Chat #61~Chat #70

Chat #61

Green onion, Ginger and Garlic

Sugar, Salt, and Rice vinegar all have their Uses

In the last chapter, we finished our discussion of beverage types among the dietary laws for prevention of cancer and good health. This chapter will examine the last topic of dietary laws, that of seasoning types.

Seasoning types are: Green onion, ginger, garlic, sugar, salt, vinegar and honey. Information on green onion appears in the chapter on vegetables.

[1] Ginger

Four qi: Slightly warm

Five Flavors: Acrid

Function: Effuse perspiration, resolve the exterior, stop vomiting, disinhibit urine, resist cold, quicken the blood, prevent foul odor, resolve toxins.

Prescription:

All kinds of vomiting: Fresh ginger slices in an appropriate amount, pounded into juice. Each time take three to five drops on the tongue, swallow slowly. This can be use often for nausea or to gradually resolve vomiting. In addition, fresh ginger, 6 slices, pinellia rhizome, 6 grams, boil in water for 15 minutes, and drink frequently.

Cold chill suddenly assails the body: Fresh ginger, 15 grams, julienne and boil in water for 10 minutes and then drink. In an urgent situation, it can also be chewed directly as medicine. If a common cold starts to cause perspiration, then after using this prescription, one should be covered in a warm comforter to sweat it out. After a sweat, boil a congee of white rice until soft and take a small bowl as medicine. A small amount of salt can be added.

Caution: In general, those with a hot body constitution, especially those with heat from a common cold, throat pain and swelling or ulcers should not use this.

Additional Comments: Ginger has both tender and old varieties with the old variety considered to be especially good. In Chinese herbal medicine, fresh ginger, that is to say raw ginger, is primarily used to effuse perspiration, resolve the exterior, assail the cold and stop vomiting. After raw ginger goes through a roasting process and is dried, it is used to warm the center of the body and disperse cold, harmonize the stomach, stop vomiting as well as relieve tension and restore yang. The skin of raw ginger, after going through the roasting process and drying out, called, raw ginger skin, is used to treat edema. Ginger primarily contains pungent and fragrant components. The pungent component has a kind of fragrant volatile olein called ‘ginger oil ketones’. Medical experiments have shown that raw ginger can prevent blood coagulation and is very effective in lowering blood lipids, blood pressure and preventing thrombus, etc. Raw ginger juice can also inhibit the growth of cancer cells and has a cancer preventive effect.

[2] Garlic

Other Names: Da Suan

Four qi: Warm

Five Flavors: Acrid

Function: Expel cold, warm the stomach, digest food, transform accumulation of insecticide, repel foul odor

Prescription:

Whet the appetite, increase food intake: Garlic sliced in an appropriate amount, taken with a meal as medicine.

Not acclimatized to the environment, diarrhea: Garlic in an appropriate amount, pounded into pieces or cut into slices. Take with a meal or can be eaten separately.

Caution: Those with a hot body constitution, specially heat from a common cold, swollen or painful throat, ulcers, dry cough, vomiting blood, coughing blood, on principle should not be using this.

Additional Comments: Garlic’s primary component is volatile allicin. It has a strong stimulating odor. Fresh garlic does not have allicin, yet it contains a kind of alliin. After alliin decomposes into alliinase, a component in garlic, only then can it become allicin. Therefore, fresh garlic is really not very spicy-hot. Only wind dried old garlic is the spicier one and medicine exclusively uses this old garlic with purple skin which is considered to be the excellent one. Allicin contains strong anti-bacterial power and is effective against all of the following: Bacillus dysenteriae, typhoid bacillus, tybercule bacilli, large intestine bacilli, vallisnernia spiralis bacilli, diptheria bacilli, staphylococcus aureus bacilli, vibrio cholerae, dermatomyces, streptobacillus moniliformis, rickettsia, ameba protozoa, trichomonas vaginalis, etc. Therefore, some people say that garlic is ‘the penicillin that comes out from the earth.’ Allicin is also able to inhibit the growth of nitrite reduction bacteria inside the stomach, reduce the bacteria in gastric juices which have the effect of producing nitrites, and from this reduce the occurrence of stomach cancer. Garlic contains an abundant amount of the element selenium, which has a very strong anti-cancer capability and has a definite inhibiting function towards many forms of cancer. Garlic most certainly has the effect of lowering cholesterol and triglycerides.

In addition, chewing on several tea leaves or a slice of Chinese angelica root can eliminate the garlic odor from eating raw garlic. If garlic is infused in vinegar, when you eat the garlic and vinegar you can avoid this unpleasant odor without reducing the power of the garlic.

[3] Sugar

Four q: Cool; [white sugar], warm;[brown sugar], slightly cold [rock candy].

Five Flavors: Sweet

Function: Warms, nourishes, supplements the blood [brown sugar]. Enriches yin, clears out heat, [white sugar], moistens the lungs and disinhibits the throat, [rock candy].

Prescription:

Vacuous blood, irregular menses: Chinese motherwort, 30 grams, jujube, 6 pieces, boil in water for half an hour, select out 200 ml. boiled liquid. Each time take 100 ml. mixing in brown sugar, 30 grams. Take one dose each morning and evening as well as five days before menstruation.

Maintaining health on hot days: White sugar, 30 grams, mume fruit, 3 grams, infuse in boiling water, cool off and drink whenever desired.

Dry throat, loss of voice, coughing: Tendrilled fritillaria bulb, 10 grams, loquat leaves, 15 grams, boil in water for 20 minutes mix in rock candy, 30 grams. Each day divide this amount into three doses. Alternatively, rock candy can placed in the mouth directly, be held and dissolved as medicine.

Caution: Those with diabetes cannot have sugar. Children should not be given sugar before going to bed and those with an excessively sour stomach, ulcerated gastro-intestinal system or illnesses of the teeth should all take precautions in dosage.

Additional Comments: Sugar comes from sugar cane or sweet vegetables which have been cooked and produce sugar. Chinese medicine uses brown sugar, white sugar and rock candy according to their different functions. It is made use of in food therapy and Chinese herbal medicine.

[4] Salt

Other Names: Table salt

Four qi: Cold

Five Flavors: Salty

Function: Astringent to the intestines, fortify the teeth, clear out heat, increase secretions.

Prescription:

Long lasting diarrhea, prolapsed anus: Table salt, 6 grams, brown sugar, 20 grams, add and mix into 250 ml. of boiling water. Every evening, drink an hour or two before bed, and continue for one week. In addition, after there is acute diarrhea, vomiting or heavy perspiration, in all of these cases promptly take a warm dose of lightly salted water.

Fortify teeth: Every day use fine salt powder to brush teeth. Use one time morning and evening, or use lightly salted water to rinse the mouth after all three meals.

Caution: Those with high blood pressure and edema should not use much table salt.

Additional Comments: Table salt from ocean water, wells, salt ponds, salt springs have gone through cooking and drying to become crystals. Chinese medical science considers that salt enters the kidneys and because of this in the course of treating kidney system diseases, oftentimes salt will be used as a pharmaceutic. For example, salt stir-fried with amur cork-tree bark, passes through salt as a medium, taking the amur cork-tree bark’s medicinal properties and guiding it into the kidney channel. We can deduce the rest accordingly, with food products or medicinal herbs which supplement health protection for the kidney using a very small amount of lightly salted water in the dosage. Oftentimes, an even greater than anticipated efficacy can be reached.

[5] Vinegar

Other Names: Rice vinegar

Four qi: Warm

Five Flavors: Sour

Function: Stop bleeding, disperse stasis, prevent putrefaction, kill germs, resolve toxins, kill insect, soften bony spur.

Prescription:

Prevent influenza: Aged vinegar, 250 ml., water, 250 ml., decoct until almost dry, fumigate inside a room with the doors and windows shut for 15-30 minutes. Do this one time each evening, an hour before bedtime.

Health protection for those with a light case of high blood pressure: Vinegar, 2 ml., rock candy, 6 grams, water 30 ml. Mix and take as medicine after all three meals, continuing treatment for 15 days.

Fish bone stuck in the throat: Drink vinegar if your mouth is dry which can cause the fish bone to soften and then easily be swallowed. Alternatively, at the place where the bone is piercing in, use vinegar to spread and smooth over the localized area. Use often to dissolve the sharpness of the bone.

Caution: Consuming too large a quantity of vinegar can injure the teeth and damage the tendons. Those with digestive ulcers should not have a large amount of vinegar.

Additional Comments: Vinegar is fermented from rice, wheat, sorghum or the residue of fermented grain and it contains acetic acid.

Dear Reader, the last remaining seasoning product among the dietary laws which prevents cancer and protects health is honey.

If you’d like to unravel the clues to deepen your understanding, then please read on to the next chapter.

Chat #62

Honey, Bee gum, Royal Jelly

Nature’s Five Colored Beverages which Expel Toxins

In the last chapter, we discussed seasonings among the dietary laws to prevent cancer and maintain health. This chapter will continue with a discussion of the last remaining type.

[6] Honey

Four qi: In equilibrium

Five Flavors: Sweet, sour

Function: Enrich, supplement and strengthen, boost the liver and fortify the spleen.

Prescription:

Hepatitis during the recovery period to guard health: White honey, 6 grams, tangerine peel, 10 grams, boil in water for 10 minutes, then add the honey. Each morning take 30 ml. on an empty stomach.

Vacuous blood, constipation: Boil in water; fleeceflower root, 10 grams, Chinese angelica root, 6 grams, fleshy stem of the broomrape, 6 grams, for 30 minutes, then add yellow honey, 6 grams. Each evening take 100 ml. before going to bed.

Caution: Those with an excessively sour stomach should be careful in dosage. In addition, using a large amount honey as medicine can lead to indigestion and poor appetite.

Additional Comments: Bees produce honey, flower pollen and bee gum all of which have excellent health protective functions and value as medicine. They will be differentiated in the introduction below. First let’s talk about bees. Bees go from flower to flower collecting flower nectar, and then it turns into honey in their stomach. One bee will usually need to fly to up to a thousand flowers before they are able to collect enough flower nectar to fill their stomach. Seventy bees, with a filled stomach are needed to fill up a thimble size container. Bees must fly to over 2 to 4 million fresh flowers before they can produce a half pint of honey. The honey types have been selected exclusively from the collection of flower nectar. The purest honey is raw honey from which the flower pollen and royal jelly has not been removed. If the honey was collected from a polluted unknown source then it is inferior to pure honey which has been collected using modern methods. Honey contains an abundance of nutritious elements, somehow changing into vitamin A’s carotene, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, phosphoric acid, minerals: Calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, 19 kinds of amino acids, many kinds of enzymes and carbohydrates, etc. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, honey is considered to be filled with yang qi, because the flower nectar that has been gathered has been permeated with the light energy from the sun. Honey can also resolve the hundred toxins, warming and adding strength to the function of medicine, therefore many Chinese medicines use heated honey.

