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B1 February 5–11, 2016 CHINESE MEDICINE
Want a Healthy Body? Start With the Heart Emotional balance is important for good heart health
Healing the Heart With Hawthorn on B2
By Conan Milner | Epoch Times Staff
M
odern people typically believe that the brain rules the body. But according to ancient Chinese doctors, the heart is in charge. In traditional Chinese medicine, the heart is considered the emperor of the body. It sets the tone and direction for the rest of the organ systems to follow.
From the Chinese perspective, spirit is primary, and consciousness rests in the heart.
What did they see in the heart that qualified its leadership? A sense of spirit. While ancient Chinese doctors understood that the heart was an organ that moved blood through the body, this was a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. They paid little attention to the physical heart and focused almost exclusively on its spirit, known as “shen.” Shen can seem like a wild idea in comparison to the conventional concept of the heart in modern medicine—that of a glorified pump, vital but mostly mechanical. Yet recent research is coming to see the heart as more of a thinking, feeling organ. According the “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic”—the oldest known text in Chinese medicine—the strength of the shen is fundamental to good health: “If shen is strong, the body will be strong; if we lose shen, the body will perish.”
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By Conan Milner Epoch Times Staff Hawthorn has served as both a food and medicine for thousands of years. It’s one of the longest-used medicinal plants in European herbalism. Up until the 19th century, it was widely associated with fairies and magic. Today hawthorn ranks among the three most often used “heart herbs� in the West (along with garlic and cayenne pepper) and is prescribed by doctors and herbalists alike. It’s used to treat all manner of cardiovascular problems: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arrhythmia, angina, enlarged heart, hardening of the arteries—you name it.
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Hawthorn illustration from “Wild Fruits of the Countryside,� by F. Edward Hulme, 1902.
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People take hawthorn both for prevention and advanced heart disease. A 2010 metaanalysis of hawthorn research and clinical practice concluded that the herb holds “significant potential as a useful remedy in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.� Hard and Sharp Ranging in size from shrub to tree, hawthorn is a handsome plant year round. It’s a rustic cousin of the rose, and every spring it erupts in clusters of small blossoms (pink, red, or white depending on the variety). In the fall, hawthorn produces small, hard, apple-like berries called “haws� (a name that comes from an old Saxon word meaning “hedge�). When its shiny leaves have fallen, the tree reveals thorns the size of sewing needles. The botanical name, crataegus, comes from Greek words meaning hard and sharp. A full-grown hawthorn tree is small, but trees often enjoy a ripe old age (some are over 700 years old). In Germany and Britain, hawthorn hedges were used for centuries to mark property boundaries. One old name for hawthorn is “bread and
The berries, leaves, and flowers of the hawthorn are safe to eat.
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cheese tree� because the berries, blossoms, and leaves are all safe to eat and have provided sustenance in times of famine. Even in times of plenty, the berries are used to make jam, syrup, or wine. Plant Parts The hawthorn berry is the part most often used for food. But when it comes to a heart medicine, studies overwhelming favor the leaf and flower. That doesn’t mean the berry has no cardiovascular benefit. Research points to the plant’s rich antioxidant content for its healing ability, and each plant part has a different mix of favorable compounds. When selecting a supplement, the recommended standardization of compounds to look for is at least 1.8 percent vitexin and 10 percent procyanidins. These standardization recommendations give the consumer something comparable to products found eective in research and clinical practice. To get a feel for how hawthorn works, consider something called ACE (angiotensinconverting enzyme). This enzyme constricts blood vessels, thereby raising blood pressure. Similar to ACE-inhibitor drugs, hawthorn extract works to regulate ACE activity, relaxing the blood vessels so pressure drops and circulation improves.
