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In This Chapter

^ Discovering the origins of Nature Cure

^ Understanding disease according to Nature Cure

^ Getting to know Nature Cure diagnosis

^ Exploring Nature Cure therapies

^ Researching evidence that Nature Cure works

^ Locating Nature Cure programmes and practitioners

Ature Cure, also known as Natural Therapeutics or Natural Hygiene, dates back to the health wisdom of Hippocrates in ancient Greece. However, Nature Cure had its heyday from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries and also led to the development of what is known today as naturopa-thy (for more about naturopathy have a look at Chapter 13).

In this chapter, I introduce you to some of the great Nature Cure pioneers and their simple but astoundingly effective cures using only water, air, sun, and natural foods.

You’ll find out about Nature Cure approaches that are still popular today and examine evidence for their effectiveness. I also give you some tips on where you can go to experience Nature Cure for yourself.

What Is Nature Cure?

The renowned practitioner Henry Lindlahr once described Nature Cure as ‘a complete revolution in the art and science of living’. He argued that it wasn’t

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So much a system of medicine to be imposed on the body as a way of living healthily and ‘the application of common sense and reasoning to the solution of the problems of health, disease, and cure’.

Nature Cure involves methods for promoting health and preventing disease using natural resources such as water, sunlight, fresh air, and natural Dietetics (the use of unadulterated and fresh wholefoods). This approach to health also suggests that disease can be resolved without any need for drugs, surgery, pills, or potions. Instead, advocates of Nature Cure believe that by following a natural, healthy lifestyle with wholesome, fresh food, fresh water, plenty of exercise and fresh air, a calm and positive mind, and a moral and ethical mind-set, most ill health can be prevented or eased.

Nature Cure’s roots are in the keen observation and imitation of nature by ordinary people. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Nature Cure was heralded as a return to nature and even a ‘new gospel of health’. This approach was seen as an alternative to the somewhat primitive and barbaric medical practices of the time and as an antidote to ‘sinful’ habits such as drinking and smoking. One practitioner described Nature Cure as designed to ‘free humanity from the destructive influences of alcoholism, meat-eating, dope and tobacco habits, drug-poisoning, vaccination, surgical mutilation, vivisection, and other abuses practised in the name of science’!

Initially Nature Cure practitioners faced huge opposition from the medical establishment but gradually some doctors started to adopt their practices and took them on to greater prominence and acceptance, especially in the US, Europe, and India.

A (Very) Brief History of Nature Cure

The founder of Nature Cure was a farmer, Vincent Priessnitz, who lived in Grafenberg, in the Silesian mountains, then part of Austria, in the early 19th century. He became known as the ‘Water Doctor’ after developing cold water cures that were so successful people travelled from far and wide to receive them.

Priessnitz’s successful cures led eventually to the foundation of a large water cure Sanitarium (derived from the Latin Sanitas And meaning ‘a place dedicated to health’) in his home town. Treatments there involved cold water therapy, including immersion in natural streams; outdoor exercise; mountain air; and wholesome, simple country fare based on black bread, vegetables, and fresh milk from cows fed on nutritious mountain grasses.

Vincent Priessnitz once crushed his finger while working on his family’s small farm and spontaneously stuck it in a nearby cold stream. He was amazed at how this quickly relieved the pain and reduced the swelling and bruising. He remembered this when, in 1819, he was knocked down by a carriage and severely injured. His doctor told him he would not recover from his injuries, which included many broken ribs and damaged limbs. However, Priessnitz was determined to get well as his family depended on him to work the farm since his father had gone blind.

Treatment with hot compresses just increased his pain and discomfort so instead he made cold water compresses for his injuries and these brought immediate relief. To everyone’s surprise, with regular applications, he recovered quickly and was soon able to work the farm again.

Word soon spread about this cure and of Priessnitz’s cures for other local people. Before long both rich and poor were travelling from far and wide to be treated by him and he eventually devoted himself full-time to this work, building the first Water Cure Establishment in 1826.

Other great Nature Cure pioneers and their innovations, which are still in use today have included:

Johannes Schroth, An Austrian waggoner, famous for creating a ‘dry’ food diet and fasting regime known as the Schroth cure.

Father Sebastian Kneipp, A Bavarian Catholic priest, who devised herbal and water cures and therapeutic herbal teas.

Dr Heinrich Lahmann, A German physician, who devised outdoor exercise regimes and was one of the first to emphasise the importance of mineral intake and the dangers of eating excess salt.

I Ignaz Von Peckzely, A Hungarian doctor, who developed a form of eye diagnosis that later became iridology (for more about iridology, check out Chapter 13 on naturopathy).

I Louis Kuhne Who devised a method of facial diagnosis and a regime of sun, steam, water, and sitz baths (see the ‘Hydrotherapy’ section, later in this chapter, for more on these), together with a vegetarian diet.

Arnold Rickli Who advocated Heliotherapy (sunlight therapy) and created the first Light and Air Institution in Austria, in 1848.

I Dr James C. Jackson And Dr John H. Kellogg, Who spread Nature Cure ideas in the US and created the first breakfast cereals!

Dr James Caleb Jackson had his life and health saved by a Nature Cure practitioner and went on to found the Jackson Sanitarium in Dansville, New York, advocating ‘Health by Right Living’ – water, rest, exercise, diet, and psychotherapy. He also invented the first dry breakfast cereal, in 1863, called Granula and made from toasted, dried, and crumbled graham flour grains (a mixture of white flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ invented by Sylvester Graham), soaked overnight.

Dr John Harvey Kellogg set up Battle Creek Sanitarium, focusing on vegetarian diet, exercise,

And regular enemas, and his work was made into the film The Road to Wellville.

John Kellogg invented the cornflake and set up a wholegrain food company with his brother, Will. However, they later parted ways because Will wanted to add sugar to the cereal whereas John wanted to remain true to Nature Cure’s health food principles and avoid sugar. However it was Will’s sugar-coated cereal company that became the most successful and which survives as the global Kellogg’s food company today.

I Dr Henry Lindlahr, Whose Nature Cure books became bestsellers in the US and Europe and are still in print today.

I Stanley Lieff Who promoted Nature Cure through his Health for All magazine in the UK and opened a health farm in 1925 on the site of what is now the famous Champney’s health resort.

I Dr Alfred Vogel Who championed nature cures in Switzerland and whose remedies and health books are now sold all over the world. (You can read more about him in Chapter 13).

I Dr Bernard Jensen, Perhaps the most well-known and influential Nature Cure practitioner who popularised iridology, opened various Nature Cure Sanitariums and training institutions in the US from the 1950s, and authored over 200 natural healthcare publications. He lived healthily and actively to the age of 91.

Deciphering Disease in Nature Cure

According to Nature Cure, disease is due to violation of the laws of nature; that is, improper eating, drinking, working, resting, breathing, and thinking, as well as inappropriate moral, social, and sexual conduct.

People are said to violate these laws for four reasons:

I Indifference: We don’t care about eating the wrong things, avoiding exercise and the possible harmful effects on our body.

I Ignorance: We lack knowledge about the effects of poor diet, lack of exercise, immoral actions, and so on on the body, mind, and spirit.

I Self-indulgence: We’re concerned only with our immediate pleasure and satisfaction and don’t consider the long-term consequences.

I Lack of self-control: We simply don’t know when to say ‘enough’ and to stop drinking, eating, and so on.

Violation of these natural laws is thought to have three main effects on the body:

I Lowered vitality

I Abnormal composition of blood and other body fluids, including lymph (the nearly colourless fluid that bathes body cells and flows through the lymphatic vessels)

I Accumulation of waste matter, morbid materials, and poisons in the body, leading to disruption of normal functions

Acute disease Is seen as Nature’s attempt at cleansing and healing the body, and is described as a ‘healing crisis’, which the body can overcome if correct habits and lifestyle are adopted alongside Nature Cures.

Chronic disease Is where the body has gone beyond the point of ‘healing crisis’, and is thought to be associated with an over-accumulation of toxins and a level of dysfunction that causes significant damage to the body.

Diagnosis in Nature Cure

Nature Cure practitioners are interested in the study of the whole rather than just the parts, so they investigate the functioning of your whole body, mind, and emotions and not just your particular symptoms. They want to understand your overall lifestyle, habits, and mental attitude to understand how these are affecting your health. Diagnosis is made on the basis of some or all the following:

I Dietary analysis: The practitioner investigates what foods and beverages you eat and drink; how you prepare them; and where, when, and how you eat them.

In the US in the mid to late 19th century, some practitioners started to downplay the Nature Cure water cures and instead developed the Hygienic movement (the word comes from Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health). They were against the idea of seeking ‘cures’ and instead wanted to focus on the ‘scientific application of the principles of Nature in the preservation and restoration of health’. Natural hygienists, as they came to be known, don’t agree with the use of any remedies (including homeopathic remedies or herbs), manipulations or medicines (except for certain diseases such as diabetes),

Or surgery (except in the case of accidents and injuries). Instead, their emphasis is on educating patients in the correct use of food, fasting, water, air, light, exercise, rest, sleep, appropriate clothing and environment, and emotional health in order to provide the essentials for health.

Today natural hygiene’s main promoter has been Dr Herbert Shelton. Natural hygiene practitioners currently exist in the US, Australia, India, and the UK, and many are members of the International Natural Hygiene Society.

IU Questioning about lifestyle habits: The practitioner asks about your exercise, leisure, and sleep habits, as well as your exposure to fresh air and natural sunlight. Bowel habits will also be of interest!

I Face and tongue diagnosis: The practitioner analyses your facial patterns and expressions and your tongue to look for clues about the underlying causes of your disease. For example, a sallow, spotty skin and thickly coated tongue would be seen as a sign of accumulated waste matter in the intestines.

I Observation: The practitioner carefully observes your posture and gait to determine your overall structural balance and alignment, and may examine nails, skin and hair for signs of health.

I Iridology: The practitioner examines the iris of your eye using a special magnifying glass or eye inspection equipment to identify signs of imbalance or dysfunction.

I Manipulation: The practitioner moves your limbs and spine to test the range of movement of your joints and the alignment of your bones.

Restoring Health with Nature Cure

Nature Cure focuses on cleansing the body, removing accumulated waste matter and toxins, and improving overall vitality. Other important aims are to improve nutritional status through good eating practices and to ‘restore the spirit’ by boosting confidence, stimulating hope, and encouraging self-empowerment and self-help.

Nature Cure approaches, designed to awaken the body’s self-healing ability include:

Return to nature: Regular and appropriate eating, drinking, fasting, breathing, bathing, clothing, working, resting, sleeping, thinking, moral life, sexual life, and social life.

Elementary remedies: The use of water, air, and sunlight for their therapeutic benefits.

Natural remedies: The use of natural, nutrient-rich foods for health and healing, and sometimes also herbal and homeopathic remedies.

Mechanical remedies: Using exercise, massage, and manipulation therapy.

Mental and spiritual remedies: Relaxation, constructive thought, prayer, and meditation.

Nature Cure dietary therapy

Nature Cure recommends eating a simple, wholesome, unadulterated diet based on seasonal and fresh fruit and vegetables, lightly cooked, with the addition of protein from, for example, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. Here are some more specific Nature Cure recommendations for your diet:

Eat a vegetarian diet. This is strongly recommended because it is alkaline in nature and rich in mineral salts and fibre (the chewy bits in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains), thereby assisting elimination and cleansing of the body. Green, leafy, and juicy vegetables, such as lettuce and watercress, are regarded as especially beneficial.

Consume raw and living foods. These foods, such as sprouted grains, are packed with live enzymes and seen as especially nutritious.

Use simple dressings. Plain lemon juice or olive oil are preferred to sugary and salty salad dressings.

Consider milk. Milk, live yoghurt, whey products, and buttermilk were all originally recommended by Nature Cure practitioners (but not blue and other strong cheeses). Milk was seen as ‘the only perfect natural food combination in existence’ and was believed to be an ideal food for growth and repair. However, at that time milk came from grass-fed cattle living a natural existence in unspoilt meadows and on mountainsides. The animals weren’t fed artificial foodstuffs, nor kept indoors, nor given cocktails of antibiotics, growth hormones, and other drugs as they sometimes are today. In addition, the milk was unpasteurised and therefore contained many live enzymes and Pro-biotic bacteria (healthy bacteria for the intestines). It was therefore quite different from most milk on the market today.

Nowadays, Nature Cure practitioners are more likely to recommend plant milks such as oat, rice, soya, almond, and coconut milks instead of dairy milk, because they no longer consider dairy milk to be such a healthy food. This recommendation is partly because of concerns about modern dairy farming practices, as outlined above, and also because dairy intolerance now appears to be quite common, and in response to concerns about the possible links between dairy consumption and osteoporosis and certain cancers (for more on this read Professor Jane Plant’s excellent books Your Life in Your Hands: Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Breast Cancer And Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Osteoporosis (Virgin Books)).

Ditch the coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, and other stimulants. These are seen as toxic and fatiguing. Nature Cure advises replacing these with vegetable and fruit juices, herbal teas, dandelion coffee, and water. Fresh water plus lemon juice is regarded as the best drink for first thing in the morning, and prune or fig juice is recommended for sluggish bowels or constipation.

Stop the sugar. Sugar and artificial sweeteners are considered deadly and putrefying and to be avoided at all costs. Nature Cure recommends using raw, enzyme-rich honey, unrefined maple syrup, and fresh and dried fruits as natural sweeteners instead.

Take your grains whole. Because of the importance of chewing and saliva production and the higher levels of nutrients and fibre, whole grains (brown foods) are considered much better than refined white foods.

Go nuts! Nuts (used sparingly) and seeds provide good nutrition. Pulses (beans, lentils, and so on) can also be good but use them in moderation because too many can cause digestive gas.

Restrict your salt and pepper. Nature Cure practitioners recommend you add only vegetable or seaweed salts in cooking.

Avoid animal fats. Olives are much better for you than sausage fry-ups or burgers.

Eat organic. This advice is a recent addition. Nature Cure practitioners always recommend eating food that is as unadulterated as possible and pesticide-free.

Finding out about fasting

Fasting Isn’t so much about starving as about giving the digestive system a rest and cleansing the intestines of hardened waste matter that has built up over the years. In Nature Cure, fasts may be short (a day) or long (from several days to a few weeks). The length of time is never decided upon

Beforehand but adjusted according to your body’s reaction and how you feel. Sometimes certain foods or drink are included. In the case of long fasts, water, vegetable or fruit juice, or vegetable broths may be used, and regular enemas (the introduction of liquid into the bowels by means of a tube to cleanse them) are essential to aid the cleansing process.

Any sort of long fast needs always to be carried out under careful supervision from an experienced practitioner because fasting can be dangerous if done incorrectly. Never use fasting as a method of dieting.

The most important part of the fast is breaking it correctly. If you rush back to jam doughnuts, burgers, and beers, then all benefits from the fast are lost and you may experience harmful after-effects. Break the fast gradually, beginning with liquids (vegetable and fruit juices) followed by small amounts of easily digestible foods. At the end of a successful therapeutic fast, you feel renewed vigour and have loads of energy.