Now let’s turn to flower pollen. The honey collected from flower pollen naturally has different components depending on where it is from. Therefore, high quality flower pollen should be the product of one locale with all the kinds of the flower pollen evenly blended together. Flower pollen is the only matter on earth that contains 22 kinds of amino acids. The human body contains 28 kinds of minerals and flower pollen also contains 28 kinds. Flower pollen also contains an abundance of many kinds of vitamins. Eating 35 grams of flower pollen a day can satisfy a person’s need for protein. It has already been confirmed that flower pollen is able to elevate the physical stamina and endurance of an athlete.

What then is bee gum? For the sake of protecting the queen bee from insects, mice, spiders, flying moths as well as other secretions which invade with virus, bacteria, and mold etc., the bees take the resin from inside tree bark and place it in the tunnel to the beehive thereby protecting the queen bee and maintaining cleanliness in the hive. This kind of tree resin is called bee gum. Try then to imagine the anti-germ effect it would have if this bee gum was used in the human body, moreover raising the immune function of an organism. Bee gum has no auxiliary function as internal or external medicine, but a large quantity taken as medicine can cause diarrhea and can also result in an allergic reaction. However, one can eliminate both symptoms by taking the precaution of beginning with a small dose.

Diligent readers will certainly want to raise the question of the queen bee. Her body weight increases  2000 times one week after birth, her length doubles, and the time needed to reach maturity is comparatively shorter than that of males. This kind of young bee is then selected to be the queen bee. Only the queen bee has the power to eat the royal jelly. The royal jelly is a kind of white soured substance which has been produced by the throat gland of the worker bees. It not only causes the production of eggs, moreover causes the queen bee’s life to extend 30 times longer than the worker bees who eat honey. The human body can enrich and supplement the body using royal jelly as medicine, strengthening the nervous system function and increasing the power to conceive children. As for our concern about the question of tumors, royal jelly contains 0.43% of phosphoaminolipid which has anti-tumor function.

Lastly, we need to mention the honey comb which Chinese medicine calls the ‘dew beehive’ and is considered to be medicinal. It is excellent medicine for strengthening yang, moreover, it has an anti-tumor function.

Dear Reader, from chapters 51 until now we have looked at the ‘matching of color and flavor method’ analyzing the health protective functions of commonly found food products. Below, I will introduce a kind of color and flavor coordination for concrete usage based on the knowledge presented in previous chapters.

              Natural, five color toxin-expelling drinks:

      Examples using green and blue: Rape, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, spinach, Chinese chive, celery, cedar shoots, Chinese gooseberries, apple, green grapes, kiwi, green tea, fava bean, bitter melon, watermelon, lemon, eggplant, blueberries, fig and plum.

Examples using red: Tomato, black tea, strawberry, carrot, cherry, peach, small red bean, hawthorn, red pepper.

Examples using yellow/orange: Carrot, pumpkin, cantaloupe, papaya, potato, sweet potato, chrysanthemum vegetable, tangerine, orange, mandarin orange, banana, mango, loquat, apricot, soybean, corn, millet, ginger, yellow honey.

Examples of white: Lotus root, winter melon, white mushroom, fragrant mushroom, white fungus, cabbage, lichee, pear, wheat, rice, cow milk, goat milk, mineral water, white radish, white honey, onion, garlic, garlic head.

Examples using black/purple: Winter mushroom, black wood ear fungus, kelp, brown rice, black bean, purple rice, laver, facai and sea vegetable.

       It is necessary to clarify is that each of these foods contains mixed colors. For example, the sides of the cabbage are white, which enters the lungs; the leaves are green, which enter the liver. In concrete usage, paying attention to this point will make it very easy to make distinctions.

Natural five colored beverages that expel toxins are based on individual food preferences. From five colored food items, one to three types can be selected, combining them to reach to the goal of ‘five colors enter the five organs, five colors protect the five organs’. On principle, health protection for a normal body uses a balance of the five colors as the focal point. However, if a certain organ or its connective tissue and organs become sick, then use the five colors, five elements principle is tailored to implement an appropriate match.

       A model application for natural, five colored toxin-expellent for a normal person’s health protection. Green: Cucumber, 100 grams, red: Tomato, 100 grams, yellow: Mandarin orange, 100 grams, white: white radish, 100 grams, black: black grapes, 100 grams. Take all of the above ingredients and grind together into juice. Each time, take approximately 250 ml. This has the function of expelling toxins, nourishing the face, reducing weight, lowering fat, unobstructing the organs.

15 day quick method for effective toxin expulsion: Use the prescription above continuously for 15 days, taking a dose each morning and evening.

90 day long method for effective toxin expulsion: Use the prescription above, one dose each evening continuously for 90 days.

Quick and slow alternating method: 15 days of the quick method, 15 days of the long method, continue for three cycles, for a total of 90 days. This is to be done once a year.

Gradual efficacy using the continuous method: Reduce the amount of the prescription above by half. Each evening take 150 ml., and use as medicine and use year round. Variety of products should be based on the principle of five colors and matched appropriately.

A model application for natural, five colored toxin expellents provides health protection during an illness.        Lung system illness: Including the lung, trachea, nose, throat, skin illness, as well as a section of the large intestinal function diseases. White: Lotus, 200 grams, yellow: Mandarin orange 50 grams, red: Strawberry 50 grams, green: Kiwi 50 grams. Take all of the above and grind into juice. Black: Black wood ear fungus, 50 grams, decoct in water until concentrated, select out about 25 ml., cool and then add into the drink above. Each evening after dinner take approximately 200 ml., continue for 15 days as a course of therapy. This recipe can be used for a long period of time with the variety of products adjusted accordingly.       Heart system illness: Including the heart, blood vessels, tongue, cerebrum mental illness, and section of the small intestine functional illness. Red: Tomato, 200 grams, yellow: Mandarin orange 50 grams, green: Apple, 50 grams, white: White radish, 50 grams. Take all of the above and grind into juice. Black: Black bean 50 grams, decoct with water until concentrated, select out 25 ml., cool and add into the juice above. Each evening take 200 ml., after dinner. Continue for 15 days as a course of therapy. This prescription can be used over a long period of time, with the variety of products adjusted accordingly.       Dear Reader, if you’d like to deepen your knowledge one step further, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat # 63

Expel Toxins, Prevent Cancer

Clean Diet, Remove Hidden Troubles

In the last chapter, we discussed the expulsion of toxins in natural, five-color beverages among the dietary laws for the prevention of cancer. Now we will continue with related questions.

Liver system diseases: Including the liver, tendons, eyes, finger and toenail diseases, partial digestive system function diseases, partial gall bladder function disease. Green: Green grapes, 200g., red: Strawberry, 50g., yellow: Oranges, 50g., white: Lichee, 50g. Grind all of the above into juice. Black: Black rice, 50g., decoct into concentrate with water and select out 25ml. After cooling, add this to the juice above. Each evening after dinner, take about 200ml. as medicine. Continue for 15 days as a course of therapy. This prescription can be taken over a long period of time, adjusting the food products accordingly.

       Spleen system diseases: Including the spleen, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, muscles and blood diseases. Yellow: Millet, 200g., boil into congee and select out 100ml., and cool. Black: Black bean, 50 grams, boil together with the millet. Green: Bitter melon, 15g., red: Carrot, 50g., white: Lichee, 50g., Grind together into juice. Mix together the two juices above. Each evening take about 200ml., as medicine. Continue for 15 days as a course of therapy, adjusting food products accordingly.

Kidney system diseases: Including kidney, bladder, reproductive system, bone and bone marrow, hair and ear diseases, partial large intestine function diseases, partial brain function diseases. Black: Black kelp, 200 g., decoct in water and select out about 100ml. Green: Fava bean, 50g., boil until soft then select out about 30ml., Red: Carrot, 50g., yellow: Mandarin orange, 50g., white: Winter melon 50g. Grind into juice and mix the two liquids together. Each evening take about 200ml., as medicine. Continue for 15 days as a course of treatment. This prescription can be used over a long period of time, adjusting food products accordingly.

In preparation of formulas, please follow these guidelines:

       As a rule, all kinds of fruits should be used with the skin on.

       When taking medicine, select out only the pure juice and discard the sediment.

       In the selection of fruit, make all efforts to pick the freshest and after making the formula, take it in a timely manner not leaving it for over 2 hours.

       When grinding the juice, if there is insufficient liquid, an appropriate amount of mineral water can be added.

       Formulas can be taken either cold or hot. When taken hot, it can be heated in the microwave. Sugar, honey or milk can be added according to personal taste. It cannot be reheated again.

       When first starting a formula, for the first 3 days, a half dose may be taken and then afterwards the dosage can be adjusted to the full amount. The recommended dosage is for adults. Formula for the elderly can be reduced by half and that for children can be reduced to one third the recommended dosage.

       Please be aware that natural, five-colored expulsion of toxin beverages are used primarily to expel accumulated toxins in the body. The goal is ‘expulsion of toxins’, not ‘supplementation’. Therefore, the medicines need to be taken in the evening, generally speaking the recommended time is about a half hour after dinner. Of course, fruits and vegetables contain an abundance of vitamins so at the same time, the formula is nourishing to the body.

       In addition to the food products discussed for dietary health, there are many others that may be allowed for selection.

      Selection of dietary products can also be based on whether the body constitution is hot or cold, combining each kind of food prepared according to the five colors, five flavors, and four qi functional attributes.    If the juice extracting conditions are not available, an alternative method may be used, eating the five colored fruits and vegetables raw, in small and equal quantities. Those who are completely unable to eat cold food, can use the five colors to stir-fry. For optimal results, the best method is juice extraction.       The goal of natural, five colored toxin-expelling beverages is to remove the toxic elements that have accumulated in the body. This is ‘environmental protection’ for the body’s internal environment, causing the organs to obtain smooth, flowing movement. It is appropriate for every person in every age group. Moreover, natural, five colored toxin expulsion is extremely effective for those who are recovering from cancer. One of my patients who had undergone surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer, was already extremely physically weakened and after I used the consotherapy method on him for 3 months, his situation showed clear improvement. I had him use natural, five colored toxin expulsion beverages for one year and the result has been that he has already reached his ten year mark and is still continuing to take the natural, five colored toxin expulsion beverages that he is accustomed to every day. I would like to say that the marvel of Chinese medicine is not in painstakingly seeking out a prescription or a medicine to fight cancer, but rather regulating the functions of the entire body in order to reach its goal. In chapter 5, we proposed a three point agenda for dietary health; dietary regulation method, color and flavor coordination method and dietary cleanliness method. Since the first two have been discussed, we will now begin with the dietary cleanliness method.Dietary Cleanliness method: Including food product hygiene method, cautionary avoidance of carcinogenic factors and an appropriate selection of foods.

