Sunshine, another good way to improve health

Just read an article (in Chinese) talking about the importance of sunshine. It mentioned about one of cancer survivor Armstrong, cyclist. It is believed that one of reasons he could survive from cancer is his life style: outside sport let him received lots of sunshine.

Why? The article was written by a Chinese doctor and he believed that cancer tumors are considered as "cold", "negative" element which is opposite of "hot" and "positive" element. Of course sunshine is "warm", "hot" and "positive" so it is believed by this doctor that it can fight against the "negative" elements inside our bodies.
Even if this might sound superstitious I am still sure there are some scientific truth behind.

I realized that I have not been staying outside enough to get enough sunshine for years! I ignored such a free gift from the Nature which can make me healthy. So, as soon as the pollen is gone, I shall stay outside all day long!

Puzzle of wellness, piece by piece

Image by Steffe via Flickr

For people with CFS or any other unknown health problems, they have to get well by their own efforts --- living in the dark with huge amount of scattered pieces of puzzle, put them back one by one by guessing, lucks, or frustration. Each right piece they found took huge amount of energy, time, and money. And there is no guidelines, the only "instructions" are their own bodies.
Of course, our bodies are actually the best teachers on this course, but, we need to learn to listen to her first.

I was somehow convinced that most of us lost this ability --- listen to our bodies --- during our progress of history. Of course, this could be another huge topic but right now, all I am saying is, "listen to your body" is not as easy to it sounds. It takes nothing for someone to do it, but it could take a life time for someone else to learn.

Drinking tea is better than drinking water?

I am always wondering which is better: water, or tea? Not sure if this is the answer:

Drinking Tea Is Better For Health Than Plain Water

An article about candida yeast

I like to collect these websites for my future use. Lots of good info:
Candida—Eliminating Yeast/Fungal Overgrowth.

Candida Diet Guidelines

So it's not salad this time but Chinese dates

I had been expecting a "fundamental" health change since spring started, like I had experienced before. But, just at the time I thought it's coming, I got a backlash instead... However, today, the magic mercifully came! Not with salad, but some Chinese herbal "supplements".

Here is what happened to me this morning, I woke up feeling as weak as yesterday but I suddenly realized another day I had blood test: they took 5 tubes of my blood. I didn't feel the difference right after, but problems started from that day, with all other small issues they gave me a huge backfire. So this morning I decided that I had to do something good for my blood (I don't necessarily have animia but it used to be my problem). So I put some dray Chinese dates,Astragalus membranaceus and some Angelica gigas together with a small chichen (the tiny one that has no fat, all natural, I got it from Chinese market), just boiled them for about 2 hours then eat them also drink the soup. Guess what? I felt so good right after! I felt the "tangible" change inside my body!


(Dry) Chinese dates ("Hong Zao") is the number one herbal product to enrich blood, esp. for women.










Astragalus membranaceus ("Huang Qi") is the most popular Chinese herbal used to replenish vital energy of our bodies, for both men and women.









Here is a very popular Chinese traditional herbal "prescription"(more like a recipe): mixing both of these products together and boil with water a while and drink it like tea. Dates alone should also do very good. Another thing important is, it's better to break the surface of dates before cook, otherwise it will make some "fire" in our body and produce some "pinpoints" on our faces (for me, I would get pinpoints on my lips, which of course is disturbing).

This is supposed to be the best for women who feel weak and cold all the time, and it is supposed to work the best DURING SPRING (or during spring we need it the most)!

Outside activity

Image by Bukowsky18 via Flickr

I used to believe, that all my problems would be gone if I could find a job that let me working outside everyday. I never get chances, but I still believe in it. Today is such a beautiful day that I could not help planting 21 pieces of green onions (it just happened to be 21, 3x7! 3 times luckiest number!) on my backyard. After that, I felt the difference: I breathed better and felt better.
Yes! Stay outside more! Each breath of fresh air I take is a does of best "medicine"!

