Dr. Isabella’s January Muse Interview

Cover Feature Interview by Carley DeMarco published in The Retreat Newspaper January 2025 issue No. 20

Sometime last year, I woke up from a dream in which a stranger told me to work with Dr. Isabella of the Innata Institute. At the time, I was struggling with a range of health issues that no conventional doctor seemed to have an answer for—my hormones were plummeting to perimenopausal levels, I was diagnosed with osteopenia, and I was dealing with major body aches, inflammation, hives, and breakouts for the first time in my life. Fatigue consumed my days, insomnia stole my nights, and on top of it all, I was juggling a full-time job, running a yoga studio, teaching ten classes a week, and managing social media for clients.

Desperate for answers, I sent Dr. Isabella a message on Instagram, unsure of what to expect, especially since she was on the other side of the country. But during our first call, when I told her doctors had said I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant, she called bullshit. For the first time, someone made me feel like healing wasn’t just possible—it was my birthright. Unlike so many professionals who had dismissed me, Dr. Isabella’s belief in my body’s ability to heal, combined with the science to back it up, felt like a godsend.

Over the following months, I embraced her recommendations: medical Qi Gong, specific recipes for regeneration, and nightly remote Qi Gong sessions where I would sip tea in bed as she worked her magic from afar. I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but I knew it was working. Everything truly clicked when I attended Dr. Isabella’s Desert Healing Retreat this past October—I was blown away by the depth of her work, most of which you’ll read about in the following pages. After the retreat, I felt like a completely new version of myself—someone who could make it through the day without crashing by 10 a.m. and who no longer needed Advil to withstand the first two days of her period. This interview is my way of shouting from the rooftops about the mystery and magic that is Dr. Isabella and her work in regenerative health. Her story is a powerful one, and I’m thrilled to share it with you today. Let this interview serve as a reminder that healing is possible, regeneration is your birthright, and dreams are meant to be followed. — Carley

[Carley] You’ve inspired our theme of Regeneration this month for many reasons, but before we dive into each of those, I’d love for you to share your definition of regeneration and as it pertains to your work more specifically: regenerative health.

[Dr. Isabella] Regeneration to me is very practical, it is the repair and renewal of living cells. All of life is regenerative, it doesn’t require any specific technology or lifestyle to be that way! Regenerative health is about removing obstructions and decay from the body to restore access to internal resources, circulation and vitality. 

As a child you were diagnosed with leukemia and went through three years of chemotherapy. From an early age, you experienced the downsides of modern care, and eventually, when you were 18, you experienced the detrimental late effects of chemotherapy: your bones were deteriorating and your body was shutting down. You searched for ways to heal free from aggression, chemicals, side-effects, and suffering—and not only did you find these avenues and heal, but you also began to thrive. 

In many ways, the phrase, “the student becomes the teacher” feels like an embodiment of your journey as you turned that experience into your expertise. In your clinical practice, you treat a large scope of patients and work closely with cancer patients and those undergoing chemotherapy. What would you say to someone currently struggling with an illness or undergoing treatment, who may feel overwhelmed or hopeless, about the possibility of healing and reclaiming their body and life after such an intense struggle? What have been your most felt lessons as the student? As the teacher?

I would want them to know that as long as you are alive, nothing is beyond repair. If a body cell is still living, it contains the potential to heal and regenerate itself, regardless of past damage. When you’ve gone through an illness that strips you of your health, autonomy and identity, healing is no longer about getting back to your old life, the one that got you sick. It’s about creating a new one, regenerating life once again. It’s frightening to feel like we can’t turn back to the way we once were, and then a huge freedom opens up. It means you can change. We have this opportunity with every obstacle we face, even the nagging small symptoms, but it becomes clearer the more serious it gets. 

Like many diseases, cancer and chronic illness do not develop overnight. They gradually happen over years, progressing from many internal warning signs that went ignored. When we see things from this view, our path back to health is clear, and we no longer have to wait for someone to come heal us. It took me a lifetime of bouncing around from the top doctors and specialists until I realized it was all a distraction that led nowhere, mostly in an effort to be heard and understood. My experience has taught me that the main way we prevent healing is when we turn away from ourselves. There’s so many wonderful intelligences in medicine and healing but the most important one is the one inside yourself, and that needs to come first even when it’s tempting to jump ship to the next trendy solution. You are the very thing that will build you back up, not the doctor or the treatment you pursue. If you’re lucky to find someone who guides you in the right direction, that’s a gift, but the truth is you have everything you need to heal within you. The body is always on your side, and is the very thing keeping you alive. A lot of the struggle begins to fall away when we make our relationship to ourselves the priority. 

Clinically, I have learned that the answer is in the patient in front of me, not in the textbook, the research or the theory about their condition. When I hear the stories people have been through, I am always moved by how perfectly and appropriately their body has responded. Some people wonder how to heal despite all that they’ve been through, but when we consider your whole life as relevant, it becomes more about how to heal in light of what you’ve been through. The very story and experience that brings people into my clinic is also what illuminates the path to their own recovery in the most effective and meaningful way to them. It is very humbling because every patient teaches me something new in the process.

I would argue that the most pivotal turning point in your healing journey—and life— was when you met Tao Qi Gong Master, Grandmaster Hong at age 19. From there, a ten year apprenticeship began where you underwent an intense learning and cultivation process of Qi Gong. Not to name drop (or maybe to—only because I know you never would) Grandmaster Hong was renowned in Hollywood and had many close followers and devotees like Goldie Hawn, Elton John, Mel Gibson, and Cameron Diaz—and for good reason. He was an oncologist in Shanghai who became initiated into Master Kwan’s Qi Gong lineage and brought the healing art of Qi Gong to the west. Apprenticing under him, and then becoming a master yourself, is the highest honor (and power). In our sessions together, and on retreat, you shared about how real healing happens within Qi Gong. Maybe first and foremost, what exactly is Qi Gong? Can you share about that first kismet meeting with Grandmaster—your experience with receiving medical Qi Gong and the beginning of your apprenticeship? 

Qi Gong is the root of all martial arts - tai chi, kung fu, etc. - whether it is applied to combat or healing. Qi Gong allowed me to heal when nothing else would. When I was almost forced to give up and give in to Western care, I got the opportunity to book a treatment with Grandmaster Hong. That first session was powerful beyond belief, it opened my body up to be able to release many deeply stored blockages. I must have cried for an hour, and he told me my sensitivity would one day allow me to help others. He also explained my constitution to me, and gave me my first proper understanding as to why I developed leukemia at six years old, and how to prevent ever getting cancer again. From his perspective, it made perfect sense, and I got my first sense that healing was indeed possible. I remember walking out of the treatment room feeling like I was in a new body. I saw him standing on the balcony smoking a cigarette, and before I had a chance to say a word, he told me I was now going to be his apprentice. Next thing I knew I was in a balancing act between business school and martial arts, flying to Hawaii and Shanghai, practicing qi gong before dawn every morning, brewing Chinese herbs, assisting with his patients, and my life as I knew it became devoted to a whole new purpose. It wasn’t until I read his book and witnessed the demand on his very presence that I realized what a huge honor this was, people would fly across the world just to get a treatment with him and beg to become his student. When he made me his apprentice, I was no longer a patient. It was no longer about me. He taught me how to heal myself so that I could do the same for others. Within a few weeks, I returned to my old doctor, who assumed I had finally taken his prescribed medications (which of course I never did) and told me I had a clean bill of health. 

The way I see it, Qi Gong activated my potential to heal. My training allowed me to regenerate from a life of weakness to one where I would come to know true health. I learned that life is in the body and we need to address it directly as it is the same force that lives us and allows the body to perform any function. Healing is not a theoretical concept that happens through pills, supplements or treatments. There is no nutrition without Qi, no vitality without Qi, no breath without Qi and certainly no life without Qi. 

You worked very closely with Master during your ten years of apprenticeship until he passed this summer. I think in order for us to understand the depth of the honor and power of this process, we need to rewind. Take us back to Grandmaster Hong’s life before he was a grandmaster: what did his life look like, how did his apprenticeship unfold, and what did his journey of bringing the healing art of Qi Gong to the west look like? 