1. Dietary cleanliness method: This method has 3 layers of meaning. The first concerns the absorption of foods which requires implementation of effective cleanliness. Aside from conscientious and carefully cleaning of exterior surfaces, also pay close attention to some special details. For example, in washing rice in a sieve, don’t use your hands to comb through, thereby avoiding the destruction of the plentiful vitamins on the outer hull. Secondly, certain food products require special processing. For example, oxalic acid can form stones within the body and spinach contains a large quantity of oxalic acid. After washing the spinach,blanch it in hot water for 1-2 minutes, causing the oxalic acid to dissolve in the water and at the same time removing the astringent taste. Thirdly, be aware of the Six Don’ts of Food; don’t eat food that is not fresh, that is rotting, that is molding, that is not clean, that is left over more than one day, that is deep fried.

2. The method for carefully avoiding carcinogenic substances. We have already discussed and analyzed carcinogenic factors in food. Here we will return to summarize some related questions, helping to solidify everyone’s grasp of preventive methods. There are two types of carcinogenic substances related to food; those which are natural and those which are man-made.

Food products with natural carcinogenic substances fall into two main categories; aflatoxin and nitrosamines.

Fungus comes from hot climate areas and subtropical climate areas. They grow easiest in a temperate climate impacting agricultural products during cultivation, harvest, storage and processing. Among fungi, aflatoxin is the most virulent. It is a major factor in the inducement of liver cancer. Aflatoxin is a parasite on peanuts, corn, rice, wheat and other grains, causing them to mold. In addition, aflatoxin can be a parasite in salted vegetables, dried scallops, beef jerky, dried bean curd, dried fish and other preserved foods.

Eighty percent of the source of nitrates is from vegetables, with the additional factor of nitrosamines which originate in ham, sausage, hot dog, salted and dried meats and other types of meat. Amine types come from sea products; sauty fish, cuttlefish and other fish types. If nitrates and amine-types enter the stomach together, in an acidic environment they can easily combine to form nitrosamine compound. Dried sea products or dried ingredients that have undergone cooking, with the addition of salted and brined type vegetables also easily produce nitrosamines which are closely linked to the occurrence of stomach, esophagus and throat cancers. Fortunately, before they combine into nitrosamine, the nitrates in fresh vegetables, when they enter into the stomach, are very easily controlled by the vitamins C and E contained in the vegetables as well as the vitamin C and E present inside the body. It is because of this, that eating large quantities of fruits and vegetables are helpful in preventing cancer.

Food products which are considered to have carcinogenic factors, chiefly come from cooking, chemical additives, packaging and containers, etc. Related questions can be found in this book in the section discussing dietary factors leading to cancer. Please use them as a reference.

3. Selecting an appropriate dietary method. What is an appropriate diet? The answer is different for each person. Some people like to eat meat, others like vegetables. Some like dry food, others like wet, soupy foods. Some like spicy foods and others like sour, etc. It is worthy of mention that if everyone is able to follow basic food selection guidelines based on one’s own individual situation, taking into account one’s dispositional changes, it will be possible from the dietary aspect to reach the greatest expression of good health.

How should we go about selecting an appropriate diet? Actually, it isn’t difficult. First, let’s talk about selection of the main foods of a meal. The basic principle is to eat a small quantity of the main food of the meal which should be accompanied by rice or wheat. In addition, one should regularly eat other grains including corn, millet, potatoes and miscellaneous grains. Moreover, the old dietary concept of the whiter the rice and flour, the better and tastier, is a biased concept. Why?

Dear Reader, if you’d like to move a step further in your understanding, then please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #64

Eat More Vegetables, Sea Vegetable, Beans, Milk and Vinegar

Eat Less Meat Varieties, Salt and Sugar

In the last chapter, we discussed the dietary health method of using cleanliness to help prevent cancer. This chapter will continue with related questions.

Recent research shows that the vitamins and minerals contained in grain primarily reside in the grain’s outer husk and embryo bud. Passing through fine processing, most of the vitamins and minerals are lost. Refined white rice contains only one quarter to one half the fiber, vitamin B1, E, niacin and the minerals phosphorus, iron, potassium, etc. and other nutrient components that are contained in unpolished rice. A Japanese study showed that among those partial to polished rice, they easily succumbed to early health decline and moreover many who suffered cerebral hemorrhage died early. Because of this, eating unpolished rice as a main item of a meal is an excellent principle of selection.

For people who eat polished rice and flour over the long term, they easily lack limb strength, have a listless appetite, suffer weight loss and manifest illnesses such as gall bladder and kidney stones, arthritis, etc. The U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows a comparison of white bread and whole grain flour bread. Among the vitamins lost in white bread are; vitamin E can reach 100%. B1 90%, B2 and B6, a loss of 76%, and among minerals lost are ; manganese, 84%, magnesium, 78%, iron, 76%, potassium and molybdenum 74%, calcium, 60%, Zinc, 54.4%. Therefore, whole grain flour is also an excellent principle of selection.

Now let’s look at side dish selections. We can summarize with: ‘5 Do-More, and the 3 Do-Less.’

       The first Do-More is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. All kinds of fruits and vegetables contain an abundance of vitamin C, carotene and other vitamins. They are also an important source of minerals and fiber. The vegetable hormones contained in vegetables and fruits are able to promote the formation of enzyme oxidation and from this it can serve the function of helping the liver expel toxins. Seventy percent of brain cells are inactive and spurring on brain cell energy resources is glutamic acid but it needs to be accompanied by vitamins B1, B6, B12, etc. and only then can it produce results. Eating fruits and vegetables that contain a relatively large amount of B complex can stimulate brain cell activity. Fruits and vegetables are clearly effective in the prevention of heart and brain system pathological changes. Moreover, they can lower all kinds of risk factors leading to illness including the rates of cancer occurrence and death.

       The second Do-More is to eat sea products such as seaweed, kelp, laver, etc. which contain calcium and are extremely alkaline rich foods which can help maintain acid and base balance inside the body. Moreover, they can prevent and cure enlargement of the thyroid, hardening of the arteries, lower blood pressure and promote bowel movement, etc.

The third Do-More is to eat more beans varieties. Beans contain an abundance of protein, reaching close to double that of meat. The vitamins and minerals, fiber and essential amino acids, etc. far exceed that of meat.

Number four Do-More is to drink milk. Milk and its products are the easiest to digest and absorb, and the calcium content is very high. One should maintain a daily regimen of a cup a day.

Number five Do-More is to eat vinegar. As previously mentioned, vinegar can aid digestion, increase appetite, prevent the spoilage of food by bacterial proliferation by destroying it. It is also able to soften blood vessels thus preventing and treating hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure, etc.

       Number one Do-Less is to eat less meat, including beef, lamb and pork varieties. We know that healthy blood is ideally at a PH of 7.35, a weak alkaline. If acidic matter remains inside the body for too long, it can cause the blood in the body to acidify with no way of expressing normal function. Those with an acidic body constitution, oftentimes feel weak with a slight exertion, are easily short of breath with movement, especially going up and down stairs, and oftentimes bear an obese body shape with a protruding stomach. If we distinguish according to acid or base; the acid foods contain a relative abundance of phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine. After these foods enter the body, they will pass through metabolically into the form of phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid. Representative acidic foods are meat varieties. Next are fish, eggs, dairy and other items like beer, other alcohol varieties, peanuts, sweets and oily foods.

Animal studies show that absorption of large quantities of fat requires many secretions of bile to digest the fat and the bile in the intestines goes through bacterial differentiation which can produce carcinogenic matter. Many research reports have already proven the close relationship between a high fat diet and stomach cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, etc. Research reveals that people in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Holland, New Zealand, etc., consume on average the highest amount of meat in the world, reaching 230-300 grams daily and their colon cancer rate is also the highest. China, Japan and other Asian countries, consume approximately 1/10 the quantity of Western countries and their colon cancer rate is among the lowest. Eskimos, over the course of a lifetime, take meat as their main sustenance and almost all of them suffer nerve pain and their life span is the shortest in the world, averaging only 27.5 years. According to analysis, eating meat is one of the main reasons for their short life span.

What about fish? In general, it can be said that the protein in fish meat compared to animal protein is easier for the body to absorb and utilize. Though fish oil belongs to the category of animal fat, yet its fatty acid is unsaturated and because of this it serves a definitive preventive function for hardening of the arteries and coronary heart disease, etc.

Now let’s turn to eggs. One popular concept considers the egg yolk to be very high in cholesterol and shouldn’t be eaten too often. As a result of this publicity, some people immediately stopped eating eggs and others just eat the white and throw the yolk away. This is actually not scientifically sound. According to an analysis by The World Health Organization, an individual should not exceed 300mg. of cholesterol a day. Let’s analyze a concrete example of cholesterol absorption. An egg contains about 250mg. , 200g of milk contains 25mg., 50g of lean pork contains 35mg. of cholesterol. Therefore, if these 3 items are all eaten, the absorption of cholesterol is about 300mg. It is clear that eating an egg every day, including the yolk, is completely acceptable. Egg yolk also has one other advantage. It contains a plentiful amount of lecithin which stops the deposit of cholesterol on the arterial walls. Vitamin A and D are also plentiful in egg yolk. It is worthy of mention that lumiflavin and actinic melanogen have an anti-cancer function.

Having talked about acidic foods, let’s turn our attention to alkaline foods. Alkaline foods contain a comparatively large amount potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and iron, etc. In general, low calorie plant foods like fruits and vegetables, seaweed, etc., all belong to alkaline varieties. The regular eating of alkaline foods can maintain the blood in excellent condition and due to this, it can raise the body’s immune power.

