau-Chaung lived in HongKong. The rest of the children lived in China. TheTung family re-settled in Hawaii. The most famouswas Dong Ying-Jieh's son, Tung/Dong Huling,who died many years ago in Hawaii. I interviewedhis son Tung (now spelled Dong) ShengChen and grandson Alex Dong and observed theirclasses doing Fist and Knife and Sword forms atthe Chinese school in Oahu's Chinatown. One ofJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 47

the senior students, a disciple of Tung Hu-Ling,privately demonstrated some of the forms to me.2. Master Gin Soon Chu prefers to describe thelineage system he teaches as Traditional YangFamily Tai Chi Chuan as distinguished from otherderivatives of the style (like Cheng Man-Ching'sand Wu-Shu competition forms).Copyright (C) 2004 by RN***This article was first published in Rapid Journal,an internal arts magazine in thePhilippines edited by Daniel Go, a Tai chi chuanteacher and martial arts scholar.Rene J. Navarro, Dipl. Ac.(NCCAOM), a licensed acupuncturist,is a senior instructor of theHealing Tao. He edited GrandmasterMantak Chia’s "GreatestEnlightenment of Kan and Li" and"Sealing of the Five Senses," manualsin the high Taoist spiritualpractice of internal alchemy, "Chi Nei Tsang InternalOrgans Chi Massage," the master guide onabdominal manipulation, and "Dao-In," the bookon meridian activation and muscle stretching. Histraining in Chinese arts started 50 years agowhen he studied Shaolin Dragon-Tiger Kung-Fuwith Master Johnny Chiuten and later withGrandmaster Lao Kim of the Philippines andHongkong. In 1989 he was chosen Healing TaoInstructor of the Year. Rene has been studyingthe curriculum of Traditional Yang Family Tai ChiChuan, including fist and weapons forms andPush hands under Masters Gin Soon Chu and VincentChu, lineage masters of the system. Asidefrom a diploma in acupuncture and certificate inChinese herbology, Rene holds a Bachelor of Artsdegree in political science and a Bachelor of Law.In an earlier incarnation, he worked as a lawyerfor indigent clients. He teaches on four continents.For more information, go towww.renenavarro.org48 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

DVD ReviewReview: Forks OverKnives - DVDReviewed by Fiona ToblerOh WOW, is this a filmto watch! Doctors T.Colin Campbell andCaldwell B. Esselstynpresent world-widestudies that support aplant based diet. ForksOver Knives show usthat we can reverse orcontrol diseases byeliminating processedand animal based foodAND that by eatingwhole foods and a plant-based diet we can dramaticallyimprove our health. Research by bothdoctors, who independently came to these conclusions,show us that degenerative diseases likeheart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even severalforms of cancer, could almost always be prevented- and in many cases reversed - by adoptinga whole-foods, plant-based diet.A common misunderstanding among those interviewedin the film was that you need animalbased foods for protein - it seemed as if few knewthat healthy amounts of plant-based food alsocontain adequate amounts of protein. The filmincludes a study that shows a link between diaryprotein and cancer. Any of the beneficial nutrientsfound in milk, like calcium, are found in sufficientamounts in a healthful plant-based diet.“Forks Over Knives” presents many researchstudies and very cool presentations that clearlyget your attention. A must see for those interestedin improving their health!“He that takes medicine and neglects diet wastethe time of his doctor” Chinese ProverbDr. Campbell, a nutritional scientist at CornellUniversity, was concerned in the late 1960’s withproducing “high quality” animal protein to bringto the poor and malnourished areas of the thirdworld. While in the Philippines, he made a lifechangingdiscovery: the country’s wealthier children,who were consuming relatively highamounts of animal-based foods, were much morelikely to get liver cancer.Dr. Esselstyn, a top surgeon and head of theBreast Cancer Task Force at the world-renownedCleveland Clinic, found that many of the diseaseshe routinely treated were virtually unknown inparts of the world where animal-based foodswere rarely consumed.The film is available on Netflix’s and on Amazonmovies. For more details about the film go to :http://www.forksoverknives.com/Fiona enjoyed a fulfilling 34-yearcareer with the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission as a Program Manager.For the last three years, shehas been practicing qigong. Qigongplayed a key role in healing a backissue that had side-lined her for ayear from doing all the things she loves: running,yoga, swimming and biking. Back to an active lifeagain, Fiona especially enjoys hiking with her preciouspup, Marty! Fiona has been a student of Buddhismfor many years. She is certified in Reiki Level IIand has experienced healing from this modelity aswell. She practices QiGong regularly with Kevin Chenin Baltimore. Fiona feels strongly that we should empowerourselves to be the best we can be and that weshould walk in nature every day!June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 49

