Issue 78 - Tse Qigong Centre

Food Remedies for
With normal menses, a menstrual flow should
commence every 28 days as per the lunar cycle.
However, our lifestyles are such today that we
live further and further from nature, sleeping at
irregular times and often for too long or too short.
International travelling also disrupts the harmony of the body
by shifting it into different time zones, different patterns of
eating and sleeping. The food we eat also disrupts the body
as do the hundreds of chemicals that inundate our lifestyles,
from cleaning products to cosmetics to the fire retardants in
our mattresses. Unless we settle ourselves and do something
to bring the body back into harmony with nature, then our
internal workings will become disrupted. For women, monthly
menses are a very good early indicator of any problems in the
body.
Our menses are directly related to the functioning of
the liver as the liver is the governor of blood in the body. The
liver also has a close bond with Qi for when there is sufficient
blood and sufficient Qi in the body, the blood will then carry
page 20 Qi Magazine Jan/Feb/Mar 2006
The moon is Yin in nature and relates
to night and soft things. Because it is Yin, it
also relates to the female. A woman’s
menstruation also follows the waning and
waxing of the moon and in some cultures,
people call this time their ‘moon time’.
Irregular
Menstruation
the Qi to the different internal organs via channels and vessels.
When we do not move enough, the liver and blood becomes
sluggish and so the Qi becomes stagnant and we feel heavy
and do not want to move.
The liver is also the organ for the emotion anger. When
there is too much liver Qi and it is not dispersing or being used
in the body normally, we can feel easily irritated and upset by
small things. Sleep will be affected through restlessness,
insomnia and odd dreams. Eyes can be affected and can be
red, dry or itchy and the skin will be dry. Tendons can also be
affected and joints may ache in this type of condition where
there is too much liver fire. Long term liver dysfunction will
also promote such diseases as diabetes and pancreatic
problems.
In the case where there is not enough blood in the
body, circulation is affected and the body will feel cold. The
hands and feet will particularly feel cold and hands will be
thin, easy to feel the bones and see blood vessels. Sometimes
you will also see a dark purple colour on pad of the thumb on