Guest guest Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 I'm new here & plan to read past posts & do searches for more info but would like to ask something now that I don't understand. Believe me, I've got lots of other questions too for later. I've been told that I'm shao yang & need to eat more yin foods & avoid yang foods, especially strong yang foods. (Don't know if I'm using the correct terminology either.) My doctors are Korean with degrees from Beijing University & some other Chinese colleges. Their English is understandable but we still have some difficulty communicating. They have trouble understanding what I'm asking so will ask here for now. The list of yin-yang foods given me are more what would be common foods in China, not ones found here & I'm confused. Looking at diff lists of yin & yang foods, some sites say one food is yin while another says it's yang. All sites agree on a few foods but there's much discord over which are which. How do I know what really are yin or yang? Many of the foods I eat aren't on any list I've found. Okay, this is the first question in a long line of questions I have but have to start somewhere. I hope no one minds all the questions I'll have. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Hi Ed and welcome to Chinese Traditional Medicine. This is just some general info. I'm going into some basics for the list members who are new to TCM. Yin cools, calms, and moistens the body. Yang warms, activates, and dries the body. The two are more or less in balance, waxing and waning throughout the day and the year. Yang predominates during the day when people are active, and Yin predominates at night when people get rest. Yin predominates during the winter, and Yang predominates during the summer. The two are constantly waxing and waning. If I understand your diagnosis correctly, you suffer from Excess Yang. You have too much Yang relative to Yin. You have enough Yin under normal circumstances, but for some reason Yang has built up until it's no longer in relative balance with Yin. There is an Excess of Yang. One of the main reasons why a person would have Excess Yang is the consumption of too many foods and herbs with Yang energy and too few with Yin energy. Hence the treatment plan of utting way back on Yang foods for a while and consuming more Yin foods. Part of the reason for the discrepancies is that the way a food is prepared can affect its Yang/ Yin. For example, vegetables tend to be Yin. If you steam those veggies or boil them in water, they tend to become even more Yin. But if you stirfry them or bake them (espeically frying), they become more Yang and less Yin. Another reason for discrepancies is the part of the plant/ animal/ food can differ in its Yin and Yang properties. For example, the meat of an almond has different properties from the skin of an almond. Part of the reason for some of the discrepancies is that there is not yet a concensus on the properties of certain foods from the " New World " . Individuals' perceptions of the properties of a food will differ according to the state of health of the individuals. For example, I tend toward problems with Cold. A food with warming properties might tend to be perceived as less warming by me than by a person who is warm enough or too warm. Most of the foods eaten in China today have been studied for decades or even hundreds of years. There's an established concensus which takes into account how individuals' perceptions can differ. There hasn't been time for a concensus to build up for some of the foods native to other countries. There is going to be problems with 3 way translations. Chinese into Korean into English. So I and others will do our best on here to explain some of the basics. Remember how Yang warms, activates, and dries? When there is Yang Excess there will be symptoms and signs of Heat. For example a red tongue, a ruddy complexion, being bothered by heat, having trouble cooling down, etc. There may be hyperglandular states. The person also may speak and move faster than usual. (Heat and Yang activate.) The person may have trouble relaxing because of all that Yang. The person may be too dry. However there is something else that can cause problems like these. (I'm introducing this for the beginning TCM students on the list.) The person may be Yin Deficient. Remember that Yin cools, calms, and moistens. The Heat symptoms are coming from there not being enough Yin to cool the body properly. The Dryness symptoms are coming from there not being enough Yin to moisten the body properly. The agitation and restlessness are coming from too little Yin to calm the body properly. You'll see the terms " Excess Heat " and " Deficiency Heat " . In the case of the former the Heat is coming from there being an Excess of something - Excess Yang, too many foods and herbs with Heating energy, the temperature in the environment being too high, etc. In the case of Deficiency Heat, the Heat is coming from there not being enough Yin to cool the body properly. You're learn how to differenciate between the two. For example, in