Classical Chinese Medicine
Fundamental Principles
Yesterday, a woman called my office and asked me to tell her about “my program” for a particular problem. This is a common and understandable question in a time when “evidence based medicine” is prevalent, and people expect there to be a proven, standardized approach for their symptoms or illness. While this approach has value […]
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 […]
I was about 14 years old when I read my first book on acupuncture, Acupuncture: The Ancient Chinese Art of Healing and how it Works Scientifically by Felix Mann. Even though many years have passed since, I still recall his charts of four-needle tonification and sedation of the meridians. I studied and deciphered these charts […]
The theme of this newsletter is obviously taking care of yourself this fall and winter season. It is my impression that poor diet and lifestyle habits are primarily what fuel so many people being sick so often. It is fall and winter, not spring and summer. If you want to stay well, you have to […]
This article is a response to two topics. The first is the perpetuation of sayings such as “Eat five a day”. The second is the routine reassurance by my patients that they eat “a lot of fruit” (typically grouped with “a lot of chicken and a lot of fish”). My thoughts on this are as […]