TO THE POINT

TO THE POINT!

Vol. I, No 1 (Fall) Metal/Air 2007

Published with the Changing Season

By Kareen Holyer

10875 Grandview Road,

Ladysmith, BC V9G 1Z7

(250) 245-1074

www.SaltairJinShinDo.com

Purpose: to inform and support individual and community health and wellness of body, mind & spirit with Jin Shin Do® Body-Mind™ Acupressure

Welcome to the first edition of “To the Point!” Interesting health issues and information often come my way. There is an overwhelming amount of magazines, books, articles, etc on as many health subjects that I sometimes feel that I’m drowning in the “Information Age.” My goal is to choose one or two (ok, maybe three – at most) more critical or mind-grabbing bits and share them with you. My intention is to relate the issue at hand to Five Element Theory* or Oriental medicine, because these approaches are holistic (mind, body, spirit connection) and inclusive of nature and the seasons.

Five Element Theory, briefly, began in China just over two thousand years ago. The Theory promotes a holistic approach, that human beings are physically, emotionally, and spiritually influenced by the changing seasons or elements. When our energy system (Qi/chi) is out of balance due to, for example, too much dampness or heat, the result is illness or disease.

It is the season of Fall/Autumn, the Metal element is affected, which relates to the organ meridians (energy channels) of Lungs and Large Intestine. People may have symptoms of sore throats, low sexual energy, eczema, coughing, lack of enthusiasm, skin rashes, low/mid backache, nasal congestion, asthma, flu, constipation, to name a few.

Two recent articles, in the magazines “Alive” and “Diane,” which discuss the impact of inflammation on our body caught my attention. Our body fights off infections with inflammation, a self-defence mechanism whereby infection-fighting white blood cells attack bacteria and other invasive material. We notice this with heat (eg fever), pain, redness or swelling. When our defence system has things under control, the symptoms are supposed to disappear.

However, for reasons unclear as of yet to the medical profession, low-grade inflammation can persist, (chronic) causing illnesses such as: Crohn’s disease (inflamed intestine), asthma, chronic fatigue, laryngitis, lung diseases, depression, or sinusitis. I’ve listed only a few of the diseases related to the lungs and large intestine, there’s a host of others.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), some foods that can support the physical body during the Fall season are – soups, root veggies, onions, squash, brown & wild rice, beans, pumpkin, garlic and cabbage. I hear a loud cheer from people who support eating foods in season and within 100 miles. TCM considers foods as medicine for the body. Tossing in white or black beans in a spinach salad doubles the amount of magnesium, a mineral that helps reduce inflammation (“Diane”).

In addition to fighting inflammation with food, a ‘to do’ list includes healthy exercise, breathing clean air (pollution adds to inflammation), and keeping a healthy weight. These ideas are not new, but there seems to be a need to take them out of the closet, dust them off, and re-organize them occasionally, like when the seasons change! I also suggest a visit to your favorite body-works person to release those endorphins and other body natural chemicals that make us feel good and have been shown to support well-being and a healthy body.