Aug 28
Tai chi is not only good for the body and mind; but it also can ease painful joints.
Tai chi eases painful joints and other symptoms of fibromyalgia in a small but well-done study of this ancient Chinese form of exercise.
Tai chi combines meditation with slow, gentle movements, deep breathing, and relaxation. It can improve muscle strength, balance, sleep, coordination, and some evidence suggests, fibromyalgia.
Symptoms of the illness include fatigue, body pain, and tender points in joints, muscles, and other soft tissues. It is most common in middle-aged women. Its cause is unknown, and the lack of obvious signs or definitive tests has led some doctors to question whether it is a physical or psychological problem.
Tagged with: Tai Chi
Aug 27
Recent research has shown that a Chinese inspired meditation can greatly enhance brain function which can greatly improve mind-body awareness.
A CHINESE-influenced meditation technique appears to help the brain regulate behaviour after as little as 11 hours of practice, according to a study released Monday.
Researchers at the University of Oregon and Dalian University of Technology charted the effects of integrative body-mind training (IBMT), a technique adapted in the 1990s from traditional Chinese medicine and practiced by thousands in China.
The research to be published in the upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences involved 45 test subjects, about half of whom received IBMT, while a control group received relaxation training.
Tagged with: Meditation
Aug 24
One of the most exciting news recently is the discovery of Chinese herbs that are helping to reduce the intestinal side effects of chemotherapy.
Certain types of chemotherapy can be brutal, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. However, an ancient Chinese remedy shows promise in animal studies for relieving some of those symptoms as well as enhancing the effects of chemotherapy in destroying cancer cells.
Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng, a professor of pharmacology at Yale University, tested an herbal preparation called huang quin tang that has been used in Chinese medicine for more than 1,800 years to treat stomach and intestinal disorders. The four herbs in the preparation — a set formation with specific pharmacological properties that Cheng calls PHY906 — are Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, Paeonia lactiflora Pall, Scutelleria baicalensis Georgi and Ziziphus jujuba Mill.
Tagged with: cancer
Aug 21
An ancient Chinese brew may help reduce the intestinal damage caused by chemotherapy given to colon and rectal cancer patients, researchers said on Thursday.
The strong drugs used in chemotherapy cause a number of toxic side effects because it kills healthy cells as well as cancerous ones.
This is particularly true in the digestive tract or intestines.
The team from Yale University found that in mice the use of the Huang Qin Tang mixture helped protect the intestine lining and helped it recover more quickly.
It also reduced inflammation and boosted the effectiveness of the chemotherapy to kill tumours.
Aug 20
Meditation can bring positive brain change, which can lead to better health and body-mind connection.
Positive brain changes take hold after just 11 hours of practicing a form of meditation, the results of a new study suggest.
The study included 45 University of Oregon students who were randomly selected to be in either a study group that did integrative body-mind training (IBMT) or a control group that did relaxation training. IBMT was adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s.
Tagged with: Mental Health
Aug 13
Part of having a
healthy
lifestyle is learning how to effectively take control our environment and learning how to disconnect from the wired world overload from time to time.
1. Practice silence: you don’t need to have a regular meditation practice to experience the shift in energy that comes from altering your daily habits around talking vs. listening. Just try eating a meal, from beginning to end, in silence. I remember once during a day-long meditation retreat that the most challenging part was eating without speaking. This practice forced us to savor the act of eating–the flavors, the textures, the chewing and swallowing of food. It slowed everything down to a crawl. It was excruciating, and a revelation.
2. Skip a meal: This one may be a bit of a conceit, but the idea is to SHIFT gears and experience the empty space that comes from omitting, at least temporarily, a daily routine. I recommend skipping dinner a few times during your holidays. Stay on the beach and nap into the evening. Curl up in a hammock and let the evening descend without following the urge to cook, to shop, to dine–just let it go. Of course, if you have little ones to feed or a hungry dog in tow, you may need to make arrangements to get away with this one, but it is worth it. You may be surprised by how much less food you really need and how enlightening it is to alter a habituated pattern.
Aug 08
Japanese are increasingly embracing tai chi to deal with the hectic lifestyle in Tokyo.
Japanese traditionally exercise in parks, schools and offices during the summer to piano music to boost morale and encourage unity, but tai chi — a Chinese exercise using slow, smooth body movements — is now the new alternative.
Enthusiasts say tai chi helps to achieve balance of body and mind, preferring the Chinese exercise to the traditional “rajio taiso” that has been aired by public NHK radio since 1928.
“I had to do the “rajio taiso” when I was in school, but it’s really boring,” said Ryogo Yoshitani, a 40-year-old real estate agent who came to the session on his way to work.
Tagged with: Tai Chi
Jul 26
Acupuncture can provide relief in many diseases and enhance one’s overall health.
Some U.S. studies indicate acupuncture regulates the nervous system and releases pain-killing biochemicals (endorphins) at specific body sites. Other studies, using techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), suggest acupuncture alters brain chemistry by releasing neurotransmitters and hormones that affect parts of the central nervous system related to involuntary body functions (such as immune system reactions, blood flow, blood pressure and body temperature.)
Jul 15
Want a healthy, vibrant looking skin? Look no further, these Chinese herbs can help you achieve splendid skin!
Since ancient times, the Chinese have formulated many secret recipes for beautifying the skin and nourishing the hair.
It is said that beauty obsessed some of the imperial concubines who regularly took recipes to remain young and beautiful even when they were in their 50s.
Here is a prescription for nourishing qi and blood and for abolishing freckles: “Take 5 grams of white peony root, 5 grams of large-head Atractylodes, 5 grams of China root, and 2.5 grams of licorice. Heat in water and drink it when it is warm.” This is suitable to use for rough skin, chloasma (brown spots), and pigmentation.
Tagged with: Skin
Jul 11
Cambodians are embracing gong fu and tai chi in order to stay fit.
Everyday before dawn, along the river front even in the park near the Prime Minister’s residence in the capital of Phnom Penh, you can see many Cambodians, old and young, men and women jogging and stretching their arms and legs, especially doing Chinese gong fu — Taiji.
Many Cambodians living Phnom Penh said exercising helps them improve their health physically and mentally, and some thought health is the most important part of their lives rather than assets.
