TCM Education

Have you ever thought about how much you sit every day? You drive to work, sit at your desk for 6-8 hours where you might stand up for social breaks or maybe lunch. Then you drive home and you sit again after dinner and look at screens or read. How many of us are sitting for more than 8 hours a day?

Studies have shown that increased sitting decreases our ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. We spend a lot of our days sitting whether it’s at work, doing homework, watching TV or spending time on our computers and for many people, commuting. There are no current recommendations on limiting sitting time, but we do know that we should be breaking up excessive sitting with some movement. In a 7 year study of almost 8000 people, it was found that any amount of activity was better than sitting. Swapping 30min of sitting for 30min of light-intensity activity (walking, house maintenance etc) would have 17% lower risk of death. Increase the intensity (jogging, cycling etc) and that jumps to 35% lower risk of death. However, maybe you’re busy and can’t do 30min in a row. That’s not a problem – 1-5min active breaks between periods of sitting also reduce risk of death. If you wear a smart watch, you’ll notice they’re set up to remind you to move every hour if you haven’t moved enough.

Sitting increases pain because it tightens the hip flexors and hamstring muscles and stiffen the joints. This impacts our gait and balance and makes simple activities more difficult. These tighter muscles also contribute to low back pain, and knee problems that many of us suffer with.

For adults, it’s recommended to try to avoid sitting constantly during the day. Stand when and where you can and if possible, move around as much as possible. For example, if you have the ability to stand while working try to set up a standing desk. If you’re taking a phone break, walk around and message friends instead of slouching in your chair. For families, try and limit screen time in the house to avoid excessive sitting and instead encourage activities that require you to move around. Stand up and stretch or do some jumping jacks during commercials or between episodes of your Netflix shows.

Acupuncture can help if you have back pain and are finding that it is negatively impacting your daily habits. The acupuncture points used help to stimulate the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain. These make an impact on the individual’s experience of pain as well as stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities.

Additionally, try out these 4 stretches that help open the hips and release the muscles that might be linked to your back pain:

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This is a common question. Your acupuncturist will look at your tongue to determine;

• Diagnosis for TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
• And to identify the advancement of a condition

The tongue is associated with the internal organs of the body as well as the meridians. The meridians in TCM refer to pathways within the body where energy is known to flow. These energy pathways coincide with the overall health of the organ system they correspond with.

• The back of the tongue corresponds with the kidney, bladder, large and small intestine
• The left and right side of the tongue correspond with the liver and the gallbladder
• The center of the tongue corresponds with the stomach and the spleen
• The tip of the tongue corresponds with the lung and heart

The colour of the tongue serves as an indicator of the internal temperature of the body and correlates with circulation from the liver and the heart. Colour of the tongue can also reveal to your acupuncturist if there is a heat or cold condition present. A heat condition indicates that the body’s internal temperature is too warm and vice versa for cold conditions. This is also why your acupuncturist may suggest that you eat hot or cold foods (see: Healthy Eating According to Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Red or Pink: Indicative of the internal temperature of the body and is a normal colouring. However, too much redness (only when applicable symptoms exist), could indicate a “heat” condition.

White: The thin white layering of the tongue is referred to as the tongues coating. In individual cases, the coating can vary from week to week. For example when a woman has their period, is pregnant or after labour the white coating may change. The white layer is indicative of a healthy digestive system however, if the white layer has a thickness to it, this could mean a “cold” condition is located in the GI tract. Poor circulation (blood clots and toxins) can cause there to be more or less white coating.

Purple: A purple colouring is indicative of poor blood circulation, due to the liver and the heart. But there are several other reasons why the colouring of the tongue may be purple. Migraines and arthritis are a couple examples.

Yellow: The GI tract is inflamed and digestion is sluggish.

Your acupuncturist will also examine the shape of the tongue to gain a sense of the nature of a condition. Therefore; it is important for your acupuncturist to take a look in order to gain a sense of your body and your health.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, a few drops of blood let out from one of the peripheral points acupuncture points can have significant health benefits.  Bloodletting is one of the oldest Acupuncture techniques, which is effectively used for helping to increase blood circulation, and induce a therapeutic effects on the body.

