Newsletter Archive
THE ACU-POLARITY FALL NEWSLETTER
The Fall newsletter is in 3 parts:
1) Commentaries on Living: Kung Fu, Acupuncture face-lift, When you turn 60 its party time; 2) The Energetics of Natural Healing: Bird Flu; and, 3) The Philosopher’s Corner: The world is theater.
Commentaries on Living
I’ve been waiting for the coconut oil to get hard to let me know that it is fall. It has finally happened but now the newsletter is three weeks behind.
The latest thing that has been going on here is the release, by Warner Bros., of the complete Kung Fu series with Qwai Chang Caine. Remember? The series was first recorded for television back in the early 70’s. It ran for three years and picked up more interest on subsequent reruns. Toby and I have been watching the DVD release for the past month.
Qwai Chang Caine had the ability, through his Kung Fu training at the Shaolin temple, to harmonize with many difficult situations, trusting in the Tao (the Way, the flow of Nature).
You may recall, he also had the ability to disarm violent, angry and prejudiced people; could live on water with a few herbs sprinkled in it. He knew how to gather wild, eatable herbs and dine on a bowl of beans and rice on occasions. These are all talents that one could employ with benefit in these times of terrorism, earth changes and the like.
You may say that it was just a television series, which of course is true, but these Myths help us to reach for inner strength. The I Ching advises to look for the superior man/woman within and act accordingly in every situation.
When doing a yoga posture, a young, strong and flexible practitioner, like we see in a magazine, can demonstrate the ideal. And then there is the reality – the way the rest of us do a posture. It is the same in the way we employ our ideals in daily living. If we pursue our highest ideal, we can fall. But if we keep high ideals in mind, we may find in the end that ideals have more reality than what we take for reality on the physical plane.
The 30 episodes of Kung Fu and a 90-minute pilot move are available from Amazon.
When I was studying acupuncture in Sri Lanka the teacher said, “Learn acupuncture face lift.” I have to get continuing education credits to renew my Arkansas and California licenses. This year I am going to Orange, California to take a three seminar in constitutional facial acupuncture and advanced facial renewal. This seminar is scheduled for the early part of November.
The journal “Acupuncture Today” in its November ’05 edition had an article on vibrational medicine issue By Darren Starwynn, OMD that discusses facial rejuvenation and the various attitudes surrounding the practice. Some acupuncturist express they would rather stick with “real” healing arts of traditional Acupuncture or other energetic medicine.
Regular intended effects of facial rejuvenation are: wrinkle reduction, facial muscle tone to more youthful firmness; normalization of skin coloration to more healthy hues; reduction or elimination of acne, blemishes and age spots; increase in collagen and elastin to fill out and contour face; and, facilitating a healthy, vibrant glow to the face.
Starwynn reports additional “side effects:” 1. Relief from menstrual cramps; 2. Weight loss; 3. Relief from back and neck pain; 4. Depression or emotional malaise lifted, increase in mental clarity and inner calm; 5. Increased energy; 6. Insomnia relieved; and other miraculous reports which are almost hard to believe since the people were only treated on their face and neck with little or no adjunctive body acupuncture points stimulated. We will see.
My high school graduating class is holding a 60th birthday party. The menu is beer, wine, ice cream and barbequed beef and chicken. One would have to congratulate a person for having a hale and hardy enough constitution to have lived this long on this diet. I joked on the RSVP that I was no fun in high school and seldom went to parties then and am even worse now.
I naturally think we need a new paradigm starting with what we take to be the ‘normal’ diet of humankind. What we consider the natural diet of human kind can be found on the web page http://www.acu-polarity.com under the Energetics of Natural Healing section.
THE ENERGETICS OF NATURAL HEALING
Bird Flu
The government is planning on spending a few billion in preparation for Avian flu, the H5 N1 virus also know as bird flu. It is known as bird flu because it has its origins in Vietnam among farmers who are in close contact with chickens and ducks. The virus is passed from an infected bird to a human.
The problem could arise if the virus mutates to the point where one human could pass it to another human. Then there is the possibility for a pandemic. Authorities, like the world health organization, say one is due.
Witnessing the events of the passed few months one might observe that they cannot always depend on the government. What are some steps we as individuals can take?
I have not spent a lot of time in laboratory research, but looking at the situation it seems there are a few simple and practical things that can be practiced.
First of all it would seemed that as the virus start with infected birds (as in chickens) we might think about how closely we want to associate with chickens. In some respects, the life style of some farmers in Arkansas is not that far removed from they way they live in Vietnam. The logical way to avoid close association with chickens is not to eat them.
Tyson could decide to become the world’s largest soy burger producer instead of the largest chicken farmer. Ha ha.
Bacteria and viruses do the worst damage to someone with weaken immunity. Strengthening the lungs through yoga postures, breathing exercises and/or Chi Kung (cultivation of life energy) would seem appropriate. Chi Kung, like yoga, combines breath and specific movement to open and move the Chi in certain parts of the body. Tai chi is chi kung and has been practiced to maintain health and develop specific capacities like Qwai Chang Caine did.