You can create your own hydrotherapy at home by making a warm, or cool, salt water bath.

For a warm-water bath, first fill your bath with warm water (37°C). Then add 300 to 1,000 grammes of salt rock crystals (available from health food shops) and dissolve. Next, drink a glass of water and then soak in the bath for up to 20 minutes. Do notexceed this time and don’t use any soap or shampoos. Then get out and allow your body to dry naturally or rub yourself dry with a small, coarse towel. Don’t apply any body creams or lotions. Drink another glass of water and then wrap yourself in a clean towel or cotton bathrobe and rest on your bed for 30 to 60 minutes. If necessary, cover up with blankets to keep warm.

Minerals and trace elements from the rock crystals are absorbed through your skin while you soak, and impurities are passed out of the body into the water and onto the towel. Wash your towel and clean the bath afterwards to

Remove these impurities. At the end of the bath, you may feel initial tiredness but this is soon replaced with renewed vigour after your rest.

Alternatively, you can do the same treatment using cool water. For this, first fill the bath a quarter full with hot water into which you dissolve the rock salts. Then fill the bath to the normal level with cool water and repeat as above.

It is essential you do not allow yourself to get chilled using the cool bath and do not stay in it for longer than 15 minutes at a time. If you feel chilled at any time, get out at once and wrap yourself in a warm towel. If you find the cool water bathing difficult, just start with short soaks of a few minutes and gradually build up to the full 15 minutes over time, as your body adjusts.

Cold water baths are not advised for young children, the frail, or the elderly, or for anyone with high blood pressure or heart or kidney problems.

Hydrotherapy: The wonders of water cure

Water has always been seen in Nature Cure as the most potent remedy for both cleansing and healing. Water treatments may be internal, as in enemas, where water is used to flush out the colon, or external in the form of baths, compresses, or jets.

The baths may be hot, warm, cool, or cold and may involve full body or only partial immersion as in hip baths, where only the hips are placed in water in a specially shaped bath, like a seat, or sitz baths where the hips are in one part of the bath with hot water while the feet are in the other part with cold water. You change positions several times to alternate the hot and cold water on the hips and feet.

You can make compresses by soaking a towel in hot or cold water and then wringing it out and placing it on the affected part of your body. Hot compresses dilate the blood vessels and increase circulation, easing stiffness, while cold compresses restrict blood flow and help to reduce swelling and inflammation.

High-powered water jets are sometimes used to stimulate circulation. I vividly remember experiencing the Scottish version of this when I stayed at Tyringham, the renowned and, sadly, now defunct Nature Cure and naturo-pathic centre in England. I was asked to stand naked in a tiled area with my back to the therapist and to grasp two metal rails on the walls. I soon found out why, for she proceeded to direct two jets of high-powered, ice-cold water all over the back of my body! The force of these icy jets simply took my breath away but afterwards I felt completely invigorated.

Electrotherapy

Some early Nature Cure practitioners, notably John Harvey Kellogg, Dr Otis Carroll, and Harold Dick, pioneered the use of Constitutional hydrotherapy, Which involves applying moist pads with a small electrical current to stimulate the skin while also using hot and cold water compresses.

Using an electrical current was found to produce much better results, in a shorter time, than spending two to four hours with alternating hot and cold baths, showers, or infusions, as was normal custom in Nature Cure clinics in the mid-1900s. Electrical stimulation was believed to increase white blood cell count, stimulate cellular activity, and facilitate elimination of toxins. This technique is now only practised by a few naturopaths.

To practise heliotherapy, find a quiet, secluded Avoid overexposure to the sun and don’t allow

Place, then remove your clothes. (You may wish your skin to burn. Sip cool water while resting

To wear a sun hat and swimwear to protect del- in shade. At the end of your sun bath, splash

Icate skin.) Next, expose your skin to sunlight for your body with cold water or take a cool shower.

5 to 10 minutes, then go in the shade for 30 min- Allow your skin to dry naturally or pat it dry. utes, and then repeat this sequence. This practice is known as Skin gymnastics.

Heliotherapy: The healing power of the sun

Nowadays we have become very cautious about sun exposure, with good reason, because we know much more about the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer and the risks of skin cancer. However, some controlled sunlight exposure is still important for everybody to allow the body to manufacture Vitamin D, essential for healthy, strong bones.

Nature Cure heliotherapy involves careful, limited skin exposure to the sun’s rays at times when they’re not at their peak (that is, avoiding the midday sun).

Heliotherapy not only encourages Vitamin D formation, it is also believed to stimulate circulation, increase oxygen metabolism in the skin cells, and help stop the spread of infections. (Exposing cuts or wounds to sunlight for short periods can also speed up healing.)

Air baths

The air bath was once described by Nature Cure practitioner Gordon Pitcairn-Knowles as ‘one of the best safeguards against the troubles that most commonly assail us’. Our skin can get very little air exposure during autumn and winter months, when we’re covered with layers of clothing, yet it still needs it.

Air baths are said to improve skin tone, stimulate circulation, improve temperature regulation, and increase your resistance to draughts, colds, and temperature changes.

To take an air bath, stand naked in a room at home or in your garden, and walk around exposing your skin to different air flows and temperatures. You can also do light exercises or skin brushing with a dry loofah or soft, natural bristle brush, from the feet up towards the heart, if you wish (for more about skin brushing, see the description in Chapter 13). Continue walking around for five to ten minutes but don’t let yourself get cold.

The best time to take an air bath is first thing in the morning upon waking. Air baths are also beneficial for the bed-ridden and can be performed by just pulling back the covers and turning onto front, back, and side positions.

At the end of the air bath, rub your body vigorously with your hands and then take a cool or warm shower and dress in comfortable clothing made from natural fibres.

Other Nature Cure therapies

A sampling of other Nature Cure therapies includes herbal and homeopathic remedies; gymnastics, massage, and manipulation; and self-care.

Herbal and homeopathic remedies

Many Nature Cure practitioners have also been trained in herbalism or homeopathy, so herbal and homeopathic remedies as well as biochemical tissue salts are often featured in Nature Cure programmes.

Gymnastics, massage, and manipulation

Many early Nature Cure practitioners also trained in osteopathy or chiroprac-tics, so some of these therapies’ manipulations and massage treatments are often incorporated into Nature Cure (for more about these treatments, see Chapters 14 and 15 on osteopathy and chiropractics).

Self-care in Nature Cure

Nature Cure recommends keeping regular hours for sleep, with the hours between 10 p. m. and 2 a. m. being regarded as the most important. Old Nature Cure books say these hours are significant because the earth is farthest from the sun at this time. Breathing exercises, wearing clothes made from natural fibres, positive thinking, prayer, meditation, and moderate social and sexual activity are all seen as important, too.

A German physician trained in homeopathy, Wilhelm Schussler came up with the idea toward the end of the 19th century that 12 tissue salts formed the basis of all cellular activity in the body. He disregarded the hundred or so homeopathic remedies already created by that time by Dr Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, and instead claimed that his 12 homeopathically prepared tissue salts were all that the body required for healing.

His 12 salts are available in tablet form over the counter in health food shops and chemists and can be taken singly or in combination, according to the ailment. The 12 salts are:

U Calcarea phosphorica: Made from calcium phosphate

U Calcarea sulphurica: Made from calcium sulphate

U Ferrum phosphoricum: Made from iron phosphate

U Silicea: Made from silicon dioxide

U Chloride of potassium: Made from potassium chloride

U Kali phosphoricum: Made from potassium phosphate

U Kali sulphuricum: Made from potassium sulphate

U Magnesia phosphorica: Made from magnesium phosphate

U Calcarea fluorica: Made from calcium fluoride

*u Natrum muriaticum: Made from sodium chloride (table salt)

U Natrum phosphoricum: Made from sodium phosphate

U Natrum sulphuricum: Made from sodium sulphate

Finding Out if Mature Cure Works

Most of the evidence to support Nature Cure is anecdotal, based on all the cures apparently achieved in Nature Cure sanitariums during the hundreds of years that they’ve been operating. Little modern research has focused on Nature Cure therapies other than hydrotherapy. Some studies appear to confirm the benefits of hot and cold water treatments for conditions such as varicose veins and arthritis. Hydrotherapy has also been shown to be useful in the treatment of sports injuries.

Modern day research on Vitamin D has confirmed that a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes exposure to moderate sunlight is essential to stimulate Vitamin D production in the body; this vitamin plays a role in ensuring strong and healthy bones. These findings appear to support the Nature Cure advocacy of heliotherapy (controlled sun exposure).

Modern nutritional research also supports many of the concepts underlying Nature Cure’s dietary approach, with its emphasis on an essentially natural

Diet of whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetables. This approach to diet can be translated today as recommendations for additive-free, unprocessed, and organic food, and we now know that whole grains are much richer in essential B vitamins, fibre, and other nutrients than their refined equivalents.

Other Nature Cure approaches, such as fasting and enemas, lack a scientific evidence base and many medics do not support their use.

Deciding When to Use Nature Therapies

Nature Cure has traditionally been seen as especially beneficial for joint, digestive, circulatory and respiratory disorders, weight problems, and skin diseases, and is widely used for these conditions in modern Nature Clinics in Europe and India. However, little research proves the effectiveness of Nature Cure approaches for these conditions.

Only practise certain Nature Cure techniques, such as fasting and enemas, under the careful supervision of a Nature Cure practitioner, naturopath, or trained staff at a Nature Cure establishment.

Finding a Practitioner of Nature Cure

Many practitioners of Nature Cure now call themselves naturopaths and are members of naturopathic professional bodies (go to the end of Chapter 13 to see a list of these and how to find a naturopath).

Natural hygienists can be located via the International Natural Hygiene Society (INHS) at Www. naturalhygienesociety. org. Many of these practitioners also offer fasting retreats.

One of the best ways to experience Nature Cure is to visit a Nature Cure establishment. These exist in Europe, the US, India, and Australasia and you can locate them via the Internet.

My own personal favourites are Elaine Bruce’s Living Foods Centre in the UK (Www. livingfoods. co. uk) and The Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute in Puerto Rico (Www. annwigmore. org), which run on Nature Cure principles. I have also visited the fantastic Viva Mayr Centre in Austria (Www. viva-Mayr. com). In the US I have heard good reports about the Arthritis Nature Cure Centre in Colorado, (Www. arthritis-nature-cure. com) although I have never visited it myself.

Part III

In This Chapter

^ Discovering the origins of Japanese medicine

^ Understanding disease according to Japanese medicine

^ Analysing your type

^ Exploring Japanese therapies and how they work ^ Finding a practitioner

Ou may be a bit surprised to find a whole chapter devoted to Japanese medicine. Unlike its counterparts – Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Tibetan medicine – it is less well known; in fact many people think of Japanese medicine as a copy of Chinese medicine. Yet this notion is far from the truth. The Japanese excel at amalgamating and refining ideas and in the field of traditional medicine they absorbed ideas from China, Korea, India, Persia, and Europe, added some authentic ideas and influences of their own, and came up with some genuinely original therapies that are now popular all over the world. Ever heard of shiatsu, macrobiotics, Zen, or Kanpo? These therapies all originated in Japan and in this chapter I introduce them to you and show you how they may be relevant to your health.

I must admit to some bias here, though. I had the pleasure of living, studying, and practising Asian medicine in Japan for five years and got to experience these Japanese therapies first hand and discovered just how beneficial they can be.

A (Very) Brief History of Japanese Medicine

Japanese medicine has its roots in the early native religion Shintoism, which is essentially a form of nature – and ancestor-worship that sees the world as inhabited by a myriad of deities and spirits. Neglect of these deities, or the influence of malevolent ones, was thought to be the root cause of disease and misfortune.

Y

In Japanese mythology, two deities, Izanagi and Izanami, are said to have given birth to the physical world and all natural phenomena, including water, wind, and plant life. They represent the male and female principles (like the YinAnd yangof traditional Chinese medicine we discuss in Chapter 4). According to legend, the deities

Gave birth to the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. Amaterasu came to be regarded as the supreme Shinto deity and protector for the Japanese race and was revered by ordinary people who prayed to her for sun and rain for their crops and for their general health and well-being.

Ancient treatments therefore involved offerings and appeasement rituals to important deities, exorcism of malevolent spirits, and ritual cleansing and bathing to atone for misdeeds and to purify the body. Herbs also played a part in rituals and healing and were used for cleansing the body inside and out. Even the earliest texts mention plants and fruits such as Kuzu (arrowroot) and Momo (peach) that could be used for healing.

Fast forward to the fifth and sixth centuries AD when physicians and monks from Korea and China first visited Japan. They brought new medical ideas and practices, including acupuncture and moxibustion, and introduced Buddhism. Later, in the 16th and 17th centuries, European missionaries arrived bringing knowledge of surgical techniques and Western medical practices. For a while all these approaches existed side by side and institutes of medicine and divination were established that taught European medicine alongside traditional practices such as acupuncture and moxibustion (for more on these check out Chapter 9), herbal medicine (find more in Chapter 11), and rituals for exorcism – a set-up that would be quite remarkable even today!

But the warlords of Japan were jumpy about foreigners getting too much influence so, at several times in Japan’s history, they closed the doors to all outsiders. It is during these periods that Japanese medicine really came into its own as practitioners dived deep into their own resources and developed uniquely Japanese therapies.

Over the centuries these therapies have undergone constant development and innovation and now flourish in modern-day Japan, where traditional Japanese medicine and orthodox Western medicine exist quite comfortably side by side.

Deciphering Disease in Japanese Medicine

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In Japanese tradition, disease is seen as linked to the following: Impurity

Improper lifestyle

Disruption in the flow of Ki (vital energy) I Spiritual influences

The impurity idea dates right back to those ancient traditions where diseases, wounds, menstruation, sexual intercourse, and bad lifestyle habits were regarded as impurities that required cleansing. As a result, even today, bathing and purging are central aspects of therapy and in fact cleanliness and communal bathing, such as at the wonderful natural Onsen Spa baths throughout Japan, is a national pastime.

Improper lifestyle habits refer to activities that conflict with living in harmony with the laws of nature. These habits include dressing inappropriately for the season, staying up late and getting inadequate sleep, eating unseasonable foods or over-eating, over-working and taking insufficient rest, staying indoors for long periods of time, excessive smoking or drinking, and excessive sexual contact. It is believed that these habits cause imbalance in the body, mind, and spirit and eventually result in disease.

Disruption of the flow of Ki, Or vital energy, in the body (this concept is identical to that of Qi In Chinese medicine described in Chapter 4) is believed to be due to the influence of external pathogenic factors known as Ja-ki (literally, evil energy). These factors are thought to be able to enter the body and disrupt body processes leading to chronic, weak, deficiency (kyo) Conditions or acute, painful, excess (jitsu) Ones. Disruption may also be caused by improper diet, stress, injury, environment, or even mental state. At any given time, Ki Energy may become depleted in a certain part of the body giving rise to an empty, or Kyo State, while in another part of the body an accumulation or blockage of Ki May exist leading to an excess, or Jitsu Condition. Yet Kyo And Jitsu Co-exist with each other, just like Yin And Yang In Chinese medicine, and so in the body they represent a constantly changing state of balance within a unified whole.