Scientific Qi Exploration 气 的 科 学 探 索Scientific Qi Exploration Part 3.Horary Cycle Qi Pathways from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.by Marty Eisen Ph.DThe Meridian pathways of the Qi flow in the HoraryCycle, from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., is described below.Recall that each Organ and its correspondingMeridian energy is at its peak during a twohour period in the Horary Cycle, and is at its minimumduring the two hour period twelve hourslater.The flow is maximal in Bladder Meridian from 3p.m. to 5 p.m. and then in the Kidney Meridianfrom 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and so on, flowing in the orderin which the Meridians are described below.11. The Bladder (Foot-Taiyang) Meridian (B)See http://www.acumedico.com/bladder.htmThe Bladder Meridian starts from B1 (Jingming),.1 cun superior to the inner canthus. Ascendingto the forehead, it joins the Du Meridian at Du 20(Baihui) after passing through B 7 (Tongtian) butbefore B 8 (Luoqque). Two branches emergefrom Du 20, on the midline of the head, 5 cunabove the anterior hairline. One runs to the templeand the other enters the brain and emerges tojoin the external Meridian. The external Meridianbifurcates at B 10 (Tianzhu), .5 cun above theposterior hairline (PHL) and 1.3 cun lateral to themidline on the lateral aspect of the trapezius. Thebranches descend along the posterior aspect ofthe neck.One branch runs alongside the medial side of thescapula and parallel to the vertebral columndown the back from B 41 (Fufen) to B 52 (Zhishi)and passes through the gluteal region, meeting G30 (Huantiao) at the junction of the lateral 1/3and medial 2/3 distance between the prominenceof the greater trochanter and the hiatus of the sacrum.It continues down the posterior aspect ofthe thigh to meet the other branch at B 40, at themidpoint of the transverse crease 0f the poplitealfossa.The second branch from B 10 runs parallel to thefirst branch, midway between the first branchand the vertebral column, down the back from B11 (Dazhu) to B 30 (Baihuanshu) in the glutealregion. It then turns upward to reach B 31(Shangliao), then turns down to run through thegluteal region and the posterior thigh. It descendslateral to the first branch and then crossesit, passing through B 39 (Weiyang), medial to thebiceps femoris tendon, and finally meeting thefirst branch at B 40.An internal branch arise from the second externalbranch at B23 (Shenshu) and enters the bodythrough the paravertebral muscles to connectwith the Kidney and join the Bladder, its pertainingOrgan.The external branch from B 40 descends to thecalf, to the posterior aspect of the medial malleolus,and then runs along the tuberosity of the fifthmetatarsal to reach B 67 (Zhiyin), on the lateral50 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

