In Digesting the Universe, Master Lu has given us a golden opportunity to get not just a taste of Taoist medicine but a three-course meal. What makes his comprehensive view of Metabolism Function so unique is the way he weaves his expertise in Chinese medicine and Qigong healing into the fabric of Western quantum physics. Bridging the divide of centuries and cultures has been one of Nan Lu’s great missions in health. I have had the honor of participating in his Building Bridges of Integration conferences over the years and have seen firsthand how masterfully he has inspired exchanges between seemingly different disciplines, always with the spirit of wholeness as the central focus. Read this book and you, too, will discover the true meaning of Whole health. ‒Stephen Cowan, MD, CAc, holistic pediatrician and author of Water Child, Fire Child I have known Master Lu as a healer since he helped my body recover from a bad case of Lyme disease many years ago. I was amazed then at his deep intuitive knowledge of the body’s own healing capabilities. Digesting the Universe reveals the extent of his understanding of how the human body functions. Perhaps his greatest contribution is helping us to see the unity of the body, to know that the whole is contained in each individual part. I continue to be amazed at the breadth of his knowledge of the unseen forces that maintain the health of the body—subtle energies that Western medicine is yet to acknowledge. Although there is a multitude of information available today about health, there is none more enlightening than Digesting the Universe. We would all do well to absorb these precious teachings. ‒Dena Merriam, founder of The Global Peace Initiative of Women and founding member of The Contemplative Alliance This beautifully written book is a magnum opus—a great work—of integrative medicine, addressing not only the relationship between mind and body but stressing the importance of including the originating essence of spirit into healthcare so as to achieve true transformation and healing. Master Nan Lu’s vast experience has taught him one thing: the body never lies; only our mind lies to us! By sharing his wisdom and teachings, Master Lu takes us on a journey through our body, opening our eyes to a totally new and exciting environment, where we’re no longer driven by unseen forces and emotions, but can concentrate on being truly whole. This book should be essential reading for all healthcare practitioners if they really care about the well-being of their patients and clients. ‒Christine Page, MD, author of Frontiers of Health and The Healing Power of the Sacred Woman
Digesting the Universe A Revolutionary Framework for Healthy Metabolism Function Copyright © 2015 by Nan Lu, OMD; Ellen Schaplowsky All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First paperback edition published in 2015 by Tao of Healing Publishing. For information, contact Tao of Healing Publishing: Tao of Healing 34 West 27th Street, Suite 1212 New York, NY 10001 www.taoofhealing.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for: ISBN: 978-0-9966502-1-2 Conversion to eBook by wordzworth.com The material in this book is for educational purposes only. Since each person’s circumstance is unique, we recommend consulting your healthcare practitioner with respect to your particular medical condition. The use of this material is the sole responsibility of the user and at his or her discretion. The authors and publisher disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and/or application of any of the contents of this work.
Other Works by Nan Lu, OMD A Revolutionary Framework for Using Modern Science and Ancient Wisdom for Breast Cancer Prevention Ask Dr. Lu Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Woman’s Guide to a Trouble-Free Menopause Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Natural Guide to Weight Loss That Lasts Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Woman’s Guide to Healing from Breast Cancer
Digesting the Universe is dedicated to my masters. Even if the oceans were made of ink, I would still not be able to write enough words to express my gratitude for the many doors they have opened for me, my patients and my students. –NAN LU
Contents The Mystery and Miracles of Metabolism Function: True Stories of Real Success Foreword An Invitation from Master Xi-hua Xu Introduction Invitation to a Quantum Healing Journey Traditional Chinese Medicine: Harmony Is the Root of Healthy Function Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mystery and History Example: Chinese Language and Its Understanding of Health Conditions Example: External Signs Indicate Internal Conditions Metabolism Function: Looking at It with Two Different Frameworks What and Why Is Metabolism Function? Example: Applying TCM and Modern Science to Understand Health Conditions Metabolism Function and a Strong Immune System Example: Identifying and Dealing with the Root Cause Section I Seeing Metabolism Function from Different Angles Metabolic Syndrome, Metabolism, Metabolism Function Example: How an Emotion Impacts Organ Function Metabolism Function and Information Overload Self-Healing and Self-Discrimination Whose Science Are We Talking About? Seeing Interrelationships through a New Lens Example: A Relationship Problem between the Body and Nature Example: A Relationship Problem between Two Organs Example: The Relationship between Space-Time and Healing Seeing Is Believing? Seeing the Unseen: A Skill of Modern Technology Seeing the Unseen: The Skill of Ancient Masters Seeing Something beyond Matter Section II Basic Principles and Theories of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine Modern Science: Different Frameworks Allow Us to See Different Things Modern Science Principles and Theories: Basic Explanations Relativity Theory Space-Time Continuum Quantum Entanglement and Nonlocality
Uncertainty Principle Complementarity Discontinuity Holographic Principle Natural Law: A Natural Bridge for Building a Common Language Introduction to Natural Law Example: How Does Natural Law Work? The Discovery of Natural Law Fundamental Principles and Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine The Miracle of Qi The Principle of Yin-Yang Five Element Theory: Ancient Quantum Framework Organs and Their Complex Relationships Organs and Space-Time Example: Relationships between Seemingly Nonrelated Things TCM: Its Primary Focus on Organ Function The Meridian System: A Quantum Communications Network Example: Connecting to the Source of Qi Meridians: The Real Secret behind Chinese Medicine Example: A Physical Condition Caused by Meridian Damage Example: Meridian Damage and Long-Term Physical Problems Example: Meridian Damage and Unexpected Side Effects Seeing Connections: A Skill TCM Practitioners Must Cultivate Example: The Right Connections Build Trusting Patient Relationships Section III The Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function A Revolutionary Framework for Healthy Metabolism Function The Visible and Invisible: Things Your Body Accepts The Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function Receiving or Taking In Digesting Processing Example: Allergies—A Tale of Two Organs with a Relationship Problem Transformation Example: Understanding Transformation Example: Organs Communicate at the Speed of Light Manifesting Your True Identity Achieving a Higher Level of Health Example: Common Conditions with Different Root Causes
How Can You Tell If You Have Healthy Metabolism Function? Example: Spirit and the Cycle of Cooperation and Connection Example: Same Experience—Different Levels of Understanding Digesting the Universe Section IV The Body and Metabolism Function The Importance of the Vital Triangle The Paired Organ System of the Spleen-Stomach: Requirements for Healthy Metabolism Function and Digestive System The Spleen and Blood Example: Transference Capabilities of Blood and Qi Example: How Physical Conditions Cause Emotional Conditions Example: Cancer Treatments, Blood and Qi Your Energy Savings and Energy Checking Accounts Enemies of Healthy Metabolism Function Nature’s Energy: What Is Internal Cold and How Does It Act as a Pathogen? How Does Cold Enter the Body? Example: Effects of Cold Essence and Cold Temperature Example: Signs of Cold Energy in the Body How Can You Prevent Cold from Entering Your Body? Nature’s Energy: Dampness as a Pathogen How Does Dampness Enter Your Body? How Can You Prevent Damp Energy from Entering Your Body? Example: External Signs of Internal Dampness—How It Makes Itself Known The Mind and the Stomach Example: The Spleen, Transformation and the Lung The Body as Microcosm; the Earth as Macrocosm Key Points The Paired Organ System of the Liver-Gallbladder: Requirements for Healthy Metabolism Function and Digestive System Example: Excessive Emotional Energies Cause a Stubborn Physical Problem The Liver and Conditions of Cold Example: The Body and Its Integrated, Multidimensional Systems Requirements for a Healthy Liver-Gallbladder System Avoid Cold Release Stagnation Practice Flexibility Example: The Liver, the Mind and Flexibility Example: The Natural Ability to Be Flexible Example: Liver Stagnation and Sport Injury
Example: Heat and Healing a Sport Injury Example: Flexibility and Organ Function The Liver and Detoxification Healing the Liver by Changing Beliefs San Jiao: The Powerful Mystery Meridian Relationships: San Jiao, Gallbladder and Liver Meridians The Gallbladder and the Digestive System Example: Exploring the Gallbladder Using Two Frameworks Example: Healing Problems Related to Losing a Gallbladder The Liver-Stomach Partnership and the Mind Allowing Emotions to Express Themselves Key Points The Paired Organ System of the Kidney-Bladder: Requirements for Healthy Metabolism Function and Digestive System The Kidney, Bone and Skeletal System Example: Bone Health and Infant Development Symptoms Point to Invisible Causes The Many Aspects of Fear The Kidney and Our Water-Loving Culture Example: Running—Different Frameworks See Different Things The Mind and Kidney-Bladder Partnership Example: Kidney Stones—Transference of Invisible Energy to a Visible Mass Spirit and Kidney-Bladder Partnership Example: The Bladder and Self-Healing Example: The Kidney, the Intelligence Engine and Adolescent Growth Key Points The Paired Organ System of the Lung–Large Intestine and Healthy Metabolism Function Example: Two Coughs, Two Different Causes The Large Intestine’s Role Key Points The Paired Organ System of the Heart–Small Intestine and Healthy Metabolism Function The Small Intestine’s Role Key Points Section V Food and Metabolism Function Chinese Culture and Food for Healing Journey to the Quantum World, the Real One From the Classical Framework to the Quantum Framework: Understanding the Real Power of Food Example: Turning on Your Belief Channel and Receiving More Information
Classical Science, Chemistry and Food Modern Science, TCM, Qi and Food Why and How Food Acquires Its Real Healing Power TCM and Quantum Science Example: The Hidden, Healing Secret of Honey Starting with a Digestive System That Works Food as Medicine and Metabolism Function Example: How Foods Cooperate with Nature to Deliver Their Healing Messages Example: Tomatoes—Seeing Space-Time at Work Example: Dandelion Greens—Healing Helper or Wild Weed? Example: Genetically Modified Foods Traditional Chinese Medicine: Preserving the Energetic Understanding of Foods for Healing Food and Qi Journey of the Apple in the Quantum Field Journey of Lettuce in the Quantum Field Example: Medicinal Purpose of Plant Parts What Is Essence? Example: Why the Body Has Warning Signs Example: Food and Energy Frequencies The Ancient Apothecary of Classical Chinese Herbal Formulas Example: Properties of Foods and Herbs That Heal Metabolism Function and Supplements Example: Supplements and Missing Elements Example: Ingesting Foods, Absorbing Elements, and the Body’s Inner Communications System Medications and Side Effects Responsibility for Self-Healing Key Points Section VI The Mind and Metabolism Function Body–Mind–Spirit Healing Energy: The Bridge between the Mind and Spirit The Mind and Metabolic Syndrome What Is the Mind? Example: The Mind’s Energy Impacts the Body The Rational Mind Example: Mind and Its Emotions Produce Measurable Effects The Intuitive Mind Intuitional Thinking and Creativity Accessing the Intuitive Mind
Example: The Intuitive Mind and Instant Feeling The Mind and Emotions Emotions and the Mind’s Digestive Capabilities Example: How the Body and Mind Exchange Energy The Mind, the Brain, the Gut and the Microbiota Allowing the Mind to Grow The Role of Symbols: Practicing Jing, Qi, Shen—the Highest Form of Body–Mind–Spirit Medicine The Mind Can Change Its Mind Emotions: The TCM Perspective Qi: The Language of Emotions Thoughts and Emotions: The Mind’s Creative Output Unbalanced Emotions Affect Metabolism Function Example: The Mind Has a Mind of Its Own: Looking at Its Override Function Example: How Emotions Create Physical Conditions Example: The Mind’s Role in Gaining and Losing Qi for Healing Example: How Emotions Can Influence the Course of a Health Condition Example: How Emotions Impact Others Beliefs Allowing the Mind’s Qi to Flow Help for the Mind and Its Emotions: Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice The Power of Beliefs Choosing Your Beliefs; Creating Your Reality Beliefs, Thoughts, Emotions and Their Impact on Organ Function Changing Beliefs, Healing the Mind Example: How Beliefs Limit Our Reality Creating Different Beliefs The Shortcut to Real Healing: Changing Beliefs Key Points Section VII Spirit and Metabolism Function Some Basic Requirements for a Spiritual Journey The Unconditional Love of the Universe Oneness: Everything Is Interrelated; Nothing Exists in Isolation Example: Yin-Yang Theory and Genetics Example: Oneness and Jet Lag At the Spiritual Level, There Are No Accidents Example: Cause and Effect or Effect and Cause? Applying the Body–Mind–Spirit Framework to Four Health Conditions
Diabetes Hypertension Osteoporosis Hay Fever Key Points Metabolism Function Can Be Applied to Improve Everyone’s Health and Any Chronic Condition Some Final Thoughts Section VIII Preparation for Your Healing Journey Beginning Your Healing Journey TCM’s Five Element Energetic Framework and Symptoms The First 100 Days: Using TCM’s Self-Assessment Symptom Checker Spleen-Stomach Liver-Gallbladder Kidney-Bladder The Four Energy Gates Energy Gate No. 1 Energy Gate No. 2 Energy Gate No. 3 Energy Gate No. 4 Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice Spirit Gate Opening—Wu Ming Qigong Breathing Practice Standing Wu Ming Qigong Meditation Section IX Appendix More Information on Quoted Sources Classical Chinese Texts References Martial Arts References Author Biographies Acknowledgements Healing Resources The Twelve Major Meridians Bibliography Index
The Mystery and Miracles of Metabolism Function: True Stories of Real Success After suffering from acid reflux for ten years, a fifty-five-year-old lawyer resolves his condition for good. A severe allergic reaction to mangoes suffered by a Caribbean native disappears. After six years of debilitating migraine headaches on the left side, a forty-one- year-old advertising executive finds permanent relief. Breast cysts and breast tenderness in a twenty-nine-year-old mother disappear after one acupuncture treatment. After a decade of searching for help, a high-powered CEO finds the cause and cure of a chronic cough that compromised her work and health. A successful artist is able to resolve his painful tennis elbow condition in a few weeks after seeking treatment for several years.
Foreword Throughout this book, I will refer to my master, Master Xi-hua Xu, a number of times. I have studied with him for more than two decades. The gifts he has given to me are priceless; they are beyond words and beyond what the mind can comprehend. He has helped me discover the true body–mind–spirit path to health and wellness. We know from Einstein’s theory of relativity when we look at something from a different angle, we see different things. For this reason, I have published Master Xu’s introduction in the original Chinese as well as the English translation that follows. It is possible someday someone reading his original Chinese version will discover something beyond the mind. I leave this journey for those who are meant to take it. –Nan Lu, OMD
An Invitation from Master Xi-hua Xu
What is the difference between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine? There are many answers; however, one of the most important ones is that TCM looks for similarities; it looks for unity, or Oneness. Western medicine looks for differentiation. The ancient sage says, “From the differentiation perspective, when you look at the Liver and Gallbladder, you see them as two countries separated by a great distance.” But, as we know, within the body, the Liver and Gallbladder are very close. If a Western medicine practitioner can look at the body from the perspective of differentiation, then he has to be a very skillful doctor to look at something so close and be able to separate them. If you look for differences, you will find them. The ancient sage also says, “From the similarity perspective, everything has unity; everything is Oneness”. From this point of view, the whole Universe, every event and every object in it, is part of the One. Individually, they are one within themselves. One can be large or small. For example, different individuals are the small ones that make up the large One. The whole Universe is comprised of all the many ones. From the TCM perspective, everything is connected. There is no such thing as separation. The famous Taoist master Chuang Tzu (369–286 BCE) tells one of his friends, “I am a horse.” He tells another friend, “I am a cow.” For him, both are true. Another ancient story describes a man in the marketplace. This man would always squat down against the city wall and call out to people passing by, “Look at me. I am a mushroom. See me grow.” Then, he would slowly rise and tell the crowd, “Now, I am a mushroom growing up.” We have to think about Chuang Tzu’s remarks, as well as this ancient beggar’s. Is what the beggar says real? Or, is it just the talk of a crazy person? If you can repeat his words and, at the same time, imagine you are a mushroom growing, what kind of unique experience might happen? During the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), Empress Wu Zetian, one of only two women “emperors” in all of Chinese history, asked a trusted sage to explain the Tao to her. The wise man pointed to her table with a paperweight on it in the shape of a gold lion. He said, “This gold lion’s body has eyes all over it.” Confused, the empress tells him she doesn’t understand. Then, the sage says, “The eye is the nose; the nose is the tongue; the tongue is the body.” This makes the empress even more confused. She says, “How can that be?” He continues, “Every strand of hair on this gold lion is the gold lion. Because it is made of gold, the essence of gold is contained in each of its parts.” Traditional Chinese medicine understands the human body can be divided into five major organs: Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney and Liver. If we follow the pattern of the sage’s explanation, we can also say the Heart is the Liver; the Liver is the Spleen; the Spleen is the Lung; the Lung is the Kidney. How can that be? TCM understands that each organ’s essence is Qi and is created from Qi. The metabolism function of Qi controls life and death, illness and disease. If Qi cannot flow freely, there will be illness. The Chinese words Yun Hua can be translated as metabolism function. This is one of the keys that will allow you to understand traditional Chinese medicine. It is the key that will open the gate into this world. Please come in. –XI-HUA XU KUNMING, CHINA AUGUST 2014
Master Xi-hua Xu
INTRODUCTION
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. –Albert Einstein From wonder into wonder existence opens. –Lao Tzu
Invitation to a Quantum Healing Journey Ultimately, Life is a mystery. Human beings are a mystery as well. Today, there are many things we know. But, at our stage of development as a species, there are many things that are simply unknowable. It is important to remain awed by who we truly are—energy beings with a unique purpose for entering this third-dimensional world. It is also important to enjoy our life in happiness and health, but for many that is not always the case. For those with chronic conditions, life’s journey can be challenging as well as frustrating. If you are drawn to this book, you are ready for the wisdom and knowledge it contains. I would like to encourage you to keep an open mind and heart as you begin exploring this work. Sometimes changing the framework we choose to look at something—especially healing and healthcare—opens a new way of seeing the same thing differently. Using different frameworks also allows us to achieve different outcomes. Albert Einstein gave us this insight with his relativity theories. Quantum mechanics has given us an understanding of the invisible world that gives rise to the one we experience with our five senses. I believe these two pillars of modern science can contribute to our current understanding and application of ancient Chinese principles and theories that have been used continuously for several thousand years to resolve health issues. I began writing Digesting the Universe for my patients, but as the concepts and material unfolded, I recognized this work could help many more people, especially those suffering from chronic conditions that are so common today. While there are several different ways to achieve ultimate health, from my experience as a longtime practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, I know improving metabolism function is one of the most powerful paths. With this book, I hope to give readers an understanding of metabolism function from an ancient time-tested framework that recognizes individuals as energy beings. This framework takes into account the whole person: his or her internal relationships as well as external connections with Nature and the Universe. This framework offers a true body–mind–spirit perspective as well as a blueprint for understanding the unique web of relationships each of us lives within. Combining this wisdom with another framework—that of modern science, whose principles and theories have been discovered in the past hundred years or so—my goal is to take readers beyond the limited boundaries of molecules and reductionist thinking to a world where energy plays the central role in health and well-being. We will refer to this dynamic, intelligent, conscious energy as “Qi” (pronounced CHEE). I would like to invite you on a unique healing journey, a quantum healing journey. It is an exploration of what I call “metabolism function.” Though the term is similar to metabolic function, it is a different concept. Our journey will reveal one of the most incredible functions of the human body, from its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. It will also help us develop an appreciation of metabolism function as we make a major shift in focus by integrating these two different complementary frameworks: the ancient Five Element theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the modern scientific framework of Albert Einstein and his fellow scientists.
While there have been a number of excellent books dedicated to helping readers understand the similarities between Eastern mysticism and modern physics—most notably, The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra—I believe Digesting the Universe is the first work to integrate the application of both frameworks to propose a new, revolutionary approach for looking at the multidimensional miracle of the human body. Moreover, it concludes with simple, powerful Taoist energy practices anyone can follow for better health. Today, functional medicine has created a lot of interest and attention. According to the nonprofit Institute for Functional Medicine, founded in 1990 by Jeffrey and Susan Bland, it is different: A human being is a part of a whole, called by us, “universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest … a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. –Albert Einstein Functional medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention and treatment of complex, chronic disease. Its main principles include patient-centered care; an integrative, science-based healthcare approach that examines internal and external factors that affect total functioning, and integration of best medical practices with what are sometimes considered “alternative” or “integrative” medicine. Its emphasis is on prevention. Its tools are nutrition, diet, exercise, detoxification programs, lab tests and sometimes prescribed combinations of drugs and or botanical medicine, as well as stress-management techniques, among other things. Its emphasis is also on improving metabolism and metabolic function. When Western patients who have suffered from chronic health issues hear about metabolic function, many of them turn their attention toward functional medicine. Their hope is it will lead them out of the maze they’ve been in and help them reach some kind of breakthrough by achieving what is called a “high-functioning metabolic system.” Let’s look at the term metabolism for a moment; it comes to us from the Greeks. It means change or transformation. Transformation, as we will see, is the most desirable and most profound outcome for those who want to achieve healthy metabolism function. Without a functioning metabolism, living organisms would simply die. Virtually all Western definitions of metabolism refer to its physical or biochemical processes and interactions. There is some context provided for the mind’s influence and involvement. However, there is virtually no insight or organized body of work in the health field that explores spirit’s role and function, the most essential aspect of all, in metabolism function. If we want to understand whole-person health and healing, as well as life purpose, we must include the role of spirit. I would like to introduce a comprehensive process that is broader than metabolic function. This is metabolism function—a complex, intelligent activity that occurs at multidimensional levels. With its focus on oneness and optimum function of the individual’s body, mind and spirit, the thousands-of-years-old functional medicine that is based on Jing, Qi, Shen brings unique expertise. It can deliver tremendous benefits today for improving everyone’s health and eliminating illness and disease.
We have to ask: Is metabolism just the conversion of food to energy and the elimination of waste products? What then makes us live and love, move and create, desire and inspire? Might there be something more profound that sparks this essential life function? The answer is yes. Spirit is the place to start, not to end. Spirit is alive in each of our cells, in the motion of our emotions and in the beliefs we hold, the thoughts we think. If you have been struggling with health conditions for a long time, my hope is Digesting the Universe will help you make a breakthrough to a better stage of health. You may gain a deeper understanding of how and why you are frustrated and stuck at a certain healing level. Sometimes, if you are struggling with a health problem, having a simple talk with yourself can lead to a new way of thinking and open doors to meaningful insights. For instance, have you asked yourself, “Why was I well before and I’m not now? Why did I function normally a few years ago; now, I don’t? What situations and conditions in my life have led to this metabolism function disorder? Deep down, what is its meaning for me personally? How has this changed my life?” Have you asked yourself, “Why is it I have allergic reactions to so many foods? Why is it that even when I change the foods I eat, avoid them altogether and change my eating patterns, I still can’t fix my problems?” Have you asked yourself, “Why is it I feel bad much of the time, but my test results are normal? Is this real or in my head?” The most important questions to ask are, “Was there a point in my life when I had no problem at all? When did my problem start? What happened around that time? How can I return to my previous level of health, or an even better one?” I meet many patients who believe the real cause of their condition lies in external factors. They are convinced pollution is making them ill, or they have been dealt a bad hand when it comes to their genes, or their diet just needs the right combination of foods. I find most new patients have a tremendous focus on food and what to eat. I tell them, “Yes, on one level, it is true. You are what you eat, but at a much more powerful level, you are what you think! If your mind constantly feeds you a diet of negative thoughts that create unbalanced emotions, or accepts negative information from the external world, you will definitely impact your physical body.” Though invisible, thoughts have energy and power. They are not wisps of air. Thoughts are electromagnetic frequencies or vibrations that TCM relates to the function of specific organs. For lasting change to occur, you have to start your healing journey in the world of the invisible by changing beliefs, not by focusing only on the visible. The invisible is always more powerful than the visible. So, we have to ask ourselves, “How can we remain balanced and in good health if we can’t digest the enormous amount of information we encounter every day, which affects our Stomach function? How can we remain balanced if we experience so much stress, which takes a toll on our Liver function? How can we live in peace and harmony in a fear-driven culture, which impacts our Kidney function?” It’s not surprising these invisible vibrations have helped fuel the incidence of metabolic syndrome and obesity. These symptoms are the visible effects of an invisible root cause. From my experience, I am convinced many chronic conditions can be remedied by embracing a revolutionary framework—one that combines ancient healing wisdom with quantum science. It accounts for the energy being you are and the world of energy you live in. If you’re stimulated by the concept that your beliefs, mind, emotions, thoughts, intentions and desires create your reality, and consequently your health, then the information in this book can help you. Choosing this path will lead you to an appreciation that everything at the visible and invisible levels is energy. It will also lead you to the path where creating balance and harmony is the goal, not fighting with disease and illness. Modern science has done a lot to help us understand there is only oneness. Nothing is separate and, at the subatomic level, everything is connected in a dynamic pattern of relationships. You are an energy being and the manifestation of Universal energy and its unconditional love in this third-dimensional world. Today’s science has already shown us everything is energy. Have you ever considered you are an energy being with a singular purpose to fulfill? You may be a diabetes sufferer, for instance. I can tell you, because you are unique, your diabetes is also unique and related to answers to the important questions above. TCM is, perhaps, the earliest “personalized” medicine. For millennia, it has treated health conditions by using criteria from the individual’s examination, which is based on “who you are (male/female),” “where you are (geographical location),” “how you are (your condition)” and “when you are (age).” I suggest you find a quiet place where you can think deeply and answer the questions here on paper. This simple exercise may reveal thoughts that might have been hidden from view before. It may help you a lot.
When I meet with my patients, I ask them to really look at their current situation in the light of these questions. I urge you to do the same. Again, ask yourself, “Why is it over time I am not able to process fat in my blood stream? What happened? Why does my blood pressure stubbornly refuse to drop? When did this situation begin? Why can’t my body perform at the same level it did five years ago, or ten years ago?” You may have asked yourself these questions a hundred times. I’m willing to bet the answers have been pretty much the same, each time. Today, I would like you to put aside those old answers and look through a completely different lens at your health conditions. With a new framework, you may see how and why you can change for the better to alleviate or even eliminate them. I encourage you to read this book with an open mind and heart. See yourself in a future where you are living happily and in excellent health. Make this your goal.
Traditional Chinese Medicine: Harmony Is the Root of Healthy Function This may be difficult for readers to understand, but your body is giving you a gift by sending you a message it is not as strong as it was before, or it’s having problems. It is communicating in a unique way with its own language. Can you decode the messages it’s sending? Please, believe me when I say your body never lies! I will repeat this many times, “Your body never lies.” Our minds may lie to us but not our bodies. From my experience, I can tell you illness and disease is not about the individual parts of the body not working; it is about the whole body’s integrated system and its functions not working in harmony. Any condition you can name indicates an imbalance in the relationship of the body’s five major paired organ systems. We will discuss three of these in depth—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, Kidney-Bladder—because they comprise the vital triangle responsible for healthy metabolism function. When compromised, these organ systems themselves lack enough Qi or vital energy to perform specific duties and maintain healthy relationships with other organ systems. To use a computer analogy, in many cases, we are dealing with a “software” problem, not a “hardware” problem. From the TCM perspective, when various chronic conditions occur, you are not “functioning” well. We call this situation a function disorder; the goal is to restore balance and harmony among the organ systems. When TCM discusses the organs or organ systems, it is not only talking about the physical organ but its other dimensions of thought, emotion and spirit as well. Later, we’ll talk about the body–mind–spirit functions of each of the five major organ systems. While we may talk about them in a linear fashion, these functions occur at the speed of light (and beyond) and are simultaneous, for the most part. Their internal actions are guided by an intelligent consciousness that allows us to focus our attention in this reality. Science tells us everything is energy. We are energy. As I’ve said, we are all energy beings. Do you believe this? I hope you can open your mind to this concept. Here’s an analogy that might help. Think of your body as a battery. For your battery to operate, you need a charge, a spark of energy, to bring the battery to life. That spark is Universal energy or Universal consciousness. You are the individual expression of Universal energy in this dimension. You are unique; you are indelible. You can never be duplicated or erased. You are in this reality for your own special promise and purpose.
To better appreciate this idea, we can turn to Nature, our best teacher. Spend some time observing a healthy tree. Every spring it shows off its new leaves. Throughout the winter, it has conserved its Qi within. In spring, it emerges from a deep sleep to become visually vibrant again. As it responds to this season’s change, the strength of the tree’s Qi pushes life up and out. We may not see the invisible energy itself, but we can definitely feel and see its physical evidence! We see the tree come to life. We see it in the tiny buds erupting from each bare branch. We see evidence of life in the pulsating vibration of green leaves growing from the buds. The tree has the natural ability to process the earth. It can handle weather, metabolize nutrition from the soil and air, and cooperate with its surrounding environment. The tree is not just a tree; it’s a living energetic symbol of who we are too. It’s alive precisely because it’s connected to the earth, to life and to Nature, which is the expression of Universal love in this world. Just like a beautiful tree, we are a part of Nature; we are not apart from Nature. We live within its cooperative framework and are rooted to life’s energy. As we explore the three major organ systems that support healthy metabolism function—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, Kidney-Bladder—we can look to Nature as the best teacher.
Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mystery and History Before we explore metabolism function further, I would like to tell you more about our revolutionary framework. It combines Taoist philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine and modern physics (relativity and quantum mechanics). Let’s begin at the beginning with TCM. There are many secrets behind the five-thousand-year-old uninterrupted history of this healing system’s practice. Every culture operates differently. As we begin our journey to understand healthy metabolism function from the body–mind–spirit perspective, I would like to tell you about the Chinese way of thinking. It should help you appreciate why certain aspects of TCM and Chinese culture are somewhat mysterious. Unlike in the West, where knowledge is captured, written down and authored in books for all to read, ancient Chinese medicine was developed by highlevel, well-educated Qigong masters. They sought to preserve certain knowledge they gained through the nonconscious, meditative state. This knowledge was only meant for those who could appreciate it. Their purpose was not to preserve this information so everyone could access it. The goal of these ancient masters and practitioners was quite different from the way contemporary culture handles information. Now, everything is shared globally, often instantaneously. Interestingly, sometimes translations of ancient Chinese medical literature and other texts can be totally wrong when translated into English, yet we’ve built whole theories and practices on them! How and why does this happen? Let me explain a little bit about the history of Chinese medicine. I think you’ll find it interesting. The writing and language of classical Chinese medicine is considered to be at the doctorate level. In ancient times, many learned, talented individuals with a passion for serving their people dreamed of becoming governor of a province, but the number of such prestigious positions was limited. Before becoming governor, these individuals had to pass a difficult national test. Unfortunately, while they were passionate scholars with great expertise in the Chinese language, they had little chance of becoming governor. Why? In ancient Chinese culture, acquiring powerful positions was a serious political game. It had little to do with passion, wisdom or talent. It had to do with connections or relationships. In some ways, this is still true today. One might think these individuals were ambitious and hungry for power. The reality was different in bygone times. Many of them studied hard because they wanted to make a positive impact on their society and improve the conditions of their people. Looking through the lens of our twenty-first century culture that has become jaded with the politics of our time, this may seem naïve or like a fairy tale. Over time, when these aspiring politicians were shut out by the system, they asked themselves, “How can I still help my people, even if I’m not a governor?” One of the most powerful paths left open to them at that time was becoming a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, one aspect of which was self-cultivation and practicing Qigong. When you are at such a high intellectual level and carry such a desire to make a difference—and your language skills are exceptional—what do you do? You look for outlets where you can express your creativity and talent. You focus all your passion on bringing them into reality. You apply your intellectual capabilities to the literature you write and the vocabulary you use.
I would like you to know, TCM is a by-product of a spiritual practice. Ancient Chinese doctors had to be high-level Qigong masters. Their spiritual understanding of Qi, talents and skill contributed to many art forms. Culturally, all of China’s fine arts—painting, sculpture, calligraphy, literature, poetry, dance, theatre and more—are rooted in the expression of Qi or spirit. Many TCM practitioners of long ago had the talent to create beautiful poetry to further their medicine. Why poetry? More than books or other literary forms that require many words to convey knowledge, poems concentrate meaning, evoke emotion and convey spirit. Behind each sentence in a poem’s condensed structure is a picture. Great poetry can move us in profound ways. The martial arts are related to poetry in a unique way. There are many beautiful forms associated with poetry. A poet might write, “The alert tiger prowls down the mountain.” Behind this language is a picture of enormous power. The true martial artist connects to the words and, most importantly, to the picture behind the words. He or she connects with the energy of the powerful tiger’s stealthy movements as it carefully chooses its path through the environment. The posture’s motion is intricately related to the spirit of the picture. Just as a poem builds, sentence by sentence, the form too builds, movement by movement, until each becomes a seamless whole. If the martial artist connects to the poem’s spirit, he or she will understand the deepest aspect of the form. On a superficial level, it’s easy to memorize a poem and demonstrate the form. Truly mastering the material, as you can see, requires something far more complex, even multidimensional. Spirit is the essence behind all of China’s martial arts, fine arts, as well as the medical art of TCM. The creativity of these Qigong masters allowed them to use their facility with language in special ways. They could, and did, turn information upside down and inside out so the truths within could remain protected or hidden, except for those meant to receive them. They played with concepts and words to shield the spirit behind their knowledge in a most extraordinary way. They also applied this talent and insight to acupuncture. In this treatment modality, there are more than 300 acupoints on the meridians; each has a specific name and meaning. To help students memorize this information, ancient sages turned to poetry and the spirit behind it. The points themselves were given beautifully descriptive names. These names allow the right person who can connect with the spirit behind them to gain deeper insight into the healing purpose of each acupoint. Ancient masters applied poetry in the same way to help students learn classical herbal formulas. Formulas in Chinese medicine are complex and composed of a number of ingredients. Again, on the visible level of words, poetry gave students a memorization technique for the ingredients; however, the poetry carried behind it a picture and a connection to the spirit of each herb. Mnemonic or memory devices have been used by many cultures to pass down information. I would like you to understand that in Chinese culture, using literary devices like poetry had a far deeper purpose and could convey far more. In ancient times, to be a successful TCM practitioner, you had to cultivate spirit through Qigong practice, as well as possess superior linguistic skills.
Today, Western schools of Oriental medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture often describe acupuncture points with numbers instead of their designated names. For example, points on meridians are called Stomach 36 or Large Intestine 4 and so on. I understand why this is necessary for those who do not read or write Chinese; otherwise, it would be difficult to bring acupuncture into the West. Numbering the points provides a system everyone agrees on and follows. However, the given Chinese names for these points are not random; each one has a specific meaning and indicates deeper information. Unfortunately, a number system is like taking your child’s name and saying the last four digits of his or her social security number represent who she is and what she can do. We just have to accept that when we describe acupuncture points with numbers, a lot of wisdom and knowledge is lost in translation.
Example: Chinese Language and Its Understanding of Health Conditions This example may help you see how the wisdom of a TCM practitioner can literally get “lost in translation.” TCM practitioners learn there are nine pulse positions on each wrist. Each of these corresponds to a specific organ. These pulses differ from the Western medical understanding of pulses, such as the aortic pulse. A TCM practitioner may say a pulse is like a rolling metal ball. He or she knows what that feeling is like from experience. Or their master may have guided them to understand this phenomenon. They also know from their studies this kind of pulse represents the advent of a woman’s menstrual cycle, or she is pregnant, or the body has a lot of phlegm. Reading information about pulses in a textbook is not the same as developing the practitioner’s unique feeling from experiencing the pulses of many different patients. The TCM doctor’s physical sensitivity is paramount; so is his or her intuition. In ancient times, a TCM practitioner might say a pulse is like a knife peeling the skin of a bamboo branch. How can the student understand this feeling if he has only read about it, or never touched a bamboo plant, or peeled its resistant skin? Feeling is developed through experience and the guidance of a good master. Feeling cannot be learned from a textbook. Even a great teacher can only point the student in the right direction. Real wisdom
is something that cannot be written down in a book.
In ancient Chinese culture, the best works and the most well-known medical texts had no attributions to an author or authors. There were never any copyrights either. No one really knows who wrote many classical works, including the “bible” of TCM, the Huangdi Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine). Why? The “emperor” is the highest title one can have, yet it’s not the name of an actual person. There was no Yellow Emperor. These wise, ancient masters didn’t see the need for naming an author or creating copyrights because they believed no one could “own” wisdom received from the Universal mind. In these times, the wisest sages understood these invisible gifts did not belong to them exclusively. This is true of legendary works like the Huangdi Nei Jing, the Nan Jing (Classic of Difficult Issues), and Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Classic of Herbal Medicine), three seminal works of TCM. Writers of medical literature often deliberately incorporated mistakes to protect the information within. Several famous Taoist works are written upside down, or state the opposite as the truth. If you translate the literature as is, you can be misled. These ancient writers believed if you are the person meant to understand and receive this knowledge, you will be able to grasp the truth behind the alterations. There are many such secrets in traditional Chinese medicine. The spirit of many masters stands behind traditional Chinese medicine. Much of its wisdom and knowledge have been structured by spiritual Qigong masters. Why were these ancient sages so protective of this wisdom and knowledge? They understood that, in the end, it is ultimately about Life itself. While some knowledge can make you rich, or become well-known in your field, ancient medical practitioners considered these to be superficial uses. The most profound wisdom contained within this ancient healing system focuses on preserving and supporting life. It focuses on the uniqueness of each person, the discovery of his or her spiritual purpose, and the process of creating balance and harmony in the small “ones,” and then with the One. These achieved beings did not live like ordinary humans, who tend to abuse themselves. They were able to travel freely to different times and places since they were not governed by conventional views of time and space. Their sense perceptions were supernormal, going far beyond the sight and hearing of ordinary humans. They were also able to preserve their life spans and live in full health, much as the immortals did. –Nei Jing Authentic TCM was created to develop and cultivate the body, mind and spirit of the individual; it was not developed to fight with disease or illness. I am very grateful to my master, Master Xi-hua Xu, for helping me appreciate the depth and capability of TCM. Its thousands of years of wisdom, knowledge and techniques are based on Natural Law and have remained unchanged throughout the ages. At its best, authentic traditional Chinese medicine is a spiritual practice that works through certain techniques to help the patient and the practitioner embrace life’s purpose. Being a good TCM practitioner is the most challenging path and, often, the most rewarding. While studying this medicine is important, and becoming highly skilled in it is essential, it is the practitioner’s self-cultivation that is indispensible. TCM has six modalities; acupuncture is the one most familiar to people in the West. As you read this book, you will come to appreciate that it is not the acupuncture needle that heals, but the energetic level of the practitioner coupled with his or her skill that influences treatment outcome. As we go deeper, you will see it’s always the patient who heals herself or himself. In the end, all healing is self-healing, I tell my patients. Now, I would like to tell you, healing is always in your hands.
The ancient Chinese medical literature says the requirements for being the best doctor are: a true knowledge of Nature; knowledge of Qi, or vital energy; an understanding of meridians, invisible energy channels connecting humans to Nature and the Universe, and a comprehension of the multidimensional nature of relationships. Above all, the best practitioner understands life and life force. Being the best TCM doctor goes far beyond knowing where the acupuncture points are located or how to prescribe a classical herbal formula. The knowledge within the authentic TCM system is ultimately for helping the patient, as well as the practitioner, live their highest purpose. This notion leads us to the purpose of healthy metabolism function. Throughout its five-thousand-year history, the focus of TCM has always been on restoring balance and harmony to the patient’s body, mind and spirit. With this history, it is certainly one of the oldest continuously practiced functional medical systems in the world. It has thrived and continues to do so right up to today. It has provided effective care for every conceivable health condition throughout the ages and now contributes to a healthcare system that cares for the world’s largest population. This is not a medicine that has sat in the shadows for millennia. Today, there are numerous universities of traditional Chinese medicine in China; the top ten alone train approximately 126,000 Chinese students a year. When they graduate, these doctors staff both university-affiliated and regional hospitals and clinics throughout China. TCM and Western medicine are successfully practiced side by side in most of these hospitals. For example, patients undergoing Western cancer treatments are also sent to the hospital’s herbal pharmacy for additional healing support. With the advent of quantum physics in the early 1900s, we can now appreciate TCM as one of the earliest quantum medicines. For millennia, it has applied similar principles and theories of quantum physics, such as space-time and complementarity, nonlocality and an understanding of Qi, which modern science calls energy. TCM contains an entire encyclopedia of medical wisdom. All of the most educated and knowledgeable Qigong masters and intellectuals over the course of thousands of years past turned their passion, attention and skills to becoming doctors. These ancient scholars wrote books filled with medical insights and wisdom derived from spiritual practice. Many people desire knowledge, which is easy to accumulate. Acquiring wisdom from direct knowing is very different. It comes from a phenomenon called “transmission.” It comes from acquiring the Universe’s information and passing it down from generation to generation. It comes from an invisible realm through a spiritual practice like Qigong. Because of the discipline of self-cultivation and the phenomenon of transmission, TCM is different. This energy-based medical system is not based on Western medicine principles and theories; sometimes, these two healing systems have difficulty communicating with each other. My hope is that by showing the similarities between modern science and Taoist thought as well as TCM principles and theories, we can build a bridge and help many more people enjoy better health. Throughout Digesting the Universe, my goal is to help readers appreciate why and how TCM works and why it is so powerful, especially for today’s chronic conditions of metabolic syndrome. It is based on the invisible and the visible. It is multidimensional and complex. And, it requires a connection to the world of spirit. One true sentence is far better than one thousand books filled with superficial knowledge. –Ancient Chinese proverb Let me discuss transmission a little more. Knowledge and wisdom can actually be transmitted or passed without someone having to go through a learning process. For some, this is a difficult idea, but here’s a simple analogy that might help you better understand it. Suppose your grandmother has the best recipe for Thanksgiving turkey. No matter how many times you watch her do this, or write it down, you just can’t produce her special taste and feeling. But, one day, you get it! Without following a conscious process, you are suddenly able to reproduce the feeling of your grandmother’s dish perfectly. Now, can you pass this special feeling to your children? It’s not easy. Can you imagine how complicated this kind of process is when it comes to transmitting healing information? For the right person, at the right time, with the right master, transmission occurs without book learning. I think many musicians, artists and writers understand the meaning of transmission. A true artist knows his or her art does not come from a textbook, technique or constant practice only. It comes from spirit and being receptive to other realms of information. The same is true of traditional Chinese medicine. Its real power and efficacy does not come from textbooks. The transmission of wisdom through a lineage is very important. Whether in the East or West, I think everyone understands that even if a mother is a famous violinist, she cannot automatically pass or transmit her talent to her daughter.
Today, many people have seen movies about ancient Chinese culture. They contain dramatic deathbed scenes where the master passes information to his best student. Instantaneously, the student receives and understands things he or she never did before. As moviegoers, we think these scenes are the result of the screenwriter’s imagination. One day, however, when you meet this kind of master and experience transmission, you know these things are true. I discovered this firsthand. Later, in Section VI, on the Mind and Metabolism Function, I will tell you more about some of my experiences. On my travels to China, I have been privileged to witness the extraordinary abilities of a number of energy masters. Once, I saw a Qigong master “take” a woman’s cancerous tumor and throw it to a tree. The tree developed a large knot; the woman went back to her clinic where she learned from her physician she was cancer free. Many people might say this is impossible. Some would call it a miracle. Later, I realized what I, and others, had witnessed was an instance of E=mc², Albert Einstein’s well-known equation. Matter and energy had actually exchanged form, which is something that happens continuously in the quantum field. Training in healing with Eastern medicine differs significantly from Western medicine. The focus is on where and how you received direct training and how long you have practiced serious self-cultivation. It is not based primarily on which academic institution you went to or grades. Because traditional Chinese medicine is based on Qi (something we will explore in depth), how much time the practitioner devotes to making himself or herself sensitive to energy is of great importance. For instance, I would like readers to understand it is not the acupuncture needle that helps patients heal; the real power is the energy level of the practitioner who uses the needle and his or her ability to connect energetically with the patient. We will spend a lot of time examining relationships from different levels and different angles. Relationships, as we will see, play the central role in TCM, which considers life a mystery. It sees the human body as a miraculous event that is always in a state of becoming; it’s never static. Even at rest, internally, each of us is in a dynamic state of great creativity. I come from a family that included several doctors of traditional Chinese medicine. Like medical practitioners of long ago, my training began early, at the age of seven, with the study of internal martial arts. In my life, I have had four exceptional martial arts teachers, each with a powerful, well-respected lineage. As some of you may know, lineage is a very important aspect of the martial arts, as it is in TCM. Good lineage comes from spirit; it does not come from manmade systems. It’s the spirit behind the form that supports its power. During my formative years, I had the privilege of studying martial arts with one of China’s legendary Kung Fu masters. His name was Wan Laisheng (1903–1995); he was the third-generation master and lineage holder of Ziranmen, the unique Taoist “natural style” or “no form” style of martial arts. Its training involves building internal strength, force, speed and lightness. Master Wan was the author of The Essential Focus of Chinese Martial Arts, regarded as one of the most important modern texts ever written on Chinese martial arts. He is also known as one of the “Five Tigers of the North,” who helped popularize this kind of fighting in South China. Few masters in martial arts history were his equal.
Master Wan Laisheng in His Late Eighties Master Wan was the only student of Du Xinwu (1869–1953), my grandmaster. Master Du served as the personal bodyguard of Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), the founding father and first president of the Republic of China. Master Du, a Taoist martial arts master, was the second holder of the Ziranmen lineage. Master Wan was the third. I am the fourth. Master Du’s acceptance of Master Wan as his disciple was very special because, at that time, only one disciple in an entire generation was chosen to learn this natural boxing style. With permission, Master Wan helped spread the knowledge of Ziranmen in China. After World War II, he served as the bodyguard to the governor of Fujian province. Not only was he an extraordinary martial artist, he was also a highly educated scholar who graduated from and taught at China’s top agricultural universities. Master Wan authored more than fifteen books, ranging from philosophy to TCM and orthopedics, to a description of various fighting styles. He also demonstrated his extraordinary martial arts fighting skills into his nineties.
As you can imagine, combat in serious martial arts competitions produces many kinds of injuries, especially those of the bone. Besides his fighting skills, Master Wan also trained in Chinese medicine. He had a tremendous skill in orthopedics. I once saw him heal a broken bone overnight! He introduced me to many secrets in orthopedics and taught me special massage techniques. This was equally useful in healing as well as fighting. His training emphasized how to develop a light, delicate touch, but one with great strength. How did he do this? Practices were intense and his emphasis was always on quality. One of his techniques helped students develop sensitivity and manual dexterity. We spent many practice hours untying tiny silk knots. Then, we would tackle untying very large, tight rope knots. Each required a different skill set. His emphasis was always on quality. Whether in fighting or in healing, there are always thousands of techniques. Master Wan taught me all you really need is one profound technique, as long as spirit is behind it. It is not the form or the technique that produces the result, but the practice that has been built up through the form. Different schools use different methods to teach practitioners how to focus their Qi and protect themselves. That is the art of any energy-based practice—from the martial arts to TCM. There is a story of a famous Chinese martial arts master who taught his students only one punch. His whole life was devoted to one punch! In a world like ours, people are crazy about learning as many techniques as possible. Everyone wants to become an expert in a weekend. We live in a culture that has trained us to constantly feed our minds and to think more is always better. Can you imagine devoting an entire lifetime to teaching or learning one punch? Perhaps this ancient Kung Fu saying helps explain this: “It is better to have one piece of broken jade, than a teapot of perfect clay.” Master Wan Laisheng touched my heart and mind in so many ways. He accepted me as a student and taught me Ziranmen, which has its origins in ancient Taoist philosophy and TCM theory. It is a combination of rigorous physical training, Qigong, meditation, speed and combat techniques. This natural boxing style enhances the spirit, regulates Qi circulation, and develops physical sensitivity. Its purpose is to harmonize body, mind and spirit. Master Wan taught me the difference between just talking about one’s expertise and demonstrating it. His training led me to use my skills to win several national martial arts championships in China at a young age. Later, I competed internationally and earned recognition as one of the world’s top Taiji experts. In my journey, my lineage is unique. Each of my masters has been well-known and wellrespected in China—not just because of their names but also because of their self-cultivation, ability to write eloquently about their practice and their contributions to internal martial arts and TCM. Each of them was a highly accomplished, authentic master. Each of them had a powerful connection to a lineage that transmitted martial arts and healing wisdom from master to student. At a young age, I also apprenticed for years with one of China’s best-known orthopedic practitioners. He challenged me with his visual educational process—learning by looking—and added to what I had already learned from Master Wan. My training in hospital continued to add to my understanding of the art of orthopedics. Recently, this knowledge came into play when one of my Medical Qigong students injured himself by twisting his ankle and breaking a bone. This student was trained as a surgeon and spent many decades practicing Western medicine. After a few days of being treated with Medical Qigong, acupuncture and herbs, he was feeling better and able to walk slowly without a cast. Several weeks later, he had his foot X-rayed. His radiologist told him he could see the break on the X-ray film, but he could not determine if it was an old break or a new one. The bone had healed dramatically during this short time.
Today, Master Xi-hua Xu is regarded as one of the highest-level Qigong masters in China. A former Yunnan University professor of philosophy, with a specialty in Taoism and natural healing, he has provided health consultations and advice to the chairman of the Chinese Communist party and has served high-ranking politicians in the top echelons of the Chinese government. He is part of a short but powerful lineage of which I and my students are privileged to be a part. His unique gift and skill is understanding the meridian system, which we will discover more about in Section II, Basic Principles and Theories of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Master Xu has received transmissions that allow him to see the body’s meridian network. This is a unique and rare ability, even in China. He can peer inside the human body without any medical devices to observe locations where energy stagnation or blockages in the meridians prevent healing. Our extraordinary relationship has deepened for more than two decades through countless conversations, in-person consultation and guidance about patients’ conditions. His training has been priceless and has allowed me to appreciate the Tao of healing. I would like to put into context what it means and what it takes to be a doctor of authentic traditional Chinese medicine. Being a practitioner of this kind of medicine is one of the most challenging journeys a person can embark on. It is not simply a profession; it is a serious commitment and a lifelong process of growth and discovery. In the end, Life is the ultimate mystery. There are some things that are simply unknowable with the kind of mind and level of understanding we have developed to cope with today’s world. As we’ve discussed, Chinese medicine is part of that mystery. Scholars and historical works sometimes characterize TCM’s development as the result of pattern recognition, primitive discoveries, or trial and error. This is not exactly correct. TCM and its Five Element energetic framework is the result of deep meditative practice that opened high-level Qigong practitioners to Universal consciousness not accessible with the rational mind. Even today, TCM practitioners must have experience with Qi—the invisible life force of the Universe—as well as with the spiritual realm. A TCM practitioner needs to be an energy practitioner for many reasons. At my practice, we are dedicated to treating the whole person; our goal is not to fight with the disease or illness but to restore balance. This restoration is always a multidimensional process. Good TCM practitioners are skilled at “public relations,” or how to facilitate balanced relationships on many levels. They need to see and appreciate the patient’s uniqueness from every angle and every possibility. Above all, he or she needs to practice and experience energy through Qigong practice, and not just talk about it. Because life is a mystery, TCM practitioners need years of training and experience working with many individuals. If fortunate, they will also have exceptional masters to guide them. I hope this information has helped you understand some of the major differences between a Western medical doctor and a doctor of TCM. In his opening letter, Master Xu captured these differences between Western and Eastern medicine well. Western medicine has an expertise in differentiation and analysis; TCM has an expertise in unity or oneness. Its practitioners are trained to interpret physical signs that appear in our third-dimensional reality as effects, rather than causes, of issues occurring at deeper levels.
Example: External Signs Indicate Internal Conditions A TCM practitioner knows a white coating on a person’s tongue means their Stomach has too much Cold energy. Or, if a patient’s hands and feet are constantly cold, again, this indicates a condition of excess internal Cold. Cold, as well as Dampness, are the two major pathogens that can seriously impact healthy metabolism function. We will learn much more about these properties later. When these conditions appear, a TCM practitioner knows they are warning signs of underlying health issues. To treat a person effectively, TCM practitioners are required to understand all the relationships that can impact a person’s health and well-being, as well as how to guide him or her to discover their purpose. That’s a big job! In effect, the visible disease or illness in front of the practitioner is a symptom of the invisible reality waiting to be addressed. This invisible reality is the energy field, or Qi field, where everything is interrelated. A skilled TCM practitioner must be a relationship expert. He or she has to have an understanding of the relationship between the external and the internal; the body and the mind, the body and spirit. They need to comprehend the relationships between the body and Nature, the body and its environment; the body and food; the body and the family; the body and work and more. They need to see the individual patient as a dynamic web of interconnected relationships. Modern science calls this concept
inseparability.
As we’ve seen, Eastern and Western paths take different approaches and use different frameworks to help patients. Another difference involves the way Western practitioners obtain information about the patient’s condition. Often, they will use devices that can transfer three-dimensional information to two-dimensional data. For example, they might use X-rays, MRIs, CT or PET scans, blood tests and the like, to understand what’s going on with the patient. The doctor’s training includes interpreting pictures and analyzing data. Modern physics tells us when information is transferred from a higher dimension to a lower one (in this case, the three dimensions of a body become a twodimensional X-ray picture), it becomes diluted, even hidden. Unless you know where and how to look, this information can stay hidden. In using their diagnostic skills, many excellent Western doctors are able to add their own instant feelings or intuition about a diagnosis and best treatment options for their patients. The most sensitive practitioners in all walks of contemporary medicine have great appreciation for medicine as both an art and a science. TCM starts at the opposite end of the examination process, by looking at external signs the patient’s body presents. It begins with a methodical exam that can yield important clues to how well the internal organ systems are functioning. While TCM may also look at the two-dimensional pictures, the interpersonal examination of “looking, smelling, touching, feeling, asking” protocols that produce a rich, complex set of inputs about the problem’s root cause. TCM factors in another intangible aspect and applies the fourth dimension of time to gain more information. Did you know one of the features of your body is that it has its own 24-hour clock? Each organ is “on duty” for a specific twohour period. I think many women readers have had the experience of waking up between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. TCM understands this time period is when the Liver meridian is on duty, so to speak. During this period, it is responsible for managing the body’s functions and then turns the job over to the Lung. We will discuss the Liver in depth in Section IV, The Body and Metabolism Function. For now, though, we can say time is an essential factor relating to the space of an organ and any condition.
Metabolism Function: Looking at It with Two Different Frameworks Now that you have more context for understanding the TCM framework, let me introduce our other framework—modern science, a revolutionary development of the early part of the twentieth century. Einstein’s theory of relativity tells us when we look at things from a different angle or with a different framework, we will see different things. The goal of this work is to integrate these frameworks and introduce a revolutionary approach for understanding metabolism function. We’ve already begun our discussion of TCM’s framework, which is based on Natural Law, not manmade laws. That’s why the fundamentals of this complete medical system haven’t changed in thousands of years. Our second framework encompasses modern science and quantum physics. Each of these, separately and in combination, can expand today’s perspectives on achieving ultimate health and healing. It depends on which way you would like to see things. I hope you are excited to discover more about this revolutionary framework. It offers tremendous benefits for all health-seekers, especially those with chronic conditions.
What and Why Is Metabolism Function? I began working on Digesting the Universe to answer these questions: What is metabolism function, but most importantly, why is metabolism function? The answers can help everyone to a greater understanding of the interrelated functions the body, mind and spirit play in this area. Today, people want scientific proof; they want evidence. That’s why the developments of modern science have occurred at the right time. Its principles and theories can help us build a bridge others can cross to a broader understand of real body–mind–spirit healing. Though TCM has thousands of years of “evidence,” this evidence most often exists in the energy field. It is difficult to prove the efficacy of TCM to Western minds without applying the perspective of modern science. We have touched on one reason why, which is that TCM is the by-product of spiritual practice, not a scientific discipline. Another reason is that it is personalized medicine of the highest order. A third reason lies in the fact that it begins with oneness, not differentiation. Even today, research shows unless we can prove “It’s science.” and meet the requirements of Western science methodology, people don’t know how to interpret what seem to be miraculous healing outcomes. This perspective of “It’s
science.” has become an essential factor in developing a productive dialogue between TCM and Western medicine, but we have to establish what kind of science we mean so we can create common ground and a common language. Today, modern science provides a unique bridge to understand and expand the contributions TCM can make to complementary medicine. For many years, my practice has successfully used this revolutionary framework to help patients achieve dramatic health changes. This combination of TCM and quantum physics allows us to use this bridge to help patients understand the origins of their conditions. At Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation, we have used this framework to build a bridge to meaningful dialogues with healthcare practitioners from many disciplines. We have also used it to create a number of highly effective educational programs that have impacted thousands of participants. I am not a physicist, but I have observed how applying modern science principles and theories, particularly relativity, space-time, inseparability, wave-particle theories and more, has revolutionized my practice with astounding results. There are a number of real-life examples throughout that I’m eager to share with you. Because modern physics has discovered principles and theories similar to those of TCM, healthcare practitioners now have a way to forge a connection based on energy. Opening this door offers an answer to the growing number of chronic conditions of the twenty-first century.
Example: Applying TCM and Modern Science to Understand Health Conditions
Here’s an example many readers may relate to. Often I hear patients complain they wake up almost every night between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. with a headache that disrupts their sleep. They go for many tests; they visit many doctors and hospitals, but their test results are perfect. They’re told there’s nothing wrong, or at least, their tests show no evidence of any problem. So, they are perfect, right? Not really. They know they’re not perfect. They know their headache and sleep problems are real. So, why does this condition continue? The surprising answer is there is evidence of the headache’s source; it’s just not in the places where contemporary medicine is trained to look. The cause is still in the energy field. If we apply the modern science theory of the space-time continuum, we see interesting things. Einstein’s discoveries proved space and time cannot be separated; they are one thing. This allows us to see something different in terms of the headache’s cause. What can we discover? For thousands of years, through its Five Element energetic framework, TCM has associated space and time with organs and health conditions. In this framework, space-time is related to specific organs and is a factor in any condition. As we’ve seen, you have an internal 24-hour clock, or energy cycle. Each organ takes a two-hour “shift,” during which its Qi or energy is responsible for managing the body’s functions. With this headache, 3:00 a.m. relates to the handoff of the Liver meridian to the Lung meridian. In effect, the meridian is saying, “Over to you, Lung, now you’re in charge of making sure everything runs well.” If you wake up at this time with a headache on the left side, a TCM practitioner can diagnose which organ is out of balance. In this case, it’s the Liver’s partner, the Gallbladder. While both organs may be fine, the time and location of the headache serve as clues to its source. In this case, the body is indicating the Gallbladder’s Qi is unbalanced, so the organ isn’t functioning well. The headache is like having your car’s engine warning light come on. It indicates a deeper problem. This left-sided headache is still a software problem; it hasn’t progressed yet to a hardware problem, something that can be captured with lab tests. Here’s another example. Take menstrual cycle changes. Women know changes to their normal cycle are very often the result of tremendous stress. The more stress, the more symptoms; the worse the PMS, the heavier the blood flow. What’s happening when these things occur? If you’re the woman experiencing these changes, you will likely schedule a physical. You may have your hormone levels checked. You may take some painkillers. Once again, the tests might be perfect. Everyone agrees the cause of your problem is unknown. So what’s going on? Is the problem real? Of course it is. Looking at this situation with the Five Element framework, we can say the condition exists at the energetic or invisible level. One or more of the organs is not functioning properly. These conditions have not progressed to where they can be detected by medical tests. But TCM knows where they start. It’s the Liver! For women readers, I would like you to know TCM considers menstrual cycle problems as a Liver function disorder. The Liver is the most important organ for women’s health. It is responsible for blood flow; most importantly, as we will explore, it is also responsible for the smooth flow of emotions. This kind of information may help women understand menstrual cycle issues a little more deeply because the energetic frequencies of emotions are almost always the cause of unbalanced Liver function. Here’s another condition that affects quite a few men and women today, which we’ll talk about from different angles. It is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux. It has a major impact on quality of life, sleep habits, eating patterns and more. Western medicine calls it a disease. With its Five Element energetic framework, TCM regards acid reflux as a disruption in the relationship between the Liver and Stomach. These organs are not functioning as partners. They’re also having difficulty managing their multidimensional responsibilities. The solutions to each of these conditions are to readjust the balance between the organ systems so the problems can resolve themselves. Is this possible? Again, the answer is yes. Headaches, PMS, menstrual cycle problems and GERD are primarily function disorders; they are not considered diseases when we look at them with the TCM framework. They can all be successfully addressed by supporting the unbalanced organs with acupuncture, herbs and other modalities. Around the world and throughout the U.S., you can find many skillful TCM practitioners who effectively treat these common conditions. In my practice, we have helped many patients understand these conditions from the body, mind and spirit levels, as well as the modern science level. We have been able to achieve very successful outcomes. The exciting thing about TCM is, above all, it is a creative, flexible functional medicine. It gives great meaning to the phrase, “There are many ways up the mountain.” In TCM, there is not just one way to approach health conditions; in fact, there are many paths to healing success precisely because organs share internal relationships. Applying modern science thinking creates a deeper
appreciation of this holistic medical paradigm.
In my practice, one of our main goals is to help patients see they are not machines with malfunctioning parts, nor are they robots that can afford making unhealthy choices without consequences. We are passionate about educating patients that healing is in their hands. No one can do it for them. A major part of my role involves helping patients recognize they are vibrant energy beings with a unique purpose having a physical experience. Without them the Universe could never be the same. For each of you reading the book, this is the truth of who you truly are. Improving metabolism function can help you discover this purpose. There are five key stages of metabolism function that I will share with you. Ultimately, each of these stages is involved with consciousness and purpose. All of them involve a level of internal and external communications of the human body beyond our current understanding. At the consciousness level, we do direct these processes. They require life force, or Qi, to power the autonomic, intuitive, rational and spiritual motions of our existence. Qi, your life force, is the only thing missing when you die. The Universal charge that ran through your meridian network and sustained your body over a lifetime is gone. After death, the body and all its parts can remain for a time, but it has lost its ability to function on any level. Its organizing spirit has left. As we will see, this is all the more reason to learn how to conserve Qi for a long, healthy life! The final stage of metabolism function is the most important one. It is the external manifestation of what it looks like to be fully alive! Why in fact do we even have to consider metabolism function at all? Is it just for processing food we eat and eliminating the body’s waste? Or, is it much more profound? What is its real purpose? As you read Digesting the Universe, we are going to answer the ultimate question: Why is metabolism function?
Metabolism Function and a Strong Immune System I’d like to introduce a different perspective on the relationship between metabolism function and the immune system. Strong metabolism function is the basis for a strong immune system; it is not the other way around. Today, in a disease- or condition-focused healthcare system, immune function disorder is regarded as the key disruptor of health and wellness. So many illnesses are now associated with a malfunction of the immune system, from the common cold to allergies, arthritis, diabetes, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome and many more. In contemporary medicine, many illnesses and diseases are discussed in terms of immune problems. While these conditions are challenging to treat, the solution to resolving them goes deeper. Without a healthy metabolism function, there’s little hope of strengthening the immune system. In fact, it’s virtually impossible. As modern scientists tell us, when we penetrate down to the subatomic level, everything is energy. We are energy. When things become out of balance, where can we find more energy to strengthen a compromised immune system? If you already have a major health problem, where and how will your body create enough energy to help its immune system recover? There are only two ways to acquire Qi or energy for healing: one way is through the foods we eat; the other is through energy practices like meditation, Qigong, Taiji and the like. These practices tap into the unlimited energy of Nature and the Universe. I think you can see how critical good digestion and healthy metabolism function are for supporting the immune system.
Because we’re living in modern society, our bodies and minds are influenced by everything in our culture and impacted by environments of all kinds. As we grow up, our mind is built up from cultural beliefs, thoughts, desires, intentions and more. We’re also living within a society based on the results and inventions of modern science. It’s odd, but when I talk about science, I find most people still have in mind the classical science of Sir Isaac Newton. Science plays a critical role in our lives; my reference point for all of these discussions is the modern science discovered by giants like Albert Einstein and his fellow physicists. They have rediscovered one of the prime principles of Taoist philosophy that TCM discovered five thousand years ago: If we penetrate deep down into the physical world, there is only oneness. It’s all dynamic patterns interacting in a web of interrelationships. Quantum physics offers us another way to understand this spiritual insight from a different perspective. How so? In modern science everything in our reality, including each of us, is a reflection of a higher dimension. Healthy metabolism function is a reflection of oneness. We cannot separate body, mind and spirit. As Master Xu said in his foreword, neither can we separate the function of one organ from another. We may speak about them separately, due to the nature and structure of our language. Section VIII, Preparation for Your Healing Journey, offers powerful Taoist energy practices that can unite body, mind and spirit. They are excellent preparation for creating healthier metabolism function. No matter what condition you have, these practices, if done regularly, can create healing breakthroughs for those with chronic conditions. If you consider yourself healthy, these practices can help you achieve even greater health. If you’re having difficulty achieving healing progress with current health challenges, the wisdom and knowledge I am sharing throughout this book will help you, as well. However, to take this journey, you will need to drop your mind. To truly heal, we have to recognize treating symptoms is not the real answer. Restoring balance and harmony between the organ systems and promoting the free flow of Qi is the most powerful way. This approach addresses the root cause of any condition to attain lasting results. Let me show you how.
Example: Identifying and Dealing with the Root Cause This analogy shows how critical it is to identify the root cause rather than treat symptoms. Let’s say you have excess moisture in your basement and it causes mold. Without addressing the moisture issue, the mold won’t go away. You can treat the mold frequently with chemicals. Most likely, it will keep coming back. This approach is not sustainable over the long run. You can, however, readjust the environment in the basement. You can make it dryer by increasing the temperature; you can bring fans in to move drier air around. Then the problem can be resolved. Ultimately, unless you deal with the moisture itself, the problem will continue. We can apply this same thinking to a condition like a chronic sinus infection. I see many people who suffer from this issue. They continue to search and search for answers; they will eliminate foods, then clothing items, bed linens, mattresses and even pets! Yet, even if they eliminate everything, their chronic sinus infection remains or recurs. Why? It’s because they haven’t dealt with the root cause. When any condition appears, not many people ask, “Why is it I have lived in the same place for years and didn’t have this condition before? What triggered this? How did my sinus condition become worse?” The fundamental reason is the whole body has fallen out of balance and the organs have stopped functioning properly. In terms of this sinus infection, it’s progressed from a software or function issue to a physical condition or hardware problem. You can have surgery, which many people often do. Unfortunately, some do not get the lasting results they had hoped for. The Five Element energetic framework serves as a blueprint for understanding a key clue. A sinus problem can involve the
Stomach, Lung or Kidney; however, unless Stomach function is repaired and rebalanced, the sinus condition will persist. This is just one simple example of oneness and the
interrelationships of organs and their meridians. At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. –Lao Tzu Now we’re ready to start an exciting exploration of who you are as a complex, multidimensional energy being. We’re ready to discover the mysteries and miracles of metabolism function. Let’s review the two different complementary frameworks we’re going to use. First, TCM’s ancient Five Element energetic framework will help us understand the human body in great detail as well as the many correspondences that unite it as a dynamic, whole system. I encourage you to refer to it frequently. Second, the modern science of physicists like Albert Einstein will help us understand the third-dimensional human body is comprised of Qi and is a shadow of something larger. We will also use these frameworks to explore the mind, which generates thoughts, which in turn create emotions. I encourage you to fully embrace the larger concept of who you are, what you are trying to achieve in this reality, and what you are truly capable of. It is far beyond what you may think today. You are a child of the Universe! You are entitled to use whatever it offers. Definitely, you should be able to digest the whole Universe! Without this perspective, you will limit your ability to function at the highest level. Everything Nature and the Universe can do on the macroscopic scale, we should be able to do on the microscopic scale. Nature has the remarkable capability of absorbing and digesting everything. Nature has its own metabolism function. The earth too has its own metabolism function. Your body has this remarkable capability as well. Remember, as above, so below. When someone gives you an amazing gift, it’s a very exciting experience. I believe one of the most rewarding things you can do is share it. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to receive many priceless gifts. They have come from all my masters, especially from Master Xi-hua Xu. He is one of the most remarkable Qigong masters I have ever encountered and has helped me take a quantum leap in understanding true healing. Many gifts have also come from the Universe in the form of transmissions or “Aha!” moments during spiritual practice. The best way to honor these gifts and the givers is by sharing this extraordinary wisdom with you. It has been a privilege to write Digesting the Universe. It is the first-ever work that marries two seemingly different frameworks—ancient wisdom and modern science—and
describes their practical applications for whole-person healing. As we set off on our quantum journey, I encourage you to put aside any judgment or preconceived ideas. I invite you to explore with me how true healing comes about through healthy metabolism function. You will be surprised and delighted at your discoveries. Some of the key concepts we will discuss include: Treating the whole person, not the disease or condition. Reestablishing balance and promoting harmony, not fighting with illness or disease. Discovering why and how the underlying invisible world supports and influences the visible one. Exploring the five stages of metabolism function: receiving, digesting, processing, transformation and the manifestation of spirit. Understanding organ function from the multidimensional aspects of body, mind and spirit. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of the multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION I SEEING METABOLISM FUNCTION FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES
The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained. –David BOhm He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye. –Buddha
Metabolic Syndrome, Metabolism, Metabolism Function According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library and part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Currently, the American Heart Association estimates about 47 million people have metabolic syndrome. Virtually unheard of several decades ago, metabolic syndrome is now a major part of our healthcare landscape. The term includes several conditions that, taken together, point to compromised metabolism function. While it primarily includes heart disease and diabetes, it also encompasses obesity, high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides, among other things. It is a growing health issue and it affects more Americans daily. Metabolic syndrome will place an increasing burden on our healthcare system. In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “As a nation, we spend 86% of our healthcare dollars on the treatment of chronic diseases. These persistent conditions—the nation’s leading causes of death and disability—leave in their wake deaths that could have been prevented, lifelong disability, compromised quality of life, and burgeoning health care costs.” Collectively, more Americans are falling out of balance because of stressful lifestyles, emotional pressures, inadequate diets, unhealthy eating habits, environmental pollution, information overload and ultimately a lack of faith in their own rightful purpose in this world. So, what do we do in an attempt to help ourselves heal? We take our bodies to the doctor; we take our emotions to the psychiatrist or psychologist; we take our spirit to a church, a synagogue, or other places of worship. We scatter ourselves far and wide in an effort to find oneness. We rarely think of ourselves as a wholly integrated system where all aspects of the body, mind and spirit have to cooperate. In the West, there’s no organized body of work with a methodology that addresses all three aspects in one comprehensive system. From my perspective, the path of separation and differentiation will ultimately lead us farther away from understanding the unity of the body and the support we need to stay well. The NIH cautions that the risk of having metabolic syndrome is closely linked to overweight, obesity and a lack of physical activity. It also includes insulin resistance as a potential risk for increasing the chances of developing metabolic syndrome. In its online “Outlook” section, NIH warns: “Metabolic syndrome is becoming more common due to a rise in obesity rates among adults. In the future, metabolic syndrome may overtake smoking as the leading risk factor for heart disease. It is possible to prevent or delay metabolic syndrome, mainly with lifestyle changes. A healthy lifestyle is a lifelong commitment. Successfully controlling metabolic syndrome requires long-term effort and teamwork with your healthcare providers.” I’d like to emphasize the NIH says this condition “can be prevented or delayed” with lifestyle changes. It advises healthseekers to take charge of their own health and well-being and make it a lifelong commitment. In effect, it says: Healing is in our hands! It does not say external solutions, medications and surgery are the way to avoid metabolic syndrome. With its time-tested specialty in prevention and its ability to identify a condition’s root cause, TCM has the potential to enhance complementary medicine and make substantial contributions to conquering metabolic syndrome.
When we talk about metabolism, in general, it refers to the range of biochemical processes within a living organism. Without metabolism, there can be no life. It is a creative activity that is constantly in motion. Generally speaking, in Western science, metabolism consists of two aspects: anabolism (when substances build up) and catabolism (when substances break down). The whole process is typically used to describe the physical breakdown of food and its conversion into energy. Throughout Digesting the Universe, I will use a broader term I call metabolism function. It is rooted in a revolutionary framework that encompasses ancient wisdom and modern science. This is how I have come to define the synergistic process of metabolism function of the three, key paired organ systems—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder and Kidney-Bladder and correlate their workings at the body, mind and spirit levels. We’ll discuss each of these systems in depth in Section IV, on the Body and Metabolism Function. As noted, metabolic syndrome is often associated with obesity and weight issues. There is no doubt obesity is a serious epidemic in the United States. Now, it is also considered a worldwide health problem. An online 2013 Marketdata report for the U.S. weight loss market alone shows some incredible numbers. The yearly value of this market is estimated at $60.5 billion. Despite its size, statistics show between 80 to 95 percent of people who diet regain the weight they’ve lost or even add more pounds. From the TCM perspective, this boomerang effect is virtually unavoidable. It sees excess weight as a symptom of deeper imbalances that cause the body’s organ systems to stop self-regulating and working in harmony. TCM restores balance by increasing Qi or vital energy through Qigong practice, eating for healing, herbal therapy and making lifestyle changes. These are the most effective ways to release excess weight for good. Are you one of the 95 percent of individuals who have lost weight and regained it? Why are so many Americans, including our children, overweight? The answer lies in recognizing the importance of metabolism function and the range of responsibilities your digestive system must manage daily. It is being constantly overworked and overloaded on several fronts. Metabolism function and digestion are vital, complex, interrelated processes. The digestive function involves more than breaking down food and deriving energy in the process. In the TCM framework, the digestive function is not just for processing food, but is an activity for processing visible and invisible things, including information and emotions. Have you ever considered the digestion process from this perspective? Because of its unique Five Element energetic blueprint of correspondences, TCM also pays attention to the tremendous impact of the mind’s activities on each organ. For the past two decades, our Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation has offered a unique stress reduction and weight management program called The Dragon’s Way® . Many thousands of people have benefited from its approach. The program is based on the concept that being overweight is a symptom of deeper imbalances in relationships among the organ systems. Once these imbalances are addressed with Wu Ming Qigong movements, an eating for healing plan, lifestyle changes and herbal therapy, excess weight starts to drop, as the body’s self-regulating ability wakes up. Remarkably, other health issues, especially stress-related conditions, improve, often dramatically. Or, they are eliminated. Anxiety and depression are also significantly alleviated. Most programs that are geared to weight loss urge participants to “lose weight and gain energy.” Our program, based on TCM principles and theories, believes the opposite. It advises participants: “Gain energy and build your energy foundation first. Stress will dissipate. Your organs will rebalance themselves and your body’s self-healing ability will adjust the weight.” Because The Dragon’s Way focuses on addressing the root cause of stress, anxiety, depression and excess weight by helping this healing ability become stronger, weight stays off. The following example may help you understand why and how weight often gets “stuck” in the body.
Example: How an Emotion Impacts Organ Function When you look at the Five Element diagram in this section, you can see overthinking and excessive worry are the emotions associated with the Spleen-Stomach organ system. What happens when you experience these emotions chronically or too intensely? Some people start to eat more food, especially sweet things. Other people may lose their appetite and interest in food. Why? In the latter situation, the mind directs attention and energy to processing other things, like emotions or information. You may have had the experience of constantly thinking about details of an unfortunate event, or playing out a situation again and again in your mind. These situations could have happened yesterday or decades ago. Because the Stomach’s function is programmed to digest emotions and information, as well as food, processing too much information can make you feel full. It can shut down the desire for food. On the other hand, some people under serious stress consume foods that are sweet or have a sweet taste. Subconsciously, the body is trying to heal itself. It knows the taste of sweetness, which our Five Element framework associates with the Spleen-Stomach, can calm the overactive emotional vibrations of a stressed-out Liver. Have you ever noticed how much candy and large drink options are offered in the front of convenience stores everywhere? It seems like we
have to penetrate a wall of sugar just to get a quart of milk!
Metabolism Function and Information Overload
The mind plays a critical role in the digestive process. On the level of information, there has been a dramatic shift in its quantity, content and delivery methods. Compared to past generations, we have to digest a tremendous amount of data. A study conducted by the Global Information Industry of the University of California at San Diego looked at the year 2008 to try and quantify how much information the average American consumes across all forms of media: TV, newspaper, websites, radio and more. The study claims the average American consumes 34 gigabytes of data daily! If your Stomach function is already out of balance, can you digest 34 gigabytes a day? As information continues to double and triple, imagine the waves of data yet to come. In 2012, Facebook processed 2.5 billion pieces of data per day. That is a phenomenal amount of data to be digested by the human species. According to YouTube, in 2015, 400 hours of new videos were uploaded each minute. Today, each month, YouTube has more than one billion unique users who collectively watch more than six billion hours of video—almost an hour for every person on Earth! This much information stimulates the mind and its emotions, which in turn impact the body. And, as we know, not all of this information is positive. Think of how much energy you need to draw on so you can process what you ingest every day. This analogy may help put it in perspective: If you download a huge file from the Internet, you know you’ll need a lot of memory to complete the task. How much effort does your computer have to expend to absorb the file? And if it’s a very large file, you realize you may have to delete information to complete the download and make room for it in your operating system. All this information we consume is energy! To understand this better, we can return to Einstein’s formula: E=mc². Energy and mass are interchangeable. You have to ask yourself, “Can my body digest the amount of information I consume every day? Can I easily process this so it doesn’t disturb my metabolism function? My digestive process? My sleep?” Based on working with my patients, I don’t believe this is possible unless you maintain a strong energy foundation.
Self-Healing and Self-Discrimination I feel deeply for my patients when they ask why they’ve tried so many things to get well, but nothing has helped resolve their chronic health issues for good. These patients often try TCM as a last resort and want to know if it can help them. I tell them, yes. However, like everything else, there are certain requirements. If they are willing to drop their mind and preconceived notions and embrace a different framework, we can work together very effectively. The most important part of this work is shifting the angle of view about how they see their condition. It also involves developing an appreciation for the role self-healing and metabolism function play in achieving lasting health.
Here’s a question I ask my patients. Most of them have never given it a lot of thought. Do you believe you have the ability to heal yourself? TCM believes everyone is born with self-healing ability. It’s our species’ birthright; it’s a capability, or “feature,” living creatures possess. Self-healing applies to conditions large and small. Here’s a minor example of this healing ability most of us have experienced. You may have bruised yourself by bumping into a chair. You rub it a little, then you don’t give it a second thought. A few days later, the bruise disappears. Or, you may have nicked yourself while peeling vegetables. You rinsed your small cut and put a Band-Aid on it. A few days later, it healed. You scraped your knee in a fall and it healed. These are small-scale events indicating a major inherent capability. Today, science has shown us there are many things the body handles without external interventions. In fact, every day our bodies process or encounter potentially dangerous viruses and bacteria. These entities get taken care of automatically without any fuss. Usually, we aren’t even aware they’ve been neutralized. Sometimes, though, when the body is out of balance and Qi-deficient, these things can overwhelm a person’s healing capability. This is especially true when it’s stretched to the limit. At that time, we might see the expression of bacteria and viruses in conditions like pneumonia or cancer. These expressions, however, are unique to each individual and serve a purpose. This inborn self-healing ability is the reason TCM doesn’t fight with illness or disease. Its goal is to help patients spark their own healing power. When balance is restored, harmony happens. If the body is supported properly, it will heal itself. Consequently, its six major healing modalities—Qigong, acupuncture, Tuina or acupressure, a foodsfor-healing diet, herbal therapy and energy psychology—are focused on this one goal. These modalities are designed to activate and support this self-healing mechanism. The treatments can alleviate symptoms, but that’s not their ultimate goal. For five thousand years, TCM has helped people enhance their healing power and recover from every conceivable kind of health problem—not just bruises, cuts and scrapes, but conditions like smallpox, hepatitis, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and many more. Unfortunately, in the West, there’s very little understanding of why TCM works, how it works and the foundation of its real power. Thankfully, modern science principles and theories now open a door to establishing a common language and a platform on which we can build an expanded healing framework. As we explore metabolism function with a combination of ancient wisdom and modern science, I want to emphasize you don’t have to be sick to benefit from this complementary approach. Strengthening metabolism function can help anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of health. Even if you feel you are healthy, by following the wisdom and guidance here, you can become even healthier! I tell my patients, “Health is an infinite path. You can always become better than you are today. The path of illness and disease is limited. It only ends in one place. Which road would you like to travel?” Naturally, this approach can also help anyone who wants to improve a chronic condition, once and for all. Remember, it does this by strengthening the relationships among the organ systems, so a person’s healing ability can do the rest of the job. Without improving metabolism function and these relationships, a healthy metabolic system is difficult to achieve.
As I said in the beginning, I wanted to write this book for my patients, many of whom struggle hard to regain their health. With great frustration, they question why they’ve put in so much effort but have little results for their work. Patients talk to me about their liver cleansing or detoxification programs. They speak about fasting or show me the bottles of nutritional supplements they have taken for months, in some cases for years! They talk to me about the different kinds of practitioners—from traditional Eastern and Western practitioners to nontraditional healers—they have visited. They describe tests, procedures and surgeries they’ve undergone. They speak about hormone balancing programs, or vitamin therapy—and the list goes on. Yet, they are not better. You may have had or are having a similar experience. This is a difficult journey. While their efforts may have helped them a little bit at the beginning—almost to a person—these individuals have not achieved a major health breakthrough or significant improvement. Their efforts haven’t eliminated their pain, allergies, chronic fatigue, asthma, arthritis, diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and more. Why not? As we will see, the answer is ultimately rooted in function disorders of the three vital organ systems of metabolism function. The answer also lies somewhere else. It is rooted in a subtle, unconscious form of discrimination of body, mind and spirit. When I use this term, patients are some-what taken aback. They ask, “What do you mean by discrimination?” From what I see, one of the most critical factors impacting a patient’s ability to heal successfully is selfdiscrimination. In today’s culture, we have prejudiced ourselves against our own body, mind and spirit! We really have to look at our beliefs here. We believe because the body has developed what we call an “illness” or “disease,” there’s something wrong with it. We imprison ourselves with negative thoughts and negative vocabulary that virtually ensure we cannot break through to good health. Rather than seeing their bodies as being unbalanced with the capability to regain better balance, patients label themselves “sick” or “having a disease.” They believe they’re “crippled by illness,” or unlucky victims of forces that have acted upon them. Many patients have no idea of the beautiful self-healing gift they have been born with. Sadly, many people are literally blind to the body’s wisdom and its ability to communicate with us. Not only do patients discriminate against their bodies, they also discriminate against their mind. Most people have no organized framework for understanding how beliefs, thoughts, the emotions generated by thoughts, memories, intentions, desires and feelings impact the function of their organs. With its incredible blueprint of clues, the Five Element energetic framework is an invaluable guide. It helps us see how fear impacts the Kidney, how anger, frustration and stress (everyone’s companion in this culture!) affect the Liver, how over-worry alters digestive function. As you read, I encourage you to refer frequently to the Five Element diagram of correspondences. You will discover connections that may startle and amaze you. You may even see things about your chronic health condition you have never seen before. The most painful thing of all is to see patients discriminate against their spirit, especially when it’s trying to communicate and move them toward their purpose. Until they understand what they are doing, patients continually berate themselves and think their bodies are weak because they let something “happen.” They feel their bodies have let them down and can’t do the job right. They think, “This body has failed me. Why bother working with it? Let me search outside for something or someone who can do the job that this body obviously can’t do for itself.” I would like you understand nothing could be further from the truth. Each of us enters this reality with everything we need to live a healthy life and achieve happiness. Do you believe this? If you don’t, then your search for an answer to health issues always turns outward for a solution. In this case, it’s likely to take the route of “one drug for one bug,” “a pill for an ill,” surgery, an intervention or modality that promises relief. I’m sorry to say sometimes these things not only don’t help, but can also create further problems. Using our framework, these “solutions” do not address the root cause and often create limits. Here’s something else I see patients doing. They tirelessly search the Internet for more and more information about their condition. One of the first things I ask them is whether or not they have searched what I call their “Innernet.” The answers are always within. Even the Bible tells us this. I urge my patients to recognize that as energy beings, they need to recognize they are connected to the unconditional love and consciousness of the Universe. The answers are always within. As we talk, often I see they either don’t believe in, don’t know, or discount the essential role spirit and life purpose play in healing. Today, we hear talk of body–mind–spirit healing. Mostly though, these conversations are focused on the body; they may involve some limited aspects of the mind. However, rarely does spirit enter into this conversation as the significant influence on health and well-being, nor is there a recognized blueprint for dealing with spirit. What about your purpose and mine in this reality? What about the Heart?
I urge you to really think about this when it comes to any condition you may be struggling with. I tell my patients, as I tell you: Healing is in your hands. Every living person carries within their genetic code a treasure trove of healing wisdom from his or her ancestors. Let me add, just like a computer, our bodies have many inherent “features” we haven’t fully understood or utilized yet. Self-healing ability is one of them. In my opinion, humans are a work in progress, not a finished product. Just like Nature, we are always in a state of growth and creativity. And, we can always change. Another area where I see patients discriminate against themselves is genetics. They only seem to focus on the negative aspect of their genes. Many people discount the power of their genetic code, even though it carries ancient wisdom about how to cooperate with Nature and all living entities on this earth. This cooperative intelligence has survived in your own genetic code through the ages, right up until today. It’s a gift waiting to be accessed. Without this miraculous bank of inherited data and your ancestors’ ability to survive, your genetic line would have already disappeared into the mists of time. You are living proof of the strength of your genes. According to the NIH, your genetic material is made of DNA, the double helix shape we now see frequently in medical stories. Genes are the basic physical, functional unit of heredity. They act as instructions to make molecules called proteins. The Human Genome Project has estimated humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes. In my opinion, I doubt there is such a thing as “junk DNA.” Today’s scientific efforts just haven’t been able to figure out certain things about our genetic code, yet. Nature never wastes anything. I would add that God never makes a mistake. Every person has two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent, who, in turn, inherited their genes from their parents, and so on. You are the current representative of your bloodline. Your genetic code is a treasure. Today, there is a much bigger focus on its negative aspects rather than its positive ones. I can assure you positive aspects of genes do exist. Genes are also energetic frequencies and reflect Nature’s laws. They also reflect modern science’s theory of complementarity. The key to understanding the whole is to see that everything is made of positive and negative energies. We have electron-positron pairs, and matter-antimatter explored in quantum mechanics. Positive and negative—one cannot exist without the other. TCM calls this the principle of Yin-Yang. In terms of genes, this means if you have a gene for a specific illness, let’s say diabetes, you also have been born with a complementary gene to heal it as well. We will discuss these in Section II, on the Basic Principles and Theories of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today, the modern science framework with its principle of complementarity perfectly mirrors Yin-Yang.
Your DNA Carries Many Thousands of Years of Genetic Wisdom For a moment, imagine the power of your genetic heritage. You have so many internal hidden assets! Your body’s genetic code has the instructions and essential intelligence it needs to heal itself. You have downloaded this treasure, passed from your ancestors, with you at birth. It’s in your DNA. When we discuss this, at first, my patients find it hard to believe this is true. They often start their conversations with something like, “My father had heart disease, so I’ll probably have it too.” Or, “My mother and sister had breast cancer; that’s why I have it now.” When it comes to health and healing, I call these limiting beliefs. They direct our thoughts that in turn influence our emotions. Over time, these unbalanced emotions have the ability to sabotage organ function. We have marginalized our healing power as energy beings. If these ideas are new or foreign to you, it may take a little while to trust this way of thinking, but the benefits and rewards are substantial. We will talk much more about this in Section VI, on the Mind and Metabolism Function. Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology and the fundamental equations of physics.
–Stephen Hawking It’s strange to me to see how much our culture focuses on fighting or fearing health conditions. We seem to be in a state of perpetual alert for things that may cut us down at any moment. We seem to always be on the lookout for illnesses and diseases. Why aren’t we on the lookout for health? Why aren’t we putting a laser-like focus on understanding why and how what we call “miracles” occur? Why do we dismiss these phenomena? One reason might be the incredible amount of media messages beamed at us continually, telling us to “ask our doctor,” or “watch out for these signs” and so on. This relentless messaging about diseases, medications, symptoms and side effects creates a kind of mass hypnosis. It encourages us to discount, forget about, or ignore our self-healing ability. This constant messaging can even trigger the very conditions they’re describing. We’ve been trained—I would say brainwashed—to look externally for answers to good health and well-being. This way of thinking reinforces the discrimination we have created, not only against our body, but against our mind and spirit.
Whose Science Are We Talking About? My work is to help patients embrace this new, revolutionary framework of ancient wisdom and modern science and better understand their conditions and discover a new path to healing. Because we are living in this society, everyone has been conditioned to want scientific proof. They think TCM is not science and doesn’t have scientific proof. When this happens, my job is to forge a common understanding and language we can build on. I tell them the final proof exists at a deeper level in the energy field. To understand this kind of proof, we have to look to modern science. In talking with patients about science, sometimes I find we have a very different understanding of which science we are talking about. Their framework can be that of the classical science of Sir Isaac Newton, who lived more than two hundred years ago. In the Newtonian world, there are separate atomic particles that cannot be divided further. In this world, time and space are separate, absolute entities that only flow in one direction. Today, we know Newton’s theories, like gravity, while advanced for their time, were incomplete in certain areas. To really open their minds, patients have to drop this framework and adopt a new one—one that is built on the theories of physicists like Albert Einstein and his colleagues. What kind of scientific proof can today’s advanced science give us? In contrast to Newtonian thinking, it has proved, when we penetrate the physical world, there are no separate atomic particles. It also has proved space and time cannot be separated. We call this concept the space-time continuum, which takes us to a higher, fourth dimension and even beyond. It also tells us underlying our third-dimensional world of individual shapes and forms, there is only the energy field where everything is interrelated. We find oneness, which scientists call inseparability. Here, everything visible and invisible is connected in a web of interdependent, interrelated energy. Because we are a part of this energy field, we too are energy. This is why we can prove we are all energy beings. Do you believe you are an energy being? When we acknowledge this reality, different frameworks become relevant—especially a revolutionary one combining ancient wisdom with its counterpart in modern science. When patients shift their angle of view, they see different things about their health. TCM and modern science use similar concepts but different vocabulary for this field: modern science describes this phenomenon as energy; TCM describes the same concept as Qi. Both terms refer to the dynamic, intelligent living energy field and the manifestation of oneness in the many individual ones, just like each of us.
Going forward, our framework for understanding the workings of metabolism function will encompass the scientific thinking of seminal thinkers like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg and many more. What does Einstein’s groundbreaking equation E=mc² really mean? In simple terms, it means mass and energy are manifestations of the same thing. They are interchangeable. We can look at anything in our third-dimensional world and see it two ways: as mass or matter, or as energy. Human beings are composed of matter; therefore we have mass. From a different perspective, we can read this mass as energy. It depends on which way you want to see it. This concept was a monumental piece of thinking in our time and paved the way for the quantum world and everything in it. In practical terms, we can begin by understanding we live in a world of based on energy, or frequency. Everything in this world, including each of us, can be seen as a unique frequency or energy signature—unique, indelible and irreplaceable. Virtually anything we use today is based on modern physics and quantum mechanics. We want the convenience of cell phones, wireless connections, TVs, computers, LED displays and so on. And, as long as these things work, we rarely stop to think about the quantum science that underpins these inventions. They are all based on understanding electromagnetic frequencies. This kind of science has had a major impact in healthcare. In the medical field, we use devices like MRIs, fMRIs, X-rays, CT scans and more. They too are based on quantum mechanics and an understanding of energetic frequencies. When there is a condition or injury, we use these devices to look into the body to see what can’t be seen with the naked eye. We use these high-tech devices to interpret energy as mass. For instance, the energetic picture of a tumor is interpreted as a solid mass. In emergency rooms, patients with conditions like headaches or neck pain, are given MRIs, CT scans, and the like, to see if something serious has happened at a deeper level. What are we using these devices to look for? Is it energy or mass? Again, it depends on what you want to see. Is it just the physical picture of a problem or the disruption of interrelationships we are looking for? How do we want to interpret the results of using these medical devices? The good news is these things give us a picture of hidden data we cannot see with our eyes and provide important information. Ultimately, however, it’s the mind of the professional who interprets the results that is key. Are the outcomes viewed through the lens of classical Newtonian science or modern scientific theories? Let me give you an idea of how different frameworks see different things. When someone breaks a bone, Western medicine may use X-rays to gain more information about the break. The next step usually involves surgery to connect the bones to heal. TCM’s specialty in orthopedics dates from between 722–200 bce. In ancient times, practitioners had no sophisticated, high-tech devices to analyze broken bones. How did they help the patient heal a fracture or break? The answer is they developed an extraordinary body of work and training in using the sensitivity of their hands to feel broken bones and fractures, as well as the ability to set or connect them. Does this still happen today? During my study with a well-known orthopedist in China, I saw many cases of bone fractures and breaks, as well as soft tissue injuries, heal successfully with special, time-tested manipulation techniques, acupuncture and herbal therapy, with little to no side effects. In my practice, I’ve helped many patients heal bone problems and soft tissue injuries by using the TCM framework. As you can see, different medical frameworks allow us to deal with bone issues differently. Different systems of healing use different treatments and can yield different outcomes. Surgery and casting are not the only options. Here are a few other examples: When a woman presents with fibroids, her ob-gyn typically orders an ultrasound to determine the size of these masses. What happened before the introduction of this technology? Eastern and Western practitioners were trained to rely on experience, as well as touch and the sensitivity of two fingers, to “see” the size of the fibroids. Throughout the last century, Western doctors used what was a state-of-the art medical tool—a stethoscope—to diagnose lung infections and listen for heart problems. They too relied on experience, feeling and sensitivity. They were also trained to use hearing skills to interpret sound, or energy vibrations, to evaluate a patient’s condition. Relying on human skills takes longer than using medical devices, but Western and Eastern practitioners understand human beings are the most essential part of the chain of interpretation when using any technology. Today, high-tech medical devices can give us rapid answers. But, good practitioners know they need to apply their training, sensitivity and experience with patients as well. Who makes the diagnosis and how the diagnosis is made are paramount considerations in the healing equation. It depends on whose eyes you want to see things through.
Let me emphasize that the energetic frequencies we’re talking about are not just force or power. They are a subtle kind of conscious, intelligent energy with the capacity to communicate information and messages. The TCM notion of Qi is this kind of energy. It unites all aspects of our being—body, mind and spirit; it connects us to Nature and ultimately Universal Qi. The highest form of functional medicine has to be based on oneness, because spirit is the fundamental aspect of human beings. Digesting the Universe can contribute to the art and science of today’s medicine by widening the lens to see conditions in a comprehensive way. I believe ancient wisdom and modern science can be combined successfully in a fully developed framework that accounts for how and why human beings function multidimensionally.
Seeing Interrelationships through a New Lens I would like to introduce you to Five Element consciousness and how I came to understand this notion. TCM’s ancient Five Element energetic framework forms the basis for understanding the body as an integrated whole. It is related to the elements of the earth and a broad range of correspondences. From my practice applying this Five Element framework to patients’ health problems, I have discovered that, basically, it is a hologram of principles and theories of today’s science: relativity, general relativity, spacetime, complementarity, inseparability, discontinuity, tangled hierarchy and more! This framework offers powerful, practical wisdom for maintaining health and wellness and for preventing imbalances that compromise organ function. In clinical practice, I’ve seen remarkable results when patients understand how to use this framework for understanding their conditions at the body, mind and spirit levels. As I mentioned, one of the seminal books that has drawn comparisons between Eastern thought and modern science is The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra. It is a remarkable work that I have learned a great deal from. Since then, there have been a number of books furthering this kind of thinking. However, I believe Digesting the Universe is a unique work that offers simple, practical information on taking our understanding of health and healing to a higher level. It offers a common, energy-based language rooted in Taoist philosophy, TCM principles and theories and those of modern science. This work also explores metabolism function in a revolutionary, multidimensional way and gets to the heart of true body–mind–spirit healing. I am excited to share the results of my experiences merging ancient wisdom with modern science in everyday practice. We’ll talk about both frameworks, but no matter which one you choose, we’ll arrive at the same destination.
