Traditional Chinese Medicine Experience
“You stop writing, you get better!”
One of the reasons Dr. Ralph Moss doesn't extensively cover TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) is because there is "extreme complexity of this time-honored medical system. Most of the formulas have multiple components, and sometimes practitioners are vague (or even secretive) about the actual ingredients in their formulas." This has been my experience visiting several TCM doctors.
I think laughing was the best medicine I received from one of my traditional Chinese medicine physicians. At my first appointment, he examined me and diagnosed me with low Qi (energy). He said, "You have poor energy." He touched my skin and said my circulation was slow and poor and my pulse was sluggish, but he said, "After treatment with me you'll be better." He pushed on my nails and they stayed white too long — he said that shows poor circulation. Then he said, "You're skinny! If you are skinny and healthy, that's good; but if you're skinny and unhealthy, very bad. We will see." He was upset that I brushed my tongue that morning. He monitors progress by looking at the tongue, so he told me not to brush my tongue on the mornings I see him. He says a little bit of white on the tongue is good. He also wanted to know how I felt. He says it’s all about how you feel!
He explained that Qi and blood are like a bridge that's connected. My problem was Qi.
Acupuncture needles are placed in specific places on the body to achieve different reactions by bodily organs and systems.
I had several rounds of acupuncture. He called his acupuncture "real Chinese acupuncture." He put a lot of needles in the top of my head, because this raises the Qi. The needles on the top of my knees would raise my Qi and blood, and the ones on the outside of my shins were for detoxification. The needle on my left shin kept popping out, and he said my liver was rejecting it. Hmmmm . . .
He gave me a small bag of cleansing tea (powdered formula specially made by him from a family recipe); he told me to drink it for two weeks and then return for acupuncture. He said the cleansing tea would clear up my liver. He also gave me cancer tea, better known as mucus tea. The Chinese believe that mucus causes cancer. Instead of calling it cancer tea, they like the name mucus tea better. I drank this tea 2-3 times each day for 90 days. There were very specific instructions for boiling the tea and then drinking it first thing in the morning. He encouraged me to continue drinking the tea once a year for maintenance.
He taught me to massage the front of my shins, right next to the bone, for 2-3 minutes per day. This relaxes the body. I have made this part of my bedtime routine. Visit the Sleep page to learn more about a bedtime routine.
He taught me this way of eating:
DAIRY — Don’t eat dairy, because these are mucus-causing foods, and there are hormones in the milk and cheese.
EGGS — Eggs are okay, one or two at the most. If you have two eggs, eat only the whites and add just one of the yolks.
GPS — No refined GRAINS, just a little POTATOES, and no refined SUGAR. Just a little fruit and tons of vegetables!
MEAT — Eat seafood and grass-fed meat, always well-done, no bleeding.
NUTS — Nuts are good, but not too much (10 at the most).
RAW VEGETABLES — No raw salad or raw vegetables, always cooked. “If we eat them raw, then our stomach has to cook them.” He said, "Julie do you see vegetables in the toilet when you go?" I said, "Yes, I guess, sometimes." He said, "SEE? Animals eat the grass raw for us, and when we eat the animal, we get the raw grass.”
SEEDS — Sunflower seeds are bad, but pumpkin are better.
Other tips:
I learned from my traditional Chinese medicine physician to massage my shins before bed in order to sleep better.
BLOOD SUGAR — Blood sugar needs to be very stable. Build muscle because that stabilizes sugar.
BREATHING — Breathe in through the nose and hold it, and then breathe out of the mouth while circling the hands in a clockwise motion. 2-3 times per day.
DRINKING — Drink room temperature or warm liquids. Cold liquids are not good for your stomach.
EXERCISING —
He taught me Qi Gong and told me to do this every day.
He taught me hand exercises:
Rub hands together
Rub back of hands up from the bottom
Interlock fingers together and then switch fingers
HAIR — Sesame oil is good for your hair.
LIVER STIMULATION — Put your right hand on your liver and your left hand on top. Then rub toward the center of your body in a circular motion.
SLEEP — Sleep 7-8 hours each night. Massage the outside of the shins before bed in order to sleep better.
THYROID — I was upset that I had to take thyroid medication. He said, “Julie, if you have low thyroid, you have to take medicine. It's okay! If you have high thyroid, it can come down without medicine.”
VITAMINS — Don't take isolated vitamins if your bloodwork is good. Only take them if you are deficient in something. Just eat good food.
Funny things he said:
“TCM stands for totally crazy medicine.”
"Julie, you smell like a cookie."
"Every morning I say to myself, 'Good Morning! Congratulations, you're one day older! Are you happy? ‘YES!’"
"Do what makes you happy. I ride my motorcycle, drink wine, watch TV, and go to the ocean."
“Life is too short to sue people, to fight people, or to be angry.”
I took so many notes every time he talked that he made notice of me writing too much. He said, "Julie, you stop writing, you get better!" 😂
I now see him once a year for maintenance. Just before I left the last time he said, "Julie, if you have to ever go to the emergency room, I'll go with you! I can save your life!"