Research has shown that hawthorn may regulate the heartbeat, increase blood flow to the heart, and serve as a mild sedative. Further research has shown that hawthorn may also regulate the heartbeat, increase blood flow to the heart, and serve as a mild sedative. Chinese Hawthorn The funny thing about herbal history is that you often find dierent cultures using the same plants in very dierent ways. While heart issues are the main indication for hawthorn in the West, in traditional Chinese medicine, it’s mostly used for digestive problems, such as diarrhea and bloating, especially after an overindulgent, greasy meal. The fruit is also available as a candy, jelly, or powder for a sweet-and-sour tea to sip after dinner. Given the success of hawthorn as a heart medicine in the West (and the rise in heart disease around the world), Chinese doctors are now using it this way too. Safety Concerns Hawthorn is a very safe herb, and European doctors often combine hawthorn with conventional drug treatment. Even so, patients taking heart medicine are advised to talk to their doctor before adding hawthorn. Hawthorn extracts are available in a variety of forms: powder, tincture, capsules, and more. Dosages range from 160 milligrams a day up to 900 milligrams a day. Consult a qualified health practitioner for an appropriate dosage for your condition.
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Drinking concentrated beet juice, which is high in nitrates, increases muscle power in patients with heart failure, a study shows. “It’s a small study, but we see robust changes in muscle power about two hours after patients drink the beet juice,” says senior author Linda R. Peterson, associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “A lot of the activities of daily living are power-based—getting out of a chair, lifting groceries, climbing stairs. And they have a major impact on quality of life. We want to help make people more powerful because power is such an important predictor of how well people do, whether they have heart failure, cancer, or other conditions. “In general, physically more powerful people live longer.”
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est velocities. The increase in muscle performance was significant in quick, power-based actions, but researchers saw no improvements in performance during longer tests that measure muscle fatigue. A Whole-Body Problem Heart failure can have various triggers, from heart-valve problems to viral infections, but the result is the heart’s gradual loss of pumping capacity. “The heart can’t pump enough in these patients, but that’s just where the problems start,” says Peterson, a cardiologist and director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “Heart failure becomes a whole-body problem because of the metabolic changes that happen, increasing the risk of conditions such as insulin resistance and diabetes and generally leading to weaker muscles overall.” The nitrates in beet juice, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables such as arugula and celery are processed by the body into nitric oxide, which is known to relax blood vessels and have other beneficial effects on metabolism. To read the entire article, see ept.ms/BeetJuiceHeart
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Does Fructose Lead to Larger, Sicker Hearts? Fructose drives a molecular mechanism that can lead to cardiac enlargement and heart failure, researchers report. “Walk through any supermarket and take a look at the labels on food products, and you’ll see that many of them contain fructose, often in the form of sucrose (table sugar),” says Wilhelm Krek, professor for cell biology at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Molecular Health Sciences. Prepared foods and soft drinks, as well as purportedly healthy fruit juices, contain fructose as an artificial additive—often in high quantities. In recent decades, fructose spread throughout the food market due to a reputation as being less harmful than glucose. In contrast to glucose, fructose barely increases blood glucose levels and insulin secretion. This avoids frequently recurring insulin spikes after any glucose consumption, which are deemed harmful. In addition, fructose tastes sweeter. But there’s a downside: The liver converts fructose very efficiently into fat. People who consume too much high-fructose food can in time become overweight and develop high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia with fatty liver, and insulin resistance—symptoms that doctors group together under the name metabolic syndrome.
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Americans eat a lot of fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup, found in many processed foods. glycolysis—literally, the “splitting of sugars.” If the heart-muscle cells can access fructose in addition to glucose, this can set off a fatal chain reaction. Fruit Is Still Fine Large volumes of fructose are added to many foods, but especially to sweet beverages and soft drinks. This practice drove up per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the United States between 1970 and 1997, from 230 grams (about half a pound) per year to over 28 kilograms (nearly 62 pounds). But Mirtschink provides reassurance that eating a normal amount of fruit daily is safe and healthy. “Besides fructose, fruit contains plenty of important trace elements, vitamins, and fiber,” he says. People should, however, avoid overly sweet soft drinks and fruit juices—these often have sugar added—as well as ready-made meals and other foods to which large amounts of fructose are added as a flavor carrier. “Just this surplus of fructose can help trigger the mechanism we have described if one of the stress factors is present, such as cardiac valve disease or high blood pressure,” Mirtschink emphasizes. To read the entire article, see ept.ms/FructoseHeart This article was originally published by ETH Zurich. Republished via Futurity.org under Creative Commons License 4.0.
