​I first read this in a book, and it had me stop and think, what REALLY gives us the most joy?  This is an important topic because once we know what gives us the most pleasure, if we can incorporate that into our world as a way to earn money, then life comes to us with ease.

In asking people, I have come across four basic categories.  There’s the teacher – the person who loves to share knowledge.  There’s the artist – the creative one, the person who loses themselves when making something, be it at object, a painting or music.  There’s the nurturer – the person who gets joy in making others happy, the mother who thrives on getting her family together or the animal lover or the nurse.  This is a tricky one though because one’s happiness is dependent on other people.  Then lastly there’s the adventurer, the person who thrives on travel and experiencing different cultures.

As may be suspected, I love sharing knowledge, hence this post.  If I can share knowledge about subjects I’m passionate about, like Traditional Chinese medicine or nutrition or supplements, then I’m in my element. 
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I hope that you find what feeds your soul and brings you joy.

Western Medicine sees illness as a result of infection due to various dreaded lurgies, like bacteria and viruses.  Chinese Medicine has 3 basic causes of disease – Weather, Emotions and Other (like accidents).

It all basically comes down to a person’s immune system.  If you’re happy, healthy, and have a strong immune system, you won’t get sick when sitting in a draft.  If for some reason your immune system is down a little, you will, i.e. if the body is weak in relation to the climatic factor

According to TCM, Defensive Qi flows in the area between skin and muscles.  This flow of energy acts as a barrier to the outside world, preventing invasion of pathogenic factors.  We believe that wind is the vehicle which carries pathogens into the body so sitting in a draft is sitting in Big Wind. 

Years ago, I visited a friend whose baby had just died.  We were sitting outside, in a draft, and I remember wondering about the potential of illness.  Because it was such a sad time,  our energy was very low and the next morning I work up with a screaming cold.

When we eat, our body takes energy from the food and sends it to the Lungs.  The Lungs then turn some of this energy into Defensive Qi and sends it to the area between the skin and muscles, so the quality of the food we eat is important to our immune system.

Besides protecting the body, Defensive Qi has other functions:  it keeps the skin moist and warm, it partially nourishes the muscles and it controls sweating, thereby regulating body temperature.

If Defensive Qi is weak, it will fail to hold fluids in the body leading to day-time sweating.  Conversely, if one has a cold, herbs are given which induce sweating and the expulsion of the pathogenic Wind-Cold factor.

As I mentioned, Wind is the vehicle through which pathogenic factors invade the body.  Wind-Cold creates cold symptoms like a runny nose and eyes.  Wind-Heat creates heat symptoms like fever and dryness.  Wind-Cold can turn into Heat if not treated in time. Wind-Damp creates a feeling of heaviness and aching muscles.

Often the invading pathogenic factor creates blockage in the area where Defensive Qi flows resulting in stagnation in the joints.  The type of pain is explained pertaining to climatic factors too, i.e. Wind will lead to pain moving from joint to joint and will mostly be in the upper part of the body.  Cold leads to intense pain in one joint.  Dampness will result in swollen joints, usually in the lower part of the body.
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Invading pathogenic factors create many more situations, this article is intended as an example of how TCM looks at conditions so differently to the view of Western Medicine.

ChinaHerb have a number of fabulous products with interesting names.  A knowledge of the basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine can help to understand why they work.

The premise of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is that to be healthy, the body and mind must be in balance.  Where there is cold – provide heat; where there is damp – induce dryness and so forth.

The words Yin and Yang encapsulate this perfectly.  Yin refers to dark, moist, cold, quiet, night, etc and Yang refers to bright, dry, hot, active, day etc.  (Yin and Yang explain a world of other stuff as well).

When we are conceived, we receive a precious substance called Pre-Heaven Essence from our parents.  This, basically, forms our constitution.  We can’t increase this Essence, but we can enhance it through what we eat and drink as well as our lifestyle.   The nourishment which we receive from our food and drink creates Post-Heaven Essence.  Together these Essences are stored in an area between the kidneys called the Gate of Life (Ming Men).

Because the kidneys are so closely related to Essence and the Fire of the Gate of Life, they are understood to be the source of Yin and Yang in the body.  Kidney-Yin is the root of all the Yin energies in the body as well as being the foundational substance of living.  Kidney-Yang is the root of all Yang energies as well as the force for all physiological activity.  At puberty, some Pre-Heaven Essence matures into Kidney-Essence which generates menstrual blood and sperm.

As we age, Essence gets used up, and as it starts to decrease, signs of Yin deficiency appear.  Yin-deficiency means that the symptoms seem like a hot condition but are not caused by heat, rather by the absence of Yin.  Symptoms include night sweating, dry mouth or skin or vagina, and dry and irritated eyes.  Many menopausal symptoms are related to Kidney-Yin deficiency.

The herbal formula for Nourish Root Yin is specific to nurture Yin and the kidneys and can be used as a supplement to support the elderly.

Key Symptoms and Signs for Use: 
Feeling hot in the chest, palms and soles 
Night sweating 
Tinnitus, loss of hearing, dizziness 
Sore and lassitude of back and legs 
Dry mouth and throat, or dry vagina, and dry skin 
Dry and irritated eyes 
Constipation from dry stools 
Aging
Tinnitus
Hyperthyroidism
Hypertension
Diabetes
Pulmonary tuberculosis
Chronic disorders of kidney
Chronic optic problems
Constipation
Growth and pubertal delay