chinese medicine for everyday living - squarespace · pdf filepart 2: diy acupressure ......

Chinese Medicine for everyday living Simple tools for reenergizing your life, moving your qi, and feeling fantastic. 2014

This class is a presentation of Sarah Nelson and Kevin Ferst The Center for Traditional Acupuncture and Herbs, Alfred NY. alfredacupuncture.com 607-587-9401.

Welcome! Kevin Ferst, MacOM & Sarah Nelson,

MacOM We’re NY state licensed acupuncturists

and practice acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and Chinese Medical Massage (Tuina)

3-part class Part 1: Guided movement exercise

(Daoyin,導引) Part 2: DIY Acupressure Part 3: Chinese kitchen herbs & home

remedies The season of Spring is the time of new

beginnings, the time to try new things and practice new ideas.

Daoyin,導引 Best done in the morning Takes 5-10 minutes Many of the exercises done in multiples of

9 (important number in Chinese numerology and cosmology)

Goes from head - to – feet (top to bottom)

Done standing or sitting

DIY Acupressure - Benefits Release pain Regulate the internal organs Easy to do No side effects

穴 - Acupuncture Points Points are influential locations where the flow

of qi and blood can be easily modified to regulate the functional activities of the body.

Points can be broad areas, even as big as a half dollar

Probably developed empirically over thousands of years

Several modern theories: releasing endorphines, affecting nerves, modulating electrical activity.

Regulate the qi! Points are often tender to the touch Points can be stimulated by pressure with

thumb, finger, or knuckle Press the point lightly and shallowly,

progressing deeper until you feel distending sensation or dull ache that spreads or travels outwardly from the point.

Hold the point until the pain subsides and you feel the muscles relax.

氣 – what is qi? The “currency” of nature’s rhythms and

body’s physiology What you feel when a needle is inserted Something that has:

Directionality Nourishment Changeability/Transformation Varying degrees of activity or stuckness

經絡 - Meridians

DIY Acupressure – Let’s Begin!

3 Point System (Dr Zhu Zong-Xiang) A popular system for health and longevity

in China, 3-1-2 3 acupressure points, stimulated twice a

day 1 breath (deep abdominal breathing) 2 legs – emphasis on getting constitutional

walks

内關, neiguan, “inner pass” Stops nausea/sea sickness/morning

sickness Calming Chest pain Insomnia

合谷, Hegu, “Joining Valley” For cold Headache (esp 1-sided) Toothache Sore throat Sore back Hypertension

足三里, Zusanli, “Three Leg Mile” Strengthen stomach Strengthen immunity Calming Builds qi and blood painkiller

Walk a 里 in their shoes…

Luo Zhen “stiff neck” For painful neck.

Press the point while you bend, flex, and extend your neck.

Yao Tong Xue “lumbar pain point”

Slightly proximal on hand vs luo zhen, and add the space between 4th-5th metacarpal.

For back pain Bend and twist

while pressing

Kong zui “maximum opening”

Find a point in the elbow crease, just outside the biceps tendon. Make a line between that and the base of the thumb. The point is in a depression about 2/3 the distance from base of thumb to the point in the crease

Used for cough, wheezing, asthma, or pain of the elbow

Feng Chi “wind pool” Can tie off two tennis

balls and lie on the ground. These are then placed under the occiput while the patient lays on the floor. Ten minutes or so this is helpful headaches, neck and shoulder tension and is just plan relaxing.

Points to ponder Some points are useful to meditate on These next two points are good for

grounding and centering.

涌泉, yongquan, “gushing spring” Grounding point, associated with

the kidneys The lowest point on the body Calming – descends excess from

above (overthinking) Revives consciousness Helps with cough

气海 – qihai, “sea of qi” The most centering point The reservoir of qi for the

whole body Strengthens qi and the

kidneys Important point for

mental and physical exhaustion

Good to warm with a hot water bottle

Often needled with heat

Part Three: Chinese Kitchen Herbs

Some of the foods we will cover Cinnamon Ginger Green Onion Fennel Peppermint Safflower Eggs + several home remedies

桂枝, guizhi Cinammon (twig) Good for common cold.

Take and lie down to induce sweating

Cold with stiff neck, chills and fever, some sweating, nasal discharge, etc…

生姜, shengjiang Fresh ginger For vomiting, cough,

or common cold Fantastic to warm the

digestive fires (中焦) in the morning.

Better not to take in the evening

葱白, congbai Scallion/green onion Stomach ache Nasal congestion Kicks out a cold

小茴香 xiao hui xiang Fennel seed For feeling cold or pain in the lower

abdomen Indigestion, reduced appetite, vomiting if

you have a stomach cold Key is it should be “cold”

薄荷, bohe Peppermint For fever, cough,

headache, dry eyes or sore throat

Helps with emotional constraint

红花, honghua Safflower Moves blood,

especially good gynecologically

For amenorrhea, abdominal pain or masses, clots, post-partum

Egg yolk, 鸡子黄 Strengthening, nourishes the blood and

body fluids Beneficial for insomnia, muscle twitching,

diarrhea, eczema

Dill For milk shortage

莲子, lianzi Lotus seeds For frequent urination, diarrhea Combine with aduki (red bean) and pearl

barley for a tonic soup

甘草, gancao Licorice For dry cough or

sore throat

Home Remedies

Common Cold (2 remedies) Slice 30g ginger and boil in 300 ml water

until reduced to 100ml. Add brown sugar until dissolves. Drink and rest.

Boil 10g peppermint and 10g green onion (white heads) in water. Make tea to relieve headache

Mastitis Boil 150g green onion white heads and

60g malt in 500 ml water for 20 minutes. Wrap heads and malt in clean white cloth. Use hot to rub on affected area.

Also can try applying cabbage leaf

Frostbite Chop and crush 5 red chilies, boil in 500 ml

water. Wash 2x a day

Chronic constipation Mix 2 teaspoonfuls of honey in glass warm

water. Drink on empty stomach first thing in morning.

Eat a few ripe banannas on an empty stomach first thing in morning.

Diarrhea Peel 2 cloves garlic and crush. Add 2 tsp

brown sugar. Boil in half glass water. Drink hot 2-3x a day

Morning sickness Boil 15 to 20 g grapefruit or tangerine peel

in water. Drink as a tea

Where to find these herbs? The Rogue Carrot (formerly, Kinfolk) Alfred’s natural grocery store (607) 587-8840

Find Us… On the web @

alfredacupuncture.com On Facebook @ /alfredacupuncture On Twitter

@AlfredAcuClinic

Thank You! We look forward to

seeing you! 607-587-9401

Works Cited / Images Manual of Acupuncture, by Peter Deadman An Atlas of Acupuncture, by Claudia Focks An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica, by

Jing Nuan-Wu The Tao of Nutrition, by Maoshing Li Chinese System of Food Cures Prevention and

Remedies, by Henry C. Lu Chinese calligraphic work by WENLIN Institute

(software for learning Chinese)

Our Clinic The Center for Traditional Acupuncture and Herbs

29 W University St Alfred, NY 14802 607-587-9401

alfredacupuncture.com

facebook.com/alfredacupuncture