Classical Chinese Medicine
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This morning over breakfast, a discussion about nutrition arose. My girlfriend asked, how could this small serving of maple syrup have as many calories as two large cookies? And, why do I feel tired two minutes after eating it? This led to a larger discussion about nutrition and Chinese dietary therapy. I have written on […]
Patients typically come to acupuncture and Chinese medicine for one of three reasons. Either they have some condition for which there is no full resolution with conventional Western medicine and are looking for an alternative treatment; or they are seeking complementary therapy to work in conjunction with their conventional treatment; or they have preference for […]
It is my experience of 30 years of clinical practice that the majority of people I treat have a compromised digestive system. This is despite the fact that when asked in person and on my intake form, most people will report that their digestion is fine. There are two reasons for this. First, people have […]
The Chinese medical concept of indications and contraindications has no real equivalent in Western biomedicine. Pharmaceuticals are often contraindicated relative to specific conditions, such as avoiding anti-coagulants when there is risk of bleeding. However, in Western medicine there is no fundamental concept of physiology that describes a person’s overall make-up, and that includes treatments that […]
(This was originally posted on Instagram, hence the brevity.) Too much cold injures the Spleen. Ingesting too much cold and raw food and drink, including salad and fruit, can harm digestion. Instead, eat more warm, cooked foods and beverages such as soup, stew, tea, and warming spices such as cinnamon and ginger. Human beings are […]
Every culture has a concept of foods that are healthy and foods that are unhealthy. From early childhood, we are told that some things are good for us and some things are bad for us. And that it’s ok to eat the bad foods, just not too much and not until after we eat the […]