Robert Keller, L.Ac.

Classical Chinese Medicine

Articles

Symptomatic Treatment

The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of symptoms in Chinese medicine. It is meant to clarify the purpose of symptom evaluation, and to distinguish this from “symptomatic treatment”. The reason I am writing this is because it is sometimes paraphrased back to me by patients, that I do not care what […]
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Calories – All You Need to Know

Low calorie diets are not in right now, but they will be again. It is my contention that one should not toss around terms like “carbs” and “protein” and “calories” without really knowing what they are. That they are something in food which makes you gain weight is the generic understanding people have. Diet soda […]
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It’s Genetic

If I have heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times. “It’s genetic” has become the number one excuse, bar none, for everything we have wrong with us. Cholesterol, heart disease, depression, obesity, you name it. Of course we have genes – we are physical. We have bodies. There is a physical mechanism […]
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Cooked Versus Raw

Aren’t raw foods better for you? This is the one question I am guaranteed to be asked when I bring up the topic of Chinese dietary therapy to a new patient. The issues surrounding this seemingly complex topic are actually very simple and clear. To lay the foundation for this discussion, it is important to […]
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Is It My Allergies or Is It a Cold

This will be a brief article discussing the concept of causality in Chinese medicine, specifically in relationship to sinus conditions. For a more complete discussion, please see Causality in Chinese Medicine – The Issues of How and Why. I have chosen to discuss this issue again here as I find sinus conditions to be one […]
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Allergies – The World as Enemy

Allergies are one of the most prevalent conditions I treat in my practice. People come for treatment of allergy symptoms related to pollen, dust, molds, foods, chemicals, pollution, even to other people. You name it, and someone is allergic to it. Interestingly, traditionally in Chinese medicine there is almost no discussion of the concept of […]
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The Concept of Wind in Chinese Medicine

Wind is the concept in Chinese medicine that I find people have the most trouble with. There is no easy Western correlate for the term or the concept. I am including a discussion of Wind in this issue because of its correlation with spring and the Liver. There are two types of Wind – external […]
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ZangFu – Organs and Bowels in Chinese Medicine

There are three classifications for the internal organs in Chinese medicine. The Zang, or organs, are the solid Yin organs which are characterized by their capacity to store but not drain. They are the Heart, Lungs, Liver, Spleen, Kidneys, and Pericardium. The Fu, or hollow Yang bowels, drain but do not store. They are the […]
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The Function of the Gall Bladder in Chinese Medicine

The Gallbladder is classified both as a Fu and as an extraordinary bowel, as it both stores and secretes bile. As the reservoir for Heat and Dampness in the body, the Gall Bladder is responsible for absorbing excesses from the Liver. One of the functions of the Liver in Chinese medicine is to create smooth […]
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How To Choose An Acupuncture Point

People often ask me what the points are for while I am needling them. There is no easy answer to this question, as understanding the function of acupuncture points requires understanding all of Chinese medicine. The best answer is that the points being needled are for the person – they are in resonance with that […]
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Why Are Some Chinese Terms Capitalized

It is common practice in Chinese medicine (in languages other than Chinese) to capitalize terms that either have no real translation (such as Qi), or that mean something different in Chinese medicine than they might mean in another system (such as the term Heart in western biomedicine). Similarity in term does no imply the same […]
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Heart Facts

Heart meridian imbalances may manifest as • Multiple symptoms on the left side of the body • Frequent accidents (even if you do not think they are your fault) • Excessive or deficient perspiration • Difficulty listening or paying attention
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Bad News About Antiperspirants

If you have read the article The Heart Governs Sweat, it should be apparent that normal sweating is an important bodily function that should not be artificially altered. The Heart channel begins at the center of the armpit with Heart 1, Jiquan, or Supreme Source. Blocking the mechanism of sweating here directly blocks the Heart […]
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The Heart Governs Sweat

“The Heart Governs Sweat” is one of the 6 stated functions of the Heart in Chinese medicine. Although this may sound surprising to most people who are not familiar with Chinese medicine, even more surprising may be the amount of discussion Chinese medicine has pertaining to sweating. On a physical level, sweating has to do […]
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Exterior Resolvers

Exterior resolvers are acrid substances (foods or herbs) which relieve congestion at the surface of the body, expelling externally contracted pathogens such as wind heat and wind cold. The acrid, or pungent taste, moves and disperses. Exterior resolvers move the Qi by activating the Yang Qi of the Kidneys. In doing so, prolonged and inappropriate […]
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The Physiology of Flavor

This brief article is really an addendum to the article About Salt. Just as the salty flavor affects the Kidneys and salt metabolism, so does the sweet flavor affect the Spleen (pancreas in biomedicine) and sugar metabolism. The two tastes – salty and sweet – reflect the two basic substances of physiology. Our body contains […]
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About Salt

Chinese medicine recognizes six flavors, or tastes (“wei”) – sour, bitter, sweet, acrid, salty, and level (neutral). These flavors correspond, respectively, with the Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidneys (the level flavor does not correspond with one specific organ). These flavors contribute to the actions of foods and medicinal herbs. In fact, it is fair […]
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Fruit and Winter

It is generally believed in Chinese medicine that it is not appropriate to eat much fruit during the winter. Seen from a strictly biochemical perspective, this does not make much sense. But considered from an energetic perspective, it is a simple and logical idea. Most fruits are cooling in nature. They grow during the warm […]
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Beans and the Doctrine of Signatures

The doctrine of signatures is an old principle which basically states that a substance can be used to treat that which it resembles. The example which will be used in this article is that beans are beneficial to the Kidneys because they look like kidneys. This might seem like a primitive and silly notion at […]
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Hydration

How many glasses of water do we need to drink per day? This is one of the most frequently asked questions in my practice. The primary reason for the focus on this issue arises from the fact that the typical American diet is severely lacking in water. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and […]
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Vacuity

Vacuity is a term which is germane to the Kidneys. The terms Kidney Qi vacuity, Kidney Yin vacuity, and Kidney Yang vacuity, all describe a state of emptiness or depletion. Qi is vacuous when there is a lack of accumulation of it. Words such as “deficiency” and “weakness”, commonly used as translations in the West, […]
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What About Protein

Since I have written above about calcium, I have decided to also write briefly about the other most commonly asked about / misunderstood food topic – protein. Calcium and protein are the two things people are most concerned about not getting enough of. The reason for this is simple. The meat and dairy industries promote, […]
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The Kidneys and Bones

It is a stated function of the Kidneys, and a statement of fact in Chinese medicine (fundamental physiological correlations that just “are”), that “The Kidneys control the bones.” If one understand that the Chinese concept of the Kidneys includes the biomedical functions of the adrenal glands (as well as of the thyroid and parathyroid glands), […]
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Fish Oils and Omega 3’s

Since Water is the theme of this newsletter, it seems appropriate to discuss things that come from the water, such as fish. The fish oil craze has struck. When I ask people about their diet, they almost always say something about fish. Either they say that they eat it, or they make an apology for […]
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Take An Apple – The Problem With Nutraceuticals

It is everywhere you look today. The scientific community, the media, and the public refer to isolated components of food as if they were drugs. We talk about lycopene, not tomatoes. Vitamin C, not oranges. Calcium, not broccoli. The official term for this horrific conceptualization is “nutraceuticals.” Just like pharmaceutical, only with a nutrient. It […]
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