cases of Excess Heat, the face will be uniformly red. In cases of Deficiency Heat, it will be blotchy red. (What Maciocia calls a " malar flush " .) In the case of Deficiency Heat (Yin Deficiency) the problems with Heat tend to get worse in the afternoon and evening. With Excess Heat the problems are more consistent throughout the day. Chinese Traditional Medicine , " ed056b " <isomorphix wrote: > > I'm new here & plan to read past posts & do searches for more info > but would like to ask something now that I don't understand. Believe > me, I've got lots of other questions too for later. > > I've been told that I'm shao yang & need to eat more yin foods & > avoid yang foods, especially strong yang foods. (Don't know if I'm > using the correct terminology either.) My doctors are Korean with > degrees from Beijing University & some other Chinese colleges. Their > English is understandable but we still have some difficulty > communicating. They have trouble understanding what I'm asking so > will ask here for now. The list of yin-yang foods given me are more > what would be common foods in China, not ones found here & I'm > confused. > > Looking at diff lists of yin & yang foods, some sites say one food is > yin while another says it's yang. All sites agree on a few foods but > there's much discord over which are which. How do I know what really > are yin or yang? Many of the foods I eat aren't on any list I've > found. > > Okay, this is the first question in a long line of questions I have > but have to start somewhere. I hope no one minds all the questions > I'll have. Thanks in advance. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Thank you for a excellent explanation. I appreciate the time you've taken to answer my questions. Further info now & further questions, if you don't mind. (First though, I'm Judy, not Ed (-: as ed056b is only my ID & doesn't let anyone know if I'm male or female which I prefer.) From your explanation & from what my doctors have said, I have Yang Excess as my heat is from my upper body (around heart for sure, not sure what else). My Yin deficiency is from my lower abdomen & seems to results from too muchyang, leading to yin imbalance. I was being treated for frequent bona fide migraines (with auras) & related tension/tightness headaches. To be honest, I was a skeptic as I've been treated with acupuncture before & NO results. But I know the practitioner can make all the difference so I decided to go to " experts " in the field for one last try. From headaches 2 to 3 times per week, sometimes lasting 3 days, I've only had one in 3 months. This definitely isn't placebo effect. This is why I wish to try to follow instructions in regard to food too. Chinese herbal mixtures were also used in treatment plan. I've actually always eaten healthy as far as Western standards go - lots of vegetables, no ready-made prepared foods, nice balance of good foods. I understood how cooking can change the yin yang aspect of foods too & what yin & yang mean basically in regard to heat, cool, dry, moist. It seems much of the foods I love are yang foods. They aren't greasy but those thought to be healthy (Western view). I love ginger, garlic, onions, spicy foods, chicken, lamb, lychee (which aren't in season long), chocolate, & those types of foods. I don't like fried, greasy foods. My nature has always been that of extremes - very yang during day, very yin during night; I move & talk very quickly or else my 'motor' is on idle & I feel half-awake. My doctors explained about qi & I looked up more to understand. My inherited qi has a few strikes against it. Narcolepsy (mild/moderate), ADD, & hypo- (NOT hyper-) stomach acidity affect my family from my mother to one brother to me to two of my sons to varying degrees. I accept that & realise some things can help but we can't change our inherited qi. Now I'm thrilled with results of migraine treatment. No complaints! For the last 36 years, 3 months is the longest period I've ever gone without headaches. The longest before that was around one month. But ( & it's a BIG but to me), I lack the energy, zip, & stamina I had before. Also because of stomach hypoacidity, constipation was *never* a problem for me ( & no doubt due eating good food). Instead, I tended toward being too loose. But with recent treatment, I'm much too loose. Not crazy about some of the other changes like the above that have happened. When I told my doctors, they seemed surprised with it & at my last visit, they treated for that but with no change. My doctors, although Korean, can read & speak Chinese since their degrees are from Chinese universities. Showing them the Chinese words wouldn't be a problem. Questions: Does balancing out excess yang or deficient yin always cause a person to slow down & feel more tired? I REALLY want to sleep lots now - too much. How would one lessen yang or increase yin without leading to extreme bowel looseness? I wasn't hyperactive before, just nicely active & feeling good other than headaches, but I certainly feel hypo now. Any suggestions? And could I give a