The second Do-Less is less salt. Some people like to eat very salty food, especially older people who are partial to salty food because of their diminished sense of taste. It is necessary for the body to maintain equilibrium between salt and water. As a rule, one portion of salt needs to be balanced with 20 portions of water. If the salt component outside the cell is too high, then this can pull out water from inside the cell. This can lead to loss of water and withering of the cell. In light of this, eating slightly bland food is desirable.

This point leads us to the body’s sodium/potassium equilibrium question and its influence on cancer. Inside the body, sodium and potassium have a mutual maintenance equilibrium condition just as in Chinese medicine we speak of yin and yang. If sodium is too high, then potassium is correspondingly insufficiently low. If potassium is insufficient, cancer cells are easily created. When potassium increases, the cancer cells can tend toward resuming normalcy. When sodium increases, normal cells tend toward carcinogenic change. The natural, five colored, toxin-expeller beverages that I introduced earlier is the best high potassium source because the potassium contained in fruits and vegetables is the most abundant.

The third Do-Less is less sugar. White sugar is a pure, high calorie food and eating a lot of it can result in a feeling of fullness and influence normal appetite. Due to white sugar’s extremely strong acidity, it can cause the blood to quickly acidify, lowering the body’s disease-fighting power. It can also cause gastric discomfort, exacerbating gastro-intestinal ulcers, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, tooth decay, tension and pressure, etc. Due to this, one should make a big effort to eat very little sugar and sweets and it is best to drink milk without added sugar. With low sugar intake, how does the body absorb a sufficient quantity of sugar? Fruits and vegetables completely cover this heavy responsibility.

Speaking of reduction leads us to the question of food quantity. On principle, don’t overeat and by all means don’t eat or drink excessively. It is said that the great Tang Dynasty poet, Dufu, when given a gift of roasted meat by a Lai Yang District Magistrate, ate so much that he died. A Chinese folklore proverb about dietary health maintenance says: ‘In the morning eat well, at noon eat swell, and in the evening eat a morsel.’ It seems everyone knows that this in fact, has validity. Of course for middle aged and older people, these words can be slightly changed to: ‘In the morning eat well but not to swell, at noon eat your fill to 90%, in the evening eat your fill to 80%.’

Dear Reader, if you’d like to deepen your understanding one step further, then please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #65

Five Ways to a Peaceful, Comfortable Sleep

Motion and Rest Combined Brings Merits to a Healthy Body

In the last chapter, we discussed the choice selection of Five Do-More and Three Do-Less on the dietary question. This chapter will elaborate further on the Three Do-Less and then we’ll begin to look at the third of five illness prevention methods: The way to health from lifestyle habits.

First, let’s supplement the Three Do-Less question. Speaking of food quantity in terms of our three meals a day, we also must pay attention to another aspect of the problem, that eating less does not mean to starve oneself, which can lead to malnourishment and not eating at all. Here we will focus on breakfast. Many people have the habit of skipping breakfast or not having time for breakfast on a regular basis. This is clearly not beneficial to health. Why is that? It is because an empty stomach in the morning can form an even more abundant type B thrombus protein. This kind of protein can lead to blood coagulation, adding risk for blood thrombus and the danger of death from cardio-cerebral obstruction.

                     Number Three, Lifestyle habits for Health:

       The third principle of health is lifestyle habits. Please review the content of chapters 13-19. Those seven chapters discuss the influence of lifestyle habits on cancer and health. The lifestyle habit factor has three aspects; dietary habits, smoking and drinking. To prevent illness, let’s examine these three aspects.

Cultivate good dietary habits: Everyone can follow the regulations in Chapter 50 to prevent cancer and preserve health through diet, dietary cleanliness and appropriate dietary selections from the Five Do-More and Three Do-Less. These will cultivate excellent dietary habits.

       Change habits which indulge in smoking and drinking: Chapters 14 and 15 discuss the problems of health which occur with smoking and drinking. Please review them for your reference. In addition, the question of how to use Chinese medicine to quit smoking and drinking will be introduced later on.

Establish lifestyle regulations: In Chapter 16, we discussed the influence of a daily regimen of sleep and exercise on health. Looking from the point of view of prevention, I will introduce a sequential regimen peaceful sleep and activities for a healthy body.

[1] Sequential regimen: In a 24 hour day, laws of sequential regimen are: ‘The sun rises and we work, the sun sets and we rest.’ It is always divided on the principle of 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest and 8 hours of sleep. For the theoretical basis, please consult chapter 16.

[2] The way to a peaceful and comfortable sleep: How can we achieve a comfortable sleep? We must grasp an understanding of the aspects of; falling sleep, sleep posture, sleep direction, the body during sleep, sleep time.

Falling asleep: How to fall easily quickly? Firstly, we must understand the principle reasons for sleeplessness: The first is nervousness of the spirit. Just as the Chinese Song Dynasty poet, Shao Kangjie aptly said in his poem ‘On Being Able to Sleep’: ‘A great fright, one can’t sleep, a great sorrow, one can’t sleep, a great illness, one can’t sleep, a great joy, one can’t sleep, Uneasiness then one can’t sleep. What is the reason for sleeplessness? Deep are the accumulations; What is the reason one can sleep? At ease with no issues.’ The book Lao, Lao, Heng Yan, also gives the insomniac a distinctive ‘sleep prescription’: ‘First put the heart to sleep, then put the eyes to sleep’.

The second is drinking and eating without restraint. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic book says, ‘If the stomach is not harmonious, sleep will not be peaceful.’ Overeating especially adds a gastro-intestinal strain, bloating of the stomach and abdomen, making it particularly difficult to sleep. Drinking tea, alcohol or coffee, etc. before sleep also can produce a stimulant effect and influence sleep. An ancient Chinese poem captures the meaning: ‘Dare not taste nor have other intent, only sorrowful if my lack of sleep lessens my chance of seeing you in my dreams.’

Sleeping posture: Zhou Fujing of the Ming Dynasty set down the requirement for sleep in Hua Shan Shui Gong Shi Er Tu as: ‘Sleep like a bow’, leaning on the right side. Leaning on the right side avoids putting pressure on the apex of the heart, and its influence on physiological activity is reduced to its lowest point. It also helps gastro-intestinal digestive function, allowing sleep to not be influenced by indigestion.

Sleep direction: There are three points on sleeping. The first is to not face the wind when sleeping. There is ancient Chinese book called Sun Zhenren Weisheng Ge, which says: ‘[If you] Sleep sitting up with the wind blowing the back of the brain, the back of the brain will be affected by the wind and there will not be a long life.’ At the same time, do not place the head next to a stove fire. Why is that? An ancient record of Chinese medicine, Qian Jin Yao Fang explains: ‘The head cannot rest next to a stove fire. Over time this will draw out the fire qi, the head will swell, the eyes will turn red, eyes and nose will become dry.’ The second is to not cover the head when sleeping because this is not beneficial for the breathing metabolism of the lungs. The third is the direction of sleep. In general, Chinese people are particular that the ‘head cannot face north when sleeping.‘ There is also the saying that in spring and autumn face east, in autumn and winter, face west. These points are only provided as a reference.

The body during sleep: When the body is sleeping, optimally, it is naked. Why is this? We know that the skin has a breathing function, and sleeping naked increases absorption of oxygen, increasing the skin’s sebaceous gland and sweat gland secretions, causing blood circulation to flow without impediment, and from this promote metabolism. According to statistics, women wear underpants when they sleep far more than men and they have pain in the lumbar region, menstrual pain, constipation, diarrhea, etc. About 60% of this is attributed to wearing pants over the long term when sleeping. This is because underwear can constrict abdominal skin, and press on the abdominal nerves. Moreover, because the internal temperature increases, the expulsion of sebum and perspiration is blocked, forming a moist heat which easily becomes a moist bed for bacteria and fungus growth.

Sleep time: The sun rises, then we work, the sun sets, then we rest. Of course, this is the ideal world for preserving one’s health, however for people these days it is very difficult to achieve. As for myself, for a long time it has been that when the sun rises I work, but oftentimes the sun sets and I am still at work. Then what can I do? I return back and seek out the next best alternative, selecting nighttime for reading and writing but trying my best to go bed between 11p.m.to 1a.m. Before midnight is definitely the time to stop any kind of work. This is because, according to the theory of yin and yang, 12:00 is when they intersect, and the body’s yang qi is at its lowest point and the body’s yin qi is beginning to rise. If you think about it, if yang qi is at its lowest point and you still continue to work, haven’t you depleted it to the very bottom, so-called ‘fishing by emptying the water of the pond’? The correct method is to start getting ready for bed around 11p.m., and best is to soak in a pine body bath. The prescription for a pine body bath is: Green [mung] bean, 200g., boiled until soft with lily, 200g., filter out the liquid and measure out 200g. of coarse salt. Take all of the above and put it into a hot water bath. Soak the body with water extending over the belly button. Ideally, stay for 10-15 minutes with the water temperature as hot as can be tolerated. Please note that for those with a heart condition, old people, children, etc., the water temperature should not be too high. Another method is a pine foot prescription: Take 100g. of yellow wine and bring it to a boil, then pour it into a hot water basin, putting both feet in and soaking for 5-10 minutes in water as hot as can be tolerated.

Please note that the above discussion about sleep time is only suitable for night owls like me who take the step of ‘mending the sheepfold after losing the sheep.’ It can be said that in general, children should go to bed around 9p.m. with their sleep time maintained at about 10 or so hours. Middle-aged and old people should try their hardest to sleep around 10p.m. with a sleep time of about 8 hours. According to American Cancer Society statistics, the amount of time people sleep is closely related to their life span. Those who average about 7-8 hours a night sleep have the longest lifespan; the death rate for those who sleep less than 4 hours is double; and for those who regularly sleep over 10 hours, there is an 80% possibility that they will have a short life. Because of this, adults who sleep over 10 hours or less than 4, on average will have a strong negative impact their health.

What about those who say they don’t have the time to sleep 7-8 hours? There is a good supplementary method, taking a noon nap.

In fact, Chinese people have a traditional custom of napping. People are busy all morning, are exhausting quite a bit of yang qi, and this stamina which has been supplemented with a noon meal can then regenerate the yang qi like a battery that has been used and recharged, if one is able to benefit from a short rest. In this case, if we combine a noon nap and evening sleep which begins between 11p.m.to 1a.m., doesn’t this embody the spirit of the ancient Chinese who said, ‘Sleep at noon and at 11p.m.’. According to Japanese research, those who do not have the habit of an afternoon rest compared to those who do, have a distinctly higher rate of car accidents. However, please note that the afternoon rest need not be excessively long, about 30 minutes is best.