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FIRE
CHINESE MEDICINE
Want a Healthy Body? Start With the Heart Heart continued from B1 You can think of your shen as the force that animates the body. It guides consciousness and intellect, reflects upon what it observes in the outside world, and gives us a sense of awareness. While you may have been taught that such qualities of mind belong to the brain, according to acupuncturist Brandon LaGreca, owner of the East Troy Acupuncture clinic in Wisconsin, people still intuitively identify their sense of self with the heart. “If you ask a person to point to themselves, where do they usually point? Their chest. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone pointing to their head when they identify themselves physically,” he said. Research and the Heart Spirit While modern science is just starting to discover a more expansive view of the heart, there has long been a cultural recognition in the West that the heart has a spiritual side. Poets, for example, speak of the pain of heartbreak and the goodwill of the kindhearted. “Whether or not you use the Chinese word shen, I think we all recognize that there is a consciousness aspect to the heart,” LaGreca said. Studies show that emotional imbalances can have a damaging effect on the heart, such as the impact chronic stress has in elevating blood pressure. But some researchers find an even deeper connection between the heart and mind. One modern treatment strategy that directly involves this idea is called HeartMath. Endorsed by physicians such as Christiane Northrup and Deepak Chopra, HeartMath involves a biofeedback device combined with breathing and gratitude exercises designed to improve emotional and physical well-being by targeting what they call the “heart-brain connection.” It’s kind of like meditation with a machine that tells you if you’re doing it right. According to research from the HeartMath Institute, different patterns of heart activity not only cor-
respond with different emotional states, but they also have a distinct influence on cognitive function. Further evidence of heart consciousness can be found in the many cases of heart transplants where organ recipients report inheriting the cravings, emotions, and personality traits of the donor. So how did ancient Chinese medicine hit upon an idea that researchers are only beginning to recognize? According to acupuncturist James Whittle, owner of the Blue Ridge Acupuncture Clinic in North Carolina and author of “Art of the Heart in Chinese Medicine,” it’s a matter of perspective. “It’s like the chicken and the egg,” he said. “What comes first?” According to Whittle, modern medicine focuses its attention primarily on the physical body, so intangible qualities like consciousness appear to be a byproduct of the brain. Chinese medicine takes the opposite approach. It looks to the nature and movement of energy to explain changes in the physical body. From the Chinese perspective, spirit is primary, and consciousness rests in the heart. “Chinese medicine and Western medicine are perfectly complimentary but absolutely different,” Whittle said. “One of my teachers used to describe it like this: If you look out the window and see a leaf blowing in the wind, Western medicine is the leaf. Chinese medicine is the wind.” Energetic Heart How do you see the wind? To get a handle on energetic ideas, it helps to use symbols and archetypes for illustration. That’s why Chinese medicine talks in terms of yin and yang, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth to describe health and disease. In traditional Chinese medicine theory, balance is the name of the game. The cool, soft properties of yin should be in harmony with the heat and strength of yang. In this ideology, each organ corresponds with one of the five elements found in nature. Illness arises when these elements are out of balance.
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JENS ALMROTH/EPOCH TIMES
Heart
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EARTH
Liver
In Chinese five element theory, the five primary organs are each associated with an element.