Kyo And Jitsu Can be related to mental and emotional states and the fulfilment of needs and desires as well as to aspects of your physical body. So, for example, if you’re hungry, this is an

Empty or Kyo State with the desire or need for food. After you eat and become satiated, this is a Jitsu State relating to fullness and the fulfilment of your desire.

The body always strives to maintain a balance between Kyo And Jitsu And a healthy person usually succeeds in achieving this. However, if things get too far out of balance, then the body can no longer cope, which is where Japanese therapies can be utilised to restore equilibrium.

Spiritual influences are still taken into consideration in traditional medicine in modern-day Japan due to the widespread belief in karma and reincarnation. A belief in Karma Means accepting that every action you take, or every thought that you have, as well as your general conduct has an influence on your subsequent destiny, while a belief in reincarnation means believing in past and future lives.

Diseases are also thought to have a karmic cause, relating to a behaviour or experience in a past life. For such diseases it is believed that only spiritual remedies will help and therefore religious rituals, exorcism and prayer will be employed as therapy on the advice of priests or monks.

Understanding Your Health – the Japanese Way

In this section I show you how you can determine your own Kyo (deficient) or Jitsu (excess) balance by assessing yourself according to common characteristics associated with each. After you determine your basic type you can make simple changes to your diet, lifestyle, and daily habits to help restore balance in the body and improve your health.

Determining your type according to Japanese medicine

Go through both checklists in Table 7-1 answering yes or no to each of the questions. Then tally your totals for each checklist. The list with the most yes answers is your current type according to Japanese medicine.

Table 7-1 Figuring Out Your Type

CHECKLIST A Yes No

Do you often feel tired or exhausted? Do you feel the cold easily?

Do you suffer from mild aches or pains that feel better for warmth or pressure?

Are you generally pale?

Do you lack strength and muscle tone?

Do you often feel mentally slow and forgetful?

Do you often feel tired on waking?

TOTAL ‘YES’ _/7

CHECKLISTB

Do you often feel irritable and restless? Do you often feel hot?

Do you suffer from acute pain and/or red and swollen joints?

Do you experience stiffness and pain on pressure?

Are you generally flushed or red-faced?

Are you always on the go and constantly feeling hyped up?

Do you find it hard to get to sleep and/or experience wakefulness during the night?

TOTAL ‘YES’ _/7

Adopting self-care for your type

Now that you’ve added up your answers in each checklist and determined which type you scored most for, take a look at the descriptions below to see whether you’re predominantly a Kyo Or Jitsu Type and what self-care practices you can adopt to support your body balance.

Deficiency (kyo) type

If most of your ticks are in Checklist A, then you are predominantly a Kyo Type. This means that you tend to be deficient in energy and may suffer from cold conditions, general weakness, fatigue, and impaired mental function to a greater or lesser degree.

According to Japanese medicine, deficient types may find the following self-care tips helpful to boost general vitality and protect against the health problems associated with deficiency:

I Keep yourself warm at all times.

I Wrap up well, taking care to keep your midriff, lower back, and feet covered.

I Avoid walking barefoot on cold floors.

I Avoid getting wet or sitting for long periods in damp or wet clothes.

I Eat lots of warming and easily digestible foods such as soups, casseroles, and steamed vegetables.

I Add warming spices such as cinnamon and ginger to your food and drinks.

I Chew your food well.

Avoid intake of cold or iced foods and drinks.

I Avoid caffeine-based drinks such as coffee and colas and replace these with nourishing beverages such as dandelion coffee, ginseng tea, and ginger tea.

Make sure that you drink six to eight glasses of water daily. I Take some gentle exercise like walking every day. I Do not overtire yourself. I Get plenty of rest and sleep.

I Make sure you’re comfortable and warm at night. I Use ginger baths and compresses to warm your body. I Avoid anxiety and worry and take steps to reduce your stress.

Excess (jitsu) type

If most of your ticks are in Checklist B, then you are predominantly a Jitsu Type. This means that you tend to have an excess of energy in particular parts of the body and may suffer from hot conditions, digestive problems, painful and stiff joints, irascibility, and impatience to a greater or lesser degree.

According to Japanese medicine, excess types may find the following self-care tips helpful to calm and cool things down, remove blockages, and protect against the health problems associated with excess.

I Keep yourself cool and avoid sitting in direct sun or hot, stuffy rooms. I Wear clothing with thin layers of cotton or other natural fibres.

I Eat plenty of cooling foods such as salads and other raw foods. I Avoid excessively spicy or over-hot foods. I Avoid over-eating. I Chew your food well.

I Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, and sugar and avoid any recreational drugs.

I Drink six to eight glasses of water daily.

I Avoid sitting in any one place for extended periods. Get up and move about.

I Take regular, vigorous exercise.

Practise deep breathing. I Build appropriate relaxation into your daily routine. I Work less, play more, and take regular breaks. I Get adequate rest and sleep.

I Take short baths in warm, not hot, water, and add pouches of grated Daikon (long white radish) and parsley to ease discomfort.

I Practise patience and tolerance.

Understanding Diagnosis in Japanese Medicine

Practitioners of Japanese medicine determine your Kyo And Jitsu And your overall health balance by means of four types of diagnosis (shin):

Palpation (Setsu-shin) Observation (Bo-shin) Listening and smelling (Bun-shin) Questioning (Mon-shin)

Diagnosis by palpation (Setsu-shin)

With Setsu-shin, The practitioner takes pulses on each of your wrists and may also palpate your abdomen and specific points along the meridian channels

(channels of vital energy in the body – see Chapter 4 for the lowdown on these). As in traditional Chinese medicine, Japanese medicine recognises six pulses on each wrist, corresponding mainly to each of the major organs of the body. (Go to Chapters 2 and 4 to find out more about pulse taking.) In Japanese medicine, pulse taking has a slightly lighter touch than in Chinese medicine and the practitioner generally takes the pulses on both of your wrists at the same time, comparing the left and right sides of each pulse position with each other.

Abdominal palpation may also be used to determine the relative Kyo And Jitsu Of all your internal organs. Master practitioner Shizuto Masunaga employed a unique form of Hara (abdominal) diagnosis. This same form is used by many shiatsu practitioners and some acupuncturists today.

The practitioner palpates each area feeling for fullness (jitsu) Or emptiness (kyo). A diagnosis for fullness occurs when the abdomen feels hard and often tender when pressed. In an emptiness diagnosis, the abdomen feels soft and fingers sink in without resistance.

Practitioners also often palpate along meridian lines. Again they are feeling for areas that are soft and sunken and that welcome pressure (kyo) Or those that are hard and resistant and painful on pressure (jitsu). These points will form the basis of treatment in both Japanese acupuncture and massage, including Shiatsu.

Diagnosis by observation (Bo-shin)

Bo-shin Involves looking at the tongue and sometimes also the fingers, toes, ears, and face. The Japanese medicine practitioner examines the tongue to assess its colour, shape, and coating for information about the functioning of your internal organs (go to Chapter 2 for more details on tongue and face signs and what they can tell you about your health).

Micro-diagnosis, which involves the examination of an individual body part for information about the whole body, is also a speciality in Japanese medicine. Just as different parts of the tongue are said to correspond to various parts of the body, so too it is said to be possible to examine the hands, fingers, toes, face, ears, and so on for similar clues.

For example, in analysing the fingers and toes, redness, red spots, and the sensation of heat in a particular digit indicate a Jitsu (excess) condition in the organ to which it corresponds, while pallor, white or brown spots, or sensations of coldness can indicate Kyo (deficiency).

The practitioner may also take note of your gait, body size and proportions, skin, nails, hair, facial expressions, and even the colour of clothes that you’re wearing as all can provide valuable clues to your current state of health.

Diagnosis by listening and smelling (Bun-shin)

Bun-shin Diagnosis includes listening to the quality of your voice (loud, quiet, soft, grating, and so on), the sound of your breath (wheezy, rasping, noisy, quiet, and so on), and any gurgling sounds in the intestines that can indicate digestive problems or areas of blockage. A Bun-shin Diagnosis also notices any type of body odour (bitter, pungent, sweet, and so on) or bad breath. In questioning, you are also likely to be asked about any type of odour associated with your urine and stools because this can also provide useful diagnostic information.

Diagnosis by questioning (Mon-shin)

Your Japanese medical practitioner is likely to ask you about everything from your taste in food, to your bowel and sleep habits, as well as the usual details of your symptoms and medical history. However, as with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), some practitioners do not speak or ask you much at all, preferring to focus on observation and palpation to see what the body can communicate directly.

The body may reveal secrets you yourself are not yet aware of, such as signs of stress damage, even though you may be thinking that you are coping just fine, or early warning distress signs from a particular organ that you are cheerfully abusing, such as the lungs in smokers or the spleen and stomach in people who eat loads of sweets.

The four forms of diagnosis used in Japanese medicine are all closely linked to the correspondences of the Five Elements. Whiz over to Chapter 4 to see a full table outlining what these are and showing how you can make links, for example, between shouting and liver function, yellow skin and stomach function, and salty taste and the kidneys.

Once the Japanese practitioner has used these diagnostic skills to assess your health balance, then, with your practitioner, you can decide what form of treatment is the most suitable for you.

Restoring Balance with Japanese Therapies

Japanese therapies aim to purify, cleanse, and balance the body by expelling the pathogenic Ja-ki (evil energy), balancing Kyo And Jitsu, And normalising the flow of Ki Vital energy and bodily functions. The overriding aim is to bring the body back into harmony with itself and back in tune with the cycles of the natural world.

The most widely used therapies are the following:

I Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion (warming therapy) I Kanpo (herbal medicine)

I Japanese massage techniques (including Shiatsu And Anma) I Ampuku (abdominal massage and therapy)

I Japanese manipulation techniques (including Honetsugi (bone-setting) and So-tai (a gentle manipulation therapy))

I Cleansing hydrotherapies (onsen Spa baths)

Dietary therapy (using certain foods for their medicinal effects or following therapeutic diets)

Japanese meditation practices such as Zen

I Spiritual medicine (prayer offerings, religious rituals, pilgrimages, and the like)

Alongside these therapies, practitioners are likely to give you a myriad of self-care recommendations related to your daily lifestyle (such as the ones mentioned in the section ‘Adopting self-care for your type’, earlier in this chapter).

Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion (warming therapy)

Japanese acupuncture is similar to the acupuncture practised in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), but the needles are finer and the techniques more delicate and varied.

Insertion is generally painless and shallow. Sometimes the needle is just held against the skin without actually being inserted, or the skin is stimulated by the blunt edge of a small metal instrument. Fine metal rollers are also used to stimulate the meridian channels, especially in the treatment of children.

The selection of points is also a little different. Many different styles exist but in general fewer points are selected than in TCM and more use is made of the extraordinary meridians. (To read more about meridians and Japanese acupuncture, have a read of Chapters 4 and 9.)

The use of Ring needles, Which are worn for extended periods (also described in more detail in Chapter 9), is very popular as are tiny little magnets on plasters that can be worn for several days to stimulate circulation and ease pain.

Japanese acupuncturists also use a range of other associated techniques, which we discuss in the following sections.

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Moxibustion

Moxibustion (also known as moxa) is a warming treatment that involves burning an aromatic herb, Artemesia Vulgaris, To increase circulation and stimulate the flow of Ki (vital energy). In Japan, moxa applied directly to the skin is favoured, so fine moxa wool (the dried herb) is gently hand-rolled into tiny rice-grain-sized pieces and then placed directly on the skin, lit with a fine incense stick, and burnt down. The whole process is repeated several times on the same spot until the surrounding skin becomes red and warm.

During my Asian medical training in Japan, I spent many hours practising this technique, rolling the fine moxa wool into minute sausage shapes between the thumb and forefinger. Being speedy is handy when you have to repeat the treatment many times on various acupoints, often simultaneously. One of my teachers, Kitaoka-sensei, once demonstrated his swiftness across a set of six pairs of points on someone’s back. With lightning speed he placed the moxa grains, lit them, put them out, and replaced them all in quick succession; by the time he got to the bottom pair on the lower back he was just in time to go back to the top pair by the neck as they burnt down and extinguished themselves. Watching him execute this skill was mesmerising, rather like watching an expert juggler in a circus!

The idea of the rice grain moxa is that it is used to warm and tonify the body when a person has a deficient (kyo) Condition. The grains are placed repeatedly on the same point until the person starts to feel a sensation of heat. In Japanese medicine, since the moxa grains are so tiny, they are often allowed to burn right down to the skin. Doing so can produce tiny burn marks or

Blisters but is believed to be therapeutic by mobilising immune cell function. Actually, the marks disappear within a few days, leaving the skin unblemished.

In most people heat is felt after three to five moxa applications as the empty point becomes filled, but in some cases it can take much longer.

Cupping

Cupping is sometimes practised in Japanese medicine with round glass cups shaped like glass balls, which have an opening at one end. A lighted taper is placed inside to heat up the air inside the cup, which is then quickly placed on the skin. This process creates a vacuum, drawing up the skin into a bulge inside the cup and holding the cup in place. The effect is to stimulate circulation and the whole procedure is only mildly uncomfortable. However, cupping does leave small, red/purple rings on the skin, most famously seen on film star Gwyneth Paltrow’s back, but these fade within a few days. The technique is particularly popular amongst elderly Japanese women with back pain, office workers with neck and shoulder pain, and young women with menstrual problems.

Blood-letting

Blood-letting involves a small incision being made in the skin with a fine three-edged needle and the removal of a few drops of blood. Usually this technique is used on the fingertips to relieve fever or on the upper back to relieve neck and shoulder pain. Blood-letting can be combined with cupping, and surgical gloves are used to prevent blood contact. The technique is used -fcOOTf To remove blood stagnation and encourage fresh blood circulation.

The most moxa applications I have ever had to emergency acupoint, used for alcohol poison-do was in the case of a young friend who had ing, on the sole of the foot, taking one foot each been disappointed in love and turned up at my and working in tandem. Almost one hour later, Tokyo apartment just past midnight. He’d been after nearly 100 applications to the same point on a bender, combining beer with huge amounts the friend suddenly stirred, murmured some-of Japanese whiskey and was in a terrible state. thing about feeling heat on his foot and then He staggered through the door, wailed some- rolled over and slept soundly on the floor until thing about his lost love, and then promptly the next morning. When he awoke he, remark-passed out on the floor in a drunken stupor. I ably, had no hangover and simply got up and was unable to rouse him in any way. He was out went off to work. The moxa seemed to have cold and I was quite concerned. My partner, an restored him but they were unable to cure his acupuncturist, suggested moxa treatment and broken heart! together we began lighting moxa grains on an

Kanpo

The term Kanpo, Meaning ‘the way of Han’, is taken from an ancient Chinese herbal text called Shang Han Lun, Written by a doctor, Zhang Zhong Jing, almost 2,000 years ago. Zhang has been nicknamed the Chinese Hippocrates because his prescriptions, herbal formulae, acupuncture, and lifestyle recommendations are still in use today.

