Health

Do you consider yourself a healthy eater? Do you follow the guidelines set forth by the government for healthy eating? Or have you gone rogue? There are as many different definitions of healthy as there are colors in the rainbow. But according to traditional Chinese medicine, there are certain guidelines that will keep the body happy and healthy throughout life. Let’s explore this a little deeper.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine diet is based on energetic principles that encourage balance, clean burning digestion and a well-functioning body that remains free of disease and full of energy. Eating for balance is a way of life in Traditional Chinese Medicine theory. There are certain foods that help the digestive system function properly and allow the body to utilize the nutrients it needs to perform. When food enters the mouth, it travels through the stomach and intestines. This is where the energy is extracted from the food and the waste products are excreted. The energy that was extracted become your life force or Qi (pronounced “chee”). Digestion, in TCM theory, should be an unnoticeable event. The digestive system should be clean and quiet, allowing the body to extract the most nutrition and energy from the food that is ingested. If the digestive system becomes clogged, the energy does not get adequately absorbed and there is leftover residue that sticks to places within the body thus causing blockages and affecting the body’s daily functions.

Looking for a solution to texting thumb?  Tennis elbow?  It's within you!  I’ve been writing about my personal experience with back pain, neck & shoulder pain, Lyme disease, stress, and chronic illness for over 3 years. Lately I’ve been learning how to better listen to my body and wanted to share my daily routine for keeping my body pain-free.

Car accident philosophy:

The human body can endure large amounts of trauma and pain. Think about the people you know who have walked away from car accidents, survived the impossible. Think about professional cage fighters. Your body is capable of taking a beating. I think about this while I do my stretches: I start with the basic stretches outlined below, but I’m always mixing it up and chaining things together. Imagine getting in a car accident with no seatbelt on and bouncing around the car, off the dashboard, into the backseat, etc. Your joints don’t stretch that direction following normal physical therapy exercises!

Consider the muscles in your neck between your head and right shoulder.

It makes intuitive sense that drinking chlorinated water can create imbalances in your intestinal flora. We know that chlorine will kill many of the good bacteria and microbes that live symbiotically with us in our gut. These good bacteria help us digest our food, keeping us serene and healthy. But most of us fail to take this thought to it’s logical end. I know I did.

You see, I thought that if I just drank filtered water, I’d have my bases covered. It never even occurred to me that the chlorine in my shower and bath water could be just as damaging, if not more so. That’s because your skin is your largest organ, and it’s naturally gifted with the ability to absorb both nutrients and toxins.

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