Master Hong was originally a western-trained oncologist in China. When he began training with his Master, Master Kwan, he would travel hours to his cave and then return to the hospital and integrate Qi Gong into his patient care, finding that the results superseded what was possible with chemotherapy and radiation alone. Out of all of his other fellow apprentices, he was chosen to introduce Qi Gong into the world of western medicine as he had the highest education and ability to do so. Eventually he was sent on a mission to America, to bring natural healing to the West. Holding knowledge from one of the oldest lineages of natural healing in China, he was sent to share this with the medical community so that it could be used in modern care. As one of the eleven known grandmasters on the planet at his time, Master had access to wisdom and practices that few others on the planet did, and his contributions were highly unique. He also demonstrated how relevant and adaptable this medicine is, evolving it to the times, and generously teaching and sharing as much as he could with us. Through his pioneering cancer research with the NIH, his life-saving discoveries with Qi Gong and herbal medicine, Master tirelessly fulfilled his mission to help others and integrate natural healing into the modern world until the very day he left us.

I think there is this misconception (I’m guilty of having it) that we have to work really hard to achieve healing. You like to say it’s simple. It’s not always easy, but it is simple. As a Taoist physician, your work is rooted in cultivating health by supporting the natural laws of the body, without invasion and without compromise. What are the natural laws of the body?

The first thing to understand is the premise of all the laws of the body, which is that the body is never wrong. Every symptom is a resulting effect of the body’s attempt to preserve your life. The next thing is to know that there are cycles and rhythms that govern every cell in the body, you can’t outsmart them. They are expressed in all of nature, including every internal tissue and organ, and the universe at large. As my Master used to always say, “the body is a mini universe”. When we understand that the body has its own perfect order, we can begin to get specific about how we prevent or allow that. When the mind is calm, the body is sufficiently nourished in blood, Qi and fluids, and it is unobstructed from stagnation and waste, health can result. This also means emotional and spiritual health, as they are products of the body’s consciousness. 

I experienced, first hand, the rapid, natural healing abilities of the body during your Desert Healing Retreat in October, in part because of the detox. Detox is a word that gets thrown around a lot. Can you explain your method for detoxification? And what is your response to the people who say “our body naturally detoxes, we don’t need to detox”?

I don’t see a conflict between the body’s natural detox abilities and our need to detox, if anything it demonstrates how inherent to our survival detoxification really is! The main treatment for all diseases is detoxification, we need to balance the accumulation in the body and mind. We have many channels of elimination as we are not biologically designed to hold on to our waste. Have you ever had the drain clogged in your dishwasher? It is an inherently self cleaning appliance, and yet totally ineffective at that design if the pipes are clogged. Our body does naturally detox, but often the rate that it is taking in exceeds that which it is eliminating. If you’re dealing with any symptoms, the pipes are clogged. We can help the body troubleshoot the problem by taking a ride on the natural detoxification functions of the body with focused care. That’s all a detox is: rebalancing and returning to the way things are designed.

What—maybe trendy—detoxification methods do you find dangerous or stupid and why? 

Any effort to release and give the body a break is a sincere effort in the right direction! What I wouldn’t advise is any program that is a huge departure from where you’re starting from, that feels aggressive and that is preceded by months of lifestyle change. An example would be jumping into a water fast or heavy metal cleanse. When we force the body into a ‘detox’ and don’t have the hydration or energy to expel the toxins that are freed as a result, then they will be released interiorly and become systemic, which can be very dangerous to the organs. This is the basis for the common “healing crisis”, and it is completely avoidable with the proper approach. 

On the other hand, there can also be programs that release toxic burdens perhaps a little too gently. Having trained in Ayurveda first, I noticed that while panchakarma is deeply restorative and so enjoyable, it often lacks the specificity to address modern pathologies effectively. Another example would be programs including animal products like bone broths, or stimulants like matcha lattes or cacao, which actually inhibit detoxification and cannot be considered part of a cleanse by any means.

Most importantly, any protocol that is purely physical is going to produce very limited results if any. Detoxification is a parasympathetic process, meaning it does not occur if the body is in a state of stress or tension, whether that is from day to day work or unresolved histories. Physical results increase dramatically when we address ourselves as a whole through meditation, practice and cultivation exercises. 

Part of your detoxification process during the retreat included consuming lots of living water: lots of fruit. Can you explain what living water is and the biological explanation for why it is the heal-all in your eyes?

A key characteristic of illness and aging is dehydration. Living cells in your body respond to living hydration, which is structured in a way that is biologically compatible with the intracellular fluids in your body, and thus possible to absorb. From a Chinese medicine perspective, it is only the thick (structured) fluids absorbed through the stomach that are sent around to hydrate the body cells and allow for the conductivity of life energy or Qi.

Beyond consuming healing foods, we also had daily lymphatic, osteopathy, and acupuncture sessions. I want to talk about acupuncture because it’s a huge part of your practice—and also because, I’ve never had an acupuncture session before like the ones I’ve had with you. In our first session you said that you don’t have a good financial model for acupuncture because you only need to do a few sessions with a person. Together, we uncovered a major childhood trauma that turned into a physical blockage in my body and by the end of the weekend, I wasn’t triggered by it at all. Can you share the way you view and practice acupuncture? What are some of your most treasured co-healing stories?

I practice Classical acupuncture, the complete Taoist system including and emphasizing use of the complement channels. The way I practice is rooted in my Qi Gong training. I work closely with each person in light of their unique constitution and history. I consider each session a treasure, and it is especially powerful when people overcome the grips of seemingly immovable lifelong issues, like post traumatic stress, or repair from severe damage. My first ever patient ten years ago was actually dealing with bone degeneration from chemo, and it was my pain to purpose moment. It was really beautiful to watch her regain integrity in her body again in such a natural way. Working with any cancer patient is an honor, because the partnership we form is so involved. More recently, a patient came in with a heart condition that has been impossible to affect for years even with medication. In one session she opened up to me about an old emotional wound from her first pregnancy almost fifty years ago, and upon treating the related channel in her body, it seemed that the pressure in her cardiovascular system released. Her heartbeat has been normal since that very treatment. Miracles don’t always happen, and when they do I don’t take credit for any of it. To me this medicine is an art that creates an environment in the body where miracles can happen, if they’re meant to.

To my point again how your acupuncture sessions are different from anything I’ve ever experienced, you also administer healing Qi Gong energy work at the same time. How do you weave in medical Qi Gong into your sessions?

Qi gong is actually the core of each acupuncture treatment, it’s how I diagnose and treat. The needles are what are weaved in, and they help me to refine treatment, but the needles themselves don’t produce healing - qi does. I never practice acupuncture without external qi emission, on its own I have never experienced it to be nearly as effective. External Qi healing is what I learned from my Master that allows me to help your body reconnect to its natural healing capacities. Through understanding the specific trajectories, indications and relationships between the channels of the body, acupuncture then allows me to guide the effect of the treatment in an even more direct way. 

Something that was initially really hard to wrap my head around was how our remote sessions were working—because they were working. A lot of our community knows about my crazy hormone saga and how I’ve done a complete 180 since working with you, but no one really knows how I came to work with you and the type of work we do together. I still think it’s hilarious that when I told you after some time working together that I had a dream that told me to work with you, you responded ~so nonchalantly~ that a lot of your patients have dreams that tell them to work with you. So when I reached out to work with you, I had no idea what exactly we would be doing because I thought you were just an acupuncturist. During our first session, which was scheduled at 9pm right before I was to go to bed, you told me to make tea with three leaves and sit at the edge of my bed with my feet on the ground. I would take a sip of the tea and follow it through my body. Honestly I’m laughing thinking about this right now because you would ask me where I was feeling it and I was embarrassed to be like “well, i have this pain in my right ovary and in my big toe” and then as it kept moving you knew where I was feeling everything. Let me get to the point—what the hell is going on in a remote healing session with you? Why right before bed?! Please share with the class. 

Because the qi in the channels of the body is what produces healing, we don’t need tools or physical proximity to affect them. This idea of non-local relationship between two particles is actually extensively shown in the field of quantum physics. Regardless, remote qi gong treatments that have been practiced for thousands of years. I like to schedule these sessions before bed so that the physical body can rest into maximum receptivity and integrate the physical changes without the mind getting in the way. 

What do you say to people who think your work—as I’m describing it here, because you truly don’t describe it like this—is woo-woo? 

I completely understand why they do, as I was a major academic and sceptic myself. While Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest medical systems in history and has a long track record of benefitting more people than Western medicine has, the very premise of the medicine is so different that it is not entirely possible to understand it through the lens of our current Western understanding of the body — at least not yet. I think that as a culture we haven’t been taught to trust the body, let alone to explore it beyond that which we can see and measure. And yet it is the most practical thing in the world to acknowledge the Qi or energy of the human body and involve it in the healing process, because at the end of the day, this consciousness is the only thing that you can be sure your life depends on. 