Zhang is famous for having said, ‘Even though doctors are not able to cure all diseases, they

Can discover the course of diseases by using certain theories, and guide themselves to treatment principles. If my book can help doctors do that, it would overwhelmingly satisfy my expectations by more than 50 per cent.’ This humble sentiment has been more than met and we wonder how he would have felt if he’d known his ideas would endure for almost two millennia, inspiring countless practitioners and undoubtedly helping countless patients to this day.

Magnet therapy

Magnet therapy is very popular in Japan, with millions of tiny magnets on plasters being sold over the counter in pharmacies each year. These plasters are also quite widely used by Japanese acupuncturists, who place them on areas of stiffness and pain, to bring relief, or on acupoints, to balance the flow of energy within the meridian channels.

Kanpo (herbal medicine)

The Japanese herbal medicine tradition developed originally from Chinese texts but, like many of the therapies described earlier in this chapter, went through uniquely Japanese stages of refinement and development. Nowadays, in Japan, only medical doctors are legally allowed to practise Kanpo, Yet over the counter Kanpo Remedies for the general public are hugely popular.

Japanese formulae generally use fewer herbs than the Chinese ones and dried granular extracts are more commonly used than fresh herbal ingredients because they’re convenient and easy to take.

Kanpo Diagnosis is based on eight principles described below as four pairs of opposites:

I Determining if the person’s symptoms are predominantly Kyo (deficient) or Jitsu (excess)

I Determining the stage of illness (chronic/acute)

Ascertaining whether the disease is external and superficial or internal and deep

Determining whether symptoms are predominantly hot or cold

The relative balance of the eight principles is diagnosed using the four methods of diagnosis described earlier in this chapter (palpation, including abdominal diagnosis; observation; listening and smelling; and questioning).

After the predominant underlying weakness, or Kyo, Has been identified, it can then be treated with appropriate medicinal herbs. This approach is almost the opposite to the Western medical one, which focuses on identifying and treating the invading germ, virus, or bacteria. In Kanpo, The emphasis is on supporting the weak or vulnerable parts or systems of the body to prevent them from succumbing to invading pathogens.

Because Kanpo Medicine focuses on an individual’s constitution and that person’s particular response to the disease, the treatment for different people with the same disease, according to Western medicine, will often be different. So, for example, if five people were diagnosed with asthma, in Western medicine they may all be prescribed the same type of inhalant medication, yet, in Kanpo, Their herbal medicine prescriptions, while maybe having some ingredients in common, would probably all differ.

Most Kanpo Formulae have five to ten ingredients. They’re usually made from plant ingredients including roots, bark, leaves, flowers, fruit, and fungi, although occasionally mineral or animal ingredients may be used. These ingredients are selected according to their individual effects on the body and also their combined effects with each other.

Kanpo Herbal medicines are well researched and are regarded as safe to take, with virtually no side effects if prescribed and taken properly.

If you’re pregnant, breast-feeding, or hoping to conceive you must always inform your practitioner or consult your GP before taking Kanpo Medicinal herbs.

You can take Kanpo Herbal medicines with Western medicine but ensure you’re carefully monitored by qualified and experienced practitioners in case of interactions. Always inform your GP and herbal practitioner of any medicines and herbs that you’re taking.

Japanese massage techniques (including shiatsu and anma)

Anma, shiatsu, And Western massage are the three most commonly practised types of massage in Japanese medicine nowadays. These three massage

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Approaches have all been licensed as forms of therapy by the Japanese government since 1955. Although they share some similarities, their underlying theories and practice and their common usage today are quite different:

Anma Is used to treat general discomfort and to release tension or stress. This therapy is most commonly practised amongst blind practitioners in Japan or amongst Shiatsu Practitioners in the West.

Shiatsu, Based on meridian theory, is used for both diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of disorders. It has become a very successful and popular therapy in many Western countries. Shiatsu Is also quite widely used for stress relief.

Western massage is most widely used in the treatment of muscular and skeletal problems, often in medical settings.

Anma

Anma Is the oldest of the massage traditions, having reportedly been brought over from China more than 1,500 years ago. It was once part of the mainstream of Japanese medicine but fell out of favour as Western massage approaches became more popular. Anma Then became almost exclusively the preserve of blind massage practitioners. (Massage has long been an accepted occupation amongst blind people in Japan.) These practitioners kept the therapy alive and it is now once again popular in Japan and taught to sighted practitioners as well.

Anma Is quite a vigorous form of massage designed more for therapy than for relaxation or pleasure. It involves gripping techniques where tense muscles are held and then released to ease muscle tension and promote blood circulation. Anma Also involves direct stimulation of acupoints along the meridian channels using mainly the fingers, thumbs, knuckles, and sometimes the elbows. Pressure is applied quite firmly and deeply, and the treatment is carried out fully clothed with no oil being used.

Anma Is ideal for treating tension-related ailments, muscular pain and stiffness, muscle strains, sports injuries, neck and shoulder problems, back problems, headaches, sinus problems, and so on.

Shiatsu

The term Shiatsu, Literally ‘finger pressure’, is a therapy that Tokujiro Namikoshi developed in the early 1900s, when he was just nine years old, using finger pressure massage to relieve his mother’s painful rheumatism.

Namikoshi’s Shiatsu Involves using the fingers, thumbs, and palms to apply pressure to the surfaces of the body in order to correct imbalances and promote health. Namikoshi believed that this type of therapy could stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms.

Various other forms of Shiatsu Have been developed by other Japanese masters over the years. One of the most well known is Zen-shiatsu, Developed by the great master practitioner, Shizuto Masunaga, which also employs the knees and elbows to apply firmer pressure and uses stretches to balance and realign the body.

Shiatsu Can be performed through clothing or directly onto the skin. As Shi-atsu Is a form of pressure therapy, oil isn’t used.

Western massage

Western massage was introduced to Japan by visiting European doctors in the early 1900s, and is based on Western anatomy and physiology. This massage involves vigorous kneading, grasping, and rubbing techniques designed to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and release muscle tension. Most moves are directed from the extremities towards the heart in order to promote the return of circulating blood to the heart. Western massage is performed directly onto the skin and oil may be used.

Ampuku (abdominal massage and therapy)

Ampuku Therapy is diagnosis and therapy of the abdomen. As an ancient massage technique Ampuku Was banned during the American occupation of Japan after the Second World War but has enjoyed a revival, primarily amongst shiatsu practitioners in recent years.

Hara –

The HaraRefers to the lower part of the abdomen between the navel and the pelvic bone. The word Hara Literally means belly; in Japan this area is believed to be the centre of energy in the body. Its central point is the Tanden (known as the Dantien In Chinese), an acupoint located an inch and a half below the navel on the mid-line of the body. This point is known as ‘the sea of Ki As it is said that the Ki (vital energy) of the body generates there and then radiates throughout the body as a whole. This point is also held to be the centre of gravity in the body.

In the Japanese tradition, good health and well-being are believed to be connected to having a

Strong Hara. If your Hara Is strong, you stand tall; have a good posture; are calm, clear, and confident; and are able to ward off disease. A strong HaraIs also said to give you indomitable will-power that can be directed towards any activity that you undertake. In martial arts, the person with the strong Hara Is easily able to vanquish an opponent, even if they appear physically larger or stronger. The strong Hara Gives inner power that is believed to come from a renewable energy source that can be cultivated and utilised as necessary.

In Ampuku, The practitioner generally kneels beside you, as you lie on a mattress on the floor, and then gently probes the abdomen with the fingers to identify areas of Kyo (deficiency) and Jitsu (excess).

The hands are then used to balance these areas and to stimulate circulation within the abdominal area. This technique is believed to work on both a physical level (stimulating blood and lymph circulation) and also on an energetic level since the abdomen is the seat of the Hara - said to be the energetic powerhouse of the body.

Ampuku Treatment is believed to access and mobilise this powerhouse, enabling vital energy to circulate freely to areas of need in the body. It is on this basis that Ampuku Actually claims to be able to heal specific diseases rather than to simply offer massage for relaxation. In Japan, some practitioners still exist who practise solely Ampuku, Both diagnosing and treating through the abdomen alone.

In the West, Ampuku Is mainly incorporated as part of Shiatsu Therapy.

Japanese manipulation techniques

Various forms of home-developed manipulation therapies are practised in Japan, though osteopathy and chiropractic, popular in Europe, are rarely found. The most common manipulation therapies are the following:

IU Honetsugi: This therapy, literally meaning ‘bone-setting’, deals with sprains, strains, fractures, and dislocations and helps restore full movement and correct alignment to the joints.

IU Sei-tai: This therapy aims to facilitate structural realignment by bringing the body back to order. It involves gentle manipulations and soft-tissue work applied to the spine and joints, together with stimulation of acu-points with direct finger pressure. The idea is to correct postural imbalances, restore normal movement and alignment to the spine and joints, activate the body’s natural healing mechanism, and increase the vital energy supply to the internal organs. Nutritional and lifestyle advice may also be given.

IU So-tai: This bodywork system was developed by Dr Keizo Hashimoto, who found that his medical training didn’t enable him to heal patients with joint and pain problems effectively. He studied acupuncture and Sei-tai And then came up with the idea of ‘reverse motion treatment’ whereby the body is moved in the direction in which it feels most comfortable in order to release tension in the opposite side.

Dr Hashimoto also advocated that the treatment of joint pains should not be seen in isolation and should be combined with healthy breathing, eating, thinking, movement, and environment. There must be something in his approach for he lived to a healthy 96 years himself!

So-tai

Following the principle of ‘reverse motion treatment’ you first turn your head slowly to the left and right sides to see which moves more easily and which is stiff and/or painful. Then, instead of trying to increase the movement on the stiff/painful side, you first turn to the comfortable side. If this was your right side, you would turn your head fully to the right, stretching your neck muscles and looking over your right shoulder. At the same time you offer some resistance to this turn by placing your right hand against your right cheek and trying to push it back to the forwards position.

This resistance tricks the muscle into working harder and helps to release tension in the muscle in the opposite side. You then slowly release the hand and turn the neck back to the left side. Hey presto! – you should now find that you can turn farther to the left than before and with less discomfort.

This simple principle can be applied to other joints of the body and it really works! When I trained in So-tai, My teacher asked someone with severe neck restriction to come to the front for a demonstration. The woman had awakened with a stiff neck, was unable to turn to the left-hand side, and was in considerable discomfort. The teacher adopted the approach outlined above, standing behind the woman and placing one of her hands on the woman’s left shoulder and using the other to resist her turn to the right. She repeated this movement twice, each time asking the woman to return her head to the front. On the final release she asked the woman to turn her head to the left and there were gasps from the practitioner audience because she was suddenly able to look right over her left shoulder!

Japanese hydrotherapy

In Japan, bathing is a daily ritual and visiting mineral spa baths is a national pastime. The idea is that bathing can help ward off disease and different types of mineral waters at the various Onsen Spa baths around the country (of which more than a thousand exist) are highly prized for their particular healing properties. Spa baths may be hot or cold and the minerals they contain, such as sulphur and iron, are believed to help relieve arthritic, joint, and other health problems.

In the home, ingredients are sometimes added to baths for medicinal purposes. For example, you can add sliced ginger or mandarin orange peel to baths (usually dangled over the edge tied in a muslin pouch) to increase circulation and warm the body in winter and to prevent colds and flu. You can easily try out this practice for yourself!

Japanese dietary therapy

In Japan, it has long been believed that eating seasonal, fresh food in balanced combinations of colour and origin (that is, combining food from land, sea, and mountain in a single dish) is essential for health. Even ancient texts have detailed descriptions and diagrams of foods that are good to eat and which sorts of foods go well together or should not be combined.

One pioneering army doctor in the 1870s, Dr Sagen Ishizuka, spent many years identifying different types of food cures for various diseases and identified the importance of acid/alkaline balance in the body.

Dr Sagen Ishizuka’s ideas were further developed by one of his students, George Ohsawa, into a system known as macrobiotics (taken from the Greek Macro Meaning ‘big’ and Bio Meaning ‘life’) that has become popular in the West.

In this system, foods are classified according to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) principles of Yin (cooling foods such as lettuce and cucumber) and Yang (warming foods such as ginger). In a macrobiotic diet it is recommended that a balance of the two are consumed, with an emphasis on whole grains, vegetables, seaweeds, and so on, and that no dairy produce, refined sugar, chemicals, preservatives, or hot spices are consumed. An emphasis is also placed on alkaline-forming foods because it is believed that acidity contributes to many diseases such as arthritis and joint pain, acid regurgitation and digestive imbalance.

Spiritual medicine

In Japan, meditation, pilgrimages, ritual offerings and prayers are also seen as an aspect of personal healthcare. The idea of appeasing the gods still exists, even amongst people who are not particularly religious, and various gods within Buddhism are linked to health and healing. These include Yakushi, the medicine Buddha; Nikko-Bosatsu, god of sunshine and good health; and Fukurokuju, one of the seven gods of good fortune, who is the god of health and fitness. It is believed that praying and making offerings to these deities can help prevent or cure disease.

Several traditions of spiritual or energetic healing also exist in Japan involving such practices as the laying on of hands. The most well known in the West is Reiki healing. (Take a look at Chapter 20 for details on this therapy.)

Deciding When to Use Japanese Therapies

Many Japanese people use traditional therapies alongside orthodox Western medical treatment. Typically, the traditional therapies are preferred for chronic ailments such as arthritis, back pain, digestive imbalance, or general malaise, and Western medicine, as practised in state-of-the-art Japanese hospitals, is used for acute and serious conditions such as heart attack or ulcers. However, a cross-over also exists between the two.

When I lived and practised Asian medicine in Japan, I encountered many patients who used Western medicine for a diagnosis and treatment and then also visited an acupuncturist, Kanpo (herbal) specialist, or Shiatsu Or massage practitioner for either alternative or adjunct help. For example, people diagnosed with high cholesterol, gallstones, or non-insulin dependent diabetes would often have acupuncture or herbal treatment in an attempt to improve their condition and sometimes in order to avoid medication or surgery.

In the West, the most commonly used Japanese therapies are Shiatsu (mostly for relaxation but also for pain relief and relief from common ailments), acupuncture (for almost any kind of ailment but often for pain, menstrual problems, digestive problems, urinary problems, and headaches), and Kanpo (again for almost any condition but often for asthma and other respiratory complaints, skin problems, and more).

Exploring the Evidence for Japanese Medicine

In Japan, a considerable amount of research has been carried out on Kanpo Herbal medicine and acupuncture, although a lot of this work is in Japanese journals and not yet readily accessible to Western readers. Other Japanese medical approaches such as moxibustion, Shiatsu, And some of the other massage or manipulation therapies have little research evidence to support them.

Various trials in recent years have demonstrated the effectiveness of Kanpo Herbal medicine for conditions such as asthma, eczema, menstrual problems, and digestive disorders.

It appears that Japanese-style acupuncture may also help various conditions including pain relief, arthritis, migraines, headaches, and insomnia but it is hard to evaluate this research without being fluent in Japanese. Some research has also been carried out on Japanese acupuncture in France and America but it is quite limited and more is needed.