Spleen
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Too WATER much Kidneys of one element is an excess condition. Too little is a deficiency. When energy (qi) is blocked, it results in stagnation. The heart represents the fire element. The Chinese didn’t believe there were actual flames in the heart, but this serves as another metaphor that carries throughout diagnosis and treatment. Insomnia, for example, is a symptom of excess heart fire. Congestive heart failure is a result of heart yang deficiency. Not only does the heart contain the spark of consciousness, but the acupuncture meridian that corresponds to the heart is called the “fire channel.” It runs along your arm, from your armpit, to the tip of your pinky. Another symbolic association with the heart is the color red. Blood is an obvious connection to this color, but several herbs commonly used to treat the heart are red too, such as Chinese red date (“da zao”), ginseng, and goji berries. Likewise, red foods are also said to support heart health. Strangely enough, modern medicine also recommends a similar ideology. Nutritionists promote seasonal red foods such as vitamin C-rich cherries and berries, and lycopene-rich tomatoes and watermelon to lower the risk of heart disease and improve blood vessel function. Of course, the heart does not exist in isolation. In Chinese medicine, all the organ systems interrelate to one another, and a proper treatment takes the whole body into consideration. “If the heart is involved, you can pretty much guarantee there are other systems involved and you need to treat the whole person,” Whittle said. “There could be heart yang deficiency, spleen qi deficiency, and kidney yin deficiency all at the same time.” To illustrate this idea of interconnectedness, LaGreca refers to an acupuncture point on the heart meridian that he uses to treat migraines. “It’s the fire point on the fire channel,” he said. “In Chinese medicine, migraines are actually a pathology of the gallbladder, and the heart and the gallbladder have a connection where the heart can pull out excess gallbladder stagnation.” Focus on Prevention Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. While genetics play a small role in the development of heart problems, experts agree that most heart disease is caused by preventable factors. However, this is a relatively new idea in modern science. In the late 1970s, Dr. Dean Ornish was the
first Western medical scientist to look at diet, exercise, and group counseling as valid strategies to heal METAL heart problems. Since Lungs then, the lifestyle changes outlined in the Ornish program have repeatedly proven that they can prevent and even reverse heart disease. Like the Ornish program, one of the key features of Chinese medicine is its emphasis on disease prevention. Chinese doctors know that long before the physical heart gets sick, the shen will show signs of deterioration, such as anxiety, fear, depression, obsession, and insomnia (symptoms of an unsettled spirit). For the shen to be healthy, it needs a sense of community, purpose, and peace of mind— qualities that are often hard to come by in our high-stress, industrial world. Thus, Chinese medicine recognizes and treats a much wider range of “heart” problems than Western medicine. “Of course we also treat people who have heart palpitations, as well as those with advanced heart disease and heart failure, but that’s not the lion’s share of heart imbalances in Chinese medicine,” LaGreca said. “Things like being out of touch with oneself and one’s purpose, insomnia, anxiety and depression come up in great supply among our patients.” See Heart on B6
TIPS TO CARE FOR
SHEN Ancient Chinese doctors believed the key to good health starts with a healthy heart spirit or “shen.” Here are some ways to keep your shen in top shape.
FOCUS ON
Maintaining a positive outlook Getting enough rest Practicing benevolence and compassion Seeking peace and tranquility Meditating Going out in nature
AVOID
Overwork An erratic schedule Lack of sleep Chronic stress Anger, hatred, and resentment
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B5
PLANES, TRAINS, BOATS AND VENOUS BLOOD CLOTS W
e have all heard the tragic tale of a friend or loved one dying unexpectedly from a mysterious “blood clot,” which is “thrown” from the legs into the lungs, heart, or even the brain. It is reason enough for many to avoid long car rides, not to mention flying, and in general to live with a certain amount of fear and anxiety. But what is the real story behind these blood clots and how can we protect ourselves from them? Let’s begin with a general understanding of our circulatory system. Circulation implies the cyclic motion of the blood around our body, carried for the most part by two types of blood vessels; arteries and veins. Arteries are the blood vessels which carry the oxygenated blood from the lungs to all the parts of the body. If the arteries narrow during a process called atherosclerosis, one may need to have a stent placed to hold them open. If they become totally blocked, a bypass is required to route blood around the blockage. Left untreated, atherosclerosis in the heart will eventually lead to a heart attack, in the carotid arteries - to a stroke, and in the legs - to gangrene. Veins, on the other hand, are the blood vessels which deliver the deoxygenated blood back to the lungs. Our long-evolved habit of standing upright allows the forces of gravity, unfortunately, to create a problem in our leg veins. While the work of the heart together with forces of gravity bring the arterial blood down into the legs, the veins, however, are left working against gravity without any help from the heart to bring the blood back to the lungs. With the development of atherosclerosis our arteries become narrow, but different types of disease affect our veins. One of them is called “Deep Vein Thrombosis,” or more simply DVT. This is when blood clots form in the deep venous system. As with the majority of diseases, DVT does not have a single , direct cause. Rather, several different risk factors are to blame, which fall into three categories: abnormalities of the vein wall, blood flow , and blood composition. The first risk factor encompasses trauma and surgery, including any prior DVT, all of which damage the inner walls of the veins, making them rough and causing blood cells to catch and stick to the area forming a blood clot.