Herbs are also a big part of your practice—and I owe one specific formula to curing my yearlong stint of chronic UTIs, which so many of my friends have. What role do herbs play in your practice and patient protocols?

As a primary care provider, I have an in-house pharmacy of raw Chinese herbs which allows us to put together custom formulations on the spot for acute situations like yours! My approach to herbalism is not just about going after symptoms, but also to support constitutional needs and underlying patterns in glands, organs and body systems. What I love about herbs is that they can address multiple factors: root causes, symptoms, psychological effects and disease prevention, always strengthening the body tissues and supporting treatment outcomes.

You led another retreat in November, where I heard you and your team helped facilitate huge results, like reduced tumor markers down from 19k to 2k in a stage four cancer case, and the disappearance of a melanoma in another patient—in ONE week. I can’t help but think back to that saying, the student becomes the teacher. Part of me wants to think that everything happens for a reason— that we deal with certain health issues and struggle through certain experiences so that we then become the expert and help others, and that of course, we learn something along the way. Another part of me thinks that illness—and especially the increase in disease in recent years—is a result of our modern lifestyle and outside factors like pesticides, chemicals in food, stress, etc. What is your view of illness? Can two things be true at once?

Absolutely. The classical Chinese texts explain that one’s life blueprint and destiny is part of the genetic constitution, and this is the foundation for all sickness and health. Then the triggers of environmental factors will reveal any areas of weakness here. There will always be triggers, how our body responds to them is what determines health or illness. So the Chinese masters would say it is all destined, and we also all have a choice. That is why lifestyle is the solution, it is our ability to make a different choice.

Speaking of the modern lifestyle, I think a huge roadblock for many people when it comes to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, sans chemicals, is affordability and sustainability. When I lived in a small town, it was extremely difficult to find fresh, organic produce. It was also incredibly expensive. What are practical tips for focusing on regenerative healing foods in an affordable and sustainable way?

It is not about maximizing intake of special ingredients. It’s more about what we leave out. The point is to choose foods as close to their natural, hydrated form as possible. If that means produce that is conventional, frozen or limited in variety, you will still benefit a lot more than resorting to unnatural foods. Seek out farmers markets and small grocers whenever you can. Can’t find greens? Grow your own sprouts. Can’t afford superfoods? Stock up on a good local honey. Can’t find fresh fruit? Soak some prunes and raisins. When we are guided by simplicity, there is always a way to make things work.

If you could share your ideal morning routine for someone who is looking to feel more energized and joyful, what would it be?

Take your time, hydrate first thing adding some fresh citrus and honey to your water, get 20 minutes of sunshine on your upper back, breathe into your belly and give your thoughts a break. You’ll want to avoid stimulants like caffeine which will further deplete you over time.

Why sunshine on your upper back!? 

It is the ‘tai yang’ region of the body, the largest, most exterior level of the body’s channels that govern the distribution of our yang qi in the body. When receiving the rays of the sun, this region builds our capacity for stronger yang qi, which benefits our adrenal health, circulation, immune defenses and overall vitality and youth.

What do you envision the future of natural healing to look like? How and when do you think we will arrive there?

A world where people heal themselves, where local farmers are the foundation of our healthcare system, and where nature and ancient wisdom guide our knowledge. It will require huge changes in lifestyle, industry and government. We’ll get there one person at a time, through education, practice and community. From what I see every day in my clinic, we’re on the way, the path is here for us, it’s just a matter of how many people choose it.

I saw an article recently talking about how the FDA approved the use of sound waves and water to break down tumors, a technique called histotrispy, in humans for liver treatment. During a workshop on retreat we worked with the healing power of sound, so I want your thoughts on this? 

It’s inevitable that the future of medicine incorporates frequencies, and I think there is a huge advantage as these sound waves are measurable and provide more avenues into the scientific understanding of Qi.

What do you want your legacy to be? 

Continuing the work of my Master is the greatest honor, and as long as I’m here I will pass on what he taught me to help others. My legacy will be the continuation of my own apprentices as they do the same. I would like to support physicians of all disciplines to become more empowered and equipped to use natural healing methods for complex chronic conditions, mental illness and degenerative disease.

Rapid Fire:

• I know that all of your protocols and formulas are personalized…but if you had to choose, what is the best herb/food/recipe for:
  
  

• Adrenal health goji berries in tea or steeped overnight

• Hormone balance all berries

• Gut health fresh ginger tea

• Sleep problems jujubes, mulberry and longan tea

• Lymphatic stagnation lemon juice, black grapes

• Kidney health parsley, corn silk

• Mental health lily bulb if the nervous system is depleted

• Bone density seaweed

• Sex drive asparagus, ginseng, but every case is different and needs to be personalized!

• You just booked a very exciting trip back to visit your family in Italy. What are you packing for the airport/plane and why?
  
  

I’m very minimal when I travel, I don’t take any supplements or potions. I make sure I am hydrated and rested beforehand so that I can travel easily without feeling complicated or in need of any hacks. I hate feeling fussy and carrying a lot of things! At the airport I’ll keep an eye out for a good spring water or a juice bar, but I have always fasted on flights. I just make sure I have plenty of warm sweaters, socks and my laptop as flying is my most inspired writing time.

• View of colonics? It is exceptionally helpful to introduct hydration back into the colon and eliminate accumulations. Closed systems only.

• What do we need to know about the fascia system? It communicates the health of your entire body, and it responds to your hydration and thoughts.

• Your favorite skincare product? Neroli hydrosol

• Favorite food? Fruit

• Go-to dinner: Soup

• Favorite movement practice: Qi Gong or Martial Arts? They are the same thing! Qi gong is the foundation, all martial arts are applications of Qi gong. In my own practice, one leads to the other.

• Health trend you hate and why: Keto and high protein diets, guaranteed way to degrade the body

• Health trend you’re actually on board with and why: Grounding to the earth, free reset from modern interference, we all need to get outside in nature more.

Dr. Isabella’s Insights

Interview by Carley DeMarco published in The Retreat Newspaper May 2024 issue No. 12

 

[Carley] What does embodiment mean to you? How does it show up in your work? 

[Dr. Isabella] Embodiment to me is the same as healing. I consider the degree to which we experience life in the body as the greatest measure of health. We only suffer when it is obstructed, fragmented or disembodied in some way. My clinical work is centered around embodiment in the sense we are only ever working with the resources within your own body and I will only ever prescribe things that entirely support, reconnect and liberate these resources at zero cost. This can seem like a big claim in the face of the chronic and mental conditions I work with, typically people want to run to the big and drastic interventions. Yet as my patients actively participate in their healing with practical participation, the more results they get without dramatic procedures. This is because they’re not relying on me to ‘give’ them health, they are creating it and embodying it themselves.

Like a lot of your clients, I work with you remotely. What is the concept of ‘quantum entanglement’ and how does it help explain why remote energy therapy works? 

Remote energy therapy has been practiced in Taoist medicine for over three thousand years. Quantum physics explains how subatomic particles maintain relationship even when they are great distances from each other. Concepts like ‘quantum entanglement’ continue to explain the interconnection of the human body with the natural world that Taoism has always spoken about. The reality is that even acupuncture treatments don’t work because of the needles themselves, but because of the channels in the patient’s body. And we don’t need to be in the same room to affect them!

One of my favorite parts of our work together is the Qigong practices you assign. How can Qigong be a form of embodied healing?

Qi Gong IS embodied healing! It is literally the practice of cultivating and working with energy through awareness, in the physical body. To me the purpose of any therapy is really to help reconnect someone to their own internal experience in their body and create a space where healing becomes increasingly more possible. Qi Gong allows us to maintain that experience through daily practice, and then our health is ultimately in our own hands.

One of the definitions of embodiment is ‘a visible form or expression of a feeling’. I immediately think of symptoms as I read this. How often is a symptom a result of something emotional? How do you address the emotional root of something that has manifested physically? 

In both Classical Chinese and Tibetan Medicine, we work on the premise that all illness begins in the mind. The mind creates emotions which express through the organs and cause us to contract in ways that create physiological blockages. In Tibetan medicine we call these mental-emotional causes our inner winds, as just like the wind, we cannot see them directly, we can only see their effects. As these materialize in the physical body, we get symptoms. These are held and stored at different levels of the body and can create varying degrees of stagnation in our muscles, blood, lymphatics, nerves and bones. Taoist medicine has a profound diagnostic system to assess this. Of course, this gets complicated by infections, toxins and burdens the body also accumulates over time and creates patterns of symptoms we call disease. So illness does not live at the level of our emotions, it follows stages of progression in the physical body. And that is where our sensory experience (our feelings) and our solutions live too. My approach to regenerative health and acupuncture works from the ground up through the physical body in light of each person’s unique history and mental-emotional patterns. This allows us to support the body’s own natural release of its physical and emotional scars. We’re never forcing out your emotional traumas to heal you, we’re helping the body to move to a state beyond survival mode towards circulation, vitality and evolution. 