About Chinese medicine

I have been seriously using Chinese herbals since the beginning of January, under a "remote control" of a Chinese doctor online. Now I do feel better. However, honestly, I cannot tell how much of this is caused by Chinese herbals and how much is caused by my good rest/diet.

I tend to believe this: if any medicines/ herbals/ supplements took too long to be effective, they cannot be the only thing that worked, our body's self-regulatory function very possibly contributed more on the positive results.

But still, Chinese medicine believes that's what the Chinese medicine does: helping our body to do it's own job - makes its self-regulatory system works.

Simple, healthy salad again!

Image via Wikipedia

Today I enjoyed my own homemade salad first time in several months.

During my years' struggling with CFS, twice my "sudden recovery" had something to do with salad, and both of them happened in Spring.
The first time was 2005 spring. I was advised to eat salad by a guy who was helping me with yoga and other exercises. he believed that I had something called "yeast related syndrome". Later I learned that it was very true to me and most chronic illnesses/tiredness really have lots to do with this "yeast" - a natural parasites live inside our bodies. Some allergists discovered this phenomenon and they believed that when yeasts overgrown, they would stress our immune system, and we would physically be weaker and weaker because our immune systems get so busy to deal with yeasts. So killing yeasts would be a effective way to cure fatigue or other problems.

One effective way to kill them is stopping feeding them by eliminate the foods that yeasts like. It was believed by most researchers or allergists that, suger, processed flour, oily foods are yeasts' favorite foods, and healthy vegs especially raw vegs are their "enemies".
So I took advice and started salad diet. The effects were immediate. The first time I was feeling healthy during part of 2005 and almost whole 2006. Last year, I started in later February, and it worked perfect as well. However, I overdid last year. I ate salad and fishes only for about 4 months. It produced some opposite overcome --- lack of nutrition. So later I had to quite eat any cold and raw foods otherwise my stomach would feel upset.
Interesting thing is, many Chinese people used to eat cooked foods and they just don't like salad. I personally cannot eat salad all the time. By Chinese medicine, raw / cold foods are not good to stomach especially if your stomach is weak. This is true to me especially after last year's experience. However, I understand that western people grow up in different foods stype and they used to eat salad completely so they would have no problem at all with it.

Now spring is here, after a whole winter's energy store, I feel like eating salad and killing yeasts again:-)

The salad I made by myself is simple:
Lettuce, a little sliced red onion, cucumber, and some walnuts (or any other vegs, but onion for me has to be little bit and very thin sliced). I don't use dressing from market. All I had is some minced ginger and garlic (ginger produces heat so it is important to have when we make raw and cold foods, garlic can do cleansing of course) , a little sesame oil, some olive oil, very little salt and some vinegar. That's it.

Another important thing to do in Spring

Keep warm! People tend to wear much less as the weather gets warm, but by Chinese medicine, we may want to deliberately stay warmer than we feel like, because the sudden change would very easily make us get cold.

Just a small tip.

Spring - sleep early, wake up early

Image via Wikipedia

So what should we do in spring? Here is the quot from the best known Chinese medicine book " Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon": "lying at night and get up early, walk around the court"* ("court" means "outside" here, not "courtroom". of course)

By Chinese medicine, spring is the time that our positive energy start to grow, just like the nature. So if during winter we should sleep early and wake up later in order to store our energy, during spring, we should sleep early, wake up early --- get to outside and follow up the rhythm of nature. Also, we would feel more sleepy in spring but, Chinese medicine theory insists that do not sleep too much even you feel like (so what about "listen to our body"? ).

Light exercises (and sex?) are definitely encouraged.

Interesting thing is, by Chinese medicine, each internal organ belong to different season. Liver belongs to spring. The function of liver controls our temperament ( i.e. an easily irritated person is supposed to have some sort of liver malfunction). It is also said that based on records of history that most liver diseases occurred during spring. So, during spring, we should be extra careful with our temper: do not get too much excitement or anger (excitement by sex won't be counted I guess) .

Superstitious or not, I guess it won't hurt to have a try. I will.

*皇帝内经．Original Chinese text: 夜卧早起，广步于庭.