In nature this mechanism is what stops bleeding. Unfortunately, it works so well that the blood will stick to any irregular surface, whether it is an actual wound or only a slightly damaged vein wall. Even the most high-tech stents, grafts, artificial valves and pacemakers, necessary to treat various vascular diseases, are coarse enough to trigger this clotting mechanism. The second factor, abnormal blood flow, may be the result of a pathological condition, as in the case of cardiac arrhythmia. During a normal cardiac cycle, blood moves through the vessels evenly. Arrhythmia alters this flow, causing the blood to move in a turbulent fashion, with areas of fast flow interspersed with areas of slower-moving and even stagnant blood. It is this stagnant blood which initiates the formation of clots. Therefore, everyone should have regular check-ups to make sure that arrhythmia is not left undetected, since any form of heart rate irregularities must be properly treated. Even those who do not suffer from cardiac arrhythmia, however, may still be at risk for developing abnormal blood flow. Most commonly this is caused by prolonged standing and on rare occasions even by prolonged sitting. Typical situations leading to this kind of restriction of movement include, most notoriously, the many hours spent cramped in your seat on long trips by car or plane. As a rule we should try to change our leg position, and periodically move and stretch our legs and feet when seated for long periods of time. We may suggest more specific leg exercises in the office, which should be performed at regular intervals at least once an hour. If circumstances allow, it is best to occasionally get up and walk around. The last group of risk factors for DVT is comprised of conditions which make our blood too thick. Among them, congenital increased blood viscosity is extremely rare and is almost always diagnosed at an early age. A more gruesome, pathological condition which can increase the viscosity of the blood is “paraneoplastic syndrome,” seen in those with cancer, caused by the secretions of malignant tumors. Of the factors which we can control, the number one cause for thickened blood is dehydration. So, we should be especially mindful to replenish our bodies of the water lost during strenuous activity, such as
running, and that which is lost to the environment, as in the excessively dry cabin of a plane. The most feared and serious complication of DVT is “Pulmonary Embolism,” or PE. This occurs when fragments of DVT become dislodged in the bloodstream and are carried into the lungs. A thrombus being carried by the veins is called an embolus. Contrary to common belief, however, such emboli do not affect our heart or brain. This is because, the deoxygenated blood from all over our body returns to our lungs first, where the body’s waste product of carbon-dioxide is exchanged for oxygen. Therefore, venous blood clots, regardless of where in the body they are formed, can only be thrown into the lungs and not the heart or brain. Yet in the lungs, they may still block circulation, leading to serious complications and even death. The symptoms of DVT are likely to include swelling and tenderness to the touch in the affected extremity. However, some people with DVT do not show any clinical symptoms, allowing it to go on unnoticed and only adding to the dangerous nature of the condition. In the case of severe chest pain or problems breathing, one should immediately go to the emergency room and seek the help of a qualified physician, as this may indicate PE in which a clot has indeed traveled to the lungs. While venous thrombosis is a serious condition with potentially fatal complications, understanding its processes and taking simple steps against its main causes will certainly help to prevent its formation and, if needed, to correctly treat blood clots prior to the development of their dreaded complications. If you have any reason to believe that you or your friends and family members have any of the diseases described above, or even if you just want to check your circulation, please contact an appropriate specialist as soon as possible. L. Khitin, M.D. , F.A.C.S.