Finding a Practitioner of Japanese Medicine

To find a Japanese-style acupuncturist (who may also practise Japanese moxibustion, cupping, and other therapies), contact acupuncturists via the professional acupuncture associations (you can find these towards the end of Chapter 9) and ask if they practise Japanese-style acupuncture. Increasing numbers of Western trained acupuncturists are now training in this approach.

You can contact Kanpo Herbal medicine practitioners via the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (Www. rchm. co. uk) or the British Kanpo Association at the Kailash Centre, 7 New Court Street, London NW8 7AA (Tel: 020 7722 3939).

To find a Shiatsu Practitioner (who may also practise Japanese massage and manipulation therapies such as Anma, ampuku, And So-tai), Contact the Shiatsu Society (Tel: 0845 130 4560; Www. shiatsu. org), the Zen Shiatsu Society (Www. zen-shiatsu-society. co. uk), or Shiatsu International (Tel: 01787 880 005; Www. shiatsu-international. com). No professional regulatory requirements currently exist for practitioners of Shiatsu, But the General Shiatsu Council (GSC) is in the process of establishing a unified regulatory body for this therapy.

You can find international Sei-tai Practitioners at: Www. imoto-seitai. com/ english/ideology/index. html

For more information on macrobiotics and details of practitioners, contact the Macrobiotic Association of Great Britain (Www. macrobiotics. org. uk).

In This Chapter

^ Discovering the origins of Tibetan medicine

^ Understanding the Tibetan medical concepts of health and disease ^ Determining your body ‘type’ according to Tibetan medicine ^ Exploring Tibetan therapies and how they work ^ Examining the evidence for Tibetan medicine ^ Finding a Tibetan physician

/n this chapter I introduce you to Tibetan medicine, which has been practised for more than 2,000 years. Its aim is to treat body, mind, and spirit in order to bring about balance. Since the occupation of Tibet by China in 1959, many exiled Tibetan physicians have settled in India and in the West, establishing Tibetan medical training and offering consultations.

I tell you about the Tibetan medical ideas about health and disease – and how all diseases are thought to stem from one key source – and show you how you can identify your ‘type’ according to the Tibetan system of ‘humours’, which are thought to determine your physical, mental, and emotional health.

You’ll find out about Tibetan medical therapies and also discover some Tibetan medical healthcare tips that you may like to try out for yourself.

A (Very) Brief History of Tibetan Medicine

The origins of Tibetan medicine go back to native Bon practitioners In Tibet; shamans who used herbs and rituals to help heal people. Later, healing practices were more formalised, incorporating medical teachings from the Buddha from around 500 BC.

In the beginning all medical knowledge was passed on by word of mouth and along the way medical ideas from India, Persia, and China were added in. In the 18th century the Buddha’s instructions were compiled into four great medical texts called the RGyud bzhi (pronounced ‘gyu-zhee’), otherwise known as the Four Tantras. These texts are still used to teach Tibetan medicine and Tibetan physicians are able to quote long passages from it by heart.

In modern times public interest in Tibetan medicine has grown due to media attention for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the leader of the Tibetan people and a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who is a great supporter of this system of medicine and also the attention attracted by celebrity Tibetan Buddhists such as Hollywood actors Richard Gere and Steven Seagal, which has led to increased media coverage for all things Tibetan.

Tibetan Medicine is integrally connected with the life philosophy and religion of Tibetan Buddhism. The origins of Buddhism date back to around the fifth century BC when the royal Prince Siddhartha from Lumbini, India, left his palace and family to seek spiritual enlightenment. He endured all kinds of extreme ascetic practices, such as lengthy fasting, but finally discovered a middle path of calm reflection and balance that led him to attain enlightenment under a Bodhi tree at the age of 35. From then on he was known as the Shakyamuni or Gautama Buddha and spent the next 45 years of his life teaching his philosophy of compassion, insight, and awareness, which are the foundations of Buddhism.

According to Buddhism anyone can become enlightened and so it is said that there were

Many Buddhas before the Guatama Buddha and there are also more to come.

Buddhism spread from India to other Asian countries and became the national religion in Tibet. According to legend, the Buddha also gave medical teachings and to do so he is said to have taken on the form of another Buddha, the Medicine Buddha known as Sangye Menchela. This Buddha is always coloured blue depicted holding a bowl of life-giving nectar in his hands and a myrobalam fruit symbolic of his ability to heal. The myrobalam tree grows in India and Tibet and its fruit is used in many Tibetan medicines even today. Traditionally this fruit is said to be able to cure all diseases and it is now known to be rich in certain valuable ant/ox/dants(plant compounds that help to fight and prevent disease).

Tibetan physicians now practise in many major European cities and elsewhere around the world, including the US, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Australia. Many Tibetan physicians are also monks, and their colourful maroon-and-gold robes and cheerful, smiling faces are always eye-catching and memorable.

Modern pharmacological research, which has also looked at Tibetan herbs, has lent credence to this system of medicine, which is now increasingly popular in the West.

Grasping the idea behind Tibetan medicine

‘Health through balance’ is the central theme in Tibetan medicine. To be healthy, you need a balanced lifestyle, moderate behaviour, good diet, calm emotions, and spiritual health. An imbalance in any of these areas, such as constantly staying up late, eating badly or regularly getting angry, is thought to lead to disease. So the aim of diagnosis and treatment is to examine each of these areas, identify key imbalances, and then use remedies to restore balance and alleviate symptoms.

In this system all diseases are believed to have just one root cause – human ignorance. This concept comes from Tibetan Buddhism and it doesn’t mean stupidity! Rather this concept means if we aren’t enlightened we remain ignorant about the true nature of reality and are instead blinded by the illusions of the material world. This ignorance causes mental suffering and discontent, which in turn leads to physical imbalance and eventually, disease.

Understanding Tibetan medical concepts of health and disease

In Tibetan medical theory our human ignorance means that we suffer from three Poisons; Three types of negative thoughts that disturb our peace of mind. The three poisons are:

Attachment (or desire): That is, strong desires for certain possessions, people, or states of being; for example, we long for a new house or car, we fall in love and become really attached to a person, or we constantly desire happiness.

Aversion (or hatred): A dislike for certain things, individuals, or states of mind and a desire to avoid them; for example, we may dislike rain and grumble when the weather is bad, or we may dislike a particular

Person and seek to avoid them, or we may try to shy away from pain and unhappiness.

U Confusion (or ignorance): That is, indecision, mental lethargy, and list-lessness; we are mentally confused, can’t make up our minds about things and don’t want to make the effort to wake up out of our ignorant state to enter an enlightened one.

According to Tibetan medicine these mental poisons also affect three humours that play a role in the physical body.

I IU Loong (pronounced Lu-ng) - vital energy or ‘wind’ I Tripa (pronounced Tree-pas) - body heat or ‘bile’ I Peken (pronounced Beh-gen) - moisture and fluids or ‘phlegm’

The three poisons and humours are closely connected. The poison of attachment or desire stirs up the wind humour; the poison of aversion or hatred gives rise to the bile humour; and the poison of confusion or ignorance aggravates the phlegm humour.

The humours are believed to circulate through the body via a network of subtle channels (similar to the Nadi Of Indian yoga or the meridians in traditional Chinese medicine). They’re similar to the three Doshas In Ayurveda (these are described in Chapter 5) and each has certain qualities and functions.

The wind humour

The wind humour is based in the abdomen and lower body and has the following qualities and functions in the body:

I The qualities of movement, lightness, and dryness

IU Influences physical movement, respiration, thinking, digestion, and reproduction

I Helps regulate vitality, breathing, and mental clarity

The bile humour

The bile humour isn’t the same as the Western idea of bile from the gall bladder. The ‘bile’ predominates in the centre of the body and its range of qualities and functions in the body include the following:

Iu The qualities of heat, lubrication, oiliness, and odour Controls hunger, thirst, complexion, and skin Affects digestion, vision, and temperament

The three Humours Are seen as three types of energy that determine the function and make up of the body’s organs and tissues. They are:

The phlegm humour

The phlegm humour doesn’t just refer to the gooey white stuff you sometimes find in your throat. This humour resides mainly in the upper body and its range of qualities and functions include the following:

U The qualities of coldness, heaviness, and stickiness

Influences sleep, joint mobility, and mental awareness U Affects digestion and excretion

According to Tibetan medical theory, when all three humours are balanced, good health results, but when any one humour predominates, disease occurs. Here are some examples of the kind of diseases linked to each humour:

U Typical wind diseases are joint pain and mental agitation.

U Typical bile diseases are digestive disorders, such as indigestion and gallstones.

U Typical phlegm diseases are joint stiffness and pain such as arthritis, chronic bloating, and diarrhoea.

The balance of the humours is said to determine your personal physical, mental, and emotional make-up as well as your predisposition to certain diseases. Your constitutional type is therefore described according to whichever humour or humours predominate in your body.

Determining Your Body Type According to Tibetan Medicine

You can determine your body type by completing the quiz below and after you know your type you can adjust your diet, lifestyle, and daily habits to help balance the humours and improve your health.

Taking the Tibetan medical humour quiz

To identify your body type according to Tibetan medicine, answer A, B, or C to each of the following questions:

1. What is your build?

A. Slim, lean, hard to gain weight; very tall or short

B. Medium build and height; may be quite muscular

C. Heavy build, tendency to put on weight, may be short

2. What type of skin do you have?

A. Dry, rough, and cool to touch

B. Oily, smooth, and warm

C. Pale, moist, or oily and cool

3. What are your nails like?

A. Dry, brittle, and rough

B. Strong, oily, and flexible

C. Smooth, thick, and wide

4. What type of hair do you have?

A. Fine, thin, flyaway, brittle

B. Dry at the ends but greasy at the roots, or coloured, processed, or frizzy

C. Normal to oily; sometimes lifeless and greasy

5. What does your tongue look like?

A. Long and thin; pale with a clear coating

B. Red-tipped with a greasy, yellow coating

C. Full bodied with teeth marks and a thick, white coating

6. What type of appetite and digestion do you have?

A. Irregular appetite and occasional digestive problems

B. Good appetite, often hungry, regular digestion

C. Steady appetite, slow eater, slow digestion

7. What is your temperament?

A. Talkative, active, creative, imaginative, prone to anxiety

B. Organised, industrious, impatient, irritable, determined

C. Stable, calm, slow, thoughtful, possessive

8. What is your sleep like?

A. Insomniac and wake often; little sleep needed and an early riser

B. Hard to get to sleep and lots of dreams but wake energetic

C. Deep and heavy; hard to wake up and still feel tired

9. Which do you dislike most?

A. Draughts or hot and cold temperature fluctuations

B. Hot conditions

C. Cold and damp conditions

10. How do you feel when you have to make an important decision?

A. Nervous but excited

B. Decisive and confident

C. Confused and undecided

Determining your type

To determine your personal humour make-up, add up the numbers of A, B, and C responses that you made for each of the quiz questions and see which you have the most of:

U Mostly A responses: Loong/Wind type: You’re very active and able but tend to take on too much and are always in a rush. You may also suffer from headaches, joint aches and pains, and anxiety. You need to relax more and slow down the pace of your daily life.

U Mostly B responses: Tripa/Bile Type: You’re quick and intelligent but can also be impatient and irritable. You’re dynamic and can make things happen but you don’t suffer fools gladly. You may suffer from digestive problems and food-related headaches. You need to calm down and to strengthen your digestion.

U Mostly C responses: PeATEn/Phlegm type: You’re stable and dependable and people love to confide in you! Your body is quite strong but you often feel tired and can be lethargic. Your digestion is slow and you have a tendency towards sugar cravings, bloating, weight gain, and water retention. You need to get things moving in your body, increase your vitality, and speed up your digestion.

Some people fall very clearly into one of the categories above. For others more than one type may play a role in your health. These are known as Combination types. In the following section, I tell you some of Tibetan medicine’s self-care recommendations for each type.

Helping Yourself with Tibetan Medicine Self-Care Approaches

After you’ve identified your Tibetan medicine body type according to the quiz, try following the Tibetan medicine self-care tips outlined below, designed to help rebalance the humours, and see how they make you feel.

U If you’re predominantly a Loong/Wind type, try the following:

• Stop exhausting yourself. Learn to say ‘No’ and delegate more. Take steps to reduce stress and any sources of conflict in your life.

• Build some quiet times into your schedule when you can avoid noise and crowds. Talk less and make regular time just for you, to relax and indulge yourself.

• Cut down on stimulants like coffee, tea, colas, and sugar because these wind you up too much.

• Eat slowly and chew your food well and don’t do anything else while eating.

• Limit your intake of cold or raw foods and increase your intake of warming foods such as soups, casseroles, and steamed vegetables. Root vegetables are particularly good for you because they help to nourish and ground you.

• Calm your mind and body with yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. Consider taking up an artistic hobby such as painting as an outlet for your creativity and imagination.

• Spend time in the loving company of close friends that nurture and support you.

U If you’re predominantly a Tripa/Bile type, try the following:

• To improve your digestion, avoid saturated fats, rich foods, hot peppers, and spices.

• Cool yourself by eating lots of salad and raw or lightly steamed vegetables.

• Drink lots of good quality water (filtered if possible) every day.

• Avoid hot, stuffy environments and direct heat and keep out of the sun.

• Layer clothing so that you can keep cool and regulate body temperature.

• Take regular exercise, especially at the end of the day to release stress and tension and pave the way for a relaxed night’s sleep.

• Practise patience and find how to overcome feelings of irritability or anger. Breathing exercises, relaxation training, and yoga can all help with this.

U If you’re predominantly a Peken/Phlegm type, try the following:

• Eat little and often. Avoid dairy produce, refrigerated foods, oily foods, and saturated fats, which will slow you down further and make you feel heavy.

• Stabilise your blood sugar levels and reduce cravings by incorporating sunflower and pumpkin seeds in your diet and eating porridge for breakfast.

• Drink boiled water sprinkled with finely chopped fresh parsley to reduce water retention.

• Don’t let yourself get stuck in a rut. Change your routine regularly, for example take a different route to work or do daily activities in a different order to stimulate your senses and overcome lethargy.

• Take regular, brisk exercise to increase vitality, speed up your metabolism, and improve digestion. Daily speed-walking is particularly good for you.

• Exercise your mind with mental challenges such as crosswords or mathematical puzzles.

• Sing your heart out, to the radio or in a choir, to energise your body.

Exploring Disease Types in Tibetan Medicine

In Tibetan medicine imbalances of the three Poisons And the three Humours Are believed to lead to 84,000 different types of disease! To make these more manageable they have been classified into four categories:

U Diseases due to early life: These diseases start in infancy or childhood and are due to factors during conception, pregnancy, early feeding, and so on.

U Diseases due to present lifestyle: These diseases owe much to your bad habits such as late nights, drinking, smoking, junk food, sedentary lifestyle, stress, and so on.

U Diseases due to past life: These are diseases relating to the Buddhist idea of Karma, The law of cause and effect and the belief in the concept of rebirth. According to this law it is said that actions in one life may produce a result in a subsequent life. Therefore, a disease in this life may be related to an action or experience in a past life.