[3] The way to health through motion and rest: Life is always in motion. Chinese medicine considers that ‘motion produces yang’. This means that motion promotes the body’s yang qi, or said another way, its energy production. From recent research findings, we can see that exercise has ten excellent points. The first is for the brain: Stimulating the brain function in corresponding regions, increasing the blood supply to the brain cortex and corresponding functional regions as well as strengthening nerve electrical activity; The second is for the heart: Increasing the heart’s coarse muscle fiber, raising the heart’s blood cardiac output, improving the heart’s blood supply. The third is for the lungs: Increasing the vital capacity of the lungs, accelerating the lung’s blood supply. The fourth is for the kidneys: Improving the kidney blood supply, strengthening its metabolic function. The fifth is for the gastro-intestinal system: Accelerating gastro-intestinal peristalsis, promoting the increase of digestive juices, helping the digestion of food. The sixth is for the bones: Increasing bone density, improving blood circulation in the bones, slowing down the aging process. The seventh is for the muscles: Adding coarse muscle fiber for the entire body, adding muscular strength and raising the blood supply capacity of the muscles. The eighth is for the skin: Promoting blood circulation in the skin, raising the skin’s capacity to adapt to climate change. The ninth is for the sensory organs: Improving sense of feeling, hearing and smelling. The tenth is immune power: Promoting glandular secretions, raising basic metabolic function, increasing an organism’s immune function, etc.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to move ahead one step further in your knowledge, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #66

Movement Produces Yang, Stillness Produces Yin

Marvelous Results from Conso-vital Point Work

In the last chapter, we discussed the meaning of exercise among the lifestyle factors of motion and stillness for a healthy body. Now, we will continue with related questions.

Exercise helps strengthen the body constitution, prevents and cures illness, slows down the aging process. These are things that we all know. There are many different types of exercise, from the health club to the ball field, from martial arts to Tai Ji Quan, Qi Gong, etc. Which type of exercise should be selected? Evaluating one’s interests, age, body constitution, health condition, etc, all combine to make a judgment. To reach the goal of exercise, requires avoidance of excessive exertion which might be inappropriate and lead to injury.

According to my clinical experience, I consider that for people of all ages, the easiest and most appropriate choice is walking, especially following the 8 week walking program that is introduced below.

Chinese folklore has a proverb for health which says: ‘People age first from their legs and thighs, people age first from the bottom of their feet’. ‘Stroll everyday in the morning, to protect health and prevent old age’. ‘After eating, walk a hundred steps, and you’ll live till ninety-nine’. It is clear that walking helps the body stay healthy and prevents aging. As for controlling weight or reducing mental stress, walking also has an extremely positive effect. I divide walking into two stages; the first stage is competitive walking, the second stage is strolling.

       The correct method for competitive walking which shows good results is as follows: Lift the head, extend the chest, both eyes straight ahead, tuck in the abdomen, draw in the buttocks, move the feet evenly, place the shoulders at an appropriate angle, breathe evenly, move at a moderate speed. This distinguishes you from others. Now we encounter the question of walking speed. According to research findings, a speed per hour of 6.4 kilometers is considered comparatively fast; 4.8 to 6.4 kilometers is a moderate speed; and under 4.8 is a stroll.

Therefore, walking style at a competitive speed of 4.8 to 6.4 kilometers is best. In order to avoid starting out and then overdoing it, unable to sustain stamina and giving up, I recommend selecting the eight week competitive walking plan.

The first week, walk 500 meters every day at strolling pace; the second week, walk 1000 meters a day at a strolling pace; the third week, walk 1500 meters at a strolling pace: The fourth week through the seventh week, walk 2000 meters at a strolling pace; the eighth week, walk 2000 meters at a moderate speed. From this point on, maintain the moderate speed. Walk every day for half an hour at a moderate pace. I think that for most people, this is completely within their grasp.

Here are several questions which need to be emphasized: Firstly, walking at a competitive pace should be done early in the morning when the sun is rising. This is the ideal time since the body’s yang qi follows the rising sun. Thus the phrase: ‘ Every day stroll in the morning, protect your health and prevent old age.’ Secondly, the best place to walk is near trees and water because the air is fresh and anions are plentiful. Thirdly, combine the 8 week competitive walking program with that of strolling. This will achieve even greater health protection benefits.

In general, strolling should be done after dinner. After a day at work, the body feels fatigued. The body’s qi and blood is replenished after dinner allowing the opportunity to ‘walk a hundred steps and live to ninety-nine.’ This aids food digestion and absorption and helps the body relax. If you stroll with family or friends, it also engenders harmony and friendship.

It isn’t hard to see that the goal of competitive walking is pure exercise based on rapid movement, and the goal of strolling is slow movement intended for body repair. Compared to competitive walking, strolling has an aspect of stillness. Therefore, if we take them together, haven’t we reached the goal of combined motion and stillness?

Speaking of combining motion and stillness, the previous chapter already discussed the benefits of exercise. Here, we will take another look at the benefits of stillness. Firstly, all of us recognize the fact that there are many writers, calligraphers, painters and scientists all of whom enjoy a long life but engage in very little exercise. Why is that?

The findings of one insurance company revealed that out of 5000 people who exercise, many of them had a much shorter life than those of ordinary people. Quite a few exercise enthusiasts between the ages of 40-50 contracted heart disease and those who exercised long term or exercised too much and didn’t pay attention to the cultivation of stillness, contrary to expectation created injury for the body constitution.

I regularly encounter patients who ask me: ‘I enjoy a regimen of exercise and have maintained it for many years. My health has always been good and I never get sick. Why did I contract cancer? How could I be so unlucky?’ Close analysis of the exercise factor shows that those people only pay attention to exercise and ignore the aspect of stillness. I would analyze this by saying that China has a tradition which celebrates longevity with the example of the tortoise and the crane. Why are they able to enjoy longevity?

The reason is the tortoise enjoys serenity and doesn’t like to move too much; the crane enjoys stillness and moves very lightly and softly without any vigorous movement. Many animal experiments show that animals which are very active live a much shorter life than those which rest in stillness. India’s yoga andChina’s Qi Gong are popular throughout the world because their type of exercise takes the cultivation of stillness as its essence. Moreover, many other methods combine motion and stillness into one form. Among the Chinese martial arts, Tai Ji Quan is also a model example of the combination of motion and stillness.

       In fact, looking from the perspective of the yin-yang theory, there are two explanatory phrases. The first is ‘Movement produces yang.’ Exercise stimulates the body’s vitality. It also moves the body’s yang qi, allowing it to brim with energy. What is yang qi? It is functionality, vitality, resistance power and immune power. Wouldn’t you say this is important? The second is ‘Stillness produces yin.’ Stillness enables the body organism the opportunity to repair and regulate. It also moves the body’s yin qi, causing it to reach satiation. What is yin qi? Blood, fluids and water components all belong to yin qi. Wouldn’t you say this is important? Yin is yang’s foundation in matter, and without yin, yang qi would be only a blazing fire, with wood burned to ashes and the fire extinguished. If you want to maintain the burning fire, then you have to constantly add kindling and firewood.

Therefore, I propose a combination of motion and stillness, walking competitively in the early morning and strolling leisurely after dinner. Secondly, combine this with conso-restorative work. The formula is: ‘Early morning, go for a walk, after dinner, go for a stroll. Combine this with the merits of conso-work, replenishing the body and mind first.’ What then is conso-restorative work?

Back in 1986, I was earning my doctorate degree at China’s Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine College [ now known as Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine University.] The topic of my doctoral research involved using Chinese medicine to prevent and treat stomach cancer in the protophase of pathological change. The patients included both outpatients and hospitalized patients. I discovered that many patients with chronic gastro-intestinal disease, whether they used only Chinese medicine and acupuncture or a combination of Chinese and Western medicine, oftentimes did not reach ideal results. As a doctor, of course the efficacy of treatment is the highest priority, so I invited in some specialists well versed in Tai Ji Quan, medicinal Qi Gong and vital point massage. Based on the patients practical application, a combined set of restorative methods were used which allowed hospital patients to use vital points and massage on their own abdomen to regulate their qi, etc. The method I recommended using had the greatest degree of simplicity and convenience, was easy for them to implement and to maintain. As a result, many of my hospital patients used this and all had a very positive response. Moreover, the efficacy of this kind of therapy, is often not achievable by traditional Chinese medicine nor Western therapy methods. Some patients continued to practice these techniques after they left the hospital and have given me a great deal of valuable feedback. Based on this, I have been able to continually progress forward, to popularize this method to outpatients, moreover, extending this method to patients with other illnesses as well as the general public. Eventually, the conso-vital point method for nurturing health developed. Beginning from 2001, we have been promoting conso-vital point restorative work in the United States, and so far there are already up to ten thousand Americans practicing it. In 2006, we then established the American Conso-therapy International Association.

Conso-vital point restorative work is appropriate to disseminate to the general public, regulating body and mind. It is also appropriate for those with chronic diseases to repair and restore health, and for cancer patients as a supplement to their curative therapy. The movements of conso-restorative work are easy to practice, combine movement and stillness, are easy to learn and understand. It is appropriate for both young and old, can be practiced as a single individual, in a home environment or in a group setting. When reading this chapter, please learn to master the conso-restorative method. Moreover, maintain a daily regimen of practice and certainly this will enable you to reach extraordinary results.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to learn how to practice the conso-restorative method, then please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #67

Beginning Form, Vital Points, Abdominal Sounds

Hitting and Slapping, Connecting Qi, Concluding Method

In the last chapter, we discussed the basic concepts of conso-vital point restorative work This chapter will introduce concrete methods including beginning form, vital points, abdominal sounds, slapping and hitting, freeing qi and concluding form.

                                   Beginning form:

The first segment, the praised formula: Merit before movement: Eyes open, Chest extended, Waist lifted, Spirit raised, Mouth slightly open, Nine ‘offices’ unblocked.

[1] Merit before movement: Depending on the condition of the body; sitting, reclining or standing can be selected. If the sitting position is selected, the palms of the hands face downward, separated gently on the 2 knees; if the reclining position is selected, the palms of the hands face each other and are gently placed on the sides of the thighs; please note that the lips must maintain a slightly closed position.

[2] Eyes open: Deep inhalation of qi, the eyelids gently come down close to shutting, as if looking and yet not looking, still allowing a beam of light into the eyes.