list of a few foods that I particularly like & eat more frequently to find out where they fit? And still, why the discrepancy with some foods like honey? One place says it's yin, another said yang. I've found the same with duck, grapes, oranges, eggs, & beef. Thanks. Judy Chinese Traditional Medicine , " victoria_dragon " <victoria_dragon wrote: > > Hi Ed and welcome to Chinese Traditional Medicine. > > This is just some general info. I'm going into some basics for the > list members who are new to TCM. > > Yin cools, calms, and moistens the body. Yang warms, activates, and > dries the body. The two are more or less in balance, waxing and > waning throughout the day and the year. Yang predominates during the > day when people are active, and Yin predominates at night when > people get rest. Yin predominates during the winter, and Yang > predominates during the summer. The two are constantly waxing and > waning. > > If I understand your diagnosis correctly, you suffer from Excess > Yang. You have too much Yang relative to Yin. You have enough Yin > under normal circumstances, but for some reason Yang has built up > until it's no longer in relative balance with Yin. There is an > Excess of Yang. > > One of the main reasons why a person would have Excess Yang is the > consumption of too many foods and herbs with Yang energy and too few > with Yin energy. Hence the treatment plan of utting way back on Yang > foods for a while and consuming more Yin foods. > > Part of the reason for the discrepancies is that the way a food is > prepared can affect its Yang/ Yin. For example, vegetables tend to > be Yin. If you steam those veggies or boil them in water, they tend > to become even more Yin. But if you stirfry them or bake them > (espeically frying), they become more Yang and less Yin. > > Another reason for discrepancies is the part of the plant/ animal/ > food can differ in its Yin and Yang properties. For example, the > meat of an almond has different properties from the skin of an > almond. > > Part of the reason for some of the discrepancies is that there is > not yet a concensus on the properties of certain foods from the " New > World " . Individuals' perceptions of the properties of a food will > differ according to the state of health of the individuals. For > example, I tend toward problems with Cold. A food with warming > properties might tend to be perceived as less warming by me than by > a person who is warm enough or too warm. > > Most of the foods eaten in China today have been studied for decades > or even hundreds of years. There's an established concensus which > takes into account how individuals' perceptions can differ. There > hasn't been time for a concensus to build up for some of the foods > native to other countries. > > There is going to be problems with 3 way translations. Chinese into > Korean into English. So I and others will do our best on here to > explain some of the basics. > > Remember how Yang warms, activates, and dries? When there is Yang > Excess there will be symptoms and signs of Heat. For example a red > tongue, a ruddy complexion, being bothered by heat, having trouble > cooling down, etc. There may be hyperglandular states. The person > also may speak and move faster than usual. (Heat and Yang activate.) > The person may have trouble relaxing because of all that Yang. The > person may be too dry. > > However there is something else that can cause problems like these. > (I'm introducing this for the beginning TCM students on the list.) > The person may be Yin Deficient. Remember that Yin cools, calms, > and moistens. The Heat symptoms are coming from there not being > enough Yin to cool the body properly. The Dryness symptoms are > coming from there not being enough Yin to moisten the body > properly. The agitation and restlessness are coming from too little > Yin to calm the body properly. > > You'll see the terms " Excess Heat " and " Deficiency Heat " . In the > case of the former the Heat is coming from there being an Excess of > something - Excess Yang, too many foods and herbs with Heating > energy, the temperature in the environment being too high, etc. In > the case of Deficiency Heat, the Heat is coming from there not being > enough Yin to cool the body properly. You're learn how to > differenciate between the two. For example, in cases of Excess > Heat, the face will be uniformly red. In cases of Deficiency Heat, > it will be blotchy red. (What Maciocia calls a " malar flush " .) In > the case of Deficiency Heat (Yin Deficiency) the problems with Heat > tend to get worse in the afternoon and evening. With Excess Heat > the problems are more consistent throughout the day. > > Chinese Traditional Medicine , " ed056b " <isomorphix@> > wrote: > > > > I'm new here & plan to read past posts & do searches for more info > > but would like to ask something now that I don't understand. > Believe > > me, I've got lots of other questions too for later. > > > > I've been told that I'm shao yang & need to eat more yin foods & > > avoid yang foods, especially strong yang foods. (Don't