DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

China’s spas boom
“ALONG the Shanghai street, choking haze draped the buildings and gridlocked traffic like a damp blanket. Vendors screamed out prices for water and postcards, and pedestrians hacked into handkerchiefs and covered their faces with masks. Construction workers in torn, dirty jeans bored a hole into the sidewalk, geysering dirt everywhere.

But inside Three on the Bund, overlooking this chaos from a restored 1916 structure that once housed the Mercantile Bank of India, China’s urgency and insanity seemed far away. In the cavernous front room of the Evian Spa by Three, which rises several stories and lets in beams of light from its portholelike windows, the only noise was the tinkling of soft music. Spa attendants led guests past polished wood Chinese sculptures and into private rooms, where they could wallow in giant bathtubs and choose from an exhaustive menu of rubs and facials.”

Tags: Uncategorized, General by DAAN
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The incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome among Chinese office workers is rising at an alarming rate.

Ancient Chinese remedies are used for treating fatigue

“Zhang Qian reports on how Traditional Chinese Medicine fights the condition.

It’s said that the morning scene at a Metro station is the best image of Shanghai as a busy modern city. The long-term stress of a busy work life can break the balance in a human body easily and result in various fatigue illnesses.

Eye strain and neck ache are common illnesses among office workers as their jobs require long-term concentration on the computer screens while sitting still at the desks.”

Tags: Uncategorized, General by DAAN
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A trip to Boston’s historic Chinatown

“There are plenty of organized trips to neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill and the North End, but Chinatown has yet to be explored by many Boston residents, who only think of the neighborhood as a place to stop for dinner.

Of the many packages being offered by the new InterContinental Hotel, one caught our eye: a culinary weekend with a personalized tour of Boston’s Chinatown led by someone “in the know.”

Presumably, the weekend hotel package, which costs about $1,000 is meant for out-of-towners, but we wondered, who was this insider? What secrets did he/she know about the neighborhood behind the big gate? Are there hidden treasures or little-known attractions that await?”

Tags: Uncategorized, East and West, Food, Culture by DAAN
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Chinese herb supplement for asthma
“Today more and more asthma sufferers are turning to use more natural ways of treating asthma rather than relying on the medications that their doctor prescribes. In the USA most herbal supplement for asthma treatment that are now available today have been both evaluated and then endorsed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Plus you will find plenty of reports available from those who have used them and have found them to be effective in treating their asthma.”

Tags: Uncategorized, Herbs by DAAN
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Chinese medicine identifies the source of the illness

“Why you should know more about Chinese Medicine?

If you understand why Chinese medicine is superior to occidental medicine, you will be able to solve a lot of problems beside debts.

Chinese medicine:

Identify the source of the problem ==> Make The Patient Conscious about these problems ==> Eliminate the problem ==> Explain to the patient how to avoid this problem ==> Explain to the patient what to do to put this problem far away for him”

Tags: Uncategorized, General, Culture by DAAN
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Acupuncture proves to be an effective treament for two individuals

“CHAPEL HILL - Right around Halloween two years ago I (along with my 10-year old cocker spaniel Max) proved the laughingstock of just about everyone we knew outside of the San Francisco Bay Area where we then lived. Why?

After our regular veterinarian diagnosed Max with a spinal rupture, the treatment plan outlined was straightforward — if over-the-top expensive. Immediate spinal surgery. Price tag: $4,000.A”

Tags: Uncategorized, Acupuncture by DAAN
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Based on the lunar calendar, the Chinese new year begins with the new moon and continues until the full moon. This year it starts on February 18 and the celebrations continue until March 3. As the moon’s cycle begins anew every 12 years, the Chinese year is named for one of 12 animals. The cycle begins with the year of the rat, then continues on with the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. This year is the year of the pig.

With the pattern of the new year in mind, the last 15 days of the old year (from the full moon to the new moon) is spent preparing for the celebration. A thorough cleaning of the house, a haircut, new clothes, paying debts and collecting what you are owed, and, of course, decorating the house and preparing a feast, are all done to prepare for the new year by sweeping out the old and bringing in the new.

A common phrase heard during Chinese New Year is “Gung Hay Fat Choy” (in Cantonese) or “Gong Hsi Fa T’sai” (in Mandarin). It means “best wishes for great wealth and prosperity in the new year.” The traditional lion dance, firecrackers, and lantern festival are all done with the purpose of warding off evil spirits and bringing good luck in the new year. For children, Chinese New Year wouldn’t be complete without receiving “Li-shih” or red envelopes from elders. Li-shih symbolizes prosperity and happiness.

Here are some decorating and gift-giving tips that signify great wishes for the new year.

Plants and flowers for decorating:

• Bamboo: Signifies flexibility
• Oranges: Signifies strength and perseverance
• Plum:Signifies strength
• Peony: Signifies wealth
• Pussy willow: Signifies prosperity for all

Food:

• Rice cake: Signifies good luck for the new year
• Fish: Signifies surplus
• Candied melon: Signifies wealth and good health
• Lotus Signifies: wealth
• Candied coconut: Signifies togetherness
• Watermelon seed: Signifies the wish for plenitude
• Whole chicken/duck: Signifies happiness

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM DAAN!!!

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Chinese New Year traditions have been passed on from generation to generation, inevitably changing over the thousands of years that the festival has been celebrated. Yet, the subtle changes are recognized only when the paraphernalia associated with the festival is peeled away, and the essence of Chinese New Year shines through.

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Every January or February there is a surge in action on the baccarat tables and the Las Vegas Strip turns a festive red, decorated with dragons and Chinese characters.

Even this year, with the NBA All-Star game in town and a President‘s Day holiday falling on the same weekend, casino executives are keeping their eye on the prize — the hundreds of millions of dollars wagered by Asian players.

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Chinese new years celebration in San Francsico, DAAN’s home city:

“Beginning this weekend, Chinese restaurants in major cities here and across the Pacific will be busier than at any other time of the year. Sunday ushers in the Year of the Boar and, with it, two weeks of eating and celebrating.

Status foods such as abalone, bird’s nest, shark’s fin and sea cucumber, among others, will appear on menus. Other specials, such as New Year’s cake (there are savory and sweet versions) made of pounded rice or glutinous rice, golden purses (to signify wealth), and whole steamed fish, are symbolic of good fortune and blessings.

Some regional foods rely on the spoken regional dialect for meaning. In the Cantonese repertory, a desert weed called “fa choy” is employed in a vegetarian dish because the name is a homonym for “fat choy” in the Cantonese greeting “Gung hay fat choy,” meaning happiness and wealth.

These foods will be part of feasts hosted by Chinese families and businesses from Shanghai to Hong Kong to Taipei to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It’s time for the finest of fine dining, and the biggest of banquets. Fast-paced, work-dictated lifestyles have led to entertaining in restaurants rather than at home. In place of one’s own dining room, Chinese restaurants offer private rooms. ”

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