the Kidney, its pertaining Organ, and then descendsto the Bladder and returns to K 11(Hengu), 5 cun below the navel on the superiorborder of symphysis pubis, .5 cun lateral to themidline of the body.From K 11, the external Meridian ascends the abdomenand chest to terminate in K 27 (Shufu), inthe depression on the lower border of the clavicle,2 cun lateral to the midline.A branch emerges from the Kidney ascends,passes through the Liver and diaphragm, entersthe Lung, runs up along the throat and terminatesat the root of the tongue.side of the small toe, about .1 cun posterior to thenail’s corner. B 67 is the point linking the BladderMeridian with the Kidney Meridian.2. The Kidney (Foot-Shaoyin) Meridian (K)See http://www.acumedico.com/kidney.htmThe Kidney Meridian starts at B 67 and runsobliquely from the inferior aspect of the little toetowards the sole to K 1(Yongquan), located betweenthe second and third metatarsal bones, approximatelyone third of the distance betweenthe base of the second toe and the heel, in a depressionformed when the foot is plantar flexed.Emerging from the depression on the lower borderof the tuberosity of the navicular bone at K 2(Rangu), it runs behind the medial malleolus atK3 (Taixi) to the heel at K 4 (Dazhong). Then, itascends along the medial side of the leg toK 9 (Zhubin) and to the medial side of the poplitealfossa to K 10 (Yingu). Then, it runs furtherupward along the postero-medial thigh towardsDu 1 Changqiang), midway between the tip of thecoccyx and anus. There it runs upward to enterA branch emerges from the Lung, joins the Heartand flows into the chest to link with the PericardiumMeridian.13. The Pericardium (Hand-Jueyin) Meridian(P)See http://www.acumedico.com/pericardium.htmThe Pericardium Meridian originates in the chestand enters its pertaining Pericardium Organ.Then, it descends through the diaphragm to theabdomen connecting with the Upper, Middle andLower Burners or the Sanjiao.A branch arising from the chest runs inside thechest and emerges at P 1 (Tianchi), in the fourthintercostal space, 1 cun lateral to the nipple. Itascends to the P 2 (Tianquan), 2 cun below theend of the anterior axillary fold, between the twoheads of the biceps brachii muscles. From P 2, itdescends the medial aspect of the upper arm, betweenthe Lung and Heart Meridians, to P3(Quze), on the transverse cubital crease, at theulnar side of the tendon of the biceps brachiimuscle. Continuing down the forearm, it passesbetween the tendons of the palmaris longus andJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 51

flexor carpi radialis muscles, ending in the palmat P 8 (Laogong), on the transverse crease of thepalm, between the second and third metacarpalbones. From there it traverses the middle fingerto terminate at P 9 (Zhongchong), in the center ofits tip.Another branch arises from P8, runs along thering finger to SJ 1 (Guanchong) on the ulnar side,about .1 cun posterior to the corner of the nail, tolink with the Triple Burner (Sanjiao) Meridian.14. The Sanjiao (Hand-Shaoyang) Meridian(SJ)See http://www.acumedico.com/sanjiao.htmThe Sanjiao Meridian originates at SJ 1 and runsupward on the dorsum of the hand, between thefourth and fifth metacarpals, to SJ 4 (Yangchi) onthe transverse wrist, in the depression lateral tothe tendon of the extensor digitorum communismuscle, and continues on the lateral aspect of theforearm between the radius and ulna to SJ 10, inthe depression when the elbow is flexed about 1cun superior to the olecranon. It continues alongthe lateral aspect of the upper arm until itreaches SJ 14 (Jianliao), at the origin of the deltoidmuscle, in the depression which lies posteriorand inferior to the lateral extremity of theacromion. Turning toward the medial upper cornerof the scapula, it crosses the Gallbladder Meridian,circles down to the supraclavicular fossa,enters the chest to connect with the PericardiumOrgananddescendsthrough the diaphragm to the abdomen tojoin the upper, middle and lower Jiao, its pertainingOrgan.A branch form the chest flows upward, emergesfrom the supraclavicular fossa, connects toSJ 17 (Yifeng), posterior to the lobule of the ear,in the depression between the mandible and mastoidprocess, runs along the posterior border ofthe ear and further to the anterior corner of thehairline. Then, it descends to the cheek to terminatein the infraorbital region.Another branch arises from SJ 17 and enters theear from SJ 21, in the depression anterior to thesupratragic notch, just above the condyloid processof the mandible. Then, it emerges in front ofthe ear connecting with SJ 22 (Erheliao) andreaches SJ 23 (Sizhukong), in the depression atthe lateral end of the eyebrow, to link with G 1(Tongziliao), .5 cun lateral to the outer canthus, inthe depression on the lateral side of the orbit.15. The Gallbladder (Foot-Shao Yang) Meridian(G)See http://www.acumedico.com/gb.htmThe Gallbladder Meridian originates from theouter canthus of the eye at G 1, ascends to thecorner of the forehead to G 4 (Hanyan), curvesdownward around the posterior of the ear to G12 (Wangu), ascends to G 14 (Yangbai) on theforehead, 1 cun directly above the midpoint of theeyebrow and circles down to G 20 (Fengchi), inthe depression between the sternocleidomastoidand the trapezius muscles, level with a horizontalline passing directly below the external occipitalprotuberance. It runs down along the side of theneck in front of the Sanjiao Meridian to G 21(Jianjing) on the crest of the trapezius directlyabove the nipple, curving to the back it crossesand passes behind the Sanjiao Meridian down52 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