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The paradigm-changing discovery of the gut microbiome has made it clearer than ever that good nutrition is at the core of human health. A healthy microbiome can prevent and reverse a host of diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, arthritis, eczema, autism, and cancer, to name a few. Helping people formulate a healing diet for themselves is the art and service of a nutritionist. Here are some considerations if you want to study nutrition. Empowerment In our era of chronic diseases where pills are often viewed as the best solution to health problems, many patients don’t realize how much of their own health they can control by eating the right foods. Even the more health-aware may not know how to distinguish solid diet advice from fads. Others who seem to be eating “right” with lots of raw vegetables and fruits may have subtle sensitivities or absorption issues that prevent them from being nourished by all the kale and cabbage they consume. As a nutritionist, you’ll have an arsenal of tools to help people gain insight into the complex system that is their digestion. You’ll help them parse different feelings and sensations, navigate the maze of food-sensitivity tests, and find their best option for resetting. Once clear what their individual nutritional needs are, people are empowered every day to make the choices that will keep them vital. Integrated Health If your main interest is working directly with clients instead of doing research or being an academic, then the integrative approach to nutrition may be a good fit.
Rather than looking at nutrients in isolation and focusing on supplements, integrative nutrition emphasizes whole foods and takes lifestyle factors into account. For example, in integrative nutrition, an orange is more than just a vector for vitamin C, and the benefit of eating the whole fruit is greater than its nutrients in isolation. Even the most evidence-based diet plan will do no good if a person can’t stick with it. Integrative nutrition recognizes that just as an individual’s body needs certain nutrients, one’s mindset, lifestyle, and culture also influence what diet works. Integrative nutritionists work with clients to create the food plan that works in their circumstances. Solid Career Move If you are already a health care practitioner such as a chiropractor, medical doctor, personal trainer, or dietician, a master’s degree in nutrition can be a worthwhile addition to your practice—and it’s possible to get one online while still working full time. Being a nutritionist is also a viable career option by itself. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for dietitians and nutritionists is close to $57,000, and the job rate is growing much faster than average with a 16 percent increase projected from 2014 to 2024 (average rate of growth is 7 percent).
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Heart-Tongue Connection Once you know what to look for, signs of shen disturbance can be easy to spot. Ancient Chinese texts say to look first to the face. A face with a serene expression and a rosy complexion demonstrates a strong shen and good circulation; a pale, worry-worn face points to problems. Another external indication for heart spirit health is found in the tongue. A red tongue tip, for example, indicates excess heart heat, which often manifests as anxiety or insomnia. The heart’s connection to the tongue has a metaphorical quality as well. Not only is our ability to taste related to heart health in Chinese medicine, but the heart is said to have some tasting ability of its own. “We can look at the tongue to see how the heart is functioning and the health of the heart,” LaGreca said. “We extend this idea with the metaphor that the heart is tasting what is coming through the blood—hormones and chemicals, and such—and telling the rest of the body what to prepare for.” According to acupuncturist Emma Suttie, owner of Blue Buddha Acupuncture Sarasota in Florida and founder of Chinese Medicine Living (a website devoted to sharing traditional Chinese wisdom), the heart-tongue connection also extends to our communication. “Our ability to speak clearly is a direct manifestation of the heart,” she said. Suttie recently saw a patient with several signs of a wounded heart spirt: anxiety, insomnia, and extreme sadness. Her symptoms started a year before, soon after her father was killed in an accident. She was so close to him that it was hard for her to move on. “She came from a family that did not talk about their feelings, so she felt that she was not allowed to grieve this very painful loss,” Suttie said. In addition to herbs and acupuncture to heal the heart imbalance, Suttie said the most important part of her prescription was getting her patient to talk about and acknowledge her feelings.