The Five Element Energetic Framework
As we move ahead with our quantum journey, we will look at health and healing through the unique lens of Five Element consciousness. This is my term for the ancient wisdom of the Five Element energetic framework of correspondences. These correspondences are aspects of the world we encounter every day—like season, circadian time, emotion, “sinew” or tissue, color, taste, sound, direction and more. Thanks to Einstein’s relativistic framework, each of these can be read two ways, as manifestations of mass or as an electromagnetic frequency, i.e., energy. Because energy has consciousness, we can also read the Five Element energetic framework as Five Element consciousness. Everything is energy; energy has consciousness, and all consciousness has purpose. This insight shows us that the whole of the body is far greater than the sum of its parts! And, it is connected to something far larger than itself. As we will see, when these vibrations or energetic frequencies become unbalanced, they impact our body and mind. TCM considers that the mind has more capabilities than analysis and differentiation. It encompasses more, including beliefs, thoughts, emotions, desires, wishes, intentions and concepts about life and living. These are all considered part of our mental activity. The Five Element framework shows us how these activities directly influence the body’s organs, its functions and state of health. For example, TCM understands each organ is associated with a specific emotion. The Heart is associated with joy; the Stomach with overthinking and excessive worry; the Lung with sadness and grief; the Kidney with fear or shock; the Liver with anger, stress, frustration and irritability. We can read these emotions as vibrations or frequencies. If any of them are experienced for a long time, or to an intense degree, its corresponding organ feels this burden. Conversely, if an organ falls out of balance, an individual may experience that organ’s emotion. For instance, if you have a Liver condition, you might notice you’re more prone to irritability and angry moods. On the other hand, if you’re always under a lot of stress, your Liver will send you a message, more like an S.O.S., it’s out of balance and needs support. That message is often heartburn. Thousands of years ago, TCM recognized the ability of energy to flow in a reciprocal way between an organ and its emotion. Today, modern science has proved energy flows both ways; time also flows both ways, and there are no closed systems. When we identify the organ systems that must remain balanced for metabolism function—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, Kidney-Bladder—it’s easy to see why metabolic syndrome, as well as other chronic conditions, are on the rise. In the case of the Liver, which is related to stress, you can understand how today’s lifestyles affect everyone! Who doesn’t have stress? The Stomach is related to overthinking and excessive worry. Who doesn’t worry? Are you someone who constantly chews situations over and over? If something bothers you, what happens? You might lose your appetite, or experience bloating. These are simple examples of how the mind’s emotion disrupts the function of its matching organ. Look at the Kidney; its emotions are fear and shock. Just think about the hundreds of messages you encounter daily that stimulate fear in subtle ways. They are filled with “what ifs.” You’re asked to contemplate the bad things that could happen if you don’t have this or that, or if you haven’t purchased this or that, or you haven’t protected your loved ones by buying this or that. And, think of the many messages you receive, asking if you have certain symptoms, so you can “ask your doctor” about them. We haven’t even gotten to the news programs that feed us a steady diet of stories filled with mayhem and murder! This fear-based vibration is so common we barely notice it, but consciousness registers these energetic frequencies and they impact Kidney function. It’s easy to see how various aspects of our culture sabotage our best efforts to stay balanced and remain well. The Five Element framework offers a unique blueprint for exploring many dimensions of an individual. Its use has stood the test of time. It offers a way of understanding how to begin at the body level to understand poor health, but it doesn’t stop there. This ancient blueprint also offers insight into the mind and spirit, as well. How did I come to understand Five Element consciousness? Over time, it grew organically in several ways: most of all through Wu Ming Qigong practice. Before we go on, I would like to explain something very important about Qigong since it is now becoming better known in the West. Qigong is a serious spiritual practice, not a religious practice. Its purpose is to connect the student to the dynamic, conscious, intelligent force we can call Universal Qi. Generally, there are two different kinds of Qigong systems. The first is based on postures and movements that stimulate internal Qi for healing. The second uses postures and movements for a different purpose. They are used to guide the “energy transmission” of the master to the student. The student uses this message to restore or upgrade his or her internal energy foundation. This is the kind of system I and my students practice. I received this Wu Ming Qigong from Master Xu. It descends directly from Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Master Xu
transmitted the system to me and I have permission to transmit it to my students when their energy foundation has reached the required level to receive this gift. This unique spiritual practice uses postures and movements to connect students directly to Universal Qi. While authentic Qigong offers many health benefits, its purpose is to open the individual to Spirit and all its mysterious, mystical powers, especially the sixth sense. It allows students to become conscious of moments of discontinuity—a receptivity to the astonishing revelations of the Universe. One of the most essential aspects of Qigong is self-cultivation, a way of allowing the unconditional love of the Universe to flow through the body, mind and spirit of the practitioner. Other ways I developed an understanding of Five Element consciousness included deep discussions with Master Xu, discussions with patients as well as study and reading. The ideas in The Tao of Physics sparked insights too. They helped me comprehend relativity theory and quantum mechanics—the two pillars of modern science—represent the language and concepts used today to describe timeless truths imbedded in Taoist thinking, TCM and its Five Element energetic framework. The evolution of Five Element consciousness has allowed me to help patients see their conditions within a much larger context and relate it to their singular purpose. What I discovered was so profound, with Master Xu’s guidance, I totally changed my practice! Let me share more about these insights: I discovered that for thousands of years, this energetic framework has applied the theory of the space-time continuum, developed by Hermann Minkowski and Albert Einstein, in one brilliant, elegant concept of interrelated patterns. I recognized today’s theory of complementarity, discovered by Werner Heisenberg, mirrored the principle of Yin-Yang that has been in use in Chinese society and medicine for millennia. As I dove deeply into this awareness, I became passionate about applying these insights to help patients. Remarkably, I recognized Taoist thinking and TCM along with modern science give us the foundation for a revolutionary framework for health and healing. Both of these disciplines offer unmistakable similarities. They just happened to have been developed five thousand years apart and arrived at the same destination through different paths. One discovered this path through the spiritual, or macro, level; the other through the scientific, or micro, level. How could that be? The answer is simple; each discipline is based on the principles of Natural Law, not manmade laws. These principles are alive and accessible to those who can expand their mind and penetrate the dimension where this collective information always exists. You just need the Universe’s password. British scientist Rupert Sheldrake has referred to this dimension as the morphogenetic field. All of the groundbreaking scientific discoveries were made in a moment outside of time. There may have been tremendous preparation on the technical and mental levels, but the ultimate ideas were the product of discontinuity, or an Aha! moment. Throughout the ages, the great scientists, including Sir Isaac Newton, went beyond thirddimensional reality. Their passion to access something beyond themselves opened them to an infinite, timeless space where everything connects to Universal Qi. This is where they found the answers. What else did I discover as I explored the interrelationships between ancient wisdom and modern science? Einstein’s theory of relativity tells us observing phenomena or situations from different frameworks let us see different things. This was definitely true as my practice changed. Think of it: if you’re looking at the street scene from the first floor window of your building, you will see a certain kind of reality. Changing your angle of view and moving up to the tenth floor of your building, you will see many different things. Changing the angle of view, especially in health and healing, also allows us to see different things. When we do, we open the door to different answers that lead to different outcomes. The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
–Lao Tzu The existing scientific concepts cover always only a very limited part of reality, and the other part that has not yet been understood is infinite. Whenever we proceed from the known into the unknown we may hope to understand, but we may have to learn at the same time a new meaning of the word “understanding.” –Werner Heisenberg One of the most remarkable things I recognized is that the space-time continuum is an essential part of the Five Element energetic framework. TCM associates the physical space of each of the major organs with specific timeframes. As I’ve noted, the Liver manages the body’s functions between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. It then turns over its job to the Lung. Many women know this time frame well, especially if they experience a lot of stress during the day. I also recognized what Taoist thinking and TCM had taught me many decades ago about oneness, which modern science calls inseparability. I was so excited to realize the principles and theories of TCM and modern science both point to a stunning view of reality: from the subatomic to the supergalactic, the predictable three-dimensional world we take for granted is supported by a richer, conscious, invisible one from which our material reality emerges. Why aren’t we able to see and experience this aspect of our world? Fritjof Capra offers the explanation that we live in what’s called the “zone of middle dimension,” where subatomic reality doesn’t impinge on our consciousness—that is, it will continue this way until we become more conscious as a species and recognize the many probabilities and interconnections that continually arise in our daily lives. TCM’s ancient Five Element energetic framework reflects another example of Natural Law rediscovered in the twentieth century—the principle of interrelationship. It understands all the organs and their functions are interrelated. Imagine the awe of modern scientists as they discovered in the laboratory and through complex mathematical formulas that nothing in this reality is separate—there is only oneness! They discovered nothing can be discussed in isolation; everything must be discussed in relationship to something else. These discoveries of the principles of Natural Law are separated by millennia; each takes a different path, yet both arrive at similar destinations. The foundation of Chinese medicine (as well as most spiritual practices, I might add) is built on the concept of oneness—all parts of the body, mind and spirit are connected to each other in a remarkable way. We humans are also inseparably connected to Nature and the energetic forces of the Universe in an even more remarkable way. For five thousand years, the comprehensive Five Element framework has served as a blueprint for practitioners to see the interrelationships of every organ system and its association or relationships to Nature’s elements and the correspondences mentioned. The solid material objects of classical physics dissolve into wave-like patterns of probabilities, and these patterns ultimately do not represent probabilities of things, but rather probabilities of interconnections. –Fritjof Capra
The usefulness of Einstein’s theory of relativity, E=mc², the ability of energy and matter to exchange form, became apparent in working with patients. We have experienced the results of the practical application of this theory in clinic. We have seen the transformation of masses or matter, like tumors or cysts, return to their energetic state during acupuncture sessions. How does this happen? The answer is actually simple. Energy and matter demonstrate their unique transference capabilities when Qi stagnation in meridians, the body’s invisible energy channels, is unblocked and then relieved with treatment. Another modern science concept also intrigued me: the idea of how the observer has an effect on the observed. This made me think of my own thoughts and interactions in relationship to a patient’s condition. This insight helped me evolve my role from a practitioner who addresses symptoms to a counselor who inspires and supports the patient’s unique healing process. I now see the two most essential things I can do for patients: one is to help them discover their own healing power; the other is to help them recognize spirit’s purpose in their lives. Through this process, I have deepened my view of the nature of true healing. I gained a deeper understanding of how ancient doctors experienced discontinuity, that Aha! moment, where intuition without book learning produces profound bursts of understanding and creativity, the result of reaching a different dimension. I was fortunate to experience these moments during Wu Ming Qigong practice when many insights opened a new way of seeing health and wellness for me. On a deep level, I saw how the principles of today’s modern science beautifully mirror ancient Taoist principles and TCM theories. These insights let me explain conditions to patients in the context of this revolutionary framework of ancient wisdom and quantum thinking. Now, we achieve many remarkable breakthroughs, especially in resolving issues of metabolism function disorders, and with serious health issues, like cancer, which are labeled as illness and disease. When I “digested” these insights, I was overwhelmed. These sudden comprehensions opened me to a stunning way of reseeing health and wellness. As our journey moves forward, I will do my best to help you understand metabolism function from this special framework. With the information in Digesting the Universe, your appreciation of the body’s innate unity can take a quantum leap. Once you open to the whole-person approach to metabolism function, you will be able to see how the organ systems form a multidimensional whole, not just a collection of separate parts. These amazing insights sparked my passion and still do. I hope they will spark yours and motivate you to explore the power of your self-healing ability. This is a different path that will let you assume command of your health and well-being. Let me emphasize, “Healing is in your hands.” As we’ve seen, Einstein’s theory of general relativity lets us see that different frameworks allow the observer to see things differently. Different frameworks produce different outcomes. Throughout the book, I’ll include examples to help deepen your understanding of this notion. I’ll also use real-life stories where patients have experienced what can be described as miracles in overcoming functional disorders. Let’s start with these.
Example: A Relationship Problem between the Body and Nature What happens when the body cannot cooperate with Nature? We’ve touched upon hay fever, but I want to go a little deeper. For a number of my patients, hay fever is a difficult seasonal condition. Whether it happens in the spring or in the fall, TCM does not consider hay fever a disease. It does not view it as the result of bacteria gone wild, nor does it believe it’s the pollen’s fault! Looking at hay fever from our Five Element energetic framework, it’s a function disorder. Seeing it from this angle, we can appreciate the message it has for hay fever sufferers. It’s telling them their body is out of sync with Nature’s seasonal cycle. Why is that? Hay fever presents mainly as allergic rhinitis. Unless there are complications, it is typically confined to symptoms that include itchy eyes and a runny nose; sometimes, there is an associated cough (especially in the autumn, when TCM understands the Lung “predominates” or manages the body’s functions), but this cough rarely develops into something more serious like bronchitis. When the season passes, the patient’s symptoms generally ease considerably. And so it goes, for some patients this cycle may continue for years. Understanding the true nature of this condition—that it is not a disease, but a functional disorder of one or more organs—helps patients appreciate the benefits of readjusting their organ relationships with acupuncture and herbs. Very often, with two to three treatments and lifestyle changes, a patient’s body will be able to self-regulate to the point where antihistamines or external interventions are no longer needed. The outcome? A great deal of misery has been averted and the root cause of the hay fever has been addressed. If the patient takes care of himself or herself, the condition is unlikely to return. When you develop this kind of condition, you have to ask yourself, “Do I actually have a disease or illness, or is this something else? Could my energy and its relationship with Nature’s energy be out of balance? Why do I have an allergy at this particular time and others don’t? Is it the pollen? Or, is it something else?” It is easy to use the Five Element theory to see the relationship of specific organs to seasons. For example, spring is associated with the Liver, and this organ will be more stimulated in the spring when Liver Qi and Earth Qi rise. Imagine the tremendous energetic impact of Nature as it pushes up and out, as it causes trees to grow, flowers to push themselves out of the earth. If your body is in tune with these powerful energies, you will make the seasonal transition easily, as many people do. If your organs are out of balance, you can expect problems. Spring is also associated with the element of Wood. The Liver vibrates at the same energy frequency as this natural element. We see too in the Five Element energetic framework, the Liver has a special energy gate—the eyes—that is the organ’s opening to the external world. If you have healthy Liver function, you will also have healthy eye function; the opposite is true as well. Remember, science tells us energy flows both ways. Often, we see hay fever sufferers experience itchy eyes. In this framework, the multidimensional responsibilities of the Liver and the Lung must cooperate for the body to function well. Sometimes a Liver dysfunction will arise and impact other organs; in the case of hay fever sufferers, the Lung can be involved, especially in the autumn. If this happens, you will experience a runny nose too. If your body’s energy level is strong, conditions will be limited. The longer these allergic conditions continue, though, the lower your organ function will be during allergy season. Itchy eyes and runny noses are messages. They’re the body’s way of telling you an important relationship has been disrupted and is out of balance. Seeing the condition from this angle, you can understand that taking medication during allergic episodes can help relieve symptoms, but it can’t fix the root cause. The Five Element framework is a time-tested blueprint that clearly points to which organs need help the most. Here’s how I explain this way of seeing things differently to my patients. I tell them, “First, it’s always about you and what you do. Let’s say you know rush hour in your town happens at 5:00 p.m. every day. It’s a fact. It’s not based on how good your car is or what a skillful driver you are. If you drive home during this time period, you will inevitably run into problems. There’s nothing you can do about this daily event. But, there is something you can do for yourself to avoid the stress of sitting in traffic. What is that? You can change your relationship to the time period when the traffic occurs. Your allergy problem is similar to the 5:00 p.m. traffic jam. Somehow, you have developed a relationship problem with the time period when Nature makes its seasonal spring or autumn energy transitions. You are out of sync. The real problem is not the pollen count. Let me emphasize, this kind of misery is because your relationship with the seasonal change is not working.”
Did you know most people can avoid allergies for good by restoring and rebalancing their relationship with Nature? It is very doable with the right treatment approach. If we see hay fever from a different framework, we can see it is a symptom. A different framework based on contemporary healthcare looks at this condition from the outside in and focuses treatment on the symptom. It is true: pollen can create physical effects that bother you, but why do only some people, like you, get hay fever? Why doesn’t everyone have this problem? The TCM framework sees things differently. It looks at hay fever or allergies from the inside out. It’s about you, your immune system and your ability to connect smoothly with Nature’s predictable energy transitions. Seeing this situation from a different angle allows you to take different actions. What’s the answer? Change your relationship with Nature by correcting imbalances in your organs’ functions, particularly the Stomach and Kidney. Acupuncture and herbal therapy along with lifestyle changes are very effective in healing the root cause of hay fever. This approach has allowed me to help thousands of patients with hay fever and allergies. There are many excellent TCM practitioners who can address these conditions successfully. Sometimes only a few acupuncture treatments are needed so the patient can go through a
spring or seasonal energy transition without a struggle.
A Relationship Problem between the Liver and Stomach
Example: A Relationship Problem between Two Organs Another problem I see often is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux. According to information in a U.S. News online report with content from Johns Hopkins University, GERD is a common condition, occurring in approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population. From the Western medicine perspective, GERD is a “disease” in which the food or liquid contents of the stomach rise up into the esophagus (the tube from the mouth to the stomach). This action can irritate the esophagus and cause what we call “heartburn,” and other symptoms. It’s a stubborn condition Western medicine views as difficult to treat. Seeing it from this angle, the chronic nature of GERD means many people are told they need long-term treatment and medication. TCM sees GERD differently. It views it as an organ function disorder where the Liver and Stomach aren’t cooperating smoothly anymore. Their relationship is supposed to be one of unconditional support. When Liver function is out of balance, most often due to excessive stress, this situation impacts Stomach function. While the most evident symptoms are associated with the Stomach, the root cause is the Liver. GERD patients understand the Liver’s involvement well. They know this condition is not only about different foods. When they experience stress or emotional imbalances, their acid reflux is aggravated. Physical and emotional stress impacts Liver function. Yet, when these patients take a relaxing vacation, often symptoms lessen or even disappear for a time. It’s easy to see life itself offers proof of the Liver’s involvement. Several factors influence this imbalance, as we shall see. Generally speaking, Liver Qi or energy should flow up and outward naturally; Stomach Qi should flow downward. If these two organs are cooperating, the digestive system functions smoothly and Qi flows the way it should. If one organ is not working properly, or the relationship between the two organs is not a cooperative one, GERD or acid reflux is the result. A sour taste gets pushed upwards in the body. By adjusting the functions of both organs with acupuncture and herbs, as well as helping the patient make changes relating to their mind and spirit, the root cause of the condition can be alleviated for good. The result is long-term treatment and medication are no longer necessary. If you suffer from this condition, I urge you to read on to learn how improving metabolism function can relieve GERD.
If a TCM practitioner fully understands the body, mind and spirit functions of each individual organ, as well as their relationships, he or she has excellent tools and techniques to restore balance, reestablish cooperative partnerships and promote harmony. These tools can include Dao Yin or prescriptive Qigong postures, acupuncture, acupressure or Tuina, foods for healing, herbal therapy and even energy psychology. Without addressing the Liver’s involvement in GERD, however, it is difficult to fix this condition permanently. Within the TCM framework, GERD is seen as a highly treatable, common condition. There are many skilled TCM practitioners and acupuncturists who know how to fix this condition easily. Take another a look at the Five Element diagram and explore the interrelationship of the Liver and Stomach. Look at their
correspondences. What do you see? Can you relate this ancient wisdom to any condition you might be experiencing? Now, let me use the following example to help you understand how TCM has applied the modern science principle of space-time for thousands of years.
Example: The Relationship between Space-Time and Healing Understanding the space-time continuum presents a challenge since it relates to the fourth dimension, something that is difficult to imagine. Basically, this concept says time and space are one thing and cannot be separated. You may have a better understanding of this quantum notion when we use this theory to see tumors, masses, cysts, lumps, and the like, differently. In Western medicine, when any of these conditions reach a certain stage, treatment involves removing their physical structure or space. But, if time and space cannot be separated, what happens to the interlinked aspect of time when a tumor’s or mass’s space is removed? Remember, whether we look at it from the modern science perspective or through the lens of TCM’s Yin-Yang theory, everything in this reality has an invisible and visible aspect; everything is Qi or energy. Above all, energy must flow at both levels. We can understand the time associated with the tumor as Qi or energy that cannot flow freely. It has accumulated and become stagnant.
What could time possibly be in relationship to a physical structure like a tumor or mass? It is the electromagnetic frequencies of emotions, thoughts, desires, intentions and more, that have built up over a period of time—most often for a long time. Unless steps are taken to address the time factor associated with the mass, its physical space can, and unfortunately does, recur. Or, another condition presents itself because the root cause has only been partially dealt with. Practically speaking, a number of scientific research studies have shown certain conditions like breast cancer take eight years or more to develop before they can be detected with advanced medical technologies. Helping patients understand this dynamic allows the space-time of a mass to be fully resolved. Understanding how to apply TCM’s Five Element framework unlocks a door
to identify the emotions associated with the space of organs. It also opens a way to re-see health and healing.
Seeing Is Believing? As the saying goes, “Seeing is believing.” But, how much of the world can we actually see? Apparently, not all that much, according to scientists. What human beings are capable of seeing is not the totality of what exists. What is it we do see? According to quantum physics and its understanding of light, most of us can only see one onethousandth of the light spectrum. The information exists but, generally speaking, human eyes just don’t have the capability to see it at this stage of our development. Today, we still acquire knowledge and information primarily through the five senses, especially our eyes. If the ability to see is limited, we have to ask ourselves, “How much am I really seeing? When I decide to believe something, what am I basing it on? Can I see as much as the next person? Do they see things differently from me?” The answer is yes!
The Light Spectrum Let me explain. You can only see through your own eyes, which are precious and unique. This is true of others as well. Everyone has his or her own angle to look at the external world. For example, you will not be able to see through the eyes of science if you are not a scientist. The same is true for music and art. It will be difficult to see through the eyes of music or art if you are not a musician or artist. Certainly, you can appreciate science, music and art, but your framework will be different. This applies to just about everything. Even this kind of seeing, though, is influenced by beliefs and the kind of knowledge you’ve acquired. Let me go a little further in this direction. Your eyes can never see as a botanist sees, unless you have this kind of training. You can both look at the same tree. You may be delighted with its beauty and shape. The botanist sees far more. She has many more points of reference to appreciate the tree and more passion to search for something new and interesting about it. She also has a passion to enrich her experience by studying more trees. Our ability to perceive various degrees of light is limited; let’s see what happens when we look at the angle of view and perception. As we’ve discussed, from Einstein’s relativistic framework, no two individuals see exactly the same event, based on their location in space and time. For example, many people can witness a beautiful sunset. Whether they’re in the mountains, by the sea, or in the city, each person witnesses this event, but each person sees their sunset, viewed from their unique framework. Even if they stand side by side in the exact same spot, their view is different because they themselves are different. Their space is different; therefore, their time has to be different. The charts in this section show us the range within which human eyes see. Imagine how much more there is to see! Imagine the spectacular colors and vibrations that remain invisible to the naked eye, yet it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Maybe one day, we will see much more. In the meantime, virtually all areas of our lives rely on technologies and devices based on quantum mechanics. They are designed to let us see things our eyes cannot. The medical profession is one area that makes widespread use of these devices. In the end, however, it’s the human being at the end of this chain that interprets the results of using modern technology. Here’s an analogy that may explain this further. Today, we use satellite-based data from Google Maps and Google Earth to help with many activities. These technologies and applications allow users to see a lot of detail about locations. For instance, you and your wife may want to use this data to see a potential real estate purchase. The city government may use Google Maps for tax assessment to see if you’ve made an addition without a permit. Local government may use it to see if people are growing marijuana illegally. The federal government may want to use data from this high-tech, satellite capability to track terrorists. The use of these extensions of our eyes depends on who wants to see what information and interpret it for what purpose. The same is true of using today’s medical devices.
Seeing the Unseen: A Skill of Modern Technology Today’s medical inventions allow us to peer into the body’s invisible world of physical structures and energy. Medicine itself has substantially improved the standard of good care with these scientific tools and techniques. These tools—X-rays, MRIs, fMRIs, CT and PET scans, lasers and more—are so familiar we often forget these technologies are based on atomic theories and quantum thinking. Computerized axial tomography, or CT scans, use ionizing radiation in the X-ray range. Magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs use nonionizing radio frequency signals. These high-tech devices use electromagnetic frequencies to see hidden data and help analyze conditions. Each one opens a gateway to a detailed look at the body’s physical structures so practitioners can gain information. They help us see mass. And, thanks to Einstein’s theory of E=mc², we can also read this mass as a manifestation of energy. This has implications for diagnoses.
If these medical devices are based on atomic theories, it makes sense to use these same theories, analysis and interpretation to look at their results. From what I see, though, it seems diagnoses are often made using the lens of Newtonian science. Conditions are seen as fixed in space, as solid, inseparable particles that have formed masses or created changes in physical structures or spaces. However, the time factor is not a consideration. This is inconsistent with quantum thinking. We now know, at the subatomic level, our world is made of energy or interrelationships of wavelike patterns in constant motion. Since everything in this reality is energy, our bodies are made of energy. We are energy beings. Do you think of yourself as an energy being? At the subatomic level, we also are comprised of dynamic structures—visible, like body parts, and invisible, like meridians. There is nothing static or permanent about our bodies. This kind of framework has important implications for interpreting test results of medical technologies designed to let us see the unseen. The enhanced images these medical devices provide are snapshots, frozen moments. Often, functional medicine relies on a broad range of tests to determine what’s happening with the patient. Test results can show the visible— what is out of balance, malfunctioning or missing. It’s like a black box; you can only see the outcome, not the complex invisible interactions within the body causing the imbalances, malfunctions or deficiencies. To fully restore health, we have to solve this part of the equation as well. We need to understand which organs are out of balance, and most importantly, why? What are the requirements for restoring balance, not only at the body and mind levels, but most importantly, at the spiritual level? This is the juncture where Taoist thinking and TCM’s Five Element energetic framework can expand the frontiers of functional medicine. This is where they can deliver major contributions to healthcare, especially those related to chronic health conditions like metabolic syndrome, which can be prevented with lifestyle changes. There is something else medical technologies and batteries of tests cannot capture. What is it? They cannot capture dynamic life force! They cannot capture the interrelated, vibrating energy patterns of Nature that form the deepest aspect of who we are. As powerful as these technologies and tests are, they also cannot catch time. Sophisticated protocols are useful for analyzing illness and disease, but if we interpret their results through a Newtonian lens we miss critical dimensions of the problem. We need a more expansive framework that considers the interrelationships contributing to the patient’s situation. These must include an organized way of including the mind and spirit. I look forward to the day when we routinely use the modern science lens to interpret test results and look at health conditions. We might see things very differently. Let’s explore the kind of revolutionary framework for metabolism function that includes the influence of Einstein’s theory of space-time. Today, most diagnoses are directed to the “space” of a condition, something that can be seen and analyzed. So, we focus treatment on this aspect. Looking at it from another angle, we can recognize an illness or disease as a signpost pointing to something deeper and more complex. We have to take into account the impact of space’s inseparable partner—time—on any condition.
What does time mean? TCM recognizes time as the accumulation of the energetic frequencies of emotions related to the patient’s lifestyle, feelings, spirit and more. Time is an inseparable part of their physical condition. Applying this framework, we can say the answer lies in the energy field where everything is interrelated. For instance, how should we deal with unbalanced emotions, thoughts, memories, or the subconscious energies and relationships built up over time that have caused a mass or tumor to grow? If a patient doesn’t deal with this aspect, we can only hope to control the condition. Without a deeper awareness, the patient is vulnerable to a recurrence. If we can apply modern scientific theory to interpret test results and health issues differently, we will have a better chance of helping patients help themselves recover fully and avoid future problems. This would be a tremendous advance not only for conditions like cancer but for other illnesses and diseases. The task is … not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what nobody has yet thought, about that which everybody sees. –Erwin Schrödinger Yet, when we penetrate to the body’s subatomic levels, there are no individual particles any more. There is only oneness. When we penetrate this deep, we lose matter. All there is is energy; nothing can be identified separately anymore. Everything is in a dynamic state. Once we see things from this angle, there is not only one answer to a patient’s health issue. There are many probabilities and possibilities. From my perspective, we need to introduce a new, comprehensive way to interpret what we learn from these remarkable medical technologies and devices based on atomic theories and quantum thinking. We need a more expansive vocabulary to express the invisible interrelationships they let us see. In our Western culture, we often focus on physical symptoms as the ultimate sign of a health problem rather than the effect of an invisible root cause. Just because a symptom has disappeared doesn’t mean the condition is gone. Think about this simple example: If you walk on the street, step on a small rock and hurt your foot, you don’t punish your foot! You move the rock, or step around it. You deal with the cause of the injury. Sometimes, with certain conditions, we find ourselves blocked from achieving the next level of health. It’s because the root cause still hasn’t been dealt with. Let me emphasize: Just because a symptom has been alleviated, doesn’t mean it’s fixed. Unless healthy relationships between the organs involved are restored, the symptom will appear again, often in different disguise. It is virtually guaranteed to persist. Why, we might ask. This is a big question. Ultimately, conditions are related to spirit, or soul, and its purpose in this reality. Purpose is always related to consciousness and spirit. Do you believe this? If you do, you will understand your condition is not just a condition; it has a message from your spirit. Can you decode it? We will explore this angle in Section VII, on Spirit and Metabolism Function. The best way to think of any health condition is to understand it as a relationship issue. Which ones aren’t working? Which organs are unbalanced? These seem like daunting questions, don’t they? There are so many emotions, organs and factors involved. Where do we begin? Luckily, we have a unique blueprint in the form of the Five Element framework as a guide to the body’s many interrelationships. It hasn’t changed over the past five thousand years. It’s not based on a scientific study today that may contradict itself tomorrow. Without this kind of blueprint, the endless search for relief from physical issues can lead down the path of focusing on body parts instead of the whole body.
Advanced science has proved everything is connected. So, we can view the body as an integrated system. If we stop to think about this, we can’t talk about processing food without acknowledging the primary responsibilities of the Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Gallbladder. In talking about food, we tend to focus on the Stomach, but we can’t ignore the Liver’s job of moving Qi and Blood. We also can’t ignore the Gallbladder’s job of releasing just the right amount of bile at just the right time so digestion takes place easily. How can we really separate the interrelationships of these organs? I encourage you to refer frequently to the Five Element diagram as you read Digesting the Universe. Look at the elements of Nature, their correspondences—season, time of day, color, taste and so on—and how the organ pairs are connected. What do you see? Does this information intrigue you? Does it help you see things differently? How can you apply this wisdom to your own health issues? If you spend time looking at Nature’s elements and their correspondences and relationships in the Five Element energetic framework, I think you will begin to recognize the beauty of how the body, mind and spirit function as an integrated system.
Seeing the Unseen: The Skill of Ancient Masters While scholars and books describe the “origins” of Chinese medicine as the process of pattern recognition over centuries, or trial and error, or experimentation on the part of ancient practitioners, this isn’t accurate. I would like to reiterate: Traditional Chinese medicine and its principles and theories are, first and foremost, the by-product of spiritual practice. It is not a manmade system. How is it TCM can deal so effectively with functional problems—things that often defy treatment at hospitals and clinics, or from a broad range of practitioners, sometimes over many years? How is it one acupuncture needle, or a course of herbal therapy, can effectively eliminate what has caused patients great misery, in some cases for decades? The answer goes back to Aha!-type discoveries made by Qigong masters and TCM physicians as they accessed the workings of Natural Law during deep meditative, spiritual journeys through time and space. These ancient practitioners arrived at TCM’s principles and theories through actual observation of the invisible world, including the energetic functions of the body’s organs. Through energy practice, they were able to activate their inner vision. What did they see? They saw the body’s functions and connections to the five major elements or frequencies of the planet—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. In their meditative state, they could “see” and experience far more than we can now. They saw Nature’s immutable laws. They experienced the oneness of the Universe; they could perceive the essence of each of Nature’s elements; they observed the complementary, interpenetrating energetic frequencies of Yin and Yang. Now, thousands of years later, physicists describe this understanding of the principle of Yin-Yang as complementarity, one of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. In a distant time, much different from the accelerated, stressed-out world we live in now, gifted Qigong masters were able to enter a deep, peaceful, nonconscious meditative state. Here, their inner vision saw the correspondences of Nature’s elements. They then organized these observations into the Five Element energetic framework.
The Symbol of Yin and Yang Energies What else did they see? One critical observation they made was the recognition that the complementary energies of Yin and Yang exist in all things. They saw their ebb and flow and interdependent nature. They recognized neither force could be discussed alone. To discuss the whole, each had to be included. They even developed a simple, highly sophisticated symbol to express this insight. Look carefully here at the familiar black and white Yin-Yang symbol. Today, we often encounter this symbol in our culture without appreciating its profound wisdom. To many, it’s just an interesting logo used on everything from clothing to CD covers to advertising. This mysterious symbol, though, so casually displayed, has enormous depth. It depicts a simple, elegant picture of Yin and Yang, the inseparable visible and invisible energies of this reality. Each half contains a small circle of its complementary energy. Looking carefully at its construction, we see the notion that nothing in this reality can be all black or all white. Amazingly, the Yin-Yang pictogram reflects something modern science discovered within the last hundred years: the positive-negative concept of all atomic structures. Physics has proved all existing particles carry a positive and negative charge at the same time. This means in our reality there is no positive energy without its opposite, and vice versa. Remarkably, this same principle of Natural Law has been identified in two separate cultures several thousands of years apart: one through a spiritual practice, the other through the advancement of scientific theory. This simple, elegant symbol has been a scientific secret in plain sight for thousands of years!
There is a fundamental error in separating the parts from the whole, the mistake of atomizing what should not be atomized. Unity and complementarity constitute reality. –Werner Heisenberg The five elemental phases and Yin and Yang are a governing law of the universe. This law exposes the polarities of everything. It outlines the beginning of all transformations of the universe. It governs the growth, development, and eventual destruction of all things. –Nei Jing One of the most important invisible phenomena ancient Qigong masters observed was the body’s miraculous meridian network. At the invisible level, meridians, or energy channels, connect all the body’s structures—from atoms to molecules, to cells, to tissues or sinews, bones, organs, skin and more. Thanks to the meridian network, these energy channels inextricably link each of us to Universal Qi. As long as we are alive, we are connected to this master battery system. Internally, the energy channels send messages throughout the body faster than the speed of light! Did you know that electromagnetic frequencies travel at the 186,000 miles per second—the speed of light? Compare that with the speed of chemical properties at less than one centimeter per second. Many of these messages operate so smoothly at the autonomic level, we never even give them a thought. For instance, you don’t have to remind yourself to breathe, do you? Your lungs function automatically. You don’t have to instruct your body to raise your internal temperature on a cold, windy day, right? Before you step on the brake to avoid a car accident, can you recognize your own inner vision has already planned for and sensed this potential danger? Just as today’s medical technologies allow us to penetrate the physical body and see hidden information, ancient Qigong masters had the same skill. They could literally see invisible energy blockages or Qi stagnation within the body causing health problems. Naturally, this skill was not something they acquired through book learning. Their knowing was direct and unobscured. Today, Master Xu has this unique ability. Quantum activist, theoretical physicist, and author of The Self-Aware Universe and Spirituality and Science, Amit Goswami, PhD, describes these kinds of sudden insights and attributes them to one of the tenets of quantum physics. He discusses this as “a discontinuity, the discovery of something new of value in thought … a quantum leap of Aha! insight.” Besides the meridian network, these gifted practitioners were also able to “see” the organs themselves and perceive their relationship with Nature’s elements. Through their spiritual practice, they could experience the Universal flow of energy itself. This was not a mental exercise. Even today, skilled TCM doctors realize how essential meditation practice and self-cultivation are so that they can continue their relationship with the conscious intelligence of the Universe.
Long ago, Qigong masters also had the ability to see interrelationships from a higher dimension; they could see how things that appear unconnected in this dimension are, in fact, connected in a higher one. For instance, if you look at the Five Element framework, you’ll see the Lung and Large Intestine are partners. Or, the Heart shares a relationship with the Small Intestine. How can these things be related? They have no physical connections or proximity. These relationships don’t make sense when we see them from the third dimension. But, if we move to a higher, or fourth, dimension, these relationships become understandable. Through their inner journeys, energy masters saw these connections. For instance, they saw the special functions of the Heart as well as the unique digestive capabilities of the Small Intestine. While we know one of the Heart’s physical functions is to pump blood, they were able to see the Heart’s deepest function. This second sight allowed them to recognize the Heart is not just for pumping blood. It controls all mental activity, memory, feelings, sleep, as well as the psychic and conscious mind. Above all, they recognized the Heart’s primary function is to be joyful and connect to the unconditional love of the Universe. We have to ask ourselves, “How many of us nurture and support the Heart’s true function every day?” Today, modern science calls this understanding of each dimension as a shadow of a higher one, the space-time continuum. It tells us what appears to be unconnected in one dimension can have a connection in a higher one. Another insight ancient masters gained through their inner vision involved the brain. Today, everyone wants to understand the brain. Everyone wants to maintain healthy brain function and avoid conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and the like. All over the world, scientists are embarked on experiments to understand the brain. Through direct knowledge acquired during energy practice, ancient TCM masters learned something interesting about the brain. It is considered an “extra” organ, and its health is supported by balanced Kidney function. Without a well-functioning Kidney, you just cannot have good memory, for instance. In TCM clinical practice, we can clearly see the effects of declining Kidney function. As people age—in seven year cycles for women and eight-year cycles for men—memory loss becomes apparent. Sighing, the Kidney’s sound vibration, becomes more frequent. Bone problems occur. We will talk about all the organ systems in Section IV, on the Body and Metabolism Function. Keeping a peaceful mind and living a simple life without undue desire allows the energy of the Universe to flow through you. –Nei Jing
Seeing Something beyond Matter Modern science and quantum thinking influences virtually every area of our life and all sectors of society. From cell phones to satellites, from robotics to weather detection devices to intelligent homes we can control remotely, we are the beneficiaries of quantum thinking and the continual advances it provides.
In the medical field, remarkable devices now help us see deeper and deeper into the human body. Thanks to quantum mechanics, we have developed many kinds of lasers that allow for more precise treatments. The number of inventions and conveniences we use in our daily lives, including the Internet, would not be possible without modern science and quantum mechanics. As I write this book, 3D printing is in its infancy and already it is creating prosthetic limbs and even printable food. An “energy harvester,” a material that can convert heat into electricity, is being tested. Less than one-millionth of an inch thick, it has no moving parts and produces no pollution. We have no idea where else the continuing exploration of relativity and quantum mechanics can, or will, take us. Even landmark events like the 2012 touchdown on Mars of the rover Curiosity, or the unprecedented 2014 touchdown on a comet of the lander Philae, part of the Rosetta spacecraft, involved the best of modern science. When it comes to exploring things outside Earth, some people say, “Why bother trying to learn about another planet, the stars, the solar system and beyond? What’s the purpose? Why should we spend money on this?” The purpose is deep. As a species, we have a burning desire to learn about the Universe. We want to explore relationships with things beyond our home planet. Why is this? I believe we hope to find something unique—to discover the connection between energies of outer space and our inner space. It’s possible TCM’s energy-based medical system has thrived through the ages just so its principles and theories can expand our thinking in these times with a common energy-based language. At a consciousness level, we all understand life is a mystery, so we want to know more. We yearn to understand invisible things because, deep down, we recognize we’re more than our physical body. We want to experience our relationship with Nature and the Universe in a more profound way. We can feel we’re some-how part of something larger than ourselves. Many people do feel their connection to Nature’s changes—seasonal transitions, weather changes and so on—that form and reform our planet. Many people do experience their connection with the full moon, or a snow storm making its way toward us from hundreds of miles away. As human beings, we are far from being “finished.” What amazing gifts are within us that we haven’t tapped into yet? I believe everyone should have a broad picture of how the universe operates and our place in it. It is a basic human desire. And it also puts our worries in perspective. –Stephen Hawking It’s time to recognize the systems that have sustained our species and culture are reaching their inevitable limitations. It is not a coincidence that energy systems, financial systems, water systems, social systems and more are breaking down at this time. We’re slowly awakening to the reality of oneness and the need to recognize all systems on Earth are interrelated and interdependent. Everything is connected. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. While one way of being is fading, another way is emerging. We can look to the Five Element energetic framework for guidance because it has served as a model for oneness for five thousand years. Today, the notion of interconnectedness has inspired many to look for different paths. Systems scientists like Peter Senge and his insightful whole systems approach have caused us to think differently. Pioneers like the Norwegian philosopher Naess Arne introduced the idea of “deep ecology,” which has spurred many of today’s environmental activists. Arne proposed each part of Nature matters and deserves equal consideration, not just those parts affecting humans. With his revolutionary thinking, British biologist Rupert Sheldrake has drawn us a picture of the Universe as an intelligent, interconnected, endlessly developing living entity, complete with its own intrinsic memory. Sheldrake says, “memory is inherent in nature,” meaning all natural systems inherit a collective memory from previously living things of the same kind. His idea of the cosmos is based on interrelationships deep within Nature.
When we consider the challenges of the twenty-first century, we will gain the most benefits from acknowledging everything in the web of life is connected. Increasingly, we are experiencing the results of not following this path. Natural changes cause human change. They can dry up fields of grain, which in turn makes food more expensive. They can create water shortages, causing population migrations. They can cause economic chaos and unleash epidemics on a scale we’ve never seen before. However, they can also bring abundant harvests, open up undiscovered water sources and reveal solutions to illness and diseases hidden within natural resources like plants. While Nature can bring us many challenges, it can also bring many gifts. It is bigger and more powerful than humans will ever be. No one can impact Nature without its permission. We cannot destroy it without destroying ourselves because we are a part of this web of oneness. Whichever framework you prefer—ancient medicine or modern science—it is essential to recognize everything is inextricably interrelated. If we see each problem—be it water shortages, climate change, or poverty—as separate, and approach each separately, the solutions we come up with will be short-term, often opportunistic, “quick fixes” that do nothing to address deeper imbalances. –Peter M. Senge When we talk about improving metabolism function, we are not talking about fighting with illness or disease. You now know it’s all about acknowledging and restoring balance and harmony. When this happens, the body’s self-healing ability jumps in. Then, conditions improve. Before you start any kind of healing regimen, you have to get your body to a stage where it can absorb and digest whatever you put in. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to spend money on vitamins, minerals, supplements, neutraceuticals and the like, if your digestive system functions poorly. How can you benefit from taking these things, if your Spleen and Stomach don’t have enough Qi or energy to break them down into usable ingredients? I encourage you to keep an open mind and heart as we explore metabolism function from the body–mind–spirit perspective. When we use different frameworks, we see different things. Then, we can achieve different outcomes. I can assure you the mystery and miracles of restoring metabolism function are impressive. The transformations I and other TCM practitioners experience are nothing short of amazing. Before we move on, take some time and think about your own framework and the beliefs it’s based on. How much do you think you can see? Would you like to see more? In the next section, we’ll talk about the foundations of our revolutionary framework as we explore the similarities of modern science principles and theories and those of traditional Chinese medicine. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION II BASIC PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF MODERN SCIENCE AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science. –Albert Einstein Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them—that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. –Lao Tzu
Modern Science: Different Frameworks Allow Us to See Different Things As we’ve discussed, it would be difficult to overestimate the impact of modern science on our lives. From advanced communications technologies to sophisticated medical devices, modern physics and its two pillars—relativity and quantum mechanics— play an essential role. Without the discovery of the transistor, a product of this kind of thinking, we wouldn’t have personal computers or smartphones, and, of course, there would be no Internet. Where would we be without our smartphones, which get smarter every year? Where would the world be without Internet access? These two things alone have changed society and our lives forever. Behind these phenomena and countless more applications are the principles and theories of modern science. We’ve already mentioned Google Earth and Google Maps. I think almost all readers are familiar with this search engine’s enormous capabilities, another outcome of modern science applications. Its use is so widespread we’ve even turned the program’s name into a verb. People say, “Let’s Google it.” Searching for information this way has become second nature. Everyone knows putting different search terms into Google produces different results. It brings searchers different things they might not have considered or may even have missed. Changing search parameters changes the outcome. When you search for answers on Google, you encounter different information from different frameworks. So too, when you search for paths to good health, you can encounter different frameworks with different information you may not have considered or may have missed. I would like you to keep this in mind as we explore the frameworks of traditional Chinese medicine and modern science that we will use during our quantum journey. Albert Einstein’s relativistic framework has helped us recognize the lack of absolutes in this reality. It allows us to see the observer’s angle of observation changes his or her space and time. When we change our angle of view and use different frameworks, we see different things and experience different results. Everyday life in the twenty-first century with its many conveniences is based on modern science. In fact, our civilization is based on quantum thinking. We believe in this technology because we use it all the time. Most of us don’t question why our smartphones work. We take the source of their inner workings for granted. When I want to call someone, I don’t try to understand how my phone works. I just want to connect to the other person. Before we allow satellites to pinpoint our location with GPS, we have faith that behind this communications technology, something we cannot see makes everything function. We just want it to work. In the medical area, we readily accept results of MRIs that allow practitioners to see inside physical structures, like the brain, to detect a tumor. We are relieved when X-rays show us a picture of only a minor fracture in our child’s arm. As we discussed in the previous section, with the help of quantum mechanics, today’s medical devices allow us to see things our eyes cannot. Again, no one questions these technologies have the capability of seeing invisible things. We have faith that behind them is something invisible that makes them function. The applications of relativity and quantum mechanics have acclimated humanity to a world that now allows us to peer deeply into the human body.
Given this kind of world, it would make no sense to say, “Because my eyes can’t see something, these medical devices can’t see anything either.” We take them for granted and never question the groundbreaking theories or energetic frequencies and motion that support their functions. It’s something real and powerful. Behind them, and virtually everything in our lives, lie the complex math equations, physics formulations, quantum thinking and thought experiments that allow airplanes not to drop out of the sky, robots to handle surgeries, and telescopes to see the farthest ends of the Universe, as we edge closer to its “birth.” We rely on these things because they extend our limited senses. Today, we have the ability to see what cannot be seen, hear what cannot be heard and gather information to share with the whole world in an instant through the Internet and social media. We believe whatever device we use, whatever technology we encounter, has value and, by implication, so does the process behind it. If we use modern science concepts, including atomic, nuclear and particle physics as well as quantum mechanics to create MRIs, CT and PET scanners, lasers and the like, and to build an atomic bomb, why don’t we apply modern science thinking to develop a more complete framework for prevention and maintaining health? Let me give you an example of how this framework operates when we incorporate Einstein’s space-time continuum. Today, we understand space and time are not two separate things; they are one phenomenon. Let’s use space-time to look at an MRI result. This device allows us to see tumors, as well as measure their size. It can help the practitioner determine the tumor’s physical space. But, that’s not the whole story of the tumor or its composition. What’s missing? If we apply the same scientific theories that created the MRI to interpret its output, we see the answer is time. How many months, how many years, how many emotional frequencies have had to build up and be transformed into a physical mass before the tumor emerged into the location where it can be seen by an MRI? Now, what do we do in today’s medical procedures? We remove the tumor with advanced surgical techniques. Its physical space is gone. We even might use robotics to ensure no part of the structure’s space remains. But, time, the space’s invisible aspect still exists. How can we remove it? We have to ask, “What does time mean in relationship to this tumor?” If time and space exist together and only the physical mass is removed, time, its invisible companion—the accumulation of emotional frequencies —still exists. Based on relativity theories, these frequencies cannot be separated from their space. Removing the tumor’s space is a vital step; removing time is even more vital. Why? The invisible is always more powerful than the visible. The emotional energies coexisting with the space have the most powerful effect. What else do we need to understand so space-time can be removed for complete healing? The beauty of these modern science medical technologies is they can be used to penetrate objects and provide more details the eye cannot see. But, once we go beyond the cellular, subatomic, nuclear and particle levels, what do we see? We no longer see individual atomic structures. Science tells us we have to leave this concept behind. We enter a world of energy, where we encounter only patterns, probabilities and events woven together in a vast web of energetic interrelationships in continual motion. This tells us we have to consider relationships with regard to the tumor. How does this understanding help us look differently at health and healing, as well as optimum metabolism function? It tells us we cannot isolate or separate any part of the body anymore. Within the human form or pattern there is oneness; everything is connected. Nothing is separate. To understand what is happening to the part, we need to grasp its associated relationships. We also need to understand the whole. And, the whole is not just the body, mind and spirit of a patient. It has to include his or her environment, connections with family, with Nature and even the Universe. This is not just complementary medicine, or functional medicine. In fact, it is not just TCM. It’s also today’s science.
To advance our ability to create good health, we need to apply modern science thinking to understand interrelationships within and without the body. These exist; they’re just waiting for us to discover and apply them! Today’s science has given us a unique bridge anyone can cross. This bridge is built on these scientific discoveries: there is only oneness; everything is energy; energy and matter are interchangeable—different manifestations of the same thing. It depends on how you want to see things. Every day, we all use the results of energy-based principles and theories. No one asks for proof they work. Proof is everywhere: No one doubts the emails they send won’t be delivered. No one doubts the money they wire to a friend won’t reach its destination. We all rely on modern science. Now, we can use it in healthcare as a bridge to understand oneness. Some may say religion’s approach to oneness is too spiritual; some may say TCM’s approach, despite its five-thousand-year history, is too Eastern. Where is the proof for oneness? It can be found in today’s quantum thinking, something our whole lives depend on. Let’s use our framework to resee arthritis. Many senior citizens know when the environment starts to get cold and weather worsens, their joints will be impacted by these changes. Some of my patients can even predict the amount of snowfall based on their pain. They are more accurate than the weatherman! We’ve already taken our first look at hay fever in the last section. Do seasonal allergy sufferers have a “disease”? Or, have their relationships with Nature’s energy transitions been disrupted? In these cases, the body acts as a willing screen to broadcast symptoms to show it has relationship problems. We can draw more insight by applying the equation E=mc² to health. While this famous equation may have helped the United States develop the atomic bomb and win a war, its purpose has far more applications. Its principles and theories are behind so many things in our world. With this groundbreaking notion, we now know energy and mass are two forms of the same thing and they are interchangeable. When we change energy, we change mass and vice versa. Think of this: one of the biggest contributors to metabolic syndrome is obesity. Most weight loss programs say when you lose pounds you will gain energy. But, if you really want to lose weight for good, you need to gain energy first so the body comes into harmony. Then, it will drop mass automatically. As consumers, we are primarily interested in using the outcome of today’s scientific thinking. Shifting to a revolutionary framework that combines ancient wisdom with modern science will lead us to a far more comprehensive way to address health problems, especially chronic ones that persist despite the best efforts of Western and Eastern medicine. All of today’s sophisticated medical devices are based on energy and frequency, yet results are not interpreted this way. If we want to solve for real the massive chronic health problems we face today, we have to rise to a different level of thinking to solve them. Quantum thinking, coupled with TCM’s ancient understanding of how the body, mind and spirit influence health, can lead us to this place. We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. –Albert Einstein Before we dive into an exploration of the principles and theories of modern science and TCM, I’d like to use some simple illustrations to show the difference in how information flows in two different frameworks. One is the view of classical science or that of Sir Isaac Newton; the other is that of Einstein and other physicists. The former looks at a system as a linear pathway, while the latter sees the multiple connections and intercommunications necessary to sustain the whole system. In the first example, a reductionist approach identifies a problem in the system. If one of the steps isn’t working, the answer is to replace the part. Then, things should work again. Parts can be changed without consequences. In the second example, the system is holistic and interconnected. The source of a problem is somewhere within the framework’s shared connections. Changes in one part of the interrelated system create consequences within the system. Today, we’re now seeing this kind of mind-boggling complexity of relationships in all areas of life. We are beginning to see everything is connected.
Information Flow The principles and theories in the complementary frameworks we’ll use going forward will help you see different things that, perhaps, you haven’t seen before, especially if you are dealing with a chronic condition. If the Yellow Emperor, reputed author of the most famous Chinese medical compendium, and Lao Tzu, one of China’s most famous philosophers had dinner with Albert Einstein, they would find a lot to talk about, especially when it comes to energy. They would quickly confirm with each other everything is energy, or Qi. They would acknowledge oneness or inseparability as this reality’s law. The space-time continuum would be easily explored. Dr. Einstein would be astonished to learn the Five Element theory provided the first quantum framework to incorporate his discovery of relativity and space-time. He would also recognize fundamental principles and theories we call today nonlocality, complementarity, tangled hierarchy and the holographic principle. It would be a long and interesting discussion. Following are brief descriptions of several major modern science principles and theories that mirror those of Taoist philosophy and TCM that emerged thousands of years ago. They can provide context for the concepts we’ll explore throughout Digesting the Universe. They are by no means exhaustive. There have been many excellent books
and untold scientific papers written about these things. Even though much work has been accomplished in this area, more astonishing discoveries about quantum mysteries are yet to come.
Modern Science Principles and Theories: Basic Explanations Quantum physics is the understanding of atomic structure. It lets us study the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller levels. In the early twentieth century, physicists discovered the laws governing our world of macroscopic objects function differently in the realm of the very small. In The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra comments, “Two separate developments—that of relativity theory and atomic physics—shattered all the principal concepts of the Newtonian world view: the notion of absolute space and time, the elementary solid particles, strictly causal nature of physical phenomena, and the idea of an objective description of nature. None of these concepts could be extended to the two new domains into which physics was now penetrating.” Newtonian science, while of great value, was eclipsed by these discoveries. By moving to the higher fourth dimension of space-time, the relativistic framework of modern physics transcended some of the seemingly contradictory concepts of classical science. It accepted the paradoxes of space and time, force and matter, particles and waves, motion and rest, existence and nonexistence. It is a challenge to speak of these fundamental concepts of physics and quantum mechanics separately since they often build on, or are entwined with, one another. It’s even more difficult to find an endpoint in explorations of our subatomic world. As soon as physicists understand a phenomenon in the hide-and-seek nature of the quantum world, something new emerges. The 2013 discovery of what the media has called the “God particle,” is a good example. This was supposed to be the ultimate discovery, but its appearance has created more mysteries. Now, scientists are exploring new things hinted at as a result of the initial experiments. In 2015, they reactivated the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator with the capacity to smash atoms together almost at the speed of light, to continue their search. If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet. –Niels Bohr Quantum mechanics has shown us, at the subatomic level, the physical world cannot be reduced to fundamental solid particles. It takes us to a realm that demands a different kind of language and logic. It takes us to a world of energy where there are dynamic patterns of probabilities and even approximations. It confirms there is only oneness or unity, a complex web where everything is energy in motion, organic and alive with consciousness and spirit. In our world, separation appears to be real, but it’s an illusion.
While modern physics uses the word “energy” to describe the subatomic world that underpins the one we experience with our five senses, TCM has used a similar concept for thousands of years. It is encompassed in the word “Qi.” Qi has two aspects: one is power or energy; the other is the ability to carry information, messages and the wisdom of the Universe. Human beings are also woven into this subatomic web of interrelated energy and affect it as well. We’re made of energy, so we can say with certainty we’re all energy beings. In ancient China, people were told, “You are a child of the Universe.” Taoist philosophy explains it this way: “When Heaven’s Qi and Earth’s Qi combine, its manifestation is a human being.” In other words, when human beings enter into existence, each person is a singular energy frequency, never to be duplicated—a combination of visible and invisible energies anchored in time and space. This is one reason birthdays are so important. It’s a celebration of who you are. It’s recognition of your unique energy signature in the Universe. Without you, it would never be the same. This mystical thought can be interpreted as a practical, scientific understanding expressed with different vocabulary. While Qigong masters and mystics comprehended our state of being through spiritual practice; modern scientists have proved it through complex equations. Thanks to modern physics, we also know the observer—man, animal or machine—is also not separate from the properties and workings of this interwoven web but influences it as well. Throughout millennia, the Five Element energetic framework has applied this notion of oneness or inseparability to treating the human body and its web of external and internal relationships. It connects the internal workings of the body in a unique way with Nature’s elements and a range of correspondences, which you can continue to study in the Five Element diagram. Through its understanding of the energy frequency of meridians, which connect to the frequency of organs, TCM also understands how the whole body and all its parts share an integrated communications system. It also provides a detailed map of multidimensional relationships that have to function well for good health. The final link that completes this framework is the practitioner. He or she is the observer whose involvement influences action. Here are the modern science theories we will refer to throughout Digesting the Universe.
Relativity Theory In 1905, Albert Einstein developed the theory of special relativity. A decade later he expanded his thinking with general relativity theory. He introduced us to the relativistic framework, where the laws of physics are the same for all nonaccelerating observers, and the speed of light in a vacuum is independent of the motion of all observers. What does this really mean for our purposes? It means all motion is “relative.” Events that occur at the same time for one observer could occur at different times and even in a different sequence for a different observer. In other words, each of us sees something different from our own unique angle of view. Imagine you are in a car driving at 60 miles per hour down a highway. You see the scenery, the road, other cars and more. Now, imagine you are in a helicopter flying over that car on the same highway. Because your space is different, you see different things. By riding in the helicopter, you have shifted your “angle of view.” Your motion is different. Your speed is different, your space is different. And, of course, since space and time cannot be separated, your time is different. You will definitely see different things. I ask you, as I often ask my patients, can you adapt this way of thinking and shift your angle of view when it comes to your health condition? I hope you can drop your everyday mind as you absorb the knowledge in this book and look at things differently by applying a different framework. You might see something new to help you heal at the deepest level.
When you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity. –Albert Einstein Special relativity also gave birth to the iconic equation E=mc². In it, E is energy, m is mass, and c is the constant speed of light. To emphasize, this equation describes how matter and energy are actually different manifestations of the same thing; they are interchangeable. This concept alone changed our view of reality forever. Einstein’s work recognized even objects that are not in motion have energy stored within their mass. From the TCM angle, tumors, masses and conditions like arthritis and pain are seen as Qi stagnation, or energy, that has become stuck. TCM’s goal is to promote the exchange of energy and matter by ridding the body of stagnation and allowing Qi to flow. This way, illness and disease are relieved. We’ll refer to relativity and this renowned equation a number of times because it reflects something TCM, as an energy-based, functional medicine system, has practiced for millennia: Qi is the ground of the Universe. TCM understands Qi must flow within the body’s energy network. Otherwise, energy will accumulate and produce stagnation. Under the right physical and emotional conditions, energy stagnation can change form and become a physical mass. In other words, E=mc². While the body’s energy can manifest itself as matter, the opposite is also true. How do we know this? TCM discovered this transformational ability long ago. Today, science has discovered energy travels both ways. Under the proper conditions, the body is capable of transforming mass, like a tumor, back into energy. Relativity and quantum mechanics have given us very valuable tools to help in our quest for health. They have given us MRIs, X-rays, EKGs, CT scans, PET scans and more. As we’ve seen, these are all designed to penetrate deep into the body’s structures. The more we penetrate, the more we find something, perhaps, we didn’t expect. We don’t see finite, solid particles; we find only energy and interrelationships. We find nothing is separate. There is just oneness. This leaves fundamental questions we must continue to ask ourselves: If these devices are the result of modern science, why don’t we interpret their test results with modern science thinking, not Newtonian thinking? If these advanced medical tests are based on imaging conditions or symptoms as energy, why aren’t the results interpreted in terms of energy as well? That would mean considering the interrelationships influencing the health issue. In ancient times, doctors had to rely on their hands and their sensitivity to energetic vibrations to diagnose conditions. This took tremendous training and not every doctor had the skill to perform at the highest level. Today, incredible machines do this work. They allow us to see many conditions or symptoms as energetic frequencies. Different devices allow us to see a different spectrum of energy. From what I see, results are analyzed with the science of Sir Isaac Newton. Energy, though, never exists in a vacuum. It is intertwined with many things: lifestyle, relationships, environment, food, emotional balance and more. Today, modern medicine designates names for conditions. Within its framework, TCM takes a different approach. It’s based on the idea the body can change for the better by restoring balance and promoting harmony. I want to emphasize this is not just theory. TCM has successfully practiced this approach for thousands of years. When dealing with a patient’s energy stagnation, pain, or tumor, practitioners look first at the energy level of the patient as well as imbalances in the function of the organ systems. They use the benchmark of “Qi” and how well the patient’s Qi is functioning or if it is not. TCM deals directly with energy and function. The Five Element framework brings order to diagnosis at the body, mind and spirit levels. It lets practitioners look at the body as an integrated, multidimensional whole and see all its relationships. It helps them understand these interconnected aspects: Besides physical issues, what is this patient’s life like? What’s happening to him or her at the emotional level? How do they sleep? What is their diet like? What kind of stress do they deal with? What’s their environment like? These connections can’t be isolated from a patient’s condition.
The concept of oneness can be applied to metabolic syndrome. How many patients try so hard to deal with the various conditions that make up metabolic syndrome, including weight issues? They often enter a world of many doctors, many prescriptions and many side effects—a world of differentiation and separation, not oneness. Many experience only minimum results. Or, the results they achieve are not long-lasting. The problem, as I see it, is we ignore oneness. If we just see the body as individual parts, we discriminate against its wisdom to operate as a whole. Returning to our discussion of relativity, different practitioners—Eastern or Western—depending on their time and space, will each see illness, disease and symptoms differently from their own framework.
Space-Time Continuum The space-time continuum arose out of Einstein’s thinking as he developed his theory of general relativity. In The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra states, “There is no law of physics which does not require the concepts of space and time for its formulation.” What then is relativity theory based on? Capra says, “It is based on the discovery that all space and time measurements are relative.” He also reminds us, “There is no absolute space independent of the observer.” Relativity theory demonstrated space is more than three dimensions (length, height and depth) and must include the fourth dimension of time. As we’ve seen, time is not separate from space; one aspect can never be separated from the other. For thousands of years, TCM has applied this concept of the inseparability of time and space to achieve good health. There are several applications of this theory. One is that every organ has a time when it manages the body’s functions. And, in this framework, the physical space of a condition cannot be separated from the accumulated time it’s taken to develop. These two aspects are intimately connected because of the invisible meridian energy network as well as the frequencies of accumulated emotions. We’ll discuss a number of conditions in the sections ahead and describe how they relate to space-time and the interchangeability of mass and energy. As I’ve mentioned, one of the most interesting things science has discovered about space-time is that objects in one dimension are a reflection of a higher one. We can easily see this when we look at our two-dimensional shadow. In the same way, objects in the third dimension, including human beings, are shadows or reflections of an invisible fourth, fifth or even higher dimension. This insight lets us see who we really are.
Quantum Entanglement and Nonlocality Quantum entanglement refers to how tiny quantum entities like photons (particles of light) come together, bond and share quantum bits of information. Once these particles have become entangled, they continue to share information no matter how far apart they become in space and time.
Closely related to quantum entanglement is the concept of nonlocality. It too supports the concept of oneness at the heart of our reality. It appears objects can be interconnected—even without signals of any kind. Einstein had difficulty with this concept and called it, “spooky action at a distance.” More recently, experiments have confirmed this behavior. They have shown if any two entangled objects are sent in opposite directions and the state of one of them is measured and altered, the second instantly changes its state in response, no matter how far apart the two may be, even if it’s many thousands of miles. Nonlocality pushes the boundaries of our thinking and adds new perspectives to discussions about the nature of the brain, the mind and where consciousness is located—inside the brain or outside its physical structure. We can see this notion in real-world action when a mother, thousands of miles from her child, suddenly feels he or she is in danger or sick. She feels it without any external connection or signs. Many people also experience this kind of connection with Nature when their bodies automatically pick up signals of seasonal changes. If we’re in balance, when we feel Nature’s energies shift, our bodies will make the necessary transition.
Uncertainty Principle The uncertainty principle, developed by German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg, describes the nature of movement and how it behaves in the subatomic world. Generally speaking, it says the exact position and speed, or momentum, of an object cannot be measured at the same time with certainty. At the subatomic level, we can only expect approximations. If we measure one property, the other becomes uncertain or elusive. For example, if we can pinpoint the exact location of an atom, we cannot predict how fast it is moving. If we measure the speed of this atom, we cannot predict where it is. We can only approximate its location, or deal with probabilities. This principle is relevant when we discuss conditions like cancer. These foundational theories of modern science point us to deeper ways of interpreting results of sophisticated medical tests, which measure objects in the energy field. If we interpret these test results only from a Newtonian perspective, we don’t get the whole picture. It’s like showing a rich, colorful picture to an individual with a limited ability to see the full spectrum of colors. Heisenberg also discovered the observer has an effect on the observed. Any experiment has to take into account the effect of the observer. I think many people can apply this concept to a doctor’s visit. His or her expressions of compassion and encouragement can be as important as a prescription. Heisenberg’s principle is related to the concept of complementarity, which follows. The scientific method of analyzing, explaining and classifying has become conscious of its limitations, which arise out of the fact that by its intervention science alters and refashions the object of investigation. In other words, method and object can no longer be separated. –Werner Heisenberg
Complementarity Complementarity was introduced by Danish physicist Niels Bohr. It refers to the concept that pairs of seemingly contradictory theories, such as the dual nature of light, which can act as a wave and particle; electricity and magnetism; force and matter and more, together, offer a complete explanation of a phenomenon. In other words, at the subatomic level, we must accept both contradictory theories to arrive at a complete description of some things. This is what’s known as a paradox; paradoxical thinking has been part of Eastern philosophies for millennia.
More than five thousand years ago, through spiritual practice, Qigong masters also discovered the duality of two complementary, cyclical energy patterns in our reality that express its totality. They called these energies Yin and Yang—the visible and invisible aspect of all things in our world. In a non-ordinary state of consciousness, they were literally able to observe these energies of Nature and captured their essence in the familiar Yin-Yang symbol. This simple, black and white circle represents the totality of our reality and its complementary, interdependent forces, or polar opposites. As we’ve seen, Yin and Yang energies each contain the seed of its opposite energy. In China, the idea of complementarity has been in existence for thousands of years. This principle gives TCM practitioners a way of seeing life and death, as well as health and illness. The idea of polar opposites, or the interdependent energies of Yin and Yang, has been applied in every area of Chinese culture, including the creation of kingdoms, music, landscape design, architecture and so much more. The entire civilization was built on the appreciation of balance and harmony reflected in this one, remarkable symbol. CONTRARIA SUNT COMPLEMENTA [Opposites Are Complementary] –Niels Bohr (coat of arms)
Discontinuity The sudden discovery of something new of value in thought can be described as a quantum leap of Aha! Not only was Einstein’s work and the work of those who pioneered quantum mechanics filled with brilliant mathematical breakthroughs, it was also informed by inspiration, imagination and insights that were not ultimately the result of intellectual processes. Much of this inspired thinking represents the discontinuity of knowing without structured learning. In deep, meditative states, ancient Qigong energy masters and practitioners also benefited from experiencing discontinuity. They too were able to acquire knowledge without learning. They too received “transmissions” or wisdom directly from the Universe without book learning or intellectual processes. The Five Element theory and its resultant framework are exceptional examples of this kind of interaction with Universal consciousness. I believe in intuitions and inspirations … I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am. –Albert Einstein
Holographic Principle
Many people have seen holograms that appear on consumer items or promotional materials. The holographic principle states that the total information contained in a volume of space corresponds to an equal amount of information contained on the boundary of that space. Simply put, in holographic theory, the information of the whole is contained in each of its parts. With the Five Element energetic framework, ancient sages had already discovered and categorized the holographic properties of the human body. In this blueprint, outer reflects inner and vice versa, and each of the body’s parts is a holographic representation of the whole body. This principle allows practitioners great flexibility in treating patients. Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry. –Richard P. Feynman The electrons in a carbon atom in the human brain are connected to the subatomic particles that comprise every salmon that swims, every heart that beats, and every star that shimmers in the sky. Everything interpenetrates everything, and although human nature may seek to categorize and pigeonhole and subdivide the various phenomena of the universe, all apportionments are of necessity artificial and all of nature is ultimately a seamless web. –Michael Talbot
Natural Law: A Natural Bridge for Building a Common Language Introduction to Natural Law The concept of Natural Law presents us with a unique bridge many people can cross because both modern science and TCM principles and theories are derived from it. Before we begin a discussion of the TCM framework, I’d like to emphasize this complementary medical system has always been based on oneness. Because of its spiritual origins in higher dimensions, its specialty is the ability to look at humans multidimensionally from the body, mind and spirit levels. It sees health as being rooted in the ability to maintain balance and prevent problems resulting from imbalances in relationships. Its goal is restoring healthy function. TCM offers a comprehensive, time-tested system for recognizing external signs as warnings of deeper health issues. The ability to see a situation from many different angles allows TCM to focus on prevention, rather than fighting with illness and disease. Natural Law serves as a guide to treatment. You might find it interesting to know, in ancient times the doctor’s job was to keep the patient well, not treat illness or disease. This idea is similar to having a new car and a dealer-recommended maintenance program. If you don’t take care of your car and neglect to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule and then develop a problem, the warranty is void. A car needs regular maintenance and tune-ups. The same is true of human beings, only more so. In our culture, we often hear people say, “Oh, I’m not that sick. I don’t need to go to the doctor yet.”
This perspective is markedly different from individuals who use TCM. They know prevention is the cure. So TCM patients understand why they should schedule tuneups to remain in harmony with seasonal changes. And, they recognize why they should see their practitioner when they feel slightly out of sorts or are under a lot of stress, not when their condition has progressed to a more acute stage. Both the practitioner’s and patient’s work is to avoid problems today, or at least make sure they don’t get worse tomorrow. The goal is to restore healthy relationships to the organ systems and bring back balance so harmony can occur. From my master’s teachings and my understanding of Natural Law, I recognize the body functions at its best when it’s supported through major seasonal changes, especially spring and fall. In my own practice, during these times, I ask patients and students to help themselves adjust to Nature’s transitions with Qigong postures and certain herbal formulas. Just as gardeners clear away winter’s debris in anticipation of the spring’s upsurge of energy and growth, or prepare their gardens for winter’s dormant stage, it’s important for our bodies to follow Natural Law and prepare to harmonize with Nature’s energy changes.
Example: How Does Natural Law Work? We often say Chinese medicine follows Natural Law. I think most people aren’t aware of Natural Law, let alone what it means and its profound influence on our lives. Here’s how I explain it to my patients and students. It’s simple and complex at the same time. First, everything that exists in our world is natural. Second, Natural Law governs the dynamic motions of our third dimension. These motions are not related to manmade laws. In this reality, every living thing is born, must grow and then dies. This is one of the actions of Natural Law. The following examples of Natural Law may help you understand it better. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. We would be shocked if it rose in the north and set in the south. This is not the natural order of our world. By the way, we say the sun “rises,” but ask yourself, “Does the sun rise, or does the earth turn?” In our view of reality, we believe the earth doesn’t move. Remember, though, all motion is relative. Natural Law encompasses energy shifts occurring between day, or Yang Qi, and night, Yin Qi. They naturally give way to each other. These energetic frequencies are different from one another and possess different qualities, yet they can’t be separated. Unfortunately, many menopausal women understand this concept very well; they experience this natural energetic shift during hot flashes. Some hot flashes only happen at night; some happen during the day. If a woman’s energy level is low, however, these hot flashes can occur both day and night. In treating this condition, a TCM practitioner applies Natural Law to recognize what kind of Qi deficiency the patient suffers from, based on the time of symptoms.
In Natural Law, daytime follows the night; nighttime follows the day. Each one carries different energetic frequencies. The notion something can take place “24/7,” is a manmade concept, as is working the nightshift. One interesting perspective on nighttime energy: Those who work through night hours use up twice or triple the amount of Qi to keep their body functioning during this time, when they naturally should be asleep. Individuals with diabetes or asthma who work at night often find their condition worsens if they are active during these hours; they also find their condition difficult to heal, if they work on this kind of schedule. At the planetary level, the moon moves the waters of the earth; the sun warms our home. When the full moon appears, tides change because a tremendous energetic force is affecting Earth. When the sun releases a coronal mass ejection (CME), if it reaches our planet directly, many things are affected. Because we’re part of Nature, our bodies feel the power of these natural, energetic forces. Natural Law also gives us seasonal times or transitional changes. As we’ve seen, what Western medicine calls diseases or illnesses, like hay fever, are related to seasonal transitions. In Section VII, on Spirit and Metabolism Function, I will talk more deeply about hay fever from the body, mind and spirit perspectives. These natural, dynamic motions cannot be forced or controlled by humans. Because we are part of Nature, we too must follow Natural Law and, of course, when Nature changes visibly or invisibly, its changes affect us too. As I’ve said, Natural Law means every living thing in our reality—humans, animals, plants—must grow, change and die. This is Nature’s cycle. Natural Law is also related to Nature’s five basic elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each has its specific, unchangeable essence and qualities. Wood, like bamboo, must be flexible and bend under pressure; Fire must give warmth or heat and light; Earth must digest or absorb things; Metal must exhibit strength; Water must flow. Ancient masters identified six external elements in Nature with the ability to interfere with the body’s energy system: Cold, Heat, Summer Heat, Wind, Dampness and Dryness. (Remember, when you see a term capitalized, we’re talking about its multidimensional aspects, not just its physical properties or functions.) As we will see, Cold
and Dampness are two of Nature’s elements that can significantly affect metabolism function. Man follows the laws of Earth; Earth follows the laws of Heaven; Heaven follows the laws of Tao; Tao follows the laws of its intrinsic nature. –Tao Te Ching
The Discovery of Natural Law In a deep meditative state, ancient Qigong masters used a more advanced version of physical sight to observe the natural world. We could call this their “inner vision.” With this skill, they were able to see the flow of Natural Law in motion. They could perceive everything is composed of the intelligence and power of Qi. They could see the flow of Qi in meridians, as well as in all living things. They organized their remarkable discoveries into a blueprint that follows the law of Five Element theory. We will refer to this blueprint as the Five Element energetic framework. It captures an understanding of Natural Law as ancient as the earth itself. While modern science discovered the laws of the subatomic world through one path, ancient masters perceived its dynamics through a different path. Not only do the laws of Nature not contradict the Five Element framework, in fact, more recent scientific discoveries confirm it! How does Natural Law work at the subatomic level? As we’ve seen, it can be interpreted through the principles and theories of relativity, spacetime, complementarity, oneness or inseparability, nonlocality, holographic principle and more. They can also be interpreted through the principles and theories of Taoist philosophy and TCM. Because the source of both ancient wisdom and modern science is the same, it can’t be otherwise. When we use the Five Element energetic framework, we see something extraordinary. TCM treatments and its approach to treatment haven’t changed over millennia. Why have these treatments and modalities been in use continuously for so long? Why are they still so effective today for addressing modern health conditions? It’s because they follow Natural Law. They deal with the fundamental interrelationships that exist between and among the paired organ systems, and between humans and Nature and the Universe. They address the invisible root cause of a condition, while healing its visible effect or symptom. How beautifully this reflects modern science principles and theories. I believe TCM’s concept of prevention and its understanding of how to achieve wellness has a significant, complementary role to play when it comes to our challenging, chronic health issues. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science. –Albert Einstein We just have to understand the traditional Chinese medicine model uses a different framework to see different things than the Western medicine framework. The Western model is in a continual state of change. This approach allows the system to search and discover more and more information and go deeper and deeper to analyze more things. However, it still hasn’t discovered what anger is and how this energetic frequency affects the body’s Liver and other organs. It still doesn’t recognize the vital relationship of the Liver and Stomach and how to use this information to resolve a chronic condition like acid reflux. In my practice, I use the Five Element energetic framework because it is a singular blueprint that demonstrates the beauty, flexibility and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. Because the framework is based on the concept of interrelationships, it provides skillful, creative practitioners with many different doors they can go through to heal health conditions.
Fundamental Principles and Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine When I’m asked to talk about TCM with large groups, I sometimes start with a joke. I tell them it’s hard to condense five thousand years of wisdom into an hour-long discussion, but I’ll try. Here, I will review basic principles and theories of this unique medical system that allows us to appreciate the body–mind–spirit dimensions of metabolism function. By now, you know our revolutionary framework is based on ancient wisdom and modern science. Both tell us remarkably similar things. Just like the descriptions of modern science principles and theories, these are not exhaustive explanations. As you can imagine, there have been countless works of all kinds written by scholars, scientists and practitioners for many, many centuries! My goal is to provide a foundation and a common understanding to support our quantum journey.
The Miracle of Qi Most religions speak about oneness. Modern science, of course, tells us there is only oneness. For thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine has practiced oneness. An ancient saying reminds us, “There are many ways up the mountain.” So, it depends on which path you’d like to follow to understand this concept. No matter what, we have to begin with the fundamental concept that everything is energy. Both TCM and modern science agree: We are energy beings and exist within the electromagnetic energy field. It’s impossible to say anything about TCM without first talking about Qi (pronounced CHEE). What is Qi? Put simply, Qi is the source of Universal life. Without Qi, there is no animating life force in this reality. Basically, everything is Qi. Every object in our world is comprised of Qi, or energy. As living entities, each of us uses Universal Qi to express ourselves. Every element of our world is an aspect or piece of Universal Qi. Our bodies are individuations of Universal Qi and each of us uses this conscious, loving intelligence to achieve our own purpose. While on Earth, the unbreakable connection to this energy means each of us is a child of the Universe. And, it’s not only the human form that is connected to Universal Qi. The entire Universe, its untold galaxies, planets and cosmic structures are also part of Universal Qi. The earth itself has Universal life force running through it. Through Natural Law, Earth shows proof of the unconditional love of Universal consciousness. Your physical form too is a manifestation this force. Modern science has discovered today what TCM has known for millennia: it’s all energy; everything is energy. The concept of Qi is at the heart of TCM. With thousands of years of direct observation and experience of Qi through spiritual technologies, TCM has a unique understanding of Qi: how it moves and functions within the body, how it moves throughout Nature, and how its motions govern the vast Universe itself. TCM offers a profoundly effective healing system due to its understanding of and experience with Qi.
In the West, Qi is typically translated as power or animating force, but this is not a complete explanation. Think of Qi like a coin—one coin with two sides. Force or power is only one side of the coin. The other encompasses conscious, aware intelligence that gives Qi direction and purpose. The body’s meridian network is a conduit for connecting to Universal Qi. Have you ever wondered what kind of intelligence allows the ebb and flow of tides to keep pace with the lunar cycle? How a tree knows to sprout leaves on time every spring? Do you wonder how your body knows automatically how to experience seasonal transitions and adjust its internal rhythms? Qi allows all things to communicate with each other; it carries an infinite amount of messages and information. Qi connects all things and all dimensions. We can say Qi is. Qi is Life in motion. Without its dynamic intelligence, nothing would be able to fulfill the requirements of Natural Law. There would be no birth, no growth or change, and no transformation from one state of being to the next. You cannot exist for even one second without Qi; it directs your conscious and unconscious actions. Think about this: When you die, your physical parts still remain. What’s missing? It’s Qi! The organizing spirit housed in your body over your lifespan has “left the building.” When you die, Qi leaves—it’s transformed. When we understand Qi’s transformational qualities from the TCM perspective, it becomes evident nothing is unmovable, unworkable, or permanent. In our world of three dimensions, Qi mirrors the continuing flow of Universal energy. If everything outside of us can flow, then everything inside of us can move as well. Every condition has the potential to heal. Healing miracles happen when energy is transformed; however, the requirements for this kind of change have to be met. Qigong, a spiritual energy practice, offers one way to meet these requirements. If you want to find the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, vibration and frequency. –Nikola Tesla
Yin-Yang: Symbol of Complementarity
The Principle of Yin-Yang The most important principle of Taoist philosophy, as well as TCM, is Yin-Yang (pronounced EEN-YAHN). It reflects the profound understanding of the visible and invisible energies of our reality. It is Natural Law. This principle has been captured visually in the well-known, black and white Taiji symbol. In TCM, this principle is used to describe the continual, interactive motion of two types of Qi or energetic frequencies: one is Yin; the other is Yang. Each has its own distinct qualities. They interact in four major ways. One is called relative opposition. This means nothing can ever be totally Yin or totally Yang. There is always a little bit of each frequency in the other, represented in the Taiji symbol as the dots of black or white. It serves as a reminder we live in a world of duality. Nothing can ever be all good, or all bad. A second interaction is interdependence; neither Yin nor Yang can exist in isolation. One requires a relationship with the other. These two energetic frequencies form an inseparable whole. Together, they express oneness, which as we’ve seen, is a fundamental principle of modern science too. The third way they interact is through what’s called mutual consumption. If either energy becomes out of balance, one will affect the other to establish a new state of balance; science might call this homeostasis. The last way in which Yin and Yang express themselves is through transformation. These individual energies are always in motion. Their nature is to flow. They create, support, repair and transform into one another. Yin and Yang reflect the underlying motion of all things in this reality. As we’ve seen, Danish physicist and Nobel Peace prize recipient Niels Bohr discovered this Universal principle in the twentieth century—opposite energies exist in polar or complementary relationship to each other. He named his discovery complementarity. When knighted for his achievements in science, he chose the ancient Yin-Yang symbol for his coat of arms and the inscription contraria sunt complementa, meaning, “Opposites are complementary.” Bohr spent a good deal of time in the East studying this concept and Chinese culture. An ordinary truth is a statement whose opposite is a falsehood. A profound truth is a statement whose opposite is also a profound truth. –Niels Bohr Yin Qi and Yang Qi possess specific qualities for different purposes. For example, daytime is associated with Yang energy; strength is also associated with the quality of Yang. In humans, we say male is Yang; female is Yin. The outside of the body is considered Yang; its internal aspect is Yin. If you don’t have enough Yang Qi, you will feel fatigued during daytime hours. If you don’t have enough Yin Qi, associated with nighttime, you may suffer from insomnia, or what TCM calls a Yin Qi deficiency. One of the body’s most unusual meridians is the San Jiao. When we discuss the organ systems responsible for healthy metabolism function—Liver, Stomach and Kidney—we will learn more about the San Jiao meridian and its role as the master control for all the body’s Yang meridians. There’s a simple way to understand the principle of Yin and Yang because it reflects Natural Law. Everything that exists in our reality has two aspects or frequencies, just like the coin I mentioned. One side, Yang Qi, is the visible; the other side, Yin Qi, is the invisible. Yin and Yang reference each other; they cannot be discussed separately because neither exists separately. Life itself is Ying and Yang. Think of one sperm and one egg. Once they meet in the right place, at the right time, under the right conditions, new life bursts into reality. Oneness emerges in a new form as Yin and Yang energies connect. Like our coin, Life itself has two aspects. Yin and Yang energies are represented in Nature as well as in the Universe. For example, the sun is Yang; the moon is Yin. Yang rules during daytime; yet even this time period includes its polar opposite of Yin, which rises before dusk. Warm days are Yang; cold days are Yin. A majestic mountain represents Yang; flowing water represents Yin. Everything that grows reflects Yang Qi; everything invisible reflects Yin Qi.
The Universal principle of Yin-Yang can be applied to all things, anywhere, anytime— it is not only for health. It applies to everything. TCM uses this notion to understand the processing of disease. It uses it to see relationships in the human body—the upper body with the lower body, emotions with their associated organs, internal with external, health and dysfunction. It always looks at two sides—the visible and invisible—and understands these energies have to exist together. They have to remain in balance; otherwise, dysfunction occurs. I think the most important aspect of the principle of Yin-Yang that the Western mind finds difficult to digest is that the invisible aspect of anything is always more powerful than its visible side. Yang can only manifest itself because of the behind-the-scenes support of its inseparable partner Yin. Behind the motion or action of Yang always rests the non-action of Yin. This principle is a fundamental feature of our world. It allows TCM practitioners to take a complete look at patients and their conditions. The cycle of seasons starts with spring and ends with winter. The cycle of Yin-Yang begins with Yang and ends with Yin. Accordingly, everything must follow this natural law because it rules the life and death of all things. If you go against this law, then disastrous things will happen. If you follow this law, then all things will be fine. That is the way of the Tao. –Nei Jing
Five Element Theory: Ancient Quantum Framework I began this work by saying, ultimately life is a mystery. There are so many things we think we know, but the question is, do we really? For instance, many theories exist about who built Stonehenge and why, but this remains a mystery even today. I would like to introduce you to the mystery of Five Element theory. It gives us a unique framework, so powerful and so deep, to understand this world and everything in it. The most extraordinary aspect of Five Element theory is its ability to assemble all of Nature’s elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water—into a single framework of interrelated systems. In it, each element is a unique energy frequency, yet it operates as part of a team that functions on many levels—body, mind and spirit. Once ancient masters received this intelligence about how Nature’s five elements function as one system, they gradually expanded it by assigning correspondences or categories of things that match each element’s energy frequency. Intuitively, they understood how human beings, as part of Nature’s web, also fit into this energetic framework.
The Five Element Energetic Framework
At its deepest level, the Five Element energetic framework is about dynamic patterns of relationships. Just like Yin-Yang, the real reason for its power is not in the categories of the visible world, but in the invisible frequencies behind them. This ancient concept has elegantly mirrored today’s quantum thinking for thousands of years. While physicists have penetrated our reality to the subatomic level and found interrelated energy patterns, ancient energy masters have done the same thing. With their discovery of Five Element theory, they penetrated the vast relationships of the energy field to discover that Nature itself has five, interrelated energy frequencies. You’ll see the Five Element diagram has the same complex structure as the quantum information diagram shown earlier in this section. Thank goodness this framework exists. It’s what allows TCM practitioners great flexibility and the ability to apply this extraordinary wisdom more easily. We can consider Five Element theory as one of the oldest quantum information systems. In it, each element is an individual, yet nothing is independent. Everything is connected to everything else. Because everything is energy, all elements can also be read as frequencies. Therefore, they have to follow the laws of energy. Look at the Kidney; the ear is its opening to the external world. If the ear has a problem, you can’t treat it in isolation. You have to consider its many relationships. Skilled TCM practitioners don’t just look at symptoms or conditions. They must always consider relationships. This way they can treat the real condition behind a condition. This framework lets practitioners see things happening at the body, mind and spirit level. The Five Element energetic framework hasn’t changed for a very long time. There have been no new books or discoveries over the last several centuries. If new discoveries exist, most likely they are held within a lineage or by a spiritual master. Even today, we don’t know why Five Element theory exists or where it comes from. We do know ancient masters downloaded Five Element theory in its entirety from the Universal mind. Through this process, they observed each of Nature’s five elements contains its own distinct vibrational pattern or essence, as well as principle of operation. Because this theory represents Nature’s five categories, they recognized it could be applied to everything in our world, including human beings. That’s why the body’s viscera, bowels, tissues, sense organs and much more fit into these interrelated categories. Let’s take Liver as an example. Nature’s element of Wood vibrates at the same frequency as the Liver and all its correspondences. Look at its sense organ. You’ll see the eye is the Liver’s opening to the external world; its tissue is the tendon. TCM knows any health issue with the eye, like blurry vision, or with the tendon, like carpal tunnel syndrome, is associated with a Liver function disorder. There are many relationships in the Five Element energetic framework. Over time, TCM used this knowledge to develop organ theory. Any problem with one organ will affect another one as well. Look at the Liver’s other correspondences. Its season is spring; its color is green. By the way, I urge patients who spend their days on a computer to keep plants in their office and rest their eyes on this green vibration often. The Liver’s emotion is anger. Its taste is sour. Its direction is east and so on. As I said, all these items can also be read as vibrational patterns and energy frequencies. When you look at this framework and each organ’s correspondences, do you see something different? Can you make a connection with any condition you have?
Lucky for us the Five Element energetic framework simplifies the vast amount of connections in the energy field by focusing on Nature’s elements. The explanation of its origin may be difficult for some people to digest. However, if we apply Einstein’s space-time theory, it might make it a little easier. Let me try: Though invisible, when Five Element theory materialized in our world, it entered this space. We know space and time cannot be separated. So, where is this phenomenon’s inseparable partner? The answer is we don’t know. It may be anchored in a time many thousands of years ahead of us or even hundreds of thousands of years in the past. We do know, though, this framework exists in our reality, so it has to follow Natural Law. Remember, everything that exists in the third dimension, whether you can see it or not, is natural. So, our Five Element framework has to follow Nature’s laws, including that of Qi, as well as Yin-Yang, what today’s science interprets as the principle of complementarity. I would like you to understand that Five Element theory can be applied to everything. TCM practitioners discovered it could be used very effectively for health and healing. In China, others discovered this Taoist theory could be applied in all areas of society and culture. For example, Chinese music developed from the application of Five Element theory. It uses a scale of five tones or vibrations. Each tone is related to one of Nature’s elements and therefore that element’s organ. This invisible connection makes five-toned Chinese music especially powerful for meditation, rebalancing organ function and healing. We can find many applications of Five Element theory in China, including landscape, architecture, martial arts, and the fine arts, to name a few. Emperors skillfully used this theory of relationships in politics to create kingdoms and consolidate power. Over the ages, TCM practitioners have applied the Five Element energetic framework to the treatment of hepatitis, arthritis, chicken pox, as well as women’s issues—including breast cancer, diagnosed in TCM medical literature as early as the thirteenth century. Any health problem you can name has been successfully treated by applying this framework. Today, TCM practitioners in China and in the West rely on the same wisdom others have used for millennia. Unfortunately, in ancient times, no one wrote this theory down in scientific language and no one held a Five Element copyright. In the West, many schools of acupuncture and oriental medicine teach Five Element theory. Mostly, its explanation remains at a superficial level. Usually, the theory is covered in literal terms of what the eye sees and what the mind thinks it knows. Discussions revolve around the physical elements and the logic of relationships of “generation” and “control,” however, any relationship based on control can never reach the highest level of harmony. These discussions and study only provide a certain basic level of understanding. To grasp the real depth of Five Element theory and its extraordinary framework, you have to understand the properties and characteristics of energy; you have to recognize how organ relationships impact health, and you have to integrate an understanding of the fourth dimension.
Why have Chinese practitioners been successful with this framework for so long? The answer is it sorts the body’s relationships in a way that lets practitioners go beyond a symptom to identify its root cause. It gives them great flexibility and creativity to restore the body’s integrated, multidimensional system to health. This wisdom also helped TCM establish a specialty in prevention. TCM practitioners understand external symptoms are warning signs of deeper dangers. Again, let me emphasize, Five Element theory comes from Universal consciousness. So, it can be applied to everything inside Earth as well as outside. Even the Universe has to follow the law of energetic relationships. For instance, we all know Earth is one of the major planets in our solar system. Five of these major planets have been seen since ancient times. Whatever affects one planet will create changes in the others. Today, scientists estimate the Universe has more than 100 billion galaxies; we call ours the Milky Way. Like the planets, galaxies too are not isolated structures, but share relationships with other galaxies. Earth and everything on it, including us, reacts to larger changes in the Universe—we may not be able to see them, but we cannot separate ourselves from them. As we move from subatomic to supergalactic worlds, we find astonishing examples of interrelated systems that function at the speed of light through relationships. Because of its universality, the Five Element energetic framework can be applied anywhere, anytime to anything existing in this reality.
Organs and Their Complex Relationships As you look at the diagram of the Five Elements, you’ll see two sets of connecting lines: one solid, one dotted. The solid line expresses a “mother-child” or nurturing relationship; the dotted line represents a cooperative relationship, or one of unconditional support. First, let’s look at the mother-child relationship. This nurturing action means, no matter what, the mother organ must nourish her child, if it’s in trouble or needs Qi to function. This responsibility is programmed into the mother organ. She will help her child even at her own expense! Think of this: If the Liver is constantly overstressed, it will appeal to its mother, the Kidney, for help. She will provide this nourishment; however, she will suffer the consequences, possibly in the form of fatigue or more serious conditions. As we will see later, this situation has implications for the development and progression of health issues. This is how organ systems connected by solid lines in the diagram function. Now, let’s look at the second connection, indicated by dotted lines. In TCM textbooks, this is often described as the “control” relationship, but this is not an accurate translation, nor does it capture the function of the relationship. It is better to call it the “cooperative” relationship. Organ systems connected by dotted lines must unconditionally support and cooperate with each other. In talking about the notion of control, I’d like to note this textbook understanding doesn’t follow Nature’s rules. As we’ve discussed, Nature is one unimaginably immense web of relationships that are continually flowing. There is no place for control. When we look at the Five Element framework, we have to ask, “Can the Liver actually ‘control’ the Stomach? How can you have real balance if one element functions by controlling another?” The relationship represented by dotted lines is better defined as one of “harmony,” a natural dynamic state where everything flows seamlessly with everything else. Harmony never involves control. The beauty of the Five Elements is that it is layered. It can be understood simplistically at the physical level. It can also be understood at the energetic level, but even that’s not the whole story. At its deepest, we can interpret this framework as Five Element consciousness. It reflects the consciousness of the Universe in this reality. Let me expand the discussion of control a little more. There are many people who believe this is a good strategy for managing society’s problems as well as their health. Today we try to control terrorists. We try to conquer diseases. We try to tame Nature, believing it is destructive or violent. We try to control environmental issues. We buy into the concept of “survival of the fittest.” This is a fairly common world view now. In reality, we can’t control anything. We can’t even control the weeds in our garden, no matter how many pesticides we use! Can you really control many things over time? I don’t think this way is sustainable. Often, I see patients take medications over long periods to “control” their condition. The problem arises when they realize they have temporarily controlled their condition, but the medication has caused more conditions that also need to be controlled! One of our best bets for whole-body wellness is to apply the Five Element framework to all areas of our lives. Once you understand how these relationships function, you can readily see why your organ systems can’t operate independently, even though they may be treated that way in healthcare today. As a reminder, we can also read this framework as Five Element consciousness. Nature’s elements, organs and correspondences are manifestations of energy. One aspect of energy is consciousness, and this consciousness has purpose. There is intelligence and purpose behind the motions of your spirit. Later, we will talk about the role of spirit in achieving healthy metabolism function. The Five Element framework will help you discover so many things! Look at the correspondences relating to each organ. These are all energy frequencies. For example, ask yourself these questions: How do you feel about a certain color? Do you love to wear black all the time? What organ is associated with this color? Do you sometimes crave salty food? You can see these as messages from your Kidney. Or, are you a person who feels happiest when wearing some shade of yellow? Do you love sweets? If so, your Stomach is using its special vocabulary to send you a message. In these cases, the organs are asking for more Qi to function in balance. Are you listening? Do you take your body’s messages seriously? Most people don’t; they wait until the message becomes urgent, then they may pay attention. I’ve met quite a few patients who don’t pay attention and like to tough it out when it comes to their health. This framework gives TCM its specialty in prevention. Decoding early warning signals can help you maintain healthy metabolism function and avoid serious health issues down the road.
Each organ has at least four relationships it has to maintain for optimum health. You may want to follow the Five Element diagram as I describe those of the LiverGallbladder paired organ system. The first relationship concerns the organ itself. It has to function in a balanced way, meaning the Liver’s and Gallbladder’s individual Yin and Yang energies must be in balance. The second relationship involves the “paired” relationship. We can see the Liver and Gallbladder form an organ system. Sometimes this lifelong partnership is referred to as “husband and wife.” Can you imagine the problems, if the husband and wife don’t get along? Third, each organ pair must nurture another pair. This is the mother-child relationship we talked about. In the case of the Liver‒Gallbladder, its function is to “mother,” the Heart‒Small Intestine organ system. Yet, the Liver-Gallbladder also is the child of another organ pair. In this case, the Kidney-Bladder has the responsibility for nurturing this duo. The fourth relationship revolves around unconditional support and cooperation. In the case of the Liver-Gallbladder, it has to support the Spleen-Stomach. And in turn, the Lung‒Large Intestine must support the Liver-Gallbladder. That’s a lot of relationships, a lot of coordination and a lot of work! Until we can appreciate and seriously examine Qi as it acts uniquely in living individuals, we will remain far from understanding who we are and why we are. Meridian study would be one way since these invisible energy channels only exist in a living person. I often wonder why we don’t create a science of studying healthy people or those who recover from seemingly unrecoverable conditions. Why are we always looking for disease? From my perspective, we should be searching everywhere for health.
Organs and Space-Time You’ll notice each element or frequency has its own space and therefore its own time. Let’s talk about time, which provides a great deal of information for TCM practitioners. They recognize each organ has its own energy field, its own Qi, its distinct time and even its own spiritual purpose to fulfill. Did you know each organ is responsible for managing the body’s functions for two hours over the course of the day? Here is the 24-hour energy cycle with the organs and their associated times. If an organ doesn’t have enough Qi or energy to handle its responsibilities, imbalances occur. Many women can relate to waking up between the hours of 1:00 and 3:00 a.m., the time frame relating to the Liver. At 3:00 in the morning, the Liver hands over the body’s functions to the Lung. If a woman has insufficient Qi to make this handover happen smoothly, she will wake up and have a hard time getting back to sleep. Like dominos, if these imbalances are experienced too severely or for too long, other organs feel the impact. Remember our discussion of Yin-Yang? One of its attributes is interdependence. It tells us all parts of the system are sensitive to and depend on each other. When we talk about one organ, we have to consider its relationship with the others as well.
24-Hour Energy Cycle
Example: Relationships between Seemingly Nonrelated Things Let’s suppose you take a photo of your friend, not a digital one. The two-dimensional piece of paper he or she appears on is not actually your friend, of course; it’s merely a reflection. As the third-dimensional viewer, you see the picture of your friend from a different (or higher) perspective. Modern science tells us each reality is a reflection of a higher one. This is true of our own world too. How do we know this? Einstein’s relativity theory tells us you can look at any physical manifestation in one dimension and understand it is a reflection of a higher one. The two-dimension shadow of your third-dimension self is a good example of this concept. Two things that appear unconnected in one dimension can have a connection on a higher plane. In our world, some things can seem unrelated (like space and time or electricity and magnetic energy), but at a higher dimension, they do indeed have a connection. If you look at the organ pairs in the Five Element diagram, you will see what I mean. How can the Lung and Large Intestine have a relationship? What about the Heart and the Small Intestine? How can this be? Inside the body, these pairs do not connect physically to each other. It’s a paradox. Modern science principles have introduced us to the notion of paradox. For thousands of years, Eastern spiritual practices have thrived on paradox. Nature too has many paradoxes that only make sense by applying quantum thinking. We can see this in theories like space-time, wave-particle, matter and energy, electricity and magnetism, existence and nonexistence and more. This kind of thinking opens the door to fresh, exciting angles for treating chronic health conditions. The Five Element energetic framework causes us to think differently and therefore understand health differently. The Heart and Small Intestine are partners for life. Who would ever think they share such an intimate, “husband and wife” relationship? Look at the Lung and Large Intestine. From a modern medicine perspective, it doesn’t make sense to say they have a key relationship; in truth they do! Because of it, TCM practitioners can easily observe this connection in individuals with Lung problems. Very often, they will also suffer from constipation. This is not a coincidence. These organs share an energetic frequency, ensuring they remain interrelated throughout life. If one organ becomes imbalanced, the other feels it. Look at all the vital organ pairs and their relationships. Look again at the Lung’s partner. Interestingly, sometimes patients who suffer from chronic sinus infections come to me for help, but the root cause of their condition turns out to be past surgery on their colon, whose Large Intestine meridian runs up along the nose area. Even with more surgery and ongoing medications, the patient may never be able resolve their sinus problem within the context of contemporary medicine—that is, unless it’s seen through another lens. Let’s look at skin, the body’s largest organ, with this framework. In the Western medicine framework, there’s no way to connect skin problems with the Lung’s respiratory functions. But, we’ve seen that TCM recognizes other functions that an organ is responsible for. Here, the Five Element energetic framework tells us skin is the “tissue” of the Lung. Skin problems are always related to a Lung function disorder. This does not necessarily mean the physical lung is not well. It means the Lung’s “duty” of maintaining healthy skin has become weakened. Often, this is a software problem and not a hardware problem. You can see why wrinkle prevention—something women and men in our culture collectively spend more than $7 billion on yearly—must include improving Lung function. It’s also easy to understand why smokers rarely have healthylooking skin. Western patients with skin problems may visit a dermatologist for help, but they will likely have difficulty resolving a skin problem for good without proper support for their Lung function. Seeing a skin condition, a TCM practitioner would support the Lung with herbs or acupuncture, or possibly both. Interestingly, tennis elbow is related to impaired Lung function. This condition can improve very well when Lung and Large Intestine function is improved. These seemingly impossible connections are possible because of the meridian network, which operates at, or beyond, the speed of light. You’ll discover many intriguing things ahead as we integrate modern science with
ancient wisdom to form a common energy-based language.
TCM: Its Primary Focus on Organ Function Above all, TCM’s primary responsibility is to restore healthy function to the whole body. When this happens, the patient’s healing ability can take over. While TCM is effective at alleviating symptoms, its primary goal is to ensure the patient’s body, mind and spirit are balanced and everything works in harmony. Now that you’ve learned about Five Element theory and the many relationships organs share. I’d like to talk in depth about organ function. We’ve already discussed the principle of Yin-Yang. Naturally, this principle applies to each organ and its programmed responsibilities. Some are visible duties; behind them are invisible ones. Some organ functions are identical to those understood by Western medicine, but not all, because each organ’s function is multidimensional and takes into account its body, mind and spirit levels. Let’s take an in-depth look at the Kidney. This analogy might help you understand the versatility of organ function: A woman is unique, but her responsibilities cause her to take action in different ways. She may be a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a CEO and so on. As she interacts with others in these roles, she functions differently and shows different skills. She may be an excellent cook; she may be a kind friend. She may be a top-notch CEO. If this woman doesn’t feel right, she will not perform well. She may be fatigued from planning too many meetings; she may be worried her child is not doing well in school. She may have a weakened immune system she doesn’t take time to heal. She will still perform her many duties but at a slower, less efficient level. Likewise, each of your organs acts in a similar manner. Each one possesses distinct functions that operate multidimensionally. They perform many actions depending on what they are called to do. When an organ’s performance is comprised, TCM calls this a function disorder. As we will see, the Kidney has far more responsibilities than today’s medicine recognizes. Even with advanced medical technologies, there are organ functions at higher levels we can’t observe or measure. If an organ’s function is impaired, the body sends S.O.S. messages that health issues are in progress. In some cases, these messages are signs of a software or function problem, not a hardware or physical problem. The Kidney’s hardware may be working by filtering blood and producing urine. However, when TCM practitioners observe certain external conditions, they know immediately the Kidney’s software program is malfunctioning. We can’t ignore the fact that this situation impacts relationships the Kidney shares with other organs. Often, when I tell patients they have a Kidney function problem, they will say something like, “Well, I don’t feel great, but I just had a physical and I’ve been told my kidneys have no problem.” They show me their test results, and it’s true. Everything looks fine. But, the patients know how they feel and it’s not fine. I tell them tests can only show numbers, and numbers can only measure physical things. Their visible organ may be perfect, but it doesn’t mean its invisible functions are. In some ways, this is good. Their condition is still at the energetic stage and hasn’t progressed to a physical manifestation that can be measured. Many patients today do understand the difference between having normal tests and how they actually feel. They realize something is not right: The body never lies! I will repeat this often throughout Digesting the Universe.
As we’ve seen, Western and Eastern medicine understand one of the kidney’s main jobs is to filter and process urine. It also has to cooperate smoothly with the Urinary Bladder to get the job done. The kidney is an organ shaped like a bean. Most people have two kidneys situated on either side, near the middle of the back and below the rib cage. It is a remarkable organ. Physically, it works every day to help you process blood and extracts waste products as well as excess water, which becomes urine. Kidneys also release key hormones: one prompts bones to make red blood cells; one regulates blood pressure; the other creates vitamin D, which helps with calcium for bone health and contributes to keeping you chemically balanced. Western medicine calls these processes renal function. TCM understands the Kidney’s deeper responsibilities. By applying the principle of Yin-Yang, we can say renal function is the Kidney’s visible or Yang action. What is its invisible Yin action? Did you know the Kidney is responsible for controlling your genetic function as well as your intelligence? Genetic conditions are of great interest today. For couples who are planning to get pregnant, it’s essential to take care of the Kidney to produce a healthy, intelligent baby. Today, the brain is also of great interest. Everyone wants to know how it works. Does it function like a computer? What is the mind? Where is it? How does the brain relate to consciousness? Are the mind and consciousness part of the brain’s physical structure, or do they reside in another dimension? As we try to discover more about who we are, this quest for more information on genetics as well as the brain is part of today’s scientific frontier. Many centuries ago, TCM discovered that the brain is the province of the Kidney, which is responsible for its healthy function. Brain-related problems, like memory loss or dementia, are dealt with by improving Kidney function. TCM practitioners can strengthen Kidney Qi with herbs and acupuncture, as well as energy movements. Efforts to prevent brain disease include decreasing risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and obesity—conditions that can be improved with healthy metabolism function. They also include increasing energy through Qigong practice and TCM modalities. Did you know that throughout your life, the Kidney stores the original energy you inherited at birth? I call this your “energy savings account.” I ask my patients, “Do you have a 401K? Do you also have a 401E, or energy savings account? Will your body stay healthy long enough for you to enjoy your savings? Don’t waste your Kidney Qi! When it’s completely consumed, life ends.” The knowledge of managing the genetic code and maintaining intelligence is imbedded in the Yin aspect of your Kidney. As you spend time looking at the Five Elements, trace the visible and invisible correspondences of the organs. Now you know each of them can be read as an energetic frequency or vibration. Let’s stay with the Kidney. Look at its sound. If you have an older parent or relative, have you heard them sigh frequently? That’s the sound of the Kidney expressing itself. Many correspondences in the Five Element framework seem unrelated in this reality. Yet, in a complex, quantum information system with many feedback loops, all parts of the system are related. The Kidney takes responsibility for the function of the ear, which is its opening to the external world. Tinnitus is a difficult condition for Western medicine to treat. Unfortunately, many people with tinnitus have been told there is nothing that can be done for it. TCM treats this ear condition by strengthening Kidney function. If there are no problems with the ear’s physical structure, a TCM practitioner will recognize the Kidney has a major Qi deficiency. This means the Kidney doesn’t have enough energy to take care of its duties. In this case, these duties include supporting the ear’s ability to hear without excess noise or vibration. TCM has successfully treated this kind of dysfunction for thousands of years. From my experience as a TCM practitioner, I consider tinnitus a serious message the patient must rest. This symptom means their energy foundation, something the organs depend on, could crash and lead to serious problems.
