Thursday 9 January 2014

Yin Yang, Ying Tong

For awhile, we were friends with a Chinese doctor. He eventually went home to China to his family.
It was the first time, we got to know much about Chinese medicine. It is quite a different approach to Western medicine.
He  told us that everything needed to be in balance, in harmony. It all came down to eliminating toxins and circulation of energy. Our bodies and our minds are linked. He could do acupuncture and massage to improve this balance and energy flow.
However, for a bad sore throat or bronchitis he would suggest Western medicine.
His approach worked to make the mind and body stronge.
I started looking into it more thoroughly, so much of it makes sense, and is quite commonly known.
The concept of yin-yang is used to describe how opposite or contrary forces are complementary to each other. Everything has yin or yang. There is no darkness without light.
Yin is characterised as slow, soft, cold, wet, passive, water, the moon, femininity, night.
Yang is characterised by fast, hard, fire, sun, masculinity, daytime, heat.
It seems that most people today are out of sync and generally have too much yin.
We are all at the mercy of people in charge of the food that comes to our shops, and the quality of the air we breathe. We can give up smoking, avoid heavy traffic, try and eat as healthily as possible, but a lot of it is beyond our control.
I found some information on how to correct the yin-yang balance through diet , exercise and rest.

Breakfast:- Whole grain toast, lightly cooked eggs, hot cereal
Lunch and supper:- cooked vegetables, very small salad, wholegrain rice, sweet potaoes, yams.
The only herbs to be used are, oregano, garlic, ginger, rosemary, dill, thyme, cumin.
Snacks could be yoghurt, cheese, turkey, beef.
No red or green peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, nuts or seeds.
Of course, no sugar, sweets, alcohol, only one cup of coffee a day, no tobacco, no wheat.

Sleep is very important, 8 to 10 hours, going to bed at 9.30pm

Exercise, but not too much, napping is good. Stress can be good or bad.

After a while, reading all this yin yang stuff I remembered the 1950s radio show with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Seacombe. How we loved The Ying Tong Song (<= click for YouTube link) by The Goons.



I hope laughing gets rid of toxins!

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