know if I'm > > using the correct terminology either.) My doctors are Korean with > > degrees from Beijing University & some other Chinese colleges. > Their > > English is understandable but we still have some difficulty > > communicating. They have trouble understanding what I'm asking so > > will ask here for now. The list of yin-yang foods given me are > more > > what would be common foods in China, not ones found here & I'm > > confused. > > > > Looking at diff lists of yin & yang foods, some sites say one food > is > > yin while another says it's yang. All sites agree on a few foods > but > > there's much discord over which are which. How do I know what > really > > are yin or yang? Many of the foods I eat aren't on any list I've > > found. > > > > Okay, this is the first question in a long line of questions I > have > > but have to start somewhere. I hope no one minds all the questions > > I'll have. Thanks in advance. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Chinese Traditional Medicine , " ed056b " <isomorphix wrote: >From your explanation & from what my doctors have said, I have Yang Excess as my heat is from my upper body (around heart for sure, not sure what else). My Yin deficiency is from my lower abdomen & seems to results from too muchyang, leading to yin imbalance. Do you recall your doctors ever using the term " Liver Yang Rising " ? What you describe is sounding more and more like that possibility. The Liver is the Organ that has the most control over the flow of Qi in the body. Liver Qi is supposed to flow evenly and gently throughout the body. But several things can go wrong. One of these is Liver Yang Rising. Liver Yang Rising is a mixed Deficiency-Excess pattern. In order for Liver Yang to rise improperly, the Liver Yin must be Deficient. The Liver Yin Deficiency is the Deficiency part of the pattern, and the Liver Yang improperly rising is the Excess part of the pattern. The clinical manifestations of Liver Yang Rising are: " Headache which may be on the temples, eyes or lateral side of the head, dizziness, tinnitus, deafness, dry mouth and throat, insomnia irritability, feeling worked-up, shouting in anger. " Tongue: Red, especially on the sides. " Pulse: Wiry. " Key symptoms: headache, irritabilit, Wiry pulse. " (Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of , p. 225.) The principle of treatment is to " subdue Liver-Yang " and " tonify Yin. " (p. 226.) > My nature has always been that of extremes - very yang during day, > very yin during night; I move & talk very quickly or else my 'motor' > is on idle & I feel half-awake. My doctors explained about qi & I > looked up more to understand. My inherited qi has a few strikes > against it. Narcolepsy (mild/moderate), ADD, & hypo- (NOT hyper-) > stomach acidity affect my family from my mother to one brother to me > to two of my sons to varying degrees. (snip) >But > ( & it's a BIG but to me), I lack the energy, zip, & stamina I had > before. Also because of stomach hypoacidity, constipation was *never* > a problem for me ( & no doubt due eating good food). Instead, I tended > toward being too loose. But with recent treatment, I'm much too > loose. Not crazy about some of the other changes like the above that > have happened. I'm concerned about the lessening " energy, zip, and stamina " . You may have cut back too much on the Yang foods. If this is Liver Yang Rising, the treatment principle is to " subdue Liver-Yang, tonify Yin. " (p. 226.) The Excess of this pattern is the way the Liver Yang is flowing, not necessarily the Yang. The Kidneys supply the Yin and the Yang to the rest of the body. Usually what happens is that if Liver Yin is Deficient, Kidney Yin is Deficient too. You'll see cases where Liver Yin is Deficient but Kidney Yin is not, but usually they're both Deficient. Once in a while healers will see a case of Liver Yang Rising in which part of the diagnosis is not Kidney/Liver Yin Deficiency but Kidney Yang Deficiency. Because the Kidneys supply both Yin and Yang to the rest of the body, when the Kidneys are weak, when there is Kidney Yin Deficiency there is almost certain to be Kidney Yang Deficiency and vice versa. However, the two will not be equal. One will predominate. If the Kidney Yin Deficiency symptoms and signs predominate, the diagnosis will be Kidney Yin Deficiency. If the Yang Deficiency symptoms and signs predominate, the diagnosis will be Kidney Yang Deficiency. A diagnosis of either implies that the other also likely may be present though to a much lesser extent. This may be somewhat confusing until you have a broad overview of TCM. Then everything will start to fall into place. The Yang Excess that your doctors were referring to may very well refer to the way the Yang is flowing and not in this case to the actual amount of Yang. You may or may not have Excess Yang, or, Yang may be normal or even slightly Deficient. But the Yin is very Deficient. You'll see the terms " Excess " and " Deficiency " a lot in TCM. It's easy for Westerners to grasp that there can be too much of a substance - like too much