You’ll see the Kidney is also responsible for another body structure, which is the bone and skeletal system. Knee and joint pain are both the result of imbalances in Kidney function. How can the knee be connected to the Kidney? Impossible, you might say again. But using our framework, we see these things are connected at a different level. The health of the body’s bones, particularly the knees, is directly impacted by how well the Kidney functions. We can apply the Five Element framework so beautifully to many, many problems today’s medicine sees as challenging to resolve. Heel pain is another condition that is difficult for Western medicine to resolve. In Chinese medicine, the heel is related to the Kidney. A TCM practitioner understands any heel pain is related to Kidney function because its meridian runs through this location. It’s simple, if a patient suffers from heel pain, their Kidney function is unbalanced and weak. Otherwise, this location would never experience pain. Like tinnitus, heel pain is the body’s message it must rest. I might add it’s a message whose real meaning most people don’t understand. Assuming there is no other physical reason for the heel pain (e.g., the structure of the bones themselves, wearing ill-fitting shoes), the course of treatment would be to support Kidney function and boost the organ’s Qi. Just like our ear diagnosis, TCM would diagnose this situation as a Qi deficiency that has caused a Kidney function disorder. This is a good example of the invisible communicating a message through a visible symptom—but unless you can see things from a certain angle, a message can be missed. What’s the solution? The important thing is to restore balance and harmony through rest, acupuncture, herbal therapy and possibly more. On the physical plane, there is nothing visible to connect the heel and the Kidney, yet from the relativity point of view these parts are connected. Going to a podiatrist or orthopedist may relieve symptoms; however, unless the underlying Qi deficiency is addressed, it’s difficult to fix heel pain for good. Besides problems with the ear, knee and heel pain, many conditions can be traced to poor Kidney function. Some important ones include arthritis, osteoporosis, lower back pain, prostate problems, sexual dysfunction and infertility. If this vital organ is functioning properly, these signs never appear. In this discussion, we can’t forget the Kidney’s lifelong partner, the Urinary Bladder. If you’re someone who gets up frequently during the night to urinate, your Kidney-Bladder organ pair doesn’t have enough Qi to do its job of holding urine in check until the morning. There are many remarkable functions your organs are responsible for. Unfortunately, Western medicine doesn’t have a framework to understand these gifts or for giving organs credit for them. My goal is to encourage patients to understand Einstein’s relativistic framework. Seeing things from different angles allow us to see different things and, therefore, can produce different outcomes. The Western medicine framework is correct from its perspective; the Chinese medicine framework is also correct from its perspective. As I’ve said at the beginning of this section, searching for something on Google depends on what you’re looking for. Putting in different search terms brings different data. Think of it this way: running a background check through the FBI’s databases will yield much less information or data than running it through more comprehensive ones like those of the National Security Agency. You receive a whole lot more intelligence. Much of the information in Digesting the Universe is unique in its ability to combine modern science principles and theories with the ancient wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine. The result is powerful, real-world healing applications. When you explore the Five Element energetic framework, you will see many interesting things. Look at each organ’s partner, and then look at how each paired organ system relates to the other systems in terms of cooperation or support and mother-child relationships. From the spiritual point of view, the most important aspect of these connections is that they are conscious energies with a purpose. There are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason; everything happens for good. How can we help ourselves continually see the good?
I would like to repeat that everything that exists in this reality is natural. It has to follow Nature’s laws, not man’s laws. Without purpose, nothing exists in this reality. You already exist in this space-time. You exist as mass or matter; this is the visible, Yang aspect of who you are. You are also an energy being; this is your Yin aspect. Just like everything else, you also must follow Natural Law. You too are connected to everything. You are necessary to the development of the entire Universe. God (the Mind of God, All That Is, or the Tao—whatever name you choose to call this unnameable force) never makes a mistake and never creates anything that’s unnecessary. Going forward, for simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to this notion beyond words as God.
The Meridian System: A Quantum Communications Network Within your body, there are many systems that cooperate to keep you healthy: circulatory, nervous, endocrine, lymphatic and more. The principle of Yin-Yang helps us understand these are the visible systems. We now know behind them there must be a complementary, invisible functioning energy partner as well. This is the meridian system. What makes TCM different? What allows TCM practitioners to see things differently? What allows them to understand everything is connected? The meridian system provides them with a different framework—one where time is inseparable from the space of a condition and where oneness underpins the body and its connections. As you’ve seen, this allows them to see different things. The twelve meridians control human life, yet they are also the place where disease can live. If disease starts in the meridians, the physician can use the meridians to treat the root cause of the disease. The best physician regards the meridians as the most complicated system of the human body. –Nei Jing Generally speaking, there are twelve major meridians on both sides of the body that connect the major organs. (See Section IX, the Appendix, for illustrations of these meridians.) There are also two more meridians that govern the others. They are all comprised of and carry the power and intelligent messages of Qi. TCM understands the relationship of meridians to time, or the fourth dimension, because of their invisible nature and responsibilities. Consequently, this insight allows TCM practitioners to recognize that the patient’s body, mind and spirit connect to a higher dimension. Meridians relate to your circadian rhythm, seasons, planetary movements, and more— possibly things we haven’t even discovered yet. This invisible energy network is what makes acupuncture so powerful. While this modality can alleviate symptoms of conditions, it also endows TCM with the ability to alter consciousness—not merely produce endorphins or alleviate pain, which scientific tests confirm. Through meridians, acupuncture acts as a gateway that gives the patient an opportunity to connect to higher dimensions of being that are in the realm of mystery. Acupuncture stimulates the body’s energy network so the individual can readjust his or her own internal and external balance. It helps patients recall their healing ability. Acupuncture also helps patients by opening the door to nonphysical reality. As of today, we can say this unique aspect of acupuncture allows it to fix almost any kind of disease or illness because we know, thanks to the frontiers of the new science, everything is energy, and matter and energy are interchangeable. Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the invisible network of meridians. This network is so unique because it doesn’t run on clock time; it is always on duty and sends messages faster than the speed of light! The new theories of physics allow us to grasp the immense power of our invisible communications system. While these energy channels connect the body’s internal structures, importantly, they also connect the body with the external world, such as the five elements of Nature and Universal consciousness, in fact, all of Life! While we can learn something about meridians from books, they are beyond book learning. We have to accept and appreciate the spiritual framework within which they operate. Acupuncture’s real power comes from the level of understanding of the person who uses the acupuncture needle and understands meridians’ connection to the invisible realm.
Meridian theory is another result of spiritual practice. Like the principle of Yin-Yang, the principle of Qi and Five Element theory, this information too was downloaded in its entirety more than two thousand years ago. Since the Han dynasty (210 bce–220 ce), the body of knowledge related to Meridian theory has never been added to or expanded. At this time in Western medicine, there is no equivalent understanding of the body’s meridian system. Other cultures also downloaded information from Universal consciousness. Today, many people practice yoga, this energy work is based on invisible centers called chakras. There is a great deal of scientific study regarding the benefits of yoga. Students like its stress-relief aspect and the way it promotes flexibility. Just as ancient Qigong masters downloaded Five Element theory and its framework as well as the fully developed meridian system, ancient masters of India downloaded information about chakras through spiritual practice. A good way to understand meridians is to think of them as an energy network or web. Just as we have our physical body, we also have an energy body. Just as the physical body contains and connects all its structures large and small, from atoms to nerves to veins, to bones to muscles, to organs to skin, so too does the meridian network connect all parts at the invisible level. Today, we are not advanced enough to see the physical manifestation of this amazing energy web. With the help of modern science, though, I believe one day we will see these things. We can say the same thing about meridians as we have about Qi: without meridians to carry the power, intelligent messages and wisdom of Qi throughout the body, there is no life. These unique, invisible structures allow Yin and Yang motion, our life force, to flow and support the mind and spirit. The most important thing to know about meridians is they exist only within a living body; we can’t analyze them in a lab. When you die, your physical parts remain here in this reality. So, what’s missing? You’re missing your meridian network that lets Universal Qi flow through you. Your body can’t function without Qi. It’s like having a cell phone without a cell tower. When you die, your spirit’s animating force has completed its experience in this reality. You disconnect from the unlimited sources of Qi—the unconditional, loving energy of Nature and Universal consciousness. Without meridians, you’re just you by yourself unplugged from your source (and not for very long, I might add). Because meridians are made of Qi, they don’t follow the rules of the physical body; they have their own set of operating rules. Look at the diagram of TCM’s 24-hour energy cycle. As I’ve noted, each meridian is on duty or in charge during a two-hour period. If you experience a problem or your condition acts up at a specific time of day, this is meaningful clue for a TCM practitioner. Many people become fatigued somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. In fact, this fatigue even has a name, “the afternoon slump.” Often, individuals rely on a cup of coffee or a candy bar to get through it. Look at the organs in need of more Qi, or vital energy, during this time. While the Western perspective acknowledges this natural lull in the body’s rhythm, it attributes this slump mostly to improper eating habits at breakfast. Can you apply information about TCM’s 24-hour energy cycle to your own situation? What do you see?
Meridians have a profound impact on the physical body. Depending on how long a health problem persists, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual conditions can travel from one organ to another through meridian pathways. While meridians cannot be destroyed, they can be damaged, especially through surgery, impact from a sport injury or accidents, and even by poison. The location of surgery tells a TCM practitioner a lot. I would like to emphasize that in Chinese medicine, just as in real estate, one of the most important factors in diagnosis relates to location, location, location! Not only do meridians give vital clues to answers about the sources of physical problems because of their association with time, but they also provide information because of the location of a condition, pain or injury. The root cause of many health issues may never be identified or recognized within the Western medical framework. However, with the TCM framework, we can trace the origins of many conditions by understanding the meridians impacted and relationships disrupted. Here are a few examples to help you understand the role meridians play.
Example: Connecting to the Source of Qi Think of a Christmas tree. When you buy it, it’s definitely alive; it’s green and smells good; however, unless you bought a living tree to plant later, your tree won’t stay alive for long. After several weeks, its green needles turn yellow; it begins to dry out and die. It’s not connected to the earth anymore. The tree has been cut from its root and deprived of its essential source of nourishment. Similarly, the meridian network contains the energetic roots that connect you to Nature’s Qi and Universal Qi, the source of life. For this tree and for all human beings to remain alive, they must connect to the source of energy and nourishment. Here’s a different way to understand the power of meridians. Think about your smartphone. You frequently plug it into a charger, which in turn is plugged into your home’s electrical power supply. When the battery is fully charged, you unplug it and go about your business. Sooner or later, depending on how much you use your phone, the battery runs down. Then, it needs to be recharged. Meridians allow your body to plug into a power source far greater than yourself—Universal Qi. And, this energy is for free if you know the access code! If you can understand this concept, you can appreciate how powerful the meridian system is.
Here’s one more example. Have you ever walked down a street and suddenly a car appears to swerve into your path? Your instantaneous reaction is to jump out of the way. Have you ever considered how you were able to jump to safety so quickly? Your body has the capability to take action before your eyes can see danger, before your mind can think, or your muscles move. Don’t think it’s just your physical strength and muscles that helped you avoid a serious accident. This kind of action is beyond the physical; it takes your whole body’s instant internal cooperation at every level. This motion is based on the meridian system, which operates at the speed of light. Electromagnetic energy signals travel at 186,000 miles per second! By contrast, chemical signals travel at less than a centimeter per second. You have a ready-made antenna that allows you to connect to an unlimited power source and download information at the speed of light! The questions are, “Am I able to access and use this special connection? What can I do
to open myself to upgrade my energy connection?” Taoist philosophy recognizes you represent the life and love of the Universe in this reality. You are designed to allow Universal Qi to flow through you for your own purpose. Your body literally runs on the unconditional love of Universal energy. This is a fundamental concept. That’s why Qi, or life force, call it what you will, is so essential. I hope you take this information seriously and learn to support and strengthen the function of your meridians. That’s why you see, in ancient times and even today, within TCM, there are so many Qigong or energy exercises and specific movements (called Dao Yin) that can tune up meridians and allow them to become more sensitive. A serious, highquality Qigong practice can help you do this. While regular exercise can stimulate the body, it cannot impact meridians. Remember, the invisible is always more powerful than the visible. So, I hope you definitely want to support your meridians, especially if you are dealing with chronic health conditions. If you’re looking for a miracle, these only happen at the energetic level where meridians function. Without meridians, miracles cannot happen. TCM recognizes the body is a microcosm of the Universe—not just at the physical level, but at the energetic and spiritual levels as well. These levels connect through meridians. You may be interested to know meridians are what allow your psychic body to connect to the infinite amount of information available in what has been described by contemporary British biologist Rupert Sheldrake as morphogenic fields. Without meridians, there is no microcosm and therefore, no way to download energy from the macrocosm. Since all the messages meridians carry move at least at the speed of light, when we talk about anything moving at this velocity, we have to apply the principles and theories of quantum physics and relativity.
Meridians: The Real Secret behind Chinese Medicine
Because meridians exist as a complete network in themselves, each meridian runs through a specific location; each one connects to the multidimensional aspect of each organ and delivers information to that structure. As I’ve noted, this is the real secret behind why acupuncture works and why it’s so powerful. Skilled acupuncturists stimulate the body’s energy system, which not only lets the body recapture its healing ability, but also allows it to open to a power beyond this dimension. The meridian system lets patients connect with consciousness. Meridian theory is one of the most profound and most mysterious concepts in TCM. The purpose of acupuncture for health is to help the patient achieve balance by allowing energy to flow through the meridians. If energy doesn’t flow, Blood or Qi stagnation is the result, and often, illness or disease follow. When the body becomes balanced, its organ systems function beautifully in harmony for optimum health, not just at the physical level but also at the mental, emotional and spiritual levels. How does TCM know this? Look at the Five Element energetic framework and study the correspondences. Remember, we can also read these things as energetic frequencies or vibrations. As we’ve seen, practicing Qigong can help build your energy foundation. Another way to tune up the body is by stimulating the four master energy gates. These are specific acupuncture points that help unblock energy stagnation in the upper and lower body. The Four Energy Gates in Section VIII, Preparation for Your Healing Journey, are easy to learn and highly effective for strengthening your energy foundation. By practicing The Four Energy Gates daily, you can gradually help your body come back into balance and heal many conditions. You will be amazed at the changes. A number of scientific studies show stimulating specific acupuncture points along meridians can change brain waves as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRIs) and other technologies of modern science. In fact, several studies show the brain’s ability to alter its perception of pain with acupuncture. One such study in the NIH Health database states, “Accumulating neuroimaging studies in humans have shown that acupuncture can modulate a widely distributed brain network, large portions of which are overlapped with the pain-related areas.” In a Harvard University–affiliated study, researchers began the neuroscience-based investigation of the central effects of acupuncture; they expect to discover a scientific basis for understanding its therapeutic potential. And, these studies only focus on one aspect of acupuncture. You might wonder, “How can stimulating an acupoint between the big toe and the one next to it help improve Liver function? How can meridians carry messages faster than the fastest modern computer? How can stimulating acupuncture points open us to the unimaginable energetic gifts of the Universe? Am I truly not alone? Is there something that allows me to recognize myself as a child of the Universe?” We’ll see over the course of this book how it is possible to answer these kinds of questions when they are looked at with a revolutionary framework that combines ancient wisdom with modern science! Interestingly, acupuncture gives us real-life proof of Einstein’s theory of E=mc². While this concept can be demonstrated with mathematical equations in a scientific setting, acupuncture proves it in practice. Some energy healers can also prove this theory in practice. I would like to share this story, because while it is remarkable, it is not unusual. Many of my women patients present with breast tenderness or pain. How is it one needle can help them release this tenderness and eliminate pain? How can this happen in one treatment? How can this happen when the needle itself is inserted into a point on the side of their foot? How does one needle in one treatment reduce the size of a mass? The answer lies within both the Five Element energetic framework as well as the framework of E=mc². In this clinical situation, mass and energy have been exchanged. That is the true power and potential of acupuncture. It has the ability to activate the body’s ability to convert mass into energy and allow solid structures that have accumulated over time to dissolve. The following examples provide more insight into Meridian theory, the real secret behind TCM.
Example: A Physical Condition Caused by Meridian Damage When women develop breast cancer, their lymph nodes are tested to see if cancer cells have migrated to the location of nodes in the underarm area. If a lymph node operation is necessary, it often causes swelling in the underarm. Western medicine treats this swelling as a water retention problem and diuretics are prescribed. Why is it that often these diuretic pills don’t release the excess water? Looking from the TCM angle, it’s because this is not a water retention issue. The condition is actually a meridian function disorder. This kind of swelling is quite difficult to reduce without using a different framework to identify the root cause. During a lymph node biopsy, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, the invisible Heart meridian is impacted. The physical heart may be fine. It’s the Heart’s meridian, which runs through the underarm location where the lymph nodes are situated, that is damaged. You can see from the Five Element energetic framework, the Fire element is associated with the Heart. One of this organ’s functions is to work cooperatively with the Kidney to keep the body’s water in balance. If the Heart meridian is damaged, it can no longer manage its responsibilities well. Acupuncture has the unique ability to stimulate the function of the Heart meridian. Lymphedema is a serious condition. Once its root cause is diagnosed, though, TCM can treat it effectively. The goal is to help the invisible meridian heal from the damage caused by surgical trauma. While meridians
cannot be cut or destroyed, the way they function can be compromised or damaged.
Example: Meridian Damage and Long-Term Physical Problems Here’s an example related to sport injury. Football players often fall during a game. They roll over and get up and it looks like nothing has happened. Sometimes they may get hit in the rib or actually break a rib. If there’s no lung puncture or other factors, these events are typically regarded as minor injuries. An orthopedist will usually say it’s not necessary to do surgery and the ribs will eventually heal by themselves. After the player heals, however, if his ribs are hit in the wrong place, this blow may impact one of the major acupuncture points on the Liver meridian. If this point is hit the wrong way with enough force, many things can go wrong! The player may suddenly experience Stomach problems when he had none before. Or, he may experience acid reflux. Many different “seemingly unrelated” conditions appear out of the blue. The player may start to anger easily or his cholesterol may shoot up. So many things can change. Without understanding Meridian theory and how the body is interconnected, it is difficult to understand why these health issues suddenly emerge. In fact, it’s almost impossible since they may appear individually on and off without any seeming rhyme or reason. The player cannot understand why he gets so angry so often. He cannot understand why he’s experiencing pain in the ribs, even though they have healed. Most importantly, the athlete often experiences changes in performance. He doesn’t have the same speed or stamina as before. If he tries to run fast, he runs out of breath easily or starts coughing. While MRI tests may show nothing wrong, he can feel his strength is not the same as before. Something is not right. TCM associates this kind of sport injury with Liver meridian damage, which in turn has impacted the function of the physical liver. Meridian damage happens in many contact sports like football and boxing. In the Chinese martial arts, this kind of internal injury has occurred in fighting for thousands of years and is considered one of the most dangerous situations. If an opponent hits a certain spot with a certain degree of force, serious internal injury occurs. Later, it is difficult to prove how it happened. If the damage isn’t fixed, the person’s meridian system will never function well again. It’s the end of his or her martial arts career.
TCM understands external impact can not only cause physical injury—let’s say, a broken bone—but also create a function disorder of an organ through meridian trauma. Here, we can go back to the concept of oneness: Everything is connected. Nothing is separate. Internal and external are indeed connected. This kind of trauma is not easily understood today without a different framework that recognizes why and how invisible meridian damage occurs. At the wrong time, in the wrong place, or at the right time, in the right place, with the proper amount of force, meridians can suffer damage; this damage is serious and challenging to treat. Think of it this way. If your car’s computer processing system isn’t working right, your car will never reach optimum speed. The automatic transmission may be fine, but faulty or incomplete messages from the
computer prevent it from working well. The car’s hardware doesn’t have a problem; its invisible software is malfunctioning.
Example: Meridian Damage and Unexpected Side Effects Today, Caesarian births, or C-sections, are more common than ever. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007, the Caesarian rate was the highest ever reported in the United States. That year, 1.4 million C-sections were recorded, which represented approximately one-third of all U.S. births.
This surgery involves cutting through the muscle of the front of the abdomen to remove the baby. Sometimes, invisible energy channels are damaged during C-sections. Two important ones—the Stomach and Belt meridians—run through this area. Depending on the extent of damage, the time of the operation, body shape and surgery location, as well as the patient’s energy level, conditions can arise that Western medicine would have no framework for connecting to meridian damage during Caesarian surgery. For instance, with Stomach meridian damage, an immediate result is the mother will not be able to produce milk. If the Belt meridian is damaged, the mother may exhibit anxiety and depression soon after birth. Because of the number of Caesarians performed yearly, we are seeing more and more of these postpartum conditions, which are usually treated symptomatically with medications. Later, a woman might experience ongoing lower back pain or pain with her menstrual cycle, as well as other menstrual and hormonal disorders. Another result of meridian damage is difficulty becoming pregnant again. A woman’s health can be turned upside down if the Stomach and Belt
meridians are damaged in a certain way during a Caesarian, and consequences can extend into the future as well.
Seeing Connections: A Skill TCM Practitioners Must Cultivate Now that we’ve discussed the basic principles and theories of TCM and those of modern science, I hope you are developing an appreciation of how intricately entwined visible and invisible reality are. In the following pages, we will learn more about how a TCM practitioner applies this framework to help patients see things from a different angle and achieve different outcomes. Seeing connections is an essential skill TCM practitioners must develop. They have to see every angle, every possibility, to connect with patients with the goal of stimulating their healing ability. Achieving this skill is a life-long journey of self-cultivation. Because TCM treats the whole person, not disease or illness, the practitioner has to create ways to build a bridge—a trusting relationship—with the patient. Here are a few real-life case studies.
Example: The Right Connections Build Trusting Patient Relationships
Practicing in New York City, I see many musicians. When we first meet, we discuss music. I ask them where true music comes from. We both know it doesn’t come from practicing scales; we understand it comes from the Heart and its link to spirit. When we’re able to make this kind of deeper connection, patients recognize what their true self is like. We talk about their connection to the invisible and how musicians have a special gift of using limited notes to express unlimited feeling. As a practitioner, having diverse interests and passions allows me to find a common language to build a bridge of trust with patients. This helps the patient become more open to new ways of seeing things, especially their condition. This ability to form authentic relationships with patients is the essential requirement for being an effective practitioner of any kind. We are not apart from the patient’s healing process. Modern science has discovered the observer—be it man or machine—is not separate from the act of observation. I also see many professional photographers. I asked one woman about a particularly beautiful shot taken with her expensive camera, “Was the camera or your eye more important in taking that picture?” Her response? “The most important lens is the eye. Even with the best camera, the lens is just the eye’s extension. My real goal is choosing the right angle, feeling the light and pushing the shutter at exactly the right moment. I’ve trained my eye to see and my body to be sensitive to these things.” This conversation allowed me to help her see things differently. I asked her, “When you come here, can you adapt your skills to train your eyes to see your condition and train your body to become more sensitive to energy. Can you see things from a different angle?” Some of my patients are in the interior design world. They tell me they create their designs on computer. They use their imagination to create a drawing and work out the details. They use two-dimensional pictures to sell an interior design project. I tell them, “You must be very talented to persuade clients to invest a lot of money in something that doesn’t exist yet in third-dimensional reality with just a two-dimensional picture! You help them project their imagination into the future.” I ask them, “Why not use this same imagination to design a picture of good health for your future? Why not use your own imagination and creativity to stand in the future as a happy, healthy person? Then you can make this future real.” Beliefs are powerful things. They’re the access codes to other levels of health. I ask you, “Are you ready to change your beliefs and see different things?” Medicine is consciousness. –Ancient TCM PROVERB Here’s a touching story of helping patients see things differently. One of my patients was diagnosed with cancer. Her husband would come with her to every visit. He wanted to know how he could help the woman he loved deeply. He told me he was willing to do anything to help her become healthy again. We talked many times so he could gain a deeper understanding of what might be the best way to help her. I asked him, “What do you do for a living?” He said his job involved creating designs and blueprints for building major museums. To create this kind of building, his company had to have a purpose and a theme to demonstrate to the public how unique its museum would be. This information was an important clue that allowed me to help him help his wife. I said, “What angle can you use to help your wife create her own ‘living museum’? How can she show in a public way, she’s alive at the body–mind–spirit level?” I urged him to think, “How can you help her create a unique museum exhibit to show society, her friends and family, she’s becoming well?”
This concept challenged him in a way he’d never been challenged before. I told him, “The bottom line is when an individual feels good; this state has to manifest itself in outward signs. You need to find a way to let society see the results of her improving health.” We mapped out a plan to help him support his wife physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. This treatment approach is not really Eastern or Western. It’s about helping patients reclaim balance in their lives. It’s about acknowledging the importance of finding equilibrium between the Yin and Yang energies to heal. I am happy to say this patient did heal! Modern science has discovered oneness and understands the vast web of energetic relationships we exist within. From this perspective, we can understand why rebalancing energies helps recreate good health. The simple yet powerful concept of establishing balanced relationships and connections among the five paired organ systems can be applied to any condition. I frequently see patients who are recovering from breast cancer and have been advised to take tamoxifen. Once they do, if they are younger, their menstrual cycle stops and many experience premature menopause. One of my patients with breast cancer had been prescribed tamoxifen, as adjuvant therapy. She had an active three-year-old. Her life was difficult because she was exhausted day and night. During the days, she cared for her child. During the nights, she was miserable because of side effects from the medication. The tamoxifen produced frequent hot flashes and severe night sweats that caused her to change her nightgown and even sheets several times a night. We rebalanced her body’s relationships by finding ways to reduce stress with Qigong postures, added herbs and acupuncture, and talked through body–mind–spirit lifestyle changes she could make.
This patient then was able to continue tamoxifen therapy without its debilitating side effects. Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it. –Niels Bohr I would like readers to know treating cancer can be achieved successfully within the Five Element energetic framework precisely because it takes into account the individual’s whole body–mind–spirit complex. Even though this approach comes from the wisdom of the ancients, it’s brand new again thanks to modern science discoveries. Cancer detection technologies and treatments today are based on quantum physics. Using test results from medical devices based on quantum thinking means the user can also interpret results with this same kind of thinking. When we embrace a broader framework, treatment will enter a powerful, advanced stage, but we have to open our minds to see things differently. Cancer treatment will take on a whole different perspective because different frameworks allow us to see the same things from a different angle. They also can produce different outcomes. Without a new way of reseeing health and wellness, illness and disease—especially those of metabolic syndrome—we will continue to treat symptoms at best.
Now that we’ve discussed basic principles and theories of modern science as well as the principle of Yin-Yang and TCM’s major theories, I hope you are developing a deeper appreciation of how intricately connected the visible and invisible are. The next section will take us through the five stages of healthy metabolism function. It will help you understand not only what is metabolism function, but most importantly, why is metabolism function. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION III THE FIVE STAGES OF HEALTHY METABOLISM FUNCTION
Individuality is only possible if it unfolds from wholeness. –David Bohm Embrace all things as part of the Harmonious Oneness; then you will begin to perceive it. –Lao Tzu
A Revolutionary Framework for Healthy Metabolism Function Why have I chosen to focus this work on metabolism function? First, I believe most, if not all, of today’s health issues—especially chronic conditions of metabolic syndrome —are related to it. Second, the current understanding of metabolic function, while useful, doesn’t go deep enough. It doesn’t help individuals understand why and how metabolism works at the body, mind and spirit levels. An easy way to shape our understanding is to begin with a description of the five stages of metabolism function and recognize that they unfold from oneness. A healthy body should be able to receive, digest, process and transform what it has taken in. After it has transformed the energy essence of food, your body has to use this material to manifest and support your life purpose. That is the fifth and most important stage. I hope you can appreciate the profound meaning of this process. Metabolism function gives life its purpose and meaning! As metabolism function improves, you achieve a higher and higher level of health; each time you improve it, you can receive better things, digest more, process more, transform more—and ultimately manifest more! Healthy metabolism function, as we will see, helps you move in an upward spiral. Why do I say our current understanding of metabolic function has to go deeper? Today, modern science tells us everything is energy. If this is true, then we can view everything from this perspective. If we talk about metabolism function and only focus on food, or its visible properties, what are we missing? You know by now from our earlier discussion of Yin and Yang energies, we are missing an understanding of food’s invisible properties. Can you understand food from the mind’s perspective? Can you understand food from the spirit’s perspective? Just because we can’t see these things, doesn’t mean they don’t exist and impact us. If we truly want to appreciate metabolism function, we have to see the big picture. One thing that will broaden our understanding is the recognition that the Stomach’s role not only includes digesting food, but also emotions and information. Ultimately, all of these things are energy. Have you ever considered that emotions and information also need processing and digesting? Just like the foods you eat, these things also need to go through the five stages of metabolism function: receiving, digesting, processing, transformation and manifesting. Seeing things from a different framework means opening to a different way of thinking. This is especially important when it comes to food, which, of course, is an essential part of healthy metabolism function. Most of us choose foods based on their material aspects. Instead of focusing on calories and the physical properties of what we eat, we can gain even more benefit from looking at food as Qi to access its real healing power. I tell my patients it’s not just about nutrition. It’s also about Qi as well as information and frequency—food’s invisible aspects. Earlier, we discussed ways people discriminate against themselves. We also discriminate when it comes to thinking about food. We use our limited mind to choose limited foods. If we could learn how to see food as aware energy and information, our whole concept of nourishment would change dramatically. This concept is such an essential part of healing I have included an entire section on food and metabolism function. In Section V, I’ll share the real secret behind food.
Before we get to the five stages, let me give you a brief analogy to help make this new perspective on food more digestible. Let’s talk about choice. Many homes have satellite TV now. If you do, you probably have your favorite channels and shows as well as preferred viewing times. Because of these preferences, you only choose what you want to see. But think of it, there are thousands of channels with many stories you don’t choose; yet, these channels exist, even if you don’t turn them on. The world of satellite television offers many interesting things, if you are open to exploring them. It’s the same with the Internet. Here, you can find an untold amount of information on everything. It depends on what you choose to look for. Now, imagine the whole Universe and its invisible mind and information; it is unimaginably vast in terms of what we can access. Remember, because you are made of energy, you have a built-in receiver to home in on this energetic information, but if you don’t open your mind to this possibility and opportunity, it’s unlikely you will turn on this special feature. Your actions are based on your idea of receiving energy. In the end, each of us sees what we want to see. We hear what we want to hear. We choose what we want to choose for our own purpose. And, as we’ve seen from our discussion of the light spectrum in the last section, what we think we see is not the totality of what exists. The fifth and final stage of metabolism function gives profound meaning to the other four. I want to emphasize passionately we are not in this world merely to exist. We’re here to thrive and experience. We are here to discover our true identity and achieve our purpose—the promise we made before entering this reality. That is the vibrant nature of being human. I’d also like to emphasize the world was not created for sadness or misery, though these things exist. We are here to be happy. The fifth step of metabolism function, as we will see, is to manifest Spirit with a capital “S.” Spirit is alive within each of us. This quality of being vibrantly alive is what defines a healthy human being. If we can perform all five stages of metabolism function well, we become the physical manifestation of Universal consciousness. Then, we humans are literally “digesting the Universe”—not only for ourselves but for the greater consciousness of All That Is. Imagine how vital each of us is to this grand plan. No one is insignificant. Quite the opposite. In our day-to-day lives we lose sight of this eternal magnificence. Before we go on, I’d like to point out something about the first stage I describe as receiving. As noted before, we receive many things—visible and invisible—from the world outside of us. Naturally, food allows us to survive, so ingestion is part of metabolism function, but I want to emphasize that we also ingest make you aware we also ingest emotions and information. To discuss metabolism from the body–mind–spirit perspective, we have to include these aspects of being. The Five Element energetic framework is a unique blueprint that allows us to do this. Let’s look at information. As I discussed earlier, we consume enormous amounts of information. No matter where we turn, we are flooded with multiple streams of media in all forms. The authors of “How Much Media? 2013 Report on American Consumers,” produced by the Institute for Communications Technology Management (CTM) at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business tells more. They estimate, by 2015, Americans are expected to consume media, audio or visual, for more than 1.7 trillion hours, or an average 15.5 hours per person daily. This doesn’t count workplace time. Some of it arrives as secondary or background content streams in a world of constant multitasking. The amount of media delivered is projected to exceed 74 gigabytes annually, equal to about nine DVDs worth of data sent to the average consumer on a typical day. Information is not only facts or ideas; information is also energy we “consume” and, therefore, have to process and digest. Do you feel capable of digesting the increasing amount of information in your life?
Now, we can expand our definition of healthy metabolism function to its fullest: you should be able to receive, digest, process and transform both visible and invisible material taken into the body from external sources. That’s why receiving good news literally makes you feel good, while bad news can make symptoms return, or make a bad condition worse. I think many readers can relate to the idea that, sometimes, receiving good news can help even more than taking medication.
The Visible and Invisible: Things Your Body Accepts The invisible is always more powerful than the visible. At the spiritual level, nothing enters your body without your permission or agreement. We may say otherwise, but that’s the truth. Nothing—no idea, item of information, food, virus, bacteria—enters our physical being without agreement on the consciousness level. From this angle, let’s look at the visible and invisible and how they affect the body, mind and spirit. Whatever we see is visible. It can be food, or information, a love letter, or even a hate letter for that matter, an email, a phone call. Anything that can be picked up with the five senses we can say comes from the visible. Then, there is invisible information. You walk on the street and you sneeze for no apparent reason. This sneeze is related to something invisible you cannot perceive with your senses. But, why do you sneeze? You may have picked up some invisible energetic frequency without your mind consciously processing it. Or, it’s possible you have a board meeting in five days you’re dreading. Suddenly, you come down with a bad cold. What’s going on? Because we have moved to looking at things from the spirit level, we have to consider your sixth sense has become involved. It may indeed be your sixth sense picked up some kind of message you need now in preparation for a future event. It is possible invisible information can pass to your energy field this way. Do you believe this can happen? Consciousness does not operate within time and space, so these kinds of events are possible. Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real. –Niels Bohr As you tune up your metabolism function, you may be able to sense these invisible messages that create transformational actions in your body. Take irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, for example. It involves nervousness you discount or something you sense but don’t know how to deal with. The Western framework sometimes says the root cause is in your mind, but why are you nervous? Your mind can’t pinpoint why you’re nervous; however, your consciousness knows. Within the Five Element energetic framework, you have picked up something you don’t know how to deal with using the rational mind. Let’s say your body is trying to release tension, but unfortunately you can’t. This stress, if experienced on a chronic basis and depending on who you are, can manifest as a function disorder. It can create an illness that involves releasing loose stool. This release happens, but you don’t know why; you don’t know how. The sixth sense is involved.
Here’s another way to view the invisible. Sometimes people have a stubborn sinus allergy. Even though they change or eliminate everything in their life—no dog, no cat, different bedclothes and so on—they still suffer from allergy symptoms. Or, their body still has an allergic reaction to different foods. So they stop the foods. I had one patient whose diet had become so restricted she was down to just about water and crackers! Everything she ate caused an allergy. So when all these things are changed and eliminated, why does the allergic reaction remain? The answer is the body is still picking up invisible information that is causing the allergic reaction. The best way to deal with this is to treat it as an energy frequency that has become unbalanced. The solution is to rebalance it, not create a deeper search for better drugs, surgery, or further changes in the external world. I realize this angle of view may be difficult for a lot of people to accept, but if you open your mind, you might see this kind of situation relates to your own condition. The invisible can be something science has not even discovered yet because not everything is known today. Many times, we are not able to define something, but we know it. This is called direct cognition. There are other ways to receive information than just from books, school, teachers, or the Internet. In fact, sometimes, we may pick up information we did not read in a book or learn from an “authoritative source,” but we do know it. We feel it. Think about this concept: We can’t even define deep space, or so many things like God, or perfect harmony, or love. We can, however, feel them. We are aware of things in our being. My hope is you will begin to use your body as a sensitive, energetic tuning fork. You will be amazed at the things you can encounter. Perceiving the invisible depends on your level of belief as well. To activate or exercise your sixth sense, you have to ask yourself how much you want to open. How much do you really want to “see”? Take light, for example, as I’ve said, we only experience one one-thousandth of the entire light spectrum we know exists. The rest of the spectrum is basically invisible to us, but that doesn’t mean these light waves or frequencies aren’t valuable and even necessary to our lives. It doesn’t mean they don’t impact us. Just because we are not able to measure things, doesn’t mean they don’t have an important purpose. Who knows what inventions and breakthroughs will develop in the twentyfirst century? Think about this: If someone told you forty or more years ago you would be able to get money from a metal box in an opening on the side of a brick building, would this have seemed possible? If someone had told you less than twenty years ago that more than seven billion people would have the opportunity to connect through an invisible network that spanned the globe, would you have believed them? There are so many things that impact us on so many levels, yet we persist in believing our five senses are the ultimate indicators of reality, so we screen out valuable information that could help us significantly improve health and change our lives.
The Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function Through my master’s training, my Qigong practice and decades of clinical experience with various health conditions, I’ve discovered that the five stages of healthy metabolism function are invaluable for whole-person diagnosis. Again and again, I have seen the body’s amazing ability to self-heal. Again and again, I have been in awe of the beautiful, loving design of the human body and its ability to serve as a reflection of the unconditional love of the Universe. It has become clear to me the first four physical stages actually exist to support the invisible and most powerful stage, which relates to spirit. It is the reason the first four stages exist. This final stage is the key to healthy metabolism function; we have arrived in this reality for a purpose, not just to digest food and eliminate waste. We have entered this world with an inborn knowing of the rightness of our being and with everything we need to achieve our mission. I believe each of us is born with a magnificent purpose that is ours alone—one that also enhances the oneness of Universal consciousness. Healthy metabolism function allows us to accomplish our singular purpose. It has to show on your body in some way—on your face, in your life, in your effect on others. The power of invisible Qi has to manifest itself some way. When it does, you are achieving your purpose. It has to show, just as Nature itself shows its own metabolism function. Think of bare trees in winter. After a dormant period, they move to a higher level of transformation. As it prepares to show off its new growth and life, the tree manifests an entire year’s worth of processing its metabolism function.
When we apply Nature’s laws to the human body, we can see transformation means the nutrition in all the food you consume has a purpose. The purpose is to give each organ what it needs and to help transform those organs so your entire being can function at a higher level. When you ingest food, the food itself is transformed with you—not just through chemical processes, but through a kind of spiritual alchemy. We will talk much more about this in Section V, on Food and Metabolism Function. You receive the message of life itself from food, but do you believe this? Are you open and sensitive enough to receive these messages? If you cultivate this belief and keep an open mind and Heart, your health can become much more vibrant. As we explore the first four stages of metabolism function, I would like you to think about your own body. Is there something you see that’s out of balance? When we talk about the stages of receiving, digesting, processing and transformation is there something you feel is not working the way it should? To achieve the final stage of metabolism function, these four actions have to occur smoothly and efficiently. The processes do not take place in a linear fashion. They happen at the speed of light! I would like you to recognize the enormous creativity, intelligence and motion in metabolism function. Are you ready to improve your metabolism function so your spirit can fully express itself? Let’s take a closer look at each stage.
Receiving or Taking In When you take anything into your body it means someone or something has given you something. That is called receiving. With this first action, you have begun the process of metabolism function. Your body has agreed to take something in from the outside. However, when you do this, don’t just look at the visible aspect. There is always the invisible side that includes messages and information. I encourage you to keep an open mind and avoid limiting your understanding. This is especially true of any food you choose, but, I would like you to remember, it is equally true of information and emotions. Food represents something extraordinary. This material is the physical transformation of Nature’s Qi. It carries the unconditional love of Universal consciousness. There are so many immaterial things contained within food. Besides Qi or vital energy, food also carries Universal messages; we’ll see this shortly with the example of a simple teaspoon of honey. Without understanding the energetic aspect of food, we concentrate on its physical properties thinking that’s all there is. Today, nutritionists base their work on the physical and chemical properties of food, which is a Newtonian approach and excludes the aspect of Qi’s power, messages and wisdom. If they shifted their angle to the relativistic framework, they would see much more. When it comes to food, or really anything in our world, without a revolutionary approach that factors in the invisible aspect of Qi, we’re stuck with half the picture. I urge you, please don’t limit your understanding to only what you can see.
Why is receiving or taking in the first step of metabolism function? It’s you who makes this decision to bring something into your body. Your initial decision occurs at the mind level. I tell my patients they have to understand, at this initial stage, it is their choice to receive something. No one can force them do this. Consciousness plays the key role in receiving. Here is the interesting part about receiving: it is uniquely related to you and your spirit’s purpose. What you choose to accept into your body is based on beliefs. Your mind is literally saying, “I believe the things I’ve chosen to receive will benefit me somehow, in some way.” Only you know what those beliefs are and what that benefit is. Everyone is equipped with this decision-making capability because of the body’s multidimensional body–mind–spirit operating system. Each level can only be accessed and will only function with the right commands. It’s like pressing “Enter” on your computer. What are these commands? Where do they come from? Your beliefs trigger the commands. They are passwords for entering different parts of your multidimensional system. Different beliefs let you operate different parts. However, entering another level is just one step. Other things have to operate too. If your organs don’t function well, you will not be able to process and digest more material and nonmaterial data. On a consciousness level, you agree whatever you put into your mouth, as well as your mind, provides benefit. (Yes, even a second slice of cake or binge-watching a favorite TV series!) Processing emotions and information is included in receiving as well. These agreements constitute a key stage of metabolism function. Please be aware what you allow to enter your body is not an accident or random event. From working with my patients, I often see they have never considered this concept. Receiving isn’t something that “happens to you.” At the spiritual level, you agree to these things. Most people receive information from the external world through their five senses. All of these relate to visible phenomena. The five senses—taste, touch, smell, hearing, seeing—you are familiar with. The visible is always based on the five senses. You believe everything you see and touch is real. Many times, we limit our full potential because we allow ourselves to believe in only what we experience through these senses. Today, virtual reality brings a new perspective to this notion. Your sixth sense is invisible and responds to invisible things. The Tao Te Ching brings us wise thoughts from across the ages and describes the effects of the five senses when we are dazzled by the physical world. I admit our world is dazzling, but if we only pay attention to sensory feedback, we miss much of life’s richness and depth. Colors blind the eye. Sounds deafen the ear. Flavors numb the taste. Thoughts weaken the mind. Desires wither the heart. The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky. –Tao Te Ching Epigram 12
The sixth sense is a miraculous gift. It’s born with us, imbedded in our genetic code. Initially, infants rely on this sense to interpret their world. Look at a tiny baby. Why do they cry when certain people hold them or talk to them? Different people create different responses. Even if someone uses nice words and happy sounds, an infant uses its sixth sense to recognize who loves them. Parents know even though their baby hasn’t yet acquired a language-based system, he or she can communicate feelings and needs very well. Unfortunately, as most of us grow up, we gradually disconnect from this important feature. Today’s society suppresses the use of the sixth sense in many different ways. Our families, educational systems, business culture and more train our minds to believe this asset is not valuable, so most of us gradually stop using it. The lucky ones, like artists and musicians, continue to access this special gift. Many well-known scientists understood their groundbreaking discoveries were not solely the result of input from the five senses. Only when they went beyond them were they able to discover new and extraordinary ideas. Albert Einstein understood this well. He remarked, “I believe in intuitions and inspirations … I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am.” With your sixth sense, you have the capability to pick up something you can’t know through your mind. This information directly resonates with your invisible meridian network. Using it is based on two things: how developed your level of Qi is, and how deeply you believe in the world of the invisible. These two factors determine how much you can use this feature. If you believe you must see, hear, smell, taste or touch everything to confirm it is true, you have already defined the boundaries and limits of your reality. Whether we are aware of it or not, human beings are always processing the invisible and visible simultaneously. Both levels are based on belief, but if you base your understanding only on the visible aspect of events or situations, you screen out a lot of valuable information. Your judgments, feelings and understanding are then limited by your senses. Together, your five senses do not have the capacity for creating a complete picture of reality because they’re based on half the picture. This kind of information is finite. Keeping in mind the principle of Yin-Yang, we know the other side is not accounted for. The more you believe in the invisible, the more information you pick up, the bigger the picture you see. Your world can become richer, more colorful, more meaningful and definitely more interesting! I would like to emphasize that the body’s many functions are based on beliefs. The action of receiving is always based on what you believe. For example, you may believe eating salad regularly is healthy; you may believe it offers lots of nutrition, vitamins and minerals; you may believe salads help you lose weight. Your beliefs cause you to look at salads a certain way; based on these beliefs, you regularly consume salads. I see mostly Western women in my practice. They tell me they eat salads frequently, if not every day. Yet, most of them suffer from a poorly functioning digestive system. They believe salad is good for their health, weight and digestive system. Yet, they still suffer from food allergies, chronic sinus conditions or yeast infections. Our discussions focus on the TCM perspective about salads. With their Cold essence, they contribute to unbalanced Stomach function when they play a major role in diet. Most patients are surprised to hear this. To heal, they need the best ingredients to support each of the functions of their organs, but as we will learn, when we discuss food in depth, they choose to receive limited ingredients. Unless their beliefs change, their bodies will not open up their processing ability to select ingredients for healing.
I tell patients: On the physical level, you are what you eat. On a higher level, you are what you think. Your beliefs and the foods you choose have the ability to create a different, healthier body. What if you change your beliefs? What if you believe an apple is better than a salad? Then, you would choose the apple. But, if you don’t change beliefs, then you will think salad is the better choice. If your mind continues thinking this way, you can never gain the maximum benefit from any apple you eat, especially from an energetic point of view. Your belief has already limited its healing power.
Digesting The Encyclopedia Britannica describes digestion as “a sequence by which food is broken down and chemically converted so that it can be absorbed by the cells of an organism and used to maintain vital bodily functions.” Let’s explore digestion using a different framework. Digesting something means that you change its form; you break it down into smaller pieces. Your body makes something “digestible,” but that’s far from the whole of it. When you digest something, you break it down by heat and moisture, or chemical action. Literally, the process of digestion breaks things apart into separate elements. The body’s wisdom has the ability to make a decision about what it needs from each of these broken-apart pieces. Let me emphasize: Your organs have the skill to make decisions about what will benefit them. They say, “I like fat. I need sugar. I can’t eat that. This is good or, not good, for me.” All of these judgments happen invisibly at lightning speed. They actually happen because of the body’s innate wisdom and intelligence. Each of your organs takes in what it needs, based on what your mind is thinking. Beliefs always influence the action of digestion. Here’s an example of something many women have experienced during their menstrual cycle: They may crave sugar; sometimes, they may crave salt. Sometimes, they may crave both at the same time. What’s happening? During the menstrual cycle, assuming she doesn’t listen to cultural beliefs saying chocolate is bad, or too much salt causes water retention, a woman will listen to the wisdom of her body and satisfy her craving. She’ll have some chocolate, or eat some potato chips or salted nuts. This woman is doing something natural. She’s listening to her body’s wisdom and overriding her mind. My patients are surprised when I say, “Congratulations! This means your other sense is still working.” Another woman with these cravings may tell herself this is not a good thing to do. This woman is listening to her mind. There’s a big difference. Which information is true? The craving is a message that tells you your body is searching for a certain kind of Qi or energy frequency to help it function. At that time, it’s telling you the truth. How do we know? Remember, the body never lies! The Five Element energetic framework offers an incredible blueprint for understanding this phenomenon and the body’s responses. It shows the correspondences of tastes, which we know can also be read as energy frequencies. Sweet, sour and salty tastes are associated with the Stomach, Liver and Kidney, respectively—the vital triangle of organ systems responsible for healthy metabolism function. The Heart and Lung also have corresponding tastes, which are bitter and spicy, respectively. These tastes are a clue to the organ system that corresponds to them.
Processing
Processing is the third stage. It means you select ingredients from the foods you eat that you will transform later into what the organs need. This stage is based on what you need, as well as on what you don’t need. Your body will skip processing anything you believe you will not need. Processing itself is a two-part activity. One part involves discrimination or the mental action of selection; the other involves the messages or requests different organs send to each other in a search for ingredients to support their function. Together, the organs and their relationships make the body function as an integrated family. When it comes to processing, each organ knows its own responsibilities. It also knows what it needs to perform at its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual best. Your body is born with this wisdom. When we look at the multidimensional functions of the three organs systems involved in metabolism function, this is what we see: At the physical level, the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of the material substance of Blood and its invisible companion Qi. At the mind level, it is also responsible for certain emotional frequencies. Its job is to experience, express, process and let go of anger, stress, frustration and irritability. At the spiritual level, the Liver needs to manifest flexibility. At the physical level, the Stomach is responsible for digesting visible and invisible things. At the mind level, it must deal with the energetic frequencies of overthinking and excess worry. At the spiritual level, the Stomach must be able to receive. At the physical level, the Kidney must manage the body’s water system. At the mind level, it must handle emotions of fear or shock. At the spiritual level, this organ must be able to go with the flow. These three organs along with their partners must perform at an optimum level for metabolism function to work at its best. The Lung and Heart also have body–mind–spirit functions, which we will discuss shortly. Thanks to the Five Element energetic framework, we can appreciate how the body functions on multidimensional levels. While we live our lives in linear time, at the spiritual level, everything is occurring at the same time. Life itself is based on a promise of the future. At a higher level, the whole body knows the future. It already knows what it needs and constantly prepares for it. We can apply this concept to the action of processing. For instance, if you are planning to ski a challenging mountain in two weeks, intuitively your body understands it will need energetic support to handle this experience. Highperformance skiing will require the Kidney and Liver to be at their strongest. One is responsible for bone health; the other for tendon function. These two organs already know at the consciousness level they need to prepare themselves to receive more Qi to handle the demands of the ski outing two weeks later. They will ask the Lung, the distributor of the body’s Qi, to put aside extra energy for the big adventure! The whole body possesses the wisdom to know what it needs to survive physically, not just for today but also for tomorrow. Therefore, the body has the capability to plan for and produce material for future physical and mental activities from the substances it receives and digests. When your body is in processing mode, it must add in something or do something to ensure the right physical substances are created for each organ. For this to occur smoothly, the cooperation of other organs is essential. At this stage, the ingested material enters your Stomach in its raw form. As TCM says, it is the Stomach’s job to “ripen and rot” things. It is still not useable until it undergoes processing. After processing, this material becomes specific Qi or energetic frequencies that match each organ’s needs. These frequencies are sent to the Lung whose duty is to make sure the organs receive the Qi they need to function.
Now, based on energy needs, each organ sends its request to the Lung: “Please find this specific energy frequency for me.” When the message is sent, however, it’s important there’s a healthy relationship between the organ sending the message and the Lung itself. For instance, if your Lung isn’t cooperating well with your Large Intestine or colon, your message can get lost. Your colon will not get the material it needs and may suffer. The Western medicine framework recognizes different organs have different cellular structures. The TCM framework understands different organs require different amounts and different kinds of Qi, which, most likely, will come from food. There are really only two ways the body can gain Qi: one is through foods; the other is through an energy practice like Qigong, which allows it to accumulate Qi by opening to Universal energy. Strong processing ability helps the body select the nutrients and Qi it needs from the foods the Stomach is digesting or decomposing. Again, based on the relationship each organ has with the Lung and how well it functions, messages are sent to this central processing organ. If the other organs don’t have a balanced relationship with the Lung and Large Intestine, messages aren’t delivered. This concept is relevant to a discussion of supplements in Section V, on Food and Metabolism Function.
Example: Allergies—A Tale of Two Organs with a Relationship Problem Here’s an example of how you can identify which two organs are having a relationship problem. Every time someone eats a certain fruit (strawberries, mangoes, oranges, and so on, it doesn’t matter which fruit), they may develop itchy eyes. At this point, most people will say, “I have an allergy to this or that fruit. I can’t eat this or that food.” A skilled TCM practitioner would recognize right away this is a function disorder between the Liver and the Stomach. Why? As we’ve seen, the Five Element energetic framework shows the eye is the Liver’s opening to the outside world. If the eye exhibits a problem, deep down the Liver’s function is out of balance. And, the Stomach, the processing apparatus for the food, is also not cooperating well with the Liver. As we’ve seen, acid reflux is another condition that involves the relationship between the Liver and Stomach.
By understanding the location of the body structure with a problem, this framework guides us to the two organs dealing with relationship issues. Take a look at the other organs in our energetic framework and their openings to the external world. The Kidney is associated with the ear; the Heart is associated with the tongue; the Stomach is associated with the mouth; the Lung is associated with the nose; the Liver, as we’ve seen, is associated with the eye. You may discover some different insights about your
current health situation as you look at them within the context of this framework.
Transformation Transformation is the fourth stage. Many organs are required to transform the received, digested and processed material the Stomach grinds and decomposes. For another organ to receive Qi, the Spleen and Stomach have to promote action to transform the processed material into Qi, the unique, intelligent energetic frequencies each organ needs to function. In some ways, transformation is a mysterious process.
Example: Understanding Transformation Here’s an analogy about the action of transformation. When young adults go to college, typically they go through four years with the same classmates; they take many of the same classes with the same professors. In effect, each of them graduates with the same body of knowledge. It isn’t until they apply their newly gotten knowledge that transformation occurs. Depending on who they are, each one will use what they’ve received differently. When the academic knowledge they’ve gained enhances their lives, you get closer to the idea of the process and purpose of transformation. Here’s a more extended analogy: Let’s say you watch a cooking show on TV about how to create delicious cookies. You say to yourself, “These cookies look so special, I’d like to try the recipe.” So you shop for ingredients and combine them at home to create a special cookie you share with family and friends. The cookie, though, hasn’t created any transformation, yet. True transformation happens when your family and friends get joy from eating them. The recipe and the cookies themselves are not the ultimate purpose. They just represent knowledge. The process hasn’t turned into joy, so it stays incomplete—its purpose not yet accomplished. When joy is achieved, transformation has occurred.
I find many people get stuck in the learning process, which is in the mind. The knowledge stays with them internally and doesn’t progress to a transformational level. What is that level? It’s external! In the case of the cookie, the ideal process would be to digest the knowledge of the recipe, work with the ingredients, bake the cookies and create wonderful products. Sharing these so others experience the joy of eating something delicious is the ultimate purpose. Naturally, if the cookies tasted terrible, then the process wouldn’t be a transformational one. Transformation is not a static stage; there is always motion. The entire metabolism function process also has to have motion, since it carries the potential to move higher and higher. You’ll see this as we continue our analogy. Your special treat might make everyone want to know your recipe. These cookies might be so good you give them to neighbors, friends and coworkers. They get such enjoyment from eating them. They urge you to start selling them. More cookies make more people happy. Soon, you open a small store. As things progress, you might create a whole business selling these amazing cookies. Now, you are making yourself and even more people happy. With each step, you are moving higher and higher—not just financially, but in manifesting your purpose. This kind of processing is similar to what takes place within the body. First, your body must digest information; it has to acquire knowledge. But, this knowledge can’t just remain at the internal level; it has to move. It has to have motion. You receive knowledge and create action with it. Then you transform it. At each level of growth, you change. As you exercise your metabolism function, it becomes more powerful. At each level of change, your metabolism function improves. This kind of processing is similar to changes occurring with our baker. As business grows, she has the capability of receiving and digesting even more information. She can process more; this in turn allows her to satisfy new, more exciting criteria. The body does the same thing. As metabolism function improves internally, it manifests itself externally. It has to follow Natural Law. You experience growth; you are growth at the body, mind and spirit levels. You experience a positive upward spiral when you achieve a higher level of
transformation. Transformative changes help your whole life become richer, more creative and profound. If you truly grasp how this concept works, you will understand the ultimate purpose of metabolism function. Remember, continual dynamic change in the energy field is the true nature of the Universe. If life isn’t dynamic, metabolism function will eventually become stagnant. Life itself has motion.
Example: Organs Communicate at the Speed of Light Each organ has unique energy needs. And, each one is made of cells with a distinctive cellular structure. We can readily see these distinctions when a cancer cell metastasizes. For instance, if a cell migrates from the Liver to the Lung, how does Western medicine recognize where the new cancer has come from? It knows by the different cellular structure and energy signature of the invading cancer. Not only does each organ have a distinctive cellular structure, each one requires different, usable substances to support healthy function. When you consider these kinds of actions, it is hard not to be in awe of the human body’s incredible wisdom and knowledge. Here’s how this internal communications operation might look when digesting, processing and transforming substances for two organs—the Kidney and the Heart. Let’s say the Stomach is weak, which often happens to those undergoing chemotherapy. It can only produce three “units” of Qi or vital energy, to keep its daily bodily activities going. The Kidney, however, needs and asks for five units of Qi to take care of its responsibilities and remain functional. The Stomach replies, “Sorry, I don’t have the strength to digest the material I’ve just received. I can’t deliver the amount of energy you need.” The next day, the individual might have diarrhea. The poor Stomach just doesn’t have enough Qi to digest the food it’s eaten. A lot of this material has to leave the body as waste. Now, let’s say the Heart needs ten units of Qi to maintain its functions. Again, the Stomach just can’t comply. The result is the individual becomes anemic and fatigued. Now, in this situation, both the Kidney and the Heart are feeling stressed because they are not being adequately supplied with the energetic support they need. Here’s another example of how inter-organ communications operate. Let’s say you’re a vegetarian and your Kidney needs one unit of energy each day, but can’t get it. The result is the Kidney can’t stay as strong as it must to take care of its duty of managing bone health. So a part associated with the Kidney, such as your knee, experiences an injury. Or, you’re moving something in your house; suddenly you injure your lower back. As we’ve seen, in the Five Element energetic framework, both the knee and lower back are related to how well the Kidney functions. I hope you’re beginning to appreciate the inseparability of the body; everything is connected. Modern science has proved this; Chinese medicine has practiced it for millennia. Unless you understand the Kidney and its multiple responsibilities, it’s impossible to connect the cause of these injuries to one explanation—the Kidney doesn’t have enough Qi to function properly. Here, a different framework helps us see different things.
As many of you may know, vegetarian protein is different from meat protein. When you want to convert vegetarian protein to usable energy, the Kidney accepts it more easily than meat protein. We don’t give this much thought as we choose our daily foods, however, processing meat protein means we have to invite two other organs, the Liver and Gallbladder, to step into the digestive process. When you eat a steak, you need some bile and other enzymes to process it. These two organs are also needed to transform the digested meat in your Stomach, which in turn takes more Qi. In effect, the body says, “When you give me different kinds of materials, I have to create a special
team of organs to digest and transform what you’ve received and processed into the right kinds of Qi our organs can use.” Transformation means new things are in the process of continual creation. All the organs have to cooperate to use the raw material that has been received, digested and processed. They have to participate in the motion of transformation. While the Stomach may contain the raw material, even if you could see the processed physical material at this point, it would not be the same anymore. It would already be transformed. It would be different, thanks to the body’s amazing capability of separating ingredients into unique energy frequencies. Transformation leads to the ultimate spiritual stage of applying or manifesting.
Manifesting Your True Identity This is the final, most remarkable stage. In any exploration of healthy metabolism function, we have to include its spiritual dimension. This is something that is rarely, if ever, described. We will have much more to discuss about spirit in Spirit and Metabolism Function. The motion of metabolism function is what keeps your body, mind and spirit going. Without this multidimensional process, you would be dead. Look at this simple example: Flowers have their own metabolism function. Without it, they would have no way to bloom in this reality. Whenever a flower blooms, it means its ability to function has reached the highest level. The stages the flower had to go through—from a tiny seedling to a mature, flowering bush—were preparations for the final act of blooming. In the flower’s case, it is ready to “show itself ” at its peak of perfection. After the blooming cycle is over, the flower dies. It changes form and contributes to the metabolism function of other things. It may enrich the soil, or become fertilizer for the root itself, or nutrients for other flowers. It follows Natural Law—it’s born into this reality, grows and dies. As part of Nature, we follow this law as well. We enter this reality to achieve our highest level of functioning. I ask my patients, as I ask you, “Are you ready to bloom?”
There is a lot of discussion about how metabolic function works. As I said at the beginning, I am broadening this term to metabolism function to emphasize that this process has to include the body, mind and spirit. Currently, there is virtually no discussion, let alone a deep understanding, of “why” is metabolism function? What is its purpose? If we are to fully appreciate the vital role of metabolism function, we have to take into account the spiritual dimension of being, or our true identity. We can use the framework of ancient medicine or modern science to help us discover the nature of our true identity. What does true identity mean? Within all forms of matter, an energy essence exists that can never be changed or extinguished. This applies to human beings as well as the smallest structure in physical reality. The Five Element energetic framework helps us appreciate this concept of essence. Let’s take Wood as an example. In this system of energetic frequencies, no matter what form Wood takes—whether it is a sapling, a dead tree, a piece of furniture, or even burnt ashes—no matter what form it changes into, its true identity or essence is maintained. This essence can never change or be destroyed. At this level, Wood will always be the essence of wood. This is Natural Law. Likewise, as part of Nature, your true, unchangeable identity or essence exists beyond time and space. Some people call this aspect of being the spirit or soul. Your body is designed to manifest its true identity through healthy metabolism. Your journey to discover who you are is very much related to this vital function. Many spiritual practices talk about spirit. For some, this is a difficult subject. Here, we can look at it through the framework of ancient wisdom as well as modern science. Thousands of years ago, Qigong masters perceived that the visible world was supported by an invisible one. They downloaded Five Element theory into the third dimension, but understood its origins in a fourth dimension or an even a higher one. They recognized this theory could be applied to everything, including human beings. So, while you exist in this reality, your larger spirit exists at a higher dimension. Now, quantum thinking opens the door to understanding true identity from a different angle. As Fritjof Capra describes in The Tao of Physics, “All these relativistic effects only seem strange because we cannot experience the four-dimensional spacetime world with our senses, but can only observe its three-dimensional images… . These effects will seem paradoxical if we do not realize that they are only projections of four-dimension phenomena, just as shadows are projections of three-dimensional objects.” If this concept seems difficult to grasp, think of the simple act of looking in a mirror. What you see is you, but it’s not all of who you are. It’s only a reflection. We can apply the same concept to things in the third dimension. The fourth dimension is a place we can’t visit; however, when we understand physical forms as reflections of a higher dimension, we will think differently about many things. Nurturing metabolism function allows you to discover who you really are. Most people never have a chance to express their true selves. They never get a chance to learn what organ function really means—not just from the physical level but from the emotional and spiritual levels as well. With Digesting the Universe, I want to unlock the extraordinary wisdom of TCM that comes to us from across thousands of years and demonstrate its reflection in modern science. As the three organs systems responsible for healthy metabolism function improve, the other two organ systems improve too. When this vital triangle functions at its best, life itself changes at the body, mind and spirit levels. Each organ has a purpose, not just for processing physical functions, but for connecting with Universal consciousness itself. You are entitled to connect to invisible energetic frequencies that can make your whole life sing! This is your birthright.
As we’ve said, each organ has its own unique purpose to make the body balanced and connect with the invisible world. Why do we need balance? Remember our exploration of the actions of Yin and Yang; positive and negative energies always strive to rebalance themselves to the best of their abilities with the resources they have. Balance is essential because our body works best as a wholly integrated system. We need balance so each organ can achieve its highest level so you can move toward your highest purpose. Practically speaking, it is possible to function at the body–mind–spirit level!
Achieving a Higher Level of Health Improving metabolism function can help anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of health. It can also help anyone who wants to improve a chronic condition. This path is not about treating a specific illness or disease. When organs come back into balance and Qi flows freely in the meridians, the Nei Jing, the ancient Chinese medicine classic, tells us, “There is no place for disease or illness to enter.” One way to fight conditions is to name and analyze them, find out what medications can be taken, or what procedures or surgeries can treat them and so forth. That is one way up the mountain, but our framework provides a different path. I would like you to focus on enhancing life itself. No matter how healthy you are, you can always become healthier. I tell my patients, illness and disease only end in one place. Health is infinity! In Section VIII, Preparation for Your Healing Journey, I’ve included several powerful energy practices you can use right away. As you build your energy foundation, gradually you will see improvements. Best of all, this approach avoids putting a Band-Aid on health conditions. At last, you are dealing with the root cause. At first, changes may be subtle, but I assure you they are happening at a deep level. I encourage you to be patient. Traveling this path means being on the lookout for signs of health, not illness or disease. When organ function improves, you will begin to feel better. For instance, you might notice you do not wake up several times a night, or your chronic headaches are not as frequent, or your blood pressure or cholesterol levels have stabilized. Many things can change. All chronic conditions can benefit from this approach.
Example: Common Conditions with Different Root Causes
In TCM, diabetes is associated with three different organ systems: Heart–Small Intestine, Spleen-Stomach, Kidney-Bladder. Each of these paired organ systems is related to separate areas of the body: upper, middle and lower, respectively. Using the recommendations in this book, it is possible to positively impact the kind of diabetes associated with a Stomach or Kidney dysfunction. Diabetes conditions resulting from imbalances in these organs will often see good results with this approach. When diabetes has its root cause in the Heart–Small Intestine organ system, it’s more difficult to improve, but this form of diabetes can still improve over time by increasing Qi and strengthening your energy foundation. No matter what, by working with this ancient self-healing wisdom and the modern scientific concepts in Digesting the Universe, you cannot make a mistake by following the Five Element energetic framework because it is based on Natural Law. Remember, your life depends on a healthy digestive system. The Western medicine framework says diabetes is an immune system problem. It says without a healthy immune system, you won’t have strong metabolism function. The result is it’s difficult to achieve optimum health. That’s the modern medicine way of thinking. With its Five Element energetic framework, TCM sees diabetes from a different perspective. Here, the Stomach is the center of metabolism function. It represents the Earth element, the master of digesting all things. When you support the center, you support everything else as well, since all parts are connected. By continually strengthening Stomach function with various TCM modalities, including herbal therapy, acupuncture, Qigong and more, other organs can achieve balance. Then, the body will start to work better. When Stomach function improves, diabetes can improve. When Stomach function moves; everything else moves. This is a different framework for achieving health. It requires effort, but this effort brings lasting rewards. Let’s look at another condition. A number of my patients have thyroid problems. In Chinese medicine, thyroid conditions are considered a relationship problem among three major organs: Kidney, Liver and Heart. To deal with them, TCM often works on rebalancing the connection between the Kidney and Liver first. If this relationship can be restored through various modalities, the patient will see real benefit because treatment focuses on creating harmony between two of the three major organs necessary for
healthy metabolism function.
My patients experience the effects of strengthening their metabolism function in a unique way. They experience the difference between feeling a sense of true well-being versus being well in a clinical sense, or “by the numbers.” As function improves, often a patient’s condition disappears completely. As they feel better, sometimes we see their blood tests still may not indicate improvement. What’s happening at this point? This situation means the patient has reached a stage where he or she has changed at only one level. The subjective state of feeling better is a positive sign; it means they’re on the right path. His or her ability to function in harmony is improving because certain imbalances are being resolved. The patient definitely feels better; results are now emerging at the Qi level. However, their condition hasn’t progressed to a point where changes can be measured with tests, so there is no proof or evidence of change, yet. During this period, I caution patients to focus on this path. They need to continue to strengthen their Qi foundation and go deeper to achieve lasting change. Here’s a different angle to see this situation that might seem unusual. If you have not completely healed the root cause, some degree of imbalance is still hiding inside. It’s like a “virtual parasite.” Your body still has this parasite, but remarkably it’s beginning to impact your health less and less. You can live with this condition as long as your metabolism function and your organs work well. Not many people can accept this concept of “living with” something as long as it doesn’t create problems. But, think about it from this angle: It’s like having a tenant who refuses to pay rent. As long as the tenant is quiet and doesn’t disturb the neighbors, all can be peaceful. Interestingly, mainstream Western medical experts are beginning to consider this approach, often in relationship to cancer. To explore this angle a litte further, consider this: You can base your life on how you feel inside, or you can base it on numbers from test results. You can carry on and live a full life without fighting illness and disease as long as this virtual parasite doesn’t bother you. Our whole society has criminals, but as long as they don’t bother you, you feel safe! I tell my own patients, “Where do you want your focus to be? Do you want to make your body one hundred percent pure? Or, do you want to focus on Life with a capital ‘L’?” This perspective is especially relevant for my breast cancer patients. I ask them, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” I ask them if they want to focus on special diets, multiple medications or herbs, and spend time and energy scanning the Internet for the latest cancer cure, or how to prevent breast cancer from returning. That is one path some patients choose to follow. Other patients recognize cancer as a wake-up call and make the choice to avoid returning to the body, mind and spirit life patterns that created the condition in the first place. This presents them with an exciting opportunity to focus on establishing a different kind of life they can enjoy. These patients make a conscious choice to fulfill their life’s purpose. One patient can focus on the negative; the other on the positive—both can have a good life, but one has less freedom, joy and happiness. The other has more richness, more joy and peace. She is free. I advise my breast cancer patients, “Please, don’t walk on an old path with your new shoes. Change your path, not your shoes!” What do I mean by this? I would like patients to recognize their previous patterns, beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and lifestyle choices contributed to their condition. These relationships are not separate from their cancer. Yet, the condition has a good purpose, as we will discover when we talk about spirit more deeply, later. If these patients can exchange old ways for healthier ones and learn to let things go, they have the best chance of preventing a recurrence of breast cancer.
No matter what condition, each medical system—Eastern or Western—uses a different framework that involves different kinds of speed and different angles to understand relationships of one thing to another. For instance, even the strongest man on Earth can’t fight a whole football team of eleven hefty, skilled players. In this scenario, it’s one against the many. The Western approach is sometimes referred to as, “one drug for one bug; one pill for one ill.” In this respect, Western medicine is similar to golf or tennis. TCM is a team sport, more like football or baseball, where cooperation is essential. Its approach is to assemble an entire team to overwhelm a condition. In this respect, it’s many against one. As we’ve discussed, TCM starts from the belief that everything is based on oneness, as well as Qi and its effect on all aspects of the patient, not only on the material body. Its Five Element framework looks at the cooperative functions of each organ and their relationships. It begins with the invisible and moves to the visible, which is why healing is always from the top down. As a functional medicine, the TCM model offers a personalized approach to activate the patient’s healing skills to prevent illness and disease. Conceptually, it offers patients a way of seeing wellness as more than the absence of disease, or numbers on test results. For TCM, ultimate health is a vibrant state of being where spirit manifests creativity and fulfills its purpose. Today, the Western medicine framework focuses on differentiation and analysis at the physical level and goes deeper into the observation of material things. Its approach separates parts of the body and develops specialties and treatments to heal them. It begins with the visible and, as we’ve discussed, uses advanced technologies to see more of the invisible. Its approach to wellness includes medication, surgery, physical therapy and more. Perhaps, like many of my patients, you’ve searched a long time for answers to chronic health issues. Perhaps you have seen many practitioners, Western and Eastern, hoping the next one might help you. Maybe you are one of those people who believe the next Internet search will reveal a cure or a clue to improving your condition. If so, please understand it is not an accident that you are reading this book. As we continue our quantum healing journey, I hope you find the exploration of metabolism function from the Five Element energetic perspective exciting. It offers one of the oldest, most successful blueprints for achieving optimum health at the body, mind and spirit levels. With it, we have a tremendous opportunity to build a revolutionary framework for true wellness by merging the relativistic and quantum theories of modern science with the ancient medical wisdom of TCM.
How Can You Tell If You Have Healthy Metabolism Function? How do you know if you have healthy metabolism function? The simple answer is you can see it in action, and not just in the actions of everyday life. You can see it in the energy certain individuals give off. You can feel it by the way you and others are drawn to their charisma, positive outlook and genuine happiness. Their energetic frequency seems to be higher than those around them. Though you may not recognize these qualities as indicators of healthy metabolism function, I think most people can immediately recognize when there’s “something special” about a person they meet.
At its most basic level, an individual’s metabolism function allows him or her to perform the essential activities of daily life: eating, sleeping and elimination. If you don’t have an appetite, if you can’t sleep and if you have difficulty with elimination, you definitely have a metabolism function disorder. These are basic life functions. Look at babies: For life to grow, they must eat, sleep and eliminate without problems. It’s that simple. If we too want to grow, these functions have to work well at every age. However, maintaining balance in these areas becomes challenging as the aging process progresses. From my perspective, stress is the number one factor that compromises our ability to stay balanced. Let’s look at these processes. Eating: Supposedly, you should be able to choose and digest whatever foods you like, as well as digest or process your feelings and information input. In this reality, you should be able to use food at the body–mind–spirit level. If you have allergic reactions to certain foods, your body is already sending you a message that it has an imbalance. Can you decode it? This is a sign you have a function disorder at the dietary level. Sleep: If you continually experience sleep disturbances or have a sleep disorder, have recurring nightmares, or wake up frequently during the night, your body is telling you it can’t process the visible and invisible ingredients you have ingested during the day. It is having difficulty repairing itself because a good night’s sleep is not happening; the next day, you most likely experience an energy dysfunction. You may feel fatigued, not as attentive or focused. You may have mood swings. Elimination: If you suffer from constipation, your body is sending you another message of imbalance. It’s saying you are holding onto something that needs to go! If you continually suffer from loose stools, your body also has trouble letting go in a different way. Healthy metabolism function, however, does not just exist so you can digest and process whatever you take in and eliminate it. When you experience a healthy metabolism function, you are nurturing your own gift of spirit. Fulfilling spirit’s purpose is the outcome of healthy metabolism function. It will show itself in vibrancy, vitality and physical strength; it will manifest in balanced Qi, or life force. With healthy metabolism function, you express life itself. You manifest the unconditional love of the Universe. You show your spirit in light, positive emotions that beam from your face. You manifest it when you project an air of authentic happiness, confidence, optimism and compassion! Did you know emotions ultimately project themselves on your face? Chinese medicine believes the face is the “freezer” of emotions. Have you seen older individuals who have a perpetually worried, angry, worn or stressed-out look on their face? That person’s face is reflecting many years of carrying those emotions. Your entire body is like a 3D movie screen that broadcasts your emotions. As an energy being, it has to show what you are receiving and creating. Individuals with healthy metabolism function draw you to them. You feel comfortable in their presence. When someone exhibits great spirit, you can’t help feeling great in their company. If this is not the case, metabolism function hasn’t reached its deepest level of completion. Otherwise, it’s like wearing an outer layer of clothing. Healthy metabolism function is not a projection of the mind; it comes from spirit. It has to show in the whole being. Why? In modern physics, an energy transfer must show in the quantum field, or what TCM calls the Qi field. Let’s look more closely at the transfer of energy from the modern physics perspective. Here, we recognize the amount of total energy is always the same. It is a matter of how the energy is transferred and distributed to physical matter. Again, we can turn to E=mc². Matter and energy are interchangeable at a certain level of reality. It’s Natural Law: Every living entity in this reality must demonstrate its metabolism function. It’s what makes us grow and change in size. Metabolism function has to manifest physically, which means you have to apply it! Think of this: if you just receive Qi or draw this energy into your body, it has to show somewhere in terms of mass.
This is something to be aware of: If human beings receive Qi, but can’t manifest it, it can turn to weight. In this case, the energy has gotten stuck. Once stuck, it can stagnate. Stagnation leads to real health problems. Weight will settle wherever energy cannot move. This signal also indicates which organ is out of balance. For instance, many people would love to get rid of their belly fat. Why is this so difficult? Qi or vital energy is stuck in the Stomach area. Remember our discussion of the Stomach’s role of digesting emotions and information as well as food? Refer to the Five Element energetic framework and you’ll see this organ’s emotion is overthinking and excessive worry— something so many of us do on a daily basis. Unless this emotional energy is processed, weight will remain and stubbornly refuse to disappear no matter how many diets you try. Let’s review: Ask yourself how well your body performs the basic functions of eating, sleeping and eliminating. If any one of these actions is going poorly, your health is not at its best; you probably already have one or more health issues. Even if you feel you’re healthy and can exercise several hours in a row at the gym, that’s not the whole story of who you really are. Your picture is incomplete. How do you know when metabolism function improves? What signs point to better health? You will know because of changes you will experience at the body, mind and spirit levels. Food will taste different; you will be attracted to different foods. Your preference for color will change. You might suddenly enjoy different kinds of music. You may find yourself wanting to move in a different way. These changes come from within and happen without effort. They don’t come from your mind or from the mental effort we put ourselves through when we try to create new habits. These changes happen seamlessly, naturally, and signal organ function is improving. As you work with this approach, ask yourself, “Do I find myself attracted to different vegetables and fruits when I shop? Do I like a spicier or saltier dish now? Do I suddenly feel like painting a room a different color I wouldn’t have chosen a while ago? Do things that used to bother me seem less important now?” These are excellent signs. Keep looking for more! By improving metabolism function, you will also see your appetite improve; you will unconsciously gravitate toward healthier foods and healthier thoughts. Your allergies may disappear. You will be able to drop your fear about eating certain foods and give up limiting beliefs about what you can and cannot eat. While stemming from invisible changes, these signs are reflections of those changes in external reality. Healthy metabolism function has to show itself in the material world. In the area of sleep, what are the signs of healthy metabolism function? You have no trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. You have a deep, refreshing sleep so your body can recharge itself and connect with the deepest parts of your psyche in the dream state. You have no sleep disorders, insomnia or nightmares. In the area of elimination, at its most basic level, you can easily process what you eat through your intestines and bowels. You do not have chronic constipation or loose stools.
How do you know metabolism function is working from the mind level? First, let me clarify what the mind means within the TCM framework, which includes a broad range of activities. In the West, the mind is mostly related to psychology or talking about what the mind is thinking. In the East, the function of the mind is understood to involve not just processing thoughts, but also intention, beliefs, and a broad range of emotions, feelings, creativity and desires. These aspects are intimately connected with the mind’s function. TCM considers emotions as the actions of the mind. Like thoughts, emotions are powerful energetic frequencies and, as such, have the ability to accumulate and exchange with matter. I think in our culture we all understand beliefs, emotions and feelings have a profound impact on health. From my clinical experience, I recognize these things also have a profound impact on metabolism function. We often don’t connect these invisible energies with the mind. The mind is between the visible and invisible; it’s like a screen on which a thousand different scenes appear. You create, direct and act out all these scenes. Healthy metabolism function constantly provides us with clues, especially when it begins to show in the area of feelings. For example, you suddenly have a desire to visit Nature more, to appreciate sunsets and full moons. Or, you may have passed the same flowers or trees dozens of times, but now you feel a real surge of connection. Or, you might have walked on the same beach hundreds of times, but now you feel something different; you feel something different, or you see the same things in a different way. As this aspect of your being grows, you have the capacity to experience a whole different relationship with this world and a deeper love for the visible and invisible aspects of life. Because of these changes at the mind level, you become more open to concepts that may not be grounded in the physical. You become more trusting of your intuition, your own feelings. Ultimately, you feel more confident and don’t doubt yourself. You begin to have faith in your own life and the invisible support from the Universal consciousness that underpins our reality. I encourage you to ask yourself, “How well does my mind function? How flexible am I? How open am I to new ideas? Am I willing to try a new path? Am I able to see a new picture of my reality?” When you are more open to the visible and invisible, you can be sure your metabolism function is improving at the mind or emotional level. Emotions are neither good nor bad; they are, however, powerful energetic frequencies that must be processed to maintain good health. Emotions must flow. It is not healthy when they become stuck. Sometimes anger, which impacts Liver function, is appropriate, but experienced frequently or held chronically, this energy destroys from within. Emotions also give rise to joyful creativity. Emotions give us the passion to do new things, to tackle exciting projects, to feel an expansion of the self. Suddenly, you experience a surge in intuitive thinking. Some people may have vivid dreams and feel the excitement of change growing within them as organ function improves. The highest level of metabolism function I would like to explore with you is spirit. Because you have read this far, you are one of those people with an interest in learning more about spirit. In the past several decades, there has been a lot of talk about body– mind–spirit health. There is even a growing body of information on the neuroscience of spirituality. What does this essential level of metabolism function mean? How can we truly understand it? As physical beings how are we connected to spirit? The physical world does indeed connect to the invisible world. Earlier we saw how Yin and Yang energies reflect the complementarity and interpenetrating nature of our world. We know these energies are not separate, but are two different aspects of oneness.
As physical beings we are shadows of a higher dimension. Modern physics tells us each dimension is a shadow of a higher one. We are one shadow of the invisible or spiritual world; we are a hologram of the spiritual world! All aspects of the spiritual world can be found in us, in every cell, in every aspect of our being. We can gain so much more when we open up and recognize the multidimensional interrelationships that make us who we are. Because the spiritual world is about the invisible, not many schools, not many places, teach us how to connect with it. Not many teachers help us learn how to open our eyes to see more, touch more and feel the invisible world. Not many places show us how to drop the mind and nurture faith. This province belongs to spiritual leaders, unfortunately not to healthcare practitioners as well. Would you be surprised if I said one of the most important ways we connect to spirit is through food? Because we don’t see spirit, it’s hard for us to believe it can be realized through a material substance, yet food offers humans a powerful bridge. Let me introduce here the concept of how this is so and how it relates to the spiritual world. There is much more ahead in Section V, on Food and Metabolism Function. Remember, modern science tells us when we look at things from a different angle, we can see different things. Let’s take a step back and explore the nature of food from a different angle, the spiritual one. Here, we are not interested in its physical properties. Natural foods like honey or vegetables and fruits come from living plants or living things. To exist in this reality, the plant has to follow Natural Law and the laws of the Universe, just as we do. Everything you eat is based on Universal love. Why do I say this? You cannot put love into the plant; it comes from the inside out. How is it love exists within a plant? Let’s explore this idea more closely. A simple flower garden offers an example of something transformed by Nature’s unconditional love. In it, flowers bloom; butterflies and bees perform their duties. The flowers give off a lovely aroma; they stimulate us with amazing colors and shapes. Each flower wants to show how beautiful it is. It is not trying to outshine the others. It just wants to show its beauty. When it’s fully in bloom, it has fulfilled its highest purpose. At the energetic level, this is how Nature shows its love. Since we are a part of Nature and also follow its laws, we also want to show our singular beauty and the love that we enter this reality with at birth. Otherwise, we would not exist in this dimension! Imbedded within us is the urge to fulfill our purpose—to bloom just like the flower. In this reality, though, you cannot just always receive. Earlier we spoke about the interpenetrating and interdependent energies of Ying and Yang. They should be balanced. If you receive energy, or love, through the food you eat, then, at the highest level of functioning, you have to let that love flow through you and return it as well. We do not live in a closed system and energy always flows both ways. If the flow of Nature’s love cannot be processed through you and given or returned to others, it becomes stuck. You may become stuck physically and this condition can manifest itself as constipation. No matter who you are, you play a singular role in the cycle of life as well as in the destiny of the Universe. Just as the flowers have a responsibility to bloom, so do you. Your job is to manifest your unique gifts. When you are able to do this, you increase your capacity for receiving even more. Your whole being can function at a higher level. This is the true purpose of metabolism function. Without manifesting itself externally, healthy metabolism has not completed its cycle of receiving, digesting, processing, transforming, and then manifesting itself. Without the kind of external evidence we’ve discussed, this cycle is incomplete. Without its application in your own life, the highest level of healthy metabolism function can’t be achieved. As you’ve seen, action of metabolism function goes far beyond how much food you can process. Based on what you’ve learned in this section, ask yourself, “How would I assess my metabolism function today?” Understanding spirit and the spiritual world is not about words; it’s always about experience. For example, you cannot understand love by talking about it; you have to experience it! You cannot talk about the experience of learning to swim. You have to jump in the water and experience what it means to be in the water. It’s the same with jumping out of an airplane. No matter how many times you try to explain to your friends the feeling of skydiving, they cannot relate to the experience of free-falling through the air without any connection to the earth. It is almost impossible to express these feelings. Someone just has to go through the experience; then they know. It’s the same with dreaming. You cannot share your dreaming experience with someone who says they have never dreamed. It’s the same with an exploration of spirit; this is always a challenging journey. I have to use limited language to help you open your mind to unlimited possibilities and realities so each of you can experience your intuition, creativity and imagination.
This knowledge may be difficult to understand. You may want to understand these concepts but can’t find any reference points; this information is against our culture. It seems to contradict the way your normal daily mind functions. Often too, we confuse spirituality with religion. The concepts I am eager to share with you may be unfamiliar. And, because you are not familiar with them, you don’t know how to apply this information yet to yourself and achieving a healthier metabolism function. Sometimes our mind gets in the way. The mind is very stubborn and has many strategies for preventing you from shifting your way of thinking. Our culture also makes change very difficult. It’s like driving a car where you have to go through neutral to shift gears. I would like you to see how you function wholly in the visible and invisible world. It is so challenging. You cannot use your rational mind to understand the invisible aspect of your being. Again, it’s like dreaming or jumping out of a plane or falling in love. There is no GPS for the spiritual world; you have to experience it! We just cannot use finite language to describe the infinite world of spirit, or use limited language to describe mystery. For ages, this puzzle has confronted Taoists. Today, physicists understand that aspects of reality are beyond words. They have run into the limitations of language to describe the infinite, interrelated motion of the energy field. The problems of language here are really serious. We wish to speak in some way about the structure of the atoms. But we cannot speak about atoms in ordinary language. –Werner Heisenberg You will often see in many spiritual practices that the master returns from the spiritual world to share his or her experiences. Many religions and spiritual leaders talk about the spiritual path. Each one tries to lead their followers along a different path with different language. In effect, they are like tourist guides to help you experience what’s right for you. However, if you ride one of the many tourist buses in New York City or rely on one of the many well-researched tourist guides, will you really see the essence or spirit of one of the world’s great cities? Or, will you only see what is being shown to you? Virtually all religions tell us “the answer is always within,” and “you hold the key.” At the spiritual level, you have the password to access this aspect of who you are. You have to make the choice to turn on the ability. Through your genetic code you have access to the wisdom of being a part of the earth for millions of years. Getting to the spirit level of metabolism function is not an intellectual exercise. It’s a journey of the Heart only you can take. No one can take it for you; you cannot take it for someone else. If you really want to understand the truths of the Universe, I urge you not to get stuck in the ego mind.
Example: Spirit and the Cycle of Cooperation and Connection
As we’ve seen, the Five Element energetic framework unveils spirit’s role. From my study, I can tell you the modern science framework helps us recognize spirit’s role too. How can that be? We’ve seen that it tells us everything is connected. We go about our lives agreeing, “Yes, yes, everything’s connected.” Do we really know what that means? Can we fully appreciate this concept? Maybe this story about the journey of a tiny teaspoon of honey can help. It is the life’s work of some 560 worker bees to make one pound of honey. They need to collect nectar from about two million flowers, and fly a total of more than 55,000 miles just to make this material. When you eat the honey, most likely their journey never enters your mind. You just want to taste your favorite honey on your toast. Now, let’s pull back and look at the big picture of cooperation and connection. In this three-dimensional framework, bees have their own life. Like every living thing, they too have to fulfill the promise of Universal life and love. Each of the two million flowers they visited also has to meet the requirements of Nature’s law. They must bloom or reach a certain stage of perfection; otherwise, the bee wouldn’t find them attractive. They must have the proper amount of physical material the bee can use to make honey in its hive. The bees themselves have to have Qi and the internal capabilities to fly so many miles to touch the pollen of certain flowers, return to the hive and cooperate with other bees to make honey. And that’s just Nature’s processing! Getting this honey means the chain of connections continues. Now, we have to add in the human element. Most honey comes from bee farmers who collect, package and ship their product to stores or, more precisely, the store where you shop. Every step has to connect. Everything has to be in the right place at the right time. If all these things don’t line up perfectly, you would never be able to drip your favorite honey onto your toast. There is a vast energetic message of cooperation carried within the physical material of this tiny teaspoon of honey. The question is, “Are you open to its message and are you able to receive it?” The energetic frequency is always there. It depends on whether you choose to access it or not. This multidimensional process of enormous cooperation is contained in one teaspoon of honey! Can you see this angle? This is information of the spirit. If you truly believe this, then when you eat the honey, your multidimensional operating system will benefit more. The wisdom imbedded in the honey will impact you more deeply. If you receive the message of cooperation between you and Nature, and you and others, this honey will stimulate your biofeedback ability and allow you to function at a higher
level.
Cooperation and healthy relationships are at the core of traditional Chinese medicine. This concept is not just a Chinese concept, but TCM practitioners have applied it for thousands of years. Today, we can merge this framework with that of modern science. We often hear a lot of talk about body-mind-spirit healing. But how can we understand the depth of this concept without fully appreciating spirit? Seeing things from a different angle or framework allows us to see different things. Think about it this way: We are fortunate to have high-speed Internet, but some people only want to use it to check email and the weather. They’re not interested in using any of its other functions; they never go to other websites or channels of information. There are many thousands of websites and channels, but they choose to see only what they want to see. Consequently, there are things they will never see. Their beliefs, thinking process and actions limit them. If you don’t exercise the special ability of seeing things from a different angle, you will miss the incredible opportunity to experience the transference of knowledge from different levels of reality.
Example: Same Experience—Different Levels of Understanding Imagine a group of boys all learning to swim at the age of five. Twenty years later, they find themselves at a party where they discover their love of swimming and realize they all started around the same age. They begin by talking about swimming, but if we dig deeper, we find they are using the same vocabulary but are not talking about the same thing. If we ask, “Where did they learn to swim? How did they learn to swim? What challenges were there? What style of swimming did they practice?,” we soon see swimming from different angles. The first person says, “I love swimming. I learned when I was five by doing laps in the family pool that was about 20 feet by 30 feet.” The second says, “Well, I never had a pool to swim in. Outside my backyard was a small river about 20 feet wide and it flowed for a few miles. That’s where I learned to swim.” Swimming in the river is different from swimming in an indoor pool. It takes different skills, sensibilities and sensitivities. The third friend says, “That’s interesting. My backyard was the ocean. I learned to swim there. You have to develop a lot of strength to swim in the ocean. I learned respect for its waves and riptides.” The fourth says, “I can’t say I know much about pools or
rivers or oceans. I lived my whole life on a boat. My father would toss me into a huge body of water and swim beside me!”
Listening to these young men, we see each one has experienced swimming. They understand its basic principles, but at what level do they understand them? Only when you too swim are you able to understand these experiences create a different feeling and require different techniques. They demand different capabilities, sensibilities and sensitivities. It is the same with spirituality. If you swim in a different reality, you will experience something different. As we discuss spirit in depth, I ask you to keep an open mind and heart so you can recognize the deeper purpose of metabolism function. It’s far grander and more complex than the metabolic process of breaking down food for energy. Unless you experience the full body–mind–spirit effects of a healthy metabolism, you can spend your whole life in the swimming pool!
Digesting the Universe The healthier you become, the healthier your metabolism function becomes. Remember, it too has a more powerful, invisible side. The higher you go, the more you become a part of Earth’s metabolism function because everything is connected. Not only are you coming into balance, you’re coming into harmony with Nature itself. Without achieving the final stage of manifestation, metabolism function is incomplete. If your life doesn’t reflect vibrancy, how can you manifest its purpose? And by purpose, I don’t mean achieving material things, financial success or prestigious achievements. How healthy or profound your life is directly relates to the five stages we’ve discussed. I ask my patients, as I ask you, “Can you digest the Universe?” The next section on the Body and Metabolism Function explains how the three paired organ systems responsible for healthy metabolism function cooperate at the body, mind and spirit levels. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION IV THE BODY AND METABOLISM FUNCTION – THE VITAL TRIANGLE: SPLEEN-STOMACH, LIVERGALLBLADDER, KIDNEY-BLADDER
There is a fundamental error in separating the parts from the whole, the mistake of atomizing what should not be atomized. Unity and complementarity constitute reality. –Werner Heisenberg The ancient sages practiced medicine by following natural principles combined with their insightful deductions along with the utmost compassion and ethical conduct. –Nei Jing
The Vital Triangle for Healthy Metabolism Function
The Importance of the Vital Triangle What is the vital triangle and why is it so important to metabolism function? As I’ve mentioned, when we talk about illness and disease, it’s not about the individual parts of the body not working. It’s about understanding that the whole body has to function as a fully integrated system and all of these functions are interdependent. Any condition— large or small—indicates an imbalance in the relationship of the body’s five major paired organ systems. In this section, we will first discuss three of these systems in depth— the Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, and Kidney-Bladder—because they comprise the vital triangle responsible for healthy metabolism function. When the vital triangle functions at its best, life changes at the multidimensional levels of the body, mind and spirit. We will also explore how the other two paired organ systems—the Lung‒Large Intestine and Heart‒Small Intestine—play their critical roles as well. Remember, each organ has a purpose, not just for performing physical functions, but for connecting with Universal consciousness itself.
The Paired Organ System of the Spleen-Stomach: Requirements for Healthy Metabolism Function and Digestive System The first paired organ system that must work in harmony to achieve healthy metabolism function is the Spleen-Stomach. Of the two, the physical stomach is the first one to receive food directly. Let’s explore this pair from the function perspective. What are their duties or responsibilities? In the previous section we talked about the concept of function because TCM looks at this first. These two organs have a lifetime partnership. They must work together in close cooperation for your body to perform at its best. Each organ must balance its own complementary energies of Yin and Yang and each has to function at the body, mind and spirit level. And don’t forget, all your organs are in constant communication! Sometimes, we hear the Spleen is not necessary. While it is true some people who have had a ruptured spleen or had it removed because of disease or illness can live without this organ, I would like to share a different view. Several times, we’ve discussed how looking at things from different frameworks allows us to see different things. The Five Element energetic framework gives us more information if we look at the body, mind and spirit aspects of the Spleen. From this perspective, a lot of physical and emotional issues can arise when someone is missing their spleen.
Yes, life can definitely continue, but let me give you an analogy to help you understand how TCM sees the Spleen’s importance. A single parent can raise a healthy child, but it takes double or triple the amount of energy to manage the responsibilities of being a mother and a father. In this situation, other people, like grandparents, might have to step in to provide additional support. No matter what, though, it is very difficult to replace the mother’s or father’s position. Likewise in the body, other organs have to step in if the spleen, or any organ for that matter, is missing or compromised. Often, we don’t appreciate the concept of oneness and the fact everything is connected in the body’s unique operating system. Living without one or more organs has repercussions. TCM considers the Spleen the most important organ for ensuring the quality and quantity of Blood. (Remember, when you see a term capitalized, we are talking about its multidimensional aspects, not just its physical properties and functions.) So, many conditions are related to imbalanced Spleen function, including high cholesterol. If you are curious about the impact of a missing spleen on its invisible aspect, you may be interested to know its responsibilities are directly related to the quality and level of consciousness you can achieve.
The Paired Organ System of the Spleen-Stomach For good digestive function, the Spleen and Stomach must have a healthy relationship. This duo takes the first role in metabolism function. Each organ plays a pivotal role. Healthy Stomach function is supported by healthy Spleen function and vice versa. The Spleen has a unique role in metabolism function. Without it, you would find it difficult to properly process, digest and transform what you have received. TCM considers removing the spleen a major event. Why is this? The stomach is just the body’s warehouse. It receives what you’ve accepted and stores everything first. Then, it starts the actions of processing and digesting; but its partner’s function is to ensure this ingested material moves along. You can see how vital the Spleen is. It is definitely not the Stomach alone that shoulders digestive activities. Other organs are also involved. To work well as an integrated whole, your body has to meet the requirements of each organ’s function. Let’s start by asking what are those requirements for the Spleen and Stomach? At the physical level, the most important need is to experience a warm essence and receive warm things. Both organs love warmth and dislike Cold and Dampness. Without warmth, these partners become sluggish and can’t process food, emotions and data properly. Cold and Dampness are two elements of Nature with the ability to cause Spleen and Stomach function disorders. I tell my patients to take these conditions seriously. Based on its thousands of years’ experience, TCM recognizes most health conditions, including cancer, have their root cause in Cold and Dampness. We’ll look at both of these environmental pathogens in depth. How do you know if your Spleen and Stomach have been impacted by or suffer from excess Cold? One way is through feeling; the other is through looking. For example, if your Stomach feels good every time you eat warm food, drink tea or other warm beverages, or eat hot soup, you are experiencing its true feeling. Congratulate yourself on listening to your body! Conversely, if you’re like many in our Western culture who eat cold food all the time, drink ice water or iced drinks, and eat salads for lunch most days, a diet of constant Cold will eventually unbalance your Stomach’s ability to function well. One sign of too much internal Cold is discomfort in the Stomach area after you eat cold food. This could be in the form of distention, gas or belching. Some people are prone to a headache after they eat ice cream or very cold foods. There are even names for this; it’s called an “ice cream headache,” or sometimes, a “brain-freeze.” According to the Mayo Clinic, these brief, stabbing headaches are caused by “cold material moving across the warm roof of your mouth and the back of your throat.” One theory is cold food or drink may temporarily alter blood flow in your nervous system, causing this brief headache. Their website adds, “Scientists are still unsure about the exact mechanism that causes this pain.” TCM uses a different framework to understand this condition. The affected area of the head is typically in the upper forehead where the Stomach meridians or energy channels run. Excess Cold is the root cause. If putting your hand over your lower stomach helps relieve this discomfort, or drinking hot tea helps, you can be sure your body is talking to you in its unique language. It’s telling you a Cold essence is present in your Spleen and Stomach. After a meal, if you experience a slight headache, dizziness, or sleepiness, your Stomach is also reacting to a condition of internal Cold. In this case, the Stomach has to work harder and use much more Qi to warm up and digest whatever cold things you’ve eaten. If this situation continues over a long period, eventually the body sends physical signs. Unless you understand the relationship between these signs and Nature’s element of Cold, you will have no framework for recognizing the source of certain health conditions that arise. When I tell my patients to cut out cold foods and salads from their diets, they see the benefit immediately. I cannot emphasize too strongly: the Spleen and Stomach require healing warmth for healthy function. When this paired organ system becomes out of balance, you will notice a number of other signs. The question is can you decode them? For example, do you know varicose veins are a sign the Spleen and Stomach have Blood stagnation due to Cold? Food allergies are another indicator of internal Cold. If you start to sneeze after you eat certain foods, you can be sure you have too much Cold in your Spleen and Stomach. There are other visible signs. One you can easily see is a white coating on your tongue. No matter how many times you brush it, if you always see this white coating, it means two things: there is Cold in the Spleen and Stomach and there’s also internal Dampness. These are two conditions you’ll want to heal as quickly as possible before they cause significant health issues later.
There’s also a fairly common problem associated with internal Cold that is difficult for Western medicine to fix. Cold hands and feet cause many an uncomfortable night for men and women alike. No matter how many sweatpants and sweaters you wear or how many pairs of socks you put on, especially at night, many people experience a cold feeling deep inside that won’t go away. When this condition affects the hands to such a degree they turn blue, Western medicine gives it a name—Reynaud’s Syndrome. If this happens to you, do you experience this feeling frequently? In TCM, this is one of the major symptoms that determines if the Spleen and Stomach are being affected by excess Cold. Reynaud’s Syndrome is relatively easy for TCM to fix. Basically, modern medicine doesn’t recognize this condition’s root cause, so it has no framework for how to resolve it.
The Spleen and Blood Briefly, I would like to refer to organ function again. To be clear, when we speak of organs, their physical structure may be fine; however, the way they function, which occurs at multidimensional levels, may not be. An organ can be out of balance and, like a radio, not tuned to the right frequency. We can also liken this situation to issues with a cell phone: Depending on which carrier you use and where you are, you may have signal problems. When this happens, you know immediately your cell phone is having a software problem and not a hardware problem. Likewise, many people today experience what is called a function problem versus a physical problem. Medical tests often indicate a person is in “good health,” but these individuals clearly know how they feel and they will tell you they do not feel well. Remember, the body never lies. If this is the case, the imbalance still exists internally at the energetic level and has not yet traveled to a physical organ. Now, let’s turn our attention to the Spleen and its role in maintaining healthy Blood. Along with the Liver and Heart, the Spleen is one of three main organs responsible for creating and producing the quality and quantity of Blood. In today’s culture, blood is so valuable it’s even a metaphor for wealth. We say things like, “You can’t get blood from a stone,” meaning someone is cheap with their money or wealth. At the consciousness level, we all agree good red blood represents life, health and wealth. When we see illness and disease from a different framework, we have to recognize all its multidimensional connections. We have to see all the angles. That’s why it’s essential to talk in a more expansive way about organs. Our understanding has to extend to consciousness and culture as well. So, we have to see Blood in its fullest sense, because this precious material is not just about the physical fluid we know; it represents important connections with human life itself. More blood means better health; a blood deficiency means health is in trouble. The quality and quantity of white blood cells are related to a strong immune system that has the capability to fend off disease and illness. Red blood cells represent strength in terms of being able to move and take action. Think of someone with anemia; often, they feel so fatigued they have trouble moving through life’s basic activities. In every culture, good red blood means Life with a capital “L.” In ancient Chinese medicine textbooks, one of the most famous theories is that of Blood and Qi. They have the closest of relationships that mirror the inseparable, visibleinvisible, Yin-Yang energies, of all things. What you do to one affects the other and vice versa. Ancient practitioners understood, “Blood is the mother of Qi; Qi is the commander of Blood.” The wisdom behind this ancient understanding is that Blood nurtures and supports Qi, or the body’s life force; in turn, Qi supplies the power, intelligence and messages to propel Blood into all the physical structures where it’s required so it can perform its duties.
