Page 10 - Nuestro Magazine Dec 2017

10 HEALTH

Modern oriental Medicine

What is the alternative to training, however the other benefits are not
drugs and surgery? The answer has been well understood. When exercising, one gets
around for over four thousand years. The hot, which creates an artificial fever in the
Eight Limbs of Modern Oriental Medicine are body that kills viruses, fungi, bacteria and
Diagnosis, Breathing, Meditation, Exercise, parasites. If one exercises daily for 30-40
Massage, Food, Herbs and Acupuncture. minutes, one automatically strengthens the
The Yellow Emperors Guide to Internal Medi- immune system by routinely killing microbial
cine is dated back to at least 300 hundred infections. Secondly, one perspires when hot,
BCE. In Sri Lanka, stone tablets written in which opens the pores of the skin to eliminate
Sanskrit describing acupuncture meridian toxins. Lastly, exercise squeezes and pumps
therapy date back to 1000 BCE. The Medi- the lymphatic system that increases function
cal papyri of Egypt date back to at least of the immune system and blood flow back to
1800 BCE where they describe both the cir- the heart. The best exercises were invented
culation of blood and Chi through twelve in Asia, which include Taoist Yoga and Medi-
vessels, which is the basis of Oriental Medi- cal Chi Gong. Meridian Chi gong activates
cine. Gold and silver acupuncture needles the acupuncture meridians and stimulates
have been found in Egyptian burial sites. the internal organs. Tai Chi is a martial chi
gong, which has been adapted for health.
Breathing exercises will correct many emo-
tional problems before they become physi- There are eighty textbooks on Massage ther-
cal problems. Oriental medicine is based on apy written in the last two thousand years in
the circulation of Chi or Qi. This Chi is elec- China. Only five of them were translated to
tro-magnetic energy that circulates through create what we know as Swedish Massage.
carefully defined pathways called meridians. Chiropractic or spinal manipulation was also
The literal translation of Ch’i is Breath. This described in writing at least one thousand
corresponds to the ancient Greek element years before D.D. Palmer invented Chiroprac-
called Pneuma or air that circulates within tic manipulation. All of the modern massage
the body. According to Tibetan medicine, techniques such as Trager, Rolfing, Soma, Os-
the ultimate cause of all disease is a spiri- teopathy, Cranial Sacral, etc. were known in
tual imbalance. Observation shows us that Chinese and Tibetan Medicine. Other tech-
when the spirit is weak, the breathing is shal- niques are Thai Massage, Ayurvedic Mas-
low. Picture if you will, a child observing her sage, Tibetan Massage and Tui-Na, which is
parents argue, or being abused, or feeling Chinese Medical Massage. Tui-Na includes
her siblings are the enemy, will contract her joint and spinal manipulation.
abdominal muscles, tense her body and hold
her breath. This reduces the circulation of Chinese Dietetics or Food Therapy is part of
chi and is the origin of all disease. the development and culture of China and
practically all of Asia. Through observation
Meditation is a major tool in the Oriental and understanding of seasonal change and
Medicine Bag. Unfortunately it is not part availability of foodstuffs the Chinese, Per-
of our culture and we tend to lump it into sians, Hindus, Indonesians, etc. were able to
esoteric, occult, anti-religious and cultist make medical decisions part of the culture.
fads. Adults create for themselves, job stress, For example the seasoning we call curry
money stress, in-law stress, etc. They worry powder is actually a medicine. The five cu-
and are anxious about things they have no linary spices of turmeric, garlic, cayenne,
control over. This mental stress is distracting black pepper and ginger all have medici-
from basic things like eating and sleeping. nal properties. Because refrigeration was
www.nuestromagazine.com Meditation is the best way to still the mind, together was a way of strengthening the im-
non-existent until modern times, preserving
We make poor food choices and do not get
food was a problem. Using these spices all
quality sleep when we are mentally stressed.
mune system to prevent food poisoning.
calm and relax the nervous system. Medita-

tion is the flip side of prayer and is a power-
Modern Chinese Herbal Medicine has de-
ful daily ritual that will help you accomplish
veloped a way to increase the potency of
your goals.

one needs fifteen to thirty grams of herbal
Exercise in the West is considered good
medicine to be effective. This translates as
for cardio-vascular strength and muscle herbs and decrease the dosage. Typically
Nuestro Magazine • Nov/Dec/Jan 2018