through the supraclavicular fossa and the lateraside of the chest to G 22 (Yuanye) on the midaxillaryline when the arm is raised, 3 cun belowthe axilla. The external Meridian zigzags downwardfrom G 22 to G 24 (Riyue) to G 25(Jingmen), on the lower border of the free end ofrib 12, to G 28 (Weidao) to G 29 (Juliao) to reachG 30 at the junction of the lateral 1/3 and medial2/3 of the distance between the greater trochanterand the hiatus of the sacrum.Another branch arises from G 12, behind the ear,and goes to G 2 (Tinghui), anterior to the intertragicnotch, at the posterior border of the mandible,and enters the ear. This is why G 2 is oftenused for ear problems. Then, it reemerges andflows through the preauricular region to the posterioraspect of the outer corner of the eye.Still another branch arises from the outer canthus,descends to S5 on the anterior border of themasseter muscle, in the groove appearing whenthe cheek is bulged, and crosses the Sanjiao Meridian.It passes through S 6 (Jiache), about onefinger width (middle finger) anterior and superiorto the angle of the mandible at the belly ofthe masseter muscle with teeth clenched, descendsthe neck and enters the supraclavicularfossa where it meets the main Gallbladder Meridian.From there it runs down into the chest,passes through the diaphragm to connect withthe Liver Organ and enters the Gallbladder Organ.Then, it flows inside the hypochondriac region,emerges at the lateral side of the lower abdomennear the femoral artery in the inguinal region.Next, it runs superficially along the hair of the pubicregion to cross down to G 30.From G 30, the main external meridian descendsthe lateral aspect of the thigh to G 33(Xiyangguan) lateral to the knee joint, betweenthe tendon of the biceps femoris and the femur.Running further down from G 34 (Yanglingquan),in the depression anterior and inferior to thehead of the fibula, it travels along the anterior aspectof the fibula to G 39 (Xuanzhong), 3 cunabove the tip of the external malleolus, in the depressionbetween the posterior border of fibulaand the tendons of the peronaeus longus and brevismuscles, to reach G 40 (Qiuxu), anterior andinferior to the external malleolus, in the depressionon the lateral side of the tendon of the extensordigitorum muscle. Then, flowing along thedorsum of the foot, between the fourth and fifthmetatarsals it reaches G 44 (Zuqiayin), on the lateralside of the fourth toe, .1 cun posterior to thenail’s corner.The branch linking to the Liver Meridian originatesfrom G 41 (Zulinqi), in the depression distalto the junction of the fourth and fifth metatarsals,lateral to the tendon of extensor digiti minimimuscle, runs between the first and second metatarsalsterminating in Liv 1 (Dadun), on the lateralside of the dorsum of the big toe, betweenthe lateral corner of the nail and the interphalangealjoint.16. The Liver (Foot-Jueyin) Meridian (Liv)See http://www.acumedico.com/liver.htmThe Liver Meridian starts from Liv 1, on the lateralside of the terminal phalanx of the big toe,0.1 cun from the corner of the nail, runs upwardalong the dorsum of the foot to Liv 4, 1 cun anteriorto the medial malleolus, in the significant depressionjust medial to the tendon of tibialis anteriorwhen the ankle is dorsiflexed, ascends to Liv6 (Zhongdu), 7 cun above the tip of the medialmalleolus, on the midline of the medial surface ofthe tibia. It crosses the Spleen Meridian to reachLiv 7 (Xiguan), 1 cun posterior to the depressionformed by the tibia and the lower border of itsmedial condyle, in the upper portion of medialhead of the gastrocnemius muscle. It ascends toLiv 8 (Ququan), in the depression above the me-June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 53