Like Yin and Yang, Blood and Qi can never be separated; they are two aspects of one thing—one coin with two sides. They also possess transference capabilities, which we’ll discuss shortly. The characteristics of these substances beautifully demonstrate not only the principle of Yin-Yang, but also Einstein’s theory of E=mc². Let’s see how this works. Blood is the material substance that courses through our veins, but without the messages and wisdom of Qi and the power of its flow, we could not live. This framework helps us understand the mutually cooperative and supportive relationship between Qi and Blood; it also helps us appreciate the unbreakable connection between the visible, material substance and its invisible power. Without a sufficient quantity and quality of Blood, at the physical level, you cannot create Qi. All the body, mind and spirit actions you perform in your daily life depend on the value and quality of Blood and Qi. The quality of your Qi helps Blood flow properly throughout your body. I recommend my patients and students practice Wu Ming Qigong to build and strengthen their energy foundation. Over time, this practice helps build the quality and quantity of Blood and Qi and supports good health. As I’ve noted, today we can turn to modern science to understand the concept of transference. Einstein’s most well-known equation, tells us mass or matter (m) and energy (E) are interchangeable when the speed of light (c) is constant. When we look at any physical object in this reality, we can see it as solid, materialized matter; however, we can also think about it differently and see it as concentrated energy stored within the material form. It depends on which framework and from which angle we want to look at things. In the case of Blood and Qi, we can think of “m” as Blood and “E” as Qi or vital energy. Simply put, they are interchangeable. This concept is a very important one in TCM as it is in modern science. It means under the right circumstances, the visible matter of Blood has the capability of transferring into the invisible aspect of Qi and vice versa. These aspects are interchangeable, as we shall see. Remember, modern science has discovered energy always flows two ways; TCM has understood this dynamic process for millennia and used it in practical ways to support health. When we look at Blood, then, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to what we see. Without looking beyond its material substance—e.g., red and white platelets, plasma, iron levels and other physical properties—we miss the true essence and power of this vital fluid. We need to appreciate Blood’s versatile ability to transform into its invisible aspect of Qi. Let me provide a few examples of how the body accomplishes this amazing transference to support its needs.
Example: Transference Capabilities of Blood and Qi In the hospital emergency room, people are often given blood transfusions after a serious accident. Patients also receive transfusions during a serious event where blood loss is great. While these transfusions are necessary to replace the physical fluid that’s been lost, they do something else. These transfusions simultaneously infuse life force in the form of Qi, Blood’s inseparable partner, into the person who is in danger. This procedure helps the whole body recover more quickly by providing an influx of intelligent messages that can jumpstart the organs and their multiple functions. There’s great cooperation within the body at many levels that we still don’t understand. Here’s another example. Sometimes during delivery, when a woman gives birth, there is significant blood loss. From our discussion, we know this means the new mother has lost Qi as well. She has lost its power and the intelligent messages her organs need to function properly. Here, I am referring to the multidimensional actions of the body, mind and spirit. When this happens, the new mother may develop a low-grade fever. In this case, the fever usually does not indicate an infection, but a condition TCM calls Blood deficiency. Looking at this situation from the Western medicine framework, it’s understandable why antibiotics are a choice at this time. Thousands of years ago in China, there were no blood transfusions for this kind of condition. Ancient practitioners understood a new mother could become stronger quickly by increasing her Qi; then, automatically her Blood would improve. By increasing vital energy with herbs, they knew the fever could be resolved.
One quick, natural way I use to treat patients with Blood deficiency is with a combination of two herbs—astragalus and dong gui—in a tea. This allows me to address Blood and Qi deficiency at the same time. These two versatile herbs in the Chinese apothecary have been used for many centuries to alleviate these deficiencies. After drinking this
herbal medicine, typically symptoms of Blood deficiency will disappear.
Example: How Physical Conditions Cause Emotional Conditions Here’s one more related example. Today, depression is a common occurrence. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), estimates are that one in ten Americans suffers from depressive disorders. I would like to offer a different way of seeing a certain kind of depression that occurs after a mother gives birth; it’s called postpartum depression. From the TCM perspective, this condition has a physical origin that differentiates it from a mental or emotional depression. Now that we’ve talked about the relationship between Blood and Qi, this angle allows us to look differently at postpartum depression. Let’s explore its root cause. During childbirth, women experience tremendous physical stress, especially from the action of pushing, which consumes a lot of Qi. So, it’s not only Blood that’s lost during childbirth, it’s vital energy as well. If a woman cannot get back to a normal, balanced state fairly quickly, she can become seriously Qi-deficient and Blood-deficient at the same time. Because her energy drops so low, she may have little to no desire to do anything. This situation is often labeled postpartum depression. TCM has treated this type of depression for many centuries. The stress of childbirth and loss of Blood and Qi affects the mother on multidimensional levels. Her physical, mental and emotional faculties become unbalanced. Her desire and ability to take action often disappears. It is as if her pilot light is on the lowest possible setting. TCM recognizes this type of depression stems from a different root cause than the kind that is the result of unbalanced emotions. Not all kinds of depression have the same origin. Generally speaking, postpartum depression can be resolved fairly quickly by helping the mother increase Blood and Qi. There are two ways: one is through a blood transfusion; the other is by increasing Qi with herbal therapy. A skilled TCM herbalist will understand this mother’s depression is most likely not emotional but physical in origin. As we’ve said, in ancient times, practitioners did not have the technology to administer blood transfusions, so they created herbal formulas to increase Qi and Blood volume. Their first and most crucial step began with supporting the function of the digestive system. Today, another modality called Medical Qigong can also be applied successfully to help this kind of depression. Medical Qigong practitioners undergo intensive training to learn how to use Qi or vital energy for self-cultivation and to help
others. A practitioner’s ability to transfer Qi or life force in an energy session can stimulate the patient’s body to produce more Blood and Qi.
Example: Cancer Treatments, Blood and Qi Here’s another example relating to chemotherapy many people will understand or may have encountered. During cancer treatment, we know white blood cells and red blood cells are severely stressed, and the patient experiences a Blood deficiency. The first thing chemotherapy does is impact the digestive system by causing a Stomach function disorder, which we can see in symptoms like loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea. Chemotherapy will also cause a function disorder of the Stomach’s partner, the Spleen. Most often, it will destroy Spleen function altogether. As I’ve discussed, TCM recognizes it’s the Spleen’s responsibility to maintain the quality and quantity of Blood. When it is stressed by chemotherapy or radiation, this organ’s ability to manage its responsibilities is seriously compromised; the production of healthy red and white blood cells cannot be sustained. To prevent the function of the digestive system from being destroyed during chemotherapy, TCM practitioners use herbal formulas to protect the body and help it produce enough Blood to combat the side effects of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this kind of complementary herbal therapy—which is highly effective—is not widely accepted by most oncologists in Western healthcare today. Currently, in China, however, many hospitals understand the benefits of combining herbal therapy with Western cancer treatments, and its use is routine. It is common practice in China’s hospitals for departments to work together to use the best of both medical systems to help patients through cancer treatments. Practitioners in these hospitals know if the function of the Stomach and Spleen falls too low, even after chemotherapy is completed it is very difficult to rebuild a healthy metabolism function. Later, without the benefit of a strong, functioning digestive system, it is difficult to prevent a recurrence of cancer. My hope is the information in Digesting the Universe will help build a bridge between Eastern and Western medicine so cancer patients can have the best outcomes. In TCM care, ensuring the patient comes through cancer treatments with a strong Spleen-Stomach partnership is of the utmost importance because it impacts the rest of her or his life. The ultimate goal of combining Eastern and Western modalities in many of China’s hospitals is to prevent the function of these two organs from hitting rock bottom, or becoming completely depleted. Chemotherapy or radiation is like throwing an atomic bomb inside the body! Both treatments cause the immune system to deal with serious challenges, even after their course is finished. Chemotherapy targets the whole body, while radiation usually is focused on one organ, so other organs still have some ability to function. Radiation also throws the body’s integrated systems totally off balance. Afterwards, the immune system has to work harder to reach a higher level of functioning, and this Qi deficiency or weakness creates an opportunity for a recurrence of cancer—perhaps even the same cancer, or possibly a different one.
Looking at these treatments using the modern science framework that tells us everything is connected at the subatomic level, we can recognize treatment of any kind never impacts just one location without impacting other aspects of the patient. The challenges then for individuals going through cancer treatments encompass: preventing the body’s whole integrated system from crashing, helping it deal with side effects of cancer treatments, and after treatment, rebuilding the body’s immune system and metabolism function. From my clinical experience with cancer patients, I understand how vital it is to protect the function of the digestive system. This has proved to make an enormous difference in their ability to complete chemotherapy or radiation treatment and recover fully, which helps prevent future health problems. Also, during chemotherapy, Western medicine will sometimes prescribe injections to stimulate an increase in a person’s white blood cells, or even red blood cells. This is an expensive procedure. During treatment, a technician frequently tests a patient’s white and red blood cell count, as well as the quality and quantity of their platelets. If blood quality drops below a certain number, the chemotherapy is halted until this situation can hopefully be remedied. Unfortunately, for some patients, this situation cannot be remedied. When certain cancer treatments fail to produce positive changes, the ultimate fix is a bone marrow transplant. From the TCM and Western medicine frameworks, this provides the highest quality of blood. From the TCM viewpoint, this makes good sense. It understands that the extra Blood your body produces when it’s functioning well is transformed and stored within the marrow of the bones. You can draw upon it when needed. It’s like having the ability to turn a diamond into cash—you get high value, highquality Blood, with a capital “B.” If your body needs immediate support for any reason, it is intelligent enough to access the bone marrow for help. Look at the Five Element energetic framework and you will see the corresponding “tissue” of the Kidney is the bone. This is all the more reason to take care of your Kidney so you can support your bone health. A knowledgeable TCM practitioner knows how to create herbal formulas that boost Spleen function and, at the same time, help the bone marrow transform its
essence into Blood. In China, TCM herbal therapy has proved to be an effective adjuvant therapy for all types of cancer. I would like to emphasize that the Spleen is responsible for the quality and quantity of your Blood. In TCM, problems with the white blood cell count are based on how well the Spleen is functioning. Any immune deficiency indicates a Spleen function problem; there is just not enough material to produce healthy white blood cells. Most people have been taught that white blood cells are associated with the immune system. I’d like to note: even if a person’s white blood cell count is normal, it doesn’t mean they are healthy. Many people struggling with different kinds of medical conditions understand this. However, the reverse situation is true: in both Eastern and Western medical systems, if the white blood cell count drops too low, the immune system has a problem. From the TCM point of view, the immune system is not the major foundation of good health. Because healthy immune function depends on metabolism function for support, the latter is the most important foundation. Good health doesn’t depend on the immune system alone.
The quality and quantity of white blood cells are related to how well the Spleen functions. (On the other hand, a problem with the red blood cell count indicates a problem with how well the Liver functions. Anemia is a condition that is the result of a Liver function disorder.) Blood tests that show, for example, high cholesterol, or low white or red blood cells, or other blood problems, are related to the Spleen. Even though cholesterol is based on Liver function, still the quality of the final material is based on the cooperation and involvement of Spleen function. Now, it may be clearer why the Spleen is the first defender of a healthy immune system, because this is where the quality and quantity of white blood cells originate. From the Western medicine perspective, white blood cells represent the immune system. If the body has an infection, this is where it looks for changes to appear. If there is an infection, then the body mounts a strong immune response to fight with what it perceives as foreign invaders. One key way to increase the immune system is to strengthen digestive function. If it becomes stronger, then the immune system will also become stronger and can fight off disease or illness. This is why I say metabolism function is even more important than immune system function. It is the bedrock of support for your immune system. How else can the immune system take action to fight with illness or disease if it doesn’t get enough energy or power from the support of a strong metabolism function, which in turn rests on the quality of the food we eat? In ancient times, one of the most important approaches to maintaining good health was to increase the ability of the Stomach to function well. Practitioners knew that this course of action in turn would benefit the immune system. This is a different approach to warding off immune system problems. In the winter, when it’s easier for children to catch a cold or flu, one of the simplest ways to strengthen both the digestive system and the immune system is to cook special herbs with chicken and have the child drink this combination once a day. Even though his classmates might catch a cold, having a strong digestive system ensures the child has a better chance of getting through the season in a healthy way. This is a special, very popular recipe I usually give to patients to help prevent winter colds, support the immune system and even defend against asthma attacks. It combines cooking astragalus root with notoginseng, two herbs available at Chinese grocery stores, with an organic chicken. My patients and I have had great success with this recipe for many years. Now they ask for the formula for themselves, their children and even their grandchildren!
Your Energy Savings and Energy Checking Accounts You can see in the Five Element energetic framework, the Stomach and Spleen are related to the Earth element. They operate with similar “technology”; the organs have similar energetic frequencies or vibrations that help humans match Earth’s frequency. At a consciousness level, these organs represent Earth and what Earth has the capability of doing, which is digesting everything. No matter what we do to Earth or what happens from the outside, or what invisible forces impact it, our planet has the ability to process or digest everything. Earth is one of the biggest physical examples of metabolism function we can observe. At their highest level, your Spleen and Stomach mirror the image and functional capabilities of Earth.
Let’s turn our attention to the Stomach and see what it can do. First of all, it has the ability to create all the elements the body needs to live; that’s why in the Five Element energetic framework the Stomach and Earth are responsible for the Qi and nutritional requirements of your body after you’re born. I think most people can readily understand the concept of having two bank accounts: one for savings, one for checking. Let me give you a simple analogy: When it comes to Qi—the intelligence and power you need to function well—the body itself has two kinds of bank accounts. The Kidney acts as an energy savings account and the Stomach acts as an energy checking account. As I’ve noted, life on this planet depends on Qi. Without Qi there is no life. Since we’re part of Nature, it follows that human life depends on Qi as well. Where do we get this vital energy to support life and allow it to grow? Before birth, we receive and accumulate Qi from our mother while inside the womb. When enough of this life force has been accumulated during nine months of gestation, we’re ready to push ourselves out into the world and become part of the human race. The day you are born is a momentous occasion. Each of us arrives with a treasure stored in the Kidney and encoded in our DNA. TCM calls this prenatal or Inborn Qi. This is the energy and intelligence you have downloaded. Whatever we have accumulated during time in the womb will be used up over this lifetime. I think of Kidney Qi as your energy savings account, or an inheritance. Whether it’s a rich inheritance or a small one, it’s how you manage this energy savings account that matters. We should not be in a hurry to spend it too quickly or unwisely. When Inborn Qi is used up, life ends. The goal is to conserve this Inborn Qi as much as possible by minimizing withdrawals. To cope with life’s daily activities and stresses in the twenty-first century, we need to find a different, continual source of Qi. Where will it come from? You will need to rely on other organs to acquire Qi from things you eat. TCM calls this Acquired Qi. The food you process through the actions of your Spleen and Stomach and metabolism function is one of the most valuable resources you have because it supports growth and development on all levels. I consider this powerful organ pair your energy checking account. Together, Inborn Qi and Acquired Qi allow you to live life in the fullest sense. Now, we have a puzzle. We want to preserve Inborn Qi and we want to replenish Acquired Qi. Where can we find the vital energy we need for life’s activities at the body, mind and spirit levels? The answer is it comes from nurturing a healthy metabolism function. After you’re born, the power of the Spleen-Stomach relationship cannot be overestimated. The digestive system is one of the most important ways to acquire necessary Qi for daily life. As we’ve seen, another way to build Qi is through an energy practice like Qigong, which allows you to tap into the unlimited source of Universal energy. This principle of supporting Stomach and Spleen function was used very intelligently in ancient times. In fact, many centuries ago, an entire school of Chinese medicine developed based on supporting the digestive system as its principle goal. In those times, the Five Element energetic framework was applied in a different way to address the needs of a culture struggling with the challenges of poverty and producing enough food to feed itself. Because of TCM’s tremendous flexibility and understanding of relationships, ancient practitioners recognized by helping the patient develop a strong digestive system, healthy metabolism function would follow. The health of other paired organ systems would also improve. Today, we live in different times and the needs of the people are different. Each of the Five Elements provides a special gateway to resolve health issues because each one connects to the others. It depends on which gate you can understand and can operate easily. In ancient times, which were associated with a different space, protecting SpleenStomach function was paramount. Practitioners used this gateway in a simpler, agrarian society to help their people, who suffered from issues of poverty and lack of adequate food and nutrition.
Today, there’s a different gateway in the Five Element energetic framework that is relevant to helping people now. There’s a different organ system that needs attention. As we’ve discussed earlier, we live in a hyperactive world with a great deal of stress, which seriously impacts Liver function and presents different kinds of health challenges. Yet, the dynamics of our systems-oriented energetic framework are as relevant as ever. In my opinion, and that of Master Xu’s, for everyone in today’s world, stress is the number one energetic vibration that unbalances healthy organ function. While bygone cultures looked at health and healing through the gateway of the Spleen-Stomach, today, we have to use the gateway of the Liver. Why? Stress is hands down the most important emotion to pay attention to. If you want to stay healthy, you have to protect Liver function and minimize or avoid stress, anger, frustration and irritability. As a personalized, functional medicine, TCM says the most effective treatment has to take into account these factors: who you are (male/female), where you are (geographic location/environment), how you are (your current state of health) and when you are (your age/where you are in time). Master Xu’s guidance helped me shift my practice to a focus on healing the Liver-Gallbladder system; by focusing on the Liver-Gallbladder, I have seen many patients in our practice and participants in our self-healing programs change their condition rapidly. We believed this approach could produce the most powerful results for today’s health issues. Consequently, Master Xu created the Green Dragon system, which recognizes most modern diseases and illnesses are associated with a Liver function disorder. Why the Green Dragon? In Chinese culture, the dragon symbolizes the Liver element as well as the spirit of China itself. From my clinical experience, I see stress is the number one factor causing most of today’s health problems. If you know how to deal with stress, you can address almost any kind of condition. In my clinic as well as with my students, I have successfully used the Green Dragon system for more than twenty years. Our goal is to help patients heal Liver function and bring balance and harmony back into their lives through a number of healing modalities, including Wu Ming Qigong practice and TCM-based dietary and lifestyle changes. To the best of my knowledge, the Green Dragon system has never been created before. We see remarkable results with this approach. Just as ancient cultures applied various aspects of the Five Element framework to resolve critical health issues of their society, focusing on Liver-Gallbladder health to overcome today’s health challenges offers one of the most important contributions TCM can make to modern healthcare. I have seen the benefits of the Green Dragon system many times not only with patients, but with the many thousands of participants in our self-healing initiatives. At Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation, all of our programs are based on this theory, including The Dragon’s Way® for Weight Loss and Stress Management, the Breast Cancer Prevention Project, Menopause without Hormones, and Men’s Health. This wisdom is applied in our self-healing retreats, conferences, educational materials, classes, and websites as well as in the books on selfcare I’ve written. I’d like to emphasize that the Liver-Gallbladder and Spleen-Stomach partnerships are essential for supporting total health. The power to support the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual activities of your daily life should come from your digestive system, which helps accumulate sufficient valuable Blood and Qi. I urge you to manage your energy savings and checking accounts very well!
Enemies of Healthy Metabolism Function
What are the enemies that create a negative impact on a strong Spleen-Stomach partnership? Before we answer this, let’s consider a simple example from Nature. Why can’t we grow oranges outdoors in Maine? Why do oranges only grow in warm areas like Florida or California? Of course, we know on the physical level these fruits can’t grow outdoors in Maine because the weather is too cold and oranges can’t survive, let alone thrive, in its freezing climate. The environment doesn’t match the energy needs of the orange tree. Consequently, the plant can never achieve its ultimate purpose. Likewise, each of your body’s organs has a specific Qi or energy frequency that keeps it functioning. Just like the larger macrocosm of Nature, each one has requirements that must be maintained to sustain growth. In the case of the Spleen and Stomach, three of the main requirements relate to Cold, Dampness and the appropriate amount of water (not too much, not too little). As we’ve seen, the paired organ system of the Spleen-Stomach forms an inseparable lifelong partnership. Each one loves warm things, especially warm foods like hot drinks, tea and coffee, soups and the like. From the TCM framework, anything you put into your Stomach should have a warm temperature or a warm essence. If these organs continually receive cold things, over time many of the body’s functions slow down. Qi then can stagnate or become stuck.
Nature’s Energy: What Is Internal Cold and How Does It Act as a Pathogen? We’ve already talked a little about Cold, now let’s take a deeper look. As I’ve said, most health conditions today, including cancer, are related to Cold and Dampness. As we talk about Cold from the TCM perspective, it will reveal some essential, time-tested wisdom I hope you will take seriously. Thousands of years ago, ancient physicians observed through spiritual practice that six environmental elements of Nature can act as pathogens and harm the body when they are experienced to a great degree or chronically: Cold, Wind, Dampness, Heat, Dryness and Fire (sometimes called Summer Heat). There are two forms of Cold: one is physical, which we can see, touch and feel. We can observe it in ice water, salads, foods like ice cream, and many things Western lifestyle favors. The other kind is essence, the vibration or frequency of Cold, which happens at the invisible level. Sometimes we know when this energetic essence enters our body because we can feel it. At other times, we’re unaware it has managed to break into our bodies like a silent thief; then, we experience its consequences.
How Does Cold Enter the Body? Here’s an example of how Cold can enter your body without your knowing. When I travel to China, my airline often flies over the North Pole, one of the coldest areas of Earth. Everything here is in a permanent deep freeze. Though the temperature in the plane’s cabin remains comfortable, the energy of the environment we are traveling through is extremely cold and powerful. Once, while flying over this area, my older companion suddenly experienced a feeling of intense, internal Cold. He felt a deep aching in his body and experienced major arthritis-like pain. His body was responding to the cold essence of the environment we were flying over. The outside temperature had a big impact on his organs and joints. While many of our fellow passengers may not have been so sensitive and had such an acute reaction, they traveled through an area of intense Cold. And, this extreme environmental element had the ability to impact those on the flight, especially if their energy was weak or unbalanced. One of the important diagnostic questions I ask my patients is whether or not they suffer from cold hands or cold feet. If the answer is yes, I know this person already has symptoms of internal Cold. Often people only think about the temperature when they hear the word cold, but that’s the visible side of this element. It’s the invisible side or essence that impacts us in a major way as well. Remember, the invisible is always more powerful than the visible. Think about winter, why do people experience more arthritis problems during this season? One reason is the temperature, but it’s also the cold essence or energy that can penetrate their body. That’s why we see “snowbirds” escape from northern winters to Florida or Arizona, where temperatures are usually warmer at that time. Why do a number of my patients experience a lot of pain before snow or rain comes? Before the visible material of snow or rain appears, they can already feel the impact of its invisible energy in their bodies. It’s amazing; even if the local weather forecaster says snow is not expected, my patients can tell you snow is coming based on their arthritis! Can people do this? Is it real? The answer is yes. It is quite real. The patient’s body is so sensitive that it has the capability of responding to Cold’s energetic frequency. Some of my patients can reliably predict how much snow will fall or when the temperature will drop, and sometimes, even by how much!
Example: Effects of Cold Essence and Cold Temperature Sometimes, before spring arrives in the Northeast, the area will experience a change in temperature. Though it may be late January, a warm spell can occur. Weather experts call this a “January thaw.” Temperatures can rise to the sixties. Ice starts to melt. People can’t wait for spring to come, so they react to the thaw as if it’s the real thing, but it isn’t! Suddenly, everyone is out jogging in shorts, or basking in the sun in lightweight clothing. I tell my patients to be careful. This is when many people catch a cold, or worse. While the current temperature may rise, the earth’s essence at this time, in this place, remains cold. Nature has not yet made its real seasonal energy transition. If you are not properly protected with the right amount of clothing and your energy is not strong enough, your body will take in this Cold essence and may develop conditions that can last a long time. When the weather reverts to normal January temperatures, many people often develop a cold, or worse yet, a chronic cough, which is difficult to heal. The medical text of the Nei Jing, written more than two thousand years ago, reminds us not to challenge Nature, there are no winners in this contest! Also, if you’re sensitive, you might recognize that when your body is vulnerable or unbalanced—for instance, fatigued or stressed—Cold has crept in. You may experience it as a dull lower back pain, knee pain, and the stiff joints of arthritis or some other condition related to Cold. This means the external essence of Cold has begun to stimulate a Cold energy in your body. You can counteract this process by taking a hot shower, drinking warm drinks, especially something like a tea made of fresh ginger root, which goes to the Stomach, wrapping up in blankets and getting more rest. This sounds too simple, doesn’t it? I find most people don’t really know how to rest or what it means when I tell them to rest. Because of our discussions, my patients finally know what rest is. They all recognize it is not working from home, or being on the computer for several hours at a time, multitasking or sitting on their bed reading reports. I hope you can learn this too. Resting can be a very effective healing tool. It lets the body’s own
healing ability take over and “catch its breath,” so to speak.
Example: Signs of Cold Energy in the Body If you feel you have to rub your belly to warm your Stomach, you have a condition of Cold. If you always want to get warm, or want warm things to drink, you have Cold essence inside of you. Menstrual cramps are associated with Cold. With cramps, women may also experience blood clots. This is a sign the body is carrying a Cold essence. When nothing moves, when something is frozen or sticks together, it is exhibiting signs of Cold, the environmental energy that makes things slow down, become sluggish and congeal. How do you know if you have problems with the paired organ system of your Spleen-Stomach? Because the body never lies, it will show you exactly what’s going on if you know where to look and how to read the signs. Remember we discussed examining your tongue. If there’s a white coating, or if you always have cold hands and feet, you definitely have a condition of excess Cold. This is something you should take seriously, especially if you are already dealing with a chronic condition or those
conditions related to genetic disease, since it will affect your metabolism function.
How Can You Prevent Cold from Entering Your Body? In terms of preventing Cold from entering the body, I recommend my patients drink ginger tea (made from real ginger root slices and a little brown sugar). This is easy to do. It involves combining several slices of fresh ginger root with brown sugar and letting it steep for a few minutes. The essence of the ginger and brown sugar supports Stomach function. (Honey’s essence would go to the Lung.) Drinking this tea several times a day helps counteract internal Cold. I also recommend taking daily hot baths. When outdoors walking or waiting for a bus in freezing weather, my patients all know they need to protect their legs because major meridians run up this area, including the Spleen and Stomach. In the winter in China, you see most women wearing heavy pants to protect their legs. Here, it’s the opposite; in the U.S., you often see women walking outdoors in bitter cold weather or when there’s a lot of cold wind with only pantyhose to protect their legs. That kind of Cold coupled with Wind can pierce the body’s outer protective layer of Qi, which TCM calls protective Qi, or “wei” Qi, and cause significant internal problems. Cold energy has the ability to penetrate the skin, then reach the meridians and finally travel to and impact the organs where it can disrupt their healthy function. Cold is a serious pathogen to be avoided at all costs. I want to emphasize that most serious diseases and illnesses are associated with Cold, such as pain, arthritis, cancers and tumors, asthma, diabetes, allergies and more. Virtually all major chronic health issues in our Western culture are associated with the element of Cold. However, in contemporary medicine, there’s no framework for recognizing this kind of Cold as a pathogen. There’s agreement that being too cold is not a healthy situation, but there’s no organized body of knowledge to say why and what it can do. This information is just not part of the Western medical framework. Conditions in the Western framework are usually addressed after they occur, but there are simple, effective ways to practice prevention and protect yourself from future health problems. In fact, the NIH says that making lifestyle changes is one of the best ways to prevent conditions associated with metabolic syndrome. This thinking opens the door for a revolutionary framework that combines Taoist insights and TCM’s ancient wisdom with the modern science understanding of energy. This approach can make a major contribution to healthcare today.
For instance, if we can take steps to prevent Cold from entering the body, women could avoid one of the major factors contributing to breast cancer. TCM practitioners have a long history of understanding breast cancer. The earliest medical references to breast masses or tumors occurred during the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE). Dr. Yuan Fang Chao described a breast mass as “… a tiny lump that stays in the breast. This mass is not too hard and also not too big. Its shape is like a small irregularly shaped stone.” A wellknown ancient Chinese physician tells us, “Cold makes things stick together.” Look at ice, if you change the temperature, it will melt; heat it up more and it will become water, which then can flow. Heat it up even more and it will transform itself into steam. Today, virtually all cancer treatments are based on heat—chemotherapy, radiation, thermotherapy, and so on. As I’ve said, Chinese medicine has a specialty in prevention. It has recognized for millennia that conditions start in the body’s invisible energy field and “grow” literally from the inside out. They begin first at the energetic level, then progress to the physical. Cold is definitely one of those conditions. Today, research helps explain this concept further, especially in regard to breast tumors. Scientists have discovered most breast tumors exist for about eight years before they appear physically. The body has sent signs; unfortunately, the patient has no way to decode them. Wearing extra clothes and drinking ginger tea, while valuable actions, are elementary ways to stay well. The real keys to prevention are twofold: One way is to strengthen the vitality of metabolism function, which makes the immune system strong and the body function in harmony. The other way involves changing one’s belief system so the electromagnetic frequencies of emotions don’t accumulate over time and get stuck somewhere in body. We will talk more about this in Section VI, on the Mind and Metabolism Function. You will not be able to prevent changes in the weather, but if your internal systems are healthy and strong, you will discover the personal power to handle many different kinds of weather and seasonal changes without being adversely impacted. As we talk about Cold, it’s important to note this pathogen and the other five we named can only enter your body if you have an energy deficiency. If you are fatigued, or your immune system is deficient or compromised through treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, or it’s generally out of balance due to excessive negative emotions, you must understand these environmental pathogens are now entering a body that is already vulnerable. As long as the body’s major organs systems work in harmony and Qi flows freely through the meridians, there is no place for disease or illness. –Nei Jing
Nature’s Energy: Dampness as a Pathogen
Besides Cold, the second major enemy of healthy metabolism function is the element of Dampness. (Remember, when you see a term capitalized, we are talking about its multidimensional aspects, not just its physical properties and functions.) In Chinese medicine, when we talk about Dampness we are not just talking about the physical aspects of being moist or soggy. Damp Qi is about the energetic aspect of water itself. In TCM, Dampness is not water, but it comes from the water family. It is an energetic force associated with water, but it is not water itself. Of course, without water there can be no Dampness; there’s never Dampness in the desert! But as we shall see, water and Dampness are two different things. Dampness is also invisible like Cold. It’s one of the internal and external conditions you should avoid at all costs. Releasing Damp Qi from the body can be a challenging, long-term process. (Eliminating this pathogen is not as simple as taking a diuretic, as we will see.) How does it get released? First, your body must transform its Damp Qi into water and then help it pass out through the Bladder. Damp Qi can prevent the Stomach from functioning properly and can therefore compromise digestive health. In Western medicine, diuretics are used to force the body to pass urine. While they can help release the physical, material aspect of water, they do not address the condition of Dampness, its invisible, energetic aspect. Diuretics can help relieve hypertension, but they can’t change overall metabolism function, and they can’t strengthen digestive function. This is the most important concept to understand when we talk about this pathogen: the only way to release internal Dampness is through the process of transformation. This may be a difficult concept to understand, but it is an essential step if the root cause of Dampness is to be resolved. What does transformation mean in this situation? The body has to be aided to transform Damp Qi or energy into water; then, this water has to be guided to the Bladder, where it can be eliminated. Now you can appreciate why supporting a strong paired organ system of the Kidney-Bladder is essential for ridding the body of Dampness. Dampness has the ability to manifest itself externally in a number of ways. For example, an individual may retain water and develop edema. There may be swelling, especially in the legs. Also, itchy skin involves the Lung, the organ responsible for healthy skin. Rashes like psoriasis or eczema or those that ooze and form a crust are related to Dampness. This environmental energy can also cause feelings of heaviness or stagnation. Coughing up or vomiting phlegm indicates Dampness as well. TCM regards releasing urine and releasing Dampness as two different functions that the Bladder has the skill to perform. The body has the miraculous intelligence and capability of processing urine as well as transforming invisible Damp Qi into the physical property of water and passing it out of the body. How do you know if you are ridding yourself of Dampness? Typically, it shows in the improvement of the condition. A TCM practitioner looks for this kind of proof of transformation and elimination. When you release the urine that has been transformed internally, physical problems start to improve. Let’s take arthritis pain. When Dampness is truly resolved, joint pain goes away. Dampness has what is called a turbid nature. It’s heavy and sticky, so it can cause interference when the Spleen tries to step in and help the body transform its water. I want to reiterate, this pathogen is very difficult to eliminate. Since modern medicine does not recognize an equivalent condition to Dampness, this concept may be difficult for readers to understand. Here’s an analogy that might help: If your basement gets flooded, you know the answer is not only pumping out the accumulated water. You also have to find a way to release the dampness or moisture soaked into various items that this excess water has caused. Sometimes, you might smell the mustiness, which is a physical sign, telling you the basement is not completely dry. Dampness often lingers after a flood in the basement because the wetness has been absorbed into other items.
If your basement remains damp long enough, you will get mold, a sign of stagnation. If you bring fans into the basement, they will help circulate airflow as well as heat. Introducing these two elements helps transform the dampness and eventually your basement will dry out. Even if you don’t see the dampness in your basement, you can actually feel its cold, damp energy. It’s the same in your body; even though these aspects of water are invisible, you can still feel them and see the visible effects I’ve mentioned.
How Does Dampness Enter Your Body? Many of us think things just happen to us, or we’re a victim of some event or situation. Here we can go back to “receiving,” the first stage of metabolism function we talked about in Section III, the Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function. Remember our discussion that nothing enters the body without our agreement or permission. This is especially true on the spiritual level when it comes to developing physical symptoms. With the Liver and Gallbladder, if you are angry, stressed or frustrated, your body can manifest conditions that are ideal for Dampness to enter and thrive. The invisible, internal environment is vulnerable first. As I’ve said, health conditions always begin at the energetic level, and then move outward to the physical. If we can see good health from this angle, we can appreciate how crucial it is to pay attention to even the body’s minor signs of imbalance so we can practice real prevention. The body itself creates a hospitable place for the invisible energy of Damp Qi. For instance, when your energy is weak or deficient, or when it’s out of balance at the body or mind level, Dampness can easily slip in. If your body is not out of balance, then no matter what, it just will not offer a place for this pathogenic element to settle in and call home. What causes the body to reach a state of imbalance? What kind of internal condition attracts Damp Qi? From the Chinese medicine framework, Cold is the No. 1 energy that attracts Dampness; the second factor is a Qi or energy deficiency. If the metabolism function of your Spleen or Stomach is operating at a low level, or this paired organ system is not working properly, and if they are deficient in terms of Qi or vital energy, one or both organs have a weakness. This causes them to be vulnerable and suffer from a function disorder. This function disorder in turn not only prevents each organ from doing its individual duties, but also from performing its interrelated responsibilities with other organs. If Dampness invades, it compromises the most vital paired organ system in your body responsible for a healthy digestive system. I caution my patients to be very careful. If the conditions of Cold and energy deficiency collide, their body easily becomes a magnet for attracting Damp Qi. I often see this condition with patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. If you are not aware of this phenomenon, you will never see it coming nor be alert to situations where Dampness can enter your body. It can enter in a number of ways. For example, if you are camping outdoors in a damp environment, if you are walking or jogging in the rain, or if you’re living and working in an area that has some kind of physical dampness, it can penetrate your body. If you live in an area where it is frequently cloudy and rainy, where the whole environment is continually damp, Cold can find you. Sometimes Dampness enters through an environmental factor like dew; sometimes it’s through the environmental atmosphere of a place where you sleep or work; sometimes it’s from foods like too many cold items or those with a cold essence, which we will discuss in Section V, on Food and Metabolism Function. When the body gets physically cold, Dampness has an opportunity to enter. It can also enter from eating too many raw foods, too many salads or dairy foods, like cheese and yogurt, when the body is run down. These habits go against the Stomach’s warmth-loving nature and cause it to become vulnerable to Dampness. It’s interesting to note that cultures living in damp climates have adapted their food choices over time to address the condition of Dampness. For example, in places like Louisiana, in the U.S., where the environment is damp, foods with hot sauce and spices are common. Here, hot sauce carries “heat” and helps the Lung create sweat, which in turn helps prevent Dampness from taking hold in the first place. In Ireland or England, ginger cookies and ginger tea are often consumed to counteract environmental dampness. Many cultures have evolved eating patterns and traditions that help inhabitants support their body by maintaining a warm essence and preventing Dampness.
How Can You Prevent Damp Energy from Entering Your Body? Dampness can travel to six major organs: Liver, Gallbladder, Stomach, Spleen, Kidney and Bladder. We know the invisible Damp Qi manifests itself by becoming visible through various recognizable signs. Remember, external signs reflect inner conditions. Today, in our Western culture, we do not have a framework for recognizing the signs of internal Dampness or its source. However, when TCM practitioners observe certain visible signs, they can recognize Dampness has invaded the patient’s body. Without strong Bladder function, it’s very difficult to transfer or transform Damp Qi so that it becomes water and gets released through the Bladder. Once again, for the body to rid itself of Dampness, it has to process or transform the invisible energy of Dampness into visible water and allow this water to be released naturally, as urine. You cannot force it out. If someone tells you they can rid your body of excess water by creating a situation where you have diarrhea, I can tell you this is not a good way. You will only become dehydrated; going this route means your internal Dampness will never go away! Just because water goes through your Large Intestine doesn’t mean the Dampness itself has been released or removed. Water must be transformed and then released through the Bladder, not the Large Intestine. I strongly advise against pushing water out of the body with diuretic pills that force the elimination of urine. If diuretic pills could release Dampness, then many women would not suffer from yeast infections. TCM associates this chronic condition with Dampness and these infections are stubborn and difficult to fix. It also links Dampness to losing body hair and even chronic depression. In this case, the Liver has to be rebalanced as well. To repeat, internal Dampness has the ability to block vital energy and cause stagnation. It is a serious condition. Classical herbal formulas that strengthen and support Bladder function can help; acupuncture can help as well. Now that you know how serious Dampness is, I urge you to use this information to identify ways to prevent this harmful pathogen from taking hold in your body.
Example: External Signs of Internal Dampness—How It Makes Itself Known
If Dampness goes to the Liver and Gallbladder, there may be hair loss in the temple areas. Itchy testicles or, as I’ve mentioned, yeast infections point to the presence of Dampness in the Liver meridian. If the center of the top of the head is losing hair, it’s a sign Dampness has entered the Bladder meridian. In addition to losing hair, someone might cough up phlegm, or have a white coating on the tongue. You can use the tongue as an early warning indicator to observe this unhealthy condition. A fat tongue indicates Dampness. You also can determine which organ has excess Dampness by looking at the location of the white coating on your tongue: If it’s in the middle, it reflects a Stomach digestion problem. If the white coating is on the side, it’s a sign the Liver and Gallbladder are affected. If it’s in the back, it’s related to the Bladder. If you’re a man and you experience excessive urination, or you have knee pain, particularly on the inside of the knee, or you have lower back pain, your body is sending you a message that you have internal Dampness. Warts on the hand or on the bottom of the foot are related to Dampness in the Bladder. Warming the bottom of the feet in this case won’t help. I treat this condition by gradually improving the Stomach’s function. Why? Nurturing the Stomach and improving the digestive system will in turn help fix this condition; however, I have to emphasize it takes time and patience to achieve success in treating Dampness. The Bladder will actually take charge of the whole digestive system because it is serious about Dampness. It will try to help the Stomach remove this harmful condition; otherwise, it cannot exit the body. I tell my patients one way of getting rid of this pathogen is to increase their Bladder function and do specific Wu Ming Qigong movements to induce sweat; then Dampness can be released. No matter what, I hope you can see internal Dampness is a serious condition to be avoided at all costs and addressed as
early as possible.
The Mind and the Stomach Using the Five Element energetic framework as reference, we can see the Stomach is related to the emotions of excessive worry and overthinking. These emotions are actual energy frequencies with the ability to unbalance the partnership between the paired organ system of the Spleen-Stomach as well as between other organs, particularly the Liver. If you suffer from constant worry—about life, business, career, finances, mother, father, husband or wife, children, the environment, the state of the world—you automatically slow down and take Qi or vital energy away from your body’s internal processing capability. One of the more common conditions I see is that worry will make a patient lose his or her appetite. Why does worry shut down the digestive system? This energetic frequency causes a dysfunction and the Stomach stops performing all its duties. When the digestive system is shut down, your body loses the ability to create enough Blood. Often the patient will become anemic, or experience insomnia, and of course, too much anxiety or worry can cause weight loss.
At the emotional level, some energies are visible; some are invisible. Fear and worry are often based on imagination and beliefs. These emotional energies are projections of the future—something that hasn’t happened yet. Based on your beliefs about the past and “evidence” you’ve accumulated that proves you are right to worry, you then create more worry, and project it to the future. And, guess what happens? You create even more worry, even more anxiety! To understand this dynamic, I tell my patients they have to look at today’s society. Everywhere, there is far too much information that constantly promotes worry and fear. Be careful and be aware of how this kind of emotional power can affect your body. Because this society creates this kind of information and operates within this kind of frequency, we can already see the visible energy. It impacts our emotions, our minds, and most definitely the functions of our organ systems on a daily basis. From this angle, we can say emotions have a stronger effect than food on our bodies. I tell my patients, yes, on one level, you are what you eat; at a higher level, you are what you think! The best way to maintain healthy emotional balance is to change your beliefs, to change your mind about how you perceive and react to circumstances you encounter every day. This is especially important if you want your Stomach function to remain strong and balanced. I encourage you to give this concept a lot of thought. Do you see areas of your life where you can minimize or eliminate worry and overthinking? How can you apply this concept in your daily life? We will explore the Mind and Metabolism Function in more detail in Section VI.
Example: The Spleen, Transformation and the Lung How well you accumulate Blood and Qi is based on how well your Spleen functions. As we’ve noted, it’s easy to see why cancer treatments can cause debilitating side effects. They affect and sometimes even destroy the body’s ability to accumulate Blood and Qi just when it needs this support the most. We have already discussed transformation as the fourth step of metabolism function and the Spleen as the major organ associated with this vital process. Here’s an example of the Spleen’s actions during the transformation stage. When the Spleen releases Qi up to the Lung, this energetic frequency is called “undifferentiated Qi.” When the Lung receives it, its responsibility is to distribute this Qi to the best of its ability to support the overall function of the body. The Lung assumes the role of the master distributor of Qi. In this capacity, it reacts to two things: one is the request from each organ for a certain amount of essence or energy; the other is a kind of “bonus” Qi the Lung can direct to the organ it chooses for additional support. The Lung always sends undifferentiated Qi to the organ with which it shares the strongest relationship. However, no matter what, the Lung has the primary responsibility to reserve enough Qi for its own function and to keep the body’s functions in motion.
Like a good counselor, the Lung listens to each organ’s request. If the body is not functioning well, sometimes the Lung may not have enough different kinds of Qi to distribute sufficiently. Then it has to reorganize and reallocate whatever it has to work with. If it’s “short” in terms of fulfilling requests, it will play favorites. Based on relationships with other organs, it makes a decision about where this energetic frequency should go. Think of this kind of wisdom and intelligence your body has! This is not an allegory. This is how the Lung actually operates; all these actions occur at speeds we can’t even imagine. It’s important to treat your Lung kindly—not just because it is the only organ directly open to the external world but also because keeping the lines of communications open ensures optimum health. When they are not working cooperatively, each organ shows one or more specific emotions. For instance, the Spleen will show worry, or it will show the other side of worry, which we can call apathy. Either aspect of this emotion means the Spleen’s requests for Qi are not being adequately met. Now, take a closer look at the emotions associated with each organ in the Five Element energetic framework. The emotions associated with the Lung are sadness and grief. The Liver is associated with anger, stress and frustration. If there is insufficient Qi, the Lung definitely will show sadness and maybe even anger because of the supportive relationship between the Lung and the Liver. The Heart will show depression. The Stomach may exhibit worry and overthinking. It may also show bloating after eating, or it may not be able to digest food, or process emotions or information effectively. The
Kidney will show fear.
The Body as Microcosm; the Earth as Macrocosm The body itself is a microcosm of the earth. At their highest functional level, the Spleen and Stomach are associated with this natural element. As I’ve discussed, these organs and their correspondences vibrate at the same energetic frequency as our Earth. The microcosm is reflected in the greater macrocosm and vice versa. Since beliefs create our reality, it’s vital to understand how expansive our beliefs really are. Are they like the earth? Are they broad enough and strong enough to process everything—food, emotions, information and data as well as spiritual information? Remember, the first stage of metabolism function is receiving. Can you be like the earth and process all the visible and invisible elements you have agreed to receive? You are born with this gift, but can you access and use it? The Five Element framework gives us a unique way of seeing the body and its connections as one inseparable, integrated system of body, mind and spirit. In it, the SpleenStomach organ system symbolizes the Earth element; it is the key. Earth stands in the middle; it is the center of everything. If the earth moves, everything else will move. Everything can be digested and processed through this natural element. Can you apply this understanding to your current situation, especially if you are dealing with a chronic health condition?
Today’s culture trains us to see differences. This is one way to look at things, but is this the best way? If we apply modern science thinking, we have to recognize, at the deepest level, there is only oneness. Each dimension of reality reflects a higher one. Some religions and spiritual practices interpret this concept with the notion “As above, so below.” Let’s step back for a minute and look at the earth from “above.” Thanks to space exploration, we know our beautiful blue planet doesn’t exist in isolation. Just as your body’s organs do not function independently, the same is true of the earth. It does not function independently. It has a cooperative relationship with the other planets in this area of the Universe. Together, they operate as a solar system, which happens to be one of more than five hundred like systems in the Milky Way galaxy alone. The Milky Way galaxy is part of a tremendous number of galaxies—more than an estimated 100 billion!—distributed throughout the Universe. Each system is a microcosm of the larger one “above” it. Just as your spirit has its own purpose and promise for existing in this reality and time frame, the earth too has its own purpose and reason for being in this reality. Just as your body’s organ systems are linked, Earth has an inseparable link with its sister planets in our solar system. Thanks to many of today’s astrophysical discoveries, we know our Milky Way is only one cosmic structure within an even greater system of galaxies, which have their own purpose to fulfill. While today’s culture focuses on differences, separation, fragmentation and the like, an unimaginable underlying oneness joins all things visible and invisible through Qi. The entire Universe is connected by energetic frequencies that scientists call energy and that TCM understands as Qi. As human beings, we yearn to understand our connections. Why do we have a passion for exploring new frontiers? Why do we send manned spaceships and unmanned probes out into the darkness of space? Why does the Universe continue to ignite mankind’s imagination? Our human nature is one of creativity and curiosity. It pushes us to explore what sort of framework Earth exists within. With advanced space probes now traveling billions of miles outside of our planetary system, we have a better idea of the earth as a microcosm of this solar system, which in turn is a microcosm of our galaxy, which is a microcosm of the entire Universe. As above, so below. Some people believe humans can destroy the earth. I think what they mean is that humans have the capability to destroy Earth’s population. How can we destroy an entire planet—one with inseparable connections in an integrated system of related heavenly bodies? When we truly understand oneness, we will understand that even if humans wanted to destroy the earth, our planetary neighbors would not allow the destruction of the perfect balance and harmony of this solar system. While human actions do impact the earth, the earth impacts us as well. If we’re humble, we can say, “With me, the earth will continue; without me, the earth will still continue.” Again, I ask, “How can human beings destroy the earth?” Our connections are based on Natural Law and unconditional love. There is something far bigger than ourselves, but we have to leave room for the notion of mystery. I began Digesting the Universe by saying life is a mystery. Not everything in our world is known or knowable. We are vital to the continual process of creativity that infuses the Universe, but there is a greater consciousness that accepts us as part of it. I want to emphasize these concepts so you can keep an open mind to recognize the invisible reality happening around us all the time.
Here’s another example that opens the door to seeing the harmony and interrelationship of Earth as macrocosm and our physical body as microcosm. Earth is 70 percent water. Science tells us the human body is also about 70 percent water. This is not a coincidence. Once a month, the full moon can cause 70 percent of this planet to change. Can any human being stop this water from moving? Throughout the planet? In your body? During the full moon, can police and fire departments and emergency rooms stop the increased activity coinciding with its appearance? Hospital delivery rooms know when the moon is full they need to prepare for more babies. Can anyone stop or alter these moon-influenced activities? I don’t think so. This is beyond human capability. Whether we believe it or not, whether we feel it or not, our bodies are impacted by Nature’s energy changes. When the moon is full, pause for a moment to reflect on your special connection to Nature’s rhythms. I’d like to bring up another concept relating to the moon for you to think about. We often hear the moon is a reflection of the sun. Is that really true? Based on E=mc², any mass, like the moon, also has energy, and this energy has a specific frequency. The moon enjoys its own mass and frequency, so moonlight must have its own frequency. We just haven’t seen it yet. I want to continue to present these concepts to help readers open up to unseen connections that impact health and daily life. I hope they serve as a reminder that just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Just because you haven’t experienced something, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening or hasn’t happened. When we look at the Five Element energetic framework, we can clearly see how the body operates as an integrated system. As I mentioned earlier, the beauty of this dynamic framework is that it can be applied to anything, not just health. As we end our exploration of each organ system, I’ll interpret this framework as a management structure and business operations model to show you how organs function at the C-suite or senior executive level. Let’s start with the Stomach and Spleen. This paired organ system represents the chief financial officer (CFO) of a thriving business, which is your body. It handles the readily usable cash in your energy checking account (Acquired Qi), manages your cash flow (how you spend Qi on life’s multidimensional activities) and protects your savings account (Inborn Qi stored in the Kidney).
Key Points I would like you to remember the following points about the Spleen-Stomach organ system: The Spleen and Stomach are the first organs to receive and process food. The Spleen is in charge of the quality and quantity of Blood and Qi. Both the Spleen and Stomach love warmth and dislike Cold—cold foods, cold temperatures and Cold essence. Cold and Dampness are serious pathogens that can destroy healthy digestive function. Cold and Dampness are the root cause of most health conditions today, including cancer.
The Paired Organ System of the Liver-Gallbladder
The Paired Organ System of the Liver-Gallbladder: Requirements for Healthy Metabolism Function and Digestive System After the Spleen-Stomach, the second most important paired organ system that must be balanced and work in harmony to support healthy metabolism function is the LiverGallbladder. While many people focus on the Spleen-Stomach when it comes to processing food, it’s important to understand that the most important organ system behind the digestive process is the Liver-Gallbladder. Today, there are so many physical conditions associated with the relationship between the Liver and Stomach, like acid reflux, high cholesterol, ulcers and more. That’s why it’s essential to understand the role the Liver-Gallbladder team plays in healthy metabolism function. To create maximum energy or Qi for the entire digestive system to work properly, we have to factor in the multidimensional functions of the Liver and Gallbladder. They too share a lifelong partnership. Each organ has to function properly by itself; each one has to cooperate with its partner. No matter what, as a team, they must support the multiple functions of the Spleen-Stomach organ system. I hope you’re beginning to have a deeper appreciation of how the body works as an integrated, multidimensional system. Please take a deeper look at the Five Elements to examine the paired organ systems, their relationships and correspondences. For excellent metabolism function, Gallbladder function must be strong; for Gallbladder function to be strong, Liver function also must be strong. That’s why when we talk about the three primary organ systems of healthy metabolism function, we have to talk about these three pairs and focus on their healthy performance in depth. Good cooperation is what makes the body function properly. There’s a circularity in the relationships of the organ systems that reflects the modern science theory of tangled hierarchy. For a complete understanding, we also have to go beyond their physical functions and explore these organ pairs from multidimensional levels. When you take a look at the Five Element energetic framework, as we’ve seen, each organ system is associated with a specific group of correspondences or energetic frequencies that relate to the body, mind and spirit. Each circle means the system itself has to operate fully. As I’ve noted, the Stomach is the most important organ in the material world because it takes in and stores food. I hope the previous section has provided you with a more holistic understanding of the Stomach.
What is the requirement for absorbing more and digesting more of the material our body chooses to accept? The answer is flow; everything within the body has to flow. Stomach Qi has to flow; Liver Qi has to flow and they need to flow smoothly. Kidney Qi also has to flow because this action, as we will see, allows it to follow Natural Law and express itself fully. As soon as things slow down or stagnate, the entire system starts to run sluggishly and create all kinds of health issues—from stomach bloating to anemia, excess weight and more. When metabolism function is operating at its highest level, the spirit of each organ will show itself by expressing its best, most positive aspect. The Liver will show its amazing flexibility—in the body, in emotions, even in the way life events unfold; the Kidney will show its beautiful ability to flow, just as water flows; the Stomach will show its incredible ability to nurture the body and digest everything it takes in—food, emotions and information. The Liver has the responsibility of seeing that Blood and Qi—that inseparable pair we’ve discussed—flow easily and smoothly throughout the body’s structures. A normally functioning Liver promotes emotional stability and takes responsibility for the flow of emotional energy. We’ve already established it’s the Spleen’s job to manage the quality and quantity of your Blood, but it’s the Liver’s job to make sure Blood flows smoothly where it needs to go inside the body and emotions remain balanced. If the Liver cannot perform these critical duties properly, you will definitely see other health problems than the ones already mentioned, including high blood pressure, stroke, tumors and more. In today’s culture, three main factors negatively impact the paired organ system of the Liver-Gallbladder: Cold, stagnation and lack of flexibility (not just physical flexibility but, more importantly, emotional flexibility). The relentless stresses of lifestyles in the twenty-first century almost guarantee all of us have or will eventually develop a Liver function disorder. As we will discover, approaching conditions from an integrated, body–mind–spirit perspective allows us to identify many more conditions associated with a Liver function disorder. Because of today’s hyper-paced, high-stress lifestyle, the Liver is very sensitive to certain emotions, especially when they are experienced in excess or held chronically. What are these emotions? The Five Element energetic framework tells us the key emotions related to the Liver are stress, anger, frustration and irritability. Because emotions and thoughts are also Qi or energetic vibrations, suppressing them can directly harm the Liver’s ability to operate in a healthy way. Let’s be honest, almost everyone today is dealing with one or more stressful situations. Who doesn’t have stress in their daily life? Many individuals and families are experiencing serious economic challenges. Many have lost jobs; some have lost homes; some are members of what’s called the “sandwich generation.” They are caring for children and aging parents at the same time. Some are recent college graduates who are having difficulty finding their first job. There are many issues both domestically and internationally that also cause worry and stress. No one is immune to stress in this culture and unfortunately, everyone’s Liver pays the price.
Example: Excessive Emotional Energies Cause a Stubborn Physical Problem
I have one patient who is a successful lawyer. He suffered for many years from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. It was so bad he had to put something under his bed to raise the top part so he could sleep half sitting up. He literally could not lie flat; otherwise, he would have terrible acid reflux. His life was miserable. He had to carry extra pillows every time he traveled. It had even gotten so bad that because of the way he needed to sleep, he and his wife slept in separate beds. He took medication for many years. He went to see many different doctors. Everyone agreed his acid reflux was very difficult to fix. When he came to me, I explained the origins of acid reflux from the body, mind and spirit perspectives and the organ relationships that influence this condition. We talked about the involvement of not only the Stomach but the Liver as well. I helped him learn how to recognize and release his longstanding frustration, which was seriously affecting his Liver function and consequently the organ it is supposed to unconditionally support, his Stomach. What was one of the deepest aspects of his problem? Unfortunately, most lawyers cannot really express their true emotions in front of their clients. They may feel touched by their clients’ problems. Or, maybe they’re frustrated they can’t always do what they feel is best, so they have to suppress these kinds of emotions. When this suppression goes on long enough, the frustration can be very destructive. It is sometimes the same frequency or vibration as anger. Maybe the lawyer was angry at himself for not being able to express his true emotions? Once he learned how to recognize the root cause of his condition, it began to improve dramatically. At the physical level, I addressed his condition with acupuncture. We also worked at using herbal therapy to rebalance Liver and Stomach function and repair their relationship. Most importantly, we worked at allowing his emotions to flow. While many contemporary treatments focus on treating the Stomach for this condition, GERD is virtually impossible to fix without rebalancing Liver function and repairing the Liver-Stomach relationship. Within a few months, the lawyer was almost totally healed. A very difficult condition that had severely plagued him for twenty years was almost completely healed! It sounds like a miracle, but seeing things from a different angle and using another framework made all the difference in the world. It also produced a very happy outcome. His is not the only example of the miracle of restoring healthy metabolism function. By applying an integrated, multidimensional framework that expands the boundaries of functional medicine, I’ve seen many patients with acid reflux and other challenging conditions recover. The basic principle is to encourage the body’s wisdom to help itself heal, not only fight with the patient’s condition. The goal is to help balance return. At the spiritual level, the body is born with this wisdom. The challenge for TCM practitioners is to help the patient activate it. For complete healing, they have to look at all the interrelated factors of body, mind and spirit.
People who are seeking lasting solutions are able to fix this kind of condition (and many more, I might add) for good! When we approach GERD with a different framework, we can see different things and get different outcomes. In this case, we’re able to recognize and address its root cause. If the patient knows how to take care of herself or himself, it’s not necessary to take medication for life either. If he or she makes lifestyle changes and understands the role emotional energies play in the condition, they can
experience true freedom by taking actions to resolve this difficult condition once and for all. I would like to emphasize feelings are neither good nor bad. They are part of being human and serve a purpose for each of us. Feelings are the results of thoughts, which are based on our beliefs. Everyone processes feelings differently. Sometimes, certain kinds of feelings are somewhat unconscious. Your mind has already persuaded you they have become part of who you are. To get to the root cause of certain health conditions, you have to look deep within to see what’s going on. The beauty of the body–mind– spirit approach is its ability to help patients see things from a different angle and explore different ways to let emotions go or process them. This relates very well to Einstein’s relativistic framework: when we look at things or situations from a different angle, we can actually see different things, and often have different outcomes. The most important concept to recognize is emotions are energetic frequencies or vibrations. Under certain conditions, these frequencies have the capability of impacting organ function. The mind too is an energetic frequency and can impact health. A physical condition is a different form of the mind’s input. The mind is not just the kind of thoughts and feelings that many people discuss with a psychologist or psychiatrist. I want to emphasize the mind and its actions are powerful energetic forces. As an energy being, all energetic frequencies impact you in some way. Another common condition that can be resolved for good by applying the Five Element energetic framework is menstrual cramps. This condition and others associated with the menstrual cycle are related to internal Cold, which we’ve already discussed in relationship to the Spleen-Stomach organ system. TCM associates all pain with the environmental factor of Cold. I see many women who suffer from menstrual cramps. Most accept this condition as “normal” and take painkillers every month to alleviate it. Sometimes, even these painkillers don’t help. I can assure you, menstrual cramps are not a normal part of a woman’s life! If we view this condition from a different angle, we can understand it as a Liver function disorder. From the Western point of view, tests may indicate the physical Liver has no problem. From the TCM point of view, however, it is not normal at all. The Liver is not functioning properly. It’s not doing its job of helping Blood flow. Once again, we can think of this condition as the result of a software or Qi problem not a hardware problem. Chinese medicine has successfully dealt with women’s health issues for thousands of years. In fact, it’s has a specialty in this area. Today, any well-trained, skillful TCM herbalist or acupuncturist can deal with a broad range of women’s conditions. For many centuries, TCM has understood the origins of menstrual cycle problems and successfully treated them. Here’s something important I’d like to share with women readers. By rebalancing Liver function, problems with the menstrual cycle can be resolved for good. With this approach, it is not necessary to suffer from monthly menstrual cramps or take medications for years on end. I urge women readers to learn how to truly take care of themselves for the long term. While the different approaches to health can deliver great benefits, it is not like having one tune-up for the lifetime of your car. You still have to do frequent maintenance. You are the most important partner when it comes to keeping yourself well. At my clinic, we have successfully helped many hundreds of women achieve real freedom from this condition by rebalancing Liver function.
I would like readers to recognize controlling or suppressing a condition like menstrual cramps does not mean it’s healed. Just because a symptom disappears, doesn’t mean it’s gone for good. It can show up in a different guise somewhere else. Many physical conditions, like GERD, have their origins in unbalanced emotions. If you want to fix the root cause, rebalance the emotional energies associated with the related organ. When you study the emotions and their associated organs in the Five Element diagram, what do you see? Do you experience one of these energetic frequencies all the time? Or in excess? I would say, please be careful. Now that we’ve identified the three major factors impacting Liver function—Cold, stagnation and lack of flexibility—let’s talk about the best way to address them. We need to see their impact on the paired organ system of the Liver-Gallbladder. How can we be sure Qi or vital energy doesn’t stagnate or get stuck? How can we help our mind and its emotions become more flexible? How can we find healthy ways to let things go that are out of our control? What do we need to know about the Liver from the spiritual perspective? Let’s explore this vital pair further.
The Liver and Conditions of Cold By now, I hope you recognize why it’s essential to avoid Cold at all costs. You have already learned what it can do to the Spleen and Stomach. This environmental energy is a serious pathogen; it’s just as destructive as any virus or bacteria you can name. Besides Cold, the Liver is also sensitive to another environmental factor or energy frequency, which is Wind. It may seem simple to say, but following this advice is important: Don’t jog outside in cold weather; don’t run on windy days. Again, I want to remind readers it is futile to challenge Nature. You just cannot win! Nature’s energies are far more powerful than yours. Remember to cover up your legs, especially on a cold or windy day. Several major meridians or energy channels, including the Liver meridian, run up through the leg. This is especially important for women readers since all women’s health issues, directly or indirectly, are related to a Liver function disorder. When Liver function improves, its partner’s function improves as well. The healthier Liver function becomes, the healthier Gallbladder function will be. Remember, these are lifelong partners that must work in harmony. In the Five Element energetic framework, the paired organ system of the Liver and Gallbladder is related to Nature’s element of Wood. Since the body is a microcosm of Nature, whatever the Wood element can do, the Liver and Gallbladder should be able to do also. In this framework, Wood relates to a kind of flexible material like bamboo that bends in the face of external factors without breaking. Are you a flexible person who can go with the flow and doesn’t get rattled when things aren’t exactly the way you want them? Let me emphasize here all three paired organ systems—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder and Kidney-Bladder—must cooperate with each other fully and multidimensionally to create a healthy digestive system. If your Stomach becomes bloated after you eat, if you have GERD, or acid reflux, like our lawyer, or if you have IBS, or an ulcer, your body is using a different language to communicate with you through these symptoms. It’s sending signs of a deeper issue—your digestive system has fallen out of balance and is not functioning as it should. With these kinds of symptoms, it’s easy to see the Liver and Stomach are not functioning in harmony. Something physical or nonphysical, like emotions, has disrupted their relationship. For healthy metabolism function to be restored, there is no question the Liver and the Stomach must each be balanced in themselves; importantly, they also must cooperate again as supportive partners. My patients ask me, “What are the requirements for healthy Liver and Gallbladder function?” Here’s an example that might give you a better idea.
Example: The Body and Its Integrated, Multidimensional Systems It’s simple; the body has to function as a wholly integrated, multidimensional system. All aspects—body, mind and spirit—have to cooperate for optimum health. Think of your car. For it to operate smoothly, your engine has to function properly, but that’s not all, is it? The engine has to cooperate with the wheel, which is connected to the steering mechanism. When you push down on your brake pedal, it has to engage other parts to be sure you stop safely. At the mechanical level, all of the car’s parts have to function properly by themselves and then they need to work together so your car rides well. You also need some form of energy like gas or electric power to make the car go. I might add you also need to be a good driver. Even if you have the best car but you’re a terrible driver, you will have trouble! The computer offers a different example of individual parts that must work together for the good of the whole system. Its hardware—monitor, keyboard, cables, Internet connection and so forth—has to cooperate so you can communicate with others. Your software has to work with the hardware as well. These two systems need to function perfectly by themselves, then they have to work harmoniously; otherwise, you cannot send emails, you can’t download your favorite apps and so on. In other words, unless your computer’s software and hardware systems work together seamlessly, it cannot function the way you would like. It’s interesting how closely this computer example mirrors the situation of many patients I see. Patients come to our practice with health issues that, in some cases, they have had for a long time. They have been to famous hospitals; they have seen many specialists; they have had extensive testing. The problem is they have been told, according to their test results, they are normal; there is nothing wrong. So, why does the patient still feel unwell and complain of various problems? Are their problems physical? Are they real? Or, are these health problems just in their head, as many have been told? Why can’t their medical tests detect anything wrong? Perhaps, this following kind of story is familiar to you. I have worked with many patients who suffered from migraines. They have been through the situation above. Their MRIs, CT scans, blood work and other tests confirm they have no tumors—no visible reason for the migraines. Test results are normal. Why do they still suffer, in some cases severely, from migraines? Why is it on some occasions even painkillers cannot help? This situation means the root cause of the migraines is not in the nervous system or other systems today’s medical technology are able to test. It’s the result of something that functions beyond the body’s physical aspects. The cause is in the electromagnetic energy field. By turning to a different framework to understand these migraines, we can see them more completely. If we can look at this pain through the lens of an integrated system, we can identify a different cause. The migraine pain is not the root cause; it is the effect or symptom of a deeper one in need of treatment—a Liver function disorder. Unless the root cause is addressed, the pain cannot be resolved for good. What’s happening? Though these kinds of chronic conditions may seem puzzling from one perspective, they are far more understandable when we see them from this angle. Today, most medical technologies, though based on quantum theories, have been designed to measure physical input. In other words, they test the body’s hardware; they have not been designed to test its software system. However, so many things happen at other levels beyond the physical one. The body’s software is associated with energetic frequencies of emotions, the mind, consciousness and even spirit. These multidimensional aspects impact the physical body in a very real way. Maybe one day, we will have special medical devices dedicated to diagnosing the energetic aspects of the human body. The Western medicine framework is not incorrect from its perspective; its framework was not developed to understand conditions associated with unbalanced relationships of the body’s organ systems. If you are flexible and can allow yourself to shift frameworks, you may see ways
in which the body’s functions are affected by things beyond its hardware system.
Requirements for a Healthy Liver-Gallbladder System There are three requirements for a smoothly functioning Liver-Gallbladder system. Let’s look at them more closely. Avoid Cold We’ve talked a lot about Cold, and we will also talk about it later in relationship to the paired organ system of the Kidney-Bladder. In the case of the Liver-Gallbladder, these organs do not like Cold either. Interestingly enough, they also don’t like heat. This paired organ system loves to be cool and function at a moderate temperature. If there’s too much heat in your body, the Liver-Gallbladder pair can react by developing a function disorder; if these organs experience too much Cold, then you will find yourself with a different kind of function disorder. For example, with too much heat in the Liver, a patient might have a yeast infection or jaundice, where the whites of the eyes become yellow. If too Cold, a woman’s menstrual cycle may be affected. She may experience cramps, blood clots, fibroids or other issues related to sluggish Blood flow. There may be infertility issues. For men and women alike, arthritis can develop when too much Cold enters the body. Most women’s health issues are associated with the Liver being too Cold. This means the body has been invaded by Cold essence or Cold energy. As we’ve discussed, menstrual cycle disorders, including cramps, are a sign the Liver is experiencing excessive Cold. Menstrual cramps are also a sign of Qi or energy stagnation. It’s simple enough to see the effects of too much Cold. For women, if you have a smooth, easy menstrual cycle—no cramps, no headaches, no blood clots, no heavy flow and so on— then you are fortunate and don’t have this condition of internal Cold. If you exhibit the opposite of these, you have a Liver function disorder. Remember our exploration of Blood and Qi; they are inseparable partners. A Cold energy causes both Blood and Qi to become stagnant and consequently you will see more body functions also become sluggish. Generally speaking, conditions of pain are related to the environmental pathogen of Cold. Also, one of the major factors associated with breast cancer is Cold—the kind of essence that causes clumping, sticking and coagulation. In addition to being affected by Cold, breast cancer, breast lumps, cysts and uterine fibroids are also associated with Qi stagnation. As I’ve noted, all women’s health issues are directly or indirectly related to how well the Liver functions at multidimensional levels. An ancient saying advises practitioners, “If you know to how create healthy Liver function, you can be the best doctor because you understand the root cause of almost all female health problems.” Release Stagnation
It is important for healthy Liver function, as well as healthy metabolism function, to allow things to flow—not just at the body level, but also at the mind, emotion and spirit levels. Stagnation is a condition where something becomes stuck or cannot move. Stagnation prevents healthy flow of Blood and its invisible partner Qi. Blood must flow seamlessly throughout the body to all the locations where it is needed. Anything that prevents this from happening smoothly will cause a Liver function disorder. In the case of the physical liver, stagnation means this organ will perform its primary function of moving Blood in a sluggish manner. Blood circulation is a vital job that’s controlled by the Liver. Importantly, the flow of emotions is also controlled by the Liver and Gallbladder. If your body has Qi stagnation, if you continually hold in or suppress emotions (like my lawyer patient who suffered from GERD, or many of my women patients who have suffered from menstrual problems), if you allow your emotions to become excessive or chronic, or even if things are not flowing smoothly in your life for that matter—which is energy flow of the highest order—you are already experiencing a Liver function disorder! Its long medical history allows TCM to understand blood clots as a sign of stagnation and a major disruption in the “Blood and Qi” relationship. When Blood doesn’t flow smoothly, blood clots can occur. To resolve this condition, TCM practitioners will help both aspects of Blood, the visible material, and Qi, the invisible force, to flow. Western medicine often uses blood thinners for this purpose; however, while these medications may thin the physical material of the blood, they cannot strengthen Qi, its inseparable, energetic partner. Here again, we can go back to Einstein’s formula E=mc² as we look through the eyes of modern science to understand energy and mass are interchangeable when we talk about things that operate at the speed of light or faster, which is what Qi and meridians do. This understanding creates a bridge to see what Chinese medicine has known for thousands of years. It gives us a modern language and new framework for appreciating the relationship between Qi and Blood. With conditions of sluggish Blood or blood clots, TCM can boost Qi or vital energy to help mass change. When you suppress Qi, you impact mass. Often, some Liver conditions indicate a suppression of the energetic frequencies of emotions. It is critical for readers to truly understand that emotions, feelings and thoughts are energetic frequencies that manifest themselves in this reality. We’ve already mentioned some conditions that are the result of Blood stagnation, but I want to emphasize Qi stagnation can create health issues as well. What is Qi stagnation, then, as it relates to the Liver? Simply put, it is the inability to let emotional feelings flow. This causes energy to accumulate over time and, under certain circumstances, this energy can transform into a mass or matter. From the scientific point of view, this is just what Einstein proved with his equation. Matter and energy are different forms of the same thing and either one can transform into the other. Qi stagnation can impact your physical health in many ways. If you experience excess anger, your appetite may disappear, or your blood pressure may increase. Excess or chronic emotions can cause migraines, stomachaches, diarrhea, stroke and more. These conditions indicate an energy transfer is already at work. The energetic frequencies of the unbalanced emotions have been transformed into an observable, physical effect or condition. If you want to heal the root cause, you have to recognize modern science has proved that everything is energy, including our bodies. You are an energy being. Your feelings and emotions are indeed energy. They are more powerful than your physical reactions to the events of your life.
Many physical conditions are rooted in emotional imbalances. Thanks to TCM’s Five Element energetic framework, we don’t have to guess at the origins of which emotions are unbalanced. With this time-tested blueprint, we can easily recognize which emotions are related to which organs. Let’s review: Anger, stress, frustration and irritability relate to the Liver. Worry and overthinking relate to the Spleen. Fear and shock correspond to the Kidney. The Lung is related to sadness and grief. And, excessive joy impacts the Heart. Let’s return to our examples of acid reflux. I think many people may have been through this kind of experience: To treat your acid reflux, you and your doctor have found a solution to this problem. Now, you take medication and you are happy the condition is finally under control. An upcoming event, like a big board meeting or a discussion about divorce proceedings or a teacher conference about your child’s learning problems comes up. What happens? Your excess emotions can trigger the acid reflux, even with your medication. Why is it that suddenly, when your emotions are particularly stressed, your acid reflux worsens? This is not a coincidence. I also see this kind of situation with patients who have high blood pressure. You take your medication and everything is under control. Sadly, a good friend passes away. What happens? Understandably, your emotions overwhelm you; these emotions in turn cause an increase in your blood pressure, even with medication. I urge women especially to watch their emotions and realize stress of all kinds has the potential to cause major damage. I urge them to be good to themselves. In our clinic, we see many patients who complain of breast tenderness. From our discussions, they all can recognize that if they experience undue stress one month, the following month, they will definitely experience painful breast tenderness during their menstrual cycle. In my opinion, everyone has to wake up and understand the tremendous power of emotions; these invisible energetic frequencies have enormous power to disrupt the function of organs and negatively impact the body’s health. I would like to repeat again: The invisible is always more powerful than the visible. I hope you have a better understanding of Blood and Qi stagnation now. This condition is particularly critical with regard to the Liver, which is one of the most sensitive organs associated with the smooth flow of emotions. Practice Flexibility The third requirement for Liver health is flexibility, which means going with life’s flow. Practicing flexibility means you have to challenge yourself and ask, “How can I become more flexible? How can I become more adaptable, more willing to hear others? How can I truly understand many things are out of my control? How can I become less judgmental? How can I help myself see things from different angles?” Practicing flexibility also means following Nature’s laws, not human law, as well as following your own feelings, which come from your beliefs and the thoughts and emotions resulting from those beliefs. We will talk more about beliefs and their impact on emotions in Section VI, the Mind and Metabolism Function. The Tao teaches us to go with the flow. Flexibility is essential for healthy metabolism function, so I am going to spend a lot of time exploring this concept. Flexibility is associated with your beliefs, thoughts, feelings, personality and even life situations and events. Remember, your personality is created by beliefs, but how flexible you are is also based on your education. Often, we believe there are many things we can control or must be responsible for; however, there are also many things that are simply beyond our control. For the most part, control is an illusion. If we can embrace the concept that there are no accidents and recognize there are many things outside of our control, we can let things go more easily and step into the flow of life. Becoming flexible is a process that can improve over time. If you want to adopt this concept, I recommend practicing becoming more flexible in small ways first; then, you can try becoming flexible in larger ways. For instance, take a different road to work one day; try different foods; allow yourself not to work through your lunch hour and instead take a walk outside—even for ten minutes; buy yourself flowers to take home and
admire; stop doing things because you think you “must,” or you think it’s expected of you. Listen to your inner voice and find out what makes you truly happy—then practice that.
Example: The Liver, the Mind and Flexibility Here’s a positive way to think about being flexible. Suppose a traffic jam has caused you to be late for work, or to miss a meeting, or a flight. Perhaps 95 percent of the time you have trouble letting these kinds of situations go. Even though you may tell yourself your actions did not cause this problem, you can still feel the frustration. You wish you could have gone two hours earlier. Often, your frustration will turn into anger and you direct this negative energetic vibration at yourself. You start a conversation that begins, “I’m going to be late again! This is making me angry. Why does this always happen to me? Why can’t I get control of my life and my own time? Why do I have so many responsibilities that always cause me to be late?” Try to recognize how and when this kind of thinking creeps into your everyday mind. What situations trigger the negative emotions that follow? Can you practice letting go of this sort of frustration? If you can, over time you’ll gradually become more flexible. Some people, however, just can’t let go. Many things stick with them, even after decades. Sadly, some emotions stagnate internally, in some cases, for a lifetime! They have difficulty shaking feelings of anger, frustration and irritability. These people replay the same situations over and over. These emotions can eventually affect Liver function since this organ and the emotions have a reciprocal relationship: too much anger and your Liver will suffer; a chronic physical liver condition and you may see anger manifest itself. Modern science tells us energy always goes both ways.
Some of my patients practice yoga. They tell me there are some postures they find difficult to do. I help them understand this physical sign is actually a message of a deeper imbalance. Otherwise, they would be able to perform these postures. Their Liver function is not as flexible as it should be. This kind of inflexibility is also the image of their
life and emotions. It’s an indication they are not flexible enough in other areas as well. They cannot “let it go.” Remember, outer reflects inner.
Example: The Natural Ability to Be Flexible The good news is we are born with the wisdom and capability of being flexible. We often use this skill in dealing with events relating to Nature, but many times we don’t recognize how to apply it in our daily life and relationships. Let’s say you’ve planned a wonderful winter vacation in a nice warm place. Then, a snowstorm in your area causes flights to be canceled and you have to postpone your trip. Yes, you are definitely frustrated, but you don’t hold this anger against the weather or even the weatherman who forecasted it. You don’t have to see a therapist for the rest of your life to process a blizzard! Suppose you get stuck behind a major accident and miss an important interview. You don’t hold the anger against the accident for years. You don’t have to talk with a therapist for many sessions to process this event.
If we can let these kinds of situations go, why can’t we let go of the many human interactions that bother us? I believe the answer is we view humans as isolated individuals and our interactions as isolated events. We fail to recognize what modern science has discovered and what TCM has practiced for many centuries—everything is connected. Whatever happens at any given moment in this reality is connected to so much more that is happening at an unseen level. It’s the tip of the iceberg of an unseen reality. We just cannot see all the visible and invisible aspects of any event, but we can feel them. Deep within us, we do have the capability of letting things go, but we need to practice this skill more and apply it to our encounters—with family, friends, colleagues, others—as well as life’s many situations. I remind my patients they already have the skill to “let it go.” They have done it many times; they just have to apply this skill in a different way when it comes to dealing with others and events of their daily life. You too have
this skill. I also tell my patients to work hard at keeping the Liver-Gallbladder partnership strong. If it becomes out of balance, one outcome is they can become more prone to sport injury. In the Five Element energetic framework, you’ll see the tendon is the tissue of the Liver. Speed comes from flexible tendons, not from massive muscles. Tendons are structures that attach muscles to bones. Ligaments are similar structures that attach bones to other bones. When muscles and bones move, they can exert stresses on the tendons and ligaments attached to them. TCM associates tendonitis, or inflammation of tendons, with Liver-Gallbladder dysfunction.
Example: Liver Stagnation and Sport Injury Let’s look at sport injury from the quantum framework. A sport injury like a sprain creates swelling, which means Blood and its invisible aspect Qi are not flowing. If there’s a bruise, it means there is stagnation; Blood and Qi have become stuck in a particular location. In this situation, the standard treatment in the Western framework is to apply ice. In the TCM framework, it’s essential to treat the sport injury by increasing Blood flow, which simultaneously allows Qi or vital energy to flow. Since stagnation related to the Liver is associated with Cold energy, in the TCM framework, we only apply warmth or heat to alleviate or prevent stagnation. Heat helps Blood and Qi flow. Ice is never used for sport injuries. While it is true icing a sport injury can help alleviate pain and swelling quickly, ice will not help Blood and Qi flow to support subsequent healing. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Cold prevents their healing action. Sooner or later, applying too much Cold to sport or other injuries produces longterm consequences. Cold will eventually penetrate the body and migrate to the bones where it can later cause arthritis, or worse. Think about this: Our bodies, like the earth, are about 70 percent water. What happens when water encounters cold temperatures? It freezes. Everything stops; nothing moves. Sooner or later, continually applying Cold to sport injuries results in future health conditions. We often see this with older athletes who suffer from arthritis and other conditions that a TCM practitioner would identify
as Qi stagnation.
Good functional medicine not only deals with immediate problems, but also looks at current and potential side effects of any healing action. It also peers into the future to anticipate further problems.
Example: Heat and Healing a Sport Injury Common medical practice today for sport injury or lower back pain almost always involves ice or treatment with cold. Please, remember our discussion about Cold and the damage it can ultimately cause. The depth and location of an injury can cause many different problems. Also, whether the individual is male or female, where ice is used and for how long icing goes on affect the outcome. The standard recommended TCM treatment for sport injury and some lower back pain is the opposite. I recommend my patients take a very hot bath. They should also go to a sauna, if possible. I recommend taking a moist sauna, rather than a dry one, because it can invigorate Bladder function. Saunas help the Bladder release internal Dampness, as we’ve already discussed; they can also help soothe lower back pain. If you use a sauna, though, don’t sweat too much. Definitely, do not drink cold beverages if you have sweated too much. The use of a moist sauna can also gradually help heal the condition of excess Dampness. If you are seeing a TCM practitioner for sport injury or Dampness, most likely he or she will also add herbal therapy. Slowly from the inside out, you can begin to improve this condition. If you try to work from the outside in, especially using Cold, you may cause internal damage. The real fix is from the inside out. Drinking a tea made with fresh ginger root and brown sugar can also help from the inside. Ginger’s essence is warm and helps Liver Qi flow smoothly. You should use fresh ginger slices. (I don’t recommend using prepared kinds of ginger teas from the supermarket.) Drinking several cups a day can gradually help relieve Dampness.
Today, science tells us it takes about three months or one hundred days for the body’s red blood cells to renew themselves. For many centuries, the martial arts have understood this functional process in regard to sport injuries. It was common practice for fighters to take one hundred days to recover fully from major injuries received in
competition.
Example: Flexibility and Organ Function The body acts as the mirror of your mind. How can we see this process at work on the physical level? Being flexible is one example of seeing the body as a mirror of your mind. Here are two conditions you may never associate with the concept of flexibility and Liver function. You may not connect the physical problem of constipation with being inflexible. Yet, it is the body’s way of communicating that you are not flexible enough. You are literally holding onto something that is no longer necessary. Back pain also means you’re not flexible. Conversely, because you are not flexible, you can actually develop back pain! It’s a reciprocal situation. When we view any physical or emotional health condition, we gain enormous insight by viewing it from the energy stagnation perspective. This lets us read the condition backwards and forwards. When I see patients with back pain, I try to help them understand this physical condition is also giving them a sign that they are not flexible. And conversely, their inflexibility is a
contributing factor in their lower back pain.
By becoming more flexible, you support your Liver function. Another way you can help your Liver is to allow yourself and emotions to go with the flow. I hope you can appreciate the power of the energetic frequencies of emotions. I urge you to be aware of the consequences that occur when anger, frustration, stress or irritability are continually suppressed or experienced in excess. If you can become sensitive to this kind of energetic vibration, you will do a good job of protecting your Liver’s ability to serve you well. Allowing emotions to flow is probably the most difficult part of keeping Liver function healthy. While it may be the most difficult, it’s also the most essential part. Why? Factors of cold and heat are things we can control for the most part. You can always wear more clothes, eat warm foods, or decline cold food items; however, dissolving emotional stagnation is related to how flexible your emotions are. In the end, ridding yourself of stagnation is related to how much you are able to change the beliefs you hold that produce your thoughts, which in turn create your emotional states. This is addressing Liver health from the mind level. Let me return to the concept of the association between Blood and Qi. Both have everything to do with healthy Liver function. We know now these two elements are inseparable: one is visible; one is invisible. TCM regards Qi as the commander of Blood—its intelligent force. Blood is the mother of Qi—the nurturing material substance that gives Qi a home. If your Qi experiences stagnation, your Blood will stagnate and vice versa. It is that simple. Qi stagnation can be seen as energy stagnation or emotional stagnation. If you have emotional stagnation, Qi stagnation can develop. This in turn can create an emotional disorder. What does emotional stagnation really mean? It’s a sign you are suppressing emotions. I see this condition often with my female patients. It’s a cultural issue. You want to be polite; you don’t want to offend anyone, or confront anyone. So emotions get suppressed. From my experience, I see many women who have difficulty expressing their true feelings. Women and men alike have true feelings and true emotions they’ve suppressed deep in the body, sometimes for a whole lifetime! They are angry (for a hundred different reasons), but can’t tell anyone, let alone someone who has caused them to be angry. I would like to help you understand that these feelings are real energetic vibrations. These energetic vibrations are specifically associated with the Five Element energetic framework. Suppressed emotions force the Liver to live with this buried energy. Anger is a powerful electromagnetic frequency. Like all emotions, it has an invisible reality. If this energy cannot be processed smoothly and released from the body, stagnation occurs. Eventually, under the right conditions, this energy can transform into matter. This is not just TCM theory. This is modern science thinking as well. Anger, or any of the emotions, is not good or bad; it is an energetic frequency that has the desire to be expressed so it can remain in balance. This is one of the ways organs achieve their purpose. Here’s another aspect of flexibility. If you’re someone who continually rehashes events, past and present, if you’re someone who cannot let go of the old—old thoughts, old habits, old emotions—how can you receive anything new? If someone constantly lives with anger, or is under a lot of stress, Liver function is always compromised. Now, consider this: If someone is missing a gallbladder, there can be even more trouble. Or, if a person’s Gallbladder has a function disorder, that is, it can’t perform its duties, the body will have difficulty reaching the highest metabolism function. It will also be difficult for this person to “show” or apply the first four steps we’ve talked about to achieve the final, fifth step of manifesting his or her highest purpose in this reality. If someone always has sport injuries, tendon problems, lots of cuts, or operations for tendons in the wrist or shoulder, or they suffer from tennis elbow, their Liver function is compromised; otherwise, these conditions or occurrences would never appear in the first place. They are not causes; they’re effects that point to a deeper issue. You’ll see from the Five Element energetic framework the tendon is the tissue of the Liver.
Most of my patients are Western women. Remember, we said all women’s health issues are directly or indirectly related to how well the Liver functions. Menstrual cramps, PMS, fibroids and all menstrual cycle disorders are related to emotional energy stagnation in the Liver. These conditions reflect a situation where anger or the other emotions associated with this organ cannot be expressed or released easily. I would like to emphasize again problems associated with menstruation are not “normal.” Popping medication once a month is not normal. Any of the conditions mentioned above are clear messages from the body an imbalance is happening. These conditions offer another good example of symptoms that represent an effect of a deeper cause. So many aspects of women’s health are related to Liver function. Healthy nails, eyes, tendons, the ability to express one’s emotions freely are all related to how well the Liver functions. Conversely, brittle nails, itchy or blurry eyes, tendonitis, anger, stress and emotional stagnation are signs of unhealthy Liver function. If you have any of these conditions, a good TCM practitioner would observe the presence of a Liver function disorder. Now that you’ve seen the importance of the Liver and Stomach relationship, you can also see why a poorly functioning Liver-Gallbladder partnership impacts the entire digestive process. The ultimate impact, of course, is a blow to healthy metabolism function.
The Liver and Detoxification When it comes to detoxification, there is a major difference between the Western and Eastern approach. From both perspectives, when the Liver is not functioning well, it will accumulate toxins. In general, today’s Western approach aims to detoxify the Liver through external means. It believes the Liver needs assistance to get rid of the poison within and then it will function better. The opposite point of view is to see it from the angle of an integrated systems framework that functions on multiple levels at the same time. In this framework, the Liver will naturally detoxify itself when its ability to function gets better and the amount of Qi it has increases. This view relies on the body’s inner wisdom and knowledge to regulate and heal itself. Now, we have a different framework for reseeing detoxification. Toxins are not the real problem; a poorly functioning Liver that doesn’t have enough strength to manage all its responsibilities is the root cause. By the way, fatty liver is associated with a Liver function disorder. The following may help you understand TCM’s perspective better. If your house has a lot of garbage, you have to accumulate enough energy to gear up for action and clean it out. But, first you have to be strong enough to carry the garbage out of your house. This approach says, “Don’t focus on the garbage. Focus on creating enough Qi or vital energy to take all those bags of garbage out!” Once the garbage is gone, you’re not going to create more. Toxicity is a condition of Qi stagnation, not toxic overload. That which is stuck cannot be moved or released.
Why does the Liver need detoxification in the first place? Today, there are a number of reasons. The food supply has numerous issues: antibiotics to prevent problems with foods like chicken, beef, and other animals; hormones, GMO alterations, chemical additives and preservatives, to name a few. The food supply is not as pure as it was centuries ago, so our Liver has to work harder to eliminate toxins of all kinds and protect its healthy function. Other contributing factors include polluted indoor and outdoor air in many areas. The Lung, which supports the Liver, also takes a beating as it breathes in toxins. In addition, as we’ve discussed, life in the twenty-first century creates a lot of stress and, consequently, the need to detoxify the Liver. We have life stress, job stress and emotional stress, among other things. Let’s not forget information overload either. In 2015, Facebook reported that it had 1.01 billion users per day. Also in 2015, YouTube’s CEO reported users now upload more than 400 hours of video to the site every minute! Everywhere we turn there is too much information to be processed. As a species, we haven’t developed the capacity yet to easily digest this massive influx of data. Referring to our Five Element energetic framework, you can see the eyes are the opening or gateway of the Liver to the external world. Any problem with the eye is a sign of a deeper Liver Qi imbalance. Also, an eye disorder will impact Liver function and vice versa. From our earlier discussion about light, we know what the physical eye can see is limited. However, we also know it has tremendous capability to digest other frequencies. How do we prove this? We use pictures. The Hubble telescope in outer space sends us pictures of cosmic frequencies reflected in the color and light we can see in a two-dimensional picture. Through your eyes, you do digest these kinds of frequencies. TVs also send us other frequencies we cannot see. They translate into certain kinds of images. Through our eyes, the external “gate” of the Liver, we have the capability of digesting information from different energetic frequencies. I would like you to understand the body has remarkable digestive capabilities. Unfortunately, we can sometimes digest too much. Our culture now revolves around computing devices of all kinds. And technology is evolving faster than we can say. Today, it is not healthy to sit in front of a computer for long hours and have our eyes affected by electromagnetic fields. After work, many people go home and play on their computers or watch TV for several hours. Definitely, I recommend my patients who continually work on computers purchase a green plant (the healthy energetic color vibration of the Liver) and rest their eyes on it several times per hour. This is something simple you also can do for yourself. I urge you to pay attention to the state of your eyes. To the reasons that make detoxification important, we can add the fact that many people also take multiple supplements and medications. Most medications are designed to control a symptom or a specific set of symptoms, and virtually all of them produce some kind of side effect. As we’ve seen, modern science tells us everything is connected. These medications often trade one set of symptoms for another. With so many symptoms or side effects to heal, all the body’s organs have to work very hard not to fall out of balance. For those on many medications and supplements, the Liver has to work even harder. According to the CDC, in 2008, spending for prescription drugs reached $234.1 billion. An online Reuter’s health report, noted spending for prescription drugs in 2014 had reached $347 billion. The CDC also stated in its research:
[T]he percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased by 10%. The use of multiple prescription drugs increased by 20% and the use of five or more drugs increased by 70%. By 2007–2008, one-half of Americans used at least one or more prescription drugs; and 1 out of 10 used five or more. One out of every five children used at least one or more prescription drugs compared with 9 of every 10 adults aged 60 and over. Women were more likely to use prescription drugs than were men. Today, many individuals, especially older ones, have several chronic medical conditions for which they rely on multiple medications, all of which put a burden on the processing capabilities of the Liver and the Kidney. So, now you can see the big picture and the factors that contribute to the need to help the Liver detoxify itself. Because we’re living in this kind of society, we can see why it’s almost impossible to eliminate all the harmful elements that impact us. The best way to remain well is to strengthen the body’s functions and help it maintain or return to a state of balance. When this happens, you can jumpstart the power of all the organs’ self-regulating capabilities you were born with. The key question about detoxifying the Liver is this: How can you strengthen its energetic function so it can manage its duties naturally and rid the body of poisons every day? The Liver is programmed to handle this responsibility. If this special capability isn’t supported, toxins will continue to stagnate in the Liver, and external efforts will continue to target symptoms and not the root cause. The real solution is to increase the Liver’s ability to function well, which means strengthening Liver Qi. In an effort to detoxify the Liver, please don’t punish it with drugs, or harsh chemicals or processes. A skilled TCM practitioner or acupuncturist knows how to use various modalities like acupuncture and herbs to help regulate Liver function and release Qi stagnation. My patients know from experience how well they feel when they choose this route and listen to their body and not their mind. At our TCM World Foundation, each spring during the seasonal energy transition, we conduct a special self-healing program for Liver detoxification. It includes special Wu Ming Qigong energy postures to get Liver Qi moving, foods for healing to support Liver function, as well as lifestyle changes in keeping with the transition to spring, the Liver’s season.
Healing the Liver by Changing Beliefs Looking at life from the spiritual level, there are no accidents. Everything is a deliberate sign or symbol in this reality. Everything happens for a reason; everything happens for good. Can you actually see the good? Have you trained yourself to look for the good? I’d like to recommend that you spend time each day to reflect on the things you focus on, the thoughts you have and the emotions you experience. What do you spend the most time concentrating on? What does this tell you? If your emotions have been challenged during the day, think about who challenged them. Why? What were your reactions? How can you see these situations differently? In our modern life, with its concentration on the negative, particularly in the media, it is not easy to concentrate on the good. We are persuaded by “evidence” in the external images and information presented to us that the world is a mad, violent and dangerous place. Because much of our culture focuses on the sensational or negative, good news “appears” to be scarce. Are good things, good actions and good people really scarce? Or, is the narrative that’s fed to us mostly negative? What do you think the reason is for this? Many of our actions are based on fear stimulated by negative thinking about many aspects of the world. The ultimate truth of our reality and who we are is far different. I ask my patients, as I ask readers, “Are you looking for the good?” Any information or situation you encounter is a sign from the invisible, spiritual aspect of yourself. My master frequently reminds me if you associate yourself—your beliefs and thoughts—with the good, eventually, you become the good. If you associate your beliefs and thoughts with the negative, you eventually become the negative. It sounds like simple advice, doesn’t it? But remember, energy attracts like energy. We can even apply this kind of thinking to prevent illness and disease. How can you create a good ending if you begin from a state of fear? For example, I would like women readers to think about this: If you choose to have a yearly mammogram, do you do this because you are afraid you may have breast cancer? Why not see this procedure from a different angle? Can you associate it with the good? Why not use this exam as confirmation of a strong belief you have done everything possible throughout the year to protect your breast health?
Because they are very strong energetic frequencies or vibrations, emotions play a critical role in health and healing. It’s not possible to achieve the highest level of metabolism function if we can’t let go of old, negative emotions, thoughts, habits and more. These are the very kinds of energetic frequencies that cause things to become sluggish and eventually, under certain circumstances, produce Qi stagnation. Sometimes we can’t even get rid of clothes we wore twenty-five or thirty years ago. One of my patients has even said, “Oh, I can’t throw this jacket away. My first boyfriend gave it to me.” That was twenty years and two husbands ago! Events in the past often involve forgiveness. Sometimes forgiveness is difficult to achieve. Instead of struggling with this emotion, from my perspective, it’s better to shift the way you look at a certain event or issue by understanding it from the spiritual level. From this perspective, there is a reason and purpose for everything you have chosen to experience in this reality. But, if you continue to go over the same issues again and again, if you cannot let old feelings go, and by that I mean truly let them go, if you hold onto these old emotions, or if your old problems are still there, or you still think about them, turn them over in your mind continually, then how will you have enough room to welcome love, new feelings, new ideas, and more healthy perspectives to enrich your life? Hillel the Elder (c. 110 bce–10 CE), one of the most famous Jewish religious leaders of ancient times, asks, “If not now, when?” You have to ask yourself these questions if you want to heal fully at the body, mind and spirit levels. Taoist philosophy advises, “Let go first before you can receive.” You have to have an empty hand to be able to catch something. I encourage you to do your best and “Let it go.” If old “stuff” still bothers you, it will eventually impact you physically. Some people carry these things for a lifetime. If you find it hard to let go or be flexible, one of the quickest ways to help yourself is by changing beliefs. My advice is to find a new way to look at the same set of circumstances. Change your angle of view, because, no matter what, you are the creator of your own reality.
San Jiao: The Powerful Mystery Meridian When we ask which organ really controls metabolism function, the answer is surprising. It’s actually not a physical organ; it’s a mysterious meridian called the San Jiao (SENJOW). It is the body’s most powerful meridian or energy pathway for metabolism function. This is the secret I learned from my master: The San Jiao is more powerful than other meridians because it is the only one that is not associated with a physical organ. There’s no “middle man” to interrupt its functioning at the energetic level. With no physical organ to slow its speed, the San Jiao can more easily impact any of its eleven fellow meridians, as well as any of the body’s major organs. (See Section IX, the Appendix, for illustrations of the San Jiao meridian and the other major meridians.) When we talk about the human body as a microcosm of Nature and ultimately the Universe, it’s important to explain this microcosmic relationship exists because of the connection with the body’s invisible meridian network. Remember, from the spiritual point of view, the invisible is always more powerful than the visible. It is through these powerful invisible meridians that cosmic information and the infinite Qi of the Universe can be downloaded, translated, transported to and transformed by the body.
How is this related to metabolism function? When we talk about metabolism function, we are not just talking about a physical process or one or two organs; we are talking about an entire integrated, multidimensional network of three critical paired organ systems—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, Kidney-Bladder—as well as the Lung– Large Intestine and Heart–Small Intestine. Our whole body must reflect and interact with the much larger macro systems of Nature and the Universe. Because we want to understand and develop a healthy metabolism function, we have to explore and understand the San Jiao at the body, mind and spirit levels. For metabolism function to work at its highest level, it must reflect and act like the macrocosm of Universe. Therefore, the human body has to have a meridian system in order to connect to Nature and unlimited Universal Qi. The real secret of healthy metabolism function is that the invisible meridians, not the physical organs, have ultimate control of the body! In Western translations, the San Jiao is often referred to as the Triple Burner, Triple Heater or Triple Warmer; however, it is more descriptive and more appropriate to use its classical Chinese name, San Jiao. I suggest using San Jiao because it encompasses a special spiritual concept. San means “three”; Jiao means “cooperate with,” “connect together” or “cross together.” As I’ve noted, it is the only meridian in the body that is not associated with a physical organ. For the past five thousand years until today, the concept of the San Jiao meridian has remained essentially the same. Over time, the understanding of this mysterious energy channel has not deepened any further. Nor has any additional knowledge been added over this lengthy time span. Perhaps one day, a high-level master will discover more about this unique meridian and share it with everyone. What can the San Jiao do? What kind of healing capabilities does it have? These are questions that have never been fully answered or explained even in classical Chinese medical literature. If anyone has discovered the secret of the San Jiao and written it down, it is more likely expressed in spiritual or secret literature held within a special lineage, not shared widely, even in ancient medical texts. The San Jiao was discovered through special Qigong or energy practice. It’s possible those who discovered it experienced amazing miracles. If these ancient spiritual masters were not involved in the medical field, there was a high probability they chose not to reveal sacred knowledge, or decided their lineage needed to keep the secret of the San Jiao. To this day, San Jiao remains a mystery! The original name of this meridian was “ear meridian,” or “Er Jing,” because the San Jiao runs up the head and wraps around the ear. In Five Element framework, the ear is the window or opening of the Kidney to the outside world. These two meridians share a unique relationship by proximity or location. The San Jiao meridian also has another powerful connection. While it is associated with the Kidney by location, it is associated with the Gallbladder by energetic frequency. This means San Jiao and Gallbladder meridians share the same vibrational frequency and are compatible with each other. The San Jiao meridian has the ability to merge with or connect to the Gallbladder’s energy frequency. Because of this close relationship they are able to transfer Qi and messages back and forth from one meridian to another. Each of the body’s twelve major meridians shares a relationship with a partner organ. Even though the San Jiao meridian does not have a connection to an organ, it does have a partner, which is the Pericardium. The Pericardium is, of course, a physical organ. It is the membranous sac surrounding the heart that keeps it in place and working properly. It is often referred to as the guardian of the heart. This meridian can directly impact the Heart’s function. Many times before heart disease appears, it is the Pericardium that signals a problem first.
Simply put, healthy metabolism function always depends on how well the San Jiao meridian functions. Let’s go back to the principle of Yin-Yang, which describes the two kinds of complementary energetic forces in this world—positive and negative; visible and invisible. This principle operates in everything, including the body and its organs. Yang Qi or energy is controlled by Yang meridians; San Jiao meridians have the unique capability of being able to control the functions of all the Yang meridians. In terms of metabolism function, these include the Gallbladder, Stomach, and Large Intestine. Other Yang meridians are the Bladder and Small Intestine. You can see how critical these organs are for healthy digestive function. Yin meridians are the Liver, Heart, Pericardium, Spleen, Lung and Kidney. One aspect, of course, of metabolism function is motion and activity. How much can you ingest? How much can you digest? How well can you absorb what you eat? How quickly can your organs absorb the transformed material your Stomach and Spleen have processed? How quickly can your organs transfer the energy of what you’ve absorbed to the other organs that need it? These critical motions of metabolism function are powered by Yang energy, which is directed by the San Jiao meridian. This unique management function of Yang meridians is directly related to the proper digestion of ingested physical material and how intelligent your body is at separating this material into usable elements. From what I’ve learned from my clinical experience, immune system conditions are related to the San Jiao meridian function.
Relationships: San Jiao, Gallbladder and Liver Meridians To reiterate, unlike the other meridians, the San Jiao is the only major meridian that is not associated with a physical organ. Other meridians are related to and impacted by organs. Having to connect to physical organs is like having extra baggage that can slow down the speed at which the body’s signals move. The Gallbladder meridian is also unique in its own way. It is the only meridian that connects the front with the back of the body. And the Gallbladder meridian is the only energy channel that has many connecting points where it joins with other meridians, whether they are Yin or Yang. The San Jiao and the Gallbladder are two unique meridians that are essential for the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body. Let me give you an example of why and how imbalances of emotional energetic frequencies occur that can lead to physical problems. Today, our entire society has evolved in such a way that most aspects of it negatively impact Liver function. But, of course, that’s not the end of it. Virtually everyone is under some kind of stress. Who is not worried about their personal situation? The economy? The health of their family? Job security? Food security? Politics? Energy prices? The environment? Who isn’t troubled by global conflicts? And on and on! Everywhere we turn, there is tremendous stress, so how can metabolism function stay strong, if we don’t address what it takes to keep it running smoothly? Think of this serious chain reaction: chronic stress impacts and unbalances Liver function; unbalanced Liver function disturbs the balanced relationship with its partner, the Gallbladder; the Gallbladder in turn impacts the most powerful meridian for metabolism function, San Jiao. And then, the Liver-Gallbladder team can’t honor the request of the Spleen-Stomach for Qi or vital energy to keep it working. It’s like a train wreck in slow motion.