You asked me to send you a photo of my eyes recently. Of course, I went down an Iridology rabbit hole after. Techniques like iridology provide a less obvious sign of dis-ease in the body than something like a rash does. Two part question: what wisdom do the eyes offer? What other techniques, like iridology, which offer clues/subtle messages/insights, do you work with?  

Every part of the body can be understood as a microcosm of the whole body itself. In Chinese Medicine school you learn a lot about tongue and pulse diagnosis but these are just the tip of the iceberg. Eye diagnosis is a lost art in Taoist medicine that can help us gain a lot of insight into constitutional (genetic) and latent (hidden) conditions in the body, which are difficult to diagnose by Western technologies. Certain palpation and observational techniques with the sinews and veins can also help me assess these kinds of deeper imbalances also. For the metrics lovers, I offer bio resonance scans to back this all up.

In one of our more recent sessions, we worked on feeling worthy of healing, of true vitality. Do you believe that our thoughts can create sickness? Can they heal? If so, can you talk about the power of embodying the belief that healing is possible and it is innate?  

As we said, all disease begins in the mind. The mind gets us sick or well to the extent that our physical body follows suit. If we repeat thoughts long enough that they become beliefs, it is likely that our muscles and cells will contract in response and create symptoms. When significant inflammation, fibrosis or scar tissue have built up physically we need to focus on those areas first before we can expect the tissues to release what is in the way of their normal function. Only then can you have the embodiment of health in your body. The scientific reality is that healing is innate and limitless in every cell of the living body! And it is so much faster when you’re willing to bring awareness to the ways you suppress it with unhelpful thoughts and beliefs.

Speaking more specifically for the season:

For our Northern Hemisphere readers: what is the organ of Spring and what emotion does this organ embody. The liver and gallbladder, and our capacity for motivation, purpose and direction. Disembodied expressions would be anger, resentment and frustration.

Three tips for embodying health and vitality in Springtime? Flexible movement, light living foods and open-eyed meditations.

For our Southern Hemisphere readers:

The organ of fall and what emotion does this organ embody. The lungs and large intestine, and our capacity for release, forgiveness and discernment. Disembodied expressions would be grief, sadness, and judgement. 

Three tips for embodying health and vitality in Autumn? Moisture rich meals, deep exhales and reflecting in appreciation.

Your favorite practice for embodiment?

Well since embodiment is a natural result of releasing what is dis-embodying us, the best practice would be one which allows us to exhale and let go. If we can devote ourselves to this type of practice, we can then begin to connect with ourselves on the deepest level, which is what embodiment is all about. This kind of contemplation easily gets lost in more ambitious spiritual practices. In Taoism we keep it simple and start at the root, as we can only grow up from there.

Daoist Meditation Practice

1. Breathe DOWN into your lower belly. This area just below your navel is called your lower dan tien, where you want all your awareness to settle. Do not move onto the next step until you feel that only your low belly rises and falls with your breath, not your chest or your shoulders!

2. Focus on your EXHALE only, through your nose. Pay little attention to your inhale, it will happen naturally.

3. CONNECT the tip of tongue on roof of mouth and maintain a sense of your center line as you practice. 

Remember to keep it embodied, present, and relaxed. Your qi flows a lot easier that way.

The Tao of Survival

Published in The Retreat Newspaper December 2023 issue No. 07

 

Winter is a time of survival. The cold slows the circulation of your body and thoughts, flaring up your seasonal depression, anxiety, and symptoms. Despite the promised relief of your seasonal self-care practices, you feel restless, and reliant on your matcha, workouts and many ways you prop yourself up until spring puts the fire back under you. You get stuck chasing adrenaline, not knowing that in your deepest core, you are full of life.

This is the message of the season, according to Taoist philosophy. Your source of vitality, healing and regeneration is not in your wellness hacks, but in your kidneys (the organ of winter). They hold your genetic potential and ability to survive, including your willpower, courage and even the adrenal steroids to power you through fear (the emotion of the kidneys).

The problem is that when you get caught in a chronic stress response, your instinct to survive can block your evolution. The impacts from your past experiences have a way of lingering in your bones (the body tissue of the kidneys), calcifying the mind into fearful programs that confuse your ability to release, change and move forward in daily life. This is what we call trauma, when the scars of ‘survival mode’ freeze you in patterns of addiction, suppression, and distraction against your will.

The good news is the kidneys are all about freeing you from this. Ruled by the element of water in Chinese medicine, they govern not only our urination, filtration and buffering systems but also the fluidity and perspective of the mind. They are on a constant mission of purification and transformation for you, trying to keep things flowing at all costs (that is the hallmark of health, after all). You were literally built to release.

As a physician, I’ve found the only rational way to heal diseases is not to treat them, but rather to restore the body’s ability eliminate what got in the way of its perfect design and function. Remember, your vitality is within you and there to nourish you, but it’s suppressed by the self-eroding chemistry of cortisol and struggle. This is where you come in.

If you’re willing to go beyond simply surviving, it begins with one question: can you commit to living in a way that (1) doesn’t add to the problem and (2) naturally eliminates it?

If so, apply that to every food, pill, practice, and environment in your life and you’ll learn what needs to naturally fall away. Maybe it’s the rigid workout protocols that keep your cortisol up, or the caffeine and cacao addictions that constantly spike your adrenaline. You may also want to bring life into your body with deeper breaths, and hydrating foods that move old waste through you easily. Maybe even practice putting down your phone, dropping your shoulders, and exhaling next time your thoughts try to convince you of impending disaster again.

The catch? It takes persistence. While your mind can likely think up many methods to create more fluidity in your life, your body only believes you through consistency. A foundational, kidney-deep restructuring can only be made with the qualities of the water element: Taoism says these are patience, commitment, perseverance, humility, perspective, and surrender. In time, this solid path lays the groundwork for a more tolerant, adaptable, and purposeful nervous system. In other words – freedom to live - which is what you are really after.

You will have to continue this way – this Tao - every moment of every day despite the seduction of more sophisticated methods. And as you begin to find stability, you might begin to sense the fulfilment, optimism, and strength that has always filled every portion of your body from the inside too. Just in time for spring.

Treatment of adult ADHD in Traditional Chinese Medicine with Classical Ben Shen Diagnosis

Published in Acupuncture Today April 2022 and May 2022 issues

by Isabella Gucci-Ruffalo and Joseph Changqing Yang

ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterized by an ongoing pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, unfocused motor activity and impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It is often diagnosed in childhood and lasts into adulthood. ADHD is a chronic condition that can have a serious and long-lasting impact on a person's life. While there is no cure for ADHD, it is possible to reduce symptomatology with the currently available treatments, which include medication, psychotherapy, training, or a combination approach.

Case Presentation

A 30-year-old female patient presents with ADHD which was diagnosed in childhood. She reports frequent procrastination, inattentiveness, and inability to focus. The patient reports that she has difficulty processing one thing at a time and prioritizing tasks. She makes careless mistakes often because of this. She complains of poor short term memory recall and needs to write things down or else she will forget. Only creative work seems to summon her focus. She also complains of emotional dysregulation and occasional irritability, which manifests as a clogged sensation in the throat, palpitations, and a rising sensation of energy. She also reports social anxiety, hypersensitivity to sounds and stimuli, vivid dreams, and occasional night sweats.

Her medical history includes asthma since early childhood, and she has secondary complaints of sinus congestion, fatigue, nausea, occasional bloating and constipation. Most significantly, the patient has a history of trauma at age 11 which was left unresolved for ten years until she began psychotherapy. She self-medicated with CBD extract but declined all psychiatric medication until 2 weeks ago when she started Provigil (Modafinil), a medication that promotes wakefulness. This medication is thought to work by altering the natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain, according to Drugs.com. Since starting this prescription, the patient complains of the side effects of this medication which include lowered appetite, nervousness, and increased body temperature.

The patient’s physical presentation is robust. She presents with moderate bodily activity and weighs 298 lbs. at 6 feet tall. She has a clear, high-toned voice and makes eye contact; she does not appear as a mentally deficient constitution from a Classical Chinese Medicine perspective. She has a very present demeanor and an easygoing attitude during her treatments with us. However, when discussing her personal history of trauma, her voice tends to become relatively quiet, and her facial emotions flatten.