U Diseases due to spirit influence: These diseases are thought to be due to the influence of some elemental forces or restless spirits (‘ghosts’ in the West).

Tibetan medicine believes four conditions influence disease. These are:

U Diet: You can’t get away with eating loads of junk food forever without it starting to affect your body. Different types of foods are believed to have a direct effect on the balance of the different Humours.

U Behaviour: Different lifestyle behaviours are also believed to influence the Humours As mentioned earlier in this chapter. For example insufficient sleep is believed to aggravate the wind humour, too much sun exposure may aggravate bile, and too much lying around and doing nothing will make a phlegm condition worse.

U Weather/season: Climates and weather conditions affect the balance of the humours. For example, wind can stir up the wind humour, heat stirs up bile, and cold and damp aggravate phlegm.

U Spirit: This refers to your mental state. For example, agitation and worry are believed to aggravate the wind humour, irritation and frustration to disturb bile and indecision and confusion to contribute to a predominance of phlegm. The Tibetans are great believers in positive thinking and in dispelling negative thoughts, which may be why they’re generally such smiley and happy people!

If these categories and conditions all sound too complicated to you, then you may like the way Tibetan medicine always boils things down to simple principles. This system of medicine also has two basic categories into which all diseases can be divided. They are:

U Hot diseases: Typified by redness, swelling, hot extremities, and acute pain.

U Cold diseases: Typified by coldness, stiffness, pallor, cold extremities, and chronic pain.

Restoring Balance with Tibetan Medicine Therapies

Tibetan medicine is currently used to treat a wide range of diseases including digestive problems, arthritis, late onset diabetes, headaches, fatigue, skin disorders, and respiratory problems. Tibetan physicians treat many thousands of patients with these health problems each year and there are large numbers of anecdotal reports of improvements but as yet little research evidence to prove effectiveness.

In order to restore the balance of the humours, Tibetan medicine uses five main types of therapy:

U Dietary adjustment: Dietary changes are fundamental to Tibetan medicine and are the first line of therapy. Eating correct amounts of food (not too much or too little) and adjusting the type of food you eat according to your constitutional type is essential. (Refer to the earlier section ‘Helping Yourself with Tibetan Medicine Self-Care Approaches’.)

U Behavioural change: Making changes to your daily lifestyle and habits are the second line of treatment. Tibetan physicians advise regulating behaviour according to the humours so, for example, talkative wind types are advised to spend time quietly alone resting, while lethargic phlegm types are encouraged to get out of bed early and to get moving.

U Medicines: The main medicinal approach in Tibetan medicine is the use of herbal remedies. Plant roots, leaves, flowers, bark, fruits, minerals, and occasionally animal ingredients are all used and the formulae usually contain multiple ingredients. The remedies may be given in the form of pills, powders, decoctions or ointments.

U Other therapies: Tibetan physicians also use massage, bone-setting, and some acupuncture and moxibustion. The acupuncture and moxibustion techniques have mostly been adopted from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and quite recently incorporated into Tibetan medical practice (for more on TCM, see Chapter 4). However one technique unique to Tibetan medicine is Golden Needle therapy, which I describe in Chapter 9.

U Religious rituals, prayers, dream analysis, and astrology: Spiritual healing in Tibetan medicine is based on Tibetan Buddhist and Bon practices and can involve prayers and rituals by the physician and/or the patient. The Medicine Buddha also plays a role and his picture and mantra (a prayer saying his name) are often used to invoke healing. Sometimes dreams are investigated for healing signs and many doctors also study Tibetan medical astrology in order to be able to interpret disease and recommend appropriate cures. Many Tibetans also wear precious gems or talismans believed to help protect against disease.

Examining the Evidence for Tibetan Medicine

Research evidence for Tibetan medicine has concentrated mainly on specific herbal formulae. One of the most well-researched is the formula known as Padma 28 which has been trialled in Switzerland, Israel, and Denmark and been found to be effective for treating intermittent claudication (restricted circulation in the legs making walking painful and difficult), cardiac problems, and inflammation. (See Www. swiss-inter. com/padma2 8e. htm for more information.)

A Californian study on Tibetan herbal medicine for breast cancer produced mixed results but had design flaws. Other studies have looked at Tibetan herbal medicine for various ailments, including diabetes, depression, and AIDS, and have yielded some promising results but more research is needed.

Research is currently being carried out at the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute (TMAI) in northern India (see Www. men-tsee-khang. org for more information). It has also been stimulated in other countries following recent International congresses on Tibetan Medicine held in the US, Tibet, and Taiwan, and as a result more research studies are underway. (More information on these congresses and other aspects of Tibetan medicine is available at Www. dharma-haven. org and Www. tibetmed. org.)

The more esoteric aspects of Tibetan medicine such as prayer and chanting have not been scientifically evaluated.

Finding a Tibetan Medicine Physician

Full Tibetan medical training takes at least seven years and is currently only available in India, Nepal, and Tibet. Courses on or about Tibetan medicine are available in Europe but none fully qualify a person to practise as a Tibetan medical physician.

No regulation or professional association for Tibetan physicians currently exists in Europe although an International Association for Tibetan Physicians (IATP) is in the process of being established in the US. Several individual Tibetan physicians are members of European professional associations for herbal medicine or acupuncture and carry liability insurance for practising

In Europe. Various Tibetan physicians are now resident and practising in different countries in Europe and also the US.

In the UK, the Tibet Foundation (Tel: 0207 930 6001; Www. tibet-foundation. org) in London organises visits from highly experienced, qualified, and insured Tibetan physicians several times a year. They also sometimes have details of visits by Tibetan physicians to other countries.

In This Chapter

^ Discovering the origins of Indian medicine ^ Analysing your type the Ayurvedic way ^ Exploring Ayurvedic therapies ^ Researching evidence that Ayurveda works ^ Finding a practitioner

Yurveda, the ancient medical tradition of India, has become increasingly popular in the West in recent years. It is regularly featured in the media and even seems to be the therapy of choice for some celebrities.

Some find Ayurveda’s language a bit confusing, so in this chapter I show you how to tell your Vata (wind) from your Kapha (phlegm) and how to identify your predominant constitutional ‘type’. This information gives you a chance to explore Ayurvedic recommendations for appropriate lifestyle and diet for each constitutional type. These recommendations are designed to balance your body and promote your health.

In this chapter, I also take you on a tour of the way in which an Ayurvedic practitioner diagnoses health problems and introduce you to the wonderful world of Ayurvedic therapy and its treatments for cleansing the body and purifying the mind.

Along the way I share with you a few stories of my experiences at Ayurvedic clinics in India illustrating how this amazing system of medicine works in practice.

A (Very) Brief History of Ayurvedic Medicine

The word ‘Ayurveda’ is derived from Ayus Meaning ‘life’ and Veda Meaning ‘knowledge’ and is often translated as the Science of Life. Ayurvedic medicine’s roots go back thousands of years. Legend has it that this medical art and science originally came as a divine gift from the Hindu god Brahma and that its wisdom is contained in the Vedas, The ancient Hindu sacred texts. However, little real evidence exists for this idea as these texts actually include only a few mentions of medicine or health practices. Instead, nowadays Ayurveda is believed to have developed over time, through trial and error, absorbing information from various sources along the way.

Even so, the earliest medical texts for Ayurveda are around 2,000 years old. Two great compendiums written by the early physicians, Charaka and Sushruta, known as the Charaka Samhita And the Sushruta Samhita, And a later one by the physician Bhela, contain a vast array of information ranging from diagnosis, therapy, and surgery to health tips for daily life. These books are so detailed and useful that they’re still used today in the training of Ayurvedic physicians.

According to legend, the king of the Hindu gods, Indra, received medical teachings direct from Lord Brahma and then passed them down to the sage Atreya, who in turn passed them on to his student, Agnivesa. Charaka, a famous physician who lived around the first or second century AD, rewrote Agnivesa’s work and, over time, others also contributed to his new medical compendium, the Charaka Samhita.

The compendium has 120 chapters divided into eight sections: Sutra (pharmacology, diet, and philosophy), Nidana (eight main causes of disease), Vimana (nutrition and pathology), Sarira (anatomy and embryology), /ndriya(diag-nosis and prognosis), Cikitsa (therapy), Kalpa (pharmacology), and Siddhi(general therapy). Charaka Samhita Also discusses the idea of rebirth.

Sushruta is said to have received the knowledge for his compendium, the Sushruta Samhita,

Direct from the god Dhanvantari, who also received them from Indra. However, historical analysis suggests that the text was in fact a compilation from various authors, including the sage, Nagarjuna. His compendium eventually had six sections: Sutra (the origins of medicine and medical training), Nidana (pathology, prognosis, and surgery), Sarira (embryology and anatomy), Cikitsa (therapy), Kalpa (dealing with poisons), and Uttara (children’s diseases, eye disease, dentistry, and demonic attack!).

Two later texts, The Heart of Medicine, or Astangahrdaya, And the Tome on Medicine, Or Astangasamgraha, Probably compiled by Vagbhata around AD 600, brought all the strands together and first described Ayurveda as a complete system of medicine. These texts were translated into many languages, influencing Tibetan, Chinese, and Arabic medicine, and are still important today.

In Hinduism, the three gods that make up the the gods, he rose out of the depths carrying a

Holy trinity (trimurti) Are known as Brahma, The vase filled with the nectar of immortality that

Creator; Vishnu, The Preserver; and Shiva, Could cure all diseases and began to teach the

The Destroyer. These gods take on different art and science of Ayurveda for health and heal -

Incarnations for different purposes and one of ing. Statues of him can be found in many

Vishnu’s incarnations is said to be Dhanvantari, Ayurvedic hospitals and clinics and he is wor -

The god of Ayurveda. Legend has it that when shipped by Hindus for his healing powers. the oceans of the world were being churned by

Early Ayurvedic medicine concentrated on herbal remedies and dietary and lifestyle recommendations but also developed pioneering forms of surgery.

Ayurveda was not encouraged during British rule in India in the 19th century but was revived with that nation’s independence movement. Nowadays it enjoys the support of the Indian government and is a dominant form of medicine in India, with Ayurvedic colleges, clinics, and pharmacies across the country. Its popularity has also spread to the West where you can find many Ayurvedic practitioners and various Ayurvedic training courses. Ayurvedic beauty and rejuvenation treatments have also become popular in beauty salons.

Deciphering Disease in Ayurvedic Medicine

Ay—

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In Ayurveda, the body is seen as a mini-universe where the five great elements of the cosmos – ether (akasha), Air (vayu), fire (agni), Water (jala), And earth (prithvi) - known as the Panchamahabhutas Combine to form three humours.

The humours, known as Doshas, Each have their own special qualities and manifest in the body in different ways to determine your individual constitution (prakrti) Or type.

Your type is also affected by the strength of your ‘digestive fire’, known as Agni, Which is the ability of your body to digest food and absorb nutrients efficiently, and Kostha, Which is the regularity and efficiency of your bowel function and indicates how well your body can expel waste materials.

Hindu beliefs include the concepts of Reincarnation, Of being reborn in a new form after death, and the law of Karma, The law of cause and effect. These beliefs have also crept into Ayurvedic medicine and so karma, resulting from inappropriate actions in a past life, is also considered as a possible cause of disease

And is taken into account in therapy. When I worked in Ayurvedic clinics in India, I encountered many patients who cheerfully accepted this to be the case because they also believe that good deeds and prayers in this life can help to dissolve the karma and ease their condition.

Ayurveda also pays a lot of attention to your mental and emotional state and the strength of your spirit. Three tendencies, or Gunas, Are said to interplay to determine mental state:

Sattva Represents purity and balance and predominates when you feel calm and peaceful and have a clear and ordered mind.

Rajas Is behind activity and dynamism and triggers desires for material things or for meeting physical needs and the fear of losing them. For example, Rajas Is the force behind the mechanism of feeling hungry, thinking about food, and then obtaining it and eating it or fearing you won’t have enough or someone will take it away.

Tamas Relates to solidity but is also associated with slowness and mental ignorance. This can relate to mental dullness or confusion, lethargy, or self-destructive tendencies such as depression.

Imbalances in the humours and the Gunas Caused by faulty lifestyle, poor dietary habits, lack of exercise, and negative thoughts are believed to be the root cause of disease.

The three Gunas Can also be applied to foods and their effects on the mind and body. For example, Sattvic Foods such as fresh, organic fruit and vegetables are light and easily digestible and said to have a calming effect on the mind; Rajasic Foods are spicy and hot and heat the body and can disturb the mind, triggering anger and irritation; and Tamasic Foods are cold and heavy (such as ice cream) and can slow the mind and trigger lethargy and dullness.

Understanding Your Health the Ayurvedic Way

In Ayurveda establishing whether your basic type is Vata (wind), Pitta (choler or bile), or Kapha (phlegm) is important. You can then make simple changes to your diet, lifestyle, and daily habits to help restore balance in your body and improve your health. This section describes how to figure out your personal type.

Go through the checklists in Table 5-1, answering the questions. Then tally your totals for each checklist. The one that has the most ‘yes’ answers is your current type according to Ayurvedic medicine.

Table 5-1 Figuring Out Your Type

CHECKLIST A Yes No

Are you slim and do you find it hard to gain weight?

Does your skin tend to be dry and rough?

Are your nails dry, brittle, and easily breakable?

Is your hair dry, thin, and brittle?

Are your eyes small and deep-set?

Is your appetite irregular and do you suffer from digestive problems?

Are you talkative, active, prone to anxiety, imaginative, and creative?

Are you often forgetful?

Do you often feel tired when you wake up?

Do you lack regular routines and often feel stressed?

TOTAL ‘YES’ _/10

(continued)

Here’s a guide to your Ayurvedic type:

Most ticks for Checklist A in Table 5-1 means that you’re predominantly a Vata Type. This means that you are always doing something and tend to suffer from stress, anxiety, and digestive problems like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Most ticks for Checklist B means that you’re predominantly a Pitta Type. This means you’re quite a dynamic and fiery person with a quick intelligence but you don’t suffer fools gladly and may be domineering. You may suffer from digestive problems and headaches.

If you have most ticks for Checklist C, then you’re predominantly a Kapha Type. This means that you’re practical, down-to-earth, and resilient but also tend to be a bit lethargic and may suffer from fatigue, bloating, sugar-cravings, and water retention.

For details on how to balance your type, look for the tips in the later section ‘Restoring Balance with Ayurvedic Therapies’.

Making Diagnoses in Ayurvedic Medicine

Ayurvedic practitioners use an eight-fold examination (astavidha pariksha) To investigate your health:

The pulse (nadi): Your wrist pulse is used to determine pulse qualities. A Vata Pulse is fast and slippery, a Pitta Pulse is jumpy and irregular, and a Kapha Pulse is slow and steady.

The tongue (jihva): This looks at the colour and coating of your tongue. A Vata Tongue is dry, rough, and cracked with no coating; a Pitta Tongue is red with an oily, yellow coating; and a Kapha Tongue is swollen and moist with a greasy, white coating.