The Gallbladder and the Digestive System
Along with the San Jiao meridian, the Gallbladder meridian is another critical energy channel. Increasing metabolism function allows the Gallbladder meridian to operate at its best. To meet this requirement, you have to go with the flow, eliminate worry and practice having guts. In general, just do what you want to do! If your Liver function is healthy, then definitely its partner, the Gallbladder, will function well. It is difficult to directly impact Gallbladder function, so helping its partner function better in the body’s interconnected system helps this organ too. I would like to emphasize this is a small but mighty organ TCM views as being highly necessary. It is a key organ that has its own decision-making capabilities. Having a high-functioning Gallbladder gives you a clear, sharp mind. There is only one thought-provoking sentence that has appeared in TCM medical literature over the past one thousand years regarding this organ. It says, “The Gallbladder controls all the body’s organs.” No textbook reference after this mention gives any explanation of why or how this control function works. Over millennia, different doctors have had different ways of interpreting this statement. Perhaps someone has discovered much more, but, again, this information has never been shared or written down. Remember, we’ve said that from the modern science perspective looking at things from a different framework can give us different angles of view and, consequently, different outcomes. So, let’s look more deeply at the Gallbladder from the Five Element energetic framework. It’s a tiny organ. In fact, it’s one of the body’s smallest one, but it has enormous capabilities. In TCM, we say the Gallbladder may be tiny, but it is very powerful because it can impact so many other things. Because it’s such a small organ, it is often viewed in Western medicine as expendable. In North America, gallbladder removal is the most common operation; about a half-million people undergo this surgery every year. According to the National Digestive Disease Clearing House of the U.S. Health and Human Services, the answer to the question, “Do people need a gallbladder?” is this: Fortunately, the gallbladder is an organ people can live without. Your liver produces enough bile to digest a normal diet. Once the gallbladder is removed, bile flows out of the liver through the hepatic ducts into the common bile duct and directly into the small intestine, instead of being stored in the gallbladder. Because now the bile flows into the small intestine more often, softer and more frequent stools can occur in about one percent of people. As you can see, in the West, the belief is the Gallbladder doesn’t have a major impact on overall health. From the body–mind–spirit perspective, nothing could be further from the truth. Yet, today, many people with infections or discomfort related to the Gallbladder undergo surgery to remove this organ, which is important for life’s daily activities.
Example: Exploring the Gallbladder Using Two Frameworks This concept may help you understand the difference in how two different medical systems look at the Gallbladder. In the West, people sometimes talk about a person as “not having guts,” or “indecisive,” or “not strong-willed.” In Eastern culture, we refer to this person’s equivalent as someone with “a small Gallbladder.” This phrase is rooted in a deeper understanding and appreciation of the body, mind and spirit aspects of the Gallbladder. In Eastern culture, it’s understood strong Gallbladder function helps you have guts. It’s the Gallbladder’s responsibility to help you make decisions quickly and easily. In ancient times, if someone exhibited any outward signs of having a weak Gallbladder function—indecisiveness, lack of guts, being weak-willed or fearful—the organ’s internal energetic level would be tested through pulse diagnosis. Individuals with a poorly functioning Gallbladder were quickly excluded from being a bodyguard or soldier. It was understood they would not have the will to fight fiercely, have the mental sharpness to make split-second decisions, or have what it takes to perform duties requiring courage and stamina. Often, when a person without a gallbladder ages, we see the effects of this critical missing organ and its relationship to faculties like mental sharpness, the ability to make decisions smoothly and easily, memory loss, confusion and more. It’s well known that individuals without a gallbladder also struggle with dietary issues. They may have difficulty eating heavy or greasy things, like pizza, or cheesecake, or dairy foods. Gallbladder removal can significantly impact individuals at the body level in their daily life.
It can impact them at the mind and spirit levels as well.
Example: Healing Problems Related to Losing a Gallbladder In clinical practice, I see patients who are missing their gallbladder. They’ve been told it’s not such an important organ and that they can live without it. It is true individuals can live without a gallbladder, but in the Five Element framework, this creates issues that the wholly integrated system of the body has to compensate for. As I’ve noted, the Liver and Gallbladder are lifelong partners. Once this partnership is compromised or destroyed, the Liver has to work harder to make up for its damaged or missing partner. It’s like being a single parent, a pretty stressful role for an already stressed organ! The body still needs to survive, though, so the Liver has to function as both mother and father. It has to do not only its own job, but has to help the whole body by taking over the missing organ’s functions as well. Once this essential organ is missing or damaged, it is possible for the body to still function, but the requirements for achieving healthy metabolism functions are now different and more difficult. Losing this organ, or any one
for that matter, changes the game. How is it organs have the wisdom and intelligence to sustain and support each other in this manner and under this condition? The body is so miraculous every organ has the ability to step in and take over the function of another organ. Imagine this kind of flexibility, versatility and power! Not only is your body a microcosm of the Universe, but each organ is a microcosm of the whole body with its own metabolism function. Because its cells have organized into one of your body’s organs, they have committed to following the rules of the macrocosm and cooperate unconditionally so you can fulfill your purpose in this reality. These relationships mirror the ones we’ve previously discussed, especially that of the earth and its role in the macrocosm of the solar system and even greater macrocosms of galaxies beyond our imagination. From the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galactic systems, everything is connected in one living, breathing, functioning, dynamic metabolism system.
The Liver-Stomach Partnership and the Mind
When we talk about the mind, much of the focus in today’s culture is on its psychological workings and the process of thinking. As we discussed, in our integrated bodymind-spirit framework, the mind has a larger meaning. It is intimately connected with beliefs, thoughts, intentions, desires and more. I cannot emphasize this enough: Emotions are powerful energetic frequencies that can affect the body’s organs systems. Ultimately, they are the result of beliefs and are the actions of the mind we can observe in this reality. The Five Element energetic framework provides a unique blueprint for understanding how each organ possesses its own mind and spirit. With it, we can identify which emotions are associated with each organ. Emotions become like a spirit and a life energy that communicates to the whole being. We can compare emotions to an organ’s communications system, or its special language. Each one carries its own specific energetic vibration. Since all the organs are connected to each other in an integrated framework, unbalanced emotions don’t just impact partner organs, they can impact other organs to varying degrees. For example, an unbalanced emotion can impact the organ that nurtures it, which we call the “mother”; or, it can impact its “child,” the organ it is responsible for nurturing. It can even impact the organ with which it shares a cooperative or supportive relationship. We’ve already seen that anger (as well as frustration, stress and irritability) is associated with Liver and Gallbladder function. The right amount of anger can actually stimulate Liver Qi to help it flow. The proper amount of anger can also help release the energetic frequency of depression. If you know how to use anger as a tool, it can help release Qi stagnation; however, if you don’t know how to use this energetic frequency, or if you continually suppress it, anger can stagnate in the body and create chaos with other organs. TCM developed a unique expertise in energy psychology as early as the thirteenth century. Dr. Zhang Zi He (1156–1228 CE), known as the “king of psychology,” created a therapeutic modality for using the energetic relationships of the five major organs and their emotions to restore balance to the patient’s mind. This modality allowed skilled practitioners to use emotions in the Five Element framework to rebalance different emotions. This kind of work takes skill and patience; not many practitioners use this method today. It might interest you to know this sophisticated practice of energy psychology developed several centuries before the work of Dr. Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), the founding father of psychoanalysis in the West.
Allowing Emotions to Express Themselves We’ve already talked a lot about acid reflux, which you can now recognize as a Liver function disorder that involves the Stomach as well. It’s an ideal example of the hardware-software problem we discussed earlier in this section. The physical liver may be fine, but the way it’s operating is not. If Liver Qi is weak or suffers from energy stagnation, it cannot release its energetic frequency of anger and stress. This is not a good situation. So, emotions go back inside the body where they disrupt the relationship between the Liver and Stomach. When the Liver receives this suppressed energy, it has to find a way to let it out before it does harm. This is Natural Law. The body is born with the wisdom and the skill to protect itself; it wants to release energy. If we use the power of the mind to suppress anger’s energy, we prevent it from leaving the body. This is not a good idea. Be careful; don’t deny the Liver its wish to express itself. The energy will not go quietly! This intelligent force will find a different way to express itself. One of its solutions may be to create high blood pressure, or some other condition like a stroke that allows its release. Notice these conditions are related to the upper body as this energetic frequency struggles upward, which is its natural flow, to find an exit. When the Liver’s emotions are suppressed, anger can appear in the guise of a migraine headache, especially at the temples or behind the eyes, which are the locations associated with the Liver meridian. If you suffer from chronic migraines, or they come and go, TCM identifies this condition as a sign of an emotional imbalance. In this case the powerful invisible energy of anger, stress, frustration or irritability is the likely cause of the visible condition. One way I try to guide patients to an understanding of how this occurs is to ask them to think about “who” is their headache. Or, “what” is their headache. These self-inquiries can produce more insight than saying, “I have a headache.” They can help you identify the root cause. The patients can see their condition from a positive angle; I help them understand they are emotionally sensitive. They have received something or are reacting to something, but they don’t know how to digest it. I urge my readers to factor in what modern science tells us about energy: it cannot be created or destroyed; however, it has the ability to change form. Take a moment to ask yourself, “If I don’t allow these emotional energies to move out of my body, what will my condition be transformed into now?” It’s simple: Unbalanced energetic frequencies of each organ’s emotions have to be digested or processed. They have to go somewhere. Suppressed emotions don’t just disappear; they can only be transformed and reappear somewhere else in the body. Where do they go? If you don’t deal with them, where will they show up next? They have to manifest somewhere. If you can see physical conditions are signs of the body’s attempt to communicate, you may become more flexible and more willing to learn this unique interior language and find a different healthy way to deal with emotions and stress.
The Liver’s job is to find a healthy way to release Qi stagnation or suppression. The natural motion of this energy is a rising one. Anger has to rise to get out. It’s like a bomb in need of diffusion. Looking at acid reflux with a different framework, we’ve now seen its root cause is both a Liver and Stomach function disorder. If Liver Qi has a natural, upward motion, Stomach Qi’s energy has a natural downward motion. If Stomach Qi rises, it too goes against its natural motion and causes all kinds of physical conditions—from burping and bloating, to nausea and acid reflux and more. Look at the taste of the Liver in the Five Element energetic framework; it’s sour. It means sour foods can support this organ, but it also means you can experience a sour taste. Many acid reflux sufferers know very well that sour taste. Taking medication only relieves this symptom temporarily; it does not address its root cause. This approach is putting a small Band-Aid over a big cut. Sooner or later, the Liver and the Stomach will develop a poor relationship—the first step to destroying a healthy digestive system. In this case, two of the three organs that make up the vital triangle are already weakened. I urge readers to take even mild acid reflux seriously. If you can heal the relationship between both organs, this condition is easy to fix once and for all. To recap: to maintain healthy Liver function, it’s essential to become flexible in body, mind and spirit. It’s important to practice going with the flow and not fighting against it with your mind. Help yourself understand that you can’t control everything. It’s not in your power. Find different angles to see events, situations and relationships in your life. You have been born with the tremendous ability to heal yourself. Please realize the more you suppress the expressive energy of the Liver, the more vulnerable you become to serious conditions like a heart attack. When Liver energy becomes unbalanced, the result can be a stroke, or Alzheimer’s disease. Many serious brain and heart conditions appear first as a Liver function disorder. Take care of your Liver! In the previous discussion of the Spleen-Stomach and metabolism function, we interpreted the Five Element energetic framework as a senior management structure and business operations model. I likened this dynamic team to the chief financial officer (CFO). To continue this analogy, the Liver-Gallbladder team functions as the chief operating officer (COO). It’s responsible for the body’s internal and external physical flow as well as its decision-making capabilities, feelings and the ability to take action and get things done.
Key Points I would like you to remember the following key points about the paired organ system of the Liver-Gallbladder: The Liver is responsible for the flow of Blood and Qi. The Liver is responsible for the flow of emotions. The Liver is related to flexibility—of body, mind, emotions, life and spirit. The Liver-Gallbladder and Spleen-Stomach relationship is a critical one. Thoughts and emotions are powerful, invisible energetic frequencies that, if unbalanced, can disrupt healthy organ function.
The Paired Organ System of the Kidney-Bladder
The Paired Organ System of the Kidney-Bladder: Requirements for Healthy Metabolism Function and Digestive System
The third paired organ system that must function properly for healthy metabolism function is the Kidney and Bladder. When we think of these partners, you can use your imagination and see they mirror the same concept as water itself. The Kidney-Bladder team reflects the spirit of water, the image of water, its flow as well as its motion. In Taoist philosophy, the spirit of water is considered the Tao itself and the highest Yin energy. Water always flows. It never takes a shape and never stops. That’s why the ancient Tao Te Ching says the wisest man is like water. If you know how to deal with water, you also know how to deal with the flow of life. It’s not a coincidence the body is about 70 percent water and the earth is also about 70 percent water. Our bodies are perfect microcosms of Nature. If you know how to deal with water, you also know how to deal with illness and disease. I would like you to think about this concept as it relates to metabolism function: The Kidney and Bladder are the two major organs with the ability to release excess water and Dampness in the body. Previously, we’ve discussed their destructive capabilities in relation to the Spleen-Stomach. Now you know Dampness is a serious condition that can impair metabolism function in a major way. It is also a very stubborn problem to heal. We’ve already explored the condition of Cold as well—whether it is Cold essence or cold temperature—and its harmful effects on the first two organ pairs related to healthy metabolism function. Let’s talk about Dampness as it relates to the Kidney-Bladder system. I would like to help you understand the Bladder’s function of releasing conditions of Cold and Dampness is an important one. Remember, we said the first organs to have contact with food are the Stomach and the Spleen. To properly digest food, there are specific requirements. We’ve seen these organs cannot handle Cold, nor can they handle Dampness. So, which organ has to step in to rid the body of Dampness? It’s the Bladder’s responsibility. It has to do the job of helping the Stomach release this pathogen. Not surprising, in Eastern and Western medicine, the bladder is one of the major organs responsible for helping the body’s water system function well. With any condition associated with water issues, like edema or urinary problems, the Bladder has to step in, but, of course, it doesn’t work alone. It also has to cooperate with other organs. Remember, Dampness is associated with water essence, its invisible aspect. It is not water itself but indirectly associated with water. When water doesn’t flow in the body, you’ll see different conditions of wetness. Let me give you a visual concept about the process involved with helping Dampness exit the body. This may help you understand the process necessary for eliminating this stubborn pathogen. Think of a pot filled with water. How can you transform this whole pot of water so it becomes nothing, so the water evaporates entirely? All you have to do is introduce the right temperature! Put the pot in the sun or boil it. Increase the fire underneath the pot. In this concept, fire represents the energy of the Kidney boiling the water; the Bladder is like the pot that holds the water. We know as the pot accumulates heat and reaches the right temperature, water will boil. As it boils, water turns into steam. The water itself has now transformed into a different, invisible structure. It can be released or it can disappear. Let’s expand this concept. We can reverse this process as well. Look at steam. If we capture it, steam can becomes moisture again. When steam becomes invisible, we can collect it and get moisture; then, it becomes water and we can boil it. In the body, we can apply this same notion of using heat to release Dampness or excess water through urination. We just have to understand the body is very intelligent and undergoes a different process to release Dampness than it does to release urine. It’s the Kidney’s function to create enough Qi to allow the Bladder, or “steam engine,” to operate and process water. The stronger your Kidney function, the more power there is to run the engine properly. The Kidney is associated with strength. We can see this lack of strength in a variety of conditions, especially chronic fatigue syndrome, where an individual feels deeply tired, especially later in the afternoon to early evening—3:00 to 7:00 p.m.—the time the Kidney-Bladder organ system is in charge of the body’s energy requirements. Without enough Qi, the body basically runs out of gas.
You may think this is such a simple thing to do, but I can assure it is quite important: I recommend my patients take an afternoon nap whenever possible to recharge their Kidney energy. If they can’t nap, I encourage them to take ten minutes or so to close their eyes and nurture their spirit. Unlike many people who live in cultures like Europe or South America, where an afternoon siesta is common, what do we do in the U.S.? We forge ahead no matter what. We rely on coffee, candy, or other things to stimulate us and get us through the afternoon slump. We literally force our bodies to continue to move, even when they are sending us messages of protest and begging for a little rest. I urge my patients, as I urge you, to really listen to your body and not your mind. You will discover many benefits and rewards. This example can help us visualize how central the support of the Kidney-Bladder partnership is—not just for processing Dampness, but for sustaining the whole body’s function and its daily activities, especially maintaining mental clarity, eliminating foggy thinking and improving memory. Memory is just like a computer; it needs a wellcharged battery to run. Even with the best computer, you still need power. The Kidney is the battery that powers everything. Practicing Qigong is one of the best ways to keep it charged. When we talk about problems associated with the Kidney, as we’ve discussed, we are talking about more than its physiology. There are ingrained energetic functions and duties that are part of its nature. In a multidimensional, integrated framework, we have to talk about the mind, emotions and spirit associated with this vital organ. Take a moment to study the Kidney’s element and its correspondences. They are vibrations that relate to every cell in this organ. Trace the many connections relating to the Kidney. What is the color vibration related to the Kidney? Do you like to wear black? If you live or work in New York, have you noticed how many people wear black? What is the taste associated with the Kidney? If you’re a woman, have you ever craved something salty during your menstrual cycle? That is a direct message from the Kidney asking for a certain kind of Qi to boost its ability to function. (The same holds true if you want to eat something sweet at this time. In this case, you’re responding to the Stomach’s request for more Qi.) If you listen to and act on these messages, “Congratulations!” This craving is not coming from your mind. You are still sensitive to your body’s actual energy needs. What are the Kidney’s multidimensional functions? At the spiritual level, it is responsible for flow. The Kidney’s element is Water and this multidimensional energy flows everywhere. This understanding of the Kidney’s spiritual nature is not included in today’s medical system framework. Both systems understand the Kidney can filter toxins and help the Bladder process and pass urine, but, in the Five Element energetic framework that’s not all; the Kidney has other responsibilities. For instance, it is responsible for the health of the lower back. Chronic lower back pain always indicates the patient has a Kidney Qi deficiency. The organ itself just does not have enough power to take care of its duties. The ear is the opening or gateway of the Kidney to the outside world. As we’ve discussed, tinnitus, or ringing in the ear, is a very difficult condition to treat, let alone cure, from the Western perspective. If there are no structural problems inside the ear, or nerve damage, this condition too is a Kidney Qi deficiency. Heel pain is another indication. So are impotence and infertility. All these conditions are effects of a deeper cause. They are signs the Kidney lacks enough power to support all its functions properly.
The Kidney, Bone and Skeletal System
As its circle of correspondences indicates, bone is the tissue related to how well the Kidney functions. This organ assumes primary responsibility for the skeletal system and teeth (which TCM understands as the “excess” of bone). Today, there is a lot of talk about calcium deficiency. When someone is calcium deficient, his or her bones will show a problem. For instance, sometimes during menopause, women take calcium to help strengthen their bones and avoid osteoporosis. However, from the TCM point of view it’s the Kidney function that needs to be strengthened. When this function improves, then bones will become stronger. This is a different framework for understanding the multidimensional responsibilities of the Kidney as well its relationship with the skeletal system. For millennia, TCM has associated bone-related symptoms with deeper imbalances that have to be healed to sustain healthy metabolism function. Thousands of years ago, high-level Qigong masters “saw” the Kidney had the responsibility of maintaining the health of the skeletal system. Once they understood this relationship, they were able to create a unique herbal formula that is so effective it has been used for several thousands of years and remains in worldwide use today. This famous classical formula is called liu wei di huang wan. It is considered one of the foundational herbal formulas in the TCM apothecary for strengthening Kidney function. Many other effective Kidney formulas have been created using this one as their base.
Example: Bone Health and Infant Development The purpose of liu wei di huang wan is to strengthen Kidney function, which supports bone health. Let me give you an idea of why this formula is unique, especially as it relates to children. In China, when individuals are asked how old they are, they may ask if you want to know their “real age.” This seems like an unusual question, doesn’t it? They count their real age as being a year older, because they include the time spent in the womb. It reflects the fact the person has existed in this space-time prior to their actual day of birth. This is how important this period is regarded in Chinese culture. Naturally, gestation is a critical period for the unborn child. Within the womb, the fetus accumulates all its Inborn Qi from its parents, which then is stored in the Kidney for the rest of his or her life. After birth, the growth of all the body’s structures is based on the strength of this inherited Qi. If the child doesn’t receive the right amount of Inborn Qi during the mother’s pregnancy, developmental issues occur after birth. I think you can appreciate how the state of health of the mother and father directly impacts the creation of a healthy, intelligent baby. Chinese medicine has so much to say on pregnancy and birth; it could be the subject of an entirely new book.
In ancient times, because of adverse social conditions, pregnant mothers’ diets were often poor; they were not always able to give the best nutritional material to their unborn children. Consequently, many infants were born without the genetic support needed to grow a healthy body. They had a number of health challenges, especially those related to early development of the skeletal system. Ancient practitioners recognized, even after birth, they could still do something to help infants develop normally. To address the many health problems related to a Kidney function disorder and its impact on an infant’s skeletal health, they created liu wei di huang wan. Ancient practitioners identified several problematic issues relating to Kidney function disorders in newborns: the fontanels, or “soft spots,” on the skull that don’t close; knee joints that are not strong and cause difficulty standing up, and scoliosis, defined by the NIH as an abnormal curvature of the spine or backbone. All of these conditions impair movement and growth of the infant. Finally, if Kidney function is weak, the baby’s teeth suffer as well. Simply put, if bones don’t grow, there is no structure or scaffold for muscles to grow. These conditions are serious symptoms related to weak or deficient Kidney Qi. Ancient practitioners approached them by strengthening the baby’s digestive
system and using liu wei di huang wan to nurture strong Kidney Qi so the infant could develop a normal, healthy skeletal structure. Today, TCM practitioners use this time-tested formula to help women and men, as well as children. It is also used as part of a protocol to help broken bones heal more quickly. It can be used to good effect to support the Kidney’s main responsibility of protecting bone health. Liu wei di huang wan remains one of the staples in the TCM herbal apothecary and is a highly respected, time-tested herbal formula. It is also used successfully to help menopausal women at risk for osteoporosis. In my clinic, I often use this herbal formula to address vitamin D deficiency because a Kidney function disorder is the root cause of this condition. Instead of treating the effect of this deficiency, I want to address its cause.
If Kidney function is weak or energy deficient, it is likely any of its corresponding body structures, like the skeletal system we just discussed, will develop a problem. For example, the Kidney has an external and internal connection to the knee—not just to its physical structure and location, but also through the connections of the Kidney meridians running through this area. In the TCM framework, this organ also assumes responsibility for the healthy function of the knee joint. When a patient presents with knee pain, a skilled TCM practitioner looks at the external problem to see where the true internal issue comes from. As our integrated, multidimensional framework shows, the root cause begins internally at the energetic level and migrates outward until it appears as an observable, physical condition. It’s always internal first, then external. For example, many an athlete has sprained his or her knee or torn its cartilage. With this kind of sport injury, it is common practice to look to Western medicine for relief in the form of cortisone shots or even surgery. Unfortunately, while the symptom may be alleviated for a time, the deeper problem of unbalanced Kidney Qi will find another way to express itself. We can resee sport injury from a different angle. A TCM practitioner will take steps to help alleviate the symptoms of pain; simultaneously, he or she will also support Kidney function because it has already displayed a weakness. Otherwise, the knee would never have had this problem in the first place. Here again, the knee injury is the symptom or result of a deeper cause. The Kidney developed a Qi deficiency first, and then the physical injury happened in an area associated with the organ. On a spiritual level, each organ is programmed to pursue its purpose and destiny. While each organ has its individual purpose, a paired organ system has an even larger duty to create balance, promote harmony and serve the body’s ultimate spiritual purpose. One of the organ’s first duties is to function well by itself. Then, it has to work in harmony with its partner organ. Imagine the problems associated with a Kidney that cannot work smoothly with the Bladder!
Symptoms Point to Invisible Causes Why are the Kidney and Bladder so essential for metabolism function? For one thing, if we want the digestive system to work well, the Spleen itself needs to function at its highest level, which means it must operate without Dampness. Transforming and processing the environmental element of Dampness is the Bladder’s responsibility. So, it’s absolutely essential to make sure the Bladder functions at the highest level possible. Let’s look at this from a different angle. In Chinese medicine and similarly in Western real estate transactions, we say the most important aspect is location, location, location. This concept definitely relates to your body’s meridian network, the invisible energy channels that run through specific locations throughout the body. The Bladder is one of the body’s largest meridians. It starts at the inside of the eyebrows, runs up over the head, all the way down both sides of the back and backs of the legs, to end on the outside of the little toes. Any physical discomfort, condition or skin problem occurring throughout this area is always directly or indirectly related to Bladder function. How do problems show themselves? Let’s say someone experiences knee problems or back pain when they carry heavy baggage or other items. It seems like the action itself has caused the problem; however, that’s only what we can observe. Deep within, an internal Bladder function disorder has triggered a problem with the knee or back.
Thanks to the Five Element energetic framework, we can apply this kind of insight to all physical problems. Basically, the symptom, or visible problem, is the effect of a deeper cause. The external problem has begun at the invisible level first, where we may or may not pick up on it, depending on our skill at reading the messages an organ sends. When this situation occurs, the entire energy field where the meridian runs—be it the Bladder or any other meridian—can experience a variety of disorders. If your Bladder is not strong energetically, you can become vulnerable to injury anywhere along its meridian pathway. “Oh, my aching back” should really be translated as “Oh, my poor Kidney-Bladder system!” Here’s a very important concept to keep in mind: Everything that appears in physical reality is always associated with energy flow at a deeper level. If the Bladder meridian or its organ has a problem, there are numerous places where it can appear over such a large area. For example, the following conditions can occur along the head-to-toe Bladder meridian: hair loss on the top of the head, headaches at the top of the head, neck pain, shoulder pain, upper back pain, lower back pain, knee pain and heel pain. An energy deficiency in Bladder function can also cause prostate problems and infertility. If the Bladder and Kidney do not have a strong relationship, you might also see bone loss or osteoporosis as well as other function disorders like arthritis. While all women’s health issues are directly or indirectly related to Liver function, all men’s health issues are directly or indirectly related to Kidney function.
The Many Aspects of Fear The Kidney and Bladder are affected by their powerful emotional energetic frequencies—fear and shock. There is a difference between fear and shock. The former is a state of anticipation about something that “might” happen; the latter occurs when something actually happens, like being in an accident or witnessing one. We can also include depression and anxiety with these emotions. If you experience fear chronically, either subconsciously or consciously, this excess vibration will eventually impact Kidney function. It is worth noting several times our Western lifestyle has become a fear-driven one. Today, who doesn’t suffer from fear? It’s so pervasive many of us don’t even realize how debilitating living in a culture that emphasizes fear has become. Recall our previous discussion of energy vibration. Advertising and marketing techniques are full of these vibrations and messages. So much of what we hear or see in the media is based on fear. Just look at today’s news programming. How many positive or happy stories are presented versus stories of crime, violence, disaster and more? In other areas, we are warned we need life insurance, house insurance or fire insurance to protect ourselves from potential disasters. We need security cameras, security checks, gated communities, vaccinations against destructive viruses, among other things. Even medications are marketed through fear. Everywhere, we see ads concerned for our well-being, asking us if we might have some hidden time bomb inside that needs to be defused with medication. The energetic frequency of fear is based on the future, on something that hasn’t happened yet. What tricks our mind is the feeling something “might” happen to us, but hopefully will not, if we only do the things being suggested or asked. From the body–mind–spirit framework, this creates a kind of mass hypnosis, which I hope more people will recognize and wake up from. Listen carefully to today’s commercials; they want your attention and dollars. They are mostly based on “what would happen if you didn’t ‘buy’ this, or if you didn’t ‘have’ that.” Even health is based on fear. Prevention is not positioned as a life-affirming action, but one prompted by fear that some terrible illness is lurking inside the body ready to attack us. I tell my patients that living in this kind of vibration eventually takes its toll; for many, this translates into a Kidney function disorder. If the Kidney and Bladder can’t function at their best, the Spleen’s and Stomach’s ability to reach their healthiest function will also be limited. My wish is that everyone will realize some basic truths about health in general, and metabolism function in particular. We all know that to build a safe, sturdy house that lasts, we have to start with a strong foundation. This is especially true when it comes to your body. How can we gain vibrant health, if all our actions to stay well are based on fear? How can fear support the foundation of a healthy body, mind and spirit? How can you live freely if you are always chained to fear? One of the strongest ways to combat this kind of negative vibration is to recognize the power and wisdom to self-heal that each of you reading Digesting the Universe has. You were born with this gift. Please don’t discriminate against it or discount it. Nurture and support it. I hope you have a better understanding of how the invisible is more powerful than the visible. I encourage each of you to recognize the importance of the invisible energies within and around you and how they impact health. If you can’t free yourself from fear, you will always be vulnerable to health issues because of a weak energy foundation.
Today, so many people try to do the right thing. They seek out health experts of all kinds, but most often, what do they get? Often, it’s advice based on fear. “Don’t eat this because of that. Don’t forget to go to the gym daily for exercise or weight training, or you might lose what you’ve gained.” Even going to the gym is based on fear—fear if you don’t work out, you might develop osteoporosis or cardiovascular problems. You’re advised to cut out this or that in your diet because it “might” harm you. One day, a study warns eggs are bad; the next, eggs are essential for good health. One day a study confirms coffee or red wine will harm you; the next, their benefits will amaze you, and so on. If all this health advice is based on fear, exactly how far can it help you achieve total health, which has to include your mind and spirit as well as your body? Remember, everything is connected. Nothing is separate. Looking at things from this angle, a strong energy foundation is essential. Any self-healing program should focus on helping your Qi or vital energy become stronger and freer. If it’s not, how far can you really improve your health? Fear will always limit growth. It’s no wonder depression and anxiety are two common ailments that affect modern society. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), currently, major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, age 18 and older, in a given year. The median age at onset is 32.5. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States, age 18 and older. That’s 18 percent of the population! It’s no accident these conditions are common and on the increase today. The Five Element energetic framework associates them with the invisible energetic vibration of fear. Ask yourself, “Is this something I unwittingly live with or respond to every time I hear certain kinds of messages? How can I ‘wake up’ and take charge of my own health?” As I remind my patients frequently, “Healing is in your hands.” Try to use this particular angle to take a look at your life. Ask yourself, “When and how does the energetic frequency of fear affect me?” We can use this angle to look at conditions, particularly depression, anxiety and the fears we carry. Likewise, if you have any Kidney condition, please be aware you are more prone to these conditions, since the organs and their emotions share a reciprocal relationship, or to put it in modern science terms, energy flows both ways. I urge you to become aware of the nature of this kind of fear. It fuels and drives our society, which is not good for your health. Fear is a strong, negative influence and a destructive energetic vibration that can disrupt Kidney and Bladder function. The best way to disengage from it is to approach it from a spiritual point of view. I do not mean from a religious point of view. Can you change your beliefs about something that creates fear within you? It is difficult to address, but the best chance you have of freeing yourself from fear is to embrace the spiritual aspect of who you are. Can you change your beliefs? Can you see that from the spiritual point of view, there are no accidents? Can you trust whatever higher power you believe in and see everything happens for a reason? We will explore spirit and body in Section VII, Spirit and Metabolism Function. If you are not able to change your angle of view, unfortunately, you may continually experience a certain level of Kidney and Bladder dysfunction; this emotional energy of excessive or chronic fear can impact you on multidimensional levels.
From our earlier discussion of the Kidney as your energy savings account, we know this organ stores all the information and genetic material accumulated while in your mother’s womb. The Kidney also contains the inherited wisdom of your genetic code. Looking at things from this angle, you can understand why Chinese medicine regards genetic problems and the ability to manage or eliminate genetic illness or disease, as dependent on a strong Kidney-Bladder partnership. Today, many illnesses and diseases are attributed to genetic problems, which also stimulate fear in people. They spend many hours fearing they too will succumb to the genetic problems in their family. Again, we have an opportunity to look at DNA and the genetic code from a different framework and see different things. Because of the dual positive/negative nature of DNA, if you have the negative gene for a specific condition, you were born with the positive gene to manage it as well. This is modern science too and reflects the electron/ positron nature of every cell. The question is, “How can this positive gene become activated? What does it take to turn it on?” From my experience, I can tell you it is possible and doable to trigger positive genetic action to overcome genetic conditions. Qigong is one powerful way. This ancient spiritual practice helps the body, mind and spirit achieve a state of balance and harmony and allows the individual a way to connect with the unlimited, unconditional love of the Universe. Qigong might hold the answers for many health-seekers, especially those looking to prevent a potential illness or disease of a genetic nature.
The Kidney and Our Water-Loving Culture Now, I would like to turn our attention to something I find mystifying. It is the current fashion of carrying water bottles everywhere and constantly drinking water. Remember, turning water into moisture and then processing it as urine requires the use of Qi or vital energy. What happens when you don’t have enough Qi to begin with and you force the body to use whatever energy is has just to process this water? You’re dipping into the Kidney’s irreplaceable energy savings account! You’re giving Qi away. Often, individuals will develop edema if their energy is low and they drink too much water. When you carry around a bottle of water, what are you really carrying? Looking at this phenomenon from a different angle, we could say this water represents a bottle of fear. It goes against the wisdom of the body, which is born with the skill to tell when it’s thirsty or hungry. Imagine a human being entering this reality without the fundamental skills to survive. As I said at the beginning of Digesting the Universe, I view this sort of thinking as a kind of mental abuse or discrimination; it discounts your body’s ability to regulate its functions. On the physical level, we also abuse our body by forcing it to drink too much water, too often. Many marketing messages have told us to be concerned about dehydration. How can that be in our society where clean water is so accessible and plentiful? We don’t live in the desert! So, instead of listening to your body and paying attention to an internal message saying, “Yes, I’m thirsty. I need a drink of water now,” people carry around water bottles and respond to external messages, so they drink all the time. Think about this: Your grandmother or your great grandmother didn’t carry a water bottle, did they? Hundreds of years ago, field workers on farms didn’t carry water bottles. Your genetic wisdom can tell you when you need to drink or if you’re dehydrated. Your body is so intelligent. If you listen, your body—not your mind—will automatically tell you these things. Are you listening?
I ask my patients whether they are drinking water based on their body’s need or a need created by culture and fashion. I encourage you to trust the wisdom of your body. For many reasons, it’s important to become sensitive to the relationship between you and your body. Likewise, your body will also tell you when it’s hungry. That’s the time you should eat, instead of eating by the clock. It’s hard to imagine everyone in this culture is dehydrated. Why is everyone drinking so much water? It has definitely become fashionable. There are now designer waters, designer water-holders, eco-friendly containers and so on. Perhaps some people are dehydrated, but I think the majority of people with water bottles are not. More likely, they’re responding to fashion and marketing messages. We can also cause damage to the digestive system by drinking too much ice-cold water. In most Western restaurants, it’s common to receive a glass of ice-cold water before a meal. In contrast, the first thing you receive in Asian restaurants is hot tea. You might want to revisit the material on the Spleen-Stomach and review the effects of Cold on your digestive system. It’s common to carry water bottles filled with cold water too. It used to be individuals carried smaller six-ounce bottles, but now they carry liter bottles! Even just carrying the weight of water requires the body to use up more of its precious Qi or life force. What’s behind this action? In my opinion, it’s fear. Many people are afraid they “might be” or will get dehydrated. Many believe drinking eight glasses of water a day is necessary to maintain health. Looking at drinking water from a different angle, I’d like you to understand no matter how much water you drink, you will never get its multidimensional benefits if you abuse your body, mind and spirit. Let’s step back and look at how water passes through and out of the body. It can exit through breath, perspiration and urine as well as bowel movements. Now, what happens to water when you drink? How does your body transform this water into urine so it can be excreted? In simple terms, water goes to the Stomach first. The Stomach connects to the Small Intestine and then the Large Intestine. Water has to follow this natural path. If water comes through the bowels, you have diarrhea. Anatomically, none of these structures connect directly to the Kidney and Urinary Bladder system. So how does water travel to these organs of elimination and then get transformed into urine? The body has to collect the water and send it back to the Kidney and Bladder for processing. This action takes Qi or vital energy to move things along. You may drink eight glasses of water, but do all eight glasses get excreted as urine? If the water you drink doesn’t exit the body, then you have to use extra Qi or energetic force to help it exit. How much energy do you waste to get this extra water out of your body every day? If you have any health condition that needs to heal, you are diverting energy for healing to processing water. This doesn’t make sense, does it? It’s like leaving your car’s engine running all day in your driveway. As I’ve said, at a deeper spiritual level, you are discriminating against your self-healing ability. This kind of discrimination can eventually shut it down. Two hundred years ago, most people in this country were farmers. I doubt these hard-working laborers had water delivered to their homes, let alone their fields. How could they work outdoors for their whole life and not get dehydrated? The wisdom to regulate the water in your body has been passed down for many generations and exists right now in your genetic code. You are here now, living in this reality; this means your genetic code meets the requirement of Natural Law. Many people today feel they are smarter than their genetic code and need to constantly drink water. My hope is you never discriminate against your spirit and its wisdom. It knows how to keep you healthy. I always encourage patients to listen to their bodies and not their minds. My wish is that you will do the same.
One more thing about drinking water: Please don’t drink cold water or cold beverages while exercising, running, working out in the gym or doing other strenuous activities. Wait for twenty minutes to cool down before drinking water. Imagine how much internal heat accumulates when you do heavy physical exercise. If you introduce cold water into this internal heat, you can actually shut down your digestive system. You might be interested to know in serious martial arts training, the master never allows his students to drink water during or after practice. He knows drinking anything can impair and even destroy a healthy digestive system and Kidney function. If the student drinks water too soon, it is difficult for him or her to reach maximum strength, and overall practice quality will be compromised.
Example: Running—Different Frameworks See Different Things While we’re exploring Kidney function, I’d like to provide a different perspective on running—both indoors and outdoors. We see this kind of thing in a lot of gyms: People are running hard on the treadmill and sweating through their routine. What do they do? They drink cold water at the same time or right after they complete their treadmill work. It almost hurts me to think about this. Their body has built up tremendous heat from physical exercise, yet they are downing cold water. Think of what happens when cold water hits something hot. From the TCM perspective, this is a good way to damage the whole metabolism function. Here’s an example related to running outdoors. When we look at this situation from a different framework, we definitely see different things. It depends on which one speaks to you. The following scenario about marathons looks quite mad from an integrated systems perspective. These super races create excitement. They challenge participants and draw millions of people every year. What do we see when we look at these things from a different angle? Many people are using a great deal of physical Qi or vital energy to run in these endurance races. Just like indoor running, their bodies naturally build up tremendous energy in the form of heat from sustained exertion. All along the route, volunteers cheer the runners and reach out to them with cold drinks. From one angle, we see the love of competition the runners enjoy. We also appreciate the passion of the volunteers who want to support them. However, when we look at this scenario from a different angle, we see different things. The volunteers are handing runners a cup of toxic liquid. How can these drinks be toxic, you ask? I feel so sorry when I see these things, because I recognize the volunteers have the best intentions. What they don’t know is later, runners can experience diarrhea, stomach bloating, IBS, or develop food allergies and more. Yet, because the runners are unaware of the connection between the extreme heat built up from running the marathon and the cold beverages they drink, they will never figure out where or how their conditions originated.
In the name of health, we sometimes unwittingly do things that have a major impact on our digestive system. One of the craziest things is drinking a cold beverage after having sex. We see this behavior in Western movies and it looks cool, but it can actually destroy healthy Kidney function and maybe even cause conditions like arthritic problems or chronic lower back pain in the future. Again, the sufferer will never relate these conditions to simple actions like drinking too much cold water or having a quick beer after lovemaking.
The Mind and Kidney-Bladder Partnership In the Five Element energetic framework, emotions are the actions of the mind. As we’ve explored, in the case of the paired organ system of the Kidney-Bladder, its emotions are fear and shock. Shock is a reaction to something that has actually happened. For example, you may have witnessed a serious event or been in an accident. On the other hand, fear is about the future. You are afraid that something “might” happen. Both shock and fear are energetic vibrations that impact Kidney and Bladder function. If you constantly suffer from this visible or invisible energy, eventually your body will send a message your Kidney and Bladder functions are not working properly. Chronic neck and back problems arise from carrying too much responsibility and too much fear. If you have this kind of condition, tests of these organs may show nothing. Underneath, though, they have a special delivery message for you. They want you to know they are unbalanced and finding it difficult to perform their multidimensional duties. From a functional point of view, we’ve talked about how each organ has several duties it’s responsible for. These responsibilities are ingrained in the organ itself. Just as a woman in our culture shoulders many responsibilities, your organs do too. A woman can be a mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend. She can also be a CEO or board member and so on. She can have many different relationships and each one will demand different ways of being, different ways of responding to circumstances, different skills and different emotions. The same is true of your organs as they go about their jobs in the body’s integrated system. If you suffer from fear and cannot release this emotion, sooner or later, this energy frequency will impact the Bladder meridians and eventually the Bladder itself. The longer your body holds fear, consciously or unconsciously, the more chances you have it will cause trouble. Excessive fear can produce immediate consequences. Consider this: In the movies, when a criminal holds a gun to the head of his victim, he has a strong reaction of fear. What happens? Sometimes, the victim wets his pants because he is so gripped by fear. When you watch the movie, you may not understand what’s behind this. The reason is easy to understand from the Five Element energetic framework. Fear impacts Bladder function. Experiencing the excessive energetic frequency of fear takes Qi away from the Bladder and it immediately becomes too weak to manage its responsibility of keeping urine in check.
Let me give you another simple concept. Let’s look at kidney stones, which can cause a very painful condition. Everything in this reality is a symbol of some other thing. A stone is a symbol of strong things. Stones can be used to build a foundation; stones can be piled up to stop things. Stones represent the image of strong material objects for stopping or supporting something. That’s the image we get from the physical properties of stones. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the number of people in the United States with kidney stones has been increasing over the past thirty years. In the late 1970s, less than 4 percent of the population had had kidney stones; by the early 1990s, more than 5 percent. The rates are continuing to rise. The peak age for developing stones is between 20 and 50 years. Men are much more likely to develop kidney stones than women. Doctors say they’re now seeing increasing numbers of children with this condition. A kidney stone itself is a hard object made from chemicals in the urine. When there is too much waste material in too little liquid, crystals can form. The crystals attract other elements and stick together to form a solid mass that will get larger unless it is passed out of the body with urine. Kidney stones are not something new. Scientists have even found evidence of kidney stones in a 7,000-year-old Egyptian mummy.
Example: Kidney Stones—Transference of Invisible Energy to a Visible Mass How does the body produce kidney stones? That is an interesting question. If we look at them from a body–mind–spirit framework, we get an interesting answer. Today’s medical framework focuses on the physical three-dimensional objects that are literally as hard as stones. Surgeons may sometimes order a kidney, ureter, bladder (KUB) Xray to determine if the stone is suitable for lithotripsy, or shock wave treatment. This involves blasting the stones with shock waves to break them into smaller pieces that can then be excreted. Often, a few months after treatment, the stones come back. No matter how much the patient changes his or her diet, it is difficult to eliminate these stones for good. Why is that? By now, I think you can understand the stones are a symptom of a deeper cause, involving a transformation of sorts. The modern science framework helps us understand kidney stones differently. Once again, Einstein’s formula E=mc² can be applied to understand physical manifestations in a different way. In the case of kidney stones, mass (or “m”) has materialized because of a transfer of accumulated energetic frequencies (“E”). I hope you continue to recognize the powerful impact the invisible can have on the visible. We know the patient hasn’t eaten a stone, so where does it come from? Something in the body has turned into this hard material. What is that something? It’s energy! It’s the energetic frequency of fear. Under circumstances particular to each patient with this condition, his or her body has accumulated enough power to convert the accumulated energetic frequency of fear into a physical object where it can be seen with today’s advanced technology.
Before kidney stones manifest themselves, however, the individual almost always experiences some kind of serious stress, some kind of big event in the family. Within this framework, kidney stones are signs showing the patient suffers from strong fear. The stone provides a readily visible, third-dimensional image. It depends on how you want to read the message of the kidney stone. This perspective helps us understand kidney stones in a unique way and realize even if the individual follows a strict diet, he or she has to ask themselves, “Why am I still creating these stones? What’s the message my body is sending me? What is it I need to address or change?” As I’ve said many times, the body never lies. There is another angle of view we can use to look at kidney stones. I try to help patients see these objects demonstrate immense creativity. I tell them they are so powerful that they are able to create this small hard object from their own Qi. Too bad their stone isn’t a diamond. If they believed they had this kind of power, I feel certain their fear would disappear for good! The concept of space-time in relationship to kidney stones is also important. The space of the stone may be removed, but what happened to the inseparable aspect of its time? Unfortunately, it hasn’t been deleted along with the stone. In this case, if the energy vibrations of fear continue to accumulate, the door remains open for the creation of another stone. Or, the body will figure out a different way to express this emotional energetic frequency. While treatments like lithotripsy offer relief,
it’s essential to find a way to release the mind’s emotion of fear. This is one of the ways consciousness impacts the physical body.
Spirit and Kidney-Bladder Partnership From what I learned from my master, life is based on water. Just as the Stomach is a microcosm of the earth, so too is the Bladder. We’ve already said just as the earth is about 70 percent water, so too is the body, and the Bladder processes much of this water. Whether we know it or not, whether we feel it or not, we are sensitive to and linked to changes in Nature. When the full moon arrives, Nature changes; the earth changes as well. Some people who are sensitive can feel their body change during the full moon. The metabolism function of this planet’s life is based on the movement of water in its many forms. If you understand this powerful process, you can appreciate why the Bladder is directly associated with life force.
Example: The Bladder and Self-Healing I have one patient, a 57-year-old man, who had experienced a wrenched back. He was told to ice it all weekend and ended up with a urinary tract infection, which he had great difficulty in getting rid of. From our Five Element energetic framework, this unfortunate event makes perfect sense. In icing his back, too much Cold entered his Bladder meridian and this pathogen traveled to his bladder. A good way to alleviate this kind of infection is to “toast” the feet. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? But, it works well. Remember, good things are always simple; they are never complicated. Not everyone has enough money to buy a sauna, but everybody can go to a hardware store and buy a parabolic heater that radiates warmth to toast the feet. I recommended my patient use it for about a half-hour, every night for about two weeks. This heat therapy doesn’t need to be too hot; placing a damp cloth over the bottoms of the feet can prevent the Bladder from taking in too much heat. To heal this kind of urinary tract condition, real heat is needed, not just radiator heat. In addition, the best way to increase heat to counteract internal Cold is to massage ginger oil or cinnamon oil into the bottom of the feet. I tell patients that as they apply heat to the feet, they should lie down until their head produces sweat. This is one of the fastest ways to rid the body of Dampness and Cold. Sweating is a sign the Bladder is doing its job of transforming Dampness to steam and it’s exiting the body. Sweating is one sign the Bladder has completed the internal processing needed to release Dampness. This heat treatment can also help plantar fasciitis, often a very painful condition. It can even help prostate problems. Taking these self-healing actions and
applying acupuncture and herbal therapy, the patient and I were able to alleviate a very painful urinary tract infection quickly. The following is another example of the Kidney’s multidimensional functions. It relates to the organ’s responsibility for the body’s mental capabilities and intelligence.
Example: The Kidney, the Intelligence Engine and Adolescent Growth A girl and boy enter first grade the same year. They are both smart and get good grades. Everything seems pretty evenly matched until they enter middle school when suddenly things change. At this time, just around puberty, we often see an acceleration in the way girls excel in academic performance. It appears their “intelligence engine” emerges earlier than boys. In general, around this time, they have a much easier time than boys achieving good grades. However, about two years later when they enter high school, boys soon catch up. Why is that? Does anyone ask this question? I’m sure there have been a number of psychological studies and educational papers written about this phenomenon that offer many different reasons for this change. Declining Energy Timeline for Women and Men
Let me share a different perspective on this phenomenon: A female’s energy changes in seven-year cycles. A male’s energy changes in eight-year cycles. TCM understands that a young girl’s Kidney energy in her fourteenth year has already started to function more strongly. She’s activated her intelligence engine. Study habits change; grades change. This is actually the peak of her Qi and, from this point, it slowly declines. We can observe this gradual energy change in a woman’s seventh cycle when she’s fortynine and menstruation typically ceases. The decline is part of the natural aging process; in males, this happens in eight-year cycles. In general, it takes boys two eight-year cycles—two more years than a girl—to activate their intelligence engine and catch up. You see this in their physical changes as well. As they approach sixteen, their body
size starts to mature and their grades improve as they too turn on their Kidney energy. To recap: The Kidney supplies the ultimate power and force to keep your whole body alive and thriving. It is responsible for your skill and talent, as well. In ancient times, people were often grouped by skill levels. In addition, they were evaluated through pulse diagnosis to see if they had strong Kidney Qi or vital energy. Even though their skill level might have been excellent, if the pulse did not indicate strong Kidney Qi, they were not chosen for certain fields, especially martial arts training and the military. Strong Kidney Qi coupled with excellent skill and talent meant the individual had the capacity and capability to achieve great success and go beyond the average person to gain financial and social success. Likewise, if you have great skill or talent, and you work to strengthen your Kidney Qi, you too might enjoy similar rewards! As we conclude this information on the paired organ system of the Kidney and Bladder, where does it fit in the Five Element energetic framework as a senior management structure and business operations model? It’s the chief executive officer (CEO). It rules the body’s intelligence engine—IQ (intelligence quotient) as well as its EQ (emotional quotient) that supports all the body’s functions. It is responsible for activities of the mind—both its rational and intuitive powers. It’s literally the “brains behind the operation.” In the following material, we’ll complete our understanding of the functions and responsibilities of the last two paired organ systems, Lung–Large Intestine and Heart–Small Intestine and their roles in this integrated model.
Key Points I would like you to remember the following key points about the paired organ system of the Kidney-Bladder: The Kidney is related to flow—of the body, emotions, spirit and life. The Kidney is responsible for the body’s genetic code.
The Kidney stores Inborn Qi or original energy inherited from the parents. The Kidney-Bladder organ system is related to managing water within the body. The Kidney and Bladder are responsible for the transformation and elimination of Dampness. The Kidney is responsible for a healthy skeletal system and teeth. The Kidney is responsible for an individual’s level of wisdom, skill, talent and intelligence.
The Paired Organ System of the Lung–Large Intestine
The Paired Organ System of the Lung–Large Intestine and Healthy Metabolism Function While the primary organ systems for healthy metabolism function are the SpleenStomach, Liver-Gallbladder and Kidney-Bladder, we have to factor in the two final organ systems in our Five Element energetic framework. They are the Lung–Large Intestine and the Heart–Small Intestine. Because your body operates as an integrated, multidimensional system, we also have to understand the function of these last organ systems when discussing how to create optimum health. Naturally, the Lung is related to respiratory function. It controls the function of breathing. Did you know it’s also associated with inspiration? Just as our body sustains itself by ingesting food, it also needs to ingest air to live as well. We take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. In talking about the five stages of healthy metabolism function— receiving, digesting, processing, transformation and manifesting—we talked about the Lung’s responsibility for managing the distribution of all the body’s Qi. It derives this vital energy from the nutritive essences (not nutrition) the body has already transformed by the Spleen. Let’s talk about the Lung‒Large Intestine team in more detail. In our framework, the Lung is related to Nature’s element of Metal. Today, most people agree metal is one of the strongest substances on Earth. The Lung mirrors Nature’s metabolism function very well. When you breathe in, you are breathing in not just air, but the whole Earth. You are breathing in the electromagnetic field that surrounds you. The air itself contains and carries the messages of Nature. Can you receive them? TCM considers the Lung the most sensitive and delicate organ. Looking at our framework, you will see this organ’s emotions are associated with sadness and grief. If grieving is intense or prolonged, often the individual will develop a Lung function disorder that can manifest as a chronic cough. As we’ll see, TCM regards coughs as one of the most stubborn conditions to heal. What are the additional functions the Lung has to perform? One main duty is to cover and protect us. In the Five Element energetic framework, the skin is the “tissue” of the Lung. The skin is the body’s largest organ and serves as its first line of defense against external pathogens. There is a special, energetic layer covering the body—protective or wei Qi. As we’ve seen with the patient who had a serious bladder infection, some major pathogens, especially Cold and Wind, have the ability to pierce this layer, make their way through the meridians, and travel to and disrupt healthy organ function. Often, these pathogens can cause serious internal damage. Healthy Lung function determines the quality of your skin. Today, women and men spend more than $7 billion a year on skincare products alone in the belief these items will give them healthy skin. What actually produces beautiful skin is a well-functioning Lung. Anyone who would like glowing skin has to take care of their Lung. We all understand smoking is bad for you on many levels. If we look at it from a different framework, you can understand why smoking has such a major impact on skin quality. Smoking’s most obvious, undesirable effect is wrinkles! When we talk about the Lung’s lifelong partner, the Large Intestine or colon, you may be surprised at the role it too plays in preventing wrinkles. Today, our culture is focused on youth-oriented beauty. But, no matter what age, everyone wants to look good. The quality of your skin and how smooth it is reflects the state of your health. If you want to look your best, you have to take care of the functions of your Lung and colon. In Section VIII, Preparation for Your Healing Journey, I have included Taoist healing practices you can make an essential part of your healing journey. One of them, The Four Energy Gates, describes powerful master acupressure points that, when massaged, allow maximum energy to flow in certain meridians. Energy Gate No. 1 helps the Lung and Large Intestine function better and contributes to the flow of Qi in the upper body. Stimulating these points can be done anywhere, anytime. They are easy to learn and don’t require any special focus or visualization. You don’t need any special technique or equipment. You can even practice at meetings or while sitting in the subway! Please, I strongly encourage you to practice The Four Energy Gates daily. They will help strengthen your self-healing ability. You will also be pleased at the results.
When we talk about the fifth stage of metabolism function, we are talking about spirit manifesting itself in this reality. We say this manifestation is the result or culmination of the first four stages. A person’s spirit has to show in a face that radiates Qi, or vital energy as a result of healthy Lung function. You know when you see someone with that kind of radiance they are healthy and very much alive. Your skin has a kind of seal or aura that surrounds your body. This energetic light is what some people have the skill to see. Your skin acts as an external screen to show everyone how much energy you have and the state of your spirit. Just like the Kidney, the Lung has two structures; it is formed so each half sits on the right and left side of the body, protected by the rib cage. One of this organ’s main functions is to communicate with the outside air or environment. Think about this concept: How much air can you breathe in? When you breathe in, do you know how much of this air you actually digest? Remember our discussion about the SpleenStomach. We digest visible and invisible things. Everyone agrees breathing itself is life. Breathing is not optional. It is what keeps us alive. When a person dies, it’s generally not because their heart has stopped; it’s because the lungs have stopped functioning for good. When death occurs, the body itself remains. Blood and organs remain too. All the physical parts are still there. What’s missing? The individual’s Qi; his or her animating life force, has withdrawn from the body. Spirit has gone; it’s “left the building.” A deceased person’s organs may be used for transplantation, but the Qi or vital energy needed to create movement or action in the organ itself must now come from the person who has received the transplant. People have many different beliefs about what happens when you die and after you die. If everything is energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed, and energy has consciousness and purpose, then it’s possible to see the transition of death from an entirely different framework. In clinical practice, health issues involving the Lung are very serious. Without healthy respiration function, life literally comes to a dead end. Once the Lung is affected, it is likely the Heart will be affected next. As you can see from the Five Element energetic framework, the Lung and Heart comprise a kind of feedback loop that functions reciprocally. For instance, if a patient has asthma or a breathing problem, the Heart can develop a problem as well. From this angle, it’s interesting to see breathing issues are not always or solely a Lung function disorder. Heart problems can be involved and cause breathing issues. In addition to communicating with the external world through breathing or respiration and protecting the skin, the Lung has another major duty. Did you know that speaking is based on Lung function? If you are short of breath, cannot talk too long, sweat or experience palpitations when you need to speak, a TCM practitioner would recognize these as external signs of an internal energy imbalance— deficient or weak Lung function. Because of their connection, we may also find compromised Heart function behind these signs. From the TCM perspective, the Lung presents one of the most challenging conditions to treat. This is a cough. I learned from Master Xu that whoever understands the diagnosis and treatment of a cough deserves a PhD. The most difficult aspect of treating it is identifying the real root cause. The cough is just a symptom. My master really deepened my understanding by showing me coughs aren’t only caused by the Lung. Every organ can communicate or express itself with a distinct cough. While the Lung may exhibit the cough, it can be speaking on behalf of another organ. For example, the Kidney, Liver or Bladder have the capability of causing coughs. Often, modern treatments try to suppress a cough. From my experience, I’ve seen some serious internal damage develop by following this route and not allowing the cough to express itself and exit the body. You might get a better idea of how the appearance of coughs point to deeper origins from the following cases.
Example: Two Coughs, Two Different Causes At the recommendation of her friend, a female patient who was a lawyer came to me because of a chronic cough she had experienced for many years. Her chronic cough made her life miserable. She coughed all the time, even when she had to be in court. Her situation got so serious and so painful that, when she coughed, it felt like a knife stabbing her in the rib cage. It was so serious her rib cage became bruised from constantly coughing. She had been to many hospitals and seen specialists of all kinds. She had also had a broad range of tests. When I first met her, she took a number of medications. Nothing helped and no one could find the cause, let alone anything wrong. She clearly suffered from this condition and was frustrated that all her efforts could not produce a lasting solution, which she desperately needed. You might ask, “Was this a psychosomatic cough? Was it all in her head?” As we will see, the answer is definitely not. Her friend urged her to make an appointment and to keep an open mind. She was reluctant to see a TCM practitioner since she had already tried acupuncture and it hadn’t worked for her. Out of desperation, she finally came to see me. After an intake exam, I said to her, “You do have a serious condition. This cough has to go, but unfortunately, you’ve been treated for the wrong thing! Your Lung is not the guilty party. You have a cough that’s the result of chronic emotional issues that have caused your Liver function to become unbalanced. This Liver dysfunction is the root cause of your Lung problem. The result is this ongoing cough.” We looked at the Five Element energetic framework and discussed the Lung’s integrated, multidimensional responsibilities. One of these is to offer unconditional support to the Liver. In her case, because of intense ongoing stress, her Liver was making tremendous demands on her Lung. Once she understood this and took steps to address the root cause, things began to change. After one session of acupuncture, her cough stopped for two days. I joked with her, “You put the wrong ‘guy’ in jail. All these years, you have punished the wrong organ. Your poor Lung! He’s just the deliveryman with a message from your Liver.” While this patient still comes to see me for seasonal tune-ups, her cough has been gone for several years. If she continues to keep stress under control and takes good care of her Liver function, she should not have to deal with this cough again.
Here’s a different case about a cough. This patient is a female CEO and chairman of a nonprofit fundraising organization. Her life revolved around attending events and conferences, running large meetings and, generally, being overly busy. She developed a chronic cough as well. Consequently, she could not talk too long or she would run out of breath and then cough. This situation made it very difficult to conduct her fundraising meetings and give speeches. She also couldn’t laugh too long or too hard either; this caused her to cough. Worse still, every time she coughed her bladder leaked. By the time she made an appointment, she was desperate for a solution. This is a familiar story because I see many patients who turn to TCM as a last resort. This woman had also seen different doctors and been to many different specialists. Eastern or Western practitioner—they told her the same thing as the patient above. They could not find a problem with her Lung or identify a reason for her cough. The many medical tests she had undergone confirmed her physical lungs were in good condition. Seeing the cough from their framework, they were correct. Like so many of our patients who try TCM after searching for answers to their health conditions, this woman tried many ways to identify the cause of her cough. No one could help her in this search and no one could resolve this condition. Again, a friend suggested she come to see me. I told her, even though she had seen many practitioners, no one had yet identified the root cause of the problem. In her case, the cough came from a Bladder dysfunction. It did not come from the Lung. Treating the Lung was counterproductive. Hers was a Bladder cough. Arriving at the correct diagnosis allowed us to focus treatment on improving her Bladder function. Her cough, which she had endured for many years, improved immediately within two weeks. There was, however, more work to do. In this CEO’s case, her treatment involved strengthening the Bladder and Kidney functions. Because she was about 49 and in her seventh energy cycle, she had started menopause. Consequently, her Kidney Qi was weak or deficient. So, even though she responded well to treatment and her cough disappeared almost immediately, we still needed to strengthen her Qi foundation so the problem would not return. In both situations, the Lung was simply the go-between. It was communicating messages on behalf of another organ. Throughout her ordeal, again the focus was on
the wrong “guy.” Today, there is a common misconception regarding TCM and its treatment protocols. Many people believe Western medicine can heal acute problems and Chinese medicine can heal chronic conditions, but the TCM route often takes a long time. As you can see from just these two cases, this is not exactly true. Alleviating conditions that have continued for many years like the ones we’ve discussed might seem like a miracle, but now you can better understand how using a different framework allows us to see different things and achieve different outcomes.
One more essential function the Lung has to manage is the body’s biomechanics, often referred to as kinetics or kinesiology, the study of human movement. It relates to the operational mechanics of how body parts work efficiently and cooperatively in themselves and together with other parts. The Five Element energetic framework helps us see things a little more deeply. The Lung is responsible for the movement of the internal organs and external body parts to help them reach their highest purpose. While the Liver takes responsibility for eye function, the Lung supports the movement of the body’s physical structures, as well as the cooperation and coordination of its parts. Think of an eyeball and its actions. It blinks, it focuses on an object, it can move up and down and from side to side. Think too of how both eyes need to work cooperatively for good eyesight. Now, think of eye-hand coordination. Your eye has to work smoothly with your hand even just to accomplish a task as simple as placing a book on a table. Developmental milestones in children include eye-hand movements. In adults, these kinds of movements are necessary for computer work. You can appreciate why healthy Lung function is critical. The Lung has a big job! It has to make sure all parts of the integrated system operate efficiently, mesh well with other parts and support the body’s purpose for being. Coordinating smooth movement of your limbs is a big job. Imagine if your left hand didn’t want to work with your right foot when you walked. Thanks to my longtime training in the martial arts, I understand it’s not possible to excel in this field without strong Lung function. Today, this same concept applies to any kind of sport. Many women love to play tennis or volleyball, but if their Lung function is poor, they often experience tennis elbow, frozen shoulder and carpal tunnel syndrome. Just like our skier in the example of the Kidney, these conditions are the result of a deeper effect. If you’re someone who wants to excel at a sport, take care of the paired organ system of the Lung–Large Intestine. If you’ve already suffered from frozen shoulder, tennis elbow or carpal tunnel, your body has delivered a message you have a Lung function disorder. Computer use is now an essential part of our everyday lives. I tell patients not to blame the computer or keyboard for their carpal tunnel syndrome because that is not the whole picture. In one way, it is true, but from a different angle, it is not true. Carpal tunnel is a sign of a Lung function disorder. That’s the root cause. Your Lung and Large Intestine meridians run through the wrist area. I tell my patients, “Don’t just treat the effect. The message is energy is stuck in the meridians that travel through this area.”
The Large Intestine’s Role What about the Lung’s lifelong partner, the Large Intestine? How could the Lung and Large Intestine be related? From one angle, it makes no sense, right? They are not anatomically connected. Here, we can appreciate the beauty of one of the core principles of relativity. Two seemingly unrelated things in one dimension can, indeed, be connected at a higher one. For instance, we see this in the space-time continuum. Using what I call spiritual technology, thousands of years ago, ancient practitioners perceived the Lung and Large Intestine share an important energetic relationship. The same is true of our next paired organ system, the Heart–Small Intestine. Chronic constipation is a sign of unhealthy metabolism function. Today, constipation is a big problem. On a higher level, it also reflects an inability to give away all kinds of things and go with the flow. Many readers may have noticed that if their Lung has a problem, they will experience this elimination problem. Unfortunately, when constipation happens, people punish the wrong guy again! They do all kinds of things to force the Large Intestine or colon to perform its job. I have to caution you, these kinds of actions can also affect its partner, the Lung. They can damage your skin, cause it to become dry, lose moisture and create an itchy condition. If this happens, you will never connect your actions to abusing your colon with harsh medications, procedures and more. Colon problems often originate with the Lung. Wrinkles and dry skin, especially around the outside of the eyes, are a result of a poorly functioning Large Intestine or colon. This might be surprising; however, meridians or the energy pathways of the Large Intestine run through this area. If you really want this eye area to be wrinkle-free, you have to take care of your colon. I learned this secret from Master Xu. He also shared with me that the colon is one of the body’s most important energy gates. According to him, we haven’t discovered the real power of the colon yet or have any idea of what other functions this organ can perform. We do know the colon has a major impact on how the body functions on many different levels. It is an incredibly unique organ that is not just responsible for elimination. It also has a major impact on the way the brain functions and even on longevity! Interestingly, many smokers smoke when they go to the bathroom. Consciously or unconsciously, they know the cigarette can impact their Large Intestine function and allow the Lung to perform its function of creating motion so the process of elimination works more smoothly. It’s usually when a smoker quits that constipation becomes an issue and he or she gains weight.
You definitely want to keep this paired organ system healthy and functioning happily. The Lung and Large Intestine have transformational capabilities. For good Lung function, you also have to be able to process the body’s waste and have good elimination. The Tao Te Ching tells us that in order to receive anything, you have to give away first. If you are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, remember that these treatments take a tremendous toll on Lung function, which consequently affects its partner. TCM offers a number of effective complementary approaches, including herbal therapy, to help strengthen and support Lung function during cancer treatments. Today, this is common practice in hospitals throughout China. Let’s continue our analogy of the Five Element energetic framework as a senior management structure and business operations model. What is the Lung’s role in this scenario? The Lung is the chief technology officer (CTO). It contributes all the internal technologies, as well as expertise, to ensure the mechanics of the internal organs and external parts like limbs and digits, and so forth, operate efficiently and cooperate with other body parts.
Key Points I would like you to remember the following key points about the paired organ system of the Lung–Large Intestine: The Lung is responsible for the distribution of nutritive essence and Qi to all the organs. Healthy Lung function shows in spirit and life. The Lung is in charge of the health of the skin, which is the tissue of the Lung and the body’s largest organ. Healthy skin is directly related to the condition of the Lung and Large Intestine. The Lung is responsible for the biomechanics or kinetic movement of body parts. Dryness is a pathogen that affects the Lung and Large Intestine. The Large Intestine is not only responsible for the function of elimination but plays a role in brain health and even has an impact on longevity.
The Paired Organ System of the Heart–Small Intestine
The Paired Organ System of the Heart–Small Intestine and Healthy Metabolism Function The final paired organ system I’d like to explore is the Heart–Small Intestine. In the Five Element energetic framework, the Heart is the king or monarch of all the other organs. It too has its own correspondences, which you can study. The Heart is associated with Nature’s element of Fire. Fire gives life and hope; it also gives light. In TCM, at the physical level, the Heart is associated with all mental activity, consciousness, thoughts, feelings, memories, sleep and more. At the energetic or spiritual level, the Heart offers a house for the Shen or Spirit in this reality; this resident provides the body with the capability to connect to the limitless Tao or unconditional love of the Universe. However, this vital connection can only be achieved through the Heart, never through the mind. The Heart also gives humans a direct connection with Nature, which is how the Tao manifests its gifts in our reality. Following the Tao itself is deeply rooted in faith. Understanding who we are as an integrated system of body, mind and spirit is essential for good health. We will talk about faith in Section VII, on Spirit and Metabolism Function. According to the bible of traditional Chinese medicine, the Huangdi Nei Jing, or The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, which scholars date to the early Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce) and possibly earlier, the Heart is responsible for housing Spirit. Because TCM is a by-product of a spiritual journey by ancient masters, much of its language is related to spiritual purpose and is written in a spiritual vocabulary. These individuals lived in very different times and in different environments with different cultural norms. They were free from the unique pressures, problems and distractions of life in the twenty-first century. However, once we decipher the imbedded messages in this classical medical text, we can say it explains the Heart’s role as the king of the organs very well. It says simply the king’s responsibility is to follow Natural Law. Its ultimate function is to be happy! Let me put this characterization of the Heart as king in the context of its time. While ancient civilizations like China may use the same vocabulary for king as we do today, the words carry different meaning. It’s similar to the idea that today “web” means something entirely different than it did hundreds of years ago. Today, for us in the twentyfirst century, web means something connected to the Internet. Each word in ancient works like the Nei Jing is chosen deliberately for a specific purpose. Some words can be both nouns and verbs, sometimes even adjectives. Different usage means the word itself, whether verb, noun or adjective, can be understood from multiple levels depending on the understanding of the reader. This is one of the secrets of the Nei Jing that Master Xu shared with me. I would like to share this concept with you. From his spiritual practice and extensive scholarship, Master Xu developed a deep expertise in how the ancient language of Taoist philosophy is structured. In terms of understanding the nature of being a king, suffice it to say, in bygone days, the king was not only a ruler or a political person; he was a sacred person with a sacred duty. The entire culture understood the king was the leader of their kingdom. They also understood he was born to this position and his ultimate mission was to take care of his people. This leader had to show his wisdom, compassion, care and love. He had to be an example; his mission was not just to conquer others. While the king was ultimately in charge of the well-being of his kingdom and his subjects, by tradition, he was trained to follow the Tao. His responsibility in this reality was to show, by example, how he is like the Tao itself, its reflection in this reality—able to go with the flow, not worry, enjoy life and literally “do” nothing. His primary action was nonaction. The king was expected to let others manage the day-to-day duties of his realm. This sounds like a far cry from what we understand a king to be today, but this is how the ancient Chinese regarded the sacred role of king. In the Five Element energetic framework, this same concept applies to the Heart. Its duty is to remain peaceful so the individual can be like and connect to the limitless Tao. A peaceful Heart allows us to go with the flow. The Heart’s responsibility is to remain tranquil and sit peacefully above turmoil or chaos. Imagine what our world would be like if everyone’s Heart functioned this way!
Because the king was at the top of the pyramid, so to speak, and held the highest position in the kingdom, he was not expected to concern himself with events of daily life. The same is true of the Heart. It’s programmed to function at the highest level, so it can spend its time connecting to the spiritual realm. Ideally, the Heart as king shouldn’t have to do anything, even though it ultimately controls the whole body. Other organs should assume the responsibility of looking after day-to-day activities. Even now, the language we use to expresses love in Western culture requires unique imagery that revolves around the Heart. A language of love has developed over many centuries to describe different aspects of love so we can attempt to understand the meaning of this special emotion and where it comes from. But ultimately, can we really understand love with the mind? There are some things we can only understand with the Heart. There is a different kind of thinking humans are capable of, but it can only be done with the Heart. Taoists call this “wu” and have a long tradition of training to help students reach wu. It literally means thinking with the Heart—thinking without thinking, using the intuitive mind for sudden, transformative insights. TCM regards the Heart as a kind of central processor. It serves as the gathering place where consciousness, mind, Qi or all the vital energy, feelings and emotions of the body must go through. While the Heart knows everything, it should not be attached to emotions like worry and it should not invest its time trying to figure things out. It has “people,” or rather other organs, to do that! It’s important to note the Heart is at its healthiest when it is peaceful and practicing unconditional love. If there is any religion that could respond to the needs of modern science, it would be Buddhism. –Albert Einstein In today’s crazy, stressed-out world, what do we find in our culture? We see that heart disease, not breast cancer, is the leading killer of women. It is also the leading killer of men. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, currently about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. That accounts for one in every four deaths. Every year about 720,000 Americans have a heart attack. Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year, which includes healthcare services, medications, and lost productivity. Heart problems place a huge burden on our healthcare system and are a component of metabolic syndrome. We believe we can keep the Heart healthy by eating certain foods (or avoiding certain foods) and doing cardio activity of all kinds. But, the truth is if we look at the Heart through our multidimensional energetic framework, we cannot do anything physical to prevent its health issues. If this were so, marathon runners wouldn’t have heart disease; seasoned athletes wouldn’t drop dead from heart attacks. Looking at things from a different angle, running on a treadmill can’t help the Heart for real either. How can professional runners have healthy Heart function? From the TCM perspective, it’s difficult to see how running prevents heart disease, though that is the prevailing medical wisdom today. The Heart is such an incredible organ that addressing it from the physical perspective only does not forestall problems. If running can impact the multidimensional functions of the Heart, then all the Eastern spiritual and religious practices would have abandoned their meditations and taken up running! What does this tell us? The Heart requires far more attention.
Here again, I want to share an energy practice you can do anywhere, anytime. Though it may seem simple, it is powerful and can produce many positive benefits. I recommend you try this simple practice for a month and see the results for yourself. The best exercise for the Heart is to smile! Look at yourself in the mirror and smile deeply from the Heart. Make it a loving, genuine smile. Simple to say, right? For many people, this is not an easy exercise. How can smiling affect Heart health? Today, we know the actions of smiling and laughing help increase blood flow and allow it to move more easily and smoothly through arteries and blood vessels, which incidentally happen to be the body structures the Heart is responsible for. At the energetic or spiritual level, the Heart is untouchable. It is the central connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. The Heart itself is unbreakable. If you want to understand things from a deeper perspective, then you have to know that the phrase “He broke my heart” is not correct. It’s more accurate to say, “He broke my mind.” In expressing our love, we usually say, “I love you with all my heart.” We never say, “I love you with my mind” do we? Often, when we talk about the Heart, it’s not the real Heart we are speaking about. It’s just a way of thinking that our minds have adopted. The Heart is the part of the human species that allows us to communicate with Universal Qi and its messages of unconditional acceptance and love. Our very existence allows the Universe to appreciate its immense creativity and continually expand its love—for itself and its creations. Many people find it difficult to accept this concept: the Heart is beyond the mind. While it lives in this physical reality, this aspect of our being is connected to and part of oneness. While we can think about God, or the Universe, or whatever higher power we choose to call this energetic force, the Heart is connected to the mystery of life. Remember, real enlightenment never comes from the mind. You can only talk with God from your Heart. This is not just a concept that comes from the East. Western religions practice this way as well. Eastern or Western, true religions and spiritual practices recognize you can never use the mind to talk to God. Eastern spiritual practices—Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu—have time-honored ways to open the Heart through special energy exercises like Zen, Qigong, meditation, yoga and the like. These practices are not focused on connecting to the physical heart, but to its limitless spirit. Christian religions also have a way to connect to this higher power. They use prayer as the path to connect with God. Through the act of praying, individuals have the chance to drop their mind. Real prayer has to come from the Heart. Once a TCM practitioner discovers you have emotional or spiritual problems associated with the Heart, he or she sees a serious health issue has surfaced. Why is it so serious? The practitioner recognizes the “king” is in grave danger. The health problem that exists has pierced all the defenses of the king’s subjects, the other organs’ functions, all of whom were supposed to defend him by managing stress. If the Heart has excessive emotional or spiritual issues, the Stomach or the Liver is supposed to step in. Every organ is willing and programmed to “take a bullet” to protect the Heart. Even the Kidney or Lung will rush to the Heart’s defense to defuse a problem with the Heart. As a by-product of spiritual practice, TCM understands the ultimate need to pay great attention to keeping the three vital organ systems for metabolism function in top shape. If their energy is weak or their Qi stops flowing smoothly, these organs lose their ability to protect the Heart. Long before the Heart manifests an observable illness or disease, there are numerous messages from the other organs that things are not moving in a good direction and the Heart is at risk. The Heart has its own function, yet it still impacts mental activity. Today, few of us know how to allow the Heart to function as it did in ancient times. At that time, the goal of the Heart was to achieve independence, a state of “no mind,” so it could experience the Universe’s unconditional love. Through the various practices we’ve mentioned, the Heart had the potential to connect to spirit without interference from the impact of mental activities. Even today, as I mentioned, most Eastern spiritual practices focus on dropping the mind to discover the Heart’s true power. Their traditions taught them how to achieve a state that allowed followers to limit the mind’s influence. All true religions focus on how to empty the mind. The ultimate goal is to discover the unlimited spiritual power of the Heart and connect to the unconditional love of the Universe. This is territory where the mind cannot follow.
In today’s society, as we’ve discussed throughout Digesting the Universe, we allow unbalanced emotions of stress, worry, fear and excess mental activity to create unhealthy conditions that can work their way toward the Heart. We try to analyze everything we come in contact with. By pursuing this path of constant mental activity, we go against the Heart’s very nature and allow it to deal with activities that impact it at multidimensional levels. How does this information translate into your daily life? Physically, the Heart shouldn’t have to care about anything. Unfortunately, the kind of mental pitch we live at forces the Heart to perform in ways that are unnatural and against its nature. If you are not in a spiritual journey, or if you are straying from your true purpose in this reality, once in a while your Heart will step in and nudge you to remedy this situation. When this happens, often the mind, the ego mind that continually wants to be in charge and analyze everything, will demonstrate its stubborn will and indicate what it wants to do. But, the mind is always limited. It is not the pinnacle of who we really are. Sometimes, spirit steps in to help.
The Small Intestine’s Role The Heart’s lifelong partner is the Small Intestine. Just like the Lung–Large Intestine partnership, this team’s unique relationship was discovered through the spiritual practices of ancient Qigong masters. At the physical level, there’s no way we would associate this organ with the Heart. From a functional level, the Small Intestine is a tough little organ. In some ways, it has an even stronger digestive capability than the Stomach. The reason I say this is because this organ’s function or responsibility is to take over processing what the Stomach leaves behind. Whatever the Stomach cannot handle in the digestion process goes through the Small Intestine for final processing. It’s important to emphasize: The Small Intestine will handle whatever the Stomach cannot. Remember, the Stomach’s function is not just for digesting food. It must also process emotions, including stress, as well as information. If you are over-stressed, experience excessive emotions on an ongoing basis, or take in too much information, it’s very possible the Stomach will get overwhelmed. When this happens, this organ can’t handle all of its digestive work. In this case, it will pass undigested elements to the Small Intestine. If the Small Intestine gets overloaded, you may experience Qi stagnation in the form of pain, particularly pain in the shoulder and shoulder blade area where its meridian runs. As we mentioned earlier, as in real estate, location, location, location is the most important factor. In TCM, a problem’s location and time of day are two of the most valuable clues for identifying the root cause. If you complain of a problem in the shoulder blade area, a TCM practitioner would relate it to the Small Intestine meridian. While today’s medicine relies on test results as a primary indicator of health and wellness, perfect numbers do not necessarily mean you are perfectly healthy. I hope you can more fully appreciate the body as a wholly integrated, multidimensional system. With any illness or disease, we have to look at the entire picture and the role each organ’s body, mind and spirit play. Physical symptoms are specific messages of deeper problems that have caused an observable health condition. This perspective helps practitioners assess whether or not the whole body is functioning in harmony. Just by looking at you and asking the appropriate questions, skilled TCM practitioners can tell what’s going on at the body’s invisible level, as well as which organs are out of balance and by how much. From my perspective, the principle of Yin-Yang, Meridian theory and the Five Element energetic framework offer a different framework for complementary medicine diagnostics. This approach can determine how well metabolism function is working at the body, mind and spirit levels. For true healing, we need to embrace the role oneness plays in all aspects of our lives, especially health. The revolutionary framework we are using can make major contributions for understanding illness and diseases of all kinds—especially for preventing heart disease and heart function problems before they become serious and even fatal.
To complete our analogy of the Five Element energetic framework as a senior management structure and business operations model, we can add the Heart. To recap: The Spleen-Stomach is the chief financial officer (CFO). The Liver-Gallbladder is the chief operating officer (COO). The Kidney-Bladder is the chief executive officer (CEO) and the Lung–Large Intestine is the chief technology officer (CTO). So, what is the Heart? The Heart is easy. It’s the chairman! It’s ultimately responsible for all the body’s mental and physical activities, but it has delegated these responsibilities to the other paired organ systems. Its real responsibility is to be happy and peaceful as well as serve as the bridge between the physical and spiritual. Because of this special responsibility, it is unlike any other organ. Please take very good care of your Heart. Like a good chairman, it should be off playing golf, not worrying about anything or using up its precious Qi!
Key Points I would like you to remember the following key points about the paired organ system of the Heart–Small Intestine: The Heart is the king of all the organs and ultimately controls the whole body. The Heart is associated with mental activity, consciousness, thoughts, feelings, desires, memories and sleep. At the spiritual level, the Heart houses the Shen or Spirit, which allows the body to connect to the limitless Tao and unconditional love of the Universe. The Heart is responsible for the health of the blood vessels. The Small Intestine has strong digestive capability—when needed, even stronger than the Stomach. Pain in the shoulder or shoulder blade area, where the Small Intestine meridians run, can signal function problems. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION V FOOD AND METABOLISM FUNCTION
Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind. –Albert Einstein Beneath the green mountains where spring rules the year, The arbutus and loquat in season appear, And feasting on lychee—three hundred a day, I shouldn’t mind staying eternally here. –Su Shi Chinese poet
Chinese Culture and Food for Healing Throughout the ages, every culture has known how to use food for healing. Had they not, their bloodline would have already died out and disconnected from this reality. This skill has allowed generation after generation to stay alive. Every culture has this knowledge. Little by little, unfortunately, different cultures have lost their wisdom in a world that is less diverse and less interested in the healing properties—let alone the deeper aspects—of natural food. One of the most important reasons I have written Digesting the Universe is to provide a different perspective on and insight into two essential aspects of healing—mind and spirit. These aspects also apply to food. There is a great deal of talk about body-mind-spirit healing in our culture, but little understanding of the profound role these two aspects play. I would like to emphasize that true health and healing starts from the top down, which means spirit. If we start from the bottom up, in my opinion, there is little likelihood of reaching the goal. We will talk about the spirit of food in this section. There is at least one remaining culture that has preserved an incredible body of wisdom regarding the use of foods for healing; this is China. In the West, most people are unaware of its depth and efficacy. For more than five thousand years, right up until today, Chinese culture has placed tremendous emphasis on the healing properties of foods. When TCM practitioners and Western practitioners talk about the healing properties of food, we will see they use different frameworks and focus on different things. Today, food for healing remains a dominant part of Chinese culture. It is a tremendously popular aspect of everyday life. For instance, China has many primetime TV channels, including China Central TV (CCTV), mainland China’s state broadcaster with over forty-five channels of programming. Many channels are devoted to food for healing, how to combine foods and herbs for healing, how to use foods to increase longevity, traditional Chinese medicine and food, and much more. China is crazy about all kinds of information that relates to food. The popularity of these shows would be equivalent to something like the current Iron Chef America, or other primetime U.S. TV shows like MasterChef. The time-tested knowledge of China’s vast compendium of prescribed diets and how to use foods for healing is still a major part of contemporary Chinese culture and a continual topic of conversation. In fact, one popular Chinese greeting among young friends today is often “Ni chi le ma?” or, “Have you eaten yet?” This is our equivalent to “Hi, how are you?” While this focus on food and its healing properties attracts consumer interest, there is another area of Chinese culture where it plays a vital role in keeping the population well. For the Chinese, food is actually medicine in a real way. They have had this perspective for many, many centuries. To attain the highest level of education in traditional Chinese medicine—the equivalent of a PhD—even today, TCM students must learn and master one of its sacred bibles, Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Classic of Herbal Medicine). As we will see later, TCM’s vast knowledge of foods and herbs, and other substances, was a result of direct knowing through the spiritual practice of ancient masters. The text of Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing is, however, thought to be a compilation of oral traditions, written sometime between 200 and 250 CE. It provides extensive protocols and detailed descriptions for using foods for healing. Several millennia ago, this classical text had already developed an entire framework to help practitioners understand why, when and how they should apply food and food combinations for healing various conditions. They had also developed an extensive list of foods and which organ’s energy frequency they matched. For example, they understood that shellfish, with its essence of the salty sea, is a taste that can support Kidney health and improve its function; pears, almonds and honey are just the foods to boost the Lung’s performance; the Liver is energized by dandelion greens, lemon, broccoli rabe, garlic and scallions; the Spleen and Stomach react happily to fresh ginger, cinnamon, Chinese barley, peanuts and more, and the Heart jumps for joy over red foods, like strawberries, plum tomatoes, red peppers and more. The color red vibrates at the same frequency as the king of all the organs. Did you know watermelon is often prescribed as part of a healing diet to support Heart function? It is one of the few fruits with the ability to pull toxins from the body. This wisdom is priceless.
Understanding how to use food for healing is a highly valued part of China’s medical system. Hospitals throughout the country typically have two departments that cooperate to keep the patient in the best health possible throughout treatment, especially for cancer. One department will use Western protocols and treatments; the other will use TCM protocols and treatment modalities: Qigong, acupressure, acupuncture, foods for healing, herbal therapy and energy psychology. For instance, while patients may undergo chemotherapy or radiation for cancer treatment, at the same time, they will be counseled by a TCM practitioner on how to use foods and herbal therapy to increase T cell counts during these procedures. They will receive prescriptions of foods that can be used or combined to combat the effects of chemotherapy and radiation and more. For instance, pears are excellent foods that help reduce heat in the Lung and offset the effects of radiation. Many of my patients have benefited greatly from this ancient knowledge. Before we go further, I’d like to remind readers that Western medicine only entered China in 1921 with the funding of the Peking Union Medical College by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. That is barely one hundred years. How could a country like China grow and thrive and become the presence it is today without an understanding of how to keep its people well? Its history is evidence of one kind. The skillful use of foods and herbs for prevention and healing is one answer. The Western framework insists on evidence-based research anchored in concepts of what it thinks of as “proof.” There is an enormous body of research in China on the efficacy of foods and their healing properties that could offer the powerful proof that Western medicine seeks. Unfortunately, no one has compiled or organized this information that spans thousands of years so it is easily accessible to scientists, medical professionals and nutrition experts around the world. I hope one day this will happen. However, since we’re looking at things from a different angle, I’d like to ask what kind of “proof ” are we looking for today? From my perspective, we are still looking at evidence that’s the result of classical Newtonian science. Why are we still breaking substances down into smaller and smaller parts so they can be analyzed? Why aren’t we looking at the kind of evidence born of the integrated, multidimensional workings of a quantum system? Are we looking to understand everything is energy and everything is related to every other thing in the quantum field? Are we seeking to understand and rebalance interrelationships as the path to real health? This is the world we are exploring throughout Digesting the Universe. Perhaps, “proof ” might become self-evident if we apply modern science principles based on relativity and quantum theory. Our society has changed dramatically over the last twenty-five years. And, we can anticipate that the changes we’ve seen at all levels will continue to accelerate. As we’ve discussed, it’s important to recognize modern science thinking dominates our entire society, our lives, and the way we are treated in hospitals and healthcare. Everything is based on modern science, quantum thinking and its many inventions and technologies. Everything from a GPS to MRIs to CTs to microwaves and keyless cars are byproducts of this science. If we agree this is so, then it is important to ask, as I’ll continue to ask throughout Digesting the Universe, how can quantum thinking help our life become more profound, richer and deeper than we ever thought possible? Why don’t we apply this perspective to foods and healing? Now that you have a foundation about the principles and theories of modern science and TCM, as well as an understanding of the five stages of metabolism function, I’d like to invite you on a very special journey to the quantum world where we will use a different framework for recognizing the miracle of food as well as how and why it is endowed with the ability to heal our bodies. This wisdom of understanding the energetic properties of food is essential for achieving body–mind–spirit healing. Yet, it is difficult to bring this knowledge into Western culture. Opening the mind and accepting this knowledge can offer many patients significant healing benefits. If this were so, our culture would see a tremendous shift in prevention as well as a much less burdened healthcare system. Conditions that create metabolic syndrome would also benefit greatly. For example, we all understand diabetes is a serious condition. One of the foods that diabetics can use for its healing purpose is the pumpkin. There are many varieties of pumpkins that can be cooked and eaten in different ways to help patients with diabetes. This is a good place to recall what the NIH says about metabolic syndrome. It states in part: “It is possible to prevent or delay metabolic syndrome, mainly with lifestyle changes. A healthy lifestyle is a lifelong commitment.” Integrating TCM’s ancient wisdom and longtime expertise in eating for healing can play a groundbreaking role in helping prevent or alleviate many of today’s chronic illnesses.
When I talk with my patients about food and metabolism function, I find most of their understanding is focused on the material properties of what they eat. The first questions almost all my patients ask are, “What can I eat? What should I avoid? How can foods help my healing program? What supplements should I take?” My patients are all eager to know how to change their diets; they have been led to believe this is one of the most important aspects of healing. It’s highly unusual for a patient to ask about a food’s Qi, its energetic level. They rarely ask about the spirit of food and the real gifts it holds. However, this is precisely the time-tested, life-giving wisdom I’d like to share with you. If you truly embrace it, you will never look at food the same way again. He who takes medicine and neglects his diet, wastes the skills of the physician. –Ancient Chinese proverb
Journey to the Quantum World, the Real One When you slide your hand across a beautiful oak table, when you stub your toe, when you eat a delicious piece of fish, when you weed your garden, it all feels real, doesn’t it? From one perspective, it is real. From another, we are surfing on top of a richer more powerful reality that impacts us every moment. Most of us have little knowledge of this other dimension of the energy field. We live in what Fritjof Capra describes as the “zone of middle dimensions,” where theories of classical, Newtonian physics are useful. In The Tao of Physics, he says, “These dynamic patterns, or ‘energy bundles,’ form the stable nuclear, atomic and molecular structures which build up matter and give it its macroscopic solid aspect, thus making us believe that it is made of material matter.” The faster electrons spin, the more solid the material appears. In the world we experience with our five senses, things seem to be quite solidified and operate in a predictable way. But, in laboratories, university research centers and particle colliders far under the earth, physicists deal with a different reality. They see different things. In this subatomic world, they penetrate physical material and what do they see? No single, solid physical building blocks of our world. They find no things! They discover oneness, unity and inseparability. They discover everything is energy or Qi. They also discover that mass, any mass, including our bodies, is a different manifestation or individuation of this energy. Welcome to the quantum world. That’s a radical shift in thinking, even for those of us in the twenty-first century.
But, of course, as we have seen, this kind of thinking is actually not so new. Ancient Qigong masters and high-level TCM practitioners discovered the quantum world of the energy state and applied their understanding of it several thousand years ago. They didn’t have expensive technology or use advanced quantum formulas. They discovered similar realities about our world as those of today’s scientists but found them by following a different path. Through deep meditation, self-cultivation and entering the nonconscious state, they used their own bodies in a mystical, sophisticated way. Among other things, their meditative journeys allowed them to discover spiritual technologies that penetrated the body’s material form and revealed its inseparable connections to Nature. Qigong masters and quantum physicists have a great deal in common. They may have taken different paths up the mountain, but they arrived at the same destination. They each may use different language, but their concepts and understanding reflect a similar understanding of the immutable laws of Nature. One calls it the Five Element energetic framework; the other calls it relativistic physics and quantum mechanics. Lucky for us, today, ancient TCM practitioners chose to apply their realizations of Qi as consciousness and purpose to healing in such a profound, actionable and amazing way! Digesting the Universe is based on that understanding. If you’re a curious person, and your search for better health has led you here, and if you are not satisfied with the results of trying to improve a chronic condition, you will find this information on food very important. We can take this special journey together into the quantum world—the real one underneath (or within) the one we take for granted. Once we take this journey, we can use a different, revolutionary framework to discuss the value of food from the body, mind and spirit levels. You’ll see why and how humans can connect with the energetic properties of food in Nature. We will all meet up in the field, the quantum field, where everything is connected. To do this, we have to start our journey from the top down, not from the bottom up, which means starting with spirit. First, let me introduce one of the most important spiritual laws that allows us to appreciate the spiritual aspect of food: There are no accidents. We will explore this law more fully in Section VII, Spirit and Metabolism Function, but here, I want to give you more insight into how this law relates to our exploration of food and metabolism function. People often say everything is in God’s will. What does this really mean? It means at the spiritual level, there are no accidents. Everything has a purpose, and that purpose is ultimately for good. This is the first gate we have to unlock to move ahead in our journey. We have to accept everything happens for a reason. We may not be able to readily understand the reason, but we have to cultivate faith that it exists. And, it exists for good and for our benefit. Can you accept this concept? For some people, this is not an easy thing to do. How can we apply this fundamental law? I have searched for an easy way to explain this. If you truly believe in spirit, you will find our quantum journey to be an exciting, rewarding one; it will be easy to take. If you don’t believe in spirit, your mind will create so many barriers that, ultimately, it may prevent you from coming along. If you are able to unlock this first gate, though, I am happy to guide you further. These travels into our mysterious subatomic world have the power to reshape how you look at reality, the events of your life and, surely, shift your understanding of food.
Let’s start with the fact that reading this book is not an accident. How many millions of books are there in the world, yet you have already started to read this one? Why did you pick up this book? Did someone suggest you read it? Did someone give it to you? Did you see it on someone’s desk? These simple external actions may “look like” accidents, but in spiritual reality, whatever path you took to encounter the wisdom and knowledge in Digesting the Universe, means you are one of the ones meant to read it. No matter what, because you are reading this work, your spirit is already prepared to receive the knowledge and wisdom it contains. It’s that simple. You are ready; otherwise, you never would have been attracted to this book. Eastern practices remind us, “When the student is ready, the master appears.” I encourage you to ask yourself, “If deep down, I’m ready, how can I use the information I’ve been guided to encounter here to achieve better health?” As you will see, you have the power to create positive change for yourself; you have a choice about which path to follow. A critical piece of this puzzle includes strengthening your belief this power exists and the desire to achieve something far better for yourself. I can give you the phone number, but if you don’t make the call, you will never connect to food’s deepest healing benefits. I will say this many times, “You, and you alone, create your own reality. Healing is always in your hands.” Let’s look at the notion of “no accidents” to recognize how it relates to your current state of health. Suppose you suffer from a digestive system problem. You’ve tried many ways to resolve this condition. Yet, you’re still not happy with the outcome. You feel frustrated your efforts have produced only minimal success. You can say many things about your efforts. You can complain about the foods you’ve tried, or the drugs you’ve taken, or the sophisticated machines that have tested you. You can say you paid money to a life coach or therapists who were supposed to put you on the right track and help you change. If we look at your situation and apply the spiritual law that there are no accidents, then every step you’ve taken has had a purpose. Every action you’ve taken has led you in a direction to understand something deeper. What is that something? It’s the realization you are still not satisfied with the quality of your life and health. You are not happy with the outcome of your efforts to date. You want something better for yourself, for your metabolism function. Your desire is strong because you want far more from life! Congratulations for listening to the wisdom of your inner voice, not your mind. Because your efforts still don’t meet your requirements, your desire for better health pushes your search forward. One choice you have is staying stuck in complaining about all the work you put in that got you nowhere. You may still believe the path of external experts and outside interventions will lead you to success, so your search will lead you far from your inner power. Another choice is to shift your perspective and see things from a different angle. You could decide to look at this same set of circumstances in a fresh way. How? It’s possible all your efforts have moved you toward intuition and knowledge that could produce the most successful solution of your life for a chronic health condition. It got you to recognize you haven’t achieved your goal yet. You still want more; you want to improve your digestive system problems and metabolism function. You want to go higher. If you picked up this book, the bottom line is that you are ready to change at a deeper level and receive new things. Most people rarely recognize the “connective tissue” binding them from where they have been to where they are now. From the spiritual point of view, everything is connected. Can you appreciate that all your actions have led to this moment? None of them have been a waste. What is the next level of health? What can it do for you? Think of your new life. Maybe you will travel? Maybe you will become a painter? Maybe you will write poetry or a new book? Maybe you will change jobs? Or, fulfill a lifelong dream? Only you know where good health will take you. I encourage you to go back to the fifth stage of metabolism function described in Section III. Reaching a higher level of metabolism function will allow your spirit to show itself more profoundly in this reality. You are unique; reality would never be the same without your gifts. What will you do with the time you have and the gifts you’ve brought into this dimension? People who are intrigued by this kind of mystical journey have experiences in their lives that go beyond the mind. I believe you are that kind of person. Ask yourself what is the craziest thing you’ve ever done. I’m confident it’s something that came from your gut and not from your mind. I guarantee it’s not something you sat down and analyzed to death. At the time, you probably didn’t fear the outcome. In fact, you probably didn’t care! Even if you did, you went ahead anyway. When you recall this action, don’t judge whether the outcome was good or bad. Understand, at that time, your action was so powerful no one could influence or stop you. You were willing to drop everything and just do what you wanted. That is the kind of the power I’d like you to recall and apply to your healing efforts today. If you’re able to summon this kind of determination, I ask, “What kind of illness or disease can stop you?”
In my practice, I ask patients to fill out a unique intake form designed to help me understand them from the body–mind–spirit level. One question is, “What is the craziest thing you have ever done?” The answers are varied: “Travel across the country by myself on a motorcycle; drop out of school against my parents’ wishes; go with my boyfriend or girlfriend when everyone says he or she is trouble.” Why do I ask this? It helps me know the patient a little better; most importantly, it tells me they have experienced using their intuitive mind instead of their rational mind. It helps me understand that together we can tap into this power for healing. Our lives are so busy; most of us don’t have the time to be self-reflective. Let me offer an example that might help you better understand the difference between the intuitive and rational mind. Let’s take the saying, “Love is blind.” What does this really mean? Others may use their physical eyes to analyze your situation and the relationship you are in. Based on their angle of view, they shake their heads and say, “What can you say? Love is blind!” But, if you’re the person in love, you use a different quality of your eyes to see your loved one. From your angle of view, you are not blind at all! When you’re in love, it doesn’t matter to you what people say. They can warn you, “You must be crazy—why do you go out with him or her? You’re only buying trouble and heartache.” You don’t care. Your actions are not based on the rational mind; they’re based on the intuitive mind, the part of your being that’s connected to spirit. No one can understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. In this case, only you have the answer. But, if you “think” you’re in love, that’s a different story. Then, you are just using your rational mind. Once you function in the mind, you begin to analyze, differentiate and divide everything. When the rational mind takes control, the intuitive mind takes its leave. At our stage of human development, most people can only function in the intuitive mind for a short time. For thousands of years, one of the goals of Eastern spiritual practices has been to extend this kind of intuitive state. Whole schools and extensive techniques have developed to teach people how to live in the moment, extend it and apply this aspect of consciousness in daily life. Unfortunately, very few people can reach this level. As our quantum journey continues, your intuitive mind will help you more than your rational one.
From the Classical Framework to the Quantum Framework: Understanding the Real Power of Food Before we continue our journey to explore the multidimensional properties of food and metabolism function, I encourage you to keep an open mind and have patience while we talk about several more major distinctions in terms of classical science and modern science. It will be well worth it as we explore a different framework to uncover the little-known, astounding properties of food.
I would guess many thousands of books have been written about food in recent decades alone. It is always a popular subject. In the past hundred years or so, science has done a good job of helping us analyze what makes food—based on its material properties—food. They have examined different foods’ components as well as explained what’s in them and what’s not. It has also told us what foods can and can’t do in terms of health; unfortunately, this knowledge changes dramatically from scientific study to scientific study, which can sometimes cause confusion with consumers. However, I think most people are happy and comfortable with this framework. It has given us an understanding of caloric content, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients and more. It has produced things like new labeling of nutrition facts from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among other things. I want to emphasize that these efforts, while useful, are the result of classical science thinking, which breaks everything down into smaller and smaller components and then analyzes them. Classical science operated this way for several hundred years until the early twentieth century. Today, this kind of science can take us only so far. Modern science is a symbol that points to a much richer reality, which can bring us many treasures. Happily, it leads us to the threshold of a more powerful framework so our journey can take a deep dive into a different, exciting dimension. Here, we can understand food from the body–mind–spirit perspective as well as that of relativity and quantum mechanics. My goal is to help you understand the more profound characteristics of food at the Qi level so they can support optimum health. We’ve talked about how today’s world is based on relativity and quantum mechanics. It’s probably not something most people think about as they go about their day, in which everything is made easier thanks to the discoveries of modern science. So many things we take for granted are based on these two concepts. As we’ve discussed, all the sophisticated imaging technology in hospitals, medical and dental devices, cell phones, computers, appliances like microwaves, even the keyless cars we drive are based on modern science, not classical science. These things and more are the outcome of quantum thinking and technologies. As I’ve noted, Capra’s The Tao of Physics is one of the serious explorations that has opened many people’s minds to the similarities between ancient Eastern wisdom and the quantum world. He explains how classical Newtonian scientific concepts like elementary solid particles, material substances and isolated objects lose their meaning in the quantum world. In effect, physicists have uncovered something wonderful, strange, mysterious, and, in some cases, unknowable, even with today’s science. Everything is energy. Yes, everything in the Universe is energy. That includes you and me, your children, your pets, your plants, the foods you buy in the supermarket, yes, everything! This is the reality I would like to explore with you. It opens a door to an entirely new way of understanding food’s healing power.