Using TCM diagnosis, the patient’s tongue presents is pink, swollen, and geographic with deep midline and horizontal cracks, and a dry coat. Her pulses are rapid overall and deep in the chi positions. Her left pulses are weak and thready in the cun and guan positions, and her right pulses are forceful, and slippery in the guan position.

TCM diagnosis

Shen evaluation according to Classical Ben Shen diagnosis is a three level diagnostic system. It is comprised of癫狂 Dian kuang pattern differentiation, 神气Shen qi pattern differentiation and 五神 Five Shen pattern differentiation. These diagnostics patterns are based on Nei Jing Inner Classics and several classical texts. This is the major diagnostic system for mental disorders in Classical Chinese Medicine, and it is entirely rooted in the foundational texts that Chinese Medicine is founded upon.

Mental evaluation:

The first level is a mild yin pattern or ‘Dian’ disorder.

The second level is Shen Qi Irritability.

The third level is the Heart Shen Irritability.

Physical evaluation:

Heart fire, Spleen qi deficiency with damp phlegm obstruction.

Treatment principle:

            Stabilize Shen qi, calm Heart Shen, clear the Heart fire and transform damp phlegm.

Case Analysis

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) point of view, the patient has clear signs of the Heart not storing the Shen causing the Shen to ‘float’, which manifests as ADHD symptoms. In addition, she has moodiness and irritability also to the Heart Shen dysregulation. She is also suffering the medication’s side effects, which weakens her Shen and mental energy further.

After the Shen evaluation, we evaluated her mental energy pattern with the three level diagnosis following the Classical Ben Shen (本神) system. According to out diagnosis system, the mental energy pattern of Shen qi is the core concept for all mental disorders. The first level diagnosis is of a mild yin pattern or ‘Dian’ disorder, the second level is Shen qi irritability, and the third level is Heart Shen irritability. Our treatment focuses on this main mental energy pattern, though she also falls into the diagnostic pattern of Shen qi oversensitivity secondarily. Her TCM zang fu organ pattern is Heart fire with Spleen qi deficiency and damp phlegm obstruction; her body weight, nasal congestion, and clogged sensation in the throat are all signs of damp phlegm accumulation in her body.

Treatment protocol

First visit (07/20/2021):

We began the first treatment after the initial mental and physical evaluations at her first visit. Acupuncture treatments require mental Shen preparation, which we do with Shen communication techniques to guide the patient’s Shen when we are performing acupuncture treatment. The techniques used are based on the patient’s Shen Qi pattern and the four levels of examination.

Acupuncture Points:

DU20, REN22, REN12, REN4, ST40, SHEN GUAN, KID4, HT5, SP4, GB13, LV3, GB40

Herbal Formula:

Bi Yan Pian 8 pills 3x/day

Shen Ling Bai Zhu Pian 8pills 3x/day

Nutrition & Lifestyle Recommendations:

We advised the patient to eat at regular mealtimes, incorporate spleen tonifying foods, and eliminate dairy, ice, processed foods, and refined sugars. We taught and prescribed her Medical Qi Gong exercises and meditation.

Second visit (07/26/2021):

            Patient reports that her symptoms have improved. Within an hour after the last treatment, she released many repressed tears and experienced lightness and relief from this release. She reports feeling more ‘dialled in’, focused and settled since last week and experiences increased motivation. Due to the medication, she has almost no hunger, increased body temperature, and sweating. She is on day 2 of her menstruation and feels slightly irritable. She mentions her throat can feel stuck when she gets anxious. She enjoys her new nutritional and lifestyle habits and attributes better digestion and respiration to these changes. Her tongue and pulse remain unchanged since her first treatment.

Acupuncture Points

DU20, REN22, REN12, REN4, ST40, SHEN GUAN, KID4, HT5, SP4, GB13

Third treatment (08/02/2021):

The patient reports improvement and that she felt ‘great’ after last treatment. Today only she feels slightly more ‘stuck’, as she just got offered a new job position and is unsure whether to take it. She feels frozen towards making the decision and slightly anxious about it. Her stools are looser than usual but still somewhat formed. She is tired and feels that her body is holding the stress. Her eyes are dry due to the medication.

Acupuncture Points

DU20, REN22, REN12, REN4, ST40, SHEN GUAN, KID4, HT5, SP4, GB13, LV3, GB40

Herbal Formula:

Bi Yan Pian 8 pills 3x/day

Shen Ling Bai Zhu Pian 8pills 3x/day

Fourth treatment (08/16/2021):

Patient reports feeling better, she feels more focused and able to prioritize things and does tasks more quickly throughout the day than before. Since she ran out of the herbal prescription, she notices some more sinus congestion and slower digestion and asked us to refill herbs as they were very effective in sustaining her results. She decided to take the new part time job. At her current job, she discovered some undesirable news and became irritable about it. She managed to catch herself almost immediately and decided to choose to feel calm about it instead. She said she had never self-regulated like this before and she was pleased to feel calmer and in control of her emotions.

Acupuncture Points

DU20, REN22, REN12, REN4, REN5, ST40, SHEN GUAN, KID4, HT5, SP4, GB13, LV3, GB40

Herbal Formula:

Bi Yan Pian 8 pills 3x/day

Shen Ling Bai Zhu Pian 8pills 3x/day

Fifth treatment:

The patient reports feeling calmer and more ‘grounded’ than ever and more able to focus on tasks. She is prioritizing better and feels her motivation has been stable. She reports that her PMS this month is much milder than usual. She mentions that recently her sleep has been deeper than normal and that it is difficult for her to wake up in the morning. She thinks this is due to the medication over-stimulating her and burning her out, leaving her exhausted by the end of the day. She started a second part time job this week, and she is still getting acclimated but feels positive about it.

We added a custom herbal prescription on her fifth treatment, which is indicated both to calm her Shen and transform the damp phlegm. This is a customized formula that has been combined according to the Ben Shen mental health theories and principles. 

Acupuncture Points

DU20, REN22, REN12, REN4, REN5, ST40, SHEN GUAN, KID4, HT5, SP4, GB13, LV3, GB40

Herbal Formula

Long Gu 25g, Shi Jue Ming 15g, Fu Shen 15g, Chen Pi 12g, Shi Chang Pu 12g, Zhi Ban Xia 12g, Bai Zhu 12g, Zhi Zi 9g, Sha Ren 9g, Mu Xiang 9g

Sixth treatment & Summary:

Acupuncture Points

DU20, DU23, REN12, REN4, REN5, ST40, SHEN GUAN, KID4, KID3, KID7, HT5, SP4, GB13, LV3

Herbal Formula: continued the custom prescription.

The patient’s ADHD symptoms continue to improve. She reports feeling more grounded, focused and attentive. She feels significantly less irritable, and emotionally lighter after having let go of many harbored emotions throughout the course of this treatment. She experiences improved motivation, and she is eating healthier, meditating more regularly and managing her tasks more effectively. Her ‘dian’ disorder has improved and her Shen qi mental energy is much more regulated. 

The patient discontinued use of her ADHD medication two weeks ago much to our surprise. She experienced some fatigue with the withdrawal. We have continued her treatments since completing this study, and she reports continued improvement in her symptoms and good quality sleep. She reports that her nasal congestion and digestive function is significantly improved and ‘normal’ now, and she only experiences discomfort when she eats dairy or forgets to take her herbal prescription. She is pleased with the improvement of her condition, and now that she feels more emotionally and physically regulated, she intends to prepare her body for pregnancy in the near future.

Commentary & Conclusion

It must be noted that this patient is not just a psychiatric ADHD patient, but that she also experiences dysregulation on the physical and energetic levels. The all-encompassing nature of Chinese Medicine can be used to treat her holistically, by considering her physiology and her personal history to create effective treatment that includes traditional lifestyle support as an important adjunct to her psychological treatment.

Based on this classical system, we treat the root of imbalance (Shen disharmony) to address the branch symptomatology (ADHD, the chemical imbalance triggered by the Shen disharmony). While modern psychiatry is a tool for addressing the mental level, real healing takes place on all levels of the human being that are simultaneously part of the disharmony. This is where the patient-oriented approach the time-tested efficacy of Classical Chinese Medicine can be of great value in the clinic.