The voice (sabda): Vata Types have rough, throaty voices; Pitta Voices are erratic and may break during speech; and Kapha Types have deep voices and often have to clear their throat when speaking.

The skin (sparsa): The physician looks at the colour and texture of your skin and may palpate certain points to check for tenderness or redness. Vata Types have dry, rough, sensitive skin that is cool to touch; Pitta Types have reddened areas of skin that feel hot to the touch; and Kapha Types have clammy, moist, cold skin.

Vision (drka): The Ayurvedic practitioner checks the whites of your eyes and registers any other visual abnormalities. Vata Types have dry, sensitive eyes with dull eye whites; Pitta Types have a burning sensation in their eyes and yellowed eye whites; and Kapha Types have heavy, drooping eyelids and frequent watery eyes.

General appearance (akrti): This covers your posture and gait. Vata Types are often thin and wiry and move rapidly; Pitta Types are often strongly built and restless; and Kapha Types are often heavily built and rather slow moving.

Urine (mutra): The Ayurvedic practitioner examines the colour and odour of your urine and you’re asked how frequently you urinate. Vata Types have frequent, clear, odourless urine; Pitta Types have small amounts of brown or deep yellow urine with a burnt odour; and Kapha Types have copious turbid, whitish urine with a stale smell.

Stools (mala): The colour, consistency, and odour of your stool is considered. A normal healthy stool is firm and light brown in colour. Vata Types have hard, dry stools that are grey in colour; Pitta Types have loose stools that are yellow, dark brown, or green in colour; and Kapha Types have slimy, pale stools containing mucus and bits of undigested food.

These eight examinations are combined with questions to enable the Ayurvedic practitioner to decide on the relative balance of the Doshas For the person who may not be just one type but has more than one fighting for predominance.

The practitioner also takes into account other factors such as your age, vigour, mental state, and physical condition, as well as possible genetic and environmental factors, diet, and lifestyle. Analysis of dreams and astrological birth charts are also sometimes used to determine possible spirit, or karmic, influences.

After the Ayurvedic practitioner has determined the cause and stage of the disease and the nature of imbalance of the Doshas, Then an appropriate therapy can be selected.

Restoring Balance with Ayurvedic Therapies

Ayurveda aims to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms or disease. The key aim is to re-balance the Doshas In the body, but secondary aims are to improve general health and vitality, strengthen digestive fire (agni), And promote longevity. The ultimate aim is to assist the person in following the three goals of life outlined in the Vedas: dharma (virtuous living), Artha (prosperity), and Kama (pleasure), which together may lead to the ultimate goal of Moksha (spiritual liberation).

Ayurvedic healing includes the following:

IU Medicinal treatment, or Ausadha (using herbs and such)

IU Cleansing and purifying techniques, or Panchakarma

IU Dietary therapy

IU Lifestyle modification, or Pathya

IU Exercise (yoga) and massage therapy

I Meditation and other spiritual remedies

You might also use self-help techniques, such as personal hygiene, methods for enhancing fertility and virility, and rejuvenation techniques.

The physician, medical assistants, patients, and even the remedies themselves must all combine together effectively to obtain a cure.

These treatments are divided into three main types according to whether they’re based on reasoning, the sacred, or character. Those based on reasoning are the medicinal treatments, the Panchakarma Cleansing and purification techniques, and the dietary and lifestyle advice. Those based on the sacred are the spiritual remedies such as reciting Mantras (repeated words or phrases) or prayers, carrying out fasts, going on pilgrimages, or wearing sacred gemstones. Those based on character involve cultivating moral qualities and integrity and avoiding harmful influences such as alcohol, gambling, lying, cheating, and, in modern-day speak, ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll’!

The rest of this section describes these Ayurvedic therapies in more detail.

The ancient Ayurvedic physician Charaka wrote that four pillars determine successful therapy. The first is the physician, who must be knowledgeable and experienced and should also demonstrate physical cleanliness and purity of mind.

The second is the medicine, which should be grown, harvested, and prepared correctly to be effective – and, of course, prescribed correctly too.

The third is the medical attendant, who assists the physician in carrying out the therapies. They too should be knowledgeable, experienced, clean, and pure of mind, as well as compassionate and empathic with patients.

The fourth and final pillar is the patient, who has a duty to describe symptoms accurately, to follow the physician’s instructions, and to be strongly motivated towards healing.

Ayurvedic medicines

Ayurvedic medicines are mainly made from plant material such as leaves, flowers, fruits, and spices but can also contain ground minerals and gem-stones and animal products such as ghee (clarified butter), animal fats, beeswax, or honey.

The different plants and medicinal materials are classified according to their tastes, potencies, and ‘ripening’ effects (vipaka):

IU Sweet, sour, salt, bitter, pungent, or astringent qualities IU Warming or cooling properties

IU Post-digestive effects (the physical effects of their components after they’ve been digested in the body)

IU Specific healing effects on the body (prabhava)

Herbs are cultivated and harvested carefully and then prescribed singly or combined together according to both ancient and modern formulae for maximum efficiency. They may be used dried or fresh and go through various processes, such as being ground, boiled, soaked, juiced, heated, and so on, to be made into medicines.

When I’m in India, I often visit the Ayurvedic pharmacies and am amazed at the range of products on offer. Few are in their raw state, as in the old-style traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies; most are carefully packaged, with extensive medical claims. Some aren’t labelled in English and great care is needed here. Not all have gone through rigorous quality control and some contain contaminants and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, or arsenic.

A recent tragic case involved an Anglo-Indian woman who bought Ayurvedic remedies for weight loss while in India and took them extensively on returning to Britain. These medicines

Contained contaminants and she unfortunately died of liver failure before it was realised that it was these remedies that were making her ill.

Ayurvedic remedies sold in this country by responsible companies are carefully batch tested for correct ingredients and purity so that they’re safe to take. However, not all distributors act this responsibly. Therefore, only take remedies from a reputable practitioner and supplier that specifies that they implement these checks and only take products clearly labelled in English showing that they’ve been batch tested.

The medicines may then be taken as pills (vati), Powders (churna), Pastes (kalka), Juices (svarasa), Decoctions (kvatha), Or medicated oils (tailas). Herbal teas and rejuvenation elixirs are also popular over-the-counter remedies.

In general Pitta Remedies are cooling, Kapha Remedies are warming and help clear phlegm, and Vatta Remedies are calming. However, different combinations of tastes and properties are used according to individual balance.

The Panchakarma purification techniques

The Panchakarma Are five Ayurvedic techniques for cleansing and purifying the body and rebalancing the Doshas That are used in both treatment and prevention of disease.

The body must be carefully prepared for these techniques. First, oil therapy (snehana) Is used, whereby vegetable oils are taken orally, given as enemas, and/or massaged into the skin. This therapy helps to soften the skin and get rid of old waste matter that may have accumulated in your intestines. Second is sweating therapy (svedana) Whereby the body is exposed to external heat from sweat baths or hot packs, or made to generate heat internally by means of exercises or swaddling in blankets. This sweating also helps to remove impurities from the body.

After the preparations are complete, the appropriate Panchakarma Can be selected:

IU Vamana: The use of herbs, rock salt, and honey to induce vomiting in order to clear the digestive system and relieve mucus. It is often used for Kapha Conditions such as chest and nasal congestion as in bronchitis and rhinitis.

IU Virechana: Involves drinking laxative and purgative herbs to cleanse the body. It is often used for Pitta Conditions such as fevers, intestinal worms, and skin diseases.

Virechana Is quite a rigorous therapy and isn’t suitable for young children, the frail, or the elderly.

I Vasti: The use of enemas to cleanse the bowels. These are often used for Vata Conditions such as dry skin, irritable bowel, nervousness, and fatigue.

IU Nasya: Nostril cleansing that involves inhaling medicinal oils, powders, or steam in order to relieve blocked noses, sinusitis, headaches, and nasal congestion, often signs of Kapha Imbalance.

IU Raktamoskshana: Blood-letting that uses leeches or surgical instruments to extract small amounts of blood, generate new blood cell production, and increase circulation. It is used for Rakta (blood) disorders and Pitta Conditions such as boils, abscesses, and skin diseases.

Don’t partake in the Raktamoskshana Therapy during pregnancy or if you suffer from anaemia.

Always follow Panchakarma Treatment with rest, appropriate dietary therapy, and any other relevant therapies. Such treatments must be done carefully and correctly by qualified practitioners; in India, they’re usually only carried out in hospitals or clinical settings.

Ayurvedic dietary therapy

In Ayurveda, foods are classified in the same way as herbs, that is, according to their six Savours Or tastes, their energetic potencies of warming or cooling, and their post-digestive effects. Table 5-2 shows recommended foods and cooking methods for the three different Dosha Types.

Pitta

Hot, spicy, fried, pungent, Cool and raw or lightly steamed foods;

Sour, and salty foods, sweet, bitter, and astringent foods;

Such as curried foods, sweet and bitter vegetables; and items

Pickles, and salted nuts. such as mint tea, salads, cucumber,

Oats, figs, rice, tofu, mushrooms, lentils, and ghee (clarified butter).

Kapha Sweet, sour, phlegm -

Producing and salty foods including sugar and confectionary, dairy produce, and salt and salted foods such as crisps.

Light, dry, spicy, warm, and easily digestible foods with pungent, bitter, and astringent taste such as cranberries, fennel, aubergine, apples, lentils, chickpeas and other pulses, millet, couscous, and natural diuretics such as watermelon.

Ayurveda also advises that you eat food in moderation, chew slowly, and eat in a calm setting. This is especially important for Vatta And Pitta Types. Kapha Types need to eat little and often.

Lifestyle modification (pathya)

Ayurvedic practitioners recommend living according to the seasons (rit-ucharya). Doing so means wearing warm clothes and eating warm foods in cool or cold seasons, wearing cool clothes and eating cooling foods in warm or hot seasons, and drinking plenty of fluids in dry seasons. Cleanliness, regular habits, and sleep are regarded as important, and daily exercise, meditation, and offerings to Hindu gods are all encouraged.

Also recommended is that natural urges such as hunger, thirst, sneezing, yawning, and urination shouldn’t be unnaturally suppressed and that good habits and virtues is cultivated. These good behaviours include telling the truth, being kind and generous, respecting your parents and teachers, and keeping good company. Harmful behaviours such as lying, cheating, envying, anger, and greed need to be overcome.

Vatta Types need to try to slow down and keep to regular routines; Pitta Types need to try to keep cool, avoid stuffy environments, and wear natural fibres; and Kapha Types should vary their routine and incorporate new forms of stimulation and mental challenge into their lives.

Exercise and massage therapy

Ayurvedic medicine advises yoga exercises for keeping the body supple, the muscles toned, and for promoting mental concentration and calm. Vata Types need to concentrate on gentle exercise and stationary yoga poses. Pitta Types can take moderate exercise combining yoga poses with breathing exercises. Kapha Types should take vigorous exercise combining aerobic exercise with yoga or doing energetic forms such as Ashtanga yoga.

Massage is done with the hands or feet or using heated linen pads. Different oils may be used to warm or cool the body according to Dosha Type. In Marma Therapy, different points on the body, rather like the acupoints of acupuncture, are stimulated.

Meditation and other spiritual remedies

Yoga breathing exercises (pranayama), Recitation of mantras, meditation and prayer are all encouraged to calm the mind, purify karma, and connect with

The divine. Vatta Types find sitting still hard, so can try walking meditation; Pitta Types can benefit from developing a regular seated meditation practice incorporating breathing techniques to calm the senses; and Kapha Types can benefit from active mantra chanting.

Deciding when to use Ayurvedic therapies

In India and Sri Lanka, Ayurvedic treatment is widely used for chronic conditions such as arthritis, joint pain, digestive problems, skin problems, and respiratory problems as well as for post-operative recovery, such as in the case of cardiac surgery and in the treatment of cancer.

If you’re taking any form of Ayurvedic medicine and also Western medicine, always ensure that you advise both your Ayurvedic and orthodox medical practitioner in case of any potential interaction between the medicines.

Finding Out Whether Ayurvedic Medicine Works

A growing database of research into the therapeutic effect of Ayurvedic herbs and herbal formulae now exists, as well as some research on the therapeutic effects of yoga exercise. Unfortunately, however, even in India, only very limited good quality research has been carried out on Ayurvedic therapies in general. Therefore, its efficacy in treating various diseases remains largely clinically unproven, although of course it has been extensively tried and tested throughout centuries of use.

Some work on the effect of individual herbal remedies has been encouraging, such as the use of neem leaves to suppress head lice and other infections, Shatavari root to treat menopausal symptoms, Triphala (a mixture of three fruits) to treat constipation, Guggul for reducing cholesterol, Ashwagandha for treating stress and fatigue, and so on, but much of the evidence is anecdotal and more well-designed clinical trials are needed.

Finding a Practitioner of Ayurvedic Medicine

The practice of Ayurveda is not yet regulated in the UK, so currently anyone can call themselves an Ayurvedic practitioner. The regulation process is now

Beginning and university accredited training courses for practitioners have already been established. However, until proper regulation is in place, and given that some of the remedies used may potentially be toxic, take great care to check that your practitioner is well-trained and experienced and able to practice safely.

You can find practitioners in the UK via:

The Ayurvedic Practitioners Association (Www. apa. uk. com or phone 07983-124950). This association has established a new three-year full-time BSc course in Ayurveda (BSc Honours Complementary Health Sciences (Ayurveda)) with the University of Middlesex, plus a year of post-graduate clinical training and an optional MSc training.

IU The Ayurvedic Medical Association (AMA UK). For details ring 0208-6576147 or 0208-6823876. Some of their members are Ayurvedic physicians who have completed a five-year course in India or Sri Lanka and have the initials BAMS: Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (India); or DAMS: Doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (Sri Lanka) after their names.

IU The Ayurvedic Company of Great Britain (Www. ayurvedagb. com or

0207-2246070). Their members may hold a Diploma in Ayurveda (Dipl. Ayu.) or a BA Hons Ayu from the Manipal Ayurvedic University of Europe (a joint venture between the Ayurvedic Company of Great Britain and Manipal University, India and formerly with Thames Valley University). This company has also established a British Ayurvedic Medical Council (BAMC) and a British Association of Accredited Ayurvedic Practitioners (BAAAP).

IU Maharishi Ayurveda (Www. maharishiayurveda. co. uk/

Practitioners. htm or via the Maharishi Ayurveda health centre on 01695-51008). Members are medical doctors who have also trained in the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Vedic Approach to Health.

In the US, practitioner details can be obtained from the National Ayurvedic Medical Association on Www. ayurveda-nama. org

In This Chapter

^ Discovering the origins of TCM

^ Understanding TCM concepts of health and disease

^ Diagnosing in TCM

^ Exploring TCM therapies and how they work

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest forms of medicine in the world. From its beginnings thousands of years ago in ancient China, TCM has spread around the globe and is now one of the most widespread forms of complementary medicine in the West.