It is commonly used for alleviating heat, convulsions, mental distress, fevers and many other ailments including:  reducing blood pressure, increasing blood circulation, facilitating in the creation of new blood, sore throat, cardiac pain, headache, redness of eyes, hernia, prolapsed uterus, dream disturbed sleep, toothache, facial swelling, cold feeling in legs and feet, dizziness, blurred vision, deafness, nasal obstruction, and mental disorders.

Research has also shown that the act of bloodletting slows the growth of bacteria.

Jing (essence), according to Chinese philosophy, forms the entire body’s foundation.

You will find jing stored in the kidneys. Jing is a powerful form as a human’s conception is made possible, while one’s growth and aging shows the weakening stage of jing. Through specific lifestyle and behaviours, we can replenish and grow the jing we have in our bodies.

To store an ample amount of jing in our bodies, a healthy lifestyle is needed.

Some of the dietary recommendations include eating various food selections according to one’s individual needs, changes that occur in each season and being careful with the balance of energies and flavours of food eaten.

Some examples of flavours affecting one’s body functioning include eating too much sour food, which will cause a hyperactive liver leading to problems of digestion. On the opposite end, eating too much sweet food will disturb the kidney’s functioning and one’s complexion will darken.

It is often the case that a person with a low spirit is eating excessive amounts of highly flavoured foods.

Having the discipline of eating at a regular schedule and eating more easily digestible foods will highly increase the level of healthiness you keep.

Sleeping will recharge and replenish the balance of yin and yang in the body.  The recommendation of falling asleep at the yin-time (night) and the yang, (morning) is best suited for healthiness and balance.

Acupuncture: Withstanding the Test of Time

      With a history dating back almost 5000 years, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are one of the oldest forms of medicine still effectively practiced today.  Originating in Ancient China, it is now integrated into many modern healthcare centers worldwide.

It All Started With War

Many beneficial technologies have been produced from war and trying to make dangerous weapons.  According to legend, the art of acupuncture was discovered when Chinese warriors found that arrows striking them at certain points in the body healed them of chronic conditions.  We can only imagine the first soldier who stumbled upon this discovery, “Ouch that arrow in my back hurts like heck, but my headaches feel way better!”.

Coming to North America

The popularity of Acupuncture began during the Nixon administration.  While visiting China in 1972, one of his reporters underwent surgery there for an emergency appendectomy.  The doctors used acupuncture during the anesthesia and recovery stage.  The reporter was so impressed by his effective surgery and quick recovery that he wrote about it in the New York Times and popularity has spread since then.

Thousands of Points On Our Body, Only a Few Needed

Acupuncture employs the use of fine sterilized needles to stimulate very specific points on the body.  These points are usually areas of nerve bundles, dense muscle, or connective tissue, and have been found to conduct electricity at higher rates than non-acupuncture points.  When properly stimulated, each point on the body will cause a different specific response to increase healing and boost the body’s natural function.  As an example, a point on the lower leg can increase the immune system, or a point on the foot can increase blood circulation to the forehead.  To date, there are around 2000 different points discovered so far.  However, a typical acupuncture treatment will only use 8-12 carefully selected points.

But Who Needs It??

Acupuncture can help treat a very wide variety of disorders.  It can help people suffering from depression, irritable bowel syndrome, fertility, degenerative eye conditions, and much more.  However, acupuncture is best known for its treatment of pain conditions.  This includes migraines, arthritis, sports injuries, and lower back pain.  But most people can benefit from an acupuncture treatment.  It’s positive effects in regulating mood and stress make it a great way to bring the body to balance, increase energy, and get a better night’s sleep.

Less Than a Mosquito Bite

During a person’s first acupuncture treatment, they are usually surprised to find how LITTLE they feel during the needling process.  A common reaction, said in a confused and amazed tone is “it’s already in??”.  The needles used in the treatment are extremely thin, less than that of a human hair.  Needles are always pre-sterilized, and single use, thus no chance of cross infection between patients is a concern.

