The most illustrative example I can think of is a case in which a patient had lost all sense of taste or smell.  He had had a cold six months before and after it passed, both smell and taste had disappeared.  He frantically went from doctor to doctor for help; they shrugged their shoulders and said there is nothing we can do.  So as a last resort he went to see an acupuncturist.  The acupuncturist plied him with questions, and the most revealing question asked him how often he had a bowel movement.  The patient responded that he was usually constipated, had a difficult bowel movement once a week, which indicated there was likely Heat trapped in the Stomach and intestines.  The acupuncturist confirmed the diagnosis when looking at the patient’s tongue, scant fur, red body, cracks in the center.  Stomach Heat.  In order to deal with constipation and hence the sense of taste and smell it would be necessary to Clear Stomach Heat.

This story has a happy ending.  After a few rounds of Stomach Heat clearing herbs and acupuncture to Open the Nose, not only did the patient recover smell and taste, he went on to have regular, daily bowel movements, which the patient reported made life more comfortable.  But you may be asking yourself, what is normal and what is abnormal and how can I tell?

Good questions!  I’m including a link that provides those details.

However, there are a few items I like to suggest to patients prior to treatment:
1. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. This makes it easier for me to needle.
2. Eat an hour or two before a session. This keeps your blood sugar stable.
3. No intense exercise just before or after treatment.
4. Best not to drink coffee or caffeine drinks before a session. Difficult to feel relaxed when amped on caffeine.
5. And refrain from alcohol for the rest of the day. Patients tell me the nice euphoric feeling from the treatment lasts longer if they don’t drink alcohol afterwards.

Now you’re ready for acupuncture!

This is my advice for those of you living in the summer paradox:  wrap up in warm clothes (wear a haramaki!) to avoid those back aches and pains that appear out of nowhere, circumvent sudden stiff neck by wearing a scarf, and drink roasted barley tea to drain all the excess damp that is bogging you down.  You can tell if you’ve got damp by looking at your tongue in the mirror.  If it’s got a thickish coat covering the top layer of tongue, you have Dampness.  Now the roasted barley tea, aka. mugicha, is slightly cooling, so if you’re living in the SF paradox then you should drink the barley tea hot, but if it’s hot out, go ahead and enjoy it cold!

Meet Chris the owner of Marin Grass-Fed Meat Company.  He sells meat and beef bones.  And after I talked to him, he now sells lamb and pork bones.  Tell him what you want and he’ll make sure you get it.  I’ve happily found my local butcher, and hope you have to!

If you’re wondering what to do with all that stock.  You can freeze the extra in an ice cube tray, once it’s frozen, pop them out and store the cubes in a freezer bag.  This will make it easy and convenient to grab a cube or two for that 1-2 cups of stock you need for a recipes.  Simply melt the cube in 1/2 or 1/4th cup hot water (depending on the concentration of the stock).

You may ask, what should I do with the stock once I’ve made it?  The easiest answer is soup. Make soup!  But you may notice as you scan through your recipes, stock is often called for as the backbone to the entree, we’ve just become accustom to opening a can or slipping in a cube of bouillon, neither of which provides the flavor, depth or nutrition of homemade stock.   

Rather than repeat what has already been written about stock, I direct you to Sally Morell and her article:  Broth is Beautiful.  She has included several stock recipes at the end of her article.

I adore so many of Elise Bauer’s recipes and since I have made both of these for myself, I’ve included her yummy beef and chicken stock recipes.

For those that are new to making their own stock and are visual learners, I’m including Monica Corrado’s start- to-finish beef stock videos as a cut and copy link.  However, she uses vinegar to extract the minerals from the bone.  I recommend roasting the bones and simmering them from 12-24 hours.  That way you won’t have a vinegar taste to your delicious broth.  http://www.monkeysee.com/play/910-beef-stock-equipment

Bon Appetite!

I’m not sure why I was surprised, as bathing is an important tradition with the Koreans.  They are as fastidious about scrubbing and cleaning as the Japanese.  Here in the West, we think we’re clean, but one trip to a Japanese or Korean bathhouse quickly dispels all illusions and one woman’s idea of cleanliness does not hold up to the nine rounds of scrubbing and washing from head to toe mandated by another culture.  In fact, I have to pay to be scrubbed down as I know I cannot possibly scrub and wash myself the required number of times.

I have digressed.  Herbs are an important component to the Korean bathhouse.  A combination of herbs are used in the steam rooms to clear the lungs and improve circulation…so why not apply that idea to other parts of the body?  Interesting.  If you try it, let me know what you think!

Call 415. 752.1984 or email gongfuguy@gmail to sign up!

Direct from Scott’s blog:

What Style of Qigong is best?

The purpose of all qigong methods is to move with a completely relaxed body in harmony with ones surroundings. There is a saying, “Forms are like blades of grass.” In other words it doesn’t really matter much which forms you practice because they all do pretty much the same thing. There is no doubt that the ability to relax both conscious tension and deeper unconscious tension has extraordinary therapeutic benefits. The best style of qigong is the one infused with life. The purpose of having a teacher is to teach you how to do that yourself, slowly, gently, over time unraveling the stale patterns stored in our bodies, thereby freeing our minds and spirits to act in harmony. We call this nourishing life.

Tai Ji Chuan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan, Tai Qi)

is a traditional Chinese art known for its gentle power. Its beautiful silk-spiraling movements emphasize transformation, improved circulation, extraordinary balance and meditation in motion.