In this chapter I tell you a bit about where TCM came from and translate for you some of the strange terminology used by TCM practitioners. You can try a quiz to help you to work out what type of TCM element imbalance you may suffer from, and read TCM self-care tips for how you may remedy any imbalance. I also give you a guided tour of TCM therapies and let you know what they can be useful for. Finally, I offer tips for finding yourself a TCM practitioner.

A (Very) Brief History of TCM

Traditional Chinese Medicine is thought to have started over 2,500 years ago. Its history is blended with myth and legend. TCM is said to have originated from two legendary emperors who were medical pioneers and keen to live long and healthy lives (see the sidebar ‘The founders of TCM’).

Legend has it that over 2,500 years ago a Chinese emperor called Shennong tasted every herb and plant he could lay his hands on and noted its effects. His insights are said to have led to the first ever text on Chinese herbal medicine, The Shennong Bencaojing (Classic of Herbal Medicine), Although in reality this actual text was written some time later. Shennong became known as the father of herbal medicine in China and is often portrayed clothed in leaves and holding or chewing medicinal plants.

Around the same time another Chinese leader known as the Yellow Emperor, or Huang di, is

Supposed to have had long conversations with his physicians about medicine. Their question-and-answer sessions are supposedly recorded in another ancient text known as the Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) And Huang di is known as the father of traditional Chinese medicine.

Nowadays some scholars believe these figures were mythical, rather than real, but in any case the knowledge said to come from them still forms the basis of TCM practice today. You often see their pictures in TCM practitioners’ waiting rooms!

Early Chinese people are believed to have used herbs as medicines and to have warmed stones as a form of heat treatment. Inscriptions on tortoise shells over a thousand years old give evidence of the use of water and simple herbal remedies for healing. Over time (in the Zhou dynasties from 1100-256 BC), medicine developed into an organised system and absorbed influences from the philosophical and religious traditions of Confucianism and Daoism. This led to the development of the concepts of Yin And Yang And the Five elements Or Phases (described in the next section). The system of diagnosing by means of the tongue and pulse and observing other body signs was also created.

Over many centuries great Chinese medical texts were compiled and Acupuncture (needle treatment), Moxibustion (heat treatment with a warming herb), and herbal medicine became widespread.

The arrival of Christian missionaries in China in the 19th and early 20th centuries led to the introduction of Western medical ideas and a downsurge of interest in TCM. However TCM was revived by Chairman Mao as part of his Revolution and it now flourishes alongside Western medicine in modern day China.

Understanding TCM Concepts of Health and Disease

TCM has its roots in the Daoist concept of living in harmony with nature and of all living things stemming from one primordial force. This force is

Represented by the Tai Ji, A symbol representing oneness made up of two interconnected, dynamically changing and also opposing forces known as Yin And Yang.

Exploring yin and yang

In the Tai Ji Symbol (see Figure 4-1), the white area represents Yang, Which is said to have the qualities of masculinity, expansiveness, activity, heat, brightness, and hardness, while the black area represents Yin, Which is said to be feminine, contracting, passive, cold, dark, and soft.

Figure 4-1:

The yin/yang symbol.

Yin And Yang Were seen as two great interdependent and creative forces that manifest in all living things, including the body and the environment. These forces are in a constant state of change. For example, night (yin) Turns into day (yang), Which later again becomes night (yin), And so on.

For this reason the white (yang) Portion of the circle also contains a black dot to represent some Yin Within the Yang, While the black (yin) Portion of the circle also contains a white dot representing some Yang. So if you look again at the symbol in Figure 4-1 you may see that it is not really a fixed design but rather can be seen as constantly moving and dancing, as black (yin) Turns into white (yang) And back into black (yin) Again.

In terms of your body Yin And Yang Represent the following:

*e The outside of the body is seen as Yang While the inside is yin.

*e The upper portion of the body is Yang While the lower portion is yin.

*e The internal organs are also divided into Yin And Yang.

E* The great ‘storing’ organs of the body – liver, heart, and lungs – are Yin Organs.

*e The active organs involved with movement and transportation of substances, such as the stomach, intestines, and urinary bladder, are seen as Yang.

Table 4-1 offers a breakdown of how all the internal organs shape up in terms of their Yin And Yang.

In TCM, good health relies on a balance of Yin And Yang So all your Yin And Yang Organs need to be functioning well and working in harmony together.

Understanding the power of qi

In TCM, Qi (pronounced ‘chee’) is the name for the vital energy believed to power everything in the universe, including our bodies. The Chinese character for Qi Represents a union of earthly and heavenly energy. (Chapter 9 has more about Qi.)

According to TCM if you have good Qi, You’ll be healthy and energetic and live long, but if your Qi Is abnormal, wayward, or blocked, disease may develop.

Qi Courses through the body via a network of channels known as Meridians. The twelve main meridians are divided into Yin And Yang Pairs:

E Lungs and large intestine

E Spleen and stomach

E Heart and small intestine

E Pericardium and triple warmer

E Kidneys and urinary bladder

E Liver and gall bladder

Traversing the meridians

The meridians course all over the body like a great rail network and are punctuated by hundreds of major and minor Acupoints, Rather like main line stations and lesser-used country ones.

The underlying theme for TCM is the restoration and preservation of free-flowing and abundant Qi.

Much research has been carried out in different countries to verify the meridians and the links between Qi Flow and disease but these have not yet been firmly proven to the satisfaction of scientists (I discuss this research in Chapter 9 in a bit more detail).

Exploring the Five Elements

In addition to Yin And Yang And Qi, TCM has a clever system of correspondences worked out called the Five Elements Or Five Phases. This system is used to understand the relationships between the internal organs of the body, mental and emotional states, the environment, and so on. These relationships may be generating and supportive (the black arrows in Figure 4-2) or they may be destructive, whereby one element predominates and can overcome another (the grey arrows in Figure 4-2). This system is illustrated in Figure 4-2.

Compare Figure 4-2 with Table 4-2. According to the Five Elements:

E The heart is associated with fire because it pumps blood around the body to warm and nourish it.

E The nutrients carried in the blood pumped by the heart support the function of the stomach and spleen (that is, fire nourishes earth).

E The kidneys are associated with water because they control fluid metabolism.

E If the kidneys malfunction, blood pressure may rise, which in turn

Affects heart function. In other words, if the body is dehydrated (lacking in the element water) the heart can’t function efficiently. In TCM terms the fire of the heart is raised, leading to elevated blood pressure and even heart attack. In this scenario, the fire element becomes too strong because the water element is insufficient to keep it in check.

You can also apply the five element principle in TCM to tastes, colours, and seasons. These correspondences, shown in Table 4-1, are used as a valuable diagnostic tool for TCM practitioners. For example, you may complain to your TCM practitioner of the following symptoms:

E Suffer from earache and aching bones E Feel worse in the winter E Crave salty food E Often feel anxious

Your practitioner would think to the correspondences in the five element table and – hey presto! – it would become obvious you may have an imbalance in your kidney/urinary bladder meridians or some weakness in the organs themselves (take a look at the bottom line of Table 4-2 to see for yourself how this links to the symptoms described above).

Western medical doctors find this system of correspondences a bit mystifying, but TCM practitioners swear by its accuracy and clinical efficacy. Therefore, even if you go to a TCM practitioner complaining of backache you may still be asked about your food preferences, emotional state, and even colour preferences. Now you know why.

Taking the Five Elements quiz

You can use the Five Elements quiz in Table 4-3 to identify your possible element imbalance and then discover simple TCM ways of restoring balance.

Work through the questions in Table 4-3 and tick a ‘yes’ for each question that applies to you.

Table 4-3 The Five Elements Quiz

The Element of Water Yes No

Do you often suffer from puffy bags under the eyes, a puffy face, or swollen ankles?

Do you often get low backache?

Do you often suffer from cystitis or other urinary infections?

Do you often have problems with your ears and/or sore throats?

Do you have problems with your bones or aching joints?

Do you crave salty foods?

Are your symptoms often worse in winter?

Are your symptoms often aggravated by cold and wet conditions?

Do you often feel anxious or fearful?

Do you feel drawn to the colours midnight blue or black?

Total Water Score (this represents the health of your kidneys /10 and urinary bladder)

The Element of Wood Yes No

Do you often suffer from nausea and lack of appetite? Do you often get headaches and/or migraines? Do you often suffer from PMS and/or cramps? Do you often have problems with your eyes?

(continued)

Table 4-3 (continued)

The Element of Wood Yes No

Do you have problems with tendon injuries and aching?

Do you crave sour foods?

Are your symptoms often worse in spring?

Are your symptoms often aggravated by wind?

Do you often feel irritable and angry?

Do you feel drawn to the colour green?

Total Wood Score (this represents the health of /10 your liver and gall bladder)

The Element of Fire Yes No

Do you often suffer from palpitations? Do you often suffer from insomnia?

Do you have any history of blood pressure or heart problems? Do you often have problems with your tongue, such as soreness? Do you have problems with your circulation? Do you crave burnt, smoked, or bitter foods? Are your symptoms often worse in summer? Are your symptoms often aggravated by heat? Do you often get overexcited or feel panicky? Do you feel drawn to the colour red?

Total Fire Score (this represents the health of /10 your heart and small intestine)

The Element of Earth Yes No

Do you often suffer from digestive problems such as indigestion?

Do you often have abdominal bloating?

Do you sometimes have undigested food in your stools?

Do you sometimes have problems with your mouth or lips?

The Element of Earth Yes No

Do you have problems with aching muscles?

Do you crave sweet foods?

Are your symptoms often worse in late summer?

Are your symptoms often aggravated by moist, damp conditions?

Do you often worry?

Do you feel drawn to the colours yellow and orange?

Total Earth Score (this represents the health of your /10 stomach and spleen)

The Element of Metal Yes No

Do you often suffer from colds, coughs, or chest complaints?

Do you sometimes have breathing difficulties or shortness of breath?

Do you suffer from constipation?

Do you have a poor sense of smell?

Do you have problems with your skin, hair, and nails?

Do you crave spicy, strong tasting foods?

Are your symptoms often worse in autumn?

Are your symptoms often aggravated by dry conditions?

Do you often feel depressed or grieving?

Do you feel drawn to the colour white?

Total Metal Score (this represents the health of /10 your lungs and large intestine)

Helping yourself: Five Elements self-care

Count up your ticks for each section of the quiz in Table 4-2. The one with the most ‘yes’ ticks indicates the element where you seem to have the most imbalance and which most needs your care, attention, and support.

Here are some TCM-based self-care approaches, which can help you rebalance the five elements:

If you scored highest for the Water element, the following may help: E Avoid cold and wet conditions.

E Keep your body warm and well wrapped, especially your feet, abdomen, and lower back.

E Avoid crop-tops (T-shirts and tops that leave the midriff and lower back exposed) and going barefoot.

E Limit salt intake.

E Drink plenty of water and eat lots of root vegetables, pulses, and warming foods.

E Wear yellow and orange.

If you scored highest for the Wood element, the following may help:

E Avoid windy conditions and draughts. E Exercise regularly to reduce stress and irritation. E Stay calm and practise patience. E Limit intake of sour foods and drinks.

E Drink plenty of water and eat lots of green, leafy vegetables, salads, and raw foods.

E Wear white.

If you scored highest for the Fire element, the following may help: E Avoid heat and stay cool.

E Wear light clothing and layers you can remove easily to adjust body temperature.

E Reduce stress and practise meditation.

E Avoid burnt or smoked foods.

E Drink plenty of water and increase intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish (up to three portions a week), and seeds and seed oils (such as flaxseed oil).

E Wear midnight blue and black.

If you scored highest for the Earth element, the following may help: E Avoid damp conditions.

E Chew food slowly and eat in a relaxed environment without doing other things.

E Avoid excess worrying.

E Limit intake of sweet and sugary foods.

E Drink plenty of water and eat warming, easily digestible foods such as soups or casseroles.

E Wear green.

If you scored highest for the Metal element, the following may help: E Avoid dry conditions.

E Practise breathing exercises and stretches.

E Think positive and seek help for your depression or grief if this is a problem.

E Limit intake of spicy, strong-tasting foods.

E Drink plenty of fluids and increase your intake of seeds (such as sunflower, sesame, or pumpkin seeds) and oily fish (up to three portions a week).

E Wear red.

Diagnosing in TCM

The four main types of diagnosis used by TCM practitioners are:

E Observation Of tongue, face, skin, nails, and hair E Palpation Of pulse and acupoints

E Listening To sounds of the body such as the voice, a cough, and digestive gurgles

E Questioning About general health and lifestyle, your and your family’s medical history, current symptoms, bowel health, and sleep habits

When training, TCM practitioners take many thousands of pulses in order to be able to feel the differences between them. Six pulses are on each wrist, with one representing each major organ and meridian. Practitioners palpate the pulses with the three middle fingers of their hand on the insides of each of the patient’s wrists, just above the wrist crease. TCM practitioners use both light and firm pressure to detect surface

And deeper pulses and different speeds and qualities are noted for each.

Each pulse has its own descriptive quality such as ‘tight like a bow string’ (a type of pulse indicating a liver problem) and my own personal favourite, ‘like pearls rolling on a plate’ (a type of pregnancy pulse).

TCM therapies are designed to balance Yin And Yang And the Five elements And to ensure the free flow of Qi.

You can think of the different aspects of TCM therapy as a tree with several branches, leaves and fruits:

E The soil in which a tree stands carries the nutrients that determine its health and growth. So in TCM the primary therapies forming the basis of health are Dietary therapy And Lifestyle advice. TCM recommends you eat seasonal, fresh, and lightly cooked food. Eat moderately, chew your food well, and select foods according to their Yin And Yang Properties. Some examples of these are given in Chapter 12.

E The trunk of the tree represents the body and both exercise therapies and breathing. These are seen as important for maintaining vitality, memory and a good flow of Qi. These movement and breathing therapies include tai chi and qi gong and are also mentioned in Chapters 16 and 18.

E The branches of the tree represent the limbs and body parts and the different therapies that can be used to correct their imbalances and stimulate healing. These include the hands-on therapies such as acupressure and tui na massage (see Chapter 17) and remedial therapies, such as acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, and herbal medicine (see Chapters 9 and 11).

E The leaves and fruits of the tree represent emotional and spiritual health, and the therapies that support these such as meditation practises (also mentioned in Chapter 18).

You can consult a TCM practitioner for many different kinds of ailments but common ones are: pain relief; joint and arthritic problems; respiratory conditions such as asthma; skin problems such as eczema; headaches and migraines; PMS; and insomnia.

A lot of research has been carried out on Chinese acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Much of this has been done in China and is not readily available in translation but a growing amount of this type of research is now being conducted in the West too. The positive research studies support the use of TCM as a valuable form of modern healthcare that has stood the test of time but more research is needed.

Research provides encouraging evidence for some, but not all, of the conditions listed and is summarised in Chapter 9 on acupuncture and Chapter 11 on herbs. I also give Web resources for accessing research evidence.

For details on how to find TCM practitioners of acupuncture see Chapter 9; for a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner see Chapter 11. For more on finding a massage practitioner who may practise Tui na See Chapter 17.