[3] Extended chest, lift the waist and raise the spirit: Both the chest and waist are fully extended up, stimulating the spirit.

[4] Mouth slightly open, ‘nine offices’ unblocked: Allow the mouth to be slightly open and at this time the ‘nine offices’ will have a feeling of being free and uninhibited. The nine offices are the nine orifices of the body, the 2 eyes, the 2 nostrils, the 2 ears, the mouth, and the front and back yin orifices [for urination and defecation.]

The Second Segment: The praised formula: Tai Ji ball, held in front of the chest, spit purposely restraining any new movement in the lower abdomen.

1. Palm of both hands turn up, join them together, lightly raise them in front of the chest. Both palms rubbing against each other ten times.

2. The two hands separated by a horizontal distance of about a palm, with intent, try to feel as if a small balloon is in both palms. In the air, press 10 times on both sides as if there was a balloon. At this time the feeling between the two hands will feel like attracting an air current.

3. With intent, enlarge the balloon to two hand widths away, in the air try to press on the two sides of the balloon ten times. At this time, there will still be the feeling that between the two palms there is the attraction of an air current.

4. With intent, take the balloon and place it three hand widths away, about 30 or so centimeters. In the air, press as if on the two sides of a balloon ten times. At this time there will still be the feeling of mutual air current between the palms of the hand.

5. Deep breath, use both hands to embrace the ball, take the qi from inside the ball and press into the lower abdomen. [Position: One hand, all four fingers held together except for the thumb, placed horizontally below the navel, from the center of the navel, hanging down a straight line to the outside of the border of the pinky finger. Afterwards, spit out a deep breath, and simultaneously making a sound while expressing the qi.

6. Repeat the movements above, a total of three times.

2. Vital Point Method

A. The first segment, the praised formula: Warm the point, Taxation of Inner Union, Make sore the point: Center Hundred qi, Select the point: 3 Li Bend, Rub between the hands until hot: Ear Gushing Spring.

[1] Warm the point: Taxation of Inner Union: Use both hands to rub until hot, alternate the points pressing Palace of Toil; again rubbing the hands until hot, pressing the Inner Gate point; then rubbing the hands until hot press Union Valley point. For all of them, use the thumb on the point. Each vital point rubbing continuously ten times.

[1] Palace of Toil point

1. Position: In the palm of the hand, between the second and third metacarpal bones, inclined towards the third metacarpal bone.

2. Selection Method: Curve the fingers making a fist, with the middle finger and ring finger tips close to pressing on the center of the palm with horizontal lines. In between the second and third metacarpal bone, tightly lean on the third metacarpal bone, bending sideways on the edge. This should be the vital point.

3. Function: Arouse the chest drain heat, clear the heart and calm the spirit, harmonize the stomach. The vital point belongs the Pericardium Channel.

[2] Inner Gate point

1. Position: Between the forearm and the side of the palm, cross striation 2 inches up from the wrist, between the 2 tendons [ medical name is called Tendon Palmaris Longus and Radial bent muscle tendon.]

2. Selection Method: Extend the arm palm up, on the back of the palm, the first cross striation, straight up 2 inches, in between the 2 tendons should be the vital point.

3. Function: Benefit the heart and calm the spirit, harmonize the stomach and reduce counterflow, loosen the chest and rectify qi, calm and stop pain. This vital point belongs to the Pericardium Channel.

3. Union Valley point

1. Position: On the back of the hand, between the first and second metacarpal bones, at the second metacarpal bone radial center point.

2. Selection Method: Open the thumb and index fingers, and with other hand, place it on the indentation of the thumb joint cross striation. The place where the tip of the thumb reaches is the vital point; Another method is to put the thumb and index finger close together, and select the point where there is the most muscle. Still one additional method is to open the thumb and index fingers at the indentation between the first and second metacarpal bones, the place of connection on a continuous line, select the central point.

3. Function: Suppress pain and bring calmness, unblock channels and quicken vessels, clear heat and resolve exterior. This point belongs to the Large Intestine Channel.

[2] Make sore the point of Central Hundred qi: Use the fingers of one hand to revolve around the point, pressing on the center of the Central Stomach Duct, the Hundred Convergences, the Sea of Qi, pressing with strength to produce a soreness, ten revolutions to the left, and ten to the right.

1) Central Stomach Duct Point

1. Position: On the upper abdomen, directly in front on a center line, 5 inches above the navel.

2. Selection Method: The central point on the continuous line beneath the xiphoid process of the chest bone and the navel, select the vital point.

3. Function: Fortify the spleen and stomach, help movement, supplement central qi, calm the mind. This vital point belongs to Controlling Vessel.

2) Hundred Convergences Point

1. Position: On the head, straight up from the front hair line, 5 inches to the top of the head.

2. Selection Method: The central point on the line between the two ears up to the top of the head.

3. Function: Arousal from toil and open orifices, upbearing yang and secure from prolapse. This point belongs to Governing Vessel.

3) Sea of Qi Point

1. Position: Lower abdomen, straight line in front down to 1.5 inches below the navel.

2. Selection Method: First select the Guan Yuan Point, 3 inches below the navel. Now find the center point on the line between the navel and the Guan Yuan.

3. Function: Rectify qi, boost the kidney, secure the essence. This point belongs to the Controlling Vessel.

(3) Select the points Leg 3 Li or the Bend Center according to the physical body condition and the degree of illness. When a feeling of soreness occurs, revolve the point, left and right circles ten times. Press points on both thighs equally.

(1) Leg Three Li

1. Position: Front of the calf, outer side, 3 inches below the Xi Yan, [Medial, Extra Point], distance in front of the shin bone following one horizontal length of the middle finger.

2. Selection Method: Sit straight with knees bent, press the palm of the hand on the knee cap, the index finger on the shin bone below the knee. The point of the index finger is the vital point.

3. Function: Fortify the spleen and stomach, support what is correct and secure the root, rectify qi and downbear the counterflow, connect the channels and quicken the vessels. This point belongs to the Stomach Channel.

2). Bend Center Point

1. Position: The center point along the horizontal line at the back of the knee, in between the bicep muscle of the thigh and the semitendinous muscle tendon.

2. Selection Method: Behind the knee cap, the center on the horizontal line along the popliteal fossa, between the two tendons, select the vital point.

3. Function: Soothe sinews and quicken vessels, arouse spiritual heat, cool the blood and resolve toxins, disinhibit lumbar and knees. This point belongs to the Bladder Channel.

(4) Twist until hot, Ear Gushing Spring: Separate the two hands and press the two ear auricles, the Gushing Spring on the bottom of the feet, and the abdominal region until a feeling of heat is reached. Rub the two ears, going front and back each direction twenty times. Rub the bottom of the feet, using the Gushing Spring point as the center.

Gushing Spring Position: On the bottom of the foot, curl the foot. The front hollow area is approximately between the top of the toe space between the 2^nd or 3^rd toes, and the heel. A continuous line, 1/3 from the front, 2/3 from the back is the point of intersection.

       Selection Method: Curl the five toes, and at the front section of the bottom of the foot, starting from the two points of prominence where the muscles form a triangular point. This is the vital point.

 Function: Arousal from strain and open orifices, downbear counterflow stop vomiting, drain heat and clear the heart, return yang and stem counterflow.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to go a step further in accumulating information, please read on to the analysis in the following chapter.

Chat #68

Channel Liver and Spleen, Open the Controlling Vessel

Uninhibit Abdominal Qi, Regulate Abdominal Sounds

In the last chapter, we discussed conso-restorative work and this chapter will continue with related questions.

       The Second Segment: the praised formula: Once again knead the abdomen effectively on the two rib sides, opening the liver and spleen. The central line opens the Controlling Vessel, the navel circle uninhibits the abdominal qi. Massaging the abdomen through conso-restorative vital point method is an extremely important segment, including channeling the liver and spleen, opening the Controlling Vessel and uninhibiting the abdominal qi.

Channeling the liver and spleen: The liver is located inside the right rib side, the spleen is located inside the left rib side. The following method is used to channel the liver and spleen qi. With two hands, lightly place the thumbs on the chest bone, the xiphoid process, with the other four fingers of both hands placed on the lower edge of the rib bone. Slightly raise both hands, lightly rubbing with steady pressure using both index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers and pinky fingers, and starting from the xiphoid process, tightly press to the rib edge, moving downward and outward in a massaging motion. Do this a total of ten times.

Opening the Controlling Vessel: The Controlling Vessel, for women begins inside the uterus, for men, begins inside the prostate gland. Moving downward to the yin region, and turning around and moving upward, follow the abdominal region and chest region in one straight line up to the throat, lower chin, cheeks and below the eye socket. Some of the body’s important vital points; such as Meeting of Yin, Pass Head, Sea of Qi, Central Stomach Duct, Chest Center, etc. all belong to the Controlling Vessel.

In terms of body functions, the Controlling Vessel has two outstanding characteristics. The first is that the entire body’s channels and vessels can be summed up into two large categories, the yang vessels and the yin vessels. All of the body’s yin vessels circulate and converge at the Controlling Vessel, like the rivers flowing into the sea, therefore the Controlling Vessel is the ‘Ocean of Yin Vessels.’ The second is that the Controlling Vessel, for women, has its origin is in the uterus, and the word ‘control’ is homophonous with ‘pregnant’, since the Controlling Vessel takes as its goal the convergence all of the body’s yin qi. For a female, the important thing is the formation of menses, capability for pregnancy and nourishing the fetus. For a male, the Controlling Vessel begins in the prostate gland, regulates the yin vessels of the entire body as its important goal, causing the male to be able to form semen and sperm, providing sexuality and birth capability.

Now we will talk about the method of freeing the Controlling Vessel using the fingers of both hands, with all five fingers tightly gathered together, lightly place under the xiphoid process. With both hands, using four fingers minus the thumbs, place them across from each other, using a steady pressure push all the way down to the joining of the pubis bone. Do this a total of ten times. Afterwards, then start again under the xiphoid process, using four fingers minus the thumb, taking the Controlling Vessel with the central line of the abdomen as the center point. From the two sides draw half loops forming small circles, making sure to use a steady pressure. Using this motion, continue straight down to the joining of the pubis bone, then from there again use the same kind of motion upwards drawing circles, straight up to below the xiphoid process. Do this, back and forth, a total of ten rounds.