Not Just For Humans

There exists a separate branch of Acupuncture for veterinary medicine as well.  By applying the same logic of the acupuncture points to animals, similar results are achieved as well.  Many veterinary clinics and breeders have employed the use of Acupuncture for their pets and animals to achieve amazing results.  This includes treatments for cats, dogs, and even horses!

Still Only One of the Tools

                While most people have heard of Acupuncture alone, it actually falls under the umbrella of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  This includes all of the other modalities that have been practiced in the Chinese culture for millennia.  This includes the use of cupping, auricular seeds, moxibustion, guasha, Chinese herbs, meditative practice, and dietary therapy.  While each one of these other tools has their separate applications and uses, they are usually combined with the practice of Acupuncture, so don’t be surprised if you go in expecting needles only but end up getting other methods used as well to enhance the effect.  It is important to keep in mind that even though Acupuncture is very effective, it is still only one of the tools a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner has in their arsenal, so is best combined with other medicines as well.

Qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system that involves practicing specific postures of the body and using breathing techniques while bringing a concentration to intention.

The word itself means developing energy through a firm practice.

There are three styles of qigong practices: marital, medical and spiritual. All practices include a moving or stationary posture, particular breathing methods and mental focus.

Tai Chi is the softer style compared to the more intense style of Kung Fu.

A method of exercise that is approachable to all ages and those in any physical health, it is easily modified and very gentle for the body and soul.

While bringing a feeling of youthfulness and reducing feelings of stress, the movements used with qigong will build your body’s stamina and reinforce your immune system.

Studies have shown that qigong will improve not only cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory functions, but will also refresh your body, mind and soul’s connection.

The Chinese diet is known for instructions to eat food with specific properties. Flavour and movement influence the food chosen in this diet. The energy of food according to the Chinese diet will produce sensations of hot or cold. There are five types of energy, also called natures; neutral, cool, cold, warm and hot. Keep in mind these energies are referring to the effect on the body, not the kind of food eaten. A good example to remember is when you drink a hot tea. Although the tea is hot to taste, it will produce cool energy in the body as its heat dissolves within the body and is therefore classified as a cool drink.

Cool foods include; apple, spinach and peppermint. Some cold foods include Soya sauce, salt and water chestnuts. In the middle of the spectrum, representing the balanced yin and yang; are neutral foods like corn, potato and cheese.

Warm foods include peaches, walnuts and goats milk, while the hot foods include chilli pepper and mustard seed.

It is helpful to know about the energies of food because specific energies will affect our health in different ways. When a person suffering with skin irritations sees an increase of symptoms when exposed to heat, it’s an indication this person should eat foods with a cold or cool energy to feel better.

There are five flavours of food according to the Chinese Medicine Diet. They are known as pungent, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Each flavour affects two organs. Pungent flavours rule the body’s lungs and large intestine, sweet flavours watches over the stomach and spleen, sour controls the liver and gall bladder, bitter rules the heart and small intestine and the salty flavour rules the kidney and bladder.

Pungent foods will affect the lungs and large intestine by giving a boost of air circulation and an increase of appetite.

Sweet foods will affect the stomach and spleen by slowing down acute reactions and balancing the toxic effects of the other foods eaten while giving the body proper nourishment.

The Traditional Chinese diet follows the movement of their foods as certain types of movements will force food different directions within the body.  The four specific directions are sinking, lowering, floating and lifting.  Imagine arrows pointing in these directions throughout the body.

With a sinking movement, the direction of the food goes from the outside towards the inside allowing for bowel movements to slow down and provide relief to abdominals that are distended. Vinegar is a good example of a food that will provide such action.

With a lifting movement, food will move from the lower region to the upper region. These upward movements will stop diarrhea and hold the internal organs in place where they belong. This will prevent organs from sinking or prolapsing. Wine is a good example of a food that provides such properties.