“During her acupuncture treatments, she would sometimes cry while on the table, the acupuncture releasing the grief trapped inside her body,” Suttie said. “With time, her symptoms disappeared, and she was able to think about her father and feel joy at remembering him instead of being consumed by grief. All these things helped to heal her heart and regain balance so she could feel joy once again.” Heart in Balance Whittle mentions a case of heart shen disturbance that he saw recently: A 50-year-old woman with anxiety, palpitations, and extreme insomnia that has lasted several years. “The shen likes peace and calm,” Whittle said. “In her case, she had a job that made her feel very anxious, and she realized that it was time for her to leave that job and find something that would contribute to her happiness. When she made that lifestyle choice, it was a great shift.” Of course, walking away isn’t always an option. In these cases, Whittle encourages his patients to learn techniques to cultivate inner peace so that they can better handle the stress they must face. “You may have to practice qi gong, tai chi, or breathing exercises. You may have to change your diet and make sure your blood sugar is well-regulated to help with stress,” Whittle said. Emotions like fear, anger, hatred, and resentment can hurt the heart, while joy is its natural state. But an important theme in Chinese philosophy is everything in moderation. Ancient Chinese texts warn that excess joy can also harm the heart. “A better word in English is probably mania,” LaGreca said. “This could be someone who is bipolar and is having a manic episode, but it could be anybody who is living life large and has a lot going on. An overexuberant state of being for any prolonged length of time could have a negative effect on the heart.” “In Asian cultures, there is often an emphasis on cultivating a sense of peace and tranquility. That’s the heart in balance. It’s like the monk who has been meditating and can ride the waves of emotions in the world around [him]. “
B7
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Get blood pressure and blood sugar tests and become more aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke. Adults can take a Zumba class, and children can learn selfdefense at this event hosted by the Delta Sigma Theta and Alpha Kappa Alpha sororities. Saturday, Feb. 6 10 a.m.–noon Wings Academy, 1122 East 180th St., Bronx Free DSTBX.org
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SECRETS OF KOREAN MEDICINE
The Secret to Longevity Lies in the Lungs Obtain great health through pulmonary cleansing
COURTESY OF DR. SEO HYO-SEOK
Part 15 By Dr. Seo Hyo-seok
If we practice the principles of good health, we can expect to live more than 100 years.
The life of a person begins with breathing and ends with breathing. Following birth, an infant commences an independent life when it inhales the air that fills the earth’s atmosphere, and its collapsed lungs fully expand. In the West, atmosphere is a scientific term referring to the gasses enveloping Earth. In the East, atmosphere has a more philosophical meaning. While an organism is alive, its breathing sustains its life by “borrowing” some of the energies contained in the atmosphere, and at the end of its life, the organism returns the energy it used back into the atmosphere. Thus, the healthy expansion and contraction of the lungs is the fundamental to life on more than just the physical level.
99 years of age. After having treated several hundreds of patients with supposedly incurable diseases, I have come to realize that the degradation of pulmonary functions is the cause of all chronic diseases, and that it is possible for the body to fundamentally heal itself if the immune system is fortified through cleansing the lungs. If the lungs are cleaned thoroughly, damage to them can be undone, and longevity with optimal health is possible. Cleaning the lungs is so important because it improves the health of the tonsils, which are the first line of defense of the immune system. If the tonsils are healthy, they will produce an abundance of healthy white blood cells (leukocytes). These healthy cells will detect and cleanse accumulated waste and toxic substances throughout the entire body. I discovered this principle for achieving longevity along with excellent health after helping many patients over the age of 95 heal their lungs. In my years of practice, I’ve seen many patients restore damaged air sacs, discharge phlegm that had filled their lungs, and soften hardened lung tissue.