Yang, too much Yin, too much Heat, too much Cold, etc. But in TCM Qi Stagnation and Rebellious Qi (ascending when it should be descending) also are classified as Excess because any is too much. Dampness and Phlegm also are classified as Excess because any is too much. I'm skipping you ahead here from the order in which you'd normally encounter these concepts in a book or a class because of a need to know. Skipping ahead still further, each meridian has a proper direction of flow. For example, Stomach Qi is supposed to descend. When it ascends instead, this is called " Rebellious Qi " , and this is classified as an Excess. Some of the possible manifestations of Stomach Qi Rebelling include belching, acid reflux, and vomiting. Spleen Qi is supposed to ascend. When it descends instead, this is called " Spleen Qi Sinking " , and this is classified as a Deficiency problem. Some of the possible manifestations of Spleen Qi Sinking includes prolapsed stomach, prolapsed uterus, and prolapsed anus. TCM recognizes that food, herbs, and prescription drugs all have certain properties. The " energy " or " thermal energy " of a substance refers to the heating, cooling, or neutral effect the substance has on the body. You'll see substances classified as Hot, Warm, Neutral, Cool, or Cold. Substances also will have an affinity for certain Organs and meridians. You'll also see their tastes or flavors listed: Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy/acrid, salty. (Some modern TCM healers also recognize bland and astringent.) But there's another property that isn't covered too much in Western books: The substance's influence on the direction of energy flow. You'll see references to this scattered throughout the literature, but most books don't go into a lot of detail on it. Some substances will tend to move energy upward, some downward, some outward (to the surface of the body), and some inward. Some of your favorite foods do tend to move energy upward and outward. BTW, the TCM idea of a balanced meal is one that contains all 5 flavors - sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 On Tuesday 13 June 2006 7:46 am, victoria_dragon wrote: > Do you recall your doctors ever using the term " Liver Yang Rising " ? > What you describe is sounding more and more like that possibility. There were so many new terms used that weren't familiar to me that I can't remember for a certainty. I know something was said about heat rising (not sure from where) leading to my headaches. The receptionist is also a student at the college, learning more, & her English is very good. I asked if I could email questions that I had & she said that was fine. So I'll email & ask her what was written about me. Then, I can get back to the group & post more specific questions. > The Liver is the Organ that has the most control over the flow of Qi > in the body. Liver Qi is supposed to flow evenly and gently > throughout the body. But several things can go wrong. One of these > is Liver Yang Rising. > > Liver Yang Rising is a mixed Deficiency-Excess pattern. In order for > Liver Yang to rise improperly, the Liver Yin must be Deficient. The > Liver Yin Deficiency is the Deficiency part of the pattern, and the > Liver Yang improperly rising is the Excess part of the pattern. This makes sense to me as some of the more basic forms don't quite fit me & one thing the doctors were impressed with was my otherwise healthy state & good eating habits. They thought I was 15 years younger than I am. I was commended by them for my healthy lifestyle. But that doesn't mean I didn't have problems like migraines & joint pains from a couple of old injuries. > The clinical manifestations of Liver Yang Rising are: > " Headache which may be on the temples, eyes or lateral side of the > head, dizziness, tinnitus, deafness, dry mouth and throat, insomnia > irritability, feeling worked-up, shouting in anger. Yes, they asked if I get angry but I honestly don't. I will feel 'righteous indignation' at injustices in the world but I don't get angry at people easily & never with family. I'm not covering my anger either. I simply don't get angry with them. I do feel irritation with myself or situations easily but it passes as fast as it comes. No insomnia either but my sleep tends to be light, not deep. I can sleep 9-10 hours per night if not disturbed. No dry throat but somewhat dry mouth. Tinnitus all my life. I assumed the dizziness I felt was from somewhat low blood pressure as it happens when I get up quickly or have been bending over. My mom & one son has this too. > " Tongue: Red, especially on the sides. It is a little but they said not too bad. They described the colour as red tending to bluish. They let me sit in one of the rooms after treatment, reading an English text on the tongue with lots of photos. I had a mirror on me & stuck out my tongue lots to compare to photos. > " Pulse: Wiry. No idea but will ask. I know they said my pulse was different from one wrist to the other but that's normal with many & tells something. > I'm concerned about the lessening " energy, zip, and