After six consecutive acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments, our patient’s mental energy, i.e., Shen qi is regulated. Her Heart Shen is ‘returning to its house’ in Traditional Chinese Medical terms. In TCM, the Shen is the psyche, mind, spirit and monarchy of our life and qi is the root of life, thus Shen qi is the energy of our life and psychospiritual state. We have achieved great results with our diagnosis and treatment system based on this traditional philosophy and wisdom. The results indicate that the Ben Shen (本神) concept and theory from the Inner Classics (内经) have significant implications for the treatment of mental health with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Body Clock Reset for Your Circadian Rhythm

Published on Sakara S LIFE MAG • January 16, 2017

No coffee before 7, breakfast by 9, siesta at lunch, sex at dinner and lights out by 11. Your body already knows the best time to digest, detox, work, and sleep. If you want to be your healthiest self, you might want to start following this clock too.

All your organs are following schedule, all the time – and this prevails even if you’ve set yourself up to follow a schedule of your own. So it’s safe to say no sustainable health reset program would be complete without pressing the reset button on your internal clock, too. In a month of renewal like January, expand your focus: how can you get your body back to its natural rhythm? How can you reset your whole being – not just your digestive system?

Our bodies have a rhythm. Science calls this a ‘circadian rhythm’ that determines the patterns of our brain wave activity, hormones, cell regeneration and most biological activities. An interrupted circadian rhythm has been linked to medical issues, such as infertility, obesity, seasonal affective disorder, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and even cancer. Following this rhythm has been shown to have a better chance at improved metabolism, detoxification, brain focus and immunity.

Yet before modern science existed, ancient systems like Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda observed these cycles and found that different hours of the day resonate with certain organs. The qi, or energy, in your body flows through the 12 meridians throughout the 24-hour clock, and it alternates between yin and yang peaks. If you support the energy of the organ at that time, it will flow smoothly. Disrupted energy flow can lead to health problems...  but you can also figure out the roots of them and see which organ needs more love by taking note of when you get that slump or symptom at the same time each day.

Getting synced up with the body’s rhythm can make health effortless – a lot of the time we’re working against our own clocks, and wonder why we struggle getting results. Don’t expect an overnight shift – it can take a few weeks to get back in sync as there are many different cycles the body follows. But when you do, you’ll feel the difference.

Here’s a general guide of how to live according to your body clock:

Gallbladder: 11pm -1am

Do: Sleep! Especially if you’ve worked out that day – your gallbladder plays a huge role in ridding your body of excess lactic acid. The gallbladder meridian is found alongside the side of the legs where the dreaded IT bands are: forget the foam rollers and make sure you’re regularly asleep at this time.

Don’t: Drink or eat. If you must be awake, take a moment to relax and do something self-affirming that makes you feel good. An epsom bath is a great idea if you’re up but aching from your workout.

Liver: 1am-3am

Do: Sleep. Many people wake up around this time feeling restless, or get night sweats – a major indication the liver is trying to get rid of excess heat or toxins. Make it a habit to be asleep in ‘liver’ hours the majority of the week. Ladies, the liver stores blood and plays a huge role in menstrual health. If your periods are less than comfortable, going to bed earlier can be a step towards balancing things out. 

Don’t: Drink or eat – this gives the liver too much to process, and not enough time to detoxify and regenerate.

Lungs: 3am-5am

Do: Sleep. Your lungs are the container for your life force, qi, prana etc. Give them the time they need to heal and regenerate so you can wake up feeling energized. They are distributing blood and energy to all your organs at this time. Many people dealing with grief will wake up in these hours. If you wake up coughing in these hours it could be an indication your lungs have been overloaded with a few too many pollutants, or simply that you are on the brink of a cold.

Don’t: Stay awake. If you’re partying, get away from the cigarette smoke and get some fresh air or practice some deep breathing.

Large intestine: 5am-7am

Do: Wake up! Drink water or a warm cleansing tonic. Go to the bathroom... this is your time to ‘let go’. If you’re constipated at this hour, Chinese Medicine says it’s the best time to do your enema / colonic at this time – to get your body more loose and in the habit of letting go of waste. Practice yoga, qi gong, breathing. Give your belly a massage. Take a shower, cleanse yourself.

Don't: Drink caffeine/coffee.

Stomach: 7am-9am

Do: Eat Breakfast. I’ve seen ex-breakfast-skipping patients drop pounds of weight off by beginning to eat a regular healthy breakfast during these hours. In TCM, the strength of your stomach’s energy plays a huge role in maintaining a healthy weight – let it do its thing by giving it something to metabolize at the time it is most active. Remember - your stomach is a muscle! Its job is to digest and break down food. If you don’t give it any food during its peak hours, it may begin to loose some muscle memory and become weaker. Take a moment to ground yourself before diving into your to-do list. Go for a short stroll if you can.

Don’t: Skip breakfast. I know not everyone is hungry at this time – but have something small (lack of hunger in this peak hour could be an indication of a weak Stomach energy or a low metabolism). Don’t worry or over-think about your day now – the stomach (and spleen) correspond to the emotion of worry and anxiousness, and use the same energy to chew over both your thoughts and your breakfast. Pick one (we suggest the latter).

Spleen: 9am-11am

Do: Get stuff done. Make plans. Do work that requires you to stay grounded and focused. Have a warming tea. Craving sweets at this time or feeling bloated could mean your spleen is out of balance.

Don’t: Eat much. Get bogged down by the details or over-thinking, keep things moving and try not to loose momentum.

Heart: 11am-1pm

Do: Eat a grounding lunch. Siesta! Take a break or go for a little walk. Do some calm breathing.

Don’t: Work out too intensely, drink caffeine, engage in stressful discussions or big meetings – these are all far too ‘heating’ for the fiery heart and can raise blood pressure too high.

Small Intestines: 1pm-3pm

Do: Get back to business - the small intestine works to separate and distribute digested nutrients, and you should also use this time to get organized and productive.  Drink water. If you feel dehydrated at this time, it’s usually an indication you have not drunk enough fluids throughout the day. Take your vitamins, and snack on your super foods! The small intestine loves soaking up super nutrients for you.

Don’t: Eat too much, drink coffee or forget to stay hydrated.

Bladder: 3pm-5pm

Do: Work on important projects. This is a really efficient time to work since energy and blood flow are actively into the brain along the bladder meridian. If you’re not feeling too perky - get hydrated. Support the bladder’s detoxifying function by drinking hot tea and lemon water to help things flow out of the body... Also a good time to journal any stuck feelings and emotions.

Don’t: Drink alcohol or caffeine. Have sweets. If you’re feeling sluggish at this time, it could be an indication that yeast or candida are living in your body.

Kidneys: 5pm-7pm

Do: Have a healthy, grounding dinner. Drink a little wine if that’s your thing, and make love. It will keep your kidney essence nice and strong. This could be a great time to workout (only if you’re not burned out from the day) since cardiovascular efficiency and muscle strength peak.

Don’t: Get too drunk. If you’re feeling weak and debilitated, it could indicate your adrenals are tired or your sexual organs are out of balance and maybe could use a break from overuse…

Pericardium: 7pm-9pm

Do: Meditate. Stretch. Yin Yoga. Relax. Light reading. Get ready for sleep – this is a fire-element organ system that is best supported with soothing and cooling activities. Soak your feet in hot water to cool the body, ground your energy and get your blood flowing.

Don’t: Think too much, watch scary things, or snack on sweet things.

Triple Burner: 9pm-11pm

Do: Begin to go to bed. Sleep. Adjust this for the seasons – go to bed closer to 9pm in the winter, and later in the summer. Sex and fertility are also favored at this time if you are feeling calm and content.

Don’t: have sex at this time if you’ve eaten or drunk too much, or feel stressed. Don’t work or stay outside if the weather is cool.

Summer Health According to Chinese Medicine

Published on Sakara S LIFE MAG • September 13, 2016

The typical reaction to summer heat involves a lot of cooling down with ice and AC. The reason summertime common colds are so common might have a lot more to do with these habits than the late nights and the seasonal alcohol intake. In fact, the way we respond to heat in the summer may have something to do with why we get weak, sick and fatigued in the winter time also.

On an intuitive level, cold should get rid of hot, right? Ice and AC do stop us from overheating in the same way that ice would put out a fire. But that’s exactly it, cold constrains heat, often in such an unnatural way that it can create imbalance in our health. In Chinese Medicine, we consider the energetic of ‘yang’ as a hot, firey, masculine energy that is just as crucial to our existence as its counterpart, ‘yin’, and both must be supported as the foundation of all energy in the body. According to Taoist principles, when the heat of summer is telling us to be more yang, we shouldn’t be obstructing and constricting this seasonal flow, but rather working with it.