dial end of the popliteal crease (formed when theknee is flexed), on the anterior part of the insertionof the semimembranosis and semitendinosismuscles, posterior to the medial epicondyle of thefemur.Then, it runs further upward along the medial aspectof the thigh to reach Liv 12 (Jimai), 1 cuninferior and 2.5 cun lateral to the pubic spine, inthe inguinal groove where the pulsation of femoralartery is palpable. The main external Meridancontinues up to Liv 13, (Zhangmen), on the lateralside of the abdomen, below the free end of theeleventh rib, and ends on the chest at Liv 14(Qimen), in the sixth intercostal space, directlybelow the nipple.A branch arises from Liv 12, goes to the pubichair region, curves around the external genitalia,enters the abdomen, runs upward through theabdominal wall to reach the Liver, its pertainingOrgan. Four branches are formed in the Liver Organ.The first and the shortest branch, flows to tis associatedYang Organ, the Gallbladder.The second, short branch penetrates the diaphragmand enters the Lung Organ, where it connectsto the Lung Meridian to complete the HoraryCycle, as shown in Fig. 1.The third and largest branch penetrates the diaphragm,goes up the side of the inner chest walland along the back part of the larynx. Then, it entersthe posterior nasal tract and enters the tisuesaround the eyes. Running further upward, itemerges from the forehead and meets the DuVessel at the vertex.Another branch arises from the tissues of theeyes, descends into the cheek and curves aroundthe inner surface of the lips.The fourth branch is probably a branch of thethird branch, before it penetrates the diaphragm.It runs to the top of the Liver Organ, toward theside of the abdomen and descends in the abdominalcavity to end at the level corresponding to Liv13.References1. Johnson, J.A. Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy. Int.Institute of Medical Qigong, Pacific Grove, CA, 2000.2. Zu Bing andWang Hongcai, Eds. Basic Theories ofTraditional Chinese Medicine. Singing Dragon, Philadelphia,PA, 2010.3. Chen Youbang, et al, eds. Chinese Acupunctureand Moxibustion. Foreign Language Press, BeijingChina, 1990.4. Omura, Y. Acupuncture Medicine: Its Historicaland Clinical Background. Japan Publications, Inc., Tokyo,Japan, 1982.5. Jarret, L. J. The use of entry and exit points in traditionalacupuncture.http://www.spiritpathpress.com/chinese-medicinebooks/articles/article_entryexit.pdf6. Amaro, J. A. Contemporary Applications forJet Lag from Ancient Principles ! http://www.iama.edu/JetLag/JetLag.htmBy profession, Dr. Eisen was a universityProfessor specializing in constructingmathematical models such as those incancer chemotherapy and epilepsy. Hehas studied and taught Yoga, Judo, andAikido. Dr. Eisen was the founder andchief-instructor of the Shotokan KarateClubs at Carnegie-Mellon and Dusquene Universitiesand the University of Pittsburgh. He helped teachYoga in Graterford prison. His curiousity about therelation of Qi to healing and martial arts led him tostudy TCM, Tai Chi and Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Hewas initiated as a Disciple of Master Gin Foon Mark.Dr. Eisen now teaches (at his Kwoon and by webcam),writes and researches Praying Mantis, Qigong andYang Tai Chi - see http://home.comcast.net/54 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