There are many reasons people decide to study Taijiquan. Some are looking to try something new. Some have tried it before, perhaps they learned a form and now they want to explore it in depth. Others have a really active life and seek new ways to move which will relieve stress while improving efficiency, alignment, and spacial awareness.

Taijiquan has also been a gateway for many people to explore culture, philosophy, art, literature, history, changes in diet, lifestyle and even world-view.

In addition to public classes Scott Phillips has been teaching at the American College of Traditional Medicine in San Francisco, where Taijiquan is a vigorous part of the curriculum for adults of all ages.

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Here is the link to the classes page on my website.

Here is a description of qigong.

Here is the description I put up on facebook.

Hope to see you next week.

Constipation is a common source of frustration, discomfort and pain to many people.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, constipation is separated into two major categories by asking the question, “Is it excessive or deficient?”  And unfortunately, there can often be a combination of both in complicated cases.  For the sake of simplicity, the focus of this blog will be about excess type constipation, which is treated differently from the deficiency type.

Excessive type constipation is due to heat in the bowels.  The stool is dry and hard and difficult to push.  It is also the easiest to treat.  A diagnosis of this form of constipation can be seen on the tongue as a thick yellowish fur coat and possible red or purple tongue body.  The pulse may be fast.

Dietary restrictions are usually required with this type of constipation, particularly foods that are warm or hot in temperature, and by that I do not mean Fahrenheit temperature, but rather the nature of the food itself.  For example take a bite of a banana and imagine it in your mouth, chew it and swallow and feel it in your belly.  It is cool by its very own nature.  Now imagine a red, hot chili pepper.  Take a bite of it, how does it feel in your mouth?  In your belly?  Quite hot!  Some foods are neutral in temperature, some slightly warm, slightly cold, very cold, and others may be very hot.  For constipation due to heat in the bowels it is important to stop adding heat to the already raging fire in the colon.

The major restrictions are alcohol, meat, animal fats, and other rich or greasy foods and diuretics such as coffee, which remove water from the colon.  It is important at this time to begin adding foods that will lubricate the intestines:  *spinach, banana, sesame oil/seed, honey, pear, prune, pine nut, almond, carrot, cauliflower, beet, seaweed.  And to combine with foods that promote bowel movements:  *cabbage, papaya, peas, black sesame seed, coconut, sweet potato, fig, and bran from oats/wheat/or rice.

There are also herbs that will increase the mucosal lining of the colon to make passage of the bowel movement easier:  *marshmallow root, flax seed, fenugreek seed, psyllium seed, and licorice root.  For intense cases it may be necessary to add laxative herbs such as:  *dandelion root, rhubarb root, cascara bark or barberry bark. Several of these herbs are very cold and are to be used with caution.  I strongly advice working with an herbalist if laxative herbs are necessary.  A practitioner will be able to advise the proper combination and duration of  herbs for treatment because these laxative herbs are  cooling or very cold in nature and are not intended for long term use.

*Flora-Enhancing Foods are safe to add and necessary for replenishing the flora of the colon for proper digestion.  Examples of these are:  miso, sauerkraut, plain yogurt, acidophilus, and kefir.

Colonics and enemas may be necessary in the first few weeks to help clear heat and move bowels that have been compacted by chronic constipation.  Again, I advise working with a TCM practitioner to determine whether this is a necessary step and to refer you to knowledgeable colonic therapists.

*Dietary advice from Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed with patients that breakfast is often overlooked, undervalued, or simply ignored.  For some, it is due to deficiency and inactivity.  They simply do not have an appetite in the morning because their  digestive energies have been weakened from too many skipped meals, over-thinking, over-working, and/or not enough exercise in their daily routine to stimulate their appetite.

Others mistakenly believe they can lose weight by forgoing breakfast.  But if they looked closely they are replacing a healthy breakfast with sugary, milky lattes and chai teas, and later in the morning eating muffins, donuts, and any snacks they can get their hands on to make up for those missed calories in the morning.

Starting the day off right might be difficult in the beginning, but once your body becomes accustom to eating breakfast regularly, you’ll begin to see and feel a difference in the flow of your daily energy.  For me, the easiest breakfast to prepare and experiment with is jook, aka. congee or rice porridge.  A rice cooker with a porridge setting allows you to set the timer the night before so you can wake up to pipping hot, ready-to-eat jook.

Jook is very versatile, so telling you what to put in it is difficult.  It’s a matter of taste and experimentation.  The Book of Jook:  Chinese Medicinal Porridges by Bob Flaws is a handbook for thinking about what to add to your porridge in the morning.

For example I made up this recipe the other day:

1.5 cups rice

8 cups water

3/4 cup raw peanuts (shelled)

3/4 shitaki mushrooms sliced and diced

1/4 sliced green onions (scallions)

Put all ingredients in rice cooker at night and set timer for the next morning.

In the morning I add a little soy sauce to my bowl of jook and stir.  Yum!

Oftentimes it’s easier to begin with plain jook:  1-1.5 cups rice to 6-8 cups water.  In the morning ask yourself what you want to add…miso, green onions, pine nuts, chicken stock, an egg, soy sauce, yogart, sesame seeds, sesame oil, raisins, dates, cherries, cinnamon, maple syrup…it can be sweet or savory.  Just ask yourself what would feel good, and what does my appetite want right now.

Bon Appetit! and Best of Health!

Note of caution:  rice is a diuretic.  If you are diabetic or have problems with polyuria, you should not eat rice porridge.