Maybe there’s a reason we see populations with some of the hottest climates like India drinking tea all day, instead of iced coffees. Back to that ice extinguishing a fire image: if your stomach is your internal fire — digesting and metabolizing everything you eat — shouldn’t you keep it burning? Traditional systems like Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda believe these cold extremes in our diet and environment are the culprit of weak digestion, weight gain, impaired immunity, nutrient absorption and circulation and disturbed bowel function. Taking your drinks warm or at room temperature will even cool you down more quickly since less energy is needed to bring you back into homeostasis.

The same goes for food. Since the stomach is most active each morning between 7-9am according to the TCM 24 hour clock, you might consider skipping the frozen smoothies and starting your day with something more warming. A little ginger tea is your best friend on summer mornings, when yang energy is at its peak. Evening is the time when you can use cooler foods to nourish your ‘yin’ energy. Chinese theory proposes cooler foods like daikon radish and asparagus as the sun goes down, to follow the cooling of the day.

And as for the part that nobody wants to hear: turn down the AC. The all too frequent and quick transitions we make from outdoor heat to blasting air conditioning pose a shock to the body in many ways. The blood vessels begin to constrict at lightening speed, causing a strain on the heart — the organ that rules in the summertime (when heart-attacks most commonly occur for this reason). The lungs suffer from the contrasting air temperature they are breathing in, which eventually promotes the notorious summertime cold, made worse by immune-suppressing quantities of drinking and summer festivities. Finally, when the warm weather is opening your pores, stepping into an air-conditioned room blocks them and locks cold energy into the body. It’s all going against the flow of energy, which wants to go up and outwardIn Chinese Medicine, a little sweating is considered natural and healthy in the summer, as it means the body is detoxifying. Let it do its thing.

This awareness and honor of the natural seasons is a foundational concept in Classical Chinese Medicine. It is understood that the root of illness in any season is often caused by how you treated your body the season before that. If we use natural healing as a tool to work with nature’s yang energy in the summer, the body benefits year round. The transition into Autumn — the season ruling the lungs and respiratory system in TCM — will allow us to maintain our health easily amongst seasonal bugs, with just a little preventative care.

September 13, 2016

Modern Farming, GMO’s & The Future of our DNA

Published on Love Grace Blog • August 23, 2016

It is well known that a mother’s health and diet directly affect the development of her child. Pregnancy is commonly the only time we are taught to consider how our personal habits will impact a future generation, and typically the only time we internalize that sense of responsibility. It’s lesser known that the genes of your grandchildren begin to form the moment of your child’s conception too. And whether or not we procreate, what each of us put into our bodies today will determine the health and biology of future generations and our planet in more ways than we think.

To understand what we are putting in our bodies, we must first understand how that food grows. On a large scale, agriculture has taken a departure from natural methods and we’ve seen how industrial farming methods and fertilizers negatively impacts our environment and soil. We’ve all heard that GMO’s are ‘bad’, but the monopolized monoculture is not just detrimental to the environment. There is a growing body of research on the health risks of GMO’s, herbicides and other common faming chemicals such as Glyphosate, that have been proven in numerous studies to impact human health by causing nutritional deficiencies and systemic toxicity. 

Research has shown these chemicals to be a key factor in the development of western chronic diseases such as cancer, MS, Parkinson’s, autism and several others. Studies on Genetically Engineered crops have also shown unprecedented, bizarre mutations in both animals and humans. A well-known study done on rats showed a significantly higher mortality rate in baby rats born to mothers who had consumed GM soy – and the surviving rat babies experienced some of over 400 gene mutations such as significantly stunted growth. Unfortunately, such herbicides are widely used on almost all US conventional and GMO crops. If this stuff is getting into our bodies, and we’re reproducing, the consequences will be widespread. 

If the health of our species and our planet were at the forefront, our farming methods would be sustainable, regenerative and biodynamic. While such farms exist, governments heavily subsidises industrial farms that grow the very crops used in the ultra-processed foods that contribute chronic disease instead, like soybeans and corn. The more we support these methods, albeit to the benefit of these corporations’ profit margins, the sicker we make ourselves and our environment. 

The future of life on our planet is affected by the choices we are each making several times a day: what we eat, and were we eat from. The further that these depart from the earth, the more extreme the disharmony we are feeding in our own bodies and for the generations ahead of us. 

By embracing and leveraging nature, we can become more in harmony with it. Regardless of how chemically polluted our world may become, nature still grants us accessibility to all the solutions we need to allow the body to repair. We all have the opportunity to re-wire our immune system and strengthen the body to adapt and defend itself from our modern threats. The body is wired for resilience in any case, and inevitable exposure to some glyphosate will be more tolerable to a body with a healthy terrain and properly functioning detoxification systems. When we’re in a dynamic state of balance, the load can never get too heavy. 

Catabolism is a key way to lighten the load of toxic accumulation, and the most accessible ways we can practice this is through exercise and fasting. Daily movement can mobilize toxins out of the body and free our lymphatic system and bioenergetic meridians from stagnation. Likewise, avoiding food when the sun is down and practicing fasting periodically in periods of low stress can effectively boost autophagy and the removal of debris from the body.

Building a relationship with soil and natural microbes is also an important way to support a healthy, diversified microbiome in your gut and consequentially a thriving immune system. Spending time in nature is also regenerating and detoxifying, as contact with the earth’s negative ions extracts toxins from our bodies. This connection with the earth can be practiced by a barefoot walk on the beach or an afternoon spent gardening.

Finally, we need to nourish ourselves properly. It is not natural for the human body to eat poison, nor accumulate it. How we fuel ourselves has a huge impact on how efficiently we build immune resilience on a day-to-day basis. We ought to be nourishing the body with raw materials that it can use to self-repair: fresh, whole, organic, seasonal, and wild growing foods. Focus most on where each ingredient comes from. Supporting your local farmers when you shop for your family is a big step in the right direction.

By making these choices for ourselves, we support sustainable and regenerative agriculture, which is the most effective way to help repair the broken food system, and thus provide many big solutions to chronic disease, healthcare costs and environmental problems. In fact, it is a foundational step to solving all of these global concerns, and one that can be moved by the people from the ground up.

2016 | 2020 Updated Version.

The Root of Emotional Imbalance in Your Organs

Published on Sakara S LIFE MAG • May 3, 2016

The mind and the body are inseparable.

Ancient Eastern civilizations have long understood the way our mental and spiritual bodies inform our physical nature. Western science too has begun to understand the interdependence between the emotional and physical body: we know the ‘gut’ acts as our second brain and that stress is pathological.

In fact, every organ corresponds to the energy of a certain emotion, and every disease stems from an imbalance in an organ or its meridians (energy channels). This is a fundamental idea in Chinese Medicine. Many times a physical disorder linked to a certain organ actually stems from an imbalance in the emotion associated with that organ. The reverse could be true: an imbalanced organ can heighten the specific emotion experienced by an individual. It can become a vicious cycle.

All emotions are inevitable, physiologically normal and will not cause disease when they arise in daily life. Chinese medicine only considers emotions as pathological when they are repressed, contained, or expressed intensely, often, without control, or out of context.

There’s a lot we can do on an internal level to balance our emotional health in the framework of eastern medicine. My training in Yin Yang Psychology under Grandmaster Hong Liu taught me that it is not always enough to simply decide to participate in our emotional lives through awareness exercises and meditation. We can treat the organ systems on a physical level much more effectively by using ancient Energetic or Yin/Yang Psychology to address an individuals specific needs in a much more targeted way. To learn more about this approach, feel free to get in touch with me.

Likewise, there’s a lot we can do on a physical level to support our emotional health, which we’ll primarily discuss here: specific foods and herbs that resonate with each organ’s energy can be used to appropriately strengthen, tonify, and detoxify the organ to help facilitate the flow and recycling of emotions on subtle levels. 

GRIEF + DEPRESSION

Grief is the emotion of the lungs and the large intestine, organs associated with the metal element. Loss of any kind will often trigger a cold, a feeling of being energetically drained, and/or difficult bowel function. Grief can stay with us for a while, and when it remains chronically unresolved it weakens the lung and large intestine energy making us more prone to depression and an inability to ‘let go’ of things. This can eventually interfere with lung function and oxygen circulation, since our lungs control the flow of energy in our bodies. Nutrition that supports the metal element is acrid, moving and dispersing in nature.

To Balance: pungent flavoured and/or white colored foods and herbs. Onion, radish, mustard greens, daikon radish, scallions (white part), almonds, white meat, white rice, white beans, white mushrooms, gingko nut, white mustard seed, ginger, pears.

