Tuesday, January 26, 2010

East and west, hot and cold

Yesterday was one of those great flowing sort of days where you are able to accomplish what you must and what you desire to do. I was able to devote time to my herbal studies, sparked by a post written by a well respected herbal instructor. This teacher specializes in the blending of western and eastern herbal philosophy, and in the past I have found his findings to be very accurate in treatment of different ailments I had encountered. Today's information dealt with something called a Yin Deficiency, and it led me to research on herbs and foods that would help bring this into balance.

Eastern medicine (yin and yang) is based on balance and five elemental factors- earth, ,fire, wood, water and metal. Western Medicine operates with beliefs that specific chemical compounds have specific affects ( diuretic, tonic, antiseptic and so forth) . Eastern medicine belives that all disease is a manifestation of an inbalance between the forces of yin and yang( dry vs wet, cold vs hot and so forth). Eastern medicine seeks to recreate the body's balance and therefor bring a state of wellness. It is fascinating , simplistic and yet incredibly complicated for the western mind to grasp. It has a history of practice that predates western medicine by several thousand years, and in several aspects has a greater body of knowledge to draw from. Study of both schools of thought makes for a deeper understanding of the human body.

So what does this have to do with weight loss you ask ? In this instance, it provides and illustration of one of those moments where the Universe is trying to hit me over the head with a 2x4. Last week the discovery of the old journals then the inclusion of higher fiber and healthy fats in my diet , and now...Kidney Meridian Yin Deficiancy.

Let me explain- in eastern medicine a meridian is sort of a highway for energetic patterns in the body that is very similar to electricity. It is named for a specific organ, but it flows through much more than just the organ. The Kidney meridian is the energetic pathway that controls many of our bodily fluids, and emotions like fear- or at least shows up in these things when it gets imbalanced. Yang is heat, Yin is cooling and it seems as we age this meridian can become yin deficiant. Spicy foods, stress, the normal aging process bring about this condition. The restoration of this is through meaningful rest( spiritual activities, creative pursuits, restorative gentil walks) blue/black colored foods such as blueberries, BLACK BEANS,( all beans are included for their shape but not color) black sesame seeds and HEALTY FAT foods such as nuts and seeds. Herbal infusions such as nettle, oatstraw and astragalus are also beneficial.

Wow ! It is EXACTLY what I had been led to . Further reading about symptoms that indicate a kidney yin deficiancy almost looked like they could be a description for symptoms I have been dealign with for a while and had a strange hunch could be related.I have had this happen several other times for other things and I always attribute it to my Guides ( what some would call Guardian Angels) watching out for me and leading me to what I must know.

Simply conformation that I am on the right track. Time to find further interesting ways to get those blue black foods and healthy fats in my diet !

3 comments:

JC said...

Interesting post.

Diane Fit to the Finish said...

Glad that you are finding what works for you. I too often read something or hear something that triggers a response in me to do something differently. Sometimes it is at church and other times it can be from a friend or a blog! :)

Enz said...

I love how you always teach me something!