stamina " . You > may have cut back too much on the Yang foods. If this is Liver Yang > Rising, the treatment principle is to " subdue Liver-Yang, tonify > Yin. " (p. 226.) The Excess of this pattern is the way the Liver Yang > is flowing, not necessarily the Yang. That would be a huge relief as it's become difficult to figure out what to eat sometimes. And since I'm not the only one eating the meals, I sometimes end up making 2 separate meals. > The Kidneys supply the Yin and the Yang to the rest of the body. > Usually what happens is that if Liver Yin is Deficient, Kidney Yin > is Deficient too. You'll see cases where Liver Yin is Deficient but > Kidney Yin is not, but usually they're both Deficient. > > Once in a while healers will see a case of Liver Yang Rising in > which part of the diagnosis is not Kidney/Liver Yin Deficiency but > Kidney Yang Deficiency. Because the Kidneys supply both Yin and Yang > to the rest of the body, when the Kidneys are weak, when there is > Kidney Yin Deficiency there is almost certain to be Kidney Yang > Deficiency and vice versa. However, the two will not be equal. One > will predominate. If the Kidney Yin Deficiency symptoms and signs > predominate, the diagnosis will be Kidney Yin Deficiency. If the > Yang Deficiency symptoms and signs predominate, the diagnosis will > be Kidney Yang Deficiency. A diagnosis of either implies that the > other also likely may be present though to a much lesser extent. > > This may be somewhat confusing until you have a broad overview of > TCM. Then everything will start to fall into place. Not at all. It makes perfect sense to me once it's explained. We can see analogies to this idea of balance all the time in nature so why shouldn't it be like this with our bodies? > The Yang Excess that your doctors were referring to may very well > refer to the way the Yang is flowing and not in this case to the > actual amount of Yang. You may or may not have Excess Yang, or, > Yang may be normal or even slightly Deficient. But the Yin is very > Deficient. So let's say Yang is normal or slightly Deficient, does this mean that the normal amounts of Yang foods can still be eaten but I need to also increase my consumption of Yin foods? ....(When I had my own garden, I ate far more vegetables & fruits than I do now. Supermarket fruit especially tastes bland & supermarket vegetables aren't fresh or the same as my own. Sounds like I need to grow my own veggies again now that we own our own place.) > You'll see the terms " Excess " and " Deficiency " a lot in TCM. It's > easy for Westerners to grasp that there can be too much of a > substance - like too much Yang, too much Yin, too much Heat, too > much Cold, etc. But in TCM Qi Stagnation and Rebellious Qi > (ascending when it should be descending) also are classified as > Excess because any is too much. Dampness and Phlegm also are > classified as Excess because any is too much. I'm skipping you ahead > here from the order in which you'd normally encounter these concepts > in a book or a class because of a need to know. I appreciate this. I don't like to learn in a strictly linear fashion as I need to build my knowledge more as a tapestry to give me a picture of what's going on. Eventually, I fill everything in the same as done in a linear fashion but understand it better my way. I've been trying to get a handle on understanding the other concepts of TCM. I found this site with definitions of basic TCM terms. http://www.liferising.com/know/terms/terms.html Are the definitions given here correct or should I know that it's not that simple to define? > Skipping ahead still further, each meridian has a proper direction > of flow.... I'll also ask about this. Thanks for mentioning this so I can ask more intelligent questions. > TCM recognizes that food,... You'll also see their tastes or flavors > listed: Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy/acrid, salty. (Some modern TCM > healers also recognize bland and astringent.) Is pungent the same as astringent or is pungent meant to be spicy hot? > But there's another property that isn't covered too much in Western > books: The substance's influence on the direction of energy flow. > You'll see references to this scattered throughout the literature, > but most books don't go into a lot of detail on it. Some substances > will tend to move energy upward, some downward, some outward (to the > surface of the body), and some inward. Some of your favorite foods > do tend to move energy upward and outward. Okay, for now, I'll shelf that part of understanding the energy flow of foods till I understand the other ideas first. But I will look into it in the future as I learn more. One good thing I like about having ADD is an almost compulsive need to thorough learn & understand something that interests me & TCM does. > BTW, the TCM idea of a balanced meal is one that contains all 5 > flavors - sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. That one I'm aware of. Good philosophy too. I prefer to have a mix of flavours too. I'm what's termed a 'weak taster' in Western terms so I like foods to be strongly flavoured or they taste far too bland. I've never been fond of bland foods like mashed potatoes, ice cream (only sweet to me). But since I like flavour, maybe I've overdone some yang foods or ignored the yin foods more. Some of the yin foods on my list I find particularly bland & never ate them so I'll need to increase them now or find stronger flavoured yin foods to eat more of. Thank you once again, Victoria, for an excellent explanation. I'll soak up the info as fast as you give it. Also going to go back & read posts from the beginning to learn more as you suggested. Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Chinese Traditional Medicine , Judy Wilkins <isomorphix wrote: > > But that doesn't mean I didn't > have problems like migraines & joint pains from a couple of old injuries. Joint pains come under the category of Painful Obstruction Syndrome, aka Bi Syndrome. Some (not all) migraines also are POS problems. We're talking arthritis/ rheumatism. TCM sees POS as being due to Wind, Damp, and/ or Cold Invading the Exterior (head, neck, arms, legs, skin, muscles, meridians, bones and joints). There's something called Protective Qi (aka Defensive Qi) that guards the body against the effects of Pernicious Evils in the environment. Sometimes a person's Protective Qi is temporarily weak, and the person suffers an acute episodes of POS. But chronic cases are happening with an additional base of Qi and Blood Deficiency (a weak Spleen) and/or long-term Kidney Yang Deficiency. Trauma to an area can set a person up for POS. Long after an injury heals (from an allopathic standpoint), there may be residual Blood Stasis. Blood Stasis prevents enough Blood from reaching the area and performing its functions of nourishing and moistening the tissues. When Heat is a symptom in arthritis, it's because another Pernicious Evil has changed into it. When " trapped " , any Pernicious Evil can become Fire. For example the common cold (Wind Cold usually, sometimes Wind Heat) can become the Fire of pneumonia if the Wind Cold (or Wind Heat) isn't discharged. > Yes, they asked if I get angry but I honestly don't. I will feel 'righteous > indignation' at injustices in the world but I don't get angry at people > easily & never with family. I'm not covering my anger either. I simply don't > get angry with them. I do feel irritation with myself or situations easily > but it passes as fast as it comes. Frustration also can trigger Qi Stagnation. > It is a little but they said not too bad. They described the colour as red > tending to bluish. Purplish? A blue tongue is associated with Cold. Purple with Blood Stasis. If it's reddish purple, that's Blood Stasis with Heat. Bluish purple is Blood Stasis with Cold. > So let's say Yang is normal or slightly Deficient, does this mean that the > normal amounts of Yang foods can still be eaten but I need to also increase > my consumption of Yin foods? The ratio should be more Yin to Yang. Because both are almost certain to be present, this is why herbalists will include at least one Yang tonic herb in Kidney Yin Tonic formulas. The same applies to food. The ratio is going to vary over the course of treatment. Back in the days when I was so Yang Deficient that it almost completely obscured the signs and symptoms of the Yin Deficiency, there was a big ratio of Yang tonic herbs and foods to Yin ones for me. As the Yang Deficiency responded to treatment, the ratio got smaller and smaller. > ....(When I had my own garden, I ate far more > vegetables & fruits than I do now. Supermarket fruit especially tastes bland > & supermarket vegetables aren't fresh or the same as my own. Sounds like I > need to grow my own veggies again now that we own our own place.) I think it's a good idea to grow at least some of the food one eats. > That one I'm aware of. Good philosophy too. I prefer to have a mix of flavours > too. I'm what's termed a 'weak taster' in Western terms so I like foods to be > strongly flavoured or they taste far too bland. From a TCM standpoint, weak taste points to Spleen Deficiency. From a Western alternative standpoint, to zinc deficiency. I've recently learned that adrenal insufficiency also can lessen the sense of taste. > I've never been fond of bland > foods like mashed potatoes, ice cream (only sweet to me). But since I like > flavour, maybe I've overdone some yang foods or ignored the yin foods more. This is very possible. I have had a problem with excessive appetite yet without the other usual signs and symptoms of Fire in the Stoamch or even Stomach Yin Deficiency Heat. The paradox is that foods and spices that are very warming decrease my appetite instead of increasing it. I used to think that people who made prepared foods really skimped on the seasoning. As my sense of taste improved, I realized that they hadn't skimped, my sense of taste had been off. I had no idea it was off. It's only when it improved that I realized I had had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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