I believe as we evolve as a species we will discover many more incredible things than what we marvel at today. For now, though, the idea of the quantum world and its behavior will keep us busy for a long time. As we move forward in our journey, I’ll use the humble apple as an example of how things work in the quantum world. Right now, we can bite this apple and gain great wisdom. With this wisdom, we can learn to use the apple’s energy wisely in a healing program that can improve metabolism function. When we talk about food it’s important to decide which level of understanding you want to pursue. I hope you will find our journey a fascinating one. As we begin, ask yourself how flexible you are, how open your mind is to new ideas. Which science— classical or quantum—do you believe in? Which one do you think offers the most benefits? Suppose you’ve tried very hard to follow a juicing program, but you don’t see major results. What’s happening? Why isn’t this process working for you? Perhaps, you do not see the mind and spirit aspects of juicing yet and are only focused on its physical side? There is far more to discover. Thousands of years ago, energy masters recognized something extraordinary about various foods. Using their inner vision, they “saw” that the essence and Qi of specific foods could support the functions of the body’s organs, help prevent health issues, and even heal them. The essential, connective part of this process involved meridians, the body’s energy network. Their work is based on food’s energetic aspects and essence, not on its physical properties or characteristics. It is essential to understand TCM is, above all, a medicine based on Qi or vital energy. Let me remind readers that Qi is motion and message, intelligence and wisdom, consciousness and purpose. The practitioner is interested in your Qi. Is it flowing smoothly through your body? Is this Qi stuck or stagnating somewhere causing pain? Is the quality of your Qi strong or weak? Do you have enough Qi? How can you increase Qi for healing? How are your organs functioning? How much Qi does the food you eat have? That is why food has proved so essential in this time-tested medical system: not only from a physical perspective, but, more importantly, from the perspective of how much Qi individual foods can contribute to supporting the patient’s organ functions. Apples will prove very useful in illustrating these concepts. Before we proceed further, there’s something I would like to emphasize. Once again, as we take this quantum journey, it is essential to open your mind and expand your thinking when it comes to food and how to use it to enhance metabolism function. It is more than what we see and more than what we know. To do this, we have to leave the materiality of food behind to explore its more important energetic aspect. This is another requirement for our quantum journey. Let me explain why. Today, almost everything in our daily life, finances, jobs, cars, appliances, healthcare and so much more, is a by-product of quantum thinking and its inventions. What would happen if suddenly your car came to a halt, or control panels on airplanes didn’t work, or traffic lights stopped blinking? What would happen if GPS receivers that determine your location on the earth’s surface by processing radio signals from four or more satellites suddenly went blank? What would happen if your bank account was frozen without any reason? What would happen if senior citizens with pacemakers could not receive the signals they need to operate these devices? What would happen if hospitals couldn’t perform tests like MRIs or CT scans, or offer treatments like chemotherapy or radiation? All these things would cause great chaos. Think about this: When our cell phones fail to operate the way we want, we get headaches, or become anxious. Even a small malfunction can make your life miserable! Now, we try to detect illness and disease using tests based on quantum theories. Most medical tests performed in hospitals, like MRIs, CT scans, EKGs and treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, are based on quantum theories. The question I would like readers to continually think about is this: if quantum thinking is an essential part of our culture, why aren’t we using this incredible knowledge for understanding how to preserve health, prevent disease and reveal the true healing power of foods?
The beauty of the Eastern understanding and that of modern science is everything can be looked at as energy and everything is interrelated in the energy field. How can we apply this concept to human life and health? How can we apply it to preventing disease? I would like to encourage readers to recognize the quantum world is the world we live in. No one questions whether it’s working or not. If we are looking for a new framework for solving chronic health problems, what kind of answer are we seeking? Do we want one based on classical science, or one based on the way our world works today? If we have questions, we access the Internet, which is based on space-time. Just as it’s necessary to upgrade our computer frequently, in my opinion, it is vital to upgrade our thinking and use the basis of modern science—relativity theories and quantum theories—to look at food. We’ll receive more benefits from the foods we eat and gain more harmony from this approach. Our entire society is used to living with the byproducts of quantum thinking, but we just haven’t applied these insights to healing with food, yet. This is where I believe TCM offers tremendous value. It understands that nothing can be discussed in isolation, everything is energy and everything carries essence, which we’ll talk about shortly. TCM has already successfully applied this concept to food and healing for more than five thousand years. It’s interesting that we continue to analyze the outcome of many medical tests and treatments with classical science thinking, even though the technology and techniques used are based on quantum thinking. How can that be? To me, this doesn’t make sense. Today, we have an excellent opportunity to change how our beliefs are structured and what they’re based on. We can shift to a way of integrating ancient wisdom and modern science thinking, which can greatly improve health and prevention efforts. Without the relativistic thinking of modern physics, we will never appreciate oneness and understand how one thing connects to every other thing. We will miss the fact the body is a wholly integrated system that operates on multidimensional levels. We will never see how one organ impacts another. We will never see that a condition like tennis elbow is integrally connected to a patient’s lifestyle, emotions, environment and relationship with Nature. We will use an MRI to take a picture of the patient’s elbow and we will indeed see something wrong. We will believe it’s the totality of the problem and continue to treat effects as the root causes of deeper conditions. From my perspective, if we use technology based on the laws of the subatomic universe, I believe we have to apply the same laws to analyze its results. None of us question the effectiveness of these machines. If that were so, then insurance companies would not pay for conditions diagnosed by CT scans, MRIs and the like. No one questions the speeding ticket from an infrared radar detector. That’s a lost court case! I think the fundamental struggle to shift our thinking about food is based on belief. We don’t question this kind of quantum thinking when it’s applied to hospital equipment, housing, transportation, appliances, banking—even the technology to read our credit cards is based on the electromagnetic field, not classical science. You key in your identification code and you receive money. As we go about our daily life, we take all these things for granted. Do we ever ask how these things work? What are they based on? We all welcome these advances and agree they can enter our life with no questions asked. We’re too busy to ask! We are already living in the quantum world. We’re already here. Why not use modern science thinking in the area of food and metabolism function? When we want something better, faster, more efficient, we don’t look to classical science. When we want cell phones that are smarter, or computers that can do more with smaller and smaller microchips, we look to quantum science. Why not use this same concept for health and healing? It makes sense to our rational mind, but it is still difficult for us to embrace because we may think there is no framework for applying quantum thinking to food. A real time-tested framework, however, does exist. Here is where traditional Chinese medicine offers tremendous wisdom. It has a long history of understanding the Qi aspect of food. Is it possible this ancient medical system can lead us into the quantum world? The answer, of course, is yes. As we’ve seen throughout Digesting the Universe, TCM has lived in the quantum world and practiced its principles and theories for many thousands of years. It’s already there.
As a by-product of a spiritual practice, TCM understands that at the spiritual level, time and space cannot be separated. At the spiritual level, there is no time; there is no space. These belong to our third-dimensional world. True information exists and can always be applied anywhere, anytime. TCM’s Five Element energetic framework gives us one of the most important relativity theories. Energy expresses itself in different, distinct patterns that interact in the dynamic web of life. This applies to food as well. Every food has a different essence, frequency, color, shape and taste. Foods develop in different time frames, depending on their growing season in different locations or spaces. Foods connect to the energy of time and seasons. Ancient masters also knew that every organ has a different cellular makeup. Different organs and different body parts have different frequencies that await specific energetic frequencies of the foods that travel over energy pathways to support them. That’s why when we talk about food for healing, we are talking about the physical space of the object, for example, the fruit or vegetable. We are also talking about time— the energy it’s accumulated during its growing season. If you’ve tried a healing program that included special diets, special foods, supplements and vitamins and you haven’t experienced the benefits you hoped for, or you’re not satisfied with the outcome of your current efforts to heal a chronic condition, maybe there’s something you haven’t seen yet? At the material level, food offers many benefits, as we know. But, if that is all you choose to recognize, you will miss its most essential and most important aspects— essence, Qi and its messages of the unconditional love of the Universe. Food contains more than we can ever imagine; if we open up our belief system, we can gain tremendous healing benefits. Even if I say this hundreds of times, it is not enough: The invisible is always more powerful than the visible.
Example: Turning on Your Belief Channel and Receiving More Information This example may help you understand how essential it is to open the mind and expand your belief system when it comes to this concept about food. Many people pay for unlimited satellite TV. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of channels that bring in programs and pictures from all over the globe. If you have access to this kind of entertainment, why would you complain there is nothing to see? Why would you complain that what you see is not exciting, that it’s not enough for you and you want to see more? There are so many channels you haven’t turned on, so many new programs you haven’t even chosen to access yet.
We can apply this kind of thinking to understanding food more deeply. There is so much information or so many healing messages in the energy of food, but you cannot receive this deeper gift unless you make the choice to turn on your body’s receiver. You can open up all these information channels. Why do you only want to see the same channel, again and again? Look at what you’re missing! As we will see, you’re missing so many healing messages. You’re missing the incredible wisdom of the foods you eat, especially their action, their processing capabilities to digest Nature’s love, essence and Qi. It’s like living in a four-bedroom penthouse but only choosing to stay in the
one room that doesn’t have a window to the outdoors. Belief is the key.
Classical Science, Chemistry and Food Today, when we only examine the chemistry of foods, the classical Newtonian science framework is still used. This kind of classical science can penetrate food down to a food’s constituent parts or atomic structure, but, as I’ve said, there’s a deeper energetic aspect that exists at the invisible, subatomic level that is real and underpins the chemistry of food. We have to go deeper in our quantum journey. If we just focus on the chemical aspect of food, we miss the source of its healing power. We think we understand food when use chemistry to break its matter apart. We think we understand food when we analyze how many vitamins or minerals it has and where its various elements come from. It’s the quantum world, however, that gives chemistry its validity. Fritjof Capra says chemistry can be understood as atomic physics because “all of chemistry can now in principle be understood on the basis of the laws of atomic physics.” It’s the interactions and processes in the kinetic field that give chemical components their properties, not the other way around. We’ll talk about interaction and processes in a moment. The deeper questions I’d like to explore with you now are: What does food really contain? What information is there we cannot “see”? What aspects of food haven’t we understood yet? We all believe we know about the importance of food and healthy eating. We talk about color, taste, nutrition, chemical composition, proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, sugar and fat content, micronutrients, whether it’s organic or natural and so on. This angle gives us a good perspective on food’s visible aspects. The invisible aspect—and its most vital one—is the dimension we’re missing. To truly understand the tremendous power of food, we have to go deep. In plain terms, that means when we use classical science to analyze our humble apple, we do not see the whole of the apple. We are only witness to its chemical composition and physical properties. What are we missing? To answer these questions, we have to explore the whole apple to appreciate its unique essence and energetic properties.
Definitely, chemistry is an essential aspect of understanding food, but, once the door to the world of energetic frequencies—the quantum world—swings open, we can see its limitations. In the West, we have based an understanding of how foods heal on this limited perspective. There are many more benefits waiting for us when we can open our minds and shift our understanding and work within the quantum frameworks of TCM and modern science. When we penetrate a physical object to its subatomic level, we have to follow subatomic laws. Here, particles can act as waves too, or patterns of energy, within a field where all things are connected and nothing is separate. In this quantum world, food is not food anymore. It is activity and processing. Capra explains, “The whole universe appears as a dynamic web of inseparable energy patterns.” Just as we are, food is also part of that dynamic web.
Modern Science, TCM, Qi and Food Thanks to quantum physicists we now know that when we peer into matter deeply, there is no basic elemental structure or atom, as Newton thought. In the world we perceive as solid, this seems like a great contradiction, doesn’t it? Surely, once we take our powerful microscopes and look at matter, we will find that small, elusive solid particle, that elemental building block that explains everything, right? That’s what physicists thought too in the early part of the twentieth century. They were in for a great surprise! This surprise turned the world of science upside down, but it allows us to live the way we do today. What did they find? They discovered an infinite, energy network where nothing is separate and everything is connected in one dynamic web of interrelationships. Capra tells us, “Relativity theory showed that mass has nothing to do with any substance, but is a form of energy. Energy, however, is a dynamic quality associated with activity or with processing… . The particle can no longer be seen as a static object, but has to be conceived as a dynamic pattern or process involving the energy which manifests itself as the particle’s mass.” Now, we are ready to step into the quantum science framework that will lead us to intriguing places. What concepts do we need to know to operate effectively in this world? How do these concepts apply to food and its healing capabilities? We’ve already talked about a number of these concepts, but I’d like to outline them in brief as our journey continues. We’ve referred to Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc², several times. Often quoted, what does it really tell us? The answer is something astounding, especially as it relates to food. Energy and mass are interchangeable when “c,” the speed of light, is constant. Einstein’s incredible insight changed the world forever. The concept of space-time as a continuum existing in the fourth dimension also sent the world into a tailspin. Whenever we talk about space, we have to talk about time and vice versa. Now, we know everything exists in a dynamic web of interacting energies. These energies create the energy field where nothing is separate, yet everything has a distinct identity. The paradoxes of modern science that made so many scientists excited, yet uncomfortable, at the beginning of this era of discovery, we will see, are the same concepts that have allowed TCM to maintain its relevance for five thousand years, right up until today.
We know now we cannot discuss anything in isolation anymore. In the field, everything is interrelated. Particles can act as waves or energy patterns. As it turns out, the surprise is existence is one unimaginably huge living web of interrelationships! Thanks to quantum thinking, today we can understand food is far more than physical matter. Each food is a distinct, individual expression of dynamic, interpenetrating Qi or vital energy. Its deeper reality is comprised of activity and processing. Ancient practitioners knew about the energetic aspects of food and herbs many millennia ago. As we’ve discussed, Qigong masters in a non-ordinary state of consciousness acquired this knowledge through direct knowing. This concept is referred to today by theoretical quantum physicists, like Amit Goswami, as discontinuity, or that Aha! moment. They perceived these realities and used the concepts of Qi to express the quantum theories that we apply now in our everyday lives. As I’ve said in our discussion of Qi in Section II, on Basic Principles of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qi is not just measurable force or power; Qi is also intelligence and carries messages. It encompasses consciousness and purpose. In the case of natural food, these messages allow us to understand the purpose of life. Food contains life itself; life is connected to the vitality of Nature. Without Universal love, food cannot grow. We too are connected to the vitality of Nature and the depth of the unconditional love of the Universe. Through food and Nature, we can connect to the purpose of life.
The Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant What do we say when a particular food is ready to eat? We say it’s “ripe,” or it’s reached its “peak of perfection.” If a certain food is ready to eat, it has received all the necessary messages from Nature to fulfill its purpose in this reality. Without unconditional love from Nature and the Universe that gives a plant or an animal sunlight, moonlight, starlight, air and water, food could never grow. This is the ultimate secret behind healing with foods. It is not just food’s chemistry, but the intelligent messages and many levels of cooperation it has processed that makes natural foods so powerful for healing. Often, patients with chronic conditions want to talk about metabolic function. They believe focusing on food might be the way to alleviate many of the health issues they have been suffering from for a long time. They want to know, “What can I eat? Which foods can help me heal? What do I need to stay away from?” As you can tell from the kind of framework we’ve been discussing, a focus on this level of food is too small. It only takes into account that metabolic function is a physical process the body undergoes to take in food, break it down into parts, harvest energy and eliminate waste. Together, we are exploring the far more complex process of metabolism function, which looks at the digestive process from the multidimensional level of body, mind and spirit.
Even if you focus on eating only organic food, assuming you have the financial resources to pay for it, you have to ask yourself, “Can you find any place that has organic air?” The amount of air you have the capability of inhaling is one of the fundamental connections to food to consider. The Lung directly connects to our external world. Can you really sustain a pure body by concentrating on external aspects you have no control over? All spiritual practices tell us, “The answer is always within.” You have to build up the body first; then, its inherited wisdom to cooperate with environmental changes can be activated. You do have this power. It’s in your genetic code; to be truly well, all three aspects of an individual—body, mind and spirit—have to operate at their full potential. We have all been trained by the culture to believe food is the answer. I’d like you to think about this picture: Some of my patients tell me they spend much of their morning preparing fruits and vegetables for their juicing program. They put all their hopes and wishes into one glass of juice thinking it might help them solve their chronic health issues. From the material point of view, this does make sense; otherwise, so many people wouldn’t go down this path. Some people do derive benefit from a juicing program, just as there are some people who derive benefits from other types of healing programs. Many food-focused programs can deliver some benefits to some extent, but for how long? Do they really deal with the root cause of the problem? Our culture has programmed us through massive marketing efforts to associate food with metabolic function, but I hope you can see now this is far different from the larger concept of metabolism function. Without a healthy metabolism function, you can’t derive the visible and invisible benefits of food. To receive the true value of what we put into our body, to receive all the levels of nutrition and energy food has to offer, you have to be prepared at the body, mind and spirit levels. Your body has to be strong at the energetic level so the process of digestion happens smoothly. If you can’t digest or process things you have agreed to receive, your metabolism function will only work at a minimal level. Today, so many experts and diets focus on food. They break down nutrition to get inside the ingredients. They analyze chemical components. It “looks” like a serious scientific way to understand nutrition. From my perspective, this has little meaning. When we understand and apply modern science theories, we see everything is about energy. In fact, modern science tells us there is only energy. We ourselves are energy beings. When we penetrate down through the tiniest particle of any food or nutrient, we see it’s their interrelationships in the energy field that are essential. In the Five Element energetic framework, ancient TCM practitioners mapped out the essential interrelationships of the body, mind and spirit thousands of years ago. They also categorized the healing essence of a broad range of foods and herbs, animals and minerals, and correlated them with the organs they support and heal. From today’s modern science perspective, it’s not useful to talk about nutrition; it’s more relevant to talk about energy exchange or transfer. In TCM, we continually ask, “How can the body perform at its highest Qi level? How can we use the highest Qi of foods to rebalance the body to help it heal itself?” Your body is your computer as well as your TV screen. Without an open mind and firm belief, you cannot connect to a website or a specific channel. The channel, however, still exists. It’s there whether you access or not. If you want to experience the many levels inherent in food, you have to make a deliberate choice to access this information. They are there whether you access these dimensions or not. It’s like using the Internet or Google. If you want to learn something, you have to take action to go to a specific location. Otherwise, you won’t be able to access the information you want. In terms of discovering the higher dimensions of food, your belief will guide you; your actions will press “Enter.”
Why and How Food Acquires Its Real Healing Power Now that we have traveled far beyond the material components of food to its subatomic particles on our quantum journey, I would like to introduce two key ideas in relationship to natural food: essence and processing. Processing is how food accumulates its unique essence. It encompasses the singular, dynamic energy pattern that gives the food its identity, where it lives, how it grows, as well as how it cooperates and communicates with environmental factors and Nature. Essence is an indelible aspect of each individual object or food and can never be duplicated. The question is, “What kind of processing capabilities are these subatomic particles involved in? What are they processing with?” Basically, energy is processing with energy. We are exploring the energetic dynamics of a material substance and its healing benefits. So, let’s take a few apples with us on our quantum journey. Just like TCM practitioners, we will turn our attention, not to the apple’s nutritional aspects—which are certainly beneficial in the physical world—but to its more important Qi aspect, where we will find even more benefits, especially the healing kind. Remember that this invisible aspect is far more powerful than its material components. Since we know energy and mass are interchangeable under the appropriate circumstances, we can look at food as a solid object, but now you know we can see this food as a manifestation of Qi as well. Once you understand food contains energy, or actually is energy, it is easier to understand how it can be separated into different energetic frequencies. Then, we can relate this concept to atoms and molecules, all of which vibrate at their own frequency. These individual frequencies allow the essence of the food you digest and your organs to communicate with each other. It’s an incredible matching game! As you’ve seen in our discussion of the paired organ system of the Lung– Large Intestine, the Lung’s responsibility is to distribute the nutritive essence, or frequencies, of foods that you’ve processed to the other organs. As the master distributor of the body’s Qi, the Lung speaks the language of energetic frequencies very well. Just as you have your own identity and true purpose in this reality, believe it or not, so does everything else, including each organ and its cells. Every organ in your body has its own spirit, its own identity and purpose, based on its essence. In ancient times, through those special Qigong practices mentioned, high-level masters activated their inner vision to see which material objects, like plants, fruits and vegetables, along with animal products and minerals, had the same energy frequency as various organs. Today, this kind of inner vision is something we only see in movies like The Matrix. Directors use special effects to help the viewers understand what it’s like to see beyond thirddimensional reality. Ancient masters had this capability and it allowed them to experience the inner connections underlying the physical world we take for granted. Today, very few people have the skill to see or experience things beyond the physical dimensions of our reality. Like these ancient masters, Master Xu has this extraordinary gift. How and why were these ancient Qigong masters able to accomplish this seemingly magical feat of peering into and experiencing the subatomic world of energy? The answer lies in their spiritual practices. Taoist philosophy and TCM have helped us see, from a deeper quantum perspective, that every cell is a microcosm of the whole. Today, we call this concept holographic theory. The whole is always contained in each of the parts. This theory also helps explain why and how ancient masters were able to know directly that certain foods carry different kinds of Qi or energetic frequencies. It has taken modern science several thousand years to reach this same world through complex technologies and the advanced equations of particle physics. When we talk about a frequency we are talking about some interesting things. We are talking about an object’s—foods and herbs, for instance—essence. One aspect of essence’s identity relates to the invisible level of temperature. You can recall our discussion of Yin-Yang as it related to Dampness, the invisible aspect of water. Dampness is of water, but it is not water itself. In the same way, the invisible aspect of temperature—whether something is Warm, Hot, Cold, Cool or Neutral—is part of the unique invisible, energetic frequency of every food. For example, peppermint delivers a Cool essence and has the power to counteract the physical property of heat, like a fever or a sore throat. Even if you drink hot peppermint tea, it will deliver a Cooling essence with certain characteristics, actions it can take and meridians it’s compatible with. Another key aspect of essence is its resonance with the body’s meridians. As we’ve said, at the energetic level, different foods vibrate at different frequencies that are compatible with the energetic frequencies of meridians. Energy is motion and message. Ancient TCM practitioners made good use of this knowledge. They “saw” specific foods, like almonds and pears, could boost Lung function by giving this organ additional Qi to manage its duties better. A third aspect of essence relates to
its impact in the body. Does this food or herb have the ability to create action, like move the body’s urine? Can it break through energy stagnation—the kind we see in breast cysts? Can it encourage the body to release water through sweat? This wisdom is staggering in its sophistication, complexity and profound understanding of how to use the energetic dimensions of foods and herbs for health and healing. It has been passed down to us over thousands of years and it is as vital and useful today as it was several millennia ago. I’ll talk more about herbs later in this section.
TCM and Quantum Science I would like to give you a deeper look at why food has real healing power and why it can help you strengthen the function of all your organs, especially those related to metabolism function. As we’ve established, the healing power of foods and herbs goes beyond their physical properties. We can see this clearly when we look at the efficacy of herbal ingredients that have been boiled or decocted for hours and hours to concentrate their essence. During the decoction process, virtually all of their physical properties are destroyed. Yet, the herbs still retain their powerful healing abilities because their healing essence can’t be destroyed. By taking this quantum journey together, my hope is that it will help you open your mind so you can avoid getting stuck at understanding food and its physical properties only. This level is far too small, given your true identity as an energy being! Because TCM is a by-product of Qigong, a serious spiritual practice, it recognizes each individual is ultimately part of the loving energy of the Universe. It is important to appreciate we are a part of Nature; we are not apart from Nature. What food can do, we can do too because we have a relationship with it. Please remember this critical fact. Each individual expresses the loving energy of the Universe in unique ways. Each organ’s highest purpose is to cooperate with the others to create balance and harmony so your whole body can fulfill its spirit’s purpose. No two individuals are alike. A beautiful Zen proverb tells us, “No two snowflakes ever fall in the same place.” Though we are distinct manifestations of energy, we also exist within the energy field where everything is connected and nothing can be talked about in isolation. Today, we call this phenomenon oneness or inseparability. For thousands of years, Taoist masters and practitioners of TCM have applied the concept of oneness. Now, in our time, modern science also talks to us about oneness and the unity of all things. Interestingly, all the world’s major religions talk of oneness as well. Achieving oneness is a body–mind– spirit goal in terms of achieving optimum health. When we talk about food, its ability to process is related to several things: the environment where it’s grown, length of growing time, communication with environmental factors like location, soil, sun, rain, starlight, moonlight, wind and more. The food embraces and “digests” or processes all these factors, which are intimately connected with it and make it unique. These factors also influence its growth. Remember, one of the principles of Natural Law is that every living thing born into this reality has to grow, change and die. But, that is not the whole of it. Just like each of us, all foods are equipped with the wisdom and messages to achieve their own purpose. It is part of their DNA, just as it’s part of ours. As we’ve seen throughout Digesting the Universe, the theory of relativity allows us to understand that two individuals can view the same event from a different angle and see different things. When that happens, outcomes can be different.
Let’s explore two different, but compatible, frameworks to understand why and how foods possess the power to heal. To recall Capra’s insight about matter and energy, “Relativity theory showed that mass has nothing to do with any substance, but is a form of energy. Energy, however, is a dynamic quantity associated with activity or with processes.” Here, we begin to talk about dynamic patterns and their motion. Now, we have to leave Newtonian classical physics behind, because its fundamental concepts say mass is related to material substance only and time is absolute. When we look at food from the quantum perspective, as I’ve said, we discover that, just like everything else in our world, it’s all energy. Its matter is energy; its energy is matter. When we enter this realm, we have to function in the world of interrelationships. If we choose the path of exploring foods from their energetic aspect, we arrive in the quantum world. Once we follow this path, we have to apply the laws governing this world. Interestingly, the laws of quantum physics only further confirm the laws of the Five Element energetic framework. If we want to stay at the chemistry level, we have to return to the framework of classical science. Now, I would like to take you on a deep dive into food. It’s a totally different way of understanding what you put in your body and what its effects are. I’d also like to remind readers that when we consider the scientific properties of food, “You are what you eat.” However, from the fourth-dimensional perspective, “You are what you think.” Why is that? The mind’s thoughts and emotions are invisible energetic frequencies with the ability to impact and even disrupt organ function. If you are always fearful about eating or worried about the foods you eat, if you regret the last hamburger you ate, or the last cookie you gobbled, if you worry that a teaspoon of whole milk, instead of low-fat milk, in your morning coffee can compromise your health, your organs will eventually feel the effects of these continual small jolts of fear-filled energetic frequencies. Consequently, your organs’ ability to perform at the highest level will also be affected. At which level would you like to function? Again, my goal is to help you understand food from the body, mind and spirit levels. If you are only interested in the chemical properties of food, then you’ve already reached the highest understanding of its potential. But, if you’d like to go further, let me talk about the mind aspect of food. What would that be? Does this mean plants actually think and have emotions? The answer is yes, in a way. Plants express themselves in a different language. In humans, one of the mind’s jobs is to manage the activity of processing emotions. These emotions are the actions of the mind. Action is the most important concept here. In talking about natural foods, what actions are plants able to take? At the subatomic level, which we know is an endlessly dynamic one, patterns continually interact with each other. The food processes information relating to all its interrelationships in the quantum field. The plant shows the actions of its mind when it processes messages that allow it to grow and fulfill its potential—interrelationships with the sun, moon, stars, Earth, its local environment and other plants, weather and more. You might be able to appreciate now why Chinese medicine always concerns itself with the Qi of a food. Its physical properties are secondary. In this system, the most important aspect of any food lies in how much information and energetic frequency it contains. What kind of Qi or messages has this food downloaded from Nature that might help the patient’s body? These messages come directly from the unconditional love of the Universe. The messages are incorporated into the plant’s physical form from seed to harvest. These messages can trigger its communications with the plant’s environment, other plants surrounding it, the impact of the earth’s elements on its growth and so much more. I would like you to think about this concept: Every particle is a microcosm of the Universe’s unconditional love. We are all connected to the same source of life. We all come from the same mother, yet each of us is exquisitely different. We exhibit these differences through individual energy patterns we have chosen to manifest and our body, mind and spirit—our life. This applies to all living things as well. Their physical form reflects this diversity and purpose.
What is the spirit level of food? When a certain fruit or vegetable reaches its “peak of perfection,” it is completely balanced and ready to be consumed. When we eat any food that has reached this stage, what do we receive besides its physical properties? If you are ill or have a disease, and are out of balance, this means the relationships among and between your organs are unbalanced. Or, you might be unbalanced with Nature itself. Eating foods that have reached their highest level can bring your body this healing message of balance and harmony. Remember, each food that exists in Nature has to meet one of the requirements of Natural Law: The plant, just like animals and humans, has to grow, change and die. We talked about Natural Law in depth in Section II, on Basic Principles of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine. To be a truly valuable part of a healing program, food has to meet the requirements of Natural Law. It has to go beyond meeting the FDA’s law; it has to go beyond fulfilling a state or city law for food safety. It answers to a higher power. If not, this food would never exist in our reality. From my perspective, I think Nature has the most authority. If we could connect to and live in harmony with Natural Law, it is unlikely we would experience sickness.
Bees, Flowers, Honey: Nature’s Transformations
Example: The Hidden, Healing Secret of Honey Many people have hay fever, an allergy to pollen that causes them yearly misery in the spring or fall. Rather than reaching for medication, the first question I encourage my patients to ask themselves is, “Why am I out of balance with Nature during this seasonal change? Why am I out of balance with my environment?” For instance, someone might recommend that a girlfriend eat local honey in the autumn as an answer to her allergy. When she does, she experiences a great benefit. The allergy is cured! From the physical level this makes sense. It’s true; the local organic honey can help fight allergies. However, that’s not the whole story. In this version, the credit for the successful outcome goes solely to the honey’s chemistry. What are we missing? If we apply a different framework to view this event, we will uncover more important information and a much more complex reality. If we go to the energetic level, we see something profound. We can apply Natural Law to understand what just happened. In the location where the honey comes from, there are many flowers in bloom. What’s special about these flowers? They have lived through the seasonal changes of this area; they have met the criteria of being able to interact with their environmental elements. Through their processing, these flowers have reached the highest level of their existence, which is to fully bloom and pollinate. They meet the criteria of being in harmony with their environment. When they reach this level, they are also attractive to bees. Unfortunately, the allergy sufferer hasn’t met the requirements of being able to process or digest the seasonal change of summer into fall—that’s why she’s manifested this condition and its symptoms. The allergy is a deeper sign the body is having difficulty smoothly navigating the seasonal transition. Somehow, this person has fallen out of balance with Nature’s processing and her environment. From a different framework, this is not an illness or disease. This is a relationship problem. Now, let’s turn our attention to the helpful bee, which captures the pollen of these flowers at exactly the right moment. (Based on our spiritual understanding, we know the relationship between the flower and the bee is not an accident.) The flower has downloaded its messages of cooperation and communication and demonstrates the unconditional love of the Universe. Bees are attracted to this fully bloomed flower and take its pollen back to their hive, where they transform it into edible honey. First, the flowers have met the requirement of being able to process the seasonal change; second, the bees have taken the pollen and, in an event of transformation and great cooperation, have made honey. This honey has already undergone two transitions in Nature! When our allergy sufferer eats this honey, the Qi and messages it contains have the ability to stimulate her body to readjust its internal functions and meet the requirements for handling the seasonal transition.
My master continually reminds me that the whole body’s purpose is for good. Cells continually look for health, balance and harmony; they are not programmed to search for illness or disease. You did not enter this reality to experience misery. When you open up your mind and expand your beliefs, the body will readily welcome invisible messages like those of this honey. If you are able to go through this kind of processing, it is possible to cure the root cause of an allergy problem. Or, you can continue to take antihistamines every six hours to mask and control symptoms, but the root cause of the hay fever—a disruption of relationships—will remain untreated, ready to appear again in the following year. If you are not open to the spirit level of food, this local honey cannot connect with your spirit in terms of the message of seasonal balance. The spiritual level of the honey has to connect with yours. That’s why, for some people, eating the honey will work for healing; for some, it will not. It depends on openness and belief. Looking at this example from our quantum framework, I hope you can see it’s not just the chemical properties of the honey that heal. There is something powerful behind them. If your condition is associated with a disruption with Natural Law, or with Nature itself, it is important to believe in the concept of cooperation. If you are not able to vibrate with this frequency, you will shut down your receiver to get these healing messages. If you don’t believe, then honey is just plain honey to you. If you believe, even though you may not know
how it works, it can work for you. What is the ultimate reason foods can be so effective as a healing tool? The key to understanding this idea is that food contains Qi; food is Qi, as we will see. Just as we are conscious beings, energy itself has consciousness and, most importantly, energy has its own purpose. The ultimate purpose of food is the transformation of unconditional love of the Universe into this reality through its cooperation with Nature. We may not be able to understand this with our rational mind, but our spirit knows this and sometimes we feel it in our body or through intuition. The more open you are to this deeper aspect of food, the more you can receive its true healing power.
Starting with a Digestive System That Works Whenever my patients tell me about a special diet they’ve discovered, I ask them to think first about the current state of their digestive system. I ask them if their digestive process is poor, what kind of substances and supplements—and how much—can they actually absorb and utilize. If the function of processing ingested material is weak, as well as the other stages described in Section III, The Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function, what kind of outcome can they hope to achieve? When you eat food, you ingest its physical, material form; however, just because you have taken food into your body, does not necessarily mean you can use it to its fullest. It’s not what you eat; it’s what you can digest that’s the key! Can you actually process what you’ve eaten? Many people cannot. As we’ve seen, processing involves your Spleen and Stomach, but this paired organ system doesn’t work alone. Several other organs must also cooperate to properly process anything you eat. We’ve already explored the five stages of metabolism function from the TCM framework so that you can gain a deeper understanding of how your organs need to cooperate with this vital body activity. We’ve also looked at signs that indicate your digestive system is not functioning at an optimum level. Good TCM practitioners always help their patient improve their digestive system. They know that, even before you start an herbal therapy or eating for healing program, if your body can’t absorb what you put in, the chances of success are greatly reduced. This is especially true for patients with chronic illnesses. If you already have cold hands or cold feet, or your stomach is always bloated, you experience acid reflux, or suffer from food allergies, no matter what you eat, you will have difficulty absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat for healing a condition. I follow the time-tested practice TCM doctors have used for many centuries. The first step I take with all my patients is to strengthen their digestive function so they can use food as a natural energy resource to support their healing efforts.
Food as Medicine and Metabolism Function Now, I hope you have a better understanding of food from the body, mind and spirit levels. Each level requires a different energetic frequency to process the information it contains. For example, at the body level, food’s energetic frequencies relate to the information or messages contained within the food itself. At the mind level, we are talking about action and processing. What kind of action can the food take or promote? Which meridians can it travel to? Once we talk about the spiritual level, we are talking about the plant’s purpose in this reality and its connection to the bigger macrocosm of Nature and the unconditional love of the Universe. It depends from which level you want to understand food. Because you are reading this book, I think you would like to go as deep as possible. Earlier, we noted modern science tells us that we only see a percentage of what makes up the known light spectrum. There are many things that we haven’t seen yet. In terms of our connection with food, we need to recognize that we’ve been on this Earth for many, many thousands of years. Inside our DNA, there is a code that contains all the wisdom we need to cooperate with Nature’s information and consequently obtain the best benefits from the foods we eat. Our ancestors had this skill and it has been passed down to us within our genetic code. We have this special skill. What’s the requirement for turning it on? I’ve emphasized the integral role belief plays. So, the first requirement is you have to believe. You have to have faith this kind of ability is yours. Belief can activate the power to receive and digest messages imbedded in the quantum aspects of foods you eat. Belief helps you switch on your invisible receiver to cooperate with food’s healing energy. Belief helps you tune into and use the spirit of food wisely. As we consider biting into our apple, we can shift our point of view and see that, when we do this, we are not only eating a delicious fruit, we are consuming an entire year’s worth of action or processing. As the ancient sages say, “One flower contains the whole universe; one leaf contains the whole world.” At the body level, the apple provides all the nutritional elements we’re so familiar with. You will acquire the apple’s messages from the body and mind levels, but without belief, as we’ve seen with the example of honey, you will not be able to activate certain kinds of messages at the spiritual level for healing.
Example: How Foods Cooperate with Nature to Deliver Their Healing Messages
Here’s a concept that may help you understand how food and Nature cooperate and communicate in the quantum world. Wine offers an ideal example. Why is it that certain years are rated more highly than others when it comes to vintages? The physical properties and chemical processing of the grapes certainly don’t change dramatically from year to year. So, why is the taste different? It’s because, each year, the grapes themselves have downloaded information and communicated with Nature during their growing season. The result is vintages taste different from year to year. The temperature of the growing season, the amount of sun, wind and rain, how well the soil reacted to these elements, what kind of insects interacted with the grapes, and many more invisible actions, are messages connected with the grapes. Some years, the grapes yield outstanding wines; some years, they produce average ones. Within the grape itself, at the energetic level, we meet Nature’s messages. These are the processing or digestive actions of the many factors that make the grape vine grow. The grape contains some kind of invisible information we still can’t understand, but we can taste it. And, even though we may be able to analyze the chemical components, measure the sugar content, select the oak or stainless steel barrels the wine is stored in, and control the length of fermentation, we can’t duplicate a great vintage in the lab; it comes from Nature’s lab! Why is it if we can control all these variables, we can’t duplicate an extraordinary taste? Orange juice offers another good example of the energetic properties of food. If you like fresh-squeezed orange juice, you know sometimes your favorite brand tastes different. How can the growers be sure the juice of their fresh-squeezed oranges is exactly the same every month, every year, every time? The answer is they can’t. They have to do their best with the physical work of raising their crops, harvesting and processing them, but they also have to rely on the orange’s ability to cooperate with Nature. Like the grapes, this fruit has to be able to communicate with different aspects of its environment—wind, rain, temperature and more—to do the rest. These actions require
not only the participation of the orange at the physical level, but also involve its mind and spirit.
Example: Tomatoes—Seeing Space-Time at Work
One example many of you may relate to is growing your own vegetables, especially tomatoes. As a gardener, you know some years your tomatoes are redder, juicier and more flavorful than other years. Why is this? What’s different? Of course, if tomatoes are not grown naturally, it is possible to use scientific methods and technology to create results that make the produce “appear” the same every time. You often see this when you shop for tomatoes in winter. I think many readers know the difference between a home-grown tomato and a hothouse one. Let me talk a little more about tomatoes. If you’re a gardener who loves to cultivate tomatoes, you know different varieties take a different amount of time to grow fully. Some are known as “early” tomatoes and only take fifty to sixty days to grow; some can take as much as eighty days. Why? The time to grow allows each variety of tomato to accumulate energy and express its unique purpose. If they don’t get the required time to grow for their variety, they are not very good to eat. These tomatoes don’t meet the physical requirement of being a ripened vegetable. They cannot reach their peak of perfection or fulfill their purpose. Now, let’s look at time from an interesting angle. What is time in the case of the tomato’s space? Time is, of course, one of the requirements for growth. Time allows the plant to cooperate with the environmental factors of its location as well as download the proper amount of Nature’s messages. If a tomato stays on the vine for fifty days, it has only accumulated fifty days worth of Qi or energy. If it stays eighty days, it’s accumulated more Qi. Each may have a different taste. Both are good; it just depends on how you want to see them and what purpose you would like them to serve. In a healing program, the more Qi you can acquire the better, whether from an energy practice like Qigong or the Qi of specific foods for healing. In China, there is one kind of rice that takes two hundred days to grow before it’s ready for harvest. The typical time is 120 days. Definitely, a TCM practitioner would prescribe the first rice because of the amount of Qi it’s been able to accumulate. So, we can look at various fruits and vegetables,
grains and so on from the material level, or we can look at them from the Qi and spiritual level. It depends on what you want to see.
Example: Dandelion Greens—Healing Helper or Wild Weed?
Dandelion greens are popular with many people today. They’re available at farmers’ markets and supermarkets. In some places, they’re even available on front lawns! I hope you can understand this fundamental truth: How you look is what you will see. One way we can look at dandelions is from the healing perspective. They have a bitter taste, which we know from the Five Element energetic framework can support the Heart’s function. They also can act as a natural antibiotic; they have the ability to detox the Liver. They are good for skin problems. They can even help women with breast health issues, like cysts. From the TCM framework, dandelions are a valuable, versatile food for a healing program. On the other hand, we can see this plant as a “weed,” something bad that ruins the appearance of a nice, green lawn. So, what do we do? We buy poison at the local hardware store to kill the dandelions, which we soon learn are almost impossible to kill. As you can see, it depends on your angle of view, doesn’t it? One way, you might miss the healing messages that dandelions offer. At the spirit level, dandelions have the capability of being almost indestructible. Think of the kind of power they have. They can grow almost anywhere. They even have the power to push through bricks. These plants have great strength and adaptability. From the mind level, look at their Qi or energetic actions. Their essence can travel to the Liver and Stomach meridians. It can break up stagnation and perform the kinds of healing work mentioned above. From the physical level, dandelions appeal to people who
like their bitter taste; they also provide the nutritional content we’re already familiar with. Today, we see so many people focus on different diets to lose weight or avoid allergies, or other aims, but often the impact is minor. They are missing 90 percent of the information that’s invisibly imbedded within food. They are missing 90 percent of the power of food that’s available to them, and it’s for free. If you don’t believe this, then you are not going to turn on your body’s own special skill or GPS to home in on the more important aspects of food. The consequence is you will only be able to process foods at the physical level and even this ability will be limited. Without its energetic aspect, it would be difficult for food to deliver any kind of medicinal benefit. For food to act as medicine, it has to have Qi. As I’ve said, this invisible aspect of food is more important than its nutritional elements. We can turn to the modern science framework to explain why food can serve as medicine. Again, Einstein’s equation of E=mc² helps. Different foods have different kinds of mass or matter—some are heavier like apples, some are lighter like lettuce. Because these foods have different kinds of mass, each food carries a different energetic essence or signature. Each food you eat delivers a different frequency. Einstein’s theory tells us that mass and energy are interchangeable. We can easily see the “mass” of the apple in our three-dimensional world; but, if the apple’s mass is interchangeable with energy, we could just as easily regard the apple as an “energy ball” too. It is both; it depends on how you want to see the apple.
The second modern science principle we can turn to is the discovery of the space-time continuum of fourth-dimensional reality. In Sir Isaac Newton’s world, as we’ve seen, space was empty, absolute and unchanging. Time was also absolute, only flowing in one direction from the past to the present and on to the future. Thanks to the work of modern physicists, this worldview has been turned upside down. We now understand space and time cannot be separated. What looks like two separate things in one dimension can be related in a higher one. Whenever there is space there is time and vice versa. So, we can readily see each food we eat takes up physical space in our world, but where is its inseparable aspect we call time? In this case, time is the accumulation of the invisible information contained within each food’s space. Different kinds of food carry different kinds of messages because of their growing time. Shortly, we’ll look at an apple and a head of lettuce to illustrate this concept more deeply. We can simply say that the apple holds more Qi and messages than a head of lettuce. It’s had more time to accumulate Nature’s Qi. For this reason, I always recommend my patients eat apples instead of salads. As we move on, let’s talk about the phenomenon of genetically modified (GM) foods, something that causes a lot of controversy and concern.
Example: Genetically Modified Foods Today, many people are not in favor of GM (or bioengineered) foods. These are foods produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Currently, the United States is the world’s largest producer of GMOs. GM foods have had certain changes introduced into their DNA through genetic engineering techniques. One technique is the use of bacteria like E. coli to make many copies of a gene construct that will be transferred into a plant. Foods with GMOs range from corn to soybeans, potatoes, sugar beets and more. There are also more to come. If you’re someone who wants to eat organic foods, this is a major concern. With GM foods, it’s not just a matter of avoiding a certain food or selecting only organic foods. How do you know if what you are eating is truly organic? You have to be concerned about what’s in the field next to the organic one where your food was grown. It’s possible a GM seed could have been transported by a bird or carried on the wind to the organic field. We have to be concerned not only with the physical field but also the energy field talked about in particle physics. Why? Because everything in this reality exists within an energy field and everything in the field is connected to every other thing. In this framework, it is not possible to discuss anything in isolation. Does your jar of honey say it’s organic? It’s possible it is, but it’s also possible it isn’t. Let’s look at bees for a minute. To collect pollen, they typically fly about a five-mile radius. Unless the farmer has massive acreage, can anyone guarantee that the bee has not visited a field where GM plants are growing? We just have to understand everything is connected. If you are serious about understanding the foods you
eat, I recommend doing your own research.
Traditional Chinese Medicine: Preserving the Energetic Understanding of Foods for Healing As we discussed at the beginning of this section, TCM is one area of Chinese culture with a deep understanding of the energetic healing properties of a wide range of foods. As one of the oldest, continuously practiced, functional medical systems in the world, TCM has preserved ancient knowledge of how foods heal. This immense treasure trove of wisdom is available to us even today. One of its modalities is a prescribed diet that includes many foods for healing. Even today, learning to become a TCM doctor requires the mastery of food as medicine. The theory and techniques of using foods to heal are taught in contemporary schools of TCM. With more than fifty universities of Chinese medicine graduating thousands of new doctors with TCM degrees yearly, this rich, timetested wisdom of the healing properties of food has great respect and relevance in China. Our TCM World Foundation’s Dragon’s Way® Program for Weight Loss and Stress Management includes learning about how to use foods for maximum healing benefit. Our website has developed a rich resource of creative recipes that combine foods to support the healthy function of various organs.
Food and Qi As we’ve discussed, when you eat an apple, you are not just eating the apple, the material object itself. You’re also eating the accumulation of the Qi or energy of the apple. You are also eating the invisible aspects of the apple’s mass that contains consciousness, as well as its messages. Let’s consider for a minute that all energy can be understood as information. We can also interpret this kind of information as frequency. Today, we know that different frequencies carry different types of information. Think of your iPad, or your smartphone, TV, or other electronic devices. They all deliver information to you, but each of these devices vibrates at its own distinct frequency. Satellites high in the sky operate on different frequencies and carry different channels with different signals, just as the frequencies of your TV program give you sound and pictures. On the other hand, radio waves travel on other frequencies and are designed to arrive with sound and no picture. They say that one picture is worth a thousand words, so today our cell phones, which are now more versatile than ever, make use of frequencies that give us the capability of taking pictures and shooting video with powerful devices that fit in the palm of our hand. So, different frequencies can accumulate different energy; different spaces allow us to connect with different times and different energies. Certainly, we can feel this when seasons come and go. When events of Nature happen, we too can connect to different energies. Again, it’s up to us to choose what we want to connect to. A sunset in the spring, summer, fall or winter will impact each of us differently and cause different feelings.
It goes without saying, eating is one of the most important ways the body gains sufficient energy for life’s activities and supports itself. The concept of using food as medicine isn’t a new one. As I’ve said, all countries and healing traditions have understood how to use food as medicine for many thousands of years. The evolution of society and science has moved us further and further away from this seemingly simple concept. In my view, we are missing some of the most powerful and supportive steps we can take to remain well and prevent disease and illness. What does energy mean when we talk about food? It means the time it took for the food to grow, how long until it was harvested, where it grew, how it grew, how much Earth energy it was able to absorb, and many more factors. As I’ve said, modern science tells us that time is energy; time is the accumulation of energy itself. Every day, individual foods accumulate energy during their growing period. Just how much they accumulate depends on how long they remain connected to the earth and communicate with their environment. A head of lettuce may take a few months to grow out of the ground; an apple hangs on a tree for many months, using its Qi to transform itself from a bud to a flower to a ripe apple. Each food accumulates the energy of its space and time. Each is decidedly different, not only at the physical level, but also certainly with regard to the amount of Qi it has accumulated. I often tell patients to eat apples. From my perspective, apples are an ideal food. Did you know that an apple is far better for you than a salad? American folk wisdom says, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It doesn’t say, “A salad a day keeps the doctor away.” From the energetic perspective, a salad of lettuce and tomatoes is not as healthy for you as one apple. Why? Let’s look at it from the modern science framework. Because each material object in this reality has taken up space, as we’ve said, it has also accumulated time. Modern science tells us time and space cannot be separated, so each food is connected to the important dimensions of space and time. When you eat an apple, or anything for that matter, you are eating the accumulation of Qi or vital energy as much as you are ingesting its nutrients. We hear people say time is money, but time is also energy. When time accumulates, energy accumulates as well. With lettuce, we have to ask, “Given its growing season, how much energy is it able to accumulate?” Consider a salad from this perspective: It offers far less vitality than an apple. Today, many vegetables produced for salads are also mass-produced in greenhouses. Of course, this means we can eat tomatoes in winter, but something is missing. The indoor plants are missing much of Nature’s energy and essential connections that make them valuable as healing foods. These hothouse wonders (or worse, GMO foods) are missing communication with the sun’s direct rays, with starlight, with the energy vibrations of the moon and other planets. In a real way, they are paler imitations of their sister plants grown in a natural environment. If you’re someone who grows your own tomatoes, I think you can immediately tell the difference between the taste of yours and those grown in a greenhouse. Vital, invisible energetic information is cut off from the salad of lettuce and tomatoes you are likely to encounter in supermarkets. Then, you too are cut off from Nature’s rich healing resources.
Apple: Almost a Year’s Accumulation of Qi
Journey of the Apple in the Quantum Field If we turn our attention to the apple in the orchard, we have to recognize that it works a little harder. It has to use its Qi or life force to accomplish a series of transformations. While getting an apple tree to bear fruit may take anywhere from six to ten years, when the fruit begins to emerge, the apple itself has to exercise its own abilities and achieve its purpose by transforming from a bud, to a flower to a fully ripened fruit in about four to five months. It takes this much time to accumulate this amount of energy to turn into the space of a physical apple and fulfill its purpose in this reality. It has to navigate several seasonal transitions as well. Without the intelligence to weather spring and summer and, for some species, even fall, the apple would die. It is a real ball of Qi!
As we discussed, just as it’s important to accumulate Qi in your body’s energy savings account, it’s also important to accumulate even more Qi in its energy checking account, which supports healthy metabolism function. Remember, in the previous section, we used the Five Element energetic framework as a business model. In it, the Stomach serves as your body’s CFO and helps acquire and manage Qi for life’s daily activities. This way you don’t have to touch your irreplaceable savings account stored in your Kidney. Definitely, in my opinion, you will gain many more benefits from eating an apple than a salad. Everyone wants to lose weight. When you eat an apple you gain the energetic frequency of lightness. The apple hangs high on the tree. Remember, at one level of this reality, you are what you eat. At a higher level, you are what you think. If you eat heavy things, you will feel heavy. They will eventually weigh you down! An apple’s energy is lighter than the lettuce, which grows in the ground. I think you can appreciate the benefits of the apple that spends time in the air on the tree. Finally, there’s even the cost factor. You can buy many more apples for the cost of a salad today! I recommend my patients do some basic research into the nutritional value of a simple salad versus an apple. Everyone eats salad. Why? Because many advertising and marketing messages say salads are healthy; salad bars appeal to the eye and the stomach with lots of foods that aren’t really part of salad, including cheese, eggs, chicken salad and many more ingredients. Magazines and websites say salads can help us lose weight. I tell my patients to be careful about eating salads all the time. Regardless of the season, the Spleen-Stomach only wants warm things; eating salads continually, with their cold essence, can, over time, unbalance the way the Stomach functions. You can tell immediately if this is happening. After eating salads, you may experience bloating, or an uncomfortable feeling. Already, your Stomach is sending you a sign that this is not the way to go. If you decide to research the chemistry of a basic salad of lettuce and tomatoes, you may be surprised at how many vitamins it really has. Then, compare this list and percentages with an apple. Your own investigation might surprise you.
Lettuce: A Few Months’ Accumulation of Qi
Journey of Lettuce in the Quantum Field The accumulation of time and energy is essential when talking about the healing purpose of food. Using a different framework, we can look at the difference between an apple and a head of lettuce grown in their natural environments. Lettuce is an annual plant that has to be seeded every year. Lettuce grows in the ground; apples hang high on the tree. Each relates to the temperature of their location, the time it takes to grow, what actions they are capable of, how they communicate with the natural environment and their capacity for connecting with Nature’s unconditional love. For a head of lettuce to grow, it needs a fairly temperate climate. The apple is hardier and more versatile. Besides being able to weather cold temperatures, the apple actually needs a certain amount of cold days for this fruit to emerge. (Some apple trees can survive in temperatures of minus 20 degrees! I think you can begin to appreciate how much Qi an apple must contain to stay alive in the cold.) The tree itself, which takes six to ten years to bear fruit, has undergone Nature’s rigorous processing to accumulate energy. Its fruit will definitely have received this special Qi as it undergoes a transformation from a bud, to blossom to harvested apple. In some instances, the mass of the apple itself contains almost an entire year’s worth of energy within its form. If we use the modern science framework to look at the apple and the lettuce, I think you can see that your money buys you a lot more with an apple. Even at the material level, there isn’t much of a contest. And, when we move to the subatomic level, I believe an apple offers far more healing benefits. You buy the apple’s physical properties of taste and nutrition; you also purchase its invisible Qi level of action and energetic support for your meridians and organ systems. If your mind is open, you also purchase the spirit of the apple and can access the messages it’s received by cooperating with Nature. I would say that’s a pretty wise purchase! To explore food as medicine, the first component we have considered is the space-time aspect. The second is the environmental conditions in which the food is grown. While the food itself has Qi, we’ve also acknowledged that in the subatomic world, there is only a dynamic web of relationships. So, we have to look at any food’s interrelationships. An apple grown in the hardy environment of Vermont carries a different energy essence or signature than one grown in the milder climate of Virginia. Qi doesn’t exist in a vacuum. As we’ve discussed, each plant, each food, has to meet the requirements of a specific climate to survive: if it’s grown naturally, it needs a specific genetic capability to flourish in its habitat; it also has to meet the requirements for maintaining a good relationship with other natural phenomena where it’s grown, like temperature, sunshine, rainfall, the other plants and animals in its area, as well as many other factors that influence growth. Next, we have to consider the purpose of food itself. Nature is very efficient; just like your body, it never wastes anything. Typically, each part of a plant has a different purpose and healing message. For instance, the roots of a plant have a different healing purpose than its leaves. The leaves have a different healing purpose and use than its stems or flowers. Each of its parts has a different kind of energetic frequency that serves a different kind of purpose. This is the framework TCM brings to understanding food and its healing power.
Mulberry: Different Parts, Different Healing Properties
Example: Medicinal Purpose of Plant Parts For more than five thousand years, TCM has had a sophisticated understanding of how to use different parts of plants to achieve different healing purposes. The versatile mulberry tree offers an excellent example of how and why TCM uses plant components for different healing purposes. At least four of the mulberry tree’s parts are quite useful for creating herbal medications. Did you know silk worms have to feed on mulberry leaves or they are not able to produce silk? If they feed on leaves from other trees, they cannot make silk. These little worms are inextricably connected to the ecology and Qi of the mulberry tree. The purple berries of the tree are able to take the action to travel to the Kidney and Liver meridians where they help strengthen their functions. Its leaves are used to alleviate eye problems. Leaves on the very top of the tree help alleviate headaches. Its twigs or small branches are effective for treating arthritis or joint problems, as well as sport injuries. The bark, or skin of the tree, can be used to support the Lung whose job is to protect skin health. It also can be used to release a chronic cough. One tree offers many healing gifts, if you know how to unlock its quantum treasures! The energetic frequencies of a plant mirror Nature’s motion, For example, the root of a plant is strong and often deep; the leaves have a lighter frequency because they are higher on the tree. Based on energetic frequency, temperature, the nature of taste, locations, and motion, food can be used creatively to carry Nature’s message to readjust or stimulate the body’s natural healing ability. This concept is based on the human body being a microcosm of the Universe.
Many centuries ago, with the understanding that everything can be read as symbol and applied to different things with similar characteristics, ancient masters downloaded information that showed them all of nature’s gifts could be assigned to different categories of frequencies with similar healing properties. For example, anything related to the skin has a similar essence and similar healing properties. Bark can be considered the “skin” of a tree and its properties can help heal the skin. Likewise, other things with a similar essence in this category are snake skin, salmon skin, pig skin, chicken skin and so on. These things can also be used to help heal human skin. TCM applies this kind
of understanding about essence to different categories of things. In TCM, using food as medicine depends on which part of the plant you want to use. How do we know this? Just as ancient Qigong masters were able to “see” meridians in their deep meditative practices, so too were they able to discern the energetic vibrations of a plant, animal or mineral and determine which meridian and organ it could travel to. Fortunately, this powerful knowledge has been passed down through millennia and is still in use today. When you eat food, you ingest its physical form, nutrients and chemistry, for sure. That’s looking at food from the body level. How can we understand food at the mind level? What is the mind? It’s hard to believe plants or foods have a mind, but “mind” is just vocabulary. As we’ve seen with the mind, we are referring to the actions or function of processing Nature’s elements. In the quantum field, action always relates to processing. Whether it is expressing itself as a wave or a particle, everything continually interacts with every other thing at the quantum level. In foods, the mind level processes through Qi or energy exchanges with its external environment. As I’ve said, TCM helps us understand foods have a mind aspect. Surely, they don’t cry or laugh, or feel hurt when they’re not selected for harvest. The answer is no. In this instance, the mind generates a certain kind of action or processing to express itself. In food, what does this processing mean? It means its ability to download Qi, its relationship to the seasons, how long it takes to grow in its environment, the location of the food, what kind of essence the plant has, and what frequencies it’s accumulated. Remember, modern science tells us space and time are inseparable. So, different spaces connect to different times as well as different energetic frequencies.
Plants and trees themselves have certain kinds of emotions and feelings. Ancient masters always used special trees for their practice. Let me share a story about trees. In ancient times, when a new monk entered a Zen monastery for study, a tree would be planted. Its purpose was to represent the new monk’s spiritual growth. He had to nurture his tree, water it, and prune it and so on. Many masters developed a special way to communicate with their trees to such an extent, that their tree would shake or tremble when they approached. Trees have their own emotions. If you are a gardener, you may have experienced some kind of interaction with your plants. Somehow, good gardeners know they are in communication and harmony with their plants. I know many people who like to talk to their plants. This communication between humans and plants is subtle, but it’s a real energy vibration. You have to pay attention to catch it. You have to know which “address” you want to go to. You have to have the desire to connect with this kind of invisible information. Remember, within your genes, you have the ability to access the code that will allow you to communicate with food’s deeper levels.
What Is Essence? Essence is an important part of understanding how foods and herbs heal; however, it’s a difficult concept to define. As we’ve seen, herbal therapy is one of TCM’s six major treatment modalities. Its legendary apothecary of herbal medicines is based on essence, as is its understanding of how foods heal. Essence is beyond the physical properties of foods and herbs. Even today, it is far beyond any technology currently in use or something even sophisticated equipment can test. Yet, essence is an essential, invisible component of food and herbs. What is essence? It is the true identity and capability of each food or herb. As we’ve seen, essence has to do with different frequencies of a plant’s parts, as well as where these frequencies can go and which meridians they’re associated with. Essence is capable of taking unique action. Essence has the intelligence to know what specific location it needs to go to and where it belongs. Understanding how to use foods and herbal formulas for healing organ function through the meridians is different than how medications are used in Western medicine where specific conditions are targeted. Essence also means that no matter what kind of physical form you change a food or herb into, it never loses its true identity and capability. You can bake, broil, boil, sauté, fry, grind, dilute, charcoal it, and more, but you can never destroy a food’s or herb’s distinct energetic signature and the actions it can take. Chinese medicine obtains essence from ingredients in two ways: one is decoction or boiling a substance until it is highly concentrated; the other is through dilution. This is how single essences are extracted; however, the true art of Chinese herbal therapy lies in the many effective classical herbal formulas that combine individual essences into one powerful team. Rarely are single essences used. Many people may have heard of homeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, which began in the 1700s. It’s based on the idea “like cures like.” It uses homeopathic doses of highly diluted substances, or single essences, to encourage the body’s normal healing and self-regulatory processes. While homeopathy dilutes its substances, TCM cooks material like herbs for hours and hours, which destroys their chemical properties, but not their energetic ones.
When it comes to using food and herbs for healing, ancient Chinese masters acquired tremendous insights through direct knowing. They developed high-level skills that allowed them to see exactly which meridians various substances vibrate with, as well as which meridians they travel to. Like a fine instrument, meridians vibrate with compatible foods and herbs. They recognize each other! Through spiritual practice, ancient practitioners were able to see that the meridians themselves would identify and welcome something that vibrated with their own frequency. While this amazing wisdom was originally acquired in a spiritual way, it was also passed down from generation to generation of practitioners and is still in use today. Chinese medicine divides foods and herbs into five essences: Warm, Hot, Cool, Cold and Neutral. Over several millennia, it perfected the art of applying essence to preventing illness and disease and for healing a broad range of conditions. Ginger and cinnamon offer two good examples of the characteristics of essence. Each contains a Warm essence. No matter how you incorporate them into other foods or change their physical composition, they will never deliver the distinctive, Cool essence of peppermint. Dairy products also have a Warm essence, even when they are turned into ice cream or yogurt. No matter what you do to them, the essence of dairy products will always be Warm. Their temperature may be cold like ice cream, but the essence will always be Warm. Essence is one reason why I tell my patients not to eat too many salads and avoid vegetables that carry a Cold essence. From our discussion of the Spleen-Stomach, we know these organs only want warmth as well as warm foods. If they receive too many cold things, they will definitely complain. At first, you will experience certain signs like bloating, burping, or a white coat on your tongue. That’s just their first round of messages. They will send more! From my training, I help patients understand that if they boil their vegetables, or immerse their salad ingredients in boiling water for just a minute or two, they can still receive maximum healing benefits from these items. What does this do? It helps removes Cold energy from the food. It’s possible some nutritional value is lost, but the patient will gain more Qi for healing. For one thing, they do not have to use up Stomach Qi to warm up the vegetables they’ve eaten. This way, they save more energy for healing. If you want to use food for healing, it’s important to understand this concept: The Qi and healing messages you gain from food are more effective than its nutritional or physical components. Because you are the receiver, you too have to function at the body, mind and spirit levels. If you can understand what the mind means with regard to food—its ability to process— you can connect to food’s frequency. For your metabolism function to be strong, you have to be open to food at the quantum level, not just its chemistry level. Are you able to digest all three aspects of food? If you’re not open or ready, you can’t digest the spirit level of food. However, you can strengthen yourself by preparing to receive these three levels of food. You can prepare your body; you can prepare your emotions. While we can talk about these things in a linear fashion, we cannot isolate them in reality. We still have to look at the body as a unique wholly integrated, multidimensional system. At the spiritual level, you are a reflection of the unconditional love of the Universe in this reality. You are a microcosm of the Universe. Because you exist in this reality, you have already prepared yourself to have a life you can enjoy and for good health. If you have some kind of chronic condition, you have the choice of finding a different path to fulfill your promise instead of only fighting illness or disease. We will talk much more about this in Section VII, on Spirit and Metabolism Function. The concept of essence gives us a good idea of the spirit behind the material object in traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy. I would like you to remember true identity or essence can never be destroyed. This is the indestructible aspect of food. It is an herbal formula’s invisible essence, not its visible chemical ingredients, that delivers the healing power. Each human being has his or her individual energy signature or essence as well; it too is the indestructible aspect of who we really are. This aspect that we call spirit can never be repeated or extinguished.
I would like to remind readers again, that at the spiritual level, food is connected to the loving consciousness of the Universe. So are we! Human beings and food can automatically connect through the dynamic interrelated energy patterns of the quantum field. If we are open to it, we can interact and communicate with food’s Qi because we ourselves are also Qi. Modern science tells us that everything is energy. When we use food wisely to strengthen metabolism function, it’s like getting a computer upgrade that allows us to connect to Nature’s powerful healing elements. Let’s talk about our remarkable apple again. This fruit typically spans many months of growth. During that time, one of its requirements is that it needs to spend about one hundred days at a certain cold temperature; otherwise, the apple will not emerge. As I’ve noted, some apple trees can even thrive in weather that’s 20 degrees below zero. Imagine how much energy you would expend just to stay alive and prevent yourself from freezing to death if you were stranded on a mountain in weather below zero. You would have to be pretty strong. Because of their Warm essence, apples possess this kind of Qi and can grow in this kind of climate. The apple tree has its own purpose to achieve in this reality besides feeding us. Our apple tree meets the requirements of Natural Law. When you eat an apple, it can help you readjust or rebalance yourself with its essence, as well as connect to certain elements you may be missing. We can use the Five Element energetic framework to understand food’s impact on our bodies, especially for protecting and enhancing metabolism function. In TCM, pears have received the message from Nature that they are related to the Metal element, which helps support Lung function. Pears “understand” they carry the message of the Metal element and automatically know they belong with the Lung. If the Metal element—your Lung and Large Intestine—are out of balance, eating pears can help right them and support their relationship. So can almonds. To use food as medicine, more than five thousand years ago, TCM practitioners had already divided plants, animals and minerals into various categories that related to their element, taste, color, frequency, the physical location where they lived and more. For instance, food grown in the mountains is different from food grown in the desert. TCM understands color is a vibration or energy frequency that can heal. As we’ve discussed, like matches like. TCM uses green foods like broccoli rabe or scallions to support the function of the Liver, the organ associated with the color green; red foods like strawberries and watermelon nurture the Heart; yellow foods like corn can strengthen Stomach function; white foods like lotus root help the Lung; black foods like black beans can boost Kidney function. Look at the Five Element energetic framework to see these color correspondences. TCM understood taste as a frequency that can heal as well. So, practitioners use sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty tastes to rebalance the body. Ancient energy masters even perceived what parts of the plants could help which parts of the body, for instance, flowers go to the head. I will talk more about the healing power of herbs later in this section. Much of this priceless knowledge has been passed down over thousands of years and is still in use today.
Example: Why the Body Has Warning Signs
If you have a chronic health condition, I would like to offer this simple analogy so you can appreciate the need to address your situation at the root cause. Suppose you are driving a fairly new car and your engine overheats. Most people will immediately stop driving and call a service to tow the car to a local mechanic. However, the mechanic says there’s nothing wrong and suggests going back to the dealer where you bought the car. At the dealership, the next mechanic tells you, “Don’t worry, I took out the warning light and put a tape over its space, so it won’t bother you anymore.” I think you know the problem isn’t really fixed. Even though the mechanic put a tape over the car’s early warning light, I doubt you would drive this car. You know it could destroy your engine or worse. Do you buy these answers? Of course not! You know if you continue to drive your car, you’ll burn out the engine, which will cost a lot of money to fix. We can apply this situation to your body as well. It continually sends you many signs to flag a deeper health issue you shouldn’t ignore. Instead, what do many people do? They treat the symptom; sometimes, they remove a body part. But, just because a body part has been removed, doesn’t mean the real problem has been solved. From my angle of view, that’s just like taping over the car’s warning light or removing the bulb. Without a deeper appreciation and recognition of the body as a wholly integrated system of body, mind and spirit, we will continue to treat symptoms as the root cause. Without recognizing and addressing the warning signs the body continually sends, real health and healing will continue to elude us and create more serious problems. We can see this with gallstones, kidney stones, even uterine fibroids. We can also see this with cancer, especially breast cancer. Today, this occurs when patients have breast lumps or get tested for genetic conditions. Sometimes, if the gene for breast cancer is detected, a woman will elect to have her whole breast removed for fear this cancer will manifest and metastasize. But, as seemingly effective as this drastic step may be, unfortunately, it doesn’t address the root cause at the energetic level. Here, cancer could still be hiding somewhere in the body’s energy field, waiting for the right set of circumstances to trigger its processing abilities again. Unless you understand how and why health issues begin at the energetic level and migrate to the physical, you can never recognize what’s really going on. Again, we can use modern science to explain the events or conditions above. The proof is in the equation E=mc². Energy and mass are interchangeable. We can describe the physical conditions above from a modern science perspective. We can say that if we only deal with mass, we haven’t really dealt with the root cause. Mass is the result of an energy exchange that has produced these growths. Energetic changes are the root cause; the mass is the effect. Just as Nature and the Universe have the ability to continually rebalance themselves, we know the body too is born with the wisdom to rebalance and heal itself. As the Nei Jing says, when the body is out of balance, it offers a hospitable place for the energies of illness and disease to find a home. When your body is in balance, when Qi is
flowing and your organs are working in harmony, there is no place for illness or disease. TCM has understood this for thousands of years.
To heal illness and disease, the real answer is to readjust your body and rebalance its organs, not just battle with conditions. You need to understand which organ or which frequency is out of balance. Once a TCM practitioner can identify the source of imbalance, then one of the ways he or she can promote healing is to use Nature’s messages encoded in food to restore balance. I hope now you understand why and how foods really heal: The food we use to heal has already fulfilled its own processing for complete balance. It hasn’t had any interruptions in its natural processing or any imbalanced condition in its growth. These powerful messages can connect with you. Let’s imagine the journey of any natural food that you love from a seed to its processing, to shipping to your local supermarket, then to your table and finally to your digestive system. There are so many steps it has to go through to get to you specifically. These are not random events. Each one has to be perfectly done; each one has to proceed smoothly without any glitches. Sometimes, this food has to travel many miles to reach you. Already this food represents complete balance. Then you eat it. What exactly are you eating? What are you really acquiring? It’s food’s healing essence.
Example: Food and Energy Frequencies Let’s go back to ginger root. It has a remarkable ability to heal the function of the Stomach. Anyone can find ginger root and use this special food as medicine. Fresh ginger has a unique ability to rebalance Stomach function. If you are able to view it from a different angle, you will recognize that ginger root can play a major role in a simple, yet powerful, healing program. If you can open your mind to the deeper reason of why food is medicine, then you’ll understand why eating is indeed one of the most important healing actions you can take. From this angle, I think you can see the beautiful, profound meaning in your daily life of putting food into your body and what food can really do for you. You will appreciate why it’s important to be present when eating. You will understand why it’s important to avoid multitasking while eating, or how vital it is to eat in a peaceful manner and not in a rush. It all makes sense. With the foods you chose, healing can be a daily activity you do several times that can keep you well and prevent illness and disease. The true art of eating encompasses what you choose to eat, how you choose to eat, and even when you choose to eat. (Eat when you’re hungry, not by clock time. Again, I urge you to listen to your body.) Please, don’t obsess about food; do not see food as the enemy. Food is meant to nourish you on every level. Are you ready to embrace these concepts and change your beliefs? When you understand the dual invisible and visible aspects of food, it’s easier to see how this knowledge can be applied to all food, including herbs, which are also part of Nature’s amazing gifts. Herbs are more powerful than most natural foods because the plants themselves already
possess a strong healing essence. Let me give you a deeper understanding of Chinese herbs and herbal formulas.
The Ancient Apothecary of Classical Chinese Herbal Formulas The mechanism of action of classical TCM herbal remedies is similar to the mechanisms of action of Western pharmaceutical drugs in a certain respect. In Western medicine, action occurs at the physical level. The drugs are designed to combat or overcome the symptoms of a specific condition. In TCM, similarly, the action of an herbal formula occurs at the physical level, but its purpose is different. In this case, it’s to stimulate the body’s self-regulating ability by supporting the organs involved so they can take care of the symptoms. Working with herbs is one of the highest energetic art forms in traditional Chinese medicine. We’ve already talked about the nature of essence. The real beauty and talent of a master herbalist lies in using the essence of herbs to help the patient resolve health conditions; the lowest level is to use the herb’s chemical compound to produce an effect. Let me explain: It’s true that dandelion and honeysuckle are effective as natural antibiotics to help alleviate itchy skin. However, inside the body, the root cause of this kind of infection or condition is happening because the relationship between the Kidney and Stomach is out of balance and their functions are weak. Yes, you can take antibiotics for this kind of problem; while they can help kill it, they will also impact the whole body, not just the affected organs. The antibiotic or drug goes everywhere, many times producing unwanted side effects. Let’s take willow bark as another example. If we want to choose the approach of being ingredient-oriented, we can analyze this substance, break it down into its chemical components and see what makes it act the way it does. We might have the good luck to isolate one aspect of this substance that makes sense at the chemical level as to why it produces certain results. Hence, we have aspirin. However, that’s the Newtonian approach to understanding herbs. The best classical formulas are not based on analysis, differentiation or separation. They are based on oneness and cooperation, as well as essence and Qi. In TCM, the understanding of herbs comes from the top down, not the bottom up. It has to start with the essence of the formula, not its physical ingredients. I would like to clarify something about the development of TCM’s extensive herbal apothecary that has been used continuously for thousands of years. The understanding of how to use the essence of herbs comes from direct knowing, or as modern science might call it, discontinuity. This direct knowing allowed ancient practitioners to use their stillness and inner vision to see the energetic frequencies of various herbs as well as observe their actions and which meridians they impacted. There are several misguided interpretations regarding the development of TCM herbal formulas, which I would like to correct. These powerful formulas are not the result of experimentation over time. They did not come from using animals or humans as guinea pigs. In fact, this kind of practice was expressly forbidden more than two thousand years ago by the Nei Jing. The comprehension of how, when, and with whom to use herbal medicines was also not the result of many centuries of trial and error. Direct knowing through spiritual practice was always involved, as was the capability of ancient energy masters to see meridians, the body’s invisible energy channels we’ve discussed. TCM’s singular knowledge of herbs is a result of observation of Qi and its actions in 3D reality. Another way ancient practitioners expanded their body of knowledge was through observation of animals. They saw what plants the animals used to heal themselves and expanded their knowledge of healing plants this way as well. Some people think this kind of observation or discovery is an accident, but this is not exactly true. As we will see later, at the spiritual level, there are no accidents.
While ancient practitioners did not experiment on others to see if their classical formulas worked; sometimes, they did use their own bodies because they were able to see and experience energetically how their own meridians acted and reacted with certain herbs. To be clear, these were not physical experiments; they were energy experiments. High-level masters knew their bodies were a microcosm or mirror of the Universe. Through their spiritual practice, they were able to see themselves internally. The more balanced and in harmony they were, the more they could observe their bodies’ inner processes. Others, who were out of balance, simply could not experience or perceive these kinds of things. Interestingly, today, most acupuncturists have charts in their office showing the body’s 360-plus acupuncture points. However, these charts were created originally to show acupuncture points on an ideal, healthy body, which masters visualized. Today, most people are not healthy and balanced. For instance, measuring four fingers below the belly button to locate an acupuncture point is not the same as measuring this location on someone who is 50 pounds or more overweight. You might ask, “Then, why does acupuncture work?” We can answer this in modern science terminology. Acupuncture works because the acupoint is one tiny gateway or point that exists at the center of a vortex, or larger energy field that spirals around the small point. If the practitioner misses the exact point, he or she can still create a healing effect by stimulating the field. However, the closer to the actual point the practitioner gets, the more he or she can stimulate the patient’s self-healing ability. Again, ancient masters could actually see these tiny points. Acupressure was eventually developed because not many practitioners could use their inner vision to see the real points. However, they learned how to stimulate the energy field related to the point with special hand techniques and still produce a healing result. Acupressure, or Tuina, is another timetested TCM modality. From one angle, there are certain Chinese herbs that were used as single herbs. However, ancient practitioners discovered the alchemy, or magic, of combining the essence of certain herbs into classical formulas could do many things. Most people aren’t aware of how classical Chinese herbal formulas work. As we’ve seen, their purpose is different from Western drugs. The way they are composed is different from Western drugs as well. Here, it’s all about teamwork. It’s the team that counts. Each ingredient has a purpose, a reason for being included. The formula is a team of allstars! Here’s an analogy I use that might help you understand how Chinese herbal formulas differ from Western medications. Western medicine is like golf or tennis. It is a one-to-one competition; some call it “one drug for one bug.” It tries to strike out the illness or disease with a specific drug. Classical Chinese herbal formulas are like a football or baseball team. If only one person on the team is strong, it’s unlikely they will win the game. You need a team of powerful, talented, dedicated players to do their jobs. In determining the best application, Western medicine and Chinese herbs are similar. Practitioners ask, “What can this formula do? What condition is it best for?” Because the purpose of classical Chinese herbs is different, the practitioner has to ask additional questions. For instance: “How can I select one of these powerful teams to help this patient’s function disorder? What is the energetic impact on the other organs? How can I ensure this herbal formula travels to the right organ? Which herbs prevent the existing condition from going deeper? How can I avoid side effects?” Over time, TCM developed two concepts for using herbs: one is to work internally to help strengthen organ function; the other is to use the herbal formula to guide illness and disease out of the body—to transform them, rather than do battle.
Classical Chinese herbal formulas are so beautiful and elegant. Thanks to essence, they are stronger than the sum of their parts. Every herb in a formula has a job: some are used to directly impact the condition; some tune up certain organs; some help strengthen an organ’s Qi; some are selected to flush out toxic material; others block the disease or illness from becoming worse; some create an inhospitable environment where the disease or toxic intruder is no longer comfortable. Built into the team is also a “tourist guide” to lead the herbs to the areas where team members can do their best job. The whole team understands what it has to do. Similarly, good chefs understand the need for preparation; they know there has to be a variety of flavors and a good presentation. It’s not about throwing a steak on a plate and eating it. Using classical Chinese medicine herbs is an art form. Everything is created at the energetic level: Which herbs will deliver the most effective essence? Which meridians will they impact? What kind of action do these healing substances create at the physical level? While many researchers try to analyze Chinese herbal compounds from the chemical level, it’s almost impossible to discover their true power this way. It’s the essence, the processing ingredients undergo and how the herbs interact energetically that count. I think those of you who have taken chemistry classes understand that two compounds blended together can be transformed into a different substance with different properties. It’s the same with complex herbal formulas, only there are many more ingredients that interact. Two or more herbs blended together can definitely transform into another thing with different properties and mechanisms of action. Many pharmaceutical companies have entered China in the hopes of finding the next great pharmaceutical drug, or ingredients within the Chinese apothecary that might be used to expand the pharmaceutical world. They may use highly sophisticated technologies to break down classical herbal formulas, but this is the Newtonian attempt to unlock their secrets. Herbal formulas are highly complex, and, of course, part of their complexity occurs beyond the visible level in the energy field. Unless they are approached from the modern science angle, it’s unlikely their true secrets will be revealed anytime soon. I would like to remind readers that the real healing power is not just the individual herbs themselves. It’s their unique combination as well as the processes they undergo that makes these herbal formulas almost impenetrable in terms of duplication— unless you know the secret and understand essence. Let me use ginger as an example. Practitioners use fresh ginger to help release Cold essence in the Lung. Dried ginger, when it undergoes a certain kind of processing, can travel through a different meridian; in this case, it’s the Stomach, where it can improve digestive function. Burnt or charcoaled ginger interacts with the body differently still; it can support Kidney function. A simple change in processing transforms ginger’s ability to do many things; it alters its destinations and the actions it’s capable of taking. My master taught me a beautiful story about the three gingers soup created by a very famous ancient doctor. All three kinds of gingers are processed differently and then combined to make a soup to heal a broad range of menstrual cycle problems. He used this story to help open my mind to recognize that the spirit of herbs, its invisible essence, carries the true healing power. I recognize this concept is somewhat difficult for the Western mind to understand; however, I would like you to know that using the spirit of herbs wisely and intuitively is a high art form. Here’s a true story about using the spirit of herbs wisely and intuitively connecting them to Nature’s essence. In ancient times, childbirth could be difficult and dangerous. To help women in labor, especially those experiencing a hard birth, the practitioner would use well-known herbal formulas to ease the process. It happened that a woman in a village was having such difficulty on the day of the autumnal equinox, a time when the earth is balanced between night and day.
On this day, a well-respected Qigong master with great healing skills was passing through this village and her desperate physician sought him out for help. He explained which herbal formula he had used and that he could not understand why the baby refused to be born. The master assured the physician that he had done nothing wrong and had used the right formula for his purpose. However, the master told him one ingredient was missing. He picked up a leaf that had just fallen from one of the trees and said, “Add this to your formula. Now, it will be complete.” When the woman drank the new herbal formula, the baby was released and she delivered a healthy son. Hearing stories like this, people may say, “How can something like that happen? It doesn’t make sense.” The answer is that it makes perfect sense from one angle because the master used the essence or spirit level of the leaf that had already fallen or “let go.” The leaf contained Nature’s message of the motion of autumn, when leaves know it’s time to let go. At that moment, this great master and herbal artist added this energetic message into the herbal formula. The baby received the message that it was time to let go as well and was born on this special day of the autumnal equinox. It depends on which level you would like to function. Naturally, this master functioned at the highest level because he practiced energy. Not everyone who studies atomic physics can create an atomic breakthrough in the laboratory. They may have to go through many years of training before they can master their science. Jumping on your bed when you’re a young child doesn’t mean you will be a high jumper in future Olympics. It takes a lot more practice than that! To function at the highest level, you have to practice energy. Most of all, you have to believe things like this are possible. Belief and consciousness are part of any transformation. As I’ve noted, the classical Chinese herbal apothecary is vast. Its herbs help support the function of your organs without side effects. While herbal formulas can also alleviate symptoms, their purpose is to help rebalance the organs and their relationships so the body can jumpstart its own healing abilities. Some kinds of food are between herbs and food. Spices are one example; many can be used either as food or as a healing herb. We often add spices to foods like coffee, cookies, soups and more. We all know cinnamon’s use as a spice, but did you know it can serve as an herb because of its healing Warm essence? Cinnamon has the ability to help strengthen Kidney function, prevent colds, and help arthritis and osteoporosis. Cinnamon is one of those foods that acts as a versatile, crossover herb. In TCM, there is also a large body of work that describes how to combine herbs with a variety of foods so that the power of the herb can be used in everyday life. This kind of special combination food and herb dish has more power than everyday food alone.
Example: Properties of Foods and Herbs That Heal Red or sweet dates (jujube) are another excellent example of a healing food. They can be used as food or medicine to improve Stomach function.
Chinese barley (coix seed, or Job’s tears) is a versatile food that can be used as a breakfast cereal, or added to soups. It is prescribed in a healing diet to help relieve excess water or Dampness in the body—a condition we have already gone into in depth because it can cause a number of serious health issues. Inside this kind of barley, there are also some amazing properties that relate to cancer prevention and treatment. Chinese barley is widely used today in China as part of a healing program. Mung beans are a remarkable food with a unique ability to help the body separate good and bad elements; they can also help improve chronic skin problems. Mung beans act like a screen that can separate and pass out unwanted, toxic material. Astragalus is a versatile Chinese herb. As I’ve said, when cooked with chicken to make a soup, astragalus offers excellent medicinal benefits. It can help prevent or soothe winter colds. It can even be used to increase blood volume. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of using many recipes that are natural combinations of herbs and food for healing specific conditions. China has many scientific studies on the efficacy of using concentrated astragalus to strengthen white blood cells
during chemotherapy.
Metabolism Function and Supplements Today, I see quite a few patients with a history of taking a broad range of supplements over many years. Americans use more than $26 billion worth of supplements each year. Like my patients, you may believe taking a supplement means your body receives 100 percent of that supplement. As we’ve noted, each organ has a particular cellular structure. Unless your body can digest and transform the supplement into a specific cellular substance an organ can use, you may not be receiving the maximum benefit you think you are from your supplements. When it comes to supplements, it’s also important to know that whatever you take in—let’s say it’s vitamin D—is not absorbed immediately into your digestive system wholesale as vitamin D. Like everything else you ingest, it has to go through the stages of metabolism function we talked about earlier. This is not a one-size-fits-all process. It is a highly selective and sensitive one. Because each organ has a different cellular structure, its cells need to receive vitamin D in a form they can use. This is true of foods you ingest as well, but particularly supplements. That is why one of the first orders of business for a TCM practitioner is to strengthen the patient’s digestive system.
We will see how food and supplements differ when it comes to metabolism function. Both Western medicine and Chinese medicine understand patients turn to supplements when they believe the body is missing something; however, just because the body is missing something doesn’t mean that if you give that substance separately, it is able to be assimilated and produce a healing effect. If that were true, many of my patients would have healed themselves long ago, given the amount of supplements they take. I’d like to remind you that it’s not what you take; it’s about how much of it you can absorb. Chinese medicine asks questions about conditions that go deeper in a quest to identify the root cause. Why are you missing this key element? When did it start? What’s the reason behind your condition? It doesn’t stop at trying to replace what seems to be missing. The Five Element energetic framework helps the practitioner understand which organ or organ system is not functioning properly, and which organ relationship is out of balance, causing the element to be missing. As we’ve discussed, the TCM path restores balance to the relationships of the body’s paired organ systems and improves their ability to function properly. When healthy function is restored, your own body will regain the ability to address the condition that caused the missing substances.
Example: Supplements and Missing Elements As we’ve discussed, in Western medicine, calcium pills are often prescribed for problems related to bone density in older women. The goal is to strengthen the patient’s bones. Unfortunately, the patient will often complain about the calcium pills’ side effects—acid reflux and constipation are two common problems. What’s happening? The body is sending a sign it’s having difficulty processing the supplement’s chemicals. From our earlier exploration of the Kidney’s role in Section IV, on the Body and Metabolism Function, we know bones are the “tissue” of the Kidney. In the TCM framework, a change in bone density indicates that the Kidney’s function is weak or deficient. It doesn’t have enough Qi to manage its responsibilities, one of which is bone health. This is the time to add something temporarily to help the body rebalance itself. Bone soup or black beans are excellent foods for healing the Kidney. These are natural ingredients your body knows how to digest and has the intelligence to channel directly to support Kidney function. Adding foods for healing the Kidney is step one. Other protocols to address bone density problems are to strengthen Kidney function with acupuncture, prescribe certain classical herbal formulas and practice Wu Ming Qigong energy movements.
Returning to the modern science framework, we know everything is connected in the energy field; nothing is isolated or separate. So, trying to add a single element that seems to be missing is a misunderstanding of the concept of how the body cooperates internally at every level and externally with Nature. This is not a one-way street. There is unique cooperation within the body. When we try to add a single ingredient such as vitamin C, D, E, or the like, we discount, I would say, we even discriminate against, the
body’s true wisdom and its intelligence to produce missing substances, and in a way that matches each organ’s frequency. Before taking supplements, I believe it’s important to understand why you think you must take them in the first place. I ask my patients to ask themselves, “Exactly which organ is out of balance that indicates this need?” Just as it’s not the acupuncture needle that heals, we have to understand that it’s not the supplement that heals. I ask my patients to think about what caused this vitamin deficiency in the first place. While tests may identify the body is lacking a specific element, the deeper question is not what’s missing, but why is it missing? What organs have stopped cooperating so the body is unable to create the missing element by itself? Let’s look at this situation using a business analogy. Anyone who manages a manufacturing business knows if the company continues producing goods while sales are slipping, a drop in income is inevitable. What’s the solution? One of the first things to analyze is which part of the operation is not contributing to the production process. The manager has to ask, “Why were we doing well before this drop? What’s changed?” The first solution is not to hire more people or invest money to produce more goods. The best answer is to examine all the internal processes first and see what’s going on. Where and when did this problem start? Where are things not meshing well in the production process? Where has cooperation faltered? Now, imagine this kind of situation in a human being, which has far more intelligence and ability to cooperate at multidimensional levels. All your organs have cooperated well for forty or fifty years to keep your bones healthy. Now, suddenly, your bone density has a problem? Why? From my experience, it makes more sense to readjust the organs that have become weak or unbalanced rather than hiring an outside helper in the form of a supplement. We will talk in depth about bone health and osteoporosis from the spiritual perspective in Section VII, on Spirit and Metabolism Function. Here’s the larger concept I’d like you to consider. In thinking about supplements, ask yourself, “How much real freedom do I want in my life?” Because of our lifestyles and standard of living in America, many people want to immigrate to this country. Why? They want freedom; they want to be free spiritually, religiously and physically. If we truly want to live in freedom, how can we have individual freedom if we have to rely on supplements or even herbs (or drugs) for the rest of our lives? What is freedom? True freedom allows the body to tap into its unique genetic code and access the wisdom it was born with to process food, maintain a healthy functioning metabolism and achieve its true purpose. This wisdom exists within everyone’s genetic code. I tell my patients to trust their body, to make their organ function strong; otherwise, they will become a slave to supplements without any hope of being free. It is also the same situation with herbs, or any natural substance. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about Eastern or Western medicine. It’s my belief we have to free ourselves from this kind of dependence. We have to embrace our own gifts and remarkable self-healing capabilities.
I’d like to be clear that it’s not what we use, but the fundamental principle behind how we use it. What kind of thinking and theories are behind the application? Unfortunately, for most people, if they are not using herbs or supplements to support organ function so their body can self-heal, then no matter what, they are still just addressing symptoms. Again, they’re mistaking the “effect” for the cause. If you understand this principle, you can use anything to help support the body and encourage all the organ systems to work in harmony. It’s true, a good classical Chinese herbal formula can help strengthen organ function and reestablish balance in an individual’s lifestyle, emotions and physical organs. Herbs address the root cause of a problem by supporting organ function, not by addressing symptoms. Taking supplements means something is missing. The message is, “I am going to give you a donation you might need forever.” The herb’s message is, “I can help your health improve. Then, your organs can produce the elements you need.” Following the path of taking herbs, you will eventually be free. Once the body is able to rebalance itself, you are free because you will not need to take herbs forever. Supplements, on the other hand, are not the way to freedom. According to what you believe, they may be necessary forever. I urge you, just as I urge my patients, to treat your body with respect and kindness; treat it wisely. Please don’t become a slave to things you believe you must take for the rest of your life. There are other questions to ask about supplements. We have to go back to the basic steps of metabolism function and ask, “Can your body absorb and transform the supplements you’re using?” I have met many patients who consume so many supplements without asking these simple questions: “Does my digestive system work well? If not, will I be able to break down and absorb the different supplements I’m taking? Does my body have enough Qi to break down the physical material of these supplements? Are my organs working well enough and communicating with each other so that they can actually transform this material into the unique cellular structures and energetic frequencies my organs can use?” Another key question I ask my patients is, “How do you know your body is missing just the supplements you’ve decided to take? Or, the ones your friends have recommended?” We know from our modern science framework that everything is connected, yet there are so many things we still do not yet know. How do you know you’re not missing other substances that need to be present to activate the supplements you’re already taking? Increasing your intake of supplements doesn’t mean you can improve your metabolism function, especially if your digestive system is already functioning poorly. Your body never lies; it always tells the truth. If you’ve taken supplements for many years without seeing significant health benefits, it is time to rethink what’s going on with your metabolism function. Perhaps, you’re someone who suffers from a chronic disease or illness, and you’re experiencing discomfort somewhere. You feel it may be due to a vitamin deficiency. Your tests return and they confirm you’re missing certain vitamins. If you can look at this situation from a different framework, you might recognize you are experiencing the “effect” of deeper events. The functions of your organs are not balanced. Unless you were born with this deficiency, at one time you did produce this substance but now you don’t. You have to ask yourself, “Why can’t I produce a substance I need that my body was able to produce naturally at one time?” Let me emphasize, your vitamin deficiency is the “outcome” of an organ function disorder. We often look at this outcome and treat it as the ultimate reason for the problem. Healing the functions of the vital triangle of the Spleen-Stomach, LiverGallbladder and Kidney-Bladder improves the key organs associated with healthy metabolism function. When you do this, you will see real benefits. Finally, consider this: If you were able to heal with the chemical components of supplements alone, then you should be able to heal disease and illness fairly well without natural foods. Why does the body need food then? It’s important to see what your body can absorb or what it is missing. If you are not ingesting ingredients that come from Nature to support and rebalance its organs, you are missing a critical part of the self-healing process. With foods, this question may be even more complicated than we know, since we’re talking about the miracle of receiving, digesting, processing and transforming living material. From my perspective, all too often we get lost in a never-ending discussion about food’s physical aspects—how many calories it contains; how many vitamins and minerals it includes; what its fat, sodium or sugar content is, and so on— and ignore the more important concept of true nourishment at the visible and invisible levels. We totally misunderstand how and why food is more important than supplements. Simply put, food has life; food comes from living things, therefore, food has the ability to connect with and support life. I encourage readers to love food, not fear it. Above all, please do not make food your enemy. By including foods in your daily diet that deliver maximum Qi, you can help rebalance healthy metabolism function. I encourage you to give this path a try.
Supporting metabolism function from the body–mind–spirit level is all about discovering how to support the body’s critical organ systems so they can receive and digest living ingredients that allow the body to maximize its function. What are supplements? They’re additional ingredients that the body might need. Most supplements are not the real thing; they are synthetic, manmade substances. They are not alive in the same way natural foods are. Their ability to support life or fix illness and disease is limited. They may give you a boost, but it is unlikely they can resolve the root cause of your health condition.
Example: Ingesting Foods, Absorbing Elements, and the Body’s Inner Communications System Let’s stay with the example of a vitamin D deficiency. Your need to take this supplement is based on a test that shows you the outcome of an internal organ imbalance. As we’ve seen, the vitamin D deficiency is not the actual reason for this problem. Many different organs can be out of balance and cause a vitamin D issue. In our framework, the real solution is to identify the organs or organs systems that are out of balance and restore equilibrium. If you don’t know what’s caused this problem, it’s difficult to solve it. Taking a vitamin D supplement might produce some results at the beginning, but then the benefits might stop. If you see this kind of thing happening, you’ll know the root cause is still not fixed. It’s important to go deep to find it. Then you might want to explore improving your metabolism function to see if you can become balanced. As we’ve seen, looking at something from a different framework can give us different answers.
Let me share this story with you. How do you know you need vitamin D? Let’s say the Kidney needs this substance. First, the Kidney has to send a message to the Stomach. “Hello, I need two ‘units’ of vitamin D to support all the activities I need for my upcoming new job. Can you help me?” The Kidney sends the message to the Stomach, but the Stomach’s function is weak or deficient. It’s used up too much Qi with excessive worry; unfortunately, this message may be garbled or even lost! The Stomach might respond, “Sorry, I’ve used up most of my vitamin D because I worried too much about getting the mortgage I applied for.” Worse, the Stomach may be flooded with multiple demands from other organs. Depending on the relationship between the Stomach and Kidney, the Kidney may be left in the cold without sufficient vitamin D to function properly and perform all its duties. This is not just a nice story. It reflects how your body’s inner communications system works. All I can do is encourage you to apply this
way of thinking to strengthen your metabolism function. I think you will experience many amazing things. I often see patients who suffer from food allergies. This is a fairly common condition. The patient is convinced food is the problem. Once he or she is able to view things from a different angle, good progress can be made. I suggest these patients don’t eliminate the problem food that is causing the allergic reaction immediately. If you have food allergies and really want to open your mind and change, you might benefit from the advice I give my patients. Try something different. Write down when and under what circumstances your allergic reactions started. Under what circumstances do they happen or get worse? What do you think the root cause of your food allergy might be? Ask yourself, “How can I use foods to enhance my life?” From a contemporary medicine perspective, the allergic reactions are real. However, you have to ask yourself, “Why is it that ten of my friends can eat this food with no problem? Is it really the food? Am I just unlucky this food is a problem for me? Why could I eat it before, why not now?” From the spiritual perspective, of course, there are no accidents. Why do these things happen to you? What is out of balance in your life? Could there be another way to look at this situation? Why is it that even when you eliminate the offending food or foods, you sometimes still have physical symptoms? From my clinical experience, I know when patients open their minds and change their beliefs, miracles happen. We will talk much more about the mind’s influence in the next section. Without examining your condition more deeply, it’s likely you will always deal with these food allergy problems. You might eventually make food your enemy and limit your positive attitude toward it. Your beliefs may even cut you off from all the healing messages of food we’ve discussed. You might want to read the story about the spirit of honey and hay fever again. I can tell you food is not the real reason for problems with food allergies. They are the result of imbalances at the body, mind and spirit level.
Medications and Side Effects
From my perspective, improving metabolism function offers many more benefits than improving metabolic function. When patients focus on metabolic function, they often feel this might be the path to good health. Unfortunately, it often doesn’t work that way. If the chemical properties of food or supplements alone could fix their chronic conditions, they would already be fixed. Going this route means they still haven’t touched the problem’s root cause. I try to open up all the different angles to let my patients, and I hope readers too, understand this focus is too small for the energy being you are. With chronic diseases, patients often end up taking multiple drugs. They may start with a basic medication, say, for high blood pressure or high cholesterol. But these medications often produce side effects. Then, patients may take another medication to counteract the side effects of the first and so on. If this is your situation, it’s easy enough to use the Five Element energetic framework to look at your symptoms and see which organ relationships are out of balance. Sometimes, people are on three or four medications at a time; then, they will be given one more medication. It’s possible, if there’s no serious injury or surgical interventions like heart surgery, the individual still can function in their daily life. However, if you’re someone who takes so many prescription medications that they limit your lifestyle, I strongly urge you to work with the powerful Taoist practices described in Section VIII, Preparation for Your Healing Journey. I encourage you to work with them for one hundred days. This is the amount of time it typically takes red blood cells to renew themselves. You may see some remarkable changes. These practices can help you rebalance the interrelationships of your organ systems so you can avoid more drugs. This way you don’t have to wait for side effects to take over your life. They can help prevent your condition from becoming worse and dealing with even more side effects. Today, I see quite a few women who are taking tamoxifen, a medication prescribed for those who have had breast cancer. Typically, a woman will be on this drug for five years. It’s well known tamoxifen can cause significant side effects, including hot flashes and night sweats, among other conditions. By addressing lifestyle issues, incorporating foods for healing and using herbal therapy, my patients have found they are able to manage the side effects of this follow-up adjuvant therapy effectively and still complete their five-year drug regimen.
Responsibility for Self-Healing The healing concepts we have been exploring throughout Digesting the Universe are for anyone who is committed to improving their health and taking care of themselves. I admit; it’s not for everyone. I tell my patients, “At the top of the pyramid, space is limited. You have to be committed to putting your healing and well-being first. No one can help you heal but you. You take a shower every day, don’t you? Can anyone take this shower for you? You brush your teeth every day. Does anyone brush your teeth for you? You have to recognize healing is in your hands. As useful as Eastern and Western medical systems are, if you really want to heal, it’s essential to understand this: you are the healer you have been waiting for!” If you come to my practice, I would tell you, “I’m just your health consultant. You have to do the work. You also have to open your mind because the real healing properties of food—energy and essence—exist in the quantum world.”
Some patients are not ready to hear these things, and that is all right. I often recommend other practitioners who can help them address their symptoms. In my practice, our goal is to focus on patients who genuinely want to take this journey, be responsible for their health and get to the root cause of their problem, not just treat its effect. I remind them that true health happens at a very high level. It is not just the absence of disease or illness. It is displaying the best of who you are and fulfilling your purpose in this third-dimensional reality. It is up to each of us to decide how passionate we are about expressing our true self and how far we want to go. The path to health stretches to infinity. The opposite path of illness and disease only goes one way. I hope you’ll stay with me as we move forward to discuss the mind and spirit and metabolism function. You will find great mystery and magic at the end of our journey.
Key Points The ancient Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing encompasses an entire framework that helps TCM practitioners understand why, when and how to apply food and food combinations for healing. Using their inner vision, ancient energy masters “saw” that the essence and Qi of specific foods support the functions of the body’s organs, help prevent health issues, and even heal them. The essence, Qi and healing messages contained in food are more effective than its nutritional elements or physical properties. Food’s healing essence directly communicates with the meridian network. Each food is an individual expression of Qi. Just like human beings, each food has a unique essence—an indelible aspect that can never be duplicated. The ultimate secret behind healing with food: the intelligent messages and many levels of cooperation with Nature that it has processed make natural foods powerful healing tools. Skilled TCM practitioners focus on helping patients improve their digestive system first. Before starting any healing program, if the body can’t absorb what it receives, the chances of success are greatly reduced—especially for patients with chronic illnesses. Master TCM herbalists use the essence of herbs to help the patient resolve health conditions and support organ function, not only to produce an effect. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION VI THE MIND AND METABOLISM FUNCTION
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. –ALBERT EINSTEIN Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it. –CHUANG TZU
Body–Mind–Spirit Healing What does it really mean to talk about body–mind–spirit health and healing? We have a pretty good idea of what it means to focus on the body. This topic engages our entire culture today, as well as its many health and wellness experts, medical and healthcare professionals, scientific researchers, media, corporations, nonprofits and others. With my Taoist training, clinical practice in TCM and interest in modern science, I want to discuss the mind from a different framework, one that helps us understand metabolic syndrome from a different angle. This angle allows us to see something else, which I call metabolism function; it gives us a larger, multidimensional perspective. It also draws on a deeper understanding of the mind from the ancient wisdom of TCM and modern science. In TCM, this framework, called Jing, Qi, Shen, or body, mind and spirit, has been practiced for thousands of years. We will talk about it in depth in this section. When we try to bring the mind into a discussion of body–mind–spirit healing, what is it we are really talking about? This is a difficult subject to explain. The mind is elusive and complicated. It’s harder to put into words all the Eastern concepts concerning the essential nature of the mind and how it functions. In Western culture, the mind has become the province of psychiatrists and psychologists. From my perspective, we have made the mind seem something apart from the body. I hope you have come to see nothing could be further from the truth. The Five Element framework allows us to understand how the actions of the mind, which Chinese medicine calls emotions, are entwined and coexist with each organ system. They are not separate. Once again, I encourage you to study this time-tested blueprint and the energetic frequencies of the emotions associated with each organ pair. Excessive worry, overthinking, sadness, grief, fear and shock, stress, anger, irritability, frustration and excessive joy are the expressions and processing of the mind’s powerful energies.