There are many herbs and herbal formulas that can be effective. The most appropriate herbs come from a category referred to as “heat clearing and toxicity relieving.” The herbs in this category serve as a broad spectrum of antibiotics and antivirals. Their complexity as a full spectrum product from nature also helps support the host to resistance pathogens. Some of these are:
{C}1. {C}Isatis Root and Isatis Leaf. Taste: Bitter. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Lung, Heart and Stomach. Functions: Eliminates toxic heat from the blood, anti-viral – dispels damp heat in the lower burner. Indications: Fevers, infectious diseases, sore throat, mumps and hepatitis.
Special note: Isatis leaf and root represent two of the most powerful antiviral herbs in all of herbal medicine according to Michael Tierra. They can be used for epidemic fevers of various kinds for individuals regardless of their constitution.
{C}2. {C}Andrographis. Taste: Bitter. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Lung, Stomach, Large and Small Intestine. Functions: Clears heat and toxin (anti-bacterial, anti- viral). Indications: Sore throat, purulent sputum, acute infection of the GI tract.
{C}3. {C}Dandelion. Taste: Bitter, sweet. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Liver and stomach. Functions: Expels toxic heat from the blood, antiviral – dispels damp heat in the lower burner. Indications: Infections, mastitis, conjunctivitis, boils urinary tract infection cirrhosis and hepatitis.
{C}4. {C}Burdock. Taste: Bitter and Pungent. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Lung and Stomach. Functions: Clears heat and allows release of toxicity from the surface; Reduces swelling and clears pathogen. Indications: External wind heat (like in flu), sore throat, skin ailments.
Special note: Burdock seed is best treatment for skin diseases while the root is helpful as a general detoxifier and blood purifier.
5. Violet. Taste: Pungent and Bitter. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Heart and liver. Functions: Expels toxic heat and reduces swellings. Indications: Swollen and painful eyes, acute inflammatory infections, boils, breast abscesses.
6. Prunella. Taste: Bitter and pungent. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Lungs, Gallbladder and Liver. Functions: Clears fire, brightens eyes, scatters nodulations and disperses swelling. Indications: Headache, vertigo, acute conjunctivitis; Mumps, acute mastitis, goiter; Hypertension.
8. Forsythia. Taste: Bitter. Property: Cool. Channels entered: Heart, Liver, Lung, and Gallbladder. Functions: Expels toxic heat from the blood. Dispels external wind-heat; Reduces lumps, swollen lymph glands and hot sores. Indications: Common cold with fever, thirst, sore throat, headache, urinary tract infection. Abscesses, carbuncles and scrofula.
7. Honeysuckle. Taste: Sweet. Property: Cold. Channels entered: Lung, Heart, Stomach, and Large Intestine. Functions: Expels heat, fire and toxicity. Dispels wind heat derived from an external pathogen. Expels damp heat from the lower burner. Indications: Any hot infection where there is pain and swelling. Boils, fore throat, conjunctivitis, respiratory infection and abscesses. Wind heat with fever, Common cold and flu with headache; acute dysentery and urinary tract infection.
A preventive formula would include the famous Jade screen formula to strengthen the wei (protective) chi (energy). It consists of Astragalas, Siler root and Atractylodes. Astragalus is well known for its ability to help prevent colds and flu.
It would be a good idea to keep a bottle of Yin Qiao on hand. This can be taken in the initial first 24 to 48 hours of fever and the first sign of sore throat. This along with gargling with salt water, and the use of a neti pot can also be practiced daily as a preventive.
These are practical steps. If there ever is another pandemic and there are ample supplies of something that effectively treats an epidemic illness, then it would be appropriate to take such medicine. This, unfortunately, cannot always be depended on.
The Philosopher’s Corner
The world is like theater. It is not what it seems to be and nothing related to it is permanent. If we develop a worldview that puts life situations in their appropriate perspective, it will give us the strength to keep from drowning in life’s storms. “Everything is honored but nothing matter that much.” This is because the things of lasting, meaning true and eternal are within us, not in social, economic or politically derived situations.
The main difficulty we can face in recognizing our real need is that becoming too engrossed in life situations, building castles in the air, we can miss the inner purpose. As Ekhart Tolle states it, we need to discern the difference between our life situation – physical body, friends, possessions, etc. – and our life.
The constant preoccupation with life situations distracts to the extent that it can keep us in a circle of suffering and unhappiness. If we can “root” ourselves within, which means within our own consciousness, then it is possible to find balance that happiness and freedom we often try to find outside. The constitution of a particular country does not necessarily give, nor can it take away, one’s inner freedom.
To a certain extent, the true death is to break the bonds of the false identity that we have constructed associated with the physical body.
Special note: Do not try these practices at home without consulting your enlightened spiritual advisor.
Loving Regards, Patrick