Seasonal Harmony 季 节 的 和 谐By Ellasara KlingDiet Therapy is one of the healing modalitiesof Chinese medicine. Diet Therapy isapplied not only to alleviate ailments, but isutilized for day-to-day living. Choosing foodsthat are fresh, unadulterated, follow the patternsof nature, and are appropriate for yourindividual state at that time, are basic generalcriteria for everyone at all times. Thechoice of foods for supporting one’s healthusing the principles of Chinese medicine neednot be exotic, nor cost a great deal. Rather,local, seasonal foods are utilized to addressout of balance conditions, and/or to reinforce/augmentthe health that one has obtained.It has long been understood by Chinesemedicine that the correct daily diet canprevent dis-ease, prolong life, strengthen thebody/mind.Diet Therapy utilizes the principles of yin/yang; hot/cold; dry/damp; calming/stimulating; internal/external; color, taste;relationship to the organ systems; the fiveelements; cooking techniques; and muchmore. Even though that seems to be a complexlist, it is possible to incorporate thismethod of considering food into one’s dailylife with a little attention, practice, someguidance, and by following one’s intuition.Five Element Theory is an excellent place tostart. For a person who is practicing somemethod of energy cultivation (qigong/taiji/yoga/meditation, for example) or receivingtreatments from a TCM doctor or acupuncturist,then paying attention to diet can be ofsignificant support to these activities, and canbe viewed as an extension of them. Viewingfood from the framework of Five ElementTheory is quite different than the usual westernfood lists. Foods are categorized by season,taste and flavor along with the organsystem that they support. Foods are meantto be appetizing through aroma, visually andtaste. Preferably, foods are combined indishes to enhance each other and help tobring about greater health balance. In theseways, even simple meals can add healthbenefit.Consider these ideas: Each item we ingesthas its own level of life force available tous - clearly, the fresher the food, the greaterthe vibrant energy. Each food item also hasits own distinct message within its energypattern. It has its own level of consciousness.When we eat some food, we are literally takinginto ourselves a form of energy and incorporatingthat energy into the fabric of ourphysical body. From this point of view, everytime we eat it is potentially an act of healing.We give our body/mind/spirit powerful messagesthrough the choices that we make regardingour diet. What would it be like foryou to choose your foods for just one daykeeping in mind this idea? How would thatchange your choices? What changes wouldyou make? How would that affect how youfeel? Perhaps, you would like to challengeJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 55

yourself.This year’s Building Bridges for Traditional ChineseMedicine Conference October 17-20, 2013(www.tcmconference.org) will have seminars onFood as Medicine by James Gordon, M.D.(Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Georgetown UniversitySchool of Medicine, Washington, DC) andThe Spirit of Food by Nan Lu, OMD. Additionally,featured speakers include Dr. Amit Goswami(Professor of Theoretical Physics (retired), Universityof Oregon) The Quantum Physics of VitalEnergy and Energy Healing and Lama SuryaDas, Tibetan Buddhist Teacher/lecturer/author,among many others.Some important relationships of LateSummer: In Chinese Medicine, Late Summerstarts around mid-August and lasts untilthe Autumn Equinox. It is related to the Earthelement, the color yellow, the Spleen/Stomach organ-meridian systems, it is nourishedby the sweet/bland flavor, itcomes forth from the bitter taste and isgoing into pungent taste. The flavorwhich balances it is Spring’s sour taste.Its environment is damp, its direction is Middle/Center.The Late Summer flows out ofEarly Summer and then into Fall.This placement of Late Summer is one of balance.In order to stay in balance, a personmust have a deep feeling of trust/faith. Thedeeper our trust, the stronger our balance.During Late Summer, the early summer heatis beginning to cool and the earth’s energy isbeginning to prepare for the Fall. The environmentis going from damp to dry. Althoughfruits are prevalent in this season, overeatingof sweet fruits can cause too much internaldampness later on.Some Foods That Are Harmonious WithLate Summer Include:.Almond, Apple, Barley, Blueberries Buckwheat,Cabbage, Carrots, Cherry, Chestnuts,Chicken, Chive, Coconut, Cooked onion,Corn, Cow’s milk, Crab, Cucumber, Dates,Duck eggs, Eggplant, Figs, Fruits (sweeter),Garlic, Ginger, Grapes, Hawthorne Berries,Hazelnuts, Honey, Job’s tears (Chinese BarleyCoix Seeds), Lamb, Licorice, Lotus root, Mangos,Melons, Millet, Molasses, Mushrooms(especially button mushrooms), Oats, Oranges,Peanuts, Peaches, Peas, Potato,Pumpkins, Red Chinese Dates (Jujube), Rye,Squashes, Strawberry, Sugar, Sweet potatoes,Tumeric, Water chestnut, WatermelonGet that midafternoon drowsy feeling? A cupof Spearmint tea will perk you up without anyshaky side effects. It's refreshing and easy tofind at your local market. Two good brandsare Traditional Medicinals’ Organic Spearmintand Bigelow's Plantation Mint. Peppermint teadoes not have the same effect, it's purpose issomewhat different.Dill Weed (used as an herb in many saladsand soups) is great for the stomach asboth a stimulant and for its carminativeproperties. Additionally, it will "diffuse Qi"56 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