The majority of biologists agree that the biological limit of human life expectancy is 120 years. Why Do We Get Sick? Why are people born with wonderful health but experience a breakdown in the functions of various parts of their bodies once they get older? The most important cause of this degradation is the accumulation of waste and toxic substances. Although it is possible to maintain optimal health if toxins are cleansed as soon as they begin to accumulate, the cleansing ability of the body decreases as one ages, resulting in toxic buildup. This happens first in the lungs and eventually throughout the entire body. This is the process of aging. Excessive stress or overwork weakens the immune system, hastening this process and creating an environment in which diseases can easily manifest. We Can Live to 120 The majority of biologists agree that the biological limit of human life expectancy is 120 years. This assertion comes from the observation that most animals live up to six times the number of years it takes them to fully mature. When we consider that it takes a human approximately 20 years to fully mature, we can see that it should be possible to live up to the age of 120.. However, most people have great difficulty living up to the age of 100, let alone 120. Why? Because we do not cleanse our lungs. Without exception, pulmonary functions degrade substantially by the time we reach 99. The air sacs in the lungs become damaged (pulmonary emphysema), the airways become abnormally wide and fill with phlegm (bronchiectasis), or lung tissue becomes hard (pulmonary fibrosis). When the lungs are about half destroyed, it becomes much easier for a person to catch pneumonia. Although it is easy for a person with healthy lungs to ward off or combat pneumonia, if a person’s lung function is degraded, the person will not be able to overcome the attack, which can then be fatal. Factors that weaken the lungs include having smoked for more than 35 years, or having had tuberculosis or tuberculous pleurisy, which occurs when the tissues lining the lungs and chest cavity become infected. In these cases, the lungs are often destroyed 10 to 30 years earlier, and people develop problems much sooner in their lives. However, even people without these risk factors will experience destruction of lungs by the time they reach
Get Rid of the Main Culprit Human history shows that insurrections break out when a central government is weak. When this happens, there are two keys to suppressing the insurrection. One is to normalize the central government, and the other is to apprehend the “main culprit.” No matter how many rebels you capture, the insurrection will continue to rage until the ringleader is brought down. When the ringleader is apprehended, the insurrection will end because the rebels have lost their driving force. This same principle applies to our body. If 10 diseases manifest simultaneously in our body along with pulmonary fibrosis, the fibrosis is the ringleader. Therefore, if you wish to normalize your body as quickly as possible, make sure you get rid of pulmonary fibrosis first.
Exercise is helpful for cleansing the lungs, but it is not enough.
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not enough. It’s like cleaning your floor with a vacuum—it sucks up the dust, but if you want your floor sparkling clean and without dirt and stains, wet mopping is essential. Herbal medicines are the wet mop. Longevity and Healthy Lungs I have successfully treated a large number of patients with chronic conditions like asthma, pulmonary emphysema, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, inflammation, and atopic allergies and have seen time and again that the secret to healing lies in the lungs. If the lungs are cleansed, the results will manifest first through the skin, and patients will frequently hear comments like “you look 10 years younger.” In fact, cleansing the lungs has an anti-aging effect, and it is estimated that one’s physical age actually becomes 10 years younger. Once the skin becomes younger, within six to eight months, the density of bones will also increase. While the improvement of skin can be confirmed visually, increases in bone density can be verified with an ultrasound. Bones will also no longer break as easily. This shows that the body has actually become younger. Obviously, you will continue to age, but an immune system that has experienced this kind of renewed youth will age at a much slower pace than before because it will remember what is good for the body and use this knowledge to improve overall health. This will increase the average lifespan of humans by about 30 years in general, thereby creating an era where human life expectancy is in three digits. This should not be seen as the simple success of extending lifespan, but rather as a blessing that many chronic diseases can be eliminated. So clean your lungs in order to treat incurable diseases. This will lead to improved health of the tonsils and gradual elimination of various diseases, and it will ensure longevity with great health for anyone. In fact, longevity with wonderful health is not difficult to achieve as long as the lungs are cleaned constantly and thoroughly. Dr. Seo Hyo-seok is the director of the Pyunkang Korean Medicine Hospital, which has seven branches in South Korea, one at Stanton University in California, and one in Atlanta. Dr. Seo entered Kyung Hee University in Korea at the top of his class and after years of research, developed the Pyunkang-Hwan herbal formula, which improves immunity by strengthening lung function. It has helped cure over 155,000 patients of various conditions. Find out more at Pyunkang.com Email: Dr.Seo@wwdoctor.com MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES
Healthy lungs mean a strong immune system. With continuous pulmonary cleansing, pulmonary fibrosis will begin to dissipate after a year and a half, and you will find that other diseases disappear one by one. Conditions including high and low blood pressure, arthritis, slipped discs, enlarged prostate, and abnormal heart rate (arrhythmia) will heal by themselves, and longevity and great health will be achieved naturally. Exercise is helpful for cleansing the lungs, but it is
Clean lungs will help you look and feel younger.