Uninhibit abdominal qi: Aside from the heart, lungs and brain, the other important organs which are almost all in the abdomen are; liver, spleen, stomach, intestines, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, bladder and uterus, etc. Chinese medicine considers the entire abdomen as the ‘great abdomen’ and the ‘spleen qi connects the great abdomen.’ This is because the spleen and stomach functions regulate and temper the entire abdominal cavity and the functioning of its internal organ tissue. Because of this, the ancient Chinese put a great emphasis on the health care of the abdomen.

Here we will explain the method for uninhibiting the abdominal qi. First rub the two palms of the hands until they are hot, and take one palm and quickly place it on the navel, press the other palm on top of it. Remain there for several minutes. Afterwards, lift up the second hand, with the first hand starting to draw circles around half of the abdomen. Be attentive to maintain an even pressure. All together make five circles, then going in the opposite direction draw 5 circles, pressing down, with the navel as the center. Make big circles around the outer edge of the entire abdomen, being attentive to maintain an even pressure. All together make five circles, and then five circles in the opposite direction.

       In the process of channeling the liver and spleen, freeing the Controlling Vessel, uninhibiting the abdominal qi, some people, especially those with chronic gastro-intestinal illnesses, might hear rumbling sounds inside the abdomen, have consecutive hiccups or pass gas. These are all phenomena of free flowing qi mechanism and they are normal.

4. Abdominal sound method: This connects the passage of qi, combined with self emitting sounds for a peaceful work method.

The praised formula: Method of abdominal sound work, Spirit Gate Tower, Point of the Spleen, upper heart, lower kidney, right lung and left lung.

       Abdominal point diagram:

Explanation: The navel is the center, and this is the acupuncture point called the Spirit Gate. It belongs to the Controlling Vessel which has the functions of; returning the intestines, securing prolapse, boosting Lower Origin, regulating the gastro-intestinal system. Among the Five Phases, the spleen is in the center, and because of this, the diagram of the abdominal point takes the Spirit Gate Tower as the spleen point. Above the spleen point, is the heart point, below it is the kidney point; to its left is the lung point, to its right is the liver point. Each point is a distance of one inch from the navel. [In body inches, take the width of the thumb joint as one inch.]

Now, stretch out the index and middle fingers of your right or left hand, and curl the thumb, fourth, and pinky fingers into a hollow fist. Place the tip of the finger point gently on the Spirit Gate Tower point.

       Take a deep breath, slowly swallow down straight to the Spirit Gate Tower Point. Afterwards, inside the throat gently and deeply sing out a music note ‘one’. Lengthen it out as long as possible, causing the Spirit Gate Tower Point to emerge with a slight trembling movement. Then deeply inhale, singing out a music note ‘two’. Follow this breath, from the Spirit Gate Tower Point lift to the heart point. When the heart point is reached, then sing out ‘three’. Lengthen it out as long as possible, causing the heart point to emerge with a slight trembling movement.

       Follow this breath, moving the qi from the heart point toward the kidney point. When the kidney point is reached, sing out number ‘four’. Lengthen it out as long as possible, causing the kidney point to emerge with a slight trembling movement.

       Follow this breath, taking the qi from the kidney point to move toward the lung point. When the lung point is reached, sing out ‘five’. Lengthen it out as long as possible, causing the lung point to emerge with a slight trembling movement.

       Follow this breath, taking the qi from the lung point and moving it toward the liver point. When it reaches the liver point, sing out ‘six’, lengthen it out as long as possible, causing the liver point to emerge with a slight trembling movement.

       Follow this breath, take the qi from the liver point and moving it toward the spleen point. When the spleen point is reached, sing out ‘seven’, lengthen it out as long as possible, causing the spleen point to emerge with a slight trembling movement.

Take a deep breath, and with explosive force emit the sound ‘I’, and while sustaining the sound, take the qi movement up to the heart point and move it down to the kidney point in a cycle.

Return the pointed fingers to lightly press on the Spirit Gate Tower. Then, in reverse order practice ‘I, seven, six,five, four, three, two, one. Practice a total of three circles.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to gain a deeper understanding through more information, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #69

Gazing into the Distant Sky Expel Worries and Annoyances

Environmental Prevention of Cancer has an Orderly Method

The last chapter introduced conso-restorative work using the abdominal sound method. This chapter will continue with introduction of the tapping method, the freeing qi method and the concluding method.

       4. Slapping method: The praised formula: ‘Head, head, head,’ neck, shoulders, back, waist, rib sides, abdomen, kidney, front and back of upper thigh and knees, front and back of calves and ankles.

With both hands, gather the fingers together except the thumb, from the top of the head, start tapping on both sides. From the top of the head towards the forehead, divide into three sections of tapping, the so-called ‘head, head, head.’ Then follow along the neck area, shoulder area, waist area, kidney area, outside and inside the side of the thighs, front and back of the knees, front and back of the muscular part of the calves, inside and outside of the ankles. Pay attention to slap each area three times, hit with a rhythm and produce a sound but don’t tap to the point of injury.

5. Freeing qi Method: According to whether a standing, sitting or reclining position is used, the methods will be different.

Praised formula: Hands on the waist, draw large circles, lifting front and back, stepping on the ground, pushing down, looking up to the sky to expel worrisome vexations. The whole body will have qi and blood flowing.

       Standing position: Place both hands on the waist, both legs apart, head moving from left to right, and using strength from the waist, initiate movement drawing circles three times. Then reverse the direction three times. Afterwards, move the head lifting back and facing down three times. Then bring the legs together slightly, use strength with both feet to step on the ground. Lift both hands to the top of the head and massage three times. With eyes facing upward, sweep away the anxieties of the heart at this time. Continue to repeat these movements three times.

Sitting position: Sit cross-legged, both hands holding a hollow fist, separated and placed on each knee. Then move downwards with the same motions used in the standing position. Be attentive to use strength in the buttocks area when gazing up at the sky.

Reclining position: Place both hands on the waist, both legs slightly close together while bearing down with force, as if stepping on something. Lift both hands to massage the top of the head. Eyes gaze upward and then down, follow the standing position instructions.

       6. Concluding method: The praised formula: Return to the beginning form with peaceful and serene thoughts, emptying out the ten thousand concerns.

Both hands return to the beginning form method, deep inhalations three times, then with serenity and peaceful thoughts empty the ten thousand things, and with the ten thousand matters all in harmony, remain like that for 2-5 minutes.

       Above, we have introduced the conso-vital point restorative method, especially suitable for gaining mental strength and energy. Even for those who lack exercise, or have any kind of chronic illness or for cancer patients, it can be practiced often. As for those who are avid sport enthusiasts, for those who go to the gym, love to play various kinds of ball, this kind of work can be practiced to achieve the goal of combining movement and stillness. For the general public, if you are able to achieve the eight week competitive walking program and combine that with conso-restorative work, this is even more ideal. There are still some remaining questions that I would like everyone to pay attention to:

1). In concrete practice, take the beginning form, vital point method, abdominal sound method, tapping method, freeing qi method and concluding method, and organically combining them into one whole form for implementation.

2). For those with serious illnesses, if you are able to practice, then do your best. However, make sure that the amount of force you are using is appropriate and manageable.

3). At the minimum, maintain a continual practice for three months and only then will you see a definitive outcome as bodily strength increases, appetite improves, and pain from illness reduces, etc. Constant practice over the period of a year can bring strengthened health to body and mind, including good results to those with illness.

4). Do not be restricted by time or place. First choice is to find a place with clean, fresh air, gurgling, flowing water, singing birds and fragrant flowers. For those with an illness who are practicing in bed, the best would be to place a bouquet of fresh flowers near your head.

5). When practicing with the whole family or a small group, each person follows their own course, so as to avoid reducing the efficacy of the exercises.

6). Accompany your practice with appropriate music which has a suitable rhythm flowing with a slight steady beat and a relaxed, slow, pleasant sound. Avoid melodies that are too quick or too abrasive, or those that are too soft and might lull you to sleep.

This ends our introduction to conso-vital point restorative work. Now, we turn our attention to the fourth major method of conso-health method, environmental protection method against cancer.

4. The environmental health method is the fourth main principle.

       Chapters nineteen through thirty six discussed the relationship between environmental factors and the formation of cancer as well as its many facets of injury to health. Let us quickly review.

The environmental factor is broadly divided into two categories; external and internal. The external environmental factors are factors that occur in nature; including air, sunshine, water properties, geography and equipment. The internal environment factors include, body constitution, genes and chronic disease. Therefore, the environmental cancer protection method necessarily pinpoints these external and internal factors in implementing health protection measures. However, some factors such as; climatic change, destruction of the atmosphere ozonosphere, increasingly serious electromagnetic wave radiation, car exhaust emission, pollution of water properties, etc. are not something a single individual can control, moreover they require diligent, cooperative effort from society as a whole. As for the individual, methods for cancer prevention in both external and internal environments can be summed up in three phrases; protect health in harmony with time, in harmony with the earth and in harmony with the individual.

       Protect health in accordance with time: This includes the biological clock and the four season health method.

(1). Biological clock health protection method: In speaking of the biological clock you might recall the content of earlier chapters. Here we will quickly summarize. Law of constancy is one of the basic, distinctive features of life. Why do people automatically formulate this basic regulation of life?: ‘When the sun comes up, we work, when the sun sets, we rest’, This is because the human body responds to the occurrence of the regularity of the sun rising and falling. It is as if the natural world has a big, invisible clock, and all things and events correspond to the changes in time, forming some very fascinating regulated phenomena. If we look at each kind of regulation as a small clock, then we have; the ‘emotion clock’, ‘intelligence clock’, ‘sleep clock’, ‘blood pressure clock’, ‘body temperature clock’, ‘reproductive clock’, ‘lifespan clock’, etc. For example, we now know that inputting birth dates into a computer program allows us to easily understand the situation of one’s own daily and monthly emotions and intellect pointing out its high points, low drops, even trends and changes. Therefore, all of the body’s physiological activities are actually not constant, they follow the flow of time and changes accordingly. These kinds of changes are regulated by rhythms, they are undulating and uneven.

       Although the term biological clock is a modern one, however if you talk about using the laws of the biological clock and how they impact the health protection of the body, the knowledge of ancient Chinese medicinal science stands out in the forefront. The twelve divisions for counting the day and night cycle are; Zi, as the starting point, then followed by Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai. These are the names of the twelve terrestrial Branches. Each time period corresponds to 2 hours. The count starts from 11pm. to 1am., the Zi period, and 1am. to 3am. which is Chou period, with the rest deduced accordingly.