which is where its stimulant properties comefrom.RECIPESRed Date Congee w/Toasted Sesame andPeach (or Mango)Ingredients:1 TB each: Sesame seeds black and white,½ cup dried red dates - rinsed½ cup short grain sweet rice**6-8 cups cold water1 Peach or 1 cup mangoOptional: Raw Honey/sugar as neededDirectionsTo make congee, place 6 cups cold water in apot with the well-rinsed short grain sweetrice; bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer,Add the rinsed red dates, cover and simmer,Toast the sesame seeds and add to the congee,Add honey to sweeten (if necessary),Dice the peach(mango) and garnish eachbowl with some.Benefits: Helps reinforce yang energyand boost circulation** Depending on your pot, heat, and so on,you might need to add water to the congeeso that you have a “cereal-soup” from therice and not simply overcooked rice.Cucumber/Pineapple/Goji BerryPer Person:Ingredients1 cup cucumber1/2 cup pineapple1 TB goji berries1 TB walnut oil1/4 cup rice vinegarsalt/ground pepper or red pepper flakes - totaste1/4 cup either ginger rice or ginger Chinesebarleyoptional garnishes: cilantro leaves, crushedtoasted walnuts, sesame oil, mint leaves,other ???PreparationUnless using organic cucumber, peel thecuke. Cut lengthwise into wedges and thenhorizontally into 3/4" chunks,June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 57

¼ cup goji berries2-3 fresh mint leaves1 tsp honey¼ cup chopped walnuts or almondsDirectionsRinse the barley thoroughly and let soak forabout an hour in cold water. Cook it thoroughlyin 3 cups of water.Soak the goji berries in a little warm water torehydrate,Cut pineapple into small pieces - not too thinso that they maintain their integrity and donot melt into strands,Rinse and then Soak 2 TB goji berries inwarm water till soft and then strainDirectionsHeat the walnut oil in a skillet/wok untilshiny.Add the cucumbers and heat for 30 seconds,then add the pineapple, and rice wine – toss.Saute for 1 minute, add the goji berris andsauté everything until well-heated through,remove from heat and add the salt and pepper- toss lightly,put the rice or barley on a plate, making athin layer of it, place the cucumber/pineapple/goji berries over itUse a bit of any or all or other of the garnishesand serve/eatRefreshing Summer Breakfast or DessertIngredients1 cup Chinese Barley (coix seeds/jobs tears)½ cup diced pineapple½ cup diced papayaMake a small dice of the pineapple and papaya.When the barley has cooled down a bit, addall the other ingredients except the nuts andmix them together.If using right away, add the nuts. If not,store in the refrigerator and let come to roomtemperature, add the nuts and serve.(2 servings)Making this several hours before serving willallow the flavors to meld. This is a very coolingrecipe that also aids digestion.Carrot/Celery Root/Apple “Salad”Ingredients Per Person2 tbs walnut oil1 rounded TB finely minced ginger¼ tsp salt¼ tsp fresh ground pepper½ cup diced carrot½ cup diced celery root½ cup diced apple – preferably red2 TB fresh squeezed orange juice1 tsp. orange zest58 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

