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BRIEF HISTORY OF TCM NUTRITIONDIET BEFORE DRUGSSun Simiao lived and practiced in China during the Tang Dynasty 619-907 AD. Born in 581 AD in Huayuan, Jingzhao, he was a sickly child, and the cost of medical treatments that reduced his family to poverty, motivated him to enter into the study of medicine. He rapidly learned the wisdom of Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, mastered the Chinese classics by age twenty, and was quickly renown for his apothecary skills. He advocated the primary importance of proper diet with the simple axiom that ‘living beings have always depended on food to maintain their life.’ Sun Simiao wrote on the beneficial and harmful aspects of foods in words that ring true to the present day; he cautioned that ‘those who practice medicine must first recognize the origin of an illness; they must know which violations have caused the suffering, then they must treat it with…

Fasting is not starvation. To fast is to voluntarily abstain from foods for therapeutic or religious purposes. Many religious groups including Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus incorporate periods of fasting into their rituals. Muslims fast from dawn until dusk during the month of Ramadan, and Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus traditionally fast on designated days of the week or calendar year.Fasting has been practiced for millennia, but only recently studies have shed light on its role in adaptive cellular responses that reduce oxidative damage and inflammation, optimize energy metabolism and bolster cellular protection. In lower eukaryotes, chronic fasting extends longevity in part by reprogramming metabolic and stress resistance pathways. Fasting in humans cleanses the body of toxins and it excites the cells into processes that are not stimulated when a steady stream of fuel from food is present. When fasting, the body does not have its usual access to…

Etymology: Gk, andros: man, logos: science: The study of the health of men.  Men do not always seek help for their health problems. All are aware of testicular cancer and erectile dysfunction, but it is not just about the male anatomy. Emotional and mental issues, such as depression and eating disorders are increasingly being recognized as important issues for the health of men. At FullCircle Acupuncture HealthCentre we care about the health of men, and we address all issues that concerns the male patient. As experienced practitioners of Chinese medicine we recognize what cases require biomedical care and quickly refer out, while continuing to care for our patient in all other areas.SEXOLOGY IN CHINAThe best-known compendium on sexology in the West is perhaps the Kama Sutra from ancient Hindu practices dating back many centuries BC. It treats sexual practices as an esoteric art of sexual love between male and female. A less known in…

In Chinese medicine, the clinical features of gout, such as frequent attacks of swelling, redness, heat and pain in the joints, and improper movement of limbs, place gout in the category of Bi-Syndrome. The Suwen ─The Book of Plain Questions, states that Bi-syndromes are due to a combined attack by Wind, Cold and Dampness evils. Attacks on the meridians in the superficial areas of the body such as the feet and hands by Wind, Cold and Dampness evils lead to stagnation of Qi and blood circulation. It is an obstructive disorder. Bi means obstruction or blockage. Bi pattern describes a set of patterns in which the invasion of external evils such as Wind, Cold, Dampness and Heat obstruct the flow of Qi and Blood through the channels and connections. This affects the muscles, bones, tendons and joints, presenting symptoms of aching, pain, heaviness, numbness, difficulty of movement or redness and swelling. Bi patterns include several disorders known in Western medicine as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout, among others.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD can occur in people of any age, including children and adolescents, and more than twice as many women than men following exposure to trauma. Depression, substance abuse and alcohol, or other anxiety disorders frequently occur along with PTSD. The diagnosis requires that symptoms be present for at least a month, and that they seriously interfere with leading a normal life. Symptoms may be individual or in conjunction with each other. This case study describes the acupuncture and Chinese herbal and biomedical integrative treatment of a 37-year-old male with PTSD, veteran of the Iraq war. The patient underwent treatment with TCM for a period of four years, and during that time he was able to overcome the symptoms to a 95% recovery that allowed him to eliminate the use of pharmaceuticals, and to continue treatment with Chinese medicine for maintenance and other minor unrelated ailments. Chinese medicine offers a cogent theoretical basis for assessing and clinically managing patients presenting with mental health issues. TCM principles integrate well with other systems, including Western medicine.

In China, as in any part of the world, lots of people suffer from “Frozen Shoulder.” The ethos of the Chinese people is Qi, natural medicine, illnesses due the environmental factors, etc., and in this vein Frozen Shoulder is commonly known as “Shoulder attacked by wind.” In Chinese medicine, ‘Wind’ is one of the most pernicious pathogenic factors for a whole host of ailments. It is called by the people ‘Shoulder attacked by Wind’ as a default name because the origins of ‘Frozen Shoulder’ ae unknown and thus it is classified as Bi Zheng or Bi Pain. Chronic pain is Bi Pain. For more on Frozen Shoulder go to: https://acupuncturehealthcentre.com/frozen-shoulder/