 What are the distinguishing time periods throughout the course of a whole day? The four major phases are; morning, noon, evening and late night. According to the twelve time divisions, there are four time phases; Zi, Wu, Mao and You. We know that the reason for the formation of morning, noon, evening and late night divisions is guided by the waning and waxing of yin and yang in the natural world. The yang qi of the body, follows the yang qi of the natural world. In the morning, it comes forth, at noon it is vigorous, in the evening it contracts, and late at night it is concealed within. The health protection method of the biological clock, uses these laws to implement appropriate regulations for the body’s spirit, everyday life, diet and exercise, etc.

Generally speaking, the concept of morning is calculated when the sun begins to rise. From the point of view of the twelve divisions of time, from the Zi period to the Mao period, which is 11p.m. to 7a.m., the body’s yang qi forms lightly and rises toward the body exterior. As the sun rises, the yang qi inside the body is then completely activated and all body functions begin to reach the flourishing stage. The health preserving method states that before the sun rises, when the body is repairing in peaceful sleep, the yang qi inside the body is allowed to freely renew and nourish itself. When the sun rises and morning begins, most important is the arousal of the spirit, an optimistic mood, an open frame of mind, not thinking of affairs that cause disturbance, not dwelling in melancholy, sadness, self reproach or explosive anger. If these disturbances should arise, they will impact all the functional activities of the body throughout the day and will be counterproductive to health.

Dear Reader, in order to build on your knowledge, please read on to the next chapter.

 Chat #70

Protecting Health by Following the Biological Time Clock

Three Chief Ingredients for Promoting Good Health

In the last chapter, we began to discuss methods for environmental protection against cancer. Most important are three different methods summed up as follows; to be in accordance with time, with the earth, and with the individual. Accordance with time for health protection includes the biological clock health method and the four season health method. Here we will continue to discuss the biological clock health method.

In earlier chapters, we talked about the question of the condition of the spirit after waking up in the morning. After getting up, or even before getting out of bed, select a practice of conso-restorative work previously introduced, then allow time for a walk, either walk slowly, walk competitively or stroll. As for breakfast, remember the principle of ‘ Eat a hearty breakfast’, with abundant nutrients, sufficient calories, and a relatively high amount of protein. For example, use soy milk or cow’s milk to accompany dry food, or eat congee along with dry food. Breakfast calories should be approximately 40% of your entire day’s intake. Be careful not skip breakfast, and develop a habit of having breakfast at a set time with a set amount of calories.

11a.m. to 1p.m. is the time when the yang qi is the most prolific. After the body goes through a morning of toilsome work, the spirit, body and emotions are all somewhat exhausted and fatigued. Therefore at noon, one should rest for a while to help stabilize the emotions, revive the body’s strength, and then afterwards eat the noon meal. While eating, avoid mulling things over, avoid sadness or intense joy or anger. Be diligent in providing a plentiful variety of food items, and enough calories to reach 40%-50% of the day’s quota. After eating, engage in some gentle activity such as walking or strolling for 5-10 minutes.

One issue that needs to be addressed is the Chinese medicinal scientific theory: ‘Abundant yang necessitates yin.’ This is to say that when the yang qi reaches its pinnacle, this signifies its imminent decline. In other words, the yin qi has begun to ascend. Therefore at noon, although the yang qi is at its peak, after noontime has passed, yang qi will soon begin to decline. Because of this, taking a short nap, a quick noon rest is called ‘Nurture yang with a short rest.’ This is particularly important for middle aged and elderly people.

At twilight from 5-7pm., the You period, the body’s yang qi is reduced and gradually contracted. A whole day of hard work depletes and exhausts the spirit, the body and the emotions to a great degree and metabolic waste is also easily accumulated. At this time, people are often easily fatigued or agitated. Therefore, one should establish a method of regulating emotions, maintaining cheerfulness, diminishing activity and contemplation. Dinner time should have light conversation, with no indulgent drinking or eating, avoiding greasy and sweet foods with caloric intake controlled to within 20% of a whole day’s needs. After eating, walk or stroll and an hour later and engage in some light exercise but not to the point of exhaustion. In places like San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the evening air temperature drops down low and necessitates adding an extra layer of clothing to avoid a chill.

Evening time from 7-11pm., the Hai period, is when the body’s yang qi gradually reaches the stage of submersion, and is also the time to prepare for sleep. At this time, to maintain emotional stability and avoid stimulation, don’t watch television for a long period of time, especially emotionally intense or violent programs. Nor is it appropriate to listen to passionate or mournful music. Lastly, avoid being too talkative since it is also a factor that affects the quality of sleep. High quality sleep is extremely helpful for elimination of fatigue, to restore the body’s strength and nourish stamina for the next day’s activities.

       These are the basic principles of the biological clock health method. In addition, special attention needs to be paid to the three chief factors for promoting health. What are they? They are diet, sleep and exercise.

       Diet should consist of three meals at set times. According to research, eating meals at set times can activate the laws of movement in the body’s many small biological clocks. They have a regulating effect on digestion, nerves, glandular excretion, circulation, breath, and other system function activities. Middle-aged and elderly people can consider selecting 4 or 5 meals a day, following the principle that each meal be a small quantity. An alternative is to eat three main meals, and add one or two small, supplementary ones. According to Japanese researchers, the digestive tract rhythm of humans should consist of four meals a day. From analysis of those with long life, it has been found that eating often in small quantities aids longevity. In addition, it is important to chew well and swallow slowly. The ancient Chinese medical book entitled Yi Shuo, Theories of Medicine, analyzes this logic as following: ‘Eat without rushing, rushing injures the spleen. The method should be to chew thoroughly until the food is finely mashed.’ Moreover, eating while reading, thinking, chatting are not beneficial to food digestion and absorption. In The Lun Yu, Confucian Analects, Confucius recommends : ‘Eat without words, sleep without speech.’ The renowned, ancient Chinese medical book on the preservation of health entitled Shou Shi Bao Yuan, points out: ‘The spleen likes sound, hearing the sound moves and grinds up the food.’ This is to say that appreciating the beautiful sound of music during a meal helps digestion and absorption.The wriggling motion of the human gastro-intestinal system has a rhythm which occurs once every 4-5 hours. Utilizing this regularity, it is logical to plan 3-4 meals, at a set time with a set quantity, allowing a correspondence to occur with the gastro-intestinal system’s biological clock movement process. It can be deduced from this that generally speaking, sweet foods, milk, tea, alcohol and water, etc. all have issues concerning a set time period throughout the course of daily life. For example, sweet foods should not be eaten before meals, after meals or before sleep. Milk should not be consumed on an empty stomach, because when the stomach is empty, the gastro-intestinal movement is very quick, and doesn’t allow enough time for its nutritional components to absorb thus ending up expelled into the large intestine. Before eating, don’t drink large quantities of water, nor after meals as well, in order to avoid diluting stomach fluids which influence the digestion and absorption of food.

In this case, when is the best time to drink water? Morning is most important time to drink water. After getting out of bed in the early morning, because no water was consumed for a whole night, the cells are in a thirsty state, and drinking water at this time not only helps to replenish body fluids, moreover it serves the function of cleaning and cleansing internal organs, especially the liver. It is also beneficial for bowel movement. In that case, is it better to drink cold or hot water? Looking at research findings, the arrangement of warm water molecules are suitable to the inside the body and even easier to absorb. Chinese medicinal science puts emphasis on drinking tea, especially morning tea as most suitable. A phrase from folklore says: ‘In the morning, drinking your cup of tea starves the doctor away.’ Alcohol should not be consumed in the morning because at this time the metabolic rhythm of the body is at low ebb, the liver is not suited to break down the alcohol, the concentration of alcoholic spirits in the blood are high, and if maintained over a long period of time can easily lead to intoxication or poisoning. Drinking alcohol in the afternoon or evening is the time when the body’s internal metabolic rhythm has gained strength and relatively speaking, should not result in intoxication.

In addition, there is another health protection measure worth mentioning. Chinese medicine considers saliva to be an essential fluid and spitting should not be done casually. Moreover, at a set time, press the tongue against the high cheek to promote the production of saliva and then swallow it. Special emphasis should be placed on swallowing saliva in the morning, and maintaining this reaps health benefits.

       Sleeping has set cyclic rhythms, and if we analyze a night’s sleep, in general it can be divided into a three to five sleep cycle form. If this occurs, then upon wakening the body has feeling of vitality. Therefore it is necessary to cultivate a set sleeping pattern. The best method is to sleep early and get up early. In general, don’t use an alarm clock, especially if the alarm clock is set for a time when you you can’t get up.        This unexpectedly breaks your sleep cycle, leading to a series of body rhythmic changes which influence health.

In that case, in a place like the Silicon Valley where there is a large group of ‘night owls’, what can be done? First approach this by analyzing yourself to figure out which brain type you are. There are 3 major brain types; one is the ‘night owl’, which refers to those who are the most productive using their brain from 8p.m. until late night; the second type is the ‘lark’ type, those for whom morning is the most productive time; the third type is someone who is neither a night owl nor a lark, but somewhere in between. This type of person can be productive early in the morning or late at night, with no one time better than the other.

Looking at the biological clock from the standpoint of memory power, in general there are four memory peaks; one is in the morning right after getting up, the second is the morning hours from 8a.m.-10a.m., the third is the evening hours from 6p.m.-8p.m., and the fourth is 1 or 2 hours before going to bed. Utilizing these times for memory follows the brain’s biological clock rhythm and multiplies the efficiency of tasks done many times. Of course, not every person is the same, and one should sum up an analysis in accordance with one’s own individual style, one that is suitable for one’s own memory schedule.

There is another health preserving detail to be aware of. When a person emerges from sleep and wakes up, that is the time of only ‘eyes awake’, with only a segment of the brain cells awakened. The majority of the brain cells and other parts of the body have not yet awakened, so after the eyes have opened, take a short rest for a few more minutes to help give the entire body’s biological clock rhythm a chance to start moving. The so-called ‘eyes have awakened’ originally satirizes those who do not rise quickly out of bed, however, now it seems that there is definitive scientific basis to support this.

Now we will return to a question we have discussed many times before, a noon nap. In general, the time when the brain is in a state of complete clarity is maintained for only 4-5 hours. Therefore, the sum of the body’s sleep peaks is approximately four, arranged as expected with the first one at night, the second around noon to 1p.m., the third in the morning at 9a.m., and the fourth in the afternoon at 5p.m. So, the noontime rest actually matches with the body’s biological clock for sleep.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to go one step deeper in obtaining information, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.