1/2 lb lotus root sliced into thin circlesa couple scallion whites cut into 1" pieces1/2 a red pepper sliced into thin strips1 cup mushrooms - sliced1 tbs soy sauce1 tbs sugar1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar1/2 tbs Hsiao Xing wine1 tsp sesame seedsDirections:1/3 cup toasted cashewsDirections:Heat a wok or heavy skillet and add oil. Whenthe oil is warm, add the ginger and salt andpepper and heat until the ginger is heatedthrough, but not browned. Add the carrot,celery root and apple (please note that thedices should all be about the same small size)and stir into the ginger, add the orange juiceand zest and stir fry for a couple of minutesuntil the vegetables are tender but still a bitcrunchy.Heat a wok or heavy skillet and add oil. Addthe lotus first for a couple minutes. Then addthe scallions and red peppers and mushroomsjust until they begin to wilt. Add all theseasonings and stir-fry well. Plate and sprinklesesame seeds on top. Tip: This is a fibrousroot and cutting it crosswiseagainst the fibers is best for most uses.Lotus root has a cold nature and sweetServe over steamed greens, or rice, or Chinesebarley, and put the toasted nuts on top.The kidney shaped Cashew is balanced in itsenergy nature and neutral/mildly sweet intaste. Cashews are a good complement forsweet carrots and sweet and sour red apples,both of which are cooling in nature.Simple Lotus Root Stir FryIngredients2 tbs walnut oilflavor. Among other things it can stimulatethe appetite (in a good way), produce muscle,relieve diarrhea, and is also a Yin tonicfood. It has a crisp, fresh taste. The pretty,lacy look of the cross sections are createdJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 59

from the plant's air channels. Lotus root canbe sliced and steamed, added to soups, andstir fried with other vegetables. Some peopleshred it raw and use it in salads. When eatenraw it is said to "cool the bloodRED DATE/CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA:Looking for a sweet tea treat? Red Dates andchrysanthemums that you can sweeten witha bit of rock sugar produce a sweet tea thatis cooling on hot, humid day. The dates andflowers are both sweet, so you may not wanttoo much rock sugar.Red dates are said to calm the mind andmake your skin glow. Chrysanthemumsare cooling and refreshing especially ona hot humid day.Preparation: Do not boil the water. Use waterthat is just about to boil to allow thedates and flowers to steep for several minutesin the hot water while the sugar (if using)dissolves for a few minutes before drinkingit warm – not overly hot.Wishing you good health! Remember tosmile from the heart at all things.The information in this articleis based on the theoriesand principles of ChineseMedicine. Ellasara has beenstudying with Master andDr. Nan Lu for many yearsand has participated in special classesthrough TCM World Foundation and the Taoof Healing in New York City. For comments,questions, consultations, ellasara00@gmail.com60 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3

COMEDY MOMENT 开 心 一 刻A dietitian was once addressing a large audience inChicago. "The material we put into our stomachs isenough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago.Red meat is awful. Soft drinks erode your stomach lining.Chinese food is loaded with MSG. Vegetables canbe disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinkingwater."But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyonehere tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?"A 75-year-old man in the front row stood up and said, "Wedding cake."(source: http://www.jokebuddha.com/joke/Nutrition_expert#ixzz2W6w6bNLV)According to a recent article I justread on nutrition, they said eatingright doesn't have to be complicated.Nutritionists say there is a simple wayto tell if you're eating right. Colors. Fillyour plates with bright colors. Greens,reds, yellows. In fact, I did that thismorning. I had an entire bowl ofM&M's. It was delicious! I never kneweating right could be so easy.(source: http://www.jokebuddha.com/Nutrition/recent#ixzz2W5kc60pN )Compiled by: Fiona ToblerJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 61

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June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 63