Reduce: dairy, citrus, rich, processed or fatty foods that cause congestion.

FEAR 

Fear is the emotion of the kidneys and the bladder, organs associated with the water element. Fear is a normal adaptive emotion that evolutionarily has saved us from threat, but can cause chronic stress and elevated cortisol when we ignore it. Kidney issues often arise when we are dealing with fear, such as a change in life direction or unstable living conditions. When we experience extreme fright, our kidneys struggle to stabilize and we can quite literally pee our pants (as seen in ‘stage fright’). Nutrition that balances the water element has a descending energetic that supports us in cultivating a sense of grounding and courage. 

To Balance: salty flavoured and/or black colored foods and herbs. Black beans, walnuts, black sesame, mushrooms, water chestnuts, seaweed, blackberries, black tea, goji berries, lotus seed, cordyceps black rice, purple yam, rehmannia root. 

Reduce: cheese, salt, heavy meat, sugars, excessively cooling foods

WORRY + NERVOUSNESS

Worry is the emotion of the spleen and the stomach, organs associated with the earth element. Too much pensiveness, worrying and insecurity can weaken our ability to digest. When we are anxious, we find it hard to digest and accept a situation or life event. Lack of trust and ease towards the experiences and the foods we take in to our lives will make it equally difficult for us to let them in to nourish us. This can make us feel tired, lethargic, and unable to concentrate: a bit of a paradox, too much mental stimulation can actually cause mental heaviness. A weak spleen can also be the cause of stubborn weight problems, which get further worsened by extreme dieting and irregular eating. Nutrition that supports the earth element is warming, sweet and harmonizing in nature.

To Balance: sweet flavoured and/or yellow, orange, brown colored foods and herbs. Root veggies! Carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnip, squash, chestnuts, fig, taro, liquorice root, ginger root, jujube dates, honey, ginseng, astralagus.

Reduce: meats, salads, smoothies, cold, raw, and all frozen foods, iced drinks, refined sugars and grains.

ANGER + FRUSTRATION

Anger is the emotion of the liver and the gallbladder, organs associated with the wood element. Emotions like rage, fury or aggravation can indicate that this energy is in excess, and when we experience these emotions consistently, our liver can get further damaged. At this point, headaches and dizziness can be experienced often. An imbalanced gallbladder can be caused by longstanding feelings of repressed anger, such as resentment, frustration, and irritability. On the flipside, a gallbladder imbalance can manifest as indecisiveness and timidity. Nutrition that supports the wood element is sour in nature.

To Balance: sour flavoured and/or green colored foods and herbs. Dandelion greens, beetroot, green bell pepper, peas, sprouts, bok choy, string beans, cabbage, zucchini, mung beans, avocado, citrus, bergamot, buddha’s hand, milk thistle, goji berry, vinegar.

Reduce: dairy, crabmeat, alcohol, fried foods, peanuts, and excess citrus.

HAPPINESS + JOY

Joy is the emotion of the heart and the small intestine, organs associated with the fire element. When we experience true joy and happiness, we are nourishing our heart and small intestine energy. When they are balanced, we feel mentally clear and able to process experiences. When we are lacking joy in our lives, the heart suffers and we can feel stuck, mentally chaotic, and have difficulty sleeping. Mania or obsessive joy can indicate excess scattered heart energy, and can be the cause of more severe mental emotional disorders. Over stimulated heart energy could also cause agitation, insomnia and palpitations: even the good emotions can be out of balance. Nutrition that supports the fire element is bitter and cooling in nature. 

To Balance: bitter flavoured and/or red colored foods and herbs. beet, tomato, okra, cherry, watermelon, broccoli rabe, bitter melon, lettuce, arugula, dandelion, berries, chillies (in moderation), green tea, lotus root, sour jujube seed, hawthorn berries, garlic.

Reduce: excess spicy foods, caffeine, coffee, chocolate, sugar, salt, vinegar.

ANXIETY

Anxiety can have one of four origins according to TCM:

If related to the lungs and large intestine (metal), qi blockage can provoke shallow and irregular breathing or even holding of breath. The large intestine can be detrimentally affected by anxiety, making one more prone to issues like ulcerative colitis and IBS.

Kidney and bladder (water) issues could also be at the root of this emotion. Our adrenals regulate our stress response and when adrenal problems become chronic, they can cause anxiety. TCM recognizes the adrenal glands as the same as the kidneys. Anxiety can also be caused by disharmony between the kidneys and a blazing heart fire, in this case rapid heart palpitations are experienced.

Anxiety can stem from liver (wood) imbalance too, when longstanding anger and irritation goes unresolved. In this case anxiety manifests as nervous tension, irritability, and insomnia.

Anxiety from excess worry and pensiveness stems from spleen and stomach (earth) imbalance. This can cause excess rumination and stomach swelling and bloating after eating.

General anxiety aids: cooling foods to build yin, mulberries, longan berries, jujube dates, celery, valerian, chamomile, pearl extract.

Reduce: caffeine, stimulants, alcohol, cinnamon.

*Chinese herbs are more effective in formulas than alone. Always check with a trained TCM physician before taking anything new. Foods should not be restricted to these suggestions, they are simply a guide!

Healthy Winters according to Chinese Medicine

Published on Sakara S LIFE MAG • January 15, 2015

Winter season affects the human body just as it does every other part of nature. Our organs function differently, and our bodies respond to the change in energy whether we acknowledge it or not.

Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that we are still able to thrive in this season if we know how to observe the natural changes and work with the different energy. Then it cannot work against us, and our internal environment finds harmony with the external. This is a core concept in the ancient philosophy of Taoism upon which TCM emerged from.

In TCM, winter is the season that rules the kidneys, and the element of water: it is a ‘yin’ season that rules the darker, colder, slower and more internal energy. So it’s the most important time to look after our kidneys, and make sure our bodies stay balanced and don't fall too deeply into a yin state. 

Kidney Energy is the root of our ‘essence’ according to TCM: our most basic and fundamental energy. It controls the immune system, bones, bone marrow, brain, body fluids, sexual energy and reproduction. From a biomedical.standpoint it also corresponds to the function of our adrenal glands. Our longevity and ability to delay the ageing process is greatly determined by how well we balance kidney energy.

Things like dehydration, mineral imbalance, and excessive behaviours weaken our kidney energy. We should be drinking more hot liquids, balancing salt and mineral intake, and balancing the quantities and types of foods we eat. It is also important to monitor adrenal load by addressing behaviours that contribute to chronic stress and energy taxation.

When things get too yin, we need to add back some yang. Yang energy is warming and stimulating, and foods that nourish our yang energy are essential to supporting kidney health in a season where kidney yang gets depleted. An excessively yin body is a cold body: the kind of environment that undesired microbes love. Research confirms that a higher body temperature can tremendously increase immunity, strengthen the endocrine system and boost the body’s basal metabolic rate.

So the perfect foods for this season nourish our kidney yin and yang: black beans, black mushrooms, black sesame seeds, blackberries, black tea (kidney energy corresponds to the colour black); walnuts, seeds, asparagus (bitter foods balance the kidneys); and some seaweed (moderate salt and mineral intake). Cut back on sugars (nature doesn’t grow many sweet fruits in this season for a reason), and excessively cooling foods like salads. Give your body what it really needs: warming, grounding, nourishing foods. It seems intuitive enough, right?

It is also important to look after our lower body specifically, as it is the yin part of our anatomy. Because warmth is important for health, it’s a great idea to incorporate hot foot soaks into your bedtime routine. Add some warming spices and essential oils like ginger for extra warmth and stimulation!

Finally, balancing kidney energy goes beyond the physical plane: it is essential that we balance our emotions too. The emotion of fear relates to the kidneys and a body holding too much fear can weaken the organs just us much as improper nutrition can. Living with adrenal burnout,  chronic stress and anxiety and unresolved emotions weighs heavy on the kidney essence. The introspective winter energy offers us an opportunity to slow down, reflect, meditate and tend to our more internal needs.  Your body wants you to slow down in winter, and when you let it, it will become stronger for you. A balanced body in tune with the natural environment is much more easily liberated from stagnant energy and imbalanced emotions.

So take extra care to balance stress levels, and make sure you are getting enough sleep: there’s a reason the days are shorter this time of year. Go to bed a little earlier, and also wake up a little later if you can – we give you full permission! 

There’s no need to expect colds, depression and boredom when winter hits: following natures changes and adapting a little is all it takes to maintain vibrancy and health this season.