Energy: The Bridge between the Mind and Spirit What connects body, mind and spirit? What makes them indivisible? What is the bridge? Energy is the bridge. In traditional Chinese medicine, this bridge is called Qi; in the modern science, it is referred to as energy. Whether it’s TCM or modern science, it’s all about energy and frequency. However, there is a quantum leap from the mind level to that of the spirit, to the unconditional love and consciousness of the Universe. We will leave this aspect to the final section, on Spirit and Metabolism Function. Modern science is just beginning to understand this context as it grapples with understanding existence and nonexistence, two complementary states we know must exist, according to Natural Law and now, the laws of physics. More than five thousand years ago, ancient masters discovered that “Nothing is everything; everything is nothing.” Atomic, nuclear and particle physicists are just beginning to penetrate the mysteries of Qi that ancient masters comprehended during spiritual practice many millennia ago. While scientists try to penetrate quantum mysteries with advanced formulas on sophisticated computers and in high-energy particle colliders, most have no experience using their inner vision to see beyond the objects of the third dimension. I believe it’s possible, that if modern scientists meditated, they might discover a different path to the truths of the Universe.
The Mind and Metabolic Syndrome Today, I see clearly how consciousness, beliefs, the mind and its emotions are the biggest factors influencing the healing progress of all my patients. This is certainly true when it comes to creating healthy metabolism function at the body, mind and spirit levels. As we’ve done throughout Digesting the Universe, we will apply the framework of Taoist thinking, TCM’s Five Element energetic framework and modern science to describe the complex workings of the mind from a different angle. Every day, we see the enormous toll of metabolic syndrome—type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, obesity and more—in our society. It is difficult for patients to break through these chronic conditions to a better level of health when metabolism function is poor at the body, mind and spirit levels. It’s essential to look to the mind’s involvement from a different angle. In a very real way, emotions—the actions of the mind—drive health and life. As we’ve seen, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH, says metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors that increases the risk for heart disease and the associated health problems of this condition. The term “metabolic” refers only to the biochemical processes involved in the body’s normal physical functions. Risk factors are traits, conditions, or habits that increase the chance of developing a disease. Five conditions are considered to be metabolic risk factors and they tend to occur together. At least three of these must be present to diagnose metabolic syndrome. They are: a large waistline, including excess fat in the stomach area; a high triglyceride level (or medication to treat it); low HDL cholesterol level (or medication to treat it); high blood pressure (or medication to treat it) and high fasting blood sugar (or medication to treat high blood sugar). The risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke increases with the number of metabolic risk factors. The NIH is clear in its statement that metabolic syndrome is the result of risk factors that are traits, conditions or habits that produce this condition. Rather than focusing on treating the outcomes of metabolic syndrome, it makes more sense to me to deal with its risk factors from the body–mind–spirit perspective. It’s true there are many actions people can take to mitigate these factors. But, does anyone ask, “Why aren’t these actions successful? Why haven’t they stopped the increase of metabolic syndrome and its associated conditions?” There are many healthy things people can do for themselves, but these actions also require the mind’s consent, which is not only a matter of willpower. These actions don’t exist in a vacuum. They are related to every aspect of the patient’s life. Certain beliefs that the mind holds are behind these conditions. Ultimately, as we will learn in the final section, on Spirit and Metabolism Function, spirit’s purpose is behind this as well. The NIH’s definition leaves little room for understanding the roles of the mind and spirit in the conditions associated with metabolic syndrome. Despite the best efforts of functional medicine to see the patient holistically, the mind is left to mental health experts. The essential recognition of spirit’s role in health has no real, organized body of work in Western culture. In discussions of body–mind–spirit healing, two of the most important influences are separated or left out. We often find that we cannot easily give up the tendency to hold rigidly to patterns of thought built up over a long time. We are then caught up in what may be called absolute necessity. This kind of thought leaves no room at all intellectually for any other possibility, while emotionally and physically, it means we take a stance in our feelings, in our bodies, and indeed in our whole culture, of holding back or resisting. This stance implies that under no circumstances whatsoever can we allow ourselves to give up certain things or change them. –DAVID BOHM Even after thousands of years, the Five Element energetic framework can help us resee metabolic syndrome differently. All of its health conditions are very much interrelated with the workings of the mind and spirit. If it were easy to change traits, conditions or habits, metabolic syndrome would not be taking the toll that it is today. I don’t believe changing habits is about willpower alone. To change a habit, you have to believe the habit isn’t useful anymore. Otherwise, why change it? What controls these habits or patterns, traits and characteristics? As we will see, belief is behind them. Just as we’ve seen that physical symptoms are effects of a deeper cause, habits too are effects of a deeper cause. To find the root cause of conditions associated with metabolic syndrome, we need to ask different questions: When did these habits, traits and risk factors start? How did they start? Can you recall a time when your body was in balance? Were you well at one stage of your life and then became ill? Can you recall what was happening when things changed? What do you think is behind your current condition? Are you able to identify beliefs that are bound up in it? When asked in the context of Taoist thinking and the Five Element energetic framework, these questions can lead in a new direction that produce different outcomes. They are all interrelated with the mind’s processing capability or digestion as well as the emotions it generates.
What Is the Mind? When we talk about the mind in relationship to the body–mind–spirit framework, we are not talking about the kind of mind people take to therapists. To have a comprehensive discussion of the mind, we have to understand that the mind is energy. The emotions it generates are energy. When it comes to this area, TCM has great untaught wisdom, but no vast array of techniques that can be learned from books or by studying. It has no organized discipline for separating the mind from the body and dealing with it the way we do in the West. TCM only talks about the mind in terms of its actions. These actions are not just the thoughts you think or feelings you have. There are so many issues connected to the different aspects of the mind that impact the body, health and healing. They encompass the visible and invisible aspects of being, including consciousness, thinking, emotions, “feelings” (sensitivity to subtle forces), wishes, desires, intentions, imagination—even dreaming and psychic ability. The mind is fascinating. It is a transitional space between the physical and the spiritual aspects of being. The mind is a powerful energetic frequency with the capability of operating on two levels. Whether we show it or not, we continually experience the motion of our mind. I have learned from my clinical experience, if you really want to stay well, or overcome illness and disease, you have to use a different framework to understand the mind. You have to understand the mind’s serious impact on the body’s organ systems and what prompts its functioning. Physical problems can arise directly from consciousness and the mental processing of the mind. The kind of mind we are exploring is wily and tricky. It moves between the visible and invisible. It can look internally as well as externally. Like a jealous sibling, it doesn’t really want you to pay attention to its other aspect, the intuitive mind or its intuitional capability. If you do not open your mind to the priceless value of the intuitive mind, which we will talk about shortly, I’m sorry to say, you will miss a huge part of the healing gifts you were born with. Before we explore the mind in depth, the following analogy illustrates some important concepts. Think of your cell phone. For it to do what you want, several functions have to work in sync perfectly. Otherwise, you are not happy. Your hardware has to be good and your phone has to be charged. Inside, the phone’s software also has to work, because it does much of the heavy lifting. If your hardware has an issue or your battery is weak, your phone will not function properly. Likewise, if there’s a problem with the software, your phone won’t work well either. The phone’s hardware and software are designed to cooperate. Even if you have the most advanced phone on the market, if there is something wrong with its software, you will have problems. Just like your cell phone, you have many unique features that allow you to receive information and knowledge, as well as power and energy, from different sources. You can use these features to address metabolic syndrome and enhance metabolism function. However, you have to believe these things exist and keep an open mind. Your body is like the cell phone’s hardware. In many ways, your mind is like its software; it is your body’s operating system. The mind’s smooth function depends on who uses the software and how wisely they operate its many features. Most people know their cell phone can be used for more things than phoning a friend. It can snap pictures, create video, record conversations and allow face-to-face chats. Who knows what other amazing things it will allow us to do in the future? There are so many features built into your cell phone’s software, but if you don’t know they are there, or how to use them, you are missing out on all the benefits it offers. You’re not making full use of the phone.
It is the same way with the mind. Your body mirrors this analogy quite well. Often, when someone has an illness, they will have their body, its “hardware,” tested. The tests often show nothing. That’s because the problem is related to an issue of unbalanced Qi or vital energy. It’s still at the “software” level. This doesn’t mean the problem is nonexistent (ask any patient who suffers from chronic fatigue or other conditions hard to diagnose with conventional medical tests). The problem exists at the invisible or Qi level and is being fed by the mind and the emotions it creates, which are strong energetic frequencies.
Beliefs, Thoughts and Emotions Are Powerful Energetic Frequencies That Impact Organ Function As you think of the mind as software, ask yourself, “How well does my software operate? How much data or information can it receive? What frequency does it operate on?” The mind also goes through the five stages of metabolism function, which means we have to ask: What information do I choose to receive and allow into my mind? What do I not allow or block out? Am I even aware that I block out information that will help me? What information and emotions am I able to digest or process? Do I believe information can only come from what I experience with my five senses? Are there other sources? Ultimately, your mind is based on beliefs. These beliefs are definitely true for you; however, they may not be ultimately true. Beliefs generate thoughts; thoughts in turn generate emotions. These emotional energies, especially if they are chronic or excessive, impact the organs and vice versa. Your mind moves your body; it is not the other way around. I’d like to emphasize, your mind is the body’s operating system. Its “software” acts as the guidance system that operates the autonomic and conscious functions we perform all day, and all night, for that matter. Now, let me show you how one of the mind’s characteristics, desire, can have a strong impact on the body.
Example: The Mind’s Energy Impacts the Body Physiologically, desire can affect you in many ways. You may have a desire to visit the Caribbean for a well-deserved vacation. There is much more to this mental activity, or daydream, than it appears, as we will see. This thought itself is an energetic frequency with its own kind of power. Behind this desire are pictures of the location conjured up by your mind; you also use your imagination to think about the beautiful sights of this tranquil vacation spot. Your mind thinks about the sensations you’ll enjoy and how you’ll feel when, at last, you’re resting on the beach. In reality, you may never take this vacation. This whole adventure is a projection and takes place in your mind. However, these are not just wisps of thoughts that go drifting off into the atmosphere. The mind’s processing will register in the body. This desire can and, for many people, will cause internal energetic shifts. The idea of the vacation may excite you and your heart rate might change; your blood pressure may lower as you think of relaxing; if you test your brain waves at this point, you might see different brain wave patterns reflecting positive changes. These thoughts and their linked emotions change the electromagnetic field around you. All of these actions may be invisible, but they are not without their impact. In this case, the example is a positive one, but you can see how critical it is to appreciate the power of the mind’s energy and what it can do to your body. We just have to understand, it’s all energy! Today, a growing number of scientific studies are being done on acupuncture and functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRIs. Some of this research has focused on measuring brain wave changes during acupuncture treatment. Readers may have also heard about studies looking at brain wave
changes when experienced energy masters enter a deep meditative state.
The Rational Mind
The rational mind is very useful and has its place in our everyday lives. It helps us function in the physical world and is based on the five senses. It allows us to balance our checkbook, excel in school, work at a job, plan future events and so on. Our rational mind is logical, methodical. It likes to define, analyze and categorize things. It answers to the limitations of time and is too slow to function at the speed of the intuitive, nonrational mind. At the deepest level of our existence, the mind itself is not the totality of who we truly are—though sometimes it may seem this way. It is not our essence or true identity. It serves as a bridge between the body and spirit. The rational mind is a tool; for many people, though, it controls us and can lead us to places and ways of thinking that are unhealthy. This is especially evident when our minds create or hold beliefs that cause negative emotions to take root and rule our lives. The mind is a difficult thing to discuss because it has so many aspects and so many levels. When we talk about body-mind healing, we are talking about consciousness, which is still not spirit. The mind has a different kind of energy. We can’t really see the mind in this reality, but we can recognize it by its processing or actions; these energetic frequencies show in our world as emotions. Sometimes, these emotions appear through expression; sometimes, they appear as health conditions that the body displays. As a macrocosm, your body has its own spirit and purpose that it is born to express. This is also true of your organs, each of which is a microcosm of your body. Each one has a spirit and emotion that it has been born to express. For instance, your Kidney’s spirit has to show its wisdom and strength. In body-mind medicine, we need to recognize that thoughts produce many different kinds of energetic realities. When we explore the mind from a different angle, we see it’s all about energy. We can describe its actions, or emotions, as energetic frequencies. Once we talk about the mind as energy, we enter the quantum world. Here, thanks to Albert Einstein, we know that energy and mass are interchangeable—E=mc². They are two forms of the same thing. Simply put, your mind’s energy and your body’s mass are interchangeable. They are two forms of the same thing. This is why the mind plays such a critical role in body-mind medicine; the mind’s powerful energetic frequencies, as we will see, have the ability to unbalance the body’s functions in many different ways. From my experience, it’s the place to look for the root cause of health issues, large and small. Today, we have developed technologies like polygraphs or lie detector tests that can show how changes in emotions affect a person’s body. When the mind’s emotions change, these changes show in the electromagnetic field.
Emotional Changes Cause Physiological Ones
Example: Mind and Its Emotions Produce Measurable Effects Let’s start with the fact that, under certain circumstances, emotions cannot only be measured but also allow others to use these measurements in real-life situations. For instance, polygraphs tests are sometimes used to detect deception. How does this test function? What kind of evidence does it create that others can use it? A question and answer technique is used and physiological responses are measured by specially designed equipment. As the mind processes the questions, certain emotional responses occur. First, the mind has to process its answer; then, physiological and emotional responses emerge. When invisible frequencies of emotions change, they impact the body’s energetic and chemical levels, which can be seen in blood pressure readings, skin changes and respiratory rates. The only real valuable thing is intuition. –ALBERT EINSTEIN There has also been research on using fMRI to measure brain wave changes and deception. Initially, simple baseline questions are asked, then more relevant ones. If any of the questions impact the subject’s emotions, he or she will exhibit an electromagnetic response that the technology is calibrated to measure. In the body, which is comprised of cells, every cell has its own vibration. These vibrations can be impacted by emotions. Emotional changes can, in turn, change brain wave patterns. On one level, these measurements offer evidence of the connections between the mind and its ability to alter body functions. There are many more aspects of the body we still can’t measure.
The Intuitive Mind
The mind operates on two levels: the rational and intuitive. Both aspects are connected to spirit and consciousness. Both are sensitive to beliefs. Most often, the rational side dominates. But, as you know from our discussion of Yin-Yang, everything in the physical world has an invisible aspect. Remember, the invisible is always bigger than the visible. When we talk about the mind, its invisible aspect is the intuitional side. This aspect is linked with the sixth sense. The intuitive mind can leap past third-dimensional limitations and is not impacted by time and space. It is beyond explanation. For thousands of years, Eastern mystics and Eastern religions have tried to find ways to function in the intuitive mind’s energy vibration for longer periods. One way they cultivated this state was through meditation. They created many different techniques to drop the mind and enter a state of nonaction, where they could merge with the larger mind of the Universe. Unfortunately, the pace of our contemporary lifestyle makes these kinds of connections very difficult to achieve, let alone sustain. Most people seldom function in the intuitive mind. It’s the intuitive mind that allows us to connect with and travel to the invisible parts of our being as well as the spiritual world. This is not a journey the rational mind can take. The GPS of the rational mind is limited to what we can see, smell, hear, taste and touch. The intuitive mind’s GPS has unlimited speed and unlimited places it can take us. To a certain extent, it’s possible to use the rational mind to unlock some of the potential of the intuitive mind, but that’s as far as it goes.
Intuitional Thinking and Creativity Naturally, we still need to communicate with each other using the rational mind. For instance, words and a certain degree of organization and logic are needed to hold conversations, or write a book, which looks like a rational process devised by the mind, but the material itself can carry the energetic vibration of the intuitive mind. In Eastern culture, there are many books written about life’s spiritual aspect and its mysteries. This is particularly true of ancient Taoist philosophical works and those of traditional Chinese medicine, which, as I’ve said, is a by-product of a spiritual practice. These kinds of works were not written with the rational mind. Rather, they come from the intuitive minds of the writers. Reading them with the rational mind alone, means the reader will not gain the maximum effect. Certain Chinese literary works are also of this nature. The words themselves are symbols. Behind them, there are transmissions or messages that are beyond the mind. These messages are for those who are meant to comprehend them. The Nei Jing is such a book. So is the I Ching, as well as the Tao Te Ching. Good scholars can explain these works with excellent vocabulary and great insight into their historical context, but unless you are able to unlock the messages of these intuitive works, it’s virtually impossible to access the wisdom imbedded within. There is profound insight in these ancient works; however, the intuitive mind with its connections to Nature and the consciousness of the Universe is necessary to carve a path to its deepest meaning. In Chinese culture, using the intuitive mind is to use one’s wu—thinking without the mind, or thinking with the Heart. This is also the kind of thinking that leads to enlightenment and the Tao.
Accessing the Intuitive Mind
Once in a while, some people can access information that comes from beyond the rational mind. Artists, musicians, painters, actors, writers, designers and other creative individuals tend to spend more time in the intuitive mind than the rational one. When it comes to developing strategic plans and creative ways of thinking about business or a company’s future, many successful executives can access their intuitive mind as well. By the way, the intuitional mind is the place where healing miracles come from. Miracles never come from the rational mind. Sometimes, many of us do tap into the mind’s nonrational side without understanding why or how. For instance, you may be driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood and become lost. Your GPS is not working. You come to a crossroads and your instant feeling, your intuition, says, “Go left.” Immediately, your mind steps in and tells you with authority, “No, you should go right.” So, you turn right. Later, you find your initial feeling was correct. Aside from this situation being annoying, what’s going on? You were receiving input that came from beyond your rational mind. The intuitive mind speaks to us all the time, but the question is, “Are we listening?” The intuitive mind, however, is not as inaccessible as you might think. As I’ve said, much of the time, true artists function in the intuitive mind. I think readers would agree, great music—from Mozart to Beethoven, from Tchaikovsky to the Beatles—doesn’t come from the rational mind. Poetry is between the mind’s rational and intuitive aspects because it requires a special facility with language; however, the way language is used to stimulate emotions is definitely not a rational exercise. Otherwise, the best poetry would not touch us so completely. In the West, we can look to the creative genius of a writer like William Shakespeare (1564–1616) whose work, even after more than four hundred years, has the power to evoke such profound emotions in us. I would like to encourage you to become more sensitive to the intuitive mind and to train yourself to tune in to it more often. Qigong is one spiritual, self-cultivation practice that can help. Following is an example of how we access the intuitive mind without even being aware of it.
Example: The Intuitive Mind and Instant Feeling Naturally, when most people go to a comedy club, they go for fun. They want to laugh. When the audience enjoys the comedy routines, no one asks what the performer’s IQ is. No one analyzes the content of the material. No one dissects the grammatical structure of the jokes before they laugh. The audience laughs spontaneously. Why is that? Great comics and their material have the ability to surprise and delight the intuitional mind. They go beyond logic and the rational mind. They have the talent to deliver messages in the form of jokes that touch you instantaneously. This kind of work directly communicates with the intuitive mind. Nature can touch us instantly as well. Sometimes, when you look at the full moon, it is so magnificent that it takes your breath away. There aren’t enough words to describe the feeling. You know immediately this reaction doesn’t come from your rational mind. This spontaneous moment can profoundly touch your spirit. You can feel its impact at a different level of existence. Now, let’s elevate this concept of connecting with the intuitive: If great comedy material can make you laugh, if it can make you forget about the many rational things you do and think about all day, if it can make you immediately connect with your intuitive power, can you imagine how amazing this ability can be in terms of healing? As many readers may know, this is what Norman Cousins, the well-known editor for thirty years of the Saturday Review, did for his life-threatening condition, called ankylosing spondylitis. Cousins used laughter to cure himself of this disease and is credited with being the “modern father of laughter therapy.” After doctors gave him little chance of recovery, he helped himself heal from this painful condition and
even shared his experience in the New England Journal of Medicine. His groundbreaking work inspired research into the effect of emotions on health that continues to this day. This unique kind of therapy makes a lot of sense when we view it from the Five Element energetic framework. TCM practitioners recognize the Heart controls the mind. Smiling helps Liver Qi and Blood flow. Looking at it from this angle, the child, the Heart, make its mother, the Liver, happy. Laughing and smiling from the Heart—a true, deep, compassionate smile—has a distinct physiological response, including reduced blood pressure—that is healing to the whole body. There is a Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice in this section that includes smiling from the Heart. I hope you will practice it often. It’s something you can learn easily and do for yourself anytime, anywhere, to tune up your mind and body. Looking at Cousins’ healing journey, we can see why it was such powerful one. I’d also like to point out we all have this ability to
self-heal, even in the face of such serious conditions. However, activating this gift always involves belief and an open mind. If we want to look at things from the body–mind–spirit perspective, we just have to understand these aspects of being cannot be separated from each other. If they can’t be separated, how do they impact each other? How do we treat them in relationship to health conditions? How can we address their many interrelationships? The answer is that it is very difficult without a map to guide us. This is where I believe Taoist thinking and the Five Element energetic framework can play a major role in contemporary healthcare, especially when it comes to conditions of metabolic syndrome and improving metabolism function. Remember that NIH research tells us conditions related to metabolic syndrome are the result of traits, habits and characteristics—aspects of conditions we can relate to the mind’s processing or digestive function. Here are several more ways of using the intuitive mind that I think readers can appreciate. Sometimes, you might be telling a story and forget someone’s name. No matter how hard you try to remember this piece of information, it just doesn’t come. Then, you may be washing dishes, cutting the grass, or shopping; suddenly, you remember the name! Or, how many people need to solve a business problem in their waking life and find a solution in their dreams? How many people have a difficult decision to make and think it over and over without any answer? Then, they take a hot bath or a walk in the park; once again, the answer appears “out of the blue.” You can see why and how they discovered these answers. Just for a little while, they allowed their intuitive mind to take charge. They tuned into a different frequency than the everyday frequency of the constant chatter of the rational mind. There are other ways the intuitive mind functions: You may sit on the beach and watch a sunset. It stimulates feelings, hopes and emotional reactions you know are definitely not part of your rational mind. You climb a mountain and you feel the rush of exhilaration. It gives you hope that anything is possible. This too is not born of the rational mind or a result of your five senses. These qualities of existence come from another place, another part of our being that is beyond time and space. I hope you can appreciate that whatever you see in this third-dimensional reality is not one hundred percent complete. There is always information or messages behind what you see with your physical eyes. These energetic frequencies can stimulate your spirit. They have the power to create a state of discontinuity, that Aha! moment, modern science talks about. Again, I want to emphasize that we cannot reach this place with the rational mind. I believe there are many famous artists, musicians, scientists, physicists and others who have the ability to jump “out of the box” and discover something extraordinary. We all have this capability, but how often do we use it or nurture it, especially for health and healing?
As I mentioned earlier, I am interested in discovering how a patient uses the intuitive aspect of his or her mind. In my practice, this is why our intake form asks new patients to describe the craziest thing they have ever done. Their answers let me interpret their experiences from a different angle. They help me see that these patients have used their intuitive power at some point in their lives. I think everyone has done something that comes from their intuitive mind, something that doesn’t make sense to anyone else. You might want to think about this angle too. What things like this have happened in your own life? How much guts did it take to make these things happen? How did your intuition override your rational mind? I tell my patients, if they can recall the kind of power that allowed them to do what they truly wanted to do without regard for anyone’s input, advice or warning, they can stimulate the cellular memory of this feeling. It’s always ever-present and they can use this power for healing. I learned this technique from my master. If I can help a patient recall this special feeling, a miracle often happens. It’s better than any acupuncture I can do or any herbs I can prescribe. The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days. –LAO TZU To reiterate, the intuitive mind is beyond time and space and functions faster than the speed of light. Many mothers have experienced using the intuitive mind when it comes to their children. For instance, a daughter or son who is hundreds of miles away at college suddenly becomes ill. Almost immediately, some mothers can feel something is not right. How does this happen so fast? We can understand it when we look at these kinds of events from the modern science perspective, which tells us everything is connected in the energy field. I’m sure many readers have had the experience of walking into a meeting where something unsettled was “in the air.” If you are sensitive to the energy field of the meeting, you may have instantly connected to the invisible frequencies of worry and fear. You may have been able to feel these vibrations without any words being spoken. Deep down, all the five senses are connected. The more you believe in this concept, the more of this reality you can experience. For example, if you have arthritis and develop this kind of sensitivity, you can pick up information even satellites can’t detect. By being sensitive to energetic frequencies, you can tell when Nature is about to change its weather patterns. I have patients who experience this. Your body is more sensitive than weather satellites; your brain operates faster than the fastest computer on Earth. Unless you actually believe in these concepts and train yourself to “see” and use your capabilities and intuition, you will limit what you can experience. I believe more and more people in our culture are looking for something that allows them to go beyond the five senses. Many individuals feel they are connected to a force beyond what they know on a rational level and yearn to expand their intuitive mind.
Most of the time, we have to use the rational mind to introduce ourselves to the intuitive mind. If we can open up to this unique feature of our mind, we have a much better chance of allowing the invisible, healing support of Nature and the Universe to touch us. Sometimes, we don’t know how; we don’t even know when these supportive messages reach us, but we can feel their effect. For instance, these things can and do happen: After seeing a spectacularly beautiful sunset at the Grand Canyon, perhaps your IBS disappears. You might witness a powerful geyser erupt at Yellowstone Park; suddenly, your dizziness is gone. You have connected to Nature’s energetic force. Or, perhaps you’re in a concert hall listening to a moving piece of music that is the result of the composer’s intuitional mind. Something in it stirs you so deeply; suddenly, your stress is relieved and your high blood pressure returns to normal. These are positive examples that occur when the five senses experience an event that touches us at the consciousness level. The physical level readjusts itself. You don’t know where, or how; however, the body–mind–spirit framework of TCM can explain this from a different angle. Before we move into a discussion of the mind and its emotions, I’d like to make a distinction between emotions and feelings. Feelings are different from emotions. For example, they are typically prompted by external events (like seeing a sad movie), not necessarily from your own experiences. You might hear of someone getting married and become inexplicably sad. The external event of the marriage has triggered a sad feeling within you. Maybe, it triggers thoughts of never finding that special someone with whom you can share true love. Or, your current feelings can be stimulated by your imagination; in this instance, you may create sadness by recalling or regretting something in the past.
The Mind and Emotions Though invisible, I would like you to understand that energetic frequencies of emotions can impact us just as fiercely as any bacteria or virus we can name. As you know, the Spleen-Stomach is associated with excessive worry and overthinking; the Liver-Gallbladder is associated with anger, frustration, stress and irritability; the Kidney-Bladder is associated with fear or shock; the Lung–Large Intestine is associated with sadness or grief; the Heart–Small Intestine is associated with joy, or rather excess joy. (Yes, it is possible to have too much of a good thing! Think of individuals who are told they’ve just won the lottery. Sometimes, the good news is so overwhelming, they suffer a heart attack.) If experienced in excess or held for a long time, emotional vibrations can seriously impact organ function. In a reciprocal fashion, if these organs are damaged in any way, as in the sport injury example in the section on the Body and Metabolism Function, their associated emotions will become unbalanced. Here, perhaps, is the most essential thing to know about mind and the emotions it generates: they take root as a result of beliefs. There is a fundamental chain reaction: beliefs create thoughts; thoughts create emotions; emotions impact the physical body. I tell my patients the shortcut to good health is to change their beliefs! We will talk about how and why this matters at the conclusion of this section.
Today, we hear talk about mind-body healing, especially when it comes to metabolic syndrome. There is lot of focus on nutrition, lifestyle changes and stress reduction. When it comes to these conditions, I believe we have to expand the framework to include the role of Qi or vital energy, which relates to mind’s energetic properties as well as spirit. When we speak about mind-body healing in contemporary healthcare, we disregard oneness. Our first instinct is to separate the body and the mind; the spirit is left out almost altogether. We take the body to a physician and the mind to a psychologist or psychiatrist. We take spirit to a religious counselor. We believe we can separate that which cannot be separated. However, we do experience better results when any practitioner acknowledges our emotions are meaningful and that stress is a major influence on a condition, or the course of an illness. Sometimes too, a skilled therapist will validate the connections between the body and mind. When any practitioner helps a patient look more holistically and positively at their situation, there is more progress and better outcomes. I think most of us recognize that the mind and its emotions have the power to push the body instantaneously into critical situations. The mind can transfer its thoughts to energetic frequencies of emotions faster than the speed of light. When your mind changes, thoughts change, then emotions change. If these emotions are strong enough, your body will experience some kind of transformation. Chronic or excessive emotions cause chaos in the body. Ask any woman who suddenly experiences hot flashes after a stressful day at work. Ask a man who becomes so angry he experiences a stroke. Ask the young person who has such an overwhelming panic attack that only an emergency room doctor can convince her that she is not having a heart attack. Consciousness and emotions play a life-and-death role in health and well-being. How powerful these energetic frequencies are! These examples are one side of the influence of the mind’s actions. Naturally, when we look at these happenings through the lens of Yin-Yang, there is an opposite side as well. When you fall in love, all your emotions are heightened. Falling in love literally colors the world you see differently. You feel different. You experience life in a heightened way. Even your health can change. Or, you might find attending a retreat engages your Heart and mind totally. A guru or spiritual teacher may touch you so deeply that immediately your whole life changes. You are moved by the power of emotions to follow a different life path. To improve metabolism function, there’s no way around it: you have to deal with the mind. Where does the mind get its material? As I’ve said, the answer is that the mind is based on beliefs. These beliefs can help you grow or they can limit you. They create thoughts and thoughts generate emotions. I think most people don’t think of emotions as powerful, energetic frequencies. However, these frequencies have the ability to impact metabolism function in a major way. That’s why the mind is such a critical player in health and wellness. Let’s look a little deeper at one emotion associated with the vital triangle of healthy metabolism function. Fear, which relates to the Kidney, can make your whole body change. It can make you depressed, or agoraphobic, afraid to leave your house. It can sap your Qi or life force and make you apathetic. It can make you feel like you don’t want to do much of anything. It can also make you lose your appetite, or not feel like being in any kind of motion, like driving a car. The energetic frequency of fear can also create an anxiety attack. Once your emotions reach this level, your metabolism function will definitely slow down. Excessive worry can affect your Stomach function. And, of course, anger, stress, frustration and irritability have a serious impact on Liver function.
Emotions and the Mind’s Digestive Capabilities What do the mind and emotions have to do with one another? Emotions, as I’ve said, are the actions or processing of the mind. What do we say when we encounter too much information, or too much emotion, for that matter? Often, people remark, “Let me sit with this.” What they’re really saying is, “Let me find a way to digest what you’re telling me or what just happened. Let me find a way for my mind to process this information or this event.” It’s important to understand the factors that influence how the mind produces the emotions we exhibit or carry with us, in some cases, for many years.
In the previous section, we’ve seen that just as human beings have a body, mind, and spirit, so does food. I hope you now have a deeper appreciation of food and have gained new insights into why and how it has the power to heal, which goes far beyond its physical properties. Recall too that in Section III, on the Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function, we talked about these stages as they relate to the body. They are: receiving, digesting, processing, transformation and manifesting, or demonstrating the effect of the first four processes in this reality. We also talked about modern science and its understanding that everything is energy. I would like to emphasize again that everything visible and invisible in this reality is energy. Our physical eyes can see many different forms and shapes. If we had special powers to peer into their subatomic reality, we would see these forms as dynamic patterns interacting with other patterns in the energy field. Today, we only “see” these things in movies with special effects, but ancient energy masters actually had this ability. And, as I’ve described, Master Xu has this ability today. What we observe as material bodies and forces are nothing but shapes and variations in the structure of space. –ERWIN SCHRÖDINGER The same stages of metabolism function hold true when we discuss the mind. Just as the Stomach is a digestive organ, the mind is also a digestive organ. Its function is to process those intangible aspects, or energetic frequencies, we have already introduced—consciousness, thinking, emotions, “feelings” (sensitivity to subtle forces), wishes, desires, intentions, imagination—even dreaming and psychic ability. Remember, the kind of energy we are talking about has consciousness and purpose. The stages of metabolism function are not random; they don’t just happen to you. Your life and, I might add, your health, are based on beliefs you choose to hold. They are the starting point and you are the one who chooses them. Recall metabolism function’s first step of receiving. If you are not open to new ideas, thoughts, challenges and the like, how much new material can you allow into your psyche? If your mind isn’t open, how much information or new experiences can you digest? Ask yourself: what kind of material do you allow your mind to receive that will nourish it and support its growth? In the last section, we also talked extensively about food and metabolism function. If your mind is allergic to foods and the energetic information they contain, how much of a particular food’s benefits can you really digest? Food’s Qi, as well as its messages, is essential for healing conditions like those of metabolic syndrome. Over the years, Master Xu has continually encouraged me to expand my thinking; I encourage you to do the same as we explore the mind. Our quantum journey takes us into new territory that will allow you to comprehend what the mind is truly capable of. I would like to share with you how the mind’s unique processing or digestive capabilities plays the most essential role in keeping metabolism function healthy. The mind, as I’ve noted, allows you to process beliefs, thoughts, emotions, intentions, desires and more. Sometimes, we are fortunate enough to do this kind of processing naturally; however, if we can’t, the mind will put limits on the body in terms of what it can do and how it functions.
How does the mind grow? Individuals are born pure; most are born healthy. All you have to do is look into the eyes of a baby and see this truth. He or she enters the world with a mind that has two aspects, the rational and intuitive. The infant is innocent and functions primarily in the intuitive mind during its early years; however, as he or she grows up, the mind’s dual aspects flip. The rational mind assumes the lead position for navigating this reality. The mind and the emotions it processes begin to change. The rational mind becomes a structure, built up from external experiences and interactions with family, educational systems, culture and more. It becomes very strong. Little by little, the intuitive mind is told to be quiet and is shut down by many things—society, school, business and even religion. Today’s society doesn’t allow many people to function in the intuitive mind. It is not generally encouraged in business schools or even in business itself. If you are an artist of some kind, then intuitive thinking is more acceptable to society. We are all encouraged to study and acquire as much knowledge as possible. We are rewarded for exercising the rational mind. Rarely, though, are we encouraged to cultivate as much intuition as possible, which is the most critical aspect of health and healing. I would like to help you understand how you create your own reality. In a reality where everything is energy and energy has consciousness and purpose, things just don’t “happen.” From the spiritual perspective, there are no accidents. Your nonrational mind and your spirit are always in communication and know what’s going on. It’s the rational aspect of the mind that is constantly busy as it builds its belief structure and churns out thoughts, perceptions, emotions, feelings, desires, intentions, dreams, and more, based on the beliefs it chooses to hold. These aspects of the mind are what control most people’s lives. In clinical practice today, In my clinical practice, I see clearly how consciousness and emotions are the biggest factors impeding the healing progress of my patients. This is certainly true when it comes to creating healthy metabolism function at the body, mind and spirit levels. From our discussion of food, you now know that digestion is a multidimensional act. Digesting food, emotions and information keeps us alive. On the mental level, digesting emotions also keeps us alive. It allows us to receive and process new information, insights, messages and more. On the spiritual level, the digestive function supports our purpose in this reality as energy beings. As I’ve said, the first question my patients usually ask me is, “What should I eat?” I tell them, “This is not the most important question. On one level, you are what you eat, but at the highest level, you are what you think! Your mind is a powerful energetic force that has a profound influence on the way your body functions.” I hope you will really think about the implications of this. Here’s an example of how the mind and the body perform an energy exchange during a common activity that engages millions of Americans.
Example: How the Body and Mind Exchange Energy
Over fifty million people in the U.S. have gym memberships. Many people go in the evening. Why is that? My patients tell me, “I feel much better going to the gym after work.” There’s an energetic reason for this. I’m not saying the gym is bad. Since we’re looking at things with a different framework, let’s look at how this activity impacts metabolism function at the body, mind and spirit levels. You might be surprised. Many patients ask me, “So, why do I feel good when I go to the gym?” My answer is that you do feel good, but the cause of this feeling is not only the result of physical exercise. Through your exercise routine, you release a whole day’s worth of physical, mental and emotional stress. So far, so good. With your physical actions, you have used your life force, your Qi, to transform stress by releasing it through movement of one kind or another—walking on the treadmill, lifting free weights and so on. The energetic frequency or vibration of stress is relieved. That’s why you feel good. That takes care of your body. Let me show you what happens when we turn our attention to the mind and spirit levels. Our personal daily life is one kind of reality. As I’ve discussed, many people in this reality cannot be one hundred percent true to their real feelings. They cannot express their true nature. There just is no place for it in their busy, overscheduled lives—not at home, not at work, not even necessarily with their loved ones, family or friends. This causes a lot of emotional stress. They have difficulty conquering this issue. Basically, many individuals cannot say what they really want to say; they cannot do what they really want to do. Often, you will find these people at the gym where they transfer this wish to be free into physical movement. At the gym, they can say to themselves, “Well, at least here, I can accomplish something. I can run so many miles on the treadmill, lift so much weight; I can improve myself.” Their workout becomes the image or symbol of how much control they have over their lives. Therefore, they’ve transferred one level of reality to creativity in the gym. Without this release of emotion and their mind’s wish for control, it’s possible the individual would experience some kind of emotional condition or physical damage. I’ve seen many patients go through this experience. The gym offers a good opportunity to take charge of your life, but only in a certain way. So now, we can turn to our modern science framework to consider this: The first law of thermodynamics tells us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. We know it also has transference capabilities. The total amount of energy is equal. Think about this: You experience an entire day filled with stress, which has already caused an invisible Liver function disorder. After work, you’re now operating at the lowest energy level of your day, but mentally you really want to push yourself. You want to force your body to do something it doesn’t really want to do. How many times have you or your friends said, “I know I should go to the gym, but I just can’t make myself tonight”? Even though you can release tension and emotional stress through exercise, I tell my patients to be careful. This kind of exercise in the evening, rather than in the morning, can use double and even triple the amount of your Qi or vital energy. It may even cause physical damage. It’s much easier to cause a sport injury if you feel tired and push yourself to
go to the gym. If you really want to make yourself strong, exercise when you feel good and not stressed. I tell my patients the best exercise is to relax; in fact, the very best exercise is to sleep! You never see a cat exercise, do you? They just lay there, rest and sleep; they walk around, stretch their tendons, then they rest some more. Yet, they have speed and agility. Nature is the best teacher and we can learn some great secrets by paying attention to its creatures and plants. I also tell my patients another great exercise is to take a hot bath. Many patients have told me this can actually be a transformative experience. Play some soft music; light some candles and, if you like, bring a glass of wine. Just don’t fall asleep! This sounds too simple to be true, doesn’t it? My master always reminds me that complicated minds never understand simple truths. I hope you will remember: the truth is always simple; it is never complicated. The concept here is that when the body relaxes, the mind will relax. When the mind relaxes, Qi (and its inseparable companion, Blood) can flow. Even though you are doing what appears to be nothing at the physical level, you are doing a lot at deeper levels to help the body rebalance itself. I would like to repeat: achieving balance and harmony is the path to total health. This kind of exercise costs you nothing and you will feel so happy and comfortable. Another excellent way to relax your mind and release emotional tension is to use the shower. While the water is flowing over your body, use your imagination and picture the water flowing inside you as well, washing way any emotional issues. How good is this? You can take two showers at the same time—an internal and external one. I urge you not to underestimate the effectiveness of these seemingly simple actions. Try them for a few weeks. You might be surprised and pleased with the results.
The Mind, the Brain, the Gut and the Microbiota The mind and brain are related, but the nature of this relationship is still a mystery. Some people believe the mind resides within the brain. Modern science has begun to suggest this assumption may not be complete or even real. There has been a great deal of research that’s revealed the stomach serves as a second “brain.” Michael Gershon, MD, discussed this in his book, The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine. It is the result of his rediscovery of “nerve cells in the gut that act as a brain.” According to Gershon, “This ‘second brain’ can control our gut all by itself. Our two brains—the one in our head and the one in our bowel—must cooperate. If they do not, then there is chaos in the gut and misery in the head.” His book has been described as a quantum leap in medical knowledge. How many times do we hear people say, “I have to go with my gut.” Or, “She has a lot of guts!” Recall our earlier discussion in Section IV about the Gallbladder and guts. This is another concept that TCM has applied for thousands of years: The body has an internal communications system that functions at multidimensional levels. Scientifically, we are only beginning to explore this territory; energetically, TCM practitioners have been aware of this connection for a very long time and used this understanding to address illness and disease. This is an example of the mind’s location outside the brain, but inside the body. There is exciting thinking about the mind and its location outside the body. Some contemporary scientists like Rupert Sheldrake see the mind connected to the brain but residing in a far larger sphere. Sheldrake has done some astounding (yes, for some, controversial) work in the field of the mind. He says, “I think that we—humankind—are connected to everybody we think of and to all the places we are attached to through our extended minds. Our minds are vast, far-reaching, and spatially extended networks of connections in space and time—networks of immense scope in which the brains inside our heads are but a portion.” Understanding this perspective helps explain how vast amounts of information, what Sheldrake calls the morphic field, can sometimes be accessed or downloaded without external factors. It also helps explain how this information exists outside our physical bodies and why we can tap into it to support health and healing. It may also explain the notion of the “transmission of knowledge without learning,” the gifts that pass from master to student, like the kind I have received from Master Xu. As I write this book, there is a great deal of scientific research into the microbiota and microbiome, especially with the hope of being able to apply this information to enhance personalized medicine. According to research from the NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information, “The human microbiota consists of the 10–100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells harbored by each person, primarily bacteria in the gut; the human microbiome consists of the genes these cells harbor. Microbiome projects worldwide have been launched with the goal of understanding the roles that these symbionts play and their impacts on human health.” It seems that science is still in the process of defining exactly what human microbiota and its microbiome are. Looking at this information from a different angle, we can say that the body has remarkable capabilities of organizing or aggregating its organisms for greater purpose. When there is purpose, we have to say there is conscious, intelligent energy. Again, this brings us back to looking at the root cause for why these trillions of cells behave and respond as they do. We have to move to the energetic level for a more complete understanding. I want to bring these concepts into our discussion of the mind. While it’s exciting to see these developments, it’s important to recognize that the more we separate, fragment, divide and analyze things, the farther away we move from the reality of oneness and inseparability. We become more prone to believe the answers lie in the parts and not the whole. The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
–LAO TZU
Allowing the Mind to Grow Before we move ahead on our quantum journey, I would like to share a true story. This is how I came to understand the central role consciousness and the mind’s energetic power play in the health conditions of my patients. This is my journey and how I was guided to change my beliefs and allow my mind to open to the deeper, invisible energetic realities that govern our lives. The concept of “master” is not well understood in the West. Few people have a clear idea of what it means in relationship to Eastern spiritual philosophies, like Taoism, or energy practices, like Qigong. Even fewer individuals have had the opportunity to follow or study with a master. A master is a guide and a teacher, someone who helps his or her students discover for themselves their real gifts and true purpose in life. From a very young age, I have been fortunate to study with several extraordinary masters. One, of course, is Master Professor Xi-hua Xu, who encouraged me to write this book and reveal some of the long-held secrets of Taoist practice and traditional Chinese medicine. I am grateful to him for helping me deepen my thinking about how and why the mind is an energetic force that impacts the body’s functions. The quality of this kind of mind is different from the kind of mind we generally think of. His insights have allowed me to recognize that the mind and its emotions are the most important factors feeding the conditions of imbalances we see in healthcare today. As we talk about the mind, I would like to share what I’ve learned. This incredible wisdom has been passed down directly to Master Xu through an energy transmission. Its origins can be traced to Lao Tzu himself, acknowledged as author of the Tao Te Ching and founder of the philosophical branch of Taoism. Through long conversations, Master Xu guided me to a deeper understanding of the mind: what it is, what it can do, where it is, how it influences health and illness, as well as the beliefs, thoughts and emotions that it generates. Most importantly, he showed me how thoughts and emotions are Qi or powerful energetic frequencies and how these invisible forces have a tremendous impact on all aspects of a human being. His teachings opened my mind to a different way of seeing patients and their conditions. Our discussions revealed the visible and invisible aspects of the mind and their connection to spirit. One of the most extraordinary gifts I received from Master Xu was the experience of receiving knowledge without study or book learning. He showed me that it is true: wisdom and information can be passed directly from master to student— from one person to another—when both have strong beliefs and their minds are open. That experience changed my life forever. Let me explain a little more.
When I was young, I had the privilege of studying with several high-level masters. As I mentioned earlier, during my martial arts training in China, I studied with one of the legendary figures of contemporary martial arts. His name was Master Wan Laisheng, known as one of the Five Tigers of the North. At that time, I was pretty good at martial arts. One of the reasons was that I had an excellent memory and could recall the hundreds of different forms and techniques my fellow students and I studied. My level of performance depended on studying, learning and practicing. It also depended on my memorization skills and how much my mind could receive, digest and retain. I applied myself to studying and memorizing a tremendous amount of information related to the martial arts systems I practiced. As I grew up, I had to keep this knowledge alive by continually exercising my mind to remember each form, each step and practicing them. At that time, all of my friends, or “brothers,” and I were crazy about the martial arts. We would literally eat, breathe, sleep, and dream about them. We were passionate! Each of us had the strongest desire to be the best; we believed the way to do that was practice, study, learn and perform. In addition, we had to excel at remembering the information we had acquired so we could perform even better. One of the hopes and dreams of students like us who have such an intense interest in the martial arts is that, one day, we will meet a true master who passes, or transmits, the secret of the entire system to us. Throughout the long journey of the martial arts in China there are many stories about this kind of mystical event. Students like me dreamed of having such an experience. Could this be possible? We all hoped this kind of thing could happen. As I grew older, I left this belief behind. One day, however, my hope became a reality. I met Master Xu. After our relationship developed, he was the first master to show me that it is true! He received his own gift by following his passion for Taoist philosophy and the path of Qigong. At a certain point, an automatic transmission downloaded unique abilities and extraordinary wisdom that allows him to see things very few people in this reality can see. Knowledge suddenly passed to him without study or learning. Today, most people find it hard to believe these things happen. They don’t believe someone can acquire this kind of power without tremendous work. It seems like a fantasy, even in the twenty-first century. In the West, that’s understandable because we are only exposed to these ideas in the movies or literature. Often, we see something like this in a film where the ancient master on his deathbed passes knowledge directly to his best martial arts student. In Chinese culture, there are many movies with these kinds of stories. Here, in the West, we often see this kind of thing in a science fiction movie where someone opens a magical book; suddenly, all the wisdom in it is instantly downloaded to him or her. Or, we watch a small group on a quest remove a special stone from an ancient wall. Instantly, they receive emanations connected to the consciousness and knowledge of a different time and space that some master has hidden, waiting for the right person to access it. This concept has also been used in science fiction movies like The Matrix. Readers may recall the scene in which one of the characters needs to fly a helicopter. Within seconds, she is able to download the necessary information transmitted to her by her team and immediately fly the helicopter. Is this sort of thing possible, or is it just for mystical movies or science fiction films? From what I have experienced and what I have seen, I can tell you it is doable. Most of us tend to think these are just fascinating stories but aren’t really real. I thought the same thing. Then, I studied with Master Xu and received something extraordinary. Through an energy transmission, he passed to me the wisdom of the discipline of martial arts, the real spirit behind the entire system. It was an incredible moment. As I followed my master further, he helped expand my beliefs and my thinking about what is really possible in this third-dimensional reality. One of the most incredible gifts he also passed to me was an understanding of the mystery of meridians or energy channels. He took me so deep into this mystery that it changed me forever and also how I work with patients. This knowledge transfer was a stunning revelation. Up until that point, I believed, just as practitioners in Western medicine do, doctors of TCM have to build their skill and increase their knowledge by continuing to work with many patients over time—week by week, month by month, year by year. They need to experience different cases and meet different kinds of patients to create a bank of experience to draw from. East or West, virtually everyone believes learning comes from accumulating knowledge over time. Suddenly, I was the recipient of incredible wisdom about the meridian system and more —without study or book knowledge. I was able to open to this transference and its extraordinary messages. I began applying these deeper insights in my clinical practice. Master Xu helped me understand the power and mystery of meridians and that they are the most important aspect of TCM. He also showed me how all of Chinese culture is based on Qi and the transmission of knowledge and messages from a different dimension. This is true of the martial arts as well as the fine arts, including painting, music, dance as well as other art forms like culinary skills, calligraphy, landscape design and others. At the highest level, all of these human expressions—Eastern or Western—are based on the transmission of Qi or energy, not on the accumulation of techniques or longtime study. How much learning can you accumulate in one lifetime? Studying and learning have limits in this reality; energy transmissions are beyond time and space. True artists know this. They begin by learning technique; then, it becomes so much a part of them, they can let technique go and move to a higher plane where opening to their intuition means everything.
Like the ancient Qigong masters of China, Master Xu has the gift of being able to penetrate the physical body like an X-ray and, with his inner vision, see the invisible meridians that make up the body’s energy network. Not only can he see meridians, he can also pinpoint the location of stagnation or energy blockages that affect my patients’ health. He describes these meridians, as well as the acupuncture points, in terms of light. In this experience, these invisible, energetic structures appear as beautiful lights that stream from the body. Meridians, as we’ve discussed, operate beyond the speed of light and have no time or space. They exist beyond this reality. Time and again, Master Xu demonstrates what modern science has discovered: there is no time and space at the quantum level. From a different time zone, in a different space, he is able to clearly see my patients’ meridians and correctly diagnose their problem. Master Xu helped me change my beliefs about what is possible in this reality. He taught me that an energy transfer requires true belief and a different kind of mind. He introduced me to the difference between acquiring knowledge through book learning and study, and the wisdom passed from the mind of the Universe. Today, my Qigong students also experience this kind of unique energy transmission. While most people might think these amazing things are only possible in the movies, I can tell you from experience that any of these things are possible. If one master can do this, imagine what many masters could have done long ago! Master Xu also showed me that Nature itself can serve as a master. It is possible for humans to absorb information and messages directly from Nature that don’t require book learning. If we believe this and our minds are open enough, Nature will share its gifts. Again, there are requirements: belief and an open mind. Otherwise, certain things just cannot be transmitted or received. I can tell you with certainty that studying and learning are not the only ways to acquire wisdom and knowledge. Just like the cell phone analogy we talked about earlier, the mind has many features and tremendous capabilities we haven’t even begun to tap into. Over time, I developed a deeper understanding of the powerful energetic nature of beliefs, as well as the thoughts and emotions they create. Master Xu revealed the relationship between emotional frequencies and disease and illness. He also taught me why the best way to help a patient is to look first at their condition from the spiritual point of view. At this level, everything has a reason and purpose. One of the most important things I learned was an understanding that illness and disease are symbols of consciousness and serve as a bridge to recognize spirit’s highest purpose.
The Role of Symbols: Practicing Jing, Qi, Shen—the Highest Form of Body– Mind–Spirit Medicine Let me say a few words about symbols and symbolization here. Medicine is always rooted in the culture. In Chinese culture, the I Ching and the bagua are systems that originally appeared through spiritual practice. (See Section IX, the Appendix, for more information.) For many millennia, they have helped people understand that everything in this reality can be understood as a symbol. Here’s a simple, current example of symbolization: Around the world, I think everyone knows that red means stop and green means go. These colors are symbols of actions that need to be taken. They are not the actions themselves; red and green are just symbols, or stand-ins, for another concept. How you interpret symbols and allow them to guide you depends on your mind and its level of understanding. In this reality, every object can be read as a symbol of the energetic messages of Universal consciousness. Accessing the spirit of the I Ching and the bagua depends on your level of understanding of how to interpret their symbols. Illness and disease can also be read as symbols of consciousness. The real spirit of traditional Chinese medicine and its treatment philosophy are based on the concept of Jing, Qi, Shen, the profound framework that TCM has practiced for thousands of years and that informs Digesting the Universe. Essentially, it means body, mind and spirit. This phrase has many different levels of meaning. Most importantly, while we
can say the words individually, each one is interrelated with the other. These aspects of your being are inseparable. TCM practitioners learn about body–mind–spirit healing as they study to become doctors. Unfortunately, not many people have access to the “indoor” knowledge some masters have acquired in terms of their understanding of spirit. The reason is that, even if some masters reach this level, they often don’t want to talk about it, therefore priceless wisdom is not widely shared. According to the Huangdi Nei Jing, the ancient medical text attributed to the Yellow Emperor, the lowest level of TCM practice is dealing with the body’s health conditions; the highest level always deals with spirit. When we enter the realm of Shen (or Spirit), we are no longer dealing with things of the third dimension. Here, everything must be seen as a symbol. The unique gift of this ancient functional medicine system lies in its ability to interpret symbols. Each master or practitioner has a way of interpreting the symbols they see. Each one guides his or her patients from a special gate to help their situation. It’s interesting to note that TCM never fully developed an extensive body of healing knowledge dedicated to the mind alone. This is despite the fact that, as early as six hundred years ago, there was an extraordinary understanding of how to use the energetic frequencies of certain emotions to rebalance others. As a whole, however, Chinese culture is not receptive to psychology or group therapy. It’s a branch that never evolved due to the nature of the culture. Master Xu also introduced me to the deeper meanings hidden in plain sight in the Huangdi Nei Jing. He revealed to me what ancient masters discovered many centuries ago about meridians and organs and their related emotions. I now understand this was not psychology but a sophisticated, multidimensional understanding of biological functions from the quantum perspective. Practicing body–mind–spirit healing at its highest level requires the TCM doctor to see that behind the physical object of a patient’s body is the motion or expression of his or her mind and spirit. As I mentioned, everything in three-dimensional reality can be read as a symbol. A mountain, a house, a bird, an apple, music, the arts are all examples of objects that can be read this way. Your body shape can be read as a symbol too. This holds true of the body’s illness or disease. Health conditions too can be read as symbols. They represent actions taking place at a higher dimension. From the spiritual point of view, we can call these objects symbols; from the energetic point of view, we have to say it’s all energy. Once we introduce the concept of energy, then, we can talk about the exchange of energetic frequencies. From the quantum point of view, when we introduce energy, or frequency, we have to recognize all energy has purpose as well as consciousness. This is why it’s essential to look beyond the body’s material form and not get stuck at the illness or disease level. If a practitioner can develop a strong belief and open his or her mind, he or she will be able to observe the patient’s body, mind and spirit as different forms of energy. The only difference is the patient’s quality and quantity of his or her energy. I want to emphasize: TCM understands the body is energy; the mind is energy; emotions are energy; spirit is energy. Everything is energy. While their effects are very real, illness and disease represent different forms of emotional processing. Emotions are also symbols. They are simply different shapes or forms of consciousness and spirit that an individual manifests in this reality. Unfortunately, almost always, healthcare professionals deal with objects we see with our physical eyes (or the extended seeing of medical technologies) in third-dimensional reality. But, these things are always multidimensional because they are energetic symbols that reflect the state of the patient’s body, mind and spirit. The real question we have to ask is, “How can we achieve the best healing results if we deal with only one aspect of a patient?” True religions understand that human beings belong to another reality than the one we experience with our senses. At their highest level, Eastern spiritual practices too understand the human form as Qi or vital energy involved with the motion of processing.
Not many practitioners are fortunate enough to meet a high-level master with a profound understanding of the real essence of the ancient phrase Jing, Qi, Shen. Masters with this kind of insight may exist, but often they do not pass on the wisdom and knowledge they’ve gained. Many things have to operate perfectly for a master and student to connect successfully. First, it’s difficult to transmit this kind of wisdom to another person. The master’s skill level must be high. Second, the master and student have to meet at precisely the right time. I think many readers are familiar with the saying, “When the student is ready, the master will come.” Third, the master has to have a high level of insight himself and see good potential in the student; otherwise, he will not pass his gift. In Chinese culture, the master would rather die with his gift than pass it to the wrong person. Chinese tradition is different; you never say something to someone who doesn’t understand it. I consider myself fortunate to have met Master Xu, an extraordinary, gifted master and guide. As I’ve said, I have written Digesting the Universe so I could share many of the secrets and insights he has passed to me. The most important of which is that the body and its conditions are symbols in this reality. Another is that each of the body’s organs has consciousness and purpose; each has a distinctive personality and mind that must express itself through processing Qi or its energetic frequencies.
The Mind Can Change Its Mind When I began studying with Master Xu more than twenty years ago, his insights about symbols and symbolization helped me focus more effectively on addressing illness and disease. He taught me secret energy points for various conditions like tennis elbow, heel pain, overweight, and menopause, among other things. He also revealed a special acupuncture point I can needle to shrink breast masses. The treatment of overweight, menopause and breast health became so effective our TCM World Foundation now runs programs that have given many thousands of individuals the tools they need to apply this body–mind–spirit approach to health and wellness. One day, Master Xu said to me, “I have revealed many secret acupuncture points and so much hidden knowledge to you. Now, you have reached the limit of what you can do as a TCM practitioner. You can continue to cultivate this knowledge, but even if you master it completely, you can only deal with a patient at the body level. If you stay on this path, I believe you can be the best TCM technician, but you will not touch the patient’s mind and spirit—the root cause.” He told me, “I can show you the biggest secret of all. Everything about the patient’s physical condition occurs at another level—it’s always about the motion of Qi, especially the energetic frequencies of emotions. My question is, ‘Do you want to remain at the level of treating illness and disease, or do you want to create a practice of helping patients based on consciousness and the Tao?’ Right now, you are very skilled at fixing many conditions. You have the ability to jump to another level and I would be happy to help you do this. You can change the entire focus of your practice to restoring balance and treating patients at the consciousness level where they can deal with their problem’s root cause. Though not every patient will be open to this path, you will be able to help those who want to open their mind to discover their true purpose.” He said, “Remember, if you associate with the good; you can become the good. If you always associate with illness and disease, your life becomes about illness and disease. Is this your ultimate purpose?” He added, “You have an opportunity to focus your talent and skills on life itself, consciousness and Qi. Do you want to do this? This means you can associate with and draw energy from its infinite power. You have a choice. Which way do you want to go? This is the big picture. You can help patients understand oneness and the influence of the interrelationships in their lives and with Nature. Then, your life will always connect to the biggest notion of all—Universal consciousness. If you practice this way, you will discover many more things. This is the true spirit of body–mind–spirit healing and Chinese medicine.”
Master Xu’s advice meant I had to be willing to change frameworks to help patients heal from spirit downward, not the other way around. His guidance allowed me to shift my beliefs and expand my thinking. My practice of helping patients address illness and disease changed to working with them to understand the role of Qi and the dynamic relationships that govern the inseparability of life. It allowed me to see that the first order of business for a patient is to restore balance. Now, I apply this way of thinking, not only to my interactions with patients but also to my life. As I developed this insight, I experienced tremendous changes. This path allowed me to follow Natural Law. I now focus on guiding patients to access the consciousness behind their conditions and the answers they carry within to change their lives. Master Xu reminded me of an ancient proverb, “One way you can practice is to give patients a fish. Then, they can eat for a day (take care of their health problems in the short term). Another way is to teach them to fish so they can eat for a lifetime (or activate the self-healing power they were born with).” He also said, “Your mind represents the connection to Natural Law; I hope you will always connect to this law. Otherwise, you will only function in the laws of the third dimension.” Through our relationship, I opened up a far more profound understanding of the Five Element energetic framework. I now saw it as a complex, multidimensional picture of human consciousness, Nature and spirit. It is far beyond a simple organization chart. Little by little, my practice shifted to body–mind–spirit healing. Its focus is on restoring balance and promoting harmony while supporting the body’s interrelationships with Nature and the Universe. I have found most people are missing something; their relationship with Nature has been disrupted. Today, in our practice, we help patients understand their conditions from the body, mind and spirit levels to address consciousness and the loving purpose behind the condition. While the path of treating illness and disease can produce many excellent technicians who are skilled at treating symptoms, breaking through to another level is to follow the path of the Tao. For me, it is beyond the doctor-patient relationship; it is about helping individuals understand health conditions as symbols of energy’s processing. This is following Nature’s rules. I discovered too that even if a patient is not able or willing to follow this path, I must. This is the way of the Tao. Today, my framework for helping patients—based on ancient wisdom and modern science—is very different. This angle of view lets me see different things and achieve different outcomes. Together, we work on consciousness and beliefs, as well as applying various healing modalities. One of the best analogies I use to help them to understand the body–mind–spirit framework is to tell them that working with the Five Element energetic framework is all about public relations. I explain the idea this way: Everything in Western culture is about PR and how to create and maintain harmonious, cooperative relationships. This Five Element framework provides a time-tested blueprint for understanding relationships at the body, mind and spirit levels. I tell them their health is not just how well their body parts work; it is always influenced by inseparable relationships. It is connected to how balanced their relationships are with their life, family, friends, parents, food, job, finances, health, Nature and so many more things. From what I’ve experienced, the highest level of healing is about restoring balance and harmony, not fighting with illness and disease.
Emotions: The TCM Perspective In our Western culture, we typically separate emotions from the body, but we are beginning to recognize this is not the way things work. Modern science has helped us see, at the subatomic level, nothing can be discussed in isolation and everything is connected through energy. This is quantum theory. More than five thousand years ago, high-level spiritual masters had already discovered this principle of inseparability of the body, mind and spirit through spiritual technology. They downloaded the Five Element energetic framework and its astounding blueprint of Nature’s elements, organs and associated emotions, as well as other correspondences. While Eastern and Western cultures may use the same vocabulary for “mind” and “emotions,” the TCM concept is different. Your mind is like a gun, but it’s your emotions that pull the trigger. Your mind digests and processes your thoughts as emotions. Sometimes, these emotions are hidden within the body; sometimes they are displayed externally in the form of physical conditions everyone can see. It’s easy to identify which emotion is involved with a condition by looking at its related organ in the Five Element energetic framework. If an emotion is experienced excessively or chronically, it will unbalance the function of its associated organ. If you worry constantly, you will see a change in your Stomach function. If relentless stress is part of your life, your Liver function will falter. If you continually feel fearful or respond to the culture’s fear-driven messages, your Kidney function will eventually become depleted. And, depending on the severity of these issues, so will other body structures related to these organs. Remember too, energy flows both ways; an organ’s physical problem has the power to impact its associated emotion. If these energetic frequencies of emotions can impact physical functions, then we have to talk about metabolic function in a different way. We have to factor in the mechanism through which these frequencies impact the body. The physical body is a 3D screen that shows the state of metabolic function; it will also show whether the more expansive concept of metabolism function, is or isn’t working.
Qi: The Language of Emotions As we discussed in the previous section, food itself has a body, mind and spirit aspect, just as we do. This allowed us to explore what the mind means in relationship to food. The plant itself has consciousness and a purpose to fulfill in this reality, just as we do. The mind level of food refers to its processing or digestion of motion and messages. It refers to all the food’s interactions with the interrelated elements of sunlight, moonlight, starlight, rain, wind, soil, other plants, insects, animals and interactions with seasons. Each food also undergoes transformational processes internally to grow from a seed to its completed form that allows it to achieve its purpose. We’ve already talked about how Nature too functions at the mind level. It has its own emotions. Seasonal changes and shifts in weather help Nature express itself. When our bodies are in balance, we can communicate or process with Nature as its different seasons bring us new energies and feelings. On a hot morning at the end of summer, have you ever felt a slight chill and known, with certainty, autumn was on its way? Or, have you ever smelled a certain note in the air at the end of winter and knew, at a deeper level, spring was about to arrive? Your consciousness already has communicated with Nature’s mind more times than you know! In a similar way, the mind also processes and digests its many aspects of being when it comes to its creative outputs. TCM uses a different vocabulary to talk about emotions and their processing function. It is referred to as Qi. In the context of the mind, we can ask, “What is Qi?” Qi is definitely energy, power or force. But, you know now, it also has another dimension, which is the ability to carry and transmit information, intelligence, messages and wisdom. These messages involve consciousness and purpose. I would like to emphasize that Qi is the magical, infinite part of the human body that is always part of Nature and the unconditional love of the Universe. When it comes to understanding the mind and its emotions, TCM practitioners turn to the multidimensional blueprint of the Five Element energetic framework. It clearly indicates which emotions are associated with specific paired organ systems. It helps practitioners understand the energy frequency of an emotion in terms of Qi and its actions. A TCM doctor might tell the patient, “Your Liver Qi is rising.” This means the Liver’s emotions of anger, stress, frustration and irritability are becoming unbalanced. Or, another one might say, “Your Liver Qi is depleted,” which means you are fatigued or depressed. You have no energy or desire to express yourself. As we look at the vital triangle that supports healthy metabolism function, we see excessive or chronic worry and overthinking are associated with the Stomach. Unfortunately for many people, these energetic frequencies often consume and unbalance lives. We worry about so many things: from children to money, to our future, to the fate of the world and more. Mostly, we worry about things we have little control over. These unbalanced energetic frequencies can cause metabolism function to become sluggish. The ability of your body to process what you put into it, including sweet things, which the Stomach loves, can slow down. In this case, you might develop a digestive system disorder, or gain weight. Worry can also cause that constant bloated feeling or a distended stomach. We’ve talked a lot about fear, which can upset healthy Kidney function. This kind of fear is subtle yet pervasive throughout Western culture; it’s becoming the same in other places like the Middle East and, increasingly, in Asian cultures. Also, from everything you’ve read so far in Digesting the Universe, you know stress has a major impact on the healthy function of the Liver, one of the organs of our vital triangle.
Thoughts and Emotions: The Mind’s Creative Output The mind operates at the conscious and unconscious level all the time, day and night. We can’t use our body without this multilevel cooperation and decision-making capability. When your physical body has difficulty, it means something is also happening with the motion of your mind. With any health condition, we have to look beyond the physical for the fundamental reasons why things are not working. I cannot refer to Einstein’s concept too many times: Energy is another form of mass or matter; matter is another form of energy. They are interchangeable. The earlier example of the desire to take a vacation demonstrates a simple story of how we all have the capability of projecting emotions, desires, hopes, wishes, intentions, imagination and other invisible energies into this reality. These are strong frequencies. We also have to recognize, under certain conditions, these frequencies have the capability of accumulating and transforming themselves into matter. If you’ve tried many different ways to heal conditions relating to metabolic syndrome or improve your metabolism function, I urge you to consider a different framework that integrates the critical role the mind, its beliefs, thoughts and emotions play. These are the central factors affecting your health and your life! Some of the major questions we need to explore on our quantum journey are: How can we understand these concepts from a revolutionary framework that integrates ancient wisdom with modern science? How can we use this knowledge to stimulate the healing abilities you were born with? Remember, you create your own reality.
Unbalanced Emotions Affect Metabolism Function If you’ve remained on our quantum journey this far, you are ready to use a different framework to understand health and healing. You have already agreed, from a spiritual level, that there are no accidents and your continued reading has purpose for you. As we shall see, consciousness, energy and purpose play the critical role in constructing the bridge between the body, mind and spirit. I would like to emphasize the kind of emotions we are talking about have a different dimension than those dealt with in modern psychology or psychiatry. We’ll talk about this shortly. If you want to move to the next level to improve your metabolism function, we have to use … well … a fresh mind. The mind and how it processes emotions is energy. Emotions are energetic realities. They are strong vibrations. Thoughts and emotions, intentions and desires, among other things, are not just fluffy clouds that happen and disappear into the void and have no impact in this reality, on other people or on the person who generates them. Emotions have a tremendous influence on the body’s functions. Fortunately, patients can improve this aspect of their condition, if they are willing to change frameworks to see the same set of circumstances from a different angle and if they are willing to change beliefs and open their mind. This is doable. I would like to share a few examples to help you better recognize what the mind is capable of.
Example: The Mind Has a Mind of Its Own: Looking at Its Override Function I see many patients with hypertension, or high blood pressure. Their doctor has given them one prescription, which doesn’t quite control the problem. Then, they will receive another medication and possibly a third. Finally, everyone is happy because the patient’s blood pressure is under control. Everything seems fine, but suddenly life intervenes. Patients may have to deal with a difficult divorce, major job changes, or a death in the family. The patient’s blood pressure shoots sky-high. What do we see? We’re looking at the effect of an intense, energetic frequency that overrides the physical action of the patient’s blood pressure, which supposedly was “under control.” We can use another framework to look at this situation. The patient’s diet hasn’t really changed; his or her lifestyle is essentially the same. No other medication has been introduced. However, suddenly what was “controlled” is now out of control. In my opinion, a third or fourth medication will not begin to address the root cause of this problem. Right away, we know this development will affect the patient’s metabolism function. Why? These additional situations trigger stress, anxiety, fear, excessive worry and more. The mind’s energy has created this situation. It is not the result of a new physical problem or development. If we look at this from one angle, we can acknowledge stress is impacting this case of high blood pressure, but it’s difficult to say why and how. However, if we look at this from the body–mind–spirit framework, we see consciousness is behind this symbol or condition. How do we want to read it? This framework allows us to pinpoint what’s going on, which organs are out of balance and a treatment path to restore balance and harmony. Here, we can apply one of Einstein’s unique perspectives to look at health: “We cannot solve problems from the same level of reality that created them.” We have to move to a higher dimension to understand this problem. Unless the consciousness or invisible aspect of this high blood pressure condition is addressed, more or different medications or other interventions are unlikely to resolve its root cause. We will look at hypertension in depth in the section on Spirit and Metabolism Function. We’ve talked about acid reflux several times throughout Digesting the Universe. Sometimes, patients with this condition will work with an internist. They will address diet, embark on an exercise program and faithfully take their prescribed medication. Their condition improves to such an extent patients can control their acid reflux just by watching what they eat. Excellent situation, right? One day, however, this kind of patient is faced with a board meeting where the resolution goes against supporting a major project she has worked on for almost a year. The result? This patient’s acid reflux returns with twice the force! She is following the same diet, exercising, trying to get enough sleep. Her life is the same, except for this crushing blow at the board meeting. We may ask, “Why should one single project affect this person’s well-being when she’s worked so hard to achieve better health?” It’s because the patient’s mind and the project are intertwined with her desires, wishes, intentions and more. These energetic frequencies were so strongly focused on the project, its collapse has prompted an emotional imbalance, which in turn has affected her body. This sequence of events also seriously disturbs her metabolism function.
We can look at migraines from a different angle as well. A number of my patients suffer from this common, yet debilitating, condition. Often, they have been to a number of Western doctors and are taking medication for their headaches. They have gotten their condition to a point where both parties feel things are under control. Then, suddenly something happens in the patient’s life. The person fights with a girlfriend or boyfriend, which brings on a migraine. Emotional imbalances are able to trigger the migraines because the root cause still exists. Unless the underlying imbalance is resolved, the outcome remains the same: external events will continue to trigger the migraine’s return. Women with menstrual cycle disorders understand the connection between emotions and their physical impact very well. They may give up coffee, fix their crazy diet, get more sleep, and go to yoga regularly. But then, if they fight constantly with someone close to them, like their daughter, a month or so later, they experience painful breast tenderness, or even cysts. These conditions are directly associated with the energetic frequencies of emotions. The Liver’s powerful energies, especially stress, have accumulated. In another of the body’s remarkable acts of transference, energy has transformed into a physical form. This is another real-life example of E=mc². It takes a lot of Qi to create this kind of transformation. Emotions are now commanding and demanding attention in the physical world through their manifestation somewhere on the body. Many women have experienced this kind of energy exchange. Master Xu has taught me a special secret for releasing pain or energy stagnation in the breast area. With one treatment, this unique point can often effectively release pain and even breast lumps. Why is that? This acupuncture point has the capability of changing the energetic balance within certain meridians related to the patient’s breast area. When the body regains balance and energy flows again, emotional frequencies calm down. The physical mass, which we can also look at as accumulated Qi, reverts back to its invisible form. As an energy-based medicine, TCM has demonstrated this connection between body, mind and spirit for thousands of years. Here’s another example of how the mind and its emotions affect the body. One of my patients is a highly successful, young woman executive in advertising who suffered from a recurrent yeast infection. Every time she was about to go on vacation with her boyfriend, she would appear with yet another yeast infection. She seemed puzzled by these “coincidences.” I encouraged her to understand her condition from the body–mind–spirit level. When she was open to exploring her situation from a different framework, she saw different things. I told her, deep down, she was ambivalent about how she felt about her boyfriend and did not really want to have sex with him. However, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him this on their expensive vacations. Instead, her mind created an acceptable physical condition that helped her save face and avoid emotional confrontations. My advice to her was that damaging her body was not the best way to achieve what she wanted. Once she understood the root cause
of her recurring yeast infections, she was able to deal with her condition successfully. Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event.
–C.G. JUNG
Example: How Emotions Create Physical Conditions The following case was particularly satisfying to resolve. A well-known artist came to me for help with his tennis elbow condition. It was so painful that he could no longer pick up his paintbrushes or create new work. Like many people I see with this condition, the treatment plan is always straightforward for me. With the help of Master Xu, I learned the root cause of tennis elbow is the result of Qi stagnation in the Lung meridian. Usually, I can produce a 50 percent reduction in tennis elbow problems with the first visit. Typically, there is about an 85 percent reduction on the second one, as Qi stagnation in the Lung meridian lessens. For me, tennis elbow is not difficult to heal. After his first visit, the artist showed a little improvement; however, he didn’t show much more during his second one. I asked myself, “What’s going on here? This person doesn’t have a cough; this person doesn’t have a cold, but his Lung meridian definitely has some kind of serious stagnation. Something deeper and more powerful involving the Lung’s emotional energies has to be involved.” As we shall see, this is an example of how the mind’s emotions feed the patient’s physical problem. When we talked, I discovered this patient’s wife had passed away recently. He loved her very much and he was filled with grief. The power of his grief was deep and these excessive energetic frequencies were feeding his physical condition. In addition, this grief had so unbalanced this artist’s emotions, he was cut off from the connection to his consciousness. The source of his inspiration and creativity was blocked because of grief. As you can see from the Five Element energetic framework, the Lung’s associated emotion is grief or sadness. This well-known painter no longer had a desire to paint. He had lost the connection to anything that inspired his creativity. To make matters worse, he was under pressure to produce work for an upcoming gallery opening. His reputation was threatened. So, what’s really happening? Behind this patient’s tennis elbow was the desire to create a rational, socially acceptable reason to stop picking up his paintbrushes. As I’ve said, in our culture, for so many reasons, we must repress or suppress our emotions. This well-known artist could not be truthful and say, “I am consumed with grief over the death of my wife; I just don’t want to paint anymore, at this time.” How can a successful artist say such a thing in a culture like ours where money is the driving force? I think many readers may have experienced similar situations where things that need to be said just can’t be. I asked him if he used his consciousness and mind in his work to project images he wanted to create on canvas. He said, “Yes.” On many occasions, he had used his imagination to transfer images in his consciousness to two-dimensional canvases. Then, I asked, “Could you create enough color in your mind to project this threedimensional tennis elbow condition and use your imagination to change this picture to something healthy?” Today, I see far more of the multidimensional aspects of my patients. I look at their health issues first from the spirit level, then from the mind level, not just the body level. I know true healing has to start from the top down; spirit comes first. Once we understood and addressed this underlying emotional issue, his tennis elbow condition disappeared.
If you are trying to improve any health condition, I would like to explain another important concept related to this healing process. Conserving Qi is critical. Patients work hard to get well but don’t understand the need to conserve energy during the healing process. Most want to get back to their “old life” immediately, the very one that caused their issues in the first place! Often, I see this kind of thinking with my breast cancer patients. Their mind is anxious to prove that they can resume where they left off and keep going, just as before. They believe they can finish cancer treatments and restart the life they were living. Unfortunately, this is not so easy. From my perspective, it is also not a smart way to regain real health. Let me share the following story to help you understand the importance of using Qi wisely.
Example: The Mind’s Role in Gaining and Losing Qi for Healing A musician came to me for a prostate problem for which he was on medication. Because it wasn’t working well enough, his doctor proposed doubling the dosage and taking another drug. The musician refused because he was concerned about increased side effects and did not want to take another drug. So, he came to me to seek a complementary medicine approach to his prostate problem. As his condition improved, he began to compose exciting, new music. He started to play more concert dates. He was so happy to be using his creativity and was making all kinds of breakthroughs in his music. Much to his frustration, he was not making a similar breakthrough with healing his prostate problem.
If we use a different angle to look at this situation, we will see different things. The prostate’s health is associated with the Kidney, the body’s source of original, inherited Qi. The Kidney is also related to creativity and the brain’s function. As the musician’s condition began to heal, he transferred the Qi he was accumulating for healing to his musical creativity. I told him, “Energy is limited. There are two sides to your story. On the one hand, you’re accumulating Qi through acupuncture, herbal therapy and Wu Ming Qigong practice; on the other hand, you’re “spending” it on creativity and new musical adventures. Your body needs this Qi to help your prostate recover. What are you going to do? On the invisible level, your creativity is evolving in an exciting way; however, your body is not improving as fast as it could because you have less energy to heal your prostate.” I have said this many times now: we just have to understand everything is energy. After treatment, everything is good. Patients feel a lot better, so they think they are healed completely because they feel a surge in their energy level. They think they have more energy to spend; in reality, that’s not true. I told this musician, “As you feel better, this is exactly the time you should be saving your Qi for healing; instead, you are spending what you’ve accumulated. Energetically speaking, you’re becoming broke! The TCM treatments are increasing and strengthening your Qi. They’re helping your body regain the functions of your meridians too. The quality of your Qi and Blood is changing. You can stay on your prostate medication, but it doesn’t have the ability to increase Qi.” I tell all my patients that it’s great to start feeling better, but this is the most dangerous time. You have to be careful not to burn up the Qi you’ve worked so hard to save. I told this talented musician, “Your intuitive mind is spending a lot of energy on
inspiration and creativity.” One of the most important pieces of advice I can give patients during their healing process is to do nothing. Many people don’t understand that doing nothing is doing something. In our culture, we seem to be reluctant to acknowledge the benefits of resting. We’re afraid we might be labeled lazy. If you have any health condition, please, consider the value of rest (answering emails while sitting with your computer on the bed doesn’t count!). I find that most people don’t know how to “do nothing.”
Example: How Emotions Can Influence the Course of a Health Condition
One of my patients had leukemia, a serious blood disorder. Because of its advanced stage, her doctor said chemotherapy would not help anymore; he told her she had a short time to live. As a last resort, she turned to TCM and came for acupuncture, herbal therapy, as well as meditation practice. After several months, her white blood cell count changed. Then, her red blood cell count changed, as well. Impossible, right? All her medical tests now showed good numbers—excellent evidence things had changed for the better internally. Suddenly, however, she lost her job. This was a major blow that impacted her emotions. All her numbers reversed themselves rapidly. Through this event, I was able to help her see two interrelated realities: with the appropriate support, her body is capable of healing itself, and strong emotional energies have a dramatic impact on her physical condition. Once she understood these dynamics, we were able to rebuild her health again successfully. As I said earlier, I often see how the energetic frequencies of the mind and its emotions influence patients who suffer from migraine headaches. They have done just about everything to fix this condition. They’ve undergone MRIs, CT scans, taken numerous medications and painkillers, as well as tried acupuncture, herbal therapy and more. Once they truly grasp the idea that unbalanced emotions are the triggers of their migraines, they can get them under control. Then, if they work consistently to make changes in several areas of their lives, their headaches will be gone for good. My questions for migraine sufferers are, “Who is your headache? What is your headache?” The answers to these questions are the root cause. Emotions and emotional responses, however, are challenging to change. So, if a husband reveals an affair, if a parent develops a challenging illness, if a child has problems at school, migraine headaches will return. If the root cause is never identified and addressed, the patient is always at the mercy of
these health events. I’d like readers to be aware: Language is not just about sentences and words. There is always a symbol or an image behind the vocabulary we use. For instance, you might say, “Oh, he’s a pain in the neck. Or, she gives me such a headache.” Language always has a purpose; the words we choose mean something. They are symbols in this reality that come from consciousness. Is there a similar phrase you use frequently? What do you think is the meaning behind it? So, we have to ask, who is the pain in the neck? You? Him? Both of you? If something bothers you, it just may indeed cause a neck problem or a headache. Using a different framework to understand language and the symbols behind our words can make us more aware of what we say to ourselves and to others.
Example: How Emotions Impact Others How do emotions affect others? Let’s return to our polygraph example. As we’ve seen, this device has the capability to detect changes and transfer electromagnetic frequencies into a picture of moving vertical lines on a graph. Anyone can see the results of these changes on a piece of paper. If a person is untruthful, often internal energetic frequencies change. Brain waves may alter too. Your eye cannot see these changes, but this technology can pick them up. How? It is sensitive to alterations in the energy field that it has been designed to measure. Different kinds of energies produce different kinds of fields. It is similar to your emotions. The energetic frequencies of different emotions will produce different kinds of electromagnetic fields. Often, your children can pick up your energy vibrations; perhaps your mate or lover or best friend (maybe even a good psychic) can do this as well. The following story is a good example of how everything we see in this reality is a symbol of consciousness. One of my patients was allergic to cheesecake, of all things. Eating cheesecake caused her tremendous discomfort and multiple physical symptoms. We can definitely commiserate with her about the symptoms, but as she and I explored the condition further from the body–mind–spirit framework, it became apparent where the origins of her food allergy came from. She was newly married, and she and her husband often visited his mother. The husband’s mother adored her son; however, she and my patient, the new wife, did not get along well at all. Most of the time, when the newlyweds visited, the mother would bake her son’s favorite cheesecake. Because of the problematic relationship with the mother-in-law, the new wife became insecure and unhappy, but she didn’t want to upset her husband, so she kept her emotions hidden. However, her body dutifully served as a 3D screen to display these emotions. An allergy to cheesecake was its solution. I explained to her, “On one level, you are allergic to cheesecake. On another level, you are allergic to your mother-inlaw.” When we discussed the consciousness and purpose behind her allergic reaction, she saw there was a better way to address her real issue and that she did not have to abuse her body this way. This simple example lets you see how the energetic frequencies of emotions are not separate from the body or spirit and can create a physical
impact.
Beliefs The mind is one of the most powerful partners you have for creating healthy metabolism function. In Western culture, most people automatically think of the psychological mind, or the way we think and generate thoughts. We connect solving the mind’s emotional problems with therapy, where most often, feelings are dealt with. If someone’s health issue is in the mind, we would rule out neurological problems, but individuals with mind-related problems don’t turn to an orthopedist to resolve them. They turn to a psychiatrist or psychologist. In some cases, they may even turn to a religious counselor. We can consider this one aspect of the mind, but, as we’ve seen at the beginning of this section, the concept of what the mind truly is and what it is capable of is not big enough. We have to consider the other aspects of being that drive the mind’s actions. The mind is not just the mind you think with and process information with every day. We’ve seen that it is far more; it also relates to your “inner vision.” Sometimes, the mind shows itself in visible phenomena such as a beautiful smile or an angry face. The mind can only show itself through emotions. One place the energetic frequencies of emotions play over and over again is on our face. Did you know that Chinese medicine considers the face to be the mirror or “freezer” of emotions? In ancient times, it was understood that the best facial helped a woman change her emotions. The aim was to improve the invisible energy of emotions first; the belief was this would impact the physical aspect. The truth is your whole body, not just your face, is a mirror of the energetic frequencies of emotions. Your body and mind exchange energy and mass all the time. Emotions might also show themselves in energetic frequencies that can be picked up by technology, like the polygraph test we talked about, or in high blood pressure or heart-rate readings. What you are seeing in visible forms are the effects of the motion of mind as it processes emotions, information, and spirit. Or, sometimes, you might encounter a visible event. Weeks later, your mind many process it at the invisible level. There are two important aspects of the mind with a major impact on healthy metabolism function. One is belief; the other is emotion. As I’ve noted, beliefs create the emotions that show on the 3D screen of the body. Again, we’ll make good use of the Five Element energetic framework and its correspondences of the emotions relating to each organ. The Liver is related to anger, stress, frustration and irritability; the Heart is related to excessive joy; the Stomach is related to excessive worry and overthinking; the Lung is related to sadness or grief; the Kidney is related to fear or shock. These particular energetic frequencies, “E,” if experienced chronically or excessively, will ultimately unbalance the function of the body’s matter or mass, “m,” of its associated organ. Remember too, energy flows both ways. I see many patients who are diagnosed with physical Liver problems (like hepatitis). With this kind of condition, it’s essential to develop healthy strategies to support the Liver’s emotions and take steps to ensure they remain balanced. Emotions definitely affect the course of all health conditions.
Of course, one of our beliefs is that the rational mind is perhaps the most important aspect of our daily life. It appears to direct our activities and move us through space and time. Ideally, it should function cooperatively with the intuitive mind. It should also serve the needs of the body and spirit. Unfortunately, it’s often the other way around; the mind insists on being the leader. The mind and body seem to be welded together without a place or space for spirit. We will discuss spirit in depth in the following section, but now, let me introduce some concepts that relate to beliefs and the connection between the spirit and the true self. Think of this: Because you are alive, your body contains DNA, which carries your genetic code. The genetic code is evidence you have been connected to your ancestors and this earth for thousands of years through many lifetimes. Otherwise, your family lineage would have already died out. Now, we can turn to spirit. It offers evidence you exist beyond this reality. Let me go back to modern science to share this perspective. It tells us each dimension is a reflection of a higher one. Because we exist in this reality, we too are reflections of a higher dimension, in this case, the fourth-dimensional world of space-time. We don’t often think about this. When we look at the body–mind–spirit view of human beings, we see that only the mind has been built up in this lifetime over a number of decades through cultural conditioning. I hope you will give this some deep thought: Your body can draw on the wisdom of its genetic code that is many thousands of years old; your spirit connects to the infinite Qi of the Universe through its meridians. The body and spirit have a far closer relationship than the mind and body. The mind is only a bridge between the body and spirit. Make no mistake, though, we have to respect the mind because it is a powerful, persuasive, hypnotic, energetic force. If we can see the mind as a bridge, then we can look at our own life from a different angle. Today, everybody is under stress. As the world speeds up, this is increasingly true of all cultures, even Eastern ones. We have too many commitments, too much responsibility. We have so many masks we must wear; it’s very difficult to moderate our own mind and emotions. Today’s culture and customs demand we control or suppress our emotions. Recall the earlier example of the well-known artist and his tennis elbow condition. We don’t even realize how much we repress our natural feelings every day; we don’t fully appreciate the harmful, even dangerous, effects of stress on how our organs function. On top of this, few people truly understand how the mind and emotions directly impact health. From my perspective, we are fortunate to have the Five Element energetic framework to guide us to a deeper understanding of emotions associated with its paired organ systems, especially those essential for healthy metabolism function. Today, we believe we can control our health with medication, or the “right” food,” or the latest diets. We go to gyms for hot yoga or high-intensity workouts, or we may jog —either on a treadmill or outdoors—for miles and miles. We focus on the external lifelines, or cultural promises, that we hope will shield us from illness and disease. Rarely, do we look inward to understand the vital importance of internal balance and harmony, as well as cultivate healthy relationships with Nature and Universal consciousness. Today, almost every aspect of our culture encourages us to direct our attention away from this kind of thinking; consequently, it is difficult for people to realize the first thing they have to change is themselves. Lasting change only comes from within. I tell my patients, “Healing is in your hands.” You have heard this several times now and it’s true. The only person you can change is yourself. All major religions teach us that the answer is always within. If the patient is superstitious and does not believe in medicine, or if a patient refuses to be treated by acupuncture, or if a patient refuses any treatment, then no matter what the practitioner does, the patient will not get well. This is evidence that healing actually comes from within.
–NEI JING Why is it patients have to change themselves first? It’s because the answers are all inside—especially the wisdom to heal. This self-regulating skill is downloaded with you when you’re born and it is everyone’s birthright. It’s like a package deal. Think of the last time you had a cold or cut yourself. Did your condition heal? How did it heal? You may attribute it to an over-the-counter sinus remedy or antibiotic ointment, but I can assure you that your own healing skill played the most important role. You do have this self-healing ability, not only for small conditions like these but also for larger ones as well. According to Natural Law, you are born with everything you need to fulfill your purpose. You are born with the internal message of your rightful place in the Universe. Believe it or not, you have arrived with all the equipment you need to fulfill your spirit’s purpose. You are not an accident. You belong here for a reason—your reason and no one else’s. There is enormous intelligence and wisdom in the Five Element energetic framework. It has guided our exploration of metabolism function throughout Digesting the Universe. It offers a beautiful way to understand the body’s symptoms and interpret visible signs and their relationship to various organ systems. As we’ve seen, it also offers a blueprint for understanding the symptoms’ connections to certain emotions and how that dynamic can impact healthy organ function, the flow of Blood and Qi and more. This is one of the most important contributions this framework can make to understanding metabolism function from an integrated body–mind–spirit perspective. When energy flows freely through the meridians and the body’s organs work in harmony, then there is no place for disease or illness. –NEI JING
Allowing the Mind’s Qi to Flow Qi is Universal life force running through our being. I would like to repeat, “Without Qi, there is no life.” In relationship to healthy metabolism function, please recognize that if your mind’s Qi is stuck, no matter what, you will not be able to successfully digest healing information or messages from a higher dimension. Becoming empty or cultivating emptiness is a good goal. Ask yourself, “Do I allow my mind to open enough to receive new information and ideas? Am I always against different concepts or other ways of doing things? Am I against the flow of new information? Do I block out information from others because it doesn’t match my own thoughts? Do I block out Nature’s messages and wisdom?” I ask you: If this is true for you, how high or how strong can your digestive function be if you can’t process things with your mind, let alone your spirit? Today, the mind is the most powerful aspect of health and well-being. I would like to repeat, “At one level, you are what you eat; at a higher one, you are what you think.”
I try to help my patients overcome getting stuck in their minds. If your mind is not open enough to digest its various aspects—consciousness, emotions, feelings, thoughts, desires, intentions and more—it creates Qi stagnation. This stagnation, ultimately, impacts your ability to process visible and invisible things. You will also not be able to match the energetic frequencies of the body–mind–spirit aspects of the food you eat. These foods have already gone through their own emotional processing of transforming themselves from seed to blossom to final object. Sometimes it is difficult to separate these concepts because they belong to the spiritual realm as well. If you have a chronic condition or any physical problems associated with metabolic function, I feel sure you would like to help your body function better and process more. To achieve this, I encourage you to open up your mind and allow the energetic frequencies of your emotions to flow. Emotions are neither good nor bad; they just need to be expressed and processed appropriately. Now, you know the mind too is an organ of digestion. Is your mind flexible enough to let things go or to see things that occurred from a different angle? Can you digest emotions from the past week? From the past year? Can you digest your emotions from twenty years ago? Or, is this energy stuck somewhere inside you waiting to be processed? Does this stagnation cause your indigestion? Does it cause your insomnia? Does it cause your nightmares? Please go back to the five stages of metabolism function. Can you receive, digest, process and transform the mind’s emotional energies? If you sit and watch a beautiful sunset, how will you digest its powerful, invisible messages, if your mind is not open to this concept? This experience has the potential to stimulate the energetic frequencies of your emotions. It may give you joy and then you might find your pain is dramatically improved, or your blood pressure has dropped to a normal level. It sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Here’s a very effective, time-tested way to release stress you may come to love. Buy a dozen eggs and smash them! If you don’t live where there’s space to do this outdoors, then smash the eggs in your bathtub or shower. The action of breaking eggs helps break or release tension and other emotions that have accumulated and impact Liver function. I’ve had many patients try this and tell me they wish they had bought two dozen eggs! How simple yet how powerful this action is. This simple action can help restore emotional balance. Try it for a few weeks and you might be surprised and pleased with the results. The body has the same ability to readjust itself as Nature does. It has this ability to self-regulate, even when we’re not thinking about it. Nature too has ways of readjusting itself, and restoring balance and harmony. For instance, sometimes there will be no sun for a few days only to be followed by several spectacularly beautiful days, no matter what the season. In the summer, the weather may become heavy, humid and feel dark. Then, a storm will sweep through and, later, the dark and heavy energies, heat and humidity disappear. What remains? An exquisite day with moderate temperatures and blue skies! This is how Nature shows us how it continually rebalances itself.
Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice
Help for the Mind and Its Emotions: Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice The following is a three-step, Taoist energy practice for emotional cleansing. It is described in more detail in Section VIII, on Preparation for Your Healing Journey. As we will see, it makes good use of the natural abilities you were born with. In this kind of energetic practice, you need to use the frequency of your voice. Remember, different vibrations or energy frequencies are associated with different organs and, consequently, their associated emotions. This Taoist practice uses sound to help the body activate an emotional cleansing. It can transform emotions and release stress. The first step uses the vibration of sound through screaming. This releases the Liver’s emotions. Many people have lost the relationship with their own body. Be cautious at first, so you don’t cause any damage. At the start of this practice, don’t use your voice at full volume. If you scream too loud or too much, you might have difficulty using your voice the next day. It’s important to get acquainted with your vocal capabilities first before you start pushing sound boundaries. Once you get used to screaming, your Liver will thank you.
Often, when children are frustrated, what do they do? They express themselves through screaming. This is a natural way for them to release energy as well as their emotions. They don’t use words to say, “I’m frustrated.” They just scream! Screaming can make you feel so great. In the case of the child, the vocal vibrations are carriers of energy, so this makes him or her feel better. You can get the same kind of relief too. The voice is not only frequency; the voice itself is also a device to produce a sound that allows frustration to exit the body. You can look at the Five Element energetic framework to discover the sounds associated with each organ. After practicing screaming, perhaps in your shower or car, you can move on to the second step. You can release more tension and stress by going deeper. Here, the goal is to cause a tear to emerge. Crying can naturally release sadness as well as other emotions. A tear is one of the most powerful healing tools we humans have. In another one of the body’s remarkable acts of transference, you have changed the invisible energetic frequency of emotion to the physical matter of a tear. Once again, you have demonstrated that “E,” the emotion in question, has exchanged form with “m,” the mass of the tear. The liquid of a tear carries many different emotions, including happiness or sadness; in fact, a tear can carry every emotion. The purpose of this step is to transform the energetic frequencies of emotions and let them exit the body. It also makes good use of your natural capability to rebalance the body. A tear is an energy transfer of the highest order. By creating one tear (or even many more!), you allow long-held emotions to leave your body for good. Interestingly, modern science has discovered not all tears are the same, chemically speaking. Your body is so smart that when it creates tears of sadness, they have a different chemical composition than tears of happiness. Tears are powerful, beautiful things. It is not just the physical matter of the tear itself that is important. A tear represents many different levels of reality and many different meanings. Only you will know what your tears mean. By using this natural gift, you can develop more confidence and skill in associating your emotions with your body. This practice will also help you strengthen your self-healing abilities. For a period of time, that will differ from person to person, this practice will not change your mind quickly, but you will be able to cleanse the energetic frequencies of your emotions. Eventually, it will create more balance and peace within. One of the most beautiful aspects of this practice is that it’s free. You can do this anywhere, anytime, as long as your screams don’t alarm the neighbors! One teardrop can wash away a thousand years of sadness; one teardrop can create a million years of happiness. –ANCIENT TAOIST SAYING
The third step is smiling. Here, I would like you to experience happiness and joy. Take time to really smile from your Heart. Do this consciously with love and compassion. I recommend you take twenty minutes or so in a quiet time and place to practice all three steps. These steps provide a major emotional cleansing opportunity. Give yourself a special gift. Take the time to practice slowly and consciously at least twice a week. What have we achieved with this Taoist energy practice? We’ve helped the Liver release its emotions through the sound and vibrational frequency of screaming. We’ve helped Qi and its inseparable companion, Blood, to flow. Then, we’ve helped the Lung release its sadness or grief and increase its Qi by releasing a tear. And finally, we’ve helped the Heart, the king of organs, the one that controls the mind, to let its Qi flow. This emotional cleansing activates a healing, physiological response. With regard to the Heart, let me reiterate: all the world’s religions recognize the Heart is associated with mind and spirit. Many cultures, religions and spiritual practices strive to create peace within. You can look at Eastern spiritual practices like Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Hinduism and their practitioners’ quest to create a peaceful mind and happy Heart. The Heart has so many different levels. The Heart still remains a mystery. This Taoist practice opens the door to using sound and emotions simultaneously to tune up the body and mind. It makes use of the body’s natural processing actions. Think of this: This practice doesn’t involve complicated mental techniques. No one has to practice until they get it right. These actions are in harmony with Nature and the Universal flow of things. Everyone knows how to scream, cry and smile. Ask any child.
The Power of Beliefs One of the most important ideas I would like you to take away from this section on the Mind and Metabolism Function is this: No matter how well you follow your doctor’s instructions, how faithfully you take medication, no matter what you eat or what diet you follow, or how regularly you exercise, if the energetic frequencies of your emotions cannot be processed or digested easily, your body will have a conversation with you by producing a physical effect somewhere. It’s just a matter of degree. As I’ve said, the body is a living, 3D mirror that faithfully reflects the invisible condition of your mind, emotions, and ultimately, spirit. When you truly understand this, you will have a better appreciation of beliefs and the power of their servant, the mind. The Way is not in the sky; the Way is in the heart. –BUDDHA Beliefs are built up over your lifetime. In the end, you create your own reality from these convictions. As we’ve seen, beliefs produce your thoughts; these thoughts generate emotions and their emotions impact organ function. At every moment, you create your health through your beliefs; you are the person responsible for your own healing. I tell my patients that life is in God’s hands; healing is in their hands. I say the same thing to you: Life is in God’s hands; healing is in your hands. What kind of beliefs do you carry? What kind of thoughts do these beliefs create? What emotions do your thoughts generate? What choices and actions do they influence? As I’ve noted at the beginning of this section, all of the mind’s actions, including thoughts, emotions, feelings, intentions, desires, wishes and more are based on your beliefs. Beliefs shape our reality. We literally function in the body of our beliefs.
Choosing Your Beliefs; Creating Your Reality I want to repeat that the mind is an elusive thing. It travels between the visible and invisible. It is dynamic, moving energy, similar to the electrons and positrons at the subatomic level. It’s easy to see the solid physical structure that is your body in third-dimensional reality; it’s a far different thing to see what makes up the psychic structure of beliefs in your invisible mind. I hope our quantum journey through the mind is helping you gain a more profound look at the reality you have created for yourself. The mind chooses what it wants to connect to, based on beliefs it’s formed. Think about it this way: There are untold numbers of Internet addresses, but if you want to go to a specific address, i.e., choose a different belief, you have to make this choice. You have to put in the address perfectly. With one typo or word out of place, you will connect to an entirely different destination or belief. Connecting to a different belief is up to you, but I hope you can see the mind’s role in this process. I tell my patients and students, “Don’t search the Internet for answers; search your ‘Innernet’.” We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. –BUDDHA The first requirement for making these connections is belief; the mind has to believe the address exists. At the deepest level, the mind and the spirit have to believe. Then, you have to make the attempt to connect. Belief is the first requirement. Often, we find ourselves face to face with the unhealthy effects of the mind without understanding the source of the emotions or feelings we’re processing. How can we change this situation? The answer sounds simple, but often, it’s not so easy. Change your belief so you can change your channel! As I’ve said earlier, you can think about it this way: When you turn on the television, you can tune into your favorite program. This is the choice you’ve made. This is what you want to experience tonight, possibly every night. When the program ends and you turn off the set, it doesn’t mean the images in the airwaves disappear or don’t exist anymore. They do. Think of the TV screen or device that the program appears on as a representation of your body. When you turn your set on, you have the ability to tune into different channels, in this case, different beliefs. You are the person who does the choosing. It depends on which channel, or belief, you would like to tune into. What do you want to play on your 3D screen? Different beliefs are like the airwaves; they are always there. The real question is which belief do you want to tune into? Which channel do you want to experience. Remember, the five stages of metabolism function begin with “receiving.” Nothing enters the body without your mind’s permission. The beliefs we hold cause our minds to associate with the particular thoughts we’d like to express. These thoughts generate actual energetic frequencies that help us express our spirit in this reality. Think of how creative this process is! Sometimes, it’s very difficult to give up a belief. If we can change the negative ones that impact health, something I recognize is difficult to do, we can make tremendous healing progress. In effect, changing beliefs lets us switch channels. It saves us from dwelling on ideas and situations that continue to cause unbalanced emotions, and consequently feed illness and disease. There are so many channels and programs to choose from, so many websites and destinations you can visit. Ask yourself, “What is my purpose for choosing the belief I want to hold onto?” Remember, we never choose anything we don’t believe will benefit us, in some way. When you recognize that the things you want to focus on in your life is your choice, you will see that you already possess the power to tune into these channels. You’re the one who can change beliefs. When you do, your whole life can become happier and lighter. Your health can improve. The choice is yours. I ask my patients, as I ask you, “What do you want to focus on?” Remember, your mind is the most powerful partner you have for creating healthy metabolism function. It is not separate from this process; in fact, it’s the energetic engine that drives metabolism function. Can you appreciate your body’s oneness and inseparability? The healthful choices we make in terms of beliefs support the highest level of metabolism function. Remember this simple truth: If you always associate with the good, you will become the good. If you associate with the negative, you become the negative. This is the real power of attraction that energetic frequencies exert on each other. You can improve your metabolism function every day by choosing positive, healthful beliefs.
Changing beliefs is possible. When they change, the same eyes can look at the same reality and see different things. Then, different outcomes are possible. This kind of shift represents a real-life example of relativity. It tells us that when we alter our angle of view, we see different things. Remember, each of us sees reality from our own angle of view. We may all look at a sunset at the beach; however, you will see it at a different angle than I do. Someone else may be on his or her deck, or on another beach. We all will see this beautiful sunset, but it will be uniquely our beautiful sunset, somehow the same, but somehow individual to us. Why? Because of the angle of view. Each of us exists in a different space, so, our time will be different. Remember, modern science tells us space and time cannot be separated.
Beliefs, Thoughts, Emotions and Their Impact on Organ Function Since birth, we have developed a certain kind of consciousness that allows us to function in today’s world. Our daily life is based on our beliefs, but these beliefs are not just ours alone. As we’ve seen, they intersect with and are influenced by every aspect of the world we live in and by society’s beliefs. These kinds of beliefs involve mental processing, which is always based on the past, not on the present moment. The mind keeps us very busy. One thought after another keeps us moving in what we think of as progress. With all this thinking, the mind believes it has accomplished something significant, so it loves to go on thinking. The truth is all of the mind’s incessant motions have only moved us around and around in a large circle. This circle is so big, we believe we’ve made progress and are moving ahead, but we aren’t. We’re still circling! But you don’t decide what to do with the info. Thought runs you. Thought, however, gives false info that you are running it, that you are the one who controls thought. Whereas actually thought is the one which controls each one of us. –DAVID BOHM The mind tries to understand the present and future by analyzing past experiences. This way of thinking limits us. We are always looking backward through a rearview mirror; we are always judging present events and new experiences against what is known or has already happened. Living life this way makes it difficult for new things to penetrate the mind and new experiences to refresh us. The present is the only place where we are truly alive. Can you say you live in the moment? Not many people can. Yet, this is where intuition operates. As adults, we continue to build on our framework of beliefs. At the subconscious level, they direct our daily activities. As I’ve said, beliefs are the ultimate source of emotions. Here is a very interesting thing about beliefs: while they are definitely true for you, it’s entirely possible they are not true in reality. We can understand this idea by using the principle of Yin-Yang—and its modern science counterpart, complementarity. It reveals the constantly interpenetrating, interdependent dual energies of all things. We tend to focus on one side only, often the dark side. Nature, too, allows us to view how beliefs can focus attention in positive or negative directions. When a full moon arrives, police and fire departments know how forceful this monthly event in the heavens can be. People go a little crazy. It seems like they almost want to be locked up. However, we can apply ancient wisdom and modern theory to explore the other side of the full moon’s influence. We can practice saying to ourselves, “I’m the full moon; my light is shining from the inside out.” Or, “I am peaceful and calm.” Instead of being irritated with PMS during their menstrual cycles, women might tell themselves, “I represent the tenderness of being a beautiful woman.” Have you ever explored your beliefs and what your mind tells you? How do these things impact your life today?
Belief is a two-way street. The more open we are and ready to receive, the more capable we are to tune into positive messages and the wisdom of Nature, our best teacher. We are processing or digesting each other. It’s this role of digestion, this ability to process visible and invisible things smoothly, that is so essential for healthy metabolism function. There are no closed-end systems in our reality; as we’ve said, energy always goes both ways. It has to flow in and go out of us. Universal energy flow is also a twoway street. God, or All That Is, also processes through us. We become one of the ingredients that the intelligence and consciousness of the Universe digests. In turn, our energetic frequencies or vibrations feed the unconditional love of the Universe and allow it to expand its creativity. Our consciousness and appreciation of the beauty of Nature is also food that nourishes the unconditional love of the Universe. Likewise, the loving frequencies of the Universe and Nature feed us. It is possible to digest everything the Universe offers! You are a child of the Universe entitled to all its gifts. We are born with this capability. Our metabolism function has the unique capability to digest on many levels; however, unless we upgrade our programming, we won’t be able to take advantage of this amazing ability. This is the biggest concept of all. If you want to understand your purpose for being in this reality, as well as the body– mind–spirit aspect of metabolism function, I encourage you to understand the big picture. As I’ve said, we can read everything as a symbol, a reflection of spirit—your body, your life, even your home. Think of this: Your home is also a symbol of where you do your “living”; it too is the image of your ability to process Qi or energy. It reflects the state of your metabolism function. If you’re living in a messy, dirty, chaotic house, what kind of metabolism function can you really have? Anywhere you live, you create your own unique environment; this living space includes Nature and how you incorporate it into your life. We have to return to the idea of the energy field and its inseparability. In the field, there is only oneness. Remember, the external aspects of your life are not separate from the internal aspects of healthy metabolism function. Because everything in the energy field is related, when you change even one small thing, all its interrelationships have to change. Think about this perspective: Many people rent a place to live; yet, some individuals invest a lot of money to make it look good. Why do they put so much money into a rental? The answer is, deep down, they want their outer image to symbolize their inner self. It’s the same with your body. The goal is to help your outer image to become a symbol of Nature’s peaceful flow and your body’s multilevel digestive capabilities. Here’s a recommendation I urge my patients to embrace. I hope you will too. Focus hard on improving every interrelated aspect of metabolism function that you can; each one counts. Even small changes can create big results. Don’t focus only on fixing a specific condition. If you concentrate on healing the Stomach, the organ of digestion, you have merely touched the surface of the complex interrelationships that affect metabolism function. Look at your environment; make small changes. Look at your relationships; take small actions to improve them. Do this for yourself without expectation of getting something in return. Cultivate a garden and let it become the image of your growth and development. Choose foods that deliver a maximum amount of Qi to support all your organs. Above all, explore your beliefs; look for ways to literally change your mind. Live in the present. Do something different today. Do something new. Congratulate yourself. Love yourself. No matter which framework—ancient wisdom or modern science—you want to use, I hope you have a deeper appreciation of oneness of body, mind and spirit. Can you make room for this in your belief structure? Remember, the genetic code is interrelated with beliefs as well. Your body, mind and spirit are imbedded within its DNA. At the cellular level, each cell has its own purpose, cognition and consciousness. You have emerged into this world through the immense power of unconditional love. Your cells have come together and agreed to be uniquely who you are in this reality. They have agreed to become your tissues; these tissues have agreed to become your organs; these organs have agreed to follow the rule of the macrocosm—your body. Each cell always has memory and carries a blueprint of healthy metabolism function. Your cells are aware one hundred percent of your metabolism process; otherwise, they would never exist. Each living cell meets the requirements for healthy metabolism function one hundred percent. Each of your cells is programmed to look for health; they are not looking for illness or disease.
Today, the human genetic code is still perfect, or at least normal. We can look at it from this angle: The body’s genetic code already fully meets the requirement for healthy metabolism function. It metabolizes all of Nature, so this information can be passed down through its structure. The cell itself has memory. Return to our discussion of cellular transmission. About every ninety days, your red blood cells completely renew themselves; yet, you still feel like you, don’t you? Your memories, beliefs, feelings, thoughts, intentions, desires and more haven’t disappeared or been erased. They are still the same. We can analyze this transmission process as much as we like, but understanding the amazing internal mystery with the mind alone isn’t possible. We have to have faith and belief. Patients ask me, “If it’s true we are a microcosm or holograph of the Universe, shouldn’t we be able to digest and process the same way these larger systems do?” The answer is yes; we are supposed to be able to do this, but most people cannot. Why can’t we? Generally speaking, our beliefs prevent us from doing this. We shut ourselves down from the inside. As I’ve said, energy goes both ways; the bigger digestive process of Nature and the Universal consciousness are eager to have this two-way communication. Unfortunately, we are deaf; we turn off our capabilities of receiving their incoming messages. The receiver is off the hook! We simulate a closed system; we miss the support Nature extends to us. As humans, we are capable of extraordinary things. We have the innate capacity to do so much more, especially if we tune into the frequencies that continually flow toward us. It’s an amazing process. However, the first requirement is belief. What do you believe? In this reality, your physical body is the ultimate proof. No matter what, the body, mind and spirit are the ultimate manifestation of healthy metabolism function, as well as oneness. To achieve the best health, you just cannot separate these aspects of the self. Again, I want to emphasize, your body never lies. It serves as the mirror of your mind and spirit. It’s the stage you use to show the world who you are and how you are. You can’t say you have healthy metabolism function if your sleep is disturbed, or you have food allergies, or you suffer from constipation. Or, you are under stress, or your mind is continually engaged in chaotic thinking. Your body will always help you understand the state of your metabolism function by providing signs and signals of imbalances. We just have to learn to decode these symbols—from hay fever to hypertension, from the sniffles to a sinus infection, from a sprained tendon to carpal tunnel syndrome, from obesity to diabetes. These are all symbols. That’s the bottom line. We have to learn how to use this body wisely that is uniquely ours, for the time we have it. If we are patient, it will reveal the nature of the beliefs we choose to live by. It will help us discover how to exchange them for healthier ones. It’s interesting; we don’t really see our beliefs until something happens. You may gain many remarkable insights if you start to see your body as a mirror. Try to understand your body as a reflection of a higher dimension, i.e., your spirit. You can look at this from the angle of quantum physics; you can also look at it from the angle of the Five Element energetic framework. You can certainly look at it from the spiritual concept of oneness. Each of these compatible frameworks can help you discover that the five senses are not the totality of life. Help yourself become sensitive to the invisible world from which your body arises and where it gets its support. Using the Five Element framework as a guide, you can help yourself see your body through symptoms and conditions it manifests. What tremendous information your body continually transmits. Use this valuable data to rebalance your body and preserve good health.
Changing Beliefs, Healing the Mind
To heal the mind, you have to be a little clever and find ways to help it change. This is not an easy job. As I’ve said, the mind is a stubborn, wily energetic force. Basically, it doesn’t want to change; it wants to keep on thinking the same thoughts; it is suspicious of giving up any kind of control. Because emotions are based on beliefs, you can see why it’s so important to explore your belief system and exchange unhealthy ones to achieve better metabolism function. Ask yourself, “How can I identify which negative beliefs drive the way my mind thinks? How do these beliefs create thoughts that color my reality? How do these beliefs shape emotional frequencies that affect the way my organs function? How can I change my beliefs to see people and my life’s events from a different angle?” Sometimes, we believe something is true, but occasionally, a situation happens that lets us recognize we are only holding a belief about reality. The belief is not really real; however, we convince ourselves by the “evidence” we choose that it is one hundred percent true. You cannot change beliefs immediately. It is a gradual process that does not happen overnight. It helps to read spiritual books, or better yet, to find someone willing to guide you. Little by little, you may begin to shift your beliefs and the way you regard individuals, relationships and situations in your life as well as the thoughts and emotions they produce. If you try changing your angle of view, little by little, beliefs can change. This process can be difficult or it can be easy, depending on how flexible you are and how open your mind is. Even if you are not ready to begin a spiritual journey, at least you can do something at the mind level to improve your metabolism function. Here is the secret shortcut to healthy metabolism function: See how much you can improve or change your beliefs. That is the key! When beliefs evolve, new thoughts can arise. Then, the energetic frequencies of emotional responses will create different, healthier reactions in the body. Start from the top down, not from the bottom up. As you now know, the body is an incredibly sensitive 3D screen on which, and through which, you project all kinds of messages and show all kinds of energies—not just from you but also from the Universe. Isn’t it time to upgrade your program and change beliefs?
Example: How Beliefs Limit Our Reality Let’s say you are stuck in a job you don’t like. You believe you cannot quit this job even though it makes you so unhappy. Your belief is that you will never find another one that pays you as well, or offers as much power or prestige, or training, and so on. You believe if you leave, everything in your life will fall apart. In truth, there may be a better one waiting for you, but your beliefs and the thoughts they spawn will keep you imprisoned. Present beliefs will prevent you from finding a better job because they are limiting you with the many seemingly “rational” explanations they provide about how you cannot take this action. We have to ask: How can your mind receive any new material to digest, if it is still stuffed with old beliefs? How can you create real change if you don’t have faith? Let’s return to the principle of Yin-Yang. In this reality, positive and negative energies are dynamic, interpenetrating and complementary. Modern science characterizes this as polar opposites or the principle of complementarity. These energies always exist together; they can never be separated. We live in a world of duality; ancient masters would refer to the inseparable energies of Yin and Yang. Sometimes, we’re so focused on one aspect of a situation, we ignore its other aspect altogether, however, it’s there waiting to be discovered. I try to help my patients look at reality from many different angles. As we have seen from the case studies in this section, shifting beliefs, altering thought patterns and alleviating emotional imbalances can have a dramatic effect on organ function.
The challenge with treating the mind is to help it learn how to identify and believe in these positive aspects. This involves a degree of creativity. Think of your emotions like a garden that needs to be tended. Learn to help your emotions work smoothly. Every culture knows how to release emotions; they express them through art, music, dance, and other creative actions that free the mind. I highly recommend you search for these kinds of experiences. Simply put, the nature of the Universe is unlimited creativity. Because you are a child of the Universe, you are part of this creativity. We are creative through our own creations—beginning with the first one, your body! You can release emotional energies many ways, through singing, dancing, listening to music that touches you, by connecting with the vibration of the sounds that move you, even if you don’t play a musical instrument. All your cells are programmed for health. Your DNA is encoded with the memory of many thousands of years’ worth of wisdom and knowledge. Every culture is inside your cell. Never forget you know how to dance. Why is that? Because your mother knows; your grandmother knows; her grandmother knew; your ancestors knew and so on. Your DNA knows! You can sing as well; each of your cells has a different vibration that is yours alone. Did you know that you were born with the innate skill to gravitate to the frequencies that can support your health? Even when it comes to clothes, you often select colors to give your organs more energetic support. This talent comes from an inner awareness of each color’s ability to vibrate with the frequency of the organ that needs support. It’s not random that one day, you feel best in black, the color that supports your Kidney, or that the next day, a red sweater catches your eye and you unconsciously reach for it to support your Heart function.
Working in your garden is another excellent way to process emotions with Nature. Think of the garden of your beliefs and nurture it. Sometimes, it can flower overnight! You can nourish yourself with the energetic frequencies of the colors you invite into your life, the musical vibrations you surround yourself with, the energetic vibrations of the physical flowers you bring into your home or office. The simple action of looking at a beautiful rose at your workstation can lift you up and help you see things differently. There are no limits energetically to how you can support a change in beliefs, because everything is connected. The choice to change is yours alone. You are free to nurture your inner self, to embrace the positive angles that cultivate a vibrant spirit, a balanced mind and a healthy body. If you adopt this kind of framework, no one can limit the breadth and beauty of your garden. No one can control you. You will have real freedom. I strongly encourage you to nurture the extraordinary self-healing power you were born with. As the years pass, we lose touch with this magical aspect of who we truly are. That’s why I believe spiritual practices, like Wu Ming Qigong, are vital in this high-stress, hyperactive world we call home. In virtually every other area of our life, we have limits placed upon us, but there are no guidelines in this virgin territory of spirit. With self-cultivation, we can become more sensitive to the energy vibrations within and around us and use them to support good health.
Creating Different Beliefs Beliefs create a steel cage for the mind’s processing or digestive process. Once again, I admit it’s not easy to change beliefs. There are so many factors that contribute to forming them. Society pushes us; life experiences push us; environmental factors push us; family pushes us. Past experiences also push us. Why? Your mind insists that current actions be based on them. When you reach a point when you finally recognize unhealthy beliefs are affecting your well-being, you are stuck! You want to make changes and see things differently, but change feels overwhelming, if not impossible. Establishing different, healthier beliefs has to be rock solid; new beliefs can’t be unstable. A belief has to stand up to everything, not just to some things. To change beliefs, you have to continually nurture and support your new beliefs. You have to do this little by little, until they are part of you, rooted deeply within. Your healthier beliefs have to become strong; you have to bond with them unconditionally. You have to become one. This helps explain why it is so hard to change our existing beliefs; they are strongly imbedded within the mind; they are part of its invisible architecture, as real as any physical structure you can see. They are always intertwined with other beliefs. No wonder this is such a challenging process. That’s why changing one area of beliefs is usually not enough. Even changing an entire group of beliefs, where one belief connects with another, is often not enough. You have to constantly work on undoing the bonding you have with old beliefs; otherwise, your new beliefs cannot take root and help you change the others. When this work is done, new beliefs become the fundamental ground of your being. Thanks to your consistent work, they will rarely change. Your new beliefs become an integral part of who you are. When this happens, the way your mind processes thoughts will change. New, healthier thoughts generate more balanced emotions. You won’t react to people, life events and situations the way you used to. Your emotions won’t consume enormous amounts of Qi that would be better spent on healing. As a result, your organs will function better. An ancient Chinese proverb tells us, “If you wash charcoal enough times, it becomes white. If you sharpen a steel beam long enough, it becomes a sewing needle. Belief makes it so.” I would like you to be aware the mind is only the surface level of consciousness; it’s only a part of it. The mind is not subtle enough to make a true impact on the body. The mind is always the servant of beliefs. It’s the go-between or the messenger. Beliefs go far deeper than the mind; they possess the ability to generate the energetic frequencies of emotions that ultimately impact the body. If you believe someone dislikes you, you will definitely feel a certain way toward him or her. If you believe someone loves you, you will feel quite different. There’s a dynamic associated with beliefs: First, we form the belief itself. Then, we look around at reality and “collect” evidence to assure us that our belief is true. There are so many things we could select as “evidence,” but we only pick up the ones that support our convictions. We’re convinced by the “facts” we’ve selected that the belief must be true. But, there are so many facts. For the most part, we only choose the ones that fit our beliefs. Then, our thoughts support the belief. I challenge my patients to examine their beliefs. I encourage them to recognize how these beliefs have become part of their deeper consciousness and what they can do to change them. I encourage them to ask, “What do I really believe? How do these beliefs serve me? Are these beliefs ultimately true? What kind of thoughts and emotions do they create? How can I exchange them for the better?” I hope you too will undertake this kind of exploration.
The Shortcut to Real Healing: Changing Beliefs Even though I’ve said it’s difficult to change beliefs, it is still the best shortcut to achieving healthy metabolism function. From my perspective, changing beliefs is a powerful, modern meditation that can produce major health changes. Changing beliefs can also save you a lot of time. It cuts to the core of the kind of thinking you’ve been carrying and the emotions—especially stress—they generate and the organs they impact. From experience with many patients, I have to say, while changing beliefs may be a challenge, compared to meditation, herbs, supplements, yoga, exercise and even Qigong, this path is the fastest route to creating optimum health. In ancient times, those who wanted to change beliefs had to do it through meditation. The master could only guide them to the path; seekers or students had to choose to walk on the path. They had to discover their own truth by opening their inner eyes. However, this was a lengthy process. It took a lot of time to practice meditation so beliefs could change this way. How so? This path demanded both quality and quantity from the person doing meditation. It required great discipline; it also required hours and hours each day, and years and years of practice in a peaceful environment. Through this path of meditation and self-cultivation, the seeker might be able to escape his mind and experience something that would cause a profound change. He might see, feel or hear something that would open him up to the world beyond physical forms. When this stage finally happened, the seeker would discover that the beliefs he held were not the whole truth. Then, he could change. To accomplish this change, a master might say to the student, “Just continue with your meditation. Through this process, you might eventually discover something different.” For the student, this was a serious, time-intensive process of self-discovery. Imagine undertaking such a serious practice in our modern, busy life. Where can you find a peaceful environment to practice? Even if you could find a place, how would you find the time? From what I see with my patients, not many people have the time or a tranquil, physical environment to meditate long enough to achieve a change in beliefs and consequently improve their health. Imagine the benefits you would gain if your inner vision could discover profound truth through meditation. If you did, you would change your beliefs immediately. Why not change beliefs first? It will save you a tremendous amount of time. Long ago, the master never trained his students by talking to them. He would simply instruct them to meditate and have faith. His purpose was to help the students make their mind peaceful. When that happens, it’s more possible to discover many truths. It’s also more possible to perceive that what one thinks is not the whole truth. Then, real change is possible. Unfortunately, not everyone can get maximum benefit from this method. As we’ve seen, it demands quality practice, free from the many kinds of distractions we have today. For instance, you can’t really gain the maximum benefit from meditation or chanting or holding a standing posture, if you’re planning tomorrow’s meeting agenda or adding to your “to-do” list. Serious practice demands quantity, the accumulation of time. Without meeting the requirement of putting enough time into a mediation practice, it’s impossible to make a quantum leap. This is a spiritual law; both quality and quantity are necessary to create profound change. Today, not many people have the ability, financial support or commitment to withdraw from their busy lives and spend time meditating in the hopes of changing beliefs. Look at your life. How often can you manage to mediate or engage in a spiritual practice? Three times a week for an hour? Maybe you’re able to practice yoga an hour a day for seven days a week. Given the culture, that’s already very good and you get a benefit from this practice. You become more peaceful; your body feels refreshed. But, then what happens? You go back to the other reality with its many stresses, fears and worries—the one where you spend most of your life—and all the benefits you’ve gained are sucked out of you. So, you may go on practicing; unfortunately, today’s lifestyle doesn’t allow us enough time to accumulate Qi to create profound change. My advice is to look at your beliefs first and change them! This is the quickest way I have seen to impact health conditions of all kinds, not just those related to metabolic syndrome. Once your beliefs change, everything changes. Your new ones will reward you with many benefits. When beliefs change, the mind changes. When the mind and its thoughts evolve and change, you’ll find your emotional responses to people, events and situations don’t affect you the same way they did in the past. You’ll feel free. You won’t waste your precious Qi or life force; you’ll use it wisely for healing. Why not change beliefs first? Then, whatever other healing actions you take will accelerate your results.
The good news is that there is a shortcut we can take to improve metabolism function significantly. If you’ve already started a health regimen to enhance your life, if you incorporate a serious effort to change your beliefs, you will discover the truth about who you are and your spiritual purpose much more quickly. The bottom line is this: Everything else is just a vehicle. Meditation, dietary changes, herbal therapy, medications, exercise and more—all of these are just vehicles to lead you to another reality behind the one you see and experience every day. Throughout this journey, you’ve discovered the concept of inseparability. Everything is oneness; everything is connected to God’s will or consciousness. Instead of starting at the physical or lowest level, why not start at the highest one, the spiritual, to stimulate healthy changes quickly? Over time, I have come to understand that changing unhealthy or limiting beliefs is the best shortcut to improve health in the kind of world we live in today. A final thought: Sometimes you can hide the mind’s emotional state within your body. However, once it expresses itself as a physical condition, we see it in the third dimension. One way to interpret this sign is to call it an illness or disease. Or, we can use a different framework and interpret it as an energy transfer. You can deal with the visible effect of the condition or symptom, or you can rebalance its true cause—the energetic relationships in the energy field. It’s up to you. It depends on how deeply you want to heal. As I’ve said many times, your body is a faithful 3D mirror of the state of your mind and spirit. I strongly encourage readers to understand how vital it is to change unhealthy beliefs. This is where the root cause of health problems lies. We all carry the Buddha within. I urge each of you to become familiar with the quality of the beliefs you hold and devote more time to understanding them. Give real thought to how they influence your spiritual journey, your life, relationships, environment, mind, thoughts, emotions and metabolism function. Always focus on the good. A Buddhist proverb reminds students of the spiritual goal of focusing on the good: “The Mind can create Heaven; the Mind can create Hell. It’s always up to you—where you want to go and where you want to be.” The final stage of our quantum journey takes us to Metabolism Function and Spirit. Here, we will talk about the most essential aspect of who you really are.
Key Points I would like you to remember the following points about the mind and metabolism function: You create your own reality. You choose your beliefs. The mind can travel between visible and invisible realities. The mind has two aspects, the rational and intuitive. Beliefs create thoughts; thoughts create emotions; unbalanced emotions affect organ function, especially those of the vital triangle responsible for healthy metabolism function—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder and Kidney-Bladder. The body serves as a 3D mirror or screen and projects the processing of the mind’s emotions through visible signs. Beliefs, thoughts and emotions are powerful energetic frequencies. Under the right circumstances, they can accumulate and transform into mass. Believe in the good; see the good; do good. Then, you can become the good.
In modern times, the shortcut to achieving good health is to start from the top down and change beliefs. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION VII SPIRIT AND METABOLISM FUNCTION
Life Rules: From the spiritual level there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason. Everything happens for good. Can you see the good? –MASTER XI-HUA XU You are a spiritual being having a physical experience; you are not a physical being in search of a spirit. –TIELHARD DE CHARDIN
Some Basic Requirements for a Spiritual Journey This is the final and most important part of the quantum journey we will take to understand metabolism function from the body, mind and spirit levels. As I’ve said, healing has to start from the top down, not from the bottom up. True healing begins with spirit. This is also our most challenging section. How can we explain unlimited mysteries with limited words? How can we understand concepts like “infinity” or “eternal” with our third-dimensional mind? One of the best ways is by recognizing “frequency” is a channel that carries information of a certain nature. I encourage you to see how open your mind is to the ideas we’re going to explore and how widely you are willing to open your own channel.
Each of us is an energy being and we function within these laws. I realize each reader will bring to this section his or her own understanding of spirit and spirituality. This is why this part is the most difficult, yet the most profound. I will do my best to bring you to a deeper understanding of who and what we are and how to achieve the best health while living in this reality. I would like to give you the best, most effective tools I have to heal yourself. To conclude this part of our quantum journey, we need to recognize certain requirements will lead us to a better understanding of spirit and its connection to healthy metabolism function. In the previous section, on the Mind and Metabolism Function, we discussed the dual aspects of the mind, the rational and intuitive. Now, one of the first things we need to do is leave the rational mind behind and follow a different set of laws—spiritual ones. Let me explain. Even within the United States, there are many different laws that must be followed. For instance, you are allowed to drive at a certain age here, but not there. You can build certain kinds of structures here, but not there. Different countries too have different laws. You can cross the border here; you must be a resident there. You must present certain documents to enter some countries, but not others. On a global basis, U.S. citizens need vaccinations to visit certain parts of the world. But, do others need vaccinations to come to the U.S.? These kinds of laws have been designed to achieve man’s purpose. They are the laws of Earth’s civilizations; as such, they are often subject to change. There are, however, laws that are far bigger and more profound. There is Natural Law. We’ve talked about it already in several sections. Natural Law supersedes man’s laws. There is no greater law in our reality; it is also the law of our Universe. Without exception, we are all subject to Natural Law. While it may operate in this time and space, it is beyond time and space. It is very real; if you challenge it, the consequences can be grave. As we move forward, let me add a few more thoughts about this concept. Natural Law is the way Nature works. We see its processing function in the planet’s seasonal changes and changing weather patterns, among other things. The mind’s intention cannot penetrate it. You cannot connect to Natural Law through mental effort. You experience Natural Law; you can step into its flow, but you cannot understand it with the rational mind. At one level, you can use your mind to try to solve a problem through an intense focus on intention, but at the highest level, the mind, which is born of this third dimension, cannot penetrate the mystery of Natural Law. It just is. We’ve already talked about metabolism function from the body and mind perspective. Today, it is fashionable to use the phrase body–mind–spirit healing. From my perspective, I would prefer to see this phrase reordered to read spirit‒body‒mind healing to reflect the essential role spirit plays in our being. That’s because, as I’ve emphasized, healing is always from the top down, not from the bottom up. If you don’t believe in spirit, we will have to part ways at this point, but I believe you will be missing the most vital aspect of metabolism function. As I’ve said, spirit is a very difficult subject to discuss. Each of us has a different concept and a different definition of this intangible, eternal essence of who we really are. When we talk about spirit and spirituality, I’d like to be clear we are not talking about religion; however, religion is part of spirituality.
Let me start with the following concept to help put things in perspective. We are human beings living in this reality—living on this Earth—sharing its resources with other living creatures. We don’t control the web of life; we are simply another integral part of it. From all of our explorations in this book into the system of traditional Chinese medicine and its energetic framework of the Five Element theory, as well as modern scientific theories we’ve explored, hopefully now you are able to appreciate yourself as an energy being and all that this implies. You are an energetic force with unique consciousness and purpose. As an energetic force with its unique consciousness, the earth too has its own purpose and mission to fulfill. From my experience, I see many patients who believe they are a spiritual person. They go to church or synagogue; they may do yoga or meditate faithfully for an hour every day. These people believe they are on a spiritual path. When I hear patients talk about being on a spiritual journey, I ask them are they “in” a spiritual journey or “on” a spiritual journey? What’s the difference? There is a big difference, and this belief helps me open up a new angle for them to recognize their health issue, as we will see, comes from a much deeper level of their being. We are born from a quiet sleep, and we die to a calm awakening. –CHUANG Tzu I ask them, “How long can you practice yoga or Taiji? How long can you pray in church or synagogue? How long can you meditate? One hour, maybe two hours? What about the other twenty-two hours when you are not doing these spiritual things? What’s happening when you are not practicing, meditating, praying, chanting or doing other spiritual things? Do you still live in spirit? Do you still live the other part of life in a way that honors your beautiful spirit?” For readers, I will try my best to answer how we can understand spirit and invite it into the conscious part of our life, especially health. Perhaps, one of the most difficult things to grasp is the role of spirit in the healing process. This takes us into mysterious realms and challenging material. To navigate these waters, I can only share what I learned from my master, from personal experience and growth, as well as from the work I do in clinical practice. When we are not facing major life decisions or involved in big issues that try our souls, many of us do consider ourselves to be a spiritual person. When we are facing the chaos of life, experiencing tragedies, are overwhelmed by so many activities, facing serious conditions like cancer that involve life and death, or dealing with the disruption of major relationships, we have to ask, “How much of my spirit am I connected to during these times? How deeply do I allow my spirit to touch and support me at these trying moments? How deep is my faith, trust and belief that events are being guided by my spirit?” Though many people are interested in spirituality, I’d say, today, most are more focused on things in the material world. That’s understandable. It’s the way our culture has evolved. We are immersed in materiality and constantly being influenced by it. It’s very difficult to disengage or escape even for a little while to hear what our Heart has to say and become peaceful enough to connect to something beyond our five senses.
Think about how many messages you receive each day or even each hour about what’s on sale, what kind of car you should drive, how you can “ask your doctor” about taking which medication for what condition. Unfortunately, most of the time, the culture is stronger than you are. We’ve had several discussions throughout Digesting the Universe about how the invisible is more powerful than the visible. That’s true. If, however, you never focus on the invisible or “turn on the right channel,” so the culture has less impact on your whole self—body, mind and spirit—how can you really grow and change? My suggestion is to slow down a little bit. Take time to watch yourself and how you use your mind to process information and create beliefs. As I noted in the last section, on Mind and Metabolism Function, changing beliefs is a shortcut to real healing. It’s difficult to fully receive messages from your inner self, or your intuition, or even your dreams, when every thought is taken up with why, or how, or when, or how much. Once you ask why, there’s always another why. Like a three-year-old, our minds want to know more and more and more, and cannot stop asking why, but do we really do anything with the information? In fact, once questions begin, there’s no end of questioning! That’s the mind’s game, and it loves this game. All religions try to guide us to understand real questions must come from the Heart. Otherwise, they come from a desire to feed the mind and play its favorite game. This is one reason why I recommend my patients develop a regular meditation practice. Even if your intention is to receive information from a higher source, it is not easy because, as we’ve seen in the previous section, the mind’s method of functioning can limit you. If you’re willing to continue our quantum journey, then you have to prepare for it. The nature of this preparation is different than the kind we undertake in the material world. Let’s use this simple example. Naturally, it makes a difference whether or not you plan to camp on the beach or ski in the mountains. You just wouldn’t take the same clothes or equipment. You would prepare differently for each trip. Even camping on the beach is different from camping in the mountains. The preparation and things you need are different. Now, our quantum journey is taking us to a different level of reality. You can’t bring a GPS; you can’t bring your knowledge or intellect. There is no fixed path. In spiritual reality, everything is possible. Here, living occurs from moment to moment. There are no plans, unlike the planning we do in our everyday world. There are, however, as I’ve said, certain requirements. There aren’t any tourist guides either. Think of it, can you really understand the complexity and richness of New York City just by reading the best tourist guidebook, or listening to a tour guide on a bus? Probably not. You have to experience the city’s magic. I’m sure all my readers know there are many good books by many masters, religious leaders and spiritual gurus, who explain how to visit the spiritual world, but even these works can’t really convey the richness, complexity and singularity of your own spiritual experience. Many of these books use different language to describe the same fundamental truths. The basic requirements are all the same. You have to experience the spiritual world for yourself. Faith, trust and belief are essential for this journey. What should we have faith in? The whole purpose of this work is to help readers explore metabolism function from the body, mind and spirit perspective. As I’ve said, each of us has a different idea of what the invisible world of spirit is like and how to interpret it. Each of us also has our own understanding of love—what it is, what it can do, how it relates to life. There are so many related philosophies and concepts we could discuss here, but I am only going to focus on three main spiritual concepts I believe will be useful, especially for improving metabolism function. They are: the energetic frequency of the unconditional love of the Universe, or God, gives our world and all living things vitality and creativity; ultimately, there is only oneness; there are no accidents and everything happens for a reason. I would like to explore each of these three interrelated concepts in depth because they are the requirements we need to meet to conclude our journey. I will offer you the best understanding I can.
The Unconditional Love of the Universe Modern scientists tell us everything is interrelated or connected, but what are we connected to? Everything visible and invisible in our reality is connected to the profound energetic frequency of the unconditional love of the Universe. In our daily lives, we use the word “love” and expressions of love all the time. We say, “I love what you’re wearing. I really love what you’ve said. I love this dinner.” We also say, “I love my husband, or wife, or child.” We use this word to mean many different things and there are many different levels of meaning when we use it. Basically, we are saying we have an intense relationship with and feeling for something or someone. When we talk about the vibration of love in relationship to the Universe, naturally we are not talking about human or romantic love. This is not the kind of love we have been conditioned to believe in from the books, movies or TV shows we consume. The quality of this love is beyond comprehension, but it does not mean we can’t feel or experience it. Let’s look at this first idea more closely. Love carries the Universe’s promise. The energetic frequency of love gives Life its creativity and vitality. Life itself is based on energy and unconditional love. Through Qi, it carries the dynamic motion and message of the love of the Universe. This love is not just for human beings; it’s for all living forms on Earth, as well as Earth itself. It is this immense energetic vibration that springs from the source of the Universe and keeps everything alive. Our Universe is literally alive with love and because of love! Without love, there is no life. Nature could not grow; we would not exist. This is an incredibly beautiful concept. In some sense man is a microcosm of the universe; therefore what man is, is a clue to the universe. We are enfolded in the universe. –DAVID BOHM Since we are one of Earth’s entities, we are connected to this Universal energy. We are a microcosm of the whole. The earth itself is alive; it exists as a small drop of water in the vast ocean of the cosmos. Each of us is a child of Mother Earth, just as the earth is a child of the solar system, and the solar system is part of the galaxy, which in turn is part of the whole Universe. Every aspect of these relationships is governed by the energy of love. I tell my patients, “In a very real way, you are a child of the Universe. You are a ‘love child.’ You are unique and have purpose—a promise you need to fulfill, here in this reality.” Let me show you how important this concept is in terms of health conditions. We’ve talked about the power of the mind and how it wants to control everything. Sometimes, it’s difficult for the mind to accept this kind of spiritual information. It would like to be in charge of everything. It would like to control everything. Sometimes, the mind doesn’t want to know about these things. But, there is another part of us that does know this truth very well. Each of us enters third-dimensional reality with the knowledge of our connection to this love the Universe has for each of us. It is downloaded with us at birth. Our cells, our DNA, genes and atoms all understand their functions are based on love. How is it these minute parts of us understand such an enormous concept? Love carries the vibration or message of the Universe’s promise. What is that promise? In effect, the promise goes like this: “As long as you are connected to the energetic frequency of love, the source, you will always receive one hundred percent support. If your desire is to reach out and grow, then you will be supported.” This is the big promise of life extended by the Universe, or God, or All That Is (or whatever term you like to use), to every living thing on this planet.
Think of Jesus’ parable about the mustard seed that he used to explain the power and potential inherent in this seed when he explains the Kingdom of Heaven is life. Think of Buddha’s coffin. When they discovered a lotus seed in the coffin, it was determined to be centuries old. It was brought out of its deep sleep with the proper temperature, nutrients and water. What happened? Waking up to the loving energy of the Universe, the lotus seed grew into a lotus plant! Why? The seed itself was willing to connect to the Universe’s promise of unconditional love, compassion, acceptance and support. You may recall our Christmas tree example from earlier in the book. Once it is cut off from its connection to the earth, the source of its vitality and growth, it can only live for a short time. It is no longer connected to the source of unconditional love. Recall too our discussion of meridians, the invisible energy connections to this Universal love. Like the Christmas tree, we too die when our meridians, or energy channels, become disconnected from the source. All that is left are our physical remains. This source, by the way, doesn’t discriminate. It pours out its love continually to every living thing. Its promise is that it will support us always. It doesn’t base its love on gender or race, on age or sexual orientation, or any other factors. It doesn’t say because you are beautiful, I will give you ninety percent of my sunlight. Or, because you are a criminal, you only deserve ten percent. It showers everyone with the same amount of warmth unconditionally. Another dimension of our first concept is that Life has compassion; life has acceptance. It doesn’t discriminate against anyone. No matter what health condition we have, Life accepts us with love. From the spiritual perspective, we are always loved. This concept allows us to understand the Universe’s promise always exists. If we truly understand this notion, we wouldn’t get depressed about our own condition. Faith or trust in the Universe and hope that things have the ability to change would enter our picture. As long as we are willing to meet the requirements for growth, we will always be supported. Love is unlimited and has unlimited power, just for you. If we can truly see this angle and fully cooperate with it, miracles can happen. Remember, miracles never come from the mind. The act of falling in love is one of the best examples I can offer. When you fall in love, you accept everything about the one you love. I can tell immediately when any of my patients falls in love. Their condition changes; their color changes; their face changes; they look more alive. They have excitement; they want to do more. Why is that? When someone falls deeply in love, no matter what kind of problems the other person may have, the one who loves them becomes totally blind to their issues. They are literally in a world of their own. Others may see and question their judgment. They may say how can he love her? How can she love him? What do they see in each other? But, we’ve all heard love is blind. In the lovers’ eyes, everything about the other person is truly beautiful. This love also colors their relationship on all levels. What if you could use this kind of power for healing? What if you truly fell in love with yourself? What if you could see all the different relationships related to your condition through the eyes of love? You would see different things and feel differently about your health condition. The Universe looks at each of us with this kind of deep love and acceptance. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. –BUDDHA
Here is another aspect of our first concept. Love is always connected to creativity. When love arrives, health conditions can change. The good part about this development is that pain can go away; conditions can improve or even resolve themselves. We have talked frequently throughout Digesting the Universe about the nature of relationships at many different levels. Everything is connected, so at the human level, people in love just see and feel things differently. Even if their lover or partner has some difficult aspects, they just don’t see them because they accept the other person fully. They have compassion for them and are willing to take the whole package. Now, let me apply this spiritual concept of love to your body and relate it to your organs and body parts. If you felt acceptance and compassion for these parts of yourself, you would see things from a different perspective. You wouldn’t complain about your arthritis, diabetes, food allergies, hypertension, excess weight or other conditions. You would embrace a new perspective that would open up a different kind of relationship with your organs and body parts. You would love them. We often hear people say love heals everything. Now, we have to ask, “How can we find this love? Where can we find it?” The energetic vibration of love doesn’t depend on another person for its existence. You can’t buy it at a shopping mall. This is a discovery process. You have to discover love from the inside. You have to recognize at the physical level, your cells, your DNA, your genes, already have this wisdom and ability. How can you access it? I would like to look at genes from a different angle too. Life is based on love. The material matter of genes is not just a code for living today. Within your genes, you have a gift. You have received thousands of years’ worth of information. Inside, you contain these messages of the love, cooperation and acceptance of the Universe. Otherwise, your bloodline would already be disconnected from this reality. I hope you will think about this concept and be proud you have this irreplaceable wisdom. You already know you have this information living within you. These material structures carry the information for untold years of your ancestors’ knowledge, wisdom and skill. We can use the body–mind–spirit concept to connect to the spiritual level to touch the deep love of the Universe. When you have this love, you will have everything. Then, everything within you will function with cooperation and love. You will be able to connect to the unlimited love and power of the Universe. Many religions and spiritual practices talk about this concept. I would like to emphasize once again, from the modern science point of view, everything is energy. You yourself are an energy being that contains love. This is the essential aspect of your being I urge you to accept. If you don’t love yourself, how can you heal yourself? If you don’t love yourself, how can you truly love another person? This kind of unconditional love has to be discovered from the inside out. Once you discover this truth, once you embrace this belief, all the interrelated aspects of your body and life will change. Even at the spiritual level of metabolism function, we can apply the relativistic framework of modern science. When your relationships change at the physical, emotional and spiritual levels, you will change the angles that you see things from in your life. You will see things differently. When you change yourself, you can look at the outside world through the eyes of love. And, when you change, everything connected with you has to change as well. Why? Because everything in the energy field is interrelated! Even one tiny change causes everything connected to it to shift. Now, let’s apply this concept to metabolism function and healing conditions related to metabolic syndrome. At the body level, whichever organ you have a problem with, whatever food you are allergic to, whatever emotional barriers you cannot break through, if you change your framework and change your angle to see things with love, compassion and acceptance, the emotional and physical levels will also change and help you resolve the root cause of your condition.
Oneness: Everything Is Interrelated; Nothing Exists in Isolation Oneness is an immense concept. Beneath the everyday reality we experience, everything is energy. Everything is connected. And, I would like you to remember this vital energy or Qi has consciousness and purpose, just as you do. Today, modern science in the form of relativity and quantum theory is able to use a different language to tell us about “oneness.” The quantum field itself is Qi—alive with possibilities and probabilities, dynamic patterns continually in motion. This Qi has four aspects: information, wisdom, force and Universal life. Ancient Qigong masters had already understood the nature of this energy thousands of years ago. You may not realize the unlimited internal and external connections that support your existence. I encourage you to think about oneness in your own life and the many connections you have, even those beyond this earth. You are connected to deep space and the infinite number of galaxies throughout the Universe. You have a connection to the sun and moon and stars. Your body is a part of Nature. You are connected to each individual in your life, past, present and future. You are connected to your beliefs and emotions. Your organs have an energetic relationship among themselves and with your Qi and Blood. Your spirit is connected to everything at once. Most religions and spiritual practices talk about one God. They talk about oneness in relation to spirit. Chinese culture calls this concept simply “Tao.” Though we may believe in oneness when we’re in our places of worship, when it comes to our mind, we want proof. We want to be convinced in some scientific way to understand what oneness is. We often hear people say, “If it’s true, then prove it.” Many have a difficult time accepting this concept of oneness. Their life relies on many things that are the result of modern science and quantum thinking, yet their worldview sometime seems to be stuck in the Newtonian thinking of two hundred years ago. Taoist masters understood oneness thousands of years go. If we fast forward through the millennia, now we can see advanced science has also proved—from the micro to the macro level—there is only inseparability, only oneness. Thanks to modern science and quantum thinking, we understand what happens when we penetrate any physical object in this reality. We find nothing! That is, there are no elemental building blocks of Nature. We find waves and what physicists call particles. We find everything is interrelated and nothing exists in isolation. We find only a dynamic realm of interpenetrating waves of possibilities and probabilities. I would like to emphasize that everything visible and invisible in this reality is connected. From the subatomic to the galactic, everything is connected. General relativity theories are based on the energy field. Einstein and the scientists who followed him have given us provable theories that allow us to understand this field and that it is comprised of dynamic, ever-changing relationships. This concept has created applications from atomic bombs to the advanced medical technologies we rely on. Virtually everything in our lives is based on these theories. Untold books, scientific papers and classes teach us these things. We use extensive language to describe this phenomenon of oneness. While oceans of words have helped us understand oneness intellectually from the scientific and even spiritual levels, TCM has used the simple word “Qi” for thousands of years to describe this same phenomenon. It may be different vocabulary, but scientists, spiritual leaders and enlightened ancient Qigong masters all point to the same phenomenon of oneness.
As we have discussed, Qi can be understood multidimensionally in the human body. It relates to its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. TCM understands there is Universal Qi; it says your body has Qi; your meridians are made of Qi. TCM understands Qi unites all things. Qi is similar to the energy field quantum physics describes. Both disciplines understand energy is composed of force or power; each understands this energy carries information and messages. Qi has deeper meaning; it is motion and messages, intention and consciousness. Qi reflects a kind of mind that can focus and organize itself to achieve something for a purpose. It acts in cooperation and it has the capacity to change, but this change is not random. TCM uses the vocabulary of a two-letter word called “Qi” to describe energy, but, as you can see, it’s a complex, multidimensional understanding and has many layers of meaning. The principle of Yin-Yang and the Five Element energetic framework allow practitioners to apply the concept of oneness for prevention and creating better health by establishing balance at the body, mind and spirit levels. For millennia, Taoist philosophy has described the individuation or creation of patterns of energy that emerged from oneness this way: “The ‘one’ split into two. Two created three. Three became an infinite number of things.” This could be a spiritual description of the inner workings of the subatomic level. For Taoist philosophers and TCM practitioners, everything starts from oneness. As we’ve discussed, the Taiji, or Yin-Yang, symbol is the perfect representation of oneness in our reality. It is deeply rooted in thousands of years of Chinese philosophy and culture. One circle is divided into two sides, positive and negative. Each side carries a small representation or seed of the other—a circle of black within white, white within black. Yet, everything is encompassed in one entity. This symbol represents the notion that opposite concepts stand in polar, or complementary, relationship to each other. Neither can be described without reference to the other. Both are necessary to explain the whole. Through deep spiritual practice, ancient masters literally saw the dynamic interplay of Yin and Yang energies and used this insight to describe the essence of all natural phenomena and human interactions. As we’ve seen, thousands of years later, Niels Bohr, well-known physicist and Nobel Prize recipient, was knighted for his foundational contributions to atomic theory and quantum mechanics. In the West, Bohr introduced the notion of complementarity in physics. He considered the particle and wave ideas as complementary descriptions of the same thing. One without the other, he theorized, offers an incomplete picture. Paradoxically, both aspects are necessary to describe this concept and other pairs like force and matter, position and movement, electricity and magnetism, existence and nonexistence, and more. Bohr arrived at this conclusion through his scientific work. To his surprise, in a culture far from his native Denmark, an entire civilization had discovered the concept of polar opposites and oneness thousands of years before him. China had been using it, not for theoretical mathematics, but for every aspect of its culture, especially life and health. How could that be? Enlightened masters perceived Nature’s laws through their spiritual practice; one of these is the recognition of polar opposites or what Bohr called “complementarity.” The vocabulary they used to describe this natural phenomenon was Yin-Yang. As we’ve seen, they developed a symbol that captured the entire concept of polar opposites in one simple circle—Taiji. How simple, yet profound. The understanding of polar opposites and oneness can be found throughout China’s history. It was used to rule kingdoms and incorporated into arts of every kind, including the martial arts, dance, music, calligraphy, painting, architecture, landscaping, culinary arts and more. Most importantly, the idea of polar opposites and oneness was used in a practical way to inform Chinese medicine and its healing modalities. While Bohr made his discovery by taking the scientific route and looking at the wave-particle puzzle through the microcosm of mathematics, these enlightened masters discovered this universal law by taking the route of deep meditative practice and merging with the macrocosm. Each took a different path to arrive at a similar destination. The difference is that because ancient masters discovered the law through the macrocosmic level, they were able to apply their understanding from the top down to all aspects of life. This is why they were able to create an entire civilization based on the notion of oneness. Ancient advice to TCM practitioners reminds them, “If you understand the spirit of Yin and Yang, the whole Universe is in your hands.”
Bohr was so taken with the ancient concept of Yin and Yang, that when he chose a motif for his coat-of-arms, he used the Taiji symbol because it simply and beautifully depicts the archetypal polar opposites of these complementary energies. He inscribed it Contraria sunt complementa, which means “Opposites are complementary.” Bohr was one of the major twentieth-century scientists who recognized the extraordinary harmony between ancient Eastern wisdom and the science of modern physics. For thousands of years, TCM has applied its understanding of what today’s science calls complementarity in its medicine.
Example: Yin-Yang Theory and Genetics While we are exploring polar opposites, I would like to apply complementarity, or the Natural Law of Yin-Yang, to genetics. There are many diseases like heart disease, arthritis, breast cancer, autoimmune conditions and more that scientific research tells us are genetic conditions. Though you may have been born with the gene for one of these conditions, I would like to share this insight with you: If we apply the understanding of Natural Law and polar opposites, we have to recognize when a genetic condition exists, the opposite gene to control it also exists. How, when and where the condition manifests itself, or turns itself on or off, is something we have to look at and is worth exploring. If the body maintains its balance and harmony, the gene for a condition or disease can be controlled one hundred percent. I believe there is immense value in researching this aspect of genes. From my perspective, it seems we are always researching illness and disease. Why not research health? Why not embark on serious research into the miracles many patients experience? Looking at genetic conditions from the polar opposite, or Yin-Yang, perspective, these health issues are not necessarily inevitable. As I’ve said, if your DNA carries a mutated gene, it also has a polar opposite one to control it. What triggers this other gene is still unknown, but it happens. I believe searching for health in this direction would yield tremendous contributions to healthcare today. We have to remember the answer is always within. This perspective allows you to have hope and to realize you have the on-off trigger within yourself. From a spiritual perspective, it is helpful to think about who activates these genes, when and for what purpose. In TCM, genetics are related to the Kidney, one of the three key organs in the vital triangle supporting healthy metabolism function. The law of polar opposites—Yin and Yang, positive and negative—can be applied to everything in our world, including illness and disease. It is one coin with two sides. For example, why does your father get heart disease at age 55 and you develop this problem at age 45? What’s happening? Is your heart disease inevitable? Inherited? Or, is there some internal trigger? If you really want to deal with the negative aspect of genetic conditions, you have to give deeper thought about how to control its root cause. From the spiritual perspective, each of our life events has a reason. Everything is energy; energy has consciousness and consciousness has purpose. Everyone comes to this reality with the goal of enjoying his or her life. Life is not for suffering. With genetic conditions, you have the power to turn this mechanism on or off. Why? On a spiritual level, you believe this path can lead you to a better, happier life. You believe it can help you achieve this life’s promise. Remember, we’re talking here about the capability of energy to flow both ways. This kind of complementary action happens all the time. It’s a scientific reality. You can ask any professor of atomic or particle physics at universities like MIT, Princeton, Harvard, and so on, about this natural process.
When it comes to achieving the best life for yourself, you have many choices; however, most people choose a path of illness or disease to create change. But given what we now know about energy, we have to reframe our understanding of disease and illness and, more accurately, what they really are. As we discussed in the last section, the words or vocabulary we use to describe these events are just symbols that stand for something else. In this case, what’s another way of describing illness and disease? If everything in this reality is energy, then illnesses like diabetes and cancer, and diseases like heart disease, are energy too. From the point of view of modern science, disease and illness are actually energetic forms that process within the human body. This is why we can use MRIs, CT scans and energy-based technologies to detect and analyze them. This is not semantics; this is quantum physics. So, today we have tools that allow us to have a deeper picture of what we call illness and disease. Your body is an energetic frequency, so is your mind and its emotions. Your mind is conscious energy. When you are able to see things this way, it points you away from hopelessness and toward hope because the condition you are currently dealing with is your own energy creation and you already have the answers inside with you. Looking at it this way, you can begin to see and appreciate the power of your own creativity. You are the creator, director, artist, author and actor starring in this unique creation. Each of us is a singular artist of the highest order. From the energetic framework, my patients should all win academy awards for best director, best writer and best actor. We should all be proud of ourselves and love the creativity we bring into this world. However, I would like you to know it is not necessary to wait for a wake-up call of illness or disease to understand life is out of balance and has to change. Ask yourself, “What is it I need to change now to get my life back into balance? Am I under too much stress? Am I worried constantly? Am I fearful of the many things that might happen in my life? Do I eat for my mind and not my Stomach? Do I waste my energy on useless actions? Do I take the time to appreciate my life? Do I repress the expression of the emotions I have?” I urge you to become more aware of how to acknowledge your spirit and bring balance into your life every day.
Simply put, science, as well as today’s medicine, is missing a framework to understand spirit and its impact on health. Amit Goswami, PhD, theoretical quantum physicist, says, “The science of materialism is not the whole picture. Materialist science takes it as its basic axiom that everything is matter … but this Newtonian world view that has shaped our understanding for centuries is now giving way to the revelations of quantum physics which goes beyond materialism; to show that consciousness, not matter, is the ground of all being.” I would add that this consciousness has purpose. Today, we talk about body-mind healing. Science has given us a window to see the body and the mind differently. It has helped us scale the wall to a greater understanding of the body. We have just begun to integrate a deeper realization of the energetic power of the mind. I hope one day, we will go beyond consciousness and incorporate spirit’s role in health as well. It has waited a long time for us to wake up. Incorporating a meditative practice like Wu Ming Qigong is one way to positively impact genes. On a spiritual level, it provides a way to access the code that can allow you to stimulate your positive genetic heritage. It is possible; I’ve seen this happen a number of times in my practice. In the end, though, without the unconditional love of the Universe, there is no life. Life is a mystery that offers unlimited possibilities and opportunities. We just have to open our minds. And, because all life is connected to unconditional love, we can say, “With God, everything is possible.” Using the guiding principle and understanding of oneness, ancient masters were able to understand Nature’s framework and all the important associations that go with it. They used it to comprehend the energetic vibrations of the Five Elements and their associated relationships—to organs, seasons, time, space, color, taste, environmental elements, direction and more. They used it to express the understanding everything is connected or interrelated with everything else. They recognized this quantum information framework could serve as a roadmap to achieve true health. It allowed them to understand when relationships become disrupted or unbalanced, the energies of illness and disease can seize the opportunity to enter the body. Often, when these energies threaten to overwhelm the whole body, patients pray for a miracle. Let me talk about miracles for a moment. Miracles do happen in life. I have seen quite a few; however, like everything else there are requirements for achieving a miracle. We’ve already said that they come from the Heart and not from the rational mind. Sometimes, a patient might be told that they only have a few months, sometimes even a few weeks, to live. What happens? They go to their place of worship and they tell God, or whatever higher power they believe in, they are willing to give up everything in exchange for their life. Sometimes, when they give up everything, they earn life back; a miracle happens. Why does this happen? We don’t really know the power of life itself. However, because miracles do happen, we can get a glimpse of what that power could be. The Tao Te Ching, tells us, “When you have nothing, you have everything.” When you are willing to drop everything of a material nature, you can have everything of a nonmaterial nature. Miracles can and do happen and life returns. We just have to look at these kinds of events from a different angle. The challenging aspect of miracles is that they can’t be replicated or mass-produced; otherwise, there would be a whole school for miracles … maybe even a manufacturing facility! I want to emphasize that miracles, large and small, happen every day. As I said earlier, our culture always seems to be searching for illness and disease or trying to find a vocabulary to label what we don’t understand. There is even an Undiagnosed Diseases Program at NIH. My questions remain: Why aren’t we searching for health? Why aren’t we trying to understand how events we call “miracles” occur? How can we find their mechanism of action? Is it possible to replicate them?
As we’ve discussed, authentic TCM does not use the common terms Western medicine uses to describe health conditions. Most often, it does not say, “You have hypertension,” or “You have diabetes,” or refer to specific descriptive Western health names. While TCM practitioners understand your condition is called hypertension in the Western medical system, it also understands it as Liver Qi rising to the head and not coming down; this is an unnatural direction for Liver Qi. Western medicine may say a patient has GERD, or acid reflux. TCM says this condition is a result of Liver Qi not being in harmony with Stomach Qi. Those with a hernia would hear TCM practitioners say the Small Intestine Qi has dropped or collapsed. The same is true with uterine prolapse; they would say Uterine Qi has collapsed. From this perspective, you can see why TCM places primary importance on Qi, or vital energy—its quality, quantity and movement. In the TCM framework, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, for example, are described as having “no Qi.” This means the function of each organ and the whole body’s ability to function in harmony is at its lowest level. TCM focuses on jump-starting the patient’s own Qi or vital energy and its energy relationships. Because TCM’s framework, orientation and history have developed along a different path, I would like to repeat, TCM’s goal is to achieve balance and harmony, not just fight with illness or disease. When the body attains harmony, it will function at its highest level, so the individual can achieve his or her life purpose. Remember, a good TCM practitioner never just treats the symptoms. A TCM practitioner asks, “What relationships are out of balance in this patient? How can I help him or her achieve better balance and harmony?” Once they do this, the body will tap into its own healing ability so positive healing changes can take place. Does this really happen? The answer is yes, it does. Why is this so? Here, we can return to modern science and the energy field. When any relationship changes in the field, everything connected to it changes as well. Whole-person healing has always been imbedded in TCM’s ancient, functional medical system precisely because it is based on oneness and all the interrelated visible and invisible connections of a person that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels. Remember, there is only unity; separation is a well-preserved illusion of third-dimensional reality. Possibly nothing has done more to allow people to understand oneness than the Internet. It has helped all of us recognize there is only one world and one race—the human one. It has helped us realize everything is interrelated and an event far from our daily lives can impact us. As the unity of our world becomes more apparent on so many levels, my hope is that we will examine how we can integrate oneness into every aspect of our lives. Increasingly, we see evidence of interrelationships everywhere we look, from the global to the local. Artificial borders create serious conflicts today because they can no longer neatly contain ancient civilizations. We can see it in healthcare, where epidemics can spread around the world in a matter of hours. We see it in finance, where a market collapse in one country can ping pong around the globe quickly and negatively affect many people’s bank accounts. We see it on a personal health level when individuals are not in harmony with seasonal changes or with Nature. If your body cannot smoothly navigate the seasonal change from winter into spring or late summer into fall, what happens? As we’ve seen, you can develop hay fever. As uncomfortable as it is, from the TCM perspective, hay fever is not a disease or illness. It is a mismatch between the body and shifting seasonal Qi or energy. If your body cannot blend perfectly with the seasonal energetic change of fall into winter, you catch a cold, or your arthritis becomes worse. If you cannot blend into environmental or shifting emotional landscapes, you may develop symptoms like allergies to dust or food. All of these conditions are symbols. They are mirrors reflecting relationships that are out of balance and a disconnection from oneness. There are many health conditions, but there is little understanding, let alone application, of oneness in today’s healthcare. If individuals are really separate entities, they shouldn’t be affected by other people and emotions; they shouldn’t be impacted by negative media or pollution. If we focus on one body part, then the others should have no problem. If oneness doesn’t exist, we should be able to isolate things and events to prevent them. I think we all know this is just not true. I hear patients say they are allergic to food or pollen, or dust. They say they need to detoxify their Liver. I tell them, “Well, if you’re going in that direction, then you must recognize you have to detoxify your mind as well. How can they not be related?”
Example: Oneness and Jet Lag Because it is part of Natural Law, the idea of oneness can be applied at every level of life. We can even look at jet lag from this angle. Remember, time and space cannot be separated. When space changes, then the time is different. When the physical body has to blend into a different time and space, what happens? When it’s disconnected from its usual time and space, what do we encounter? Often, we see the symptoms of jet lag occur, including insomnia, constipation, loss of appetite, foggy thinking or other effects. These signs are the body’s way of showing you have become disconnected from the Qi of your own comfortable energy field. Here’s another way to understand the phenomenon of jet lag. Anyone who suffers from it might want to see the message behind this condition. The more effects of jet lag you suffer, even if your mind thinks you would like to go to a certain place, deep down your body is letting you know it doesn’t want to go! I see this with a lot of my patients who travel frequently. Deep down, if you have a great relationship with the place you are going to, the less effects of jet lag you feel. If you have no relationship to, or a problematic one with, the place where you are traveling, for instance, the location of a business meeting, jet lag will affect you more acutely. In ancient times, when someone traveled, for trade reasons or to study, from their hometown to a faraway location, they understood they might experience the kind of physical discomfort we call “jet lag” today. What did they do to counteract the discomforts of being separated from their home environment? What did they do to more easily blend into their new time and space? They would carry a small bag of dirt from their hometown area. If they experienced some kind of digestive system upset, they would put a tiny bit of this dirt, carrying the energetic frequency of their hometown, in a cup of tea and drink it to help their system adjust to the new location. It acted almost like an inoculation. At the energetic level, it would bring back just enough Qi of the traveler’s own hometown space, so his or her body could digest or merge more easily with the Qi and space-time of the new environment. This concept of oneness is one of the first things my master helped me understand on a deep level. Many of my patients travel or have sons and daughters studying abroad in Europe, the Middle East or Asia. I tell them to bring what they eat for breakfast every day, for instance, instant oatmeal or a breakfast bar. If you have this kind of problem when you travel or you have difficulty connecting to your new environment, you can use food from home to stimulate your energy system. This concept also reflects holographic theory; the whole is contained in each of the parts. Using familiar food, or even herbs, can help rebalance your system by bringing the Qi of your environment into your body. This profound wisdom of the unity of our reality is not just for physicists, or for religions and spiritual practices. It relies on real-life proof that everything is connected and, naturally enough, this understanding can be applied to all aspects of health and healing. This is not just my idea; TCM has incorporated this principle into its medical framework successfully for thousands of years to help billions of people stay well.
Applying the modern scientific framework we have discussed throughout Digesting the Universe, I want to help you understand these exciting insights. In our daily life, we never study or think about these kinds of things. We operate in what Capra references as “the zone of middle dimensions,” a reality that seems solid and unyielding. We don’t go about our daily lives thinking about atomic physics and particle theory. We don’t map all the interrelationships in our lives. Nor do we contemplate how all these interrelationships are energetic in nature and constantly in motion at the subatomic level. If we search in this direction, the more mysterious things become. Oneness, however, does allow us to understand the beauty of the body and metabolism function. If you want to achieve the highest level of healthy metabolism function, it is essential all aspects of your being—body, mind and spirit—are involved. Many poets have strived to describe this mystery of oneness. Their way is to use their creativity and the imagery of words. Often, they describe it in terms of Nature. Oneness allows us to sing with birds and dance with stars. Remember, creating the healthiest metabolism function can lead you to achieving its final and most exciting outcome. This is the fifth step of manifestation we discussed earlier in The Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function. Your mission is to manifest your spirit’s purpose in this reality. You are searching for nothing less than the highest connection to something that is beyond yourself in this dimension. It can be called Tao, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, or something else. At the highest level, you want to ignite an internal transformation that manifests outward on your body and in your life. If you can apply this concept of oneness to achieve better metabolism function, you will begin to experience how everything is connected with it. Any kind of disruption in relationships is connected to a less-than-healthy metabolism function. All the interrelationships of your life are connected. Then, I think you will be able to recognize how illness and disease can be understood in terms of imbalances. Deep down, they signal a problem with oneness. When everything is seen as separate, conditions appear. Oneness allows you to see conditions reflect relationship problems. Love changes everything. At the spiritual level, you have somehow become separated from the unconditional love, acceptance and compassion of God’s love, or the love of the Universe, or All That Is, whatever name we would like to use. Everything comes from the same source; yet, this source lovingly allows different things to express themselves individually.
Nature is the best example of the manifestation of spirit’s love and oneness. Nature knows how to collaborate. All the trees know how to cooperate with each other. Otherwise, forests wouldn’t exist. Animals wouldn’t exist in the same environment together. Nature puts on a beautiful display as it moves through the seasons to demonstrate the concept of oneness and cooperation. It depends on how we want to see this. Nature is a mirror of cooperation. Contrary to the idea of “survival of the fittest,” Nature is a vast web of positive interrelationships among Qi, animals, plants, and humans. If we can apply this concept to healing, we will have an easier understanding of events and situations we refer to in our culture as illness and disease. We will have a better understanding of food, nutrition and vitamins and the things we ask our bodies to receive. We will not see these as separate, isolated actions or things anymore. We will stop believing in the myth that things just “happen” to us. Separation is based on classical Newtonian science where atoms are regarded as the smallest possible particles and time and space are separate entities that only flow one way. Today, we know more. Our whole world is built on relativity and quantum mechanics. Things we take for granted—from X-rays to CT scans, from cell phones to satellites—have their origins in modern physics and quantum theory. We cannot continue to operate as if oneness doesn’t exist. The real truth is that everything is connected. At the turn of the twentieth century, it took several weeks to get a letter overseas. Now, the Internet delivers email within seconds. In our world, when one event happens, social media reports the details faster than official news sources. Modern science has helped us break through many concepts and see many things from a very different framework. My wish for all my readers is that you begin to embrace this way of seeing oneness in your life. On the healthcare front, for instance, instead of simply taking vitamin D from an external source, I hope you will at least ask yourself, “Why is my body suddenly missing this element, when I was able to create it before? What’s happening here? What’s changed in my internal or external relationships that is preventing me from creating vitamin D now?” Using this perspective to look at health and wellness, I have helped many patients improve their metabolism function. I believe this concept can help you as well. In the end, life is about love. It’s about faith, trust, compassion and acceptance. These qualities allow my patients, and me, to change. We can look to Nature and its emotions; wind, rain, trees, plants all have emotions. They all express themselves in this dimension by manifesting the highest level of their metabolism function. Life depends on love. Health is inside of life. When we talk about health, one of the ingredients, one of the areas we can’t neglect, is how to create healthy changes. Health is far more than the absence of disease. If we really want to make significant progress with chronic conditions like those we see in metabolic syndrome, the most essential breakthrough we can make is to love ourselves and recognize we are lovable and we are loved. The whole concept of oneness is “As above, so below. As external, so internal.”
At the Spiritual Level, There Are No Accidents There are many different spiritual laws. One of which is that there are no accidents. I would like to tell you why I have included this one, in particular, in our exploration of metabolism function. This is a very powerful concept. Through my clinical practice and longtime experience with patients, I have found this is one of the most profound angles I can use to help them discover their inner power and realize oneness governs our reality. This spiritual law allows them see that we can use their inherited wisdom to achieve better health and a richly satisfying life. Through this angle, I try to help them see their reality differently. If they can truly recognize and appreciate that there are no accidents, they are able to understand illness and disease differently. My deepest wish is that this perspective can help you too.
I think the first two concepts we’ve discussed are fairly well known and understood by most readers. All major religions and spiritual practices talk about God’s unconditional love. They also talk about oneness and that there is no separation from God. Now that we’ve explored these concepts more deeply, let’s turn our attention to the third one, which I believe will be helpful for understanding metabolism function. This concept, however, is different and it’s the most difficult one to explain. Many times we hear people in our culture say offhandedly on hearing about some event or situation: “Well, you know, there are no accidents.” Or, “I guess that must be his or her fate or karma.” Deep down, what are they really saying? Basically, they are acknowledging everything happens for a reason. They are saying events are not random acts. Whether they actually believe in what they are saying, conduct their lives this way and understand health issues accordingly, is another matter. That is why I would like to discuss this concept here, in Spirit and Metabolism Function. You’ll find, as we take the deepest dive of all, this concept is not something the mind can easily accept. We have to leave the mind’s desire for analysis, comparison and separation behind. Our quantum journey has to conclude in the world of spirit because real healing is from the top down. What I’m about to discuss is best understood with an open mind and Heart. To truly understand how and why there are no accidents, first we have to recognize this idea is closely connected to oneness. It is the same concept we have talked about throughout Digesting the Universe. As I’ve said, today, many people still think they live in the Newtonian world of classical science. They use modern science conveniences like cell phones, but their worldview is that of science practiced more than two hundred years ago. It focuses on analysis, division, fragmentation, and separation. Otherwise, they would recognize everything is energy and, in the energy field, scientists have proved that every thing and every event or situation is interconnected. We see examples of inseparability every day: a fire in a radar tower shuts down flights in a major city; but soon, this event ping pongs throughout the system and thousands of flights across the country experience massive delays and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. A country defaults on its debt and soon the U.S. stock market plummets. A drought affects land in the West and the price of fruit skyrockets along the East Coast. A deadly epidemic breaks out on another continent and, thanks to modern transportation, thousands of people are infected in countries far away. A demonstration happens in the Middle East and the entire world knows about it from pictures and tweets sent in real time. We are beginning to wake up to the way the world really works. We are living in the modern science world of relativity and quantum mechanics. The fundamental principles tell us this: At the subatomic level of this reality, everything is energy and nothing is isolated in the vast web of interacting patterns and relationships. What look like “accidents” are really events or situations connected to other near and distant events and situations. However, in our everyday life, we just cannot perceive all these connections in the moment we witness and experience something. It is difficult for all of us to conceive of a world where everything is connected simultaneously. The structure of our language has evolved into a pattern that relates things to past, present and future, but at the subatomic level, everything is happening at once. Space and time cannot be separated and, as we’ve seen, modern science tells us time and space are properties of fourth-dimensional reality. These concepts challenge the limits of our rational mind because parts of it are based on events and situations in time. Our brain and minds believe in occurrences that seem to happen sequentially. It gives rise to the kind of language that orients us to the ideas of things that happen “before and after” and that have a “cause and effect.” These concepts have been deeply rooted in people’s minds and in many cultures for a very long time.
Looking at illness and disease from today’s accepted way of thinking only allows us to interpret what we observe as a “cause.” Unfortunately, this kind of thinking limits us; it doesn’t allow us to perceive the many invisible and visible interrelationships leading up to and included in this moment. It doesn’t allow us to see the multiple, interrelated factors associated with the illness or disease. In fact, it doesn’t allow us to comprehend that, often, we are experiencing a different sequence of events—that is, we are seeing an “effect and cause,” not a “cause and effect.” The challenge is to know which is which. I hope to give you insight into the spiritual concept, “There are no accidents,” so you have a bigger frame of reference for understanding health issues. For example, a patient might say, “Because I have high blood pressure, or diabetes, or an allergy to foods, or any condition, I am ill.” This understanding, however, is only the first layer we have to peel back to arrive at the core of this condition, as we shall see. Patients believe their health problem is the ultimate cause of their discomfort or pain. In reality, it is the effect of a deeper cause, yet to be recognized. In a body–mind–spirit framework, observable conditions or symptoms are not the ultimate cause; they are effects that act as signs pointing to the true cause. Of course, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to interpret these signs?” Let’s peel back the layers on cause and effect, a little more. Once we do, you will see it lands us squarely in the realm of the spirit. Starting with the physical level, it is essential to understand the cause is somewhere else and, it is even something else. I try to help my patients see the situation in front of us is caused by life being out of balance first. When life is out of balance, this situation triggers the energetic frequencies of emotions to become unbalanced. Then, the body’s Qi—its ability to digest or process energy at different levels—is affected. This in turn impacts organ function. If the situation or condition becomes excessive or chronic, the body will eventually show this imbalance somewhere—in acid reflux, heart disease, diabetes, insomnia and many more symptoms readers can name, including cancer. This is its way of communicating, or sending an S.O.S. It’s trying to say something important, which we’ll explore shortly. You may recall we likened this kind of sequence to watching a train wreck in slow motion. It depends on how long this process takes. Some conditions, like hypertension, go undetected for a long time. The same is true for breast cancer. Research has shown some breast cancers grow for eight years or more before they are detected. You also may recall, in terms of migraines, the first questions I ask my patients are, “Who is your headache? What is your headache?” Until the underlying cause or trigger is resolved, the migraines will return again and again. From this angle, we can recognize that migraines are actually effects of the real cause. As we’ve seen, our Five Element energetic blueprint allows us to discover the deeper emotional and spiritual origins of health issues. It depends on what you want to believe. Let me start with a few simple examples to explain how illness and disease can be traced back to their origins. Let’s say you carried a heavy bag on your last business trip and severely strained a muscle. Or, let’s say you tore a muscle playing golf. Most people would say, “Because I carried a heavy bag or swung my club poorly, I hurt my shoulder.” They wouldn’t understand that, internally, their Lung and Large Intestine are not working cooperatively and the Qi running through these meridians is weak or stagnant, so nothing is flowing. The muscle strain or torn muscle is the effect of this deeper energy stagnation. That’s the real cause. Now, we are looking at things from a different framework.
When a person injures his or her knee skiing, he or she never sees the Kidney function disorder behind the weakness in this body part. Most people would say they are in a cast because they twisted and injured their knee or hit a bump while skiing. TCM understands these events differently through the lens of its Five Element framework. The knee is associated with the Kidney. This energetic frequency or vibration of this organ is related to fear. The injury indicates the injured skier is not only suffering from a Kidney Qi imbalance but also from some degree of fear in his or her life. Some event or situation is prompting this emotional imbalance. As we’ve discussed, fear is a major driving force in our culture. We just have to recognize virtually everything is based on the energy of fear. Fear can sell us many things. Fear sells the kind of news coverage that has become so popular. Fear sells us all kinds of “insurance” against many kinds of potential disasters. Today’s medicine and prevention involve screenings based on fear. They ask people to “take this action before it’s too late.” Even going on vacation begins with fear. We can only board a plane if we go through security procedures. This action prompts a subtle and not so subtle fear. We are not sure what the threat is, but it seems like something “might” happen, so everyone is screened. On the surface, these actions appear rational and logical, but this subtle energetic frequency of impending problems impacts each of us differently at the consciousness level. I hope you can see how fear has the capability of affecting us at the body and mind levels. We still have not peeled away enough layers yet. Understanding the physical cause of a condition doesn’t go deep enough. Understanding the emotional cause we’ve just talked about also doesn’t allow us to go deep enough. We still haven’t reached the root cause. We have to search even more deeply for it. Again, I want to emphasize that this particular spiritual concept that there are no accidents is not an easy one to accept. I hope you will stay with me to the end of this quantum journey. It may help you see your condition in a totally different light. Not many people can accept their conditions are the result of “effect and cause” rather than “cause and effect.” In fact, I think not many people want to see it this way. Nowhere, am I placing blame for having the experience of an illness, disease or health condition: in fact, you will be surprised to see that, from the spiritual level, there is a positive reason for it.
Example: Cause and Effect or Effect and Cause?
This example may help make the concept of “effect and cause” a little clearer. Suppose you’ve decided to get your favorite diet drink from the soda machine in your office. There are five choices in front of you, from non-diet to your favorite choice. You put your coins in, push the No. 5 button to get your soda and out it comes. What’s happening here? It looks like cause and effect, right? You put your money in; you receive your soda. But, let’s take a step back. The cause existed before you took action. The diet soda, the cause of your action, has been there waiting for you. Receiving the soda can is the effect of depositing your money. The soda existed first. It’s you who make the decision to push the button. Receiving the soda is the effect of the cause. If there were no diet soda in the machine, you never would have taken the action, nor produced the result of receiving the soda. The effect superseded the cause. If the machine is out of diet soda, no matter how many times you push the button, you will not be able to create the effect of receiving your soda. The cause itself is not there. Opening our minds and seeing things that happen as “effects,” allows us to create a new way of reseeing all kinds of situations and conditions. This perspective also offers a
different, more powerful way to understand the events and situations of our lives. Let’s apply “effect and cause” thinking to illness and disease. As I’ve said, typically we look at illness and disease as the cause of our problems, when in reality they are effects of deeper causes. So, unless we know where and how to look, it is virtually impossible to discover the root cause of why illness, disease or discomfort has entered our lives. However, there are no accidents. If we truly want to fix the ultimate cause and stop dealing with symptoms, we have to go to the deepest level yet—beyond the physical and emotional levels—to determine what’s behind our situation and fix it. I realize this is not an easy concept for most people. Spirit, the highest level of who we are in this reality, has to be included in our discussion. Spirit is not something that exists in another realm only. We humans are energy beings—an integrated, multidimensional system of body, mind and spirit. Spirit is a part of every cell in the body. From the spiritual level, what does illness, disease or discomfort really mean? Physically, you now know it means the body’s Qi is out of balance. You have some sort of condition, which we call illness or disease. You experience it with your five senses and your mind. It is not something you made up. Now, if we go to the spiritual level, which operates beyond this reality, we can’t use terms like illness or disease; we can’t even use terms like right and wrong. And, we certainly can’t use judgment to look at these things. We have to leave the world of duality behind and recognize there is only oneness. At the level of spirit, we can even use the language of modern science to describe disease and illness. If everything is energy, we can call these states “energy frequencies.” (That’s why we have invented medical technologies to capture energy frequencies.) The world of the spirit is the world of oneness. Here, we have to adopt a new vocabulary with different meaning. We can only describe ourselves and the conditions we experience as energy activity or energy events. The kind of energy or Qi we are talking about has consciousness, purpose and creativity. Qi is creativity.
We can take another step: what is your spirit trying to accomplish with this creativity? It depends; you have the ability to use your unique energy vibration in a special way, in a specific location. It’s like a display or a show. This show can be a small local production; it can be a Broadway extravaganza. It’s up to you how you choose to use your creativity and energy. Where you want this show to go on is your call. You choose the organ you would like to exhibit your show. Sometimes, you will even “donate” this organ in service of your show. Your own creativity will choose different organs to show different events in the energy field. At the spiritual level, you understand what this show is for and that through this event’s processing, you recognize you might need to change. Chinese medicine and Western medicine may use the same vocabulary in 3D reality to describe this state of affairs. The vocabulary is true; something indeed is out of balance in the body, or the condition would never exist. And, unbalanced emotional energies are always involved. This is still true too. Even though you recognize these truths, you are still not satisfied enough with your achievements. You are not satisfied with the reason for your condition. You might say, “I want to go to the body, mind and spirit levels.” Once you want to include spirit, however, you have to follow the basic rules of the spiritual world: There is no judgment. There is no good or bad. You are now beyond time and space. Everything is in God’s will. In God’s eyes, everything is beautiful. Nothing, especially your individual being, is separate from the unimaginable power of God’s unconditional love. When we arrive at the spiritual level of oneness, now we can’t even say anything is out of balance. We can only refer to energetic action or processing in the energy field that has created an energy event or situation. But, who created this situation or event? You and your consciousness created it for a good reason—you want to achieve your purpose in this reality. Your body and spirit have already agreed on this. But, interestingly, your mind doesn’t agree with the way you are using your creativity. You have used your own Qi to create an energy event. Once we’re in the quantum field, we have to understand right and wrong are third-dimensional judgments that have no place here. We have to eliminate them from our discussion. Life always has a good purpose. I would like to introduce you to a different angle of view to see these things: You are willing to go through energy events of this nature, which we call illness or disease, to discover something better. Your creativity has chosen an illness or disease, a different energetic frequency or pattern, to help you achieve your spiritual purpose. Can you appreciate the kind of intelligence, creativity and power you have? From the spiritual level, the most important questions you can ask yourself are, “Why have I chosen this energy event? What can it help me accomplish?” Only you really know why. The answer is always within. I hope you can shift your angle of view and look at your condition as energy. As we’ve discussed, conditions exist to let us know life itself has become out of balance. There could be a thousand different reasons for this; each reason is specific to each person. Because life is out of balance, emotions—those powerful energetic frequencies we’ve discussed—have also become out of balance. If this situation goes on long enough or is severe enough, illness or disease will manifest at the physical level. At this point, you might say, “All right, now that I understand the cause of my condition. How do I fix this situation?” If we only focus on the imbalances in our life and the resulting physical or emotional effects, we will have great difficulty dealing with these things. From my perspective, this approach is a dead end. It’s overwhelming to deal with life situations while trying to resolve disease and illness. One patient might tell me, “I really wish I could leave my job. But, you have to understand. It’s too difficult to change it now. So many things depend on it. How can I take care of my sick mother and my young child at the same time? I’m exhausted. I don’t have any energy left for anything else.” Another patient might say, “I can’t get a divorce now; I’d be ruined.” Or, “I can’t give up this habit today; it’s the only thing that keeps me sane.” And, so on. Many people seek help from therapists; some seek help from spiritual advisors. I agree; it is very difficult to fix these larger life issues, especially when someone is dealing with a physical condition. It is so hard to make any kind of breakthrough and create change. Everything seems overwhelming. However, we have still not reached the root cause of the problem yet! There is one last layer to peel back; this one takes us all the way to the core of spirit’s role in our lives. Before we do, I’d like to tell you that I use the three spiritual concepts in this section to help all my patients create positive, lasting change. My deepest hope is they will help you make a breakthrough as well.
Here is the real secret. As I’ve said, healing has to start from the top down. There is actually a shortcut to resolving illness and disease. As we’ve seen, the first concept concerns love: Love is inside with you; it’s always been there. Can you discover this love? How much do you love yourself? The second concept concerns oneness: There is only oneness and everything is connected. Modern science confirms our understanding of this concept. At the subatomic level, there are no “things.” We use the word “particles,” but particles are simply the function of processing, not tiny solid physical entities. Every event is connected to every other event in the dynamic web of infinite patterns. You are connected to the unconditional love, compassion and acceptance of the Universe. The third concept says, at the spiritual level, there are no accidents: If you believe there are no accidents (if you don’t believe, then the path we are exploring will be too difficult to follow) and everything has purpose, you are already connected to the unlimited power of the entire Universe. If you finish our journey by crossing over this bridge, you can look at life from a completely different framework. You can apply ancient wisdom and modern science to live within a new reality. You were not born to suffer. Your love is not destined to connect to pain. It is meant to connect to the joy of knowing you are unique and the Universe would never be the same without you. You were not meant to have a life of discomfort. You are supported by the Universe’s unconditional love. Deep down, your spirit wants to achieve better health and a better life. Through the processing of an event in the energy field, which we can call disease or illness, you have the opportunity to discover your unbreakable connection to this unconditional love. By experiencing this energetic event, you believe you can create something better for yourself. Let me return to the “effect and cause” concept again. From the spiritual level, the ultimate cause of your current situation is a positive one: Your spirit wants you to have the best life possible. This cause has been waiting for you. From the spiritual level, this disease, illness or discomfort you are experiencing is the path you are choosing to reach your ultimate, positive goal. It is just like the soda drink example. This very good, positive cause is part of the effect of your current condition. You have “pushed the button” and taken this action because of your desire to create and receive something that will ultimately lead you to a higher level of existence. Illness or disease is the effect; it is not the true cause. The true cause is that your spirit wants a better life. For some readers, I know digesting this concept is difficult, but I urge you to give it as much thought as you can. When I first talk with patients, they too find this challenging to accept. They find it hard to understand, even from the spiritual level, they have chosen what is happening to them. Remember, spirit exists beyond this time and space; it belongs to a dimension where there is only oneness and no judgment. We have to enlarge this concept with our more expansive definition of Qi.
Let me step back and use a different angle and different language to help you grasp this notion. We’ve established that today’s science has proved everything is energy. Energy is not just power or force; it has intelligence as well. It also has creativity. Creativity is energy. Let’s use musicians and music to explore these things. Musicians all use the same notes, but they use different instruments to play these notes in different ways so they can express their creativity. The end result is a unique musical piece whose style and characteristics reflect the spirit of the musician. One musical style is not better than another. We can’t say classical music is better than jazz. We can’t say the violin is better than the trumpet. Each one is different. Each musician uses different notes to create vibrations or frequencies. The instrument and the notes are just vehicles for the musician to express something greater relating to spirit and purpose. From the musician’s point of view and from the modern science point of view, if their music is recorded digitally for a CD, they are actually transmitting frequencies. Once music is translated into a digital format, the CD disc plays frequencies not the notes. An analog recording plays actual notes. Digital recordings are all about frequency. When we talk about transmitting energetic frequencies in regard to illness and disease, we have to ask, “Who is sending these?” From the spiritual perspective, it’s you! Like an expert musician, each of us performs the musical composition of who we are. It is unlike any other in the entire Universe. The instrument is the body. Your music may be in harmony, but your spirit chooses what kind of music it wants to perform. It is the external audience who interprets your musical composition as an imbalance, illness or disease. Remember, when we change our angle of view, we see different things. While this example relates to music, we can use the same analogy with artists, sculptors, painters, dancers and others. We are all engaged in oneness. We all use our creativity in different ways. We want to connect to something beyond our physical being, to inspiration and to unconditional love. When you use your creative power to design a special show like illness or disease, it means you still have the desire to change. You have to see what this change is about. I find this angle helps me show patients how powerful they are. Musicians, painters, sculptors and artists of all sorts use different kinds of energy and tools to create works that communicate with others through a different kind of language. I would like to show you another way to understand that disease and illness are also different languages with their own communications purpose. No matter what kind of artist we’re talking about, all of their presentations or art can be understood from the perspective of three aspects: energy, creativity and the purpose or message behind their work. The language or the delivery system the artist uses may be different: For example, a musician may play a violin; an artist may work with a paintbrush or charcoal; a sculptor may chisel a block of marble. No matter what, these three aspects—energy, creativity and purpose—cannot be separated from the finished product. I tell my patients, they are energy artists; the same is true of you. All of them are excellent artists. As energy beings they use their creativity for a unique purpose. Behind, or hidden within, their work is their message. Only they know what that message is. Just as diverse artists use different tools for expression, patients exercise their creativity through different health conditions to express themselves. It’s essential to say, however, we can’t use our everyday, conscious mind to understand these creative works and their special languages. For instance, you can’t use your mathematical mind at Carnegie Hall in New York City to appreciate a moving concerto. You can’t enjoy a Broadway show with the kind of mind you use to solve quantum physics equations. You can’t bring the kind of mind that wants to quantify everything to be touched by a Matisse exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. And, as we’ve seen with the example in the Mind and Metabolism Function, we can’t use our rational mind to deconstruct the grammatical structure of a joke to appreciate why it makes us laugh. Talking to patients from this angle, I tell them the same is true with health conditions. We have to use a different kind of mind to understand their deepest meaning and purpose.
When we look at conditions this way, what do we see? Creativity and power are very much involved. I tell my patients, “You should be so grateful you still have this kind of creativity within you.” If you are dealing with conditions related to metabolic syndrome, ask yourself, “How can I switch my creativity and power to a different frequency?” I hope these concepts can help you see more deeply, that—from the spiritual level—there truly are no accidents. The effect exists before the cause. Modern science helps us understand energy has intelligence and purpose. It has reason, and the reason is creativity. That’s the scientific way to see these things. Deep down, this creativity is your energy and it’s trying to accomplish something. What are you trying to accomplish? Every piece of artwork has the spirit and meaning of its creator behind it; every condition also has the spirit and meaning of its artist behind it as well. This angle of view frees us from thinking there is blame involved with health issues. It frees us to recognize an individual’s creativity. It frees us to understand that behind every condition, illness or disease is an expression of spirit. I ask my patients, “What is it you truly want to say?” My intention is to help readers learn how to use a different language to interpret health conditions. Through this language, you can come to appreciate the power of your spirit, body and mind. You can become proud of yourself. Every one of your cells has a different energetic vibration that you have the capability of interpreting into a different kind of disease or illness. From this point of view, you are one of the greatest artists because you can use your body to produce a one-of-a-kind work of art. You are not only a musician; you are also a sculptor. You can use your body as your own private sculpture. Are you an artist? Yes, I believe you are the best artist! No matter what health conditions you have—transient or permanent—they confirm your spirit is alive and pursuing its vision of creativity! Through it, you are still here; your power is still here. You can use unconditional love in whatever way you want to create this energy event we may label illness or disease. However, when you recognize that through this energy event you want to change, you can choose a different path to achieve spirit’s purpose in this reality. I want to add Qi into this angle too. What is Qi? As I have said a number of times, it is information, power or force, motion and messages, as well as Universal life. It connects to everything; it is everything. From one perspective, you have put great creativity into your efforts to produce the effect of an unbalanced life with unbalanced energy. Your spirit knows, deep down, your chosen path will help you undergo a certain kind of processing designed to lead you to a better life. Now, we have peeled back all the layers and have arrived at the ultimate cause, which is all about spirit. Real healing comes from understanding the true cause of illness and disease. Most of us never look deeply at the profound connections to and promise of love and life we carry within us at all times. We never believe the gift to heal ourselves is already inside. This self-healing ability is part of the software we were born with. Your spirit has made the decision to be born into this third-dimensional reality and this time frame. You want the best, happiest and most fulfilled life you can create. That is your promise. You want to experience love and connect deeply to the love of the Universe. You are not alone, ever. At your core, you have chosen to reach this goal. Many religions and spiritual practices remind us the answer is always within. When you accept this angle, you will understand why there are no accidents. You create your own reality. You have chosen this path for a good purpose. But, I would like you to understand, this is not the only path you have to follow. You always have the option of choosing a different one. You are not locked into a world of misery. Many religions tell us God only gives something to someone who can handle it. If you have a specific illness or disease, it means you already have the capability of handling it. You were born with this strength. The question is how do you want to handle it? Today, your choice of illness and disease is a challenging path to reach a positive goal. You want a happier life so you can grow more. Your spirit wants to follow Natural Law, part of which is to grow in this reality. As long as you want to grow, the Universe will support you. If you can truly recognize that reaching out for Life, with a capital “L,” is the cause, you may be able to recognize and even appreciate your condition as an effect and not the final cause of your current situation.
I cannot encourage you enough to try to understand this perspective about what is “cause” and what is “effect” in your life. This way, you can use the time and energy you have in this lifetime wisely. Whatever you see in this reality is an effect. The cause always lies at the deeper, invisible level. What is in front of you is a symbol. It’s not the ultimate cause of any situation. Let’s review this spiritual concept: What is this true cause? From the third-dimensional angle, life is out of balance. When life becomes out of balance, the mind’s actions, its emotions, become unbalanced. Qi becomes weak or stagnates; then, illness, disease and discomfort appear in a specific location. This is where we can turn to the energetic framework of the Five Elements to guide us here. It gives us a way to trace, from spirit down, the root cause of a condition. It gives us a way to peel back the layers and lead us to the ultimate root cause of any health condition. Without this spiritual concept, it would be almost impossible to understand the concepts we’ve been exploring: There are no accidents; things happen for reason; the reason is not based in third-dimensional reality. To fully understand this spiritual concept, we have peeled away the layers and gone deep to discover the “why” of any condition; we have gone to the deepest level to uncover the real cause of the current effect or symptom. This is the event we have named illness or disease, in our reality. If you believe there is no other reason for events than the things you can experience with your five senses, you will struggle with these spiritual concepts. Remember, in the Mind and Metabolism Function section, we discussed the need for flexibility and opening the mind to accept new ideas and beliefs. Can you change your beliefs to embrace this big picture? If you’ve searched everywhere for the answer without good results, perhaps it’s time to search your “Innernet.” So, what is the answer we’re all searching for? At the spiritual level, you are already prepared to accept the unconditional love of the Universe and connect to its source of endless energy. You already know Nature, and every living being, can be your partner. You already know in your cells that, at the Qi level, everything is connected. You have already downloaded the software you need to prepare yourself for the conditions you are currently dealing with. Your hardware or physical body is ready for this challenge. At the deepest level of your being, you have accepted the Universe’s promise to support you one hundred percent. You know the past, present and future are all connected. Ancient wisdom and modern science tells us the same things in different ways. Think about this amazing concept: Before you were born, you already prepared yourself for this life, not for a life of suffering. You downloaded this message of love. Your software knows your material body can handle challenging experiences at the physical and emotional levels. This life event we call an illness or disease has happened for a reason. What is its true reason? It’s to create change to achieve a better life—we are not just talking about a better material life. We are talking about nothing less than the growth of Spirit! We are talking about the sacred promise of fulfilling your purpose.
If we use logical thinking to try to understand this profound concept, it will be very difficult to digest it fully. It may cause you to hit a dead end. When life is out of balance, unless we are willing to go to a higher dimension to understand it, we will never see healing has to be from the top down. If we try to go from the bottom up, we will never get there. Why? At a lower level, we will come to a dead end by dealing with an endless procession of events and situations, questions and actions, which come from the mind. As hard as it might be to accept, I would like you to know your difficult health challenges exist for a good reason. Knowing this, you now might be able to take a different route to reach your ultimate goal. If you can use your talent, skill and energy to meditate, if you can train yourself to see things from another angle, if you can let things go, you can discover your purpose without pain and suffering. My master has guided me to these insights over many years. From clinical experience with patients, I recognize that not many people are willing to understand this special opportunity, let alone follow this path. For those who are and those who do, however, miracles happen. Let me use these spiritual concepts to discuss the most difficult, feared illness of our time, cancer. Let me talk first about cancer and miracles. As I’ve noted, real miracles do happen. If we try to understand them with evidence-based science, they simply can’t be explained yet, but there is no denying their existence. Miracles always happen at the spiritual level. They are beyond rational thinking, but they are definitely not beyond our experience. When the doctor tells a patient he or she has a short time to live, we believe very little or nothing can be done. From my clinical experience, I can tell you this is not necessarily true. Here is a real-life story about one of my patients. When he came to me, he said, “Dr. Lu, what am I going to do? I was only born with one kidney and now I’ve been told this kidney has inoperable cancer. I’ve been given a few months to live.” I asked him, “If you could do anything with your life right now, what would you really want to do?” His answer was that he wanted to sell his house, move to Florida, live at the beach and sail his boat. My advice was to do just that. He came back to visit me three years later. This true story is about more than a seeming miracle. It’s about the responsiveness of the Universe. I want you to know, deep down, if you have even one percent of hope for life, like this man, the Universe will support you one hundred percent. Even this smallest of percentages will connect you to the miracle of its love. We just cannot understand these things with an evidence-based scientific system, but we can see the result. That’s why we call it a miracle. With cancer, people put themselves in a life and death situation. Looking at it from the spiritual level, this is the effect they have chosen to attain the cause of a better life. The threat of death is a powerful force that can make us surrender; this act itself can create a miracle. There are, however, other, less drastic paths to miracles and enlightenment. We can try meditation and, as I’ve said before, we can try letting go. It doesn’t mean conventional medical treatments are not called for, or shouldn’t be considered. Let’s look at cancer from the perspective of “There are no accidents.” What does cancer mean today in our society? From the spiritual, emotional and physical levels, it means you have purchased a ticket that will take you to either life or death. Everyone in our culture understands this disease is a life-or-death threat. A cancer diagnosis means if you don’t take action, if you don’t do something, you will die. The message is, “Do something to save your life, or you will die!”
Based on this, we take action to try to save our life. You are now the most powerful person. Why? Because you have chosen the most challenging condition in our society to conquer. Through the effect of this life-and-death struggle, you hope to resolve your cause of achieving something more fulfilling, something that will create a better life for you. You are so courageous you are willing to give up the most valuable, most priceless, gift you have—your own life. Now, we have to look at this from a different angle. For what purpose are you prepared to do this? There has to be a benefit, some advantage, right? The answer is yes. I would like you to realize your purpose is a good one. However, from my experience, I can tell you there are different paths to follow. The question is how much effort are you willing to put into this work? How much effort are you willing to invest in changing yourself from the inside out? In some ways, cancer creates more change than other conditions like diabetes or arthritis. With these health issues, you don’t have to change your life so dramatically. Maybe you have to adjust your diet and take insulin; maybe you have difficulty moving around and have to take medications, or relocate to a warmer climate. With cancer, you have to face drastic solutions quickly, like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery— treatments in and of themselves that cause serious, additional health issues and even threaten life. With cancer, where does the real power to heal come from? The question to ask is how can you change what is troubling you and use your creativity for a better life? There are no accidents. Change your angle; change your framework. Don’t think cancer is the cause preventing you from doing what you want to do. Cancer is not the true cause. It is the spiritual effect of something much deeper. Interestingly, today, I see many women with breast cancer who tell me they do know why they have this condition. Some can even tell me about the moment when longtime situations or events and emotions caused their body to make this shift. If you really want to change your condition for good, I encourage you to change or eliminate the ultimate cause. From the spiritual level, how can you change this cause? First, you have to acknowledge there are no accidents. Then, you have to understand the cause is a positive one. It is your spirit’s desire to help you create a better life. Then, you have to recognize you are always surrounded by and connected to the unconditional love of the Universe. You are not alone. We are energy beings connected to everything in the dynamic, ever-changing energetic processing of the quantum field, with its unlimited possibilities and probabilities. You are connected with everything. What is happening has been created to allow you to experience life. Ultimately, your reasons are spiritual ones. They cannot be accessed through normal therapy. Unfortunately, not many people are willing to follow this path. Let me take you back once again to look at cancer from the modern science perspective. We can look at the physical cellular or molecular levels to diagnose cancer and its location at the time of diagnosis. If we travel beyond this physical world and go deeper to the subatomic level, what do we see? It’s all energy. We cannot use the vocabulary of “cancer” anymore. Just like everything else, cancer is a dynamic energy pattern in a web of endlessly interacting, interrelated patterns. There is no more “cancer.” It’s energy. To repeat, we have to apply modern science principles: Everything is energy. There are only events, possibilities and probabilities of action. If everything isn’t energy, then MRIs, CT scans and the like would be useless in terms of giving us diagnostic information. Virtually all cancer diagnoses are based on medical technologies that have evolved through the application of modern physics. They are based on their ability to penetrate to a deeper, energetic level of the body where there are no solid objects. There are just waves of moving, conscious energetic probabilities. This brings us to another modern science principle, called the uncertainty principle, discovered by Heisenberg. We cannot measure the speed and location of a particle with certainty. We can measure one but not the other. In terms of cancer, it means that the picture imaging technologies capture of cancer’s location can change, or even disappear. We can also say, thanks to modern science, when we base our understanding of cancer on the theory of relativity, we can look at it (and other conditions as well) in two ways. We can see it as a mass, or we can see it as stored energy. When we penetrate to the subatomic world, we have to view it as energy. Changing energy changes mass. E=mc² can be applied to cancer.
To address the root cause of cancer, we have to go beyond a focus on the cancer itself. We have to recognize and address the powerful energetic relationships associated with this imbalance, including emotional, mental, physical, lifestyle, social, environmental and spiritual factors. We also have to recognize the space-time principle as it applies to cancer. We can remove the space of the observable cancer. In fact, modern medicine is getting very good at this. But, unless we remove its inseparable, invisible aspect of time, something has been left behind that can cause problems later. What could that be? It’s the related relationships above. I have seen amazing results when cancer treatment also incorporates a focus on helping rebalance the interrelated aspects of the patient’s body, mind and spirit. Again, this is where I believe the Five Element energetic framework offers invaluable insight. It can point us to the affected organ, the body structure that is its opening to the external world, its “tissue,” its emotion, even its spiritual essence, among other things. From my clinical experience, it is a singular blueprint directing us to the root cause of health conditions. TCM offers an amazing amount of wisdom waiting to be unlocked to expand the breadth and depth of complementary medicine. I’ve learned that applying the TCM framework with the modern science framework offers a revolutionary way to successfully address not only fearsome conditions like cancer, but other chronic conditions, especially those related to metabolic syndrome, that affect so many people today and cost society so much. Understanding there are no accidents always brings us to the spiritual level; at this level we can gain real freedom. I tell patients, “You must focus on how to change your life, not on how to save your life. Spiritual practices tell us no one can save Life. Life belongs to God; however, health belongs to you.” Following this path opens the way to achieving your destiny and fulfilling your promise. You can use your material body wisely to create the best life for yourself now, instead of putting all your energy into prolonging life. If human beings really had the ability to save life, the best doctors would still be alive; all the enlightened masters would never have died; even Lao Tzu, Buddha and Jesus would still be teaching, but they understood this concept very well. They understood their spirit, like yours, is eternally unique and can never be extinguished; they too transitioned to a different reality.
Applying the Body–Mind–Spirit Framework to Four Health Conditions In Western medicine, addressing conditions related to metabolic syndrome starts, naturally enough, with its associated illnesses. This is the bottom-up approach. As I’ve said, the healing approach we’ve been talking about has to start from the top down, with spirit. Unless we use the multidimensional body–mind–spirit perspective, it is difficult to reach good health. We have now explored spirit and metabolism function. This completes the most important part of our big picture.
Having a healthy digestive system is far more than breaking down food to harvest energy. As we’ve seen, digestion is a huge concept. Can you digest everything, just as the earth can? Can you digest the life you have created for yourself? Can you digest the situation you are in? Can you digest the many emotions and massive amounts of information you are subject to? Once you understand how important and all-encompassing the concept of metabolism function is, you can apply it to any situation or symptom. Then, you can ask yourself, “Am I able to perform the essential steps of healthy metabolism function on multidimensional levels? Can I process, digest, transform and apply what I’ve chosen to receive?” And most importantly, “Can I manifest it?” If you truly understand metabolism function now, you will understand you are a child of the Universe. The whole Universe is yours, your house. You belong here. If this is true, you should also ask yourself, can I digest the Universe as well? Can I take what’s really mine? You are the owner of this house and are entitled to use it. If you are the child, it’s yours; your parent has unconditional love for you. I urge you to embrace this love and digest the whole Universe! As we’ve seen, Nature is a real-life, real-time example of metabolism function. Just look at the trees. As they transform themselves from season to season, can you appreciate their ability to digest and process everything? Have you noticed their flexibility as they adapt themselves to the seasonal changes of spring, summer, fall and winter? Do you see the trees processing Universal Qi each year? Do you see the cycles of growth as their leaves emerge every spring and drop in the fall? Do you see the earth digesting these leaves so the soil beneath the trees can be nurtured, and new life can begin again in the following spring? You have this same digestive ability. The whole concept of metabolism function we have explored throughout this book will enable you to apply it not just to health conditions but to life situations as well. Now, I would like to give you an idea of how our body–mind–spirit framework can be applied to several health conditions, the first two of which are related to metabolic syndrome. Before we begin, it might be helpful to study the following diagram to get a clearer picture of how health conditions progress. They can move from a state of health to a potentially life-threatening issue. One key point: With the proper healing support it is always possible to return to a previous level of health.
Typical Progression of Observable Conditions in 3D Reality
Diabetes Diabetes is one of the major conditions associated with metabolic syndrome that we can look at from the integrated body–mind–spirit framework. According to the American Diabetes Association, total costs associated with diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2012 were $245 billion. In that year, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the population, had diabetes; in 2010, the figure was 8.3 percent of the population. Two of every five adults are expected to develop type 2 diabetes throughout their lifetime. In 2010, it was listed as the seventh leading cause of death.
According to a 2014 study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all U.S. cases. In the Western medicine framework, onset occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, or the insulin produced does not function properly, causing abnormal blood glucose levels. Wellknown, serious results of this condition include amputation, blindness, end-stage renal disease, disability and mortality. It is also linked to obesity. The incidence and prevalence of diabetes ensure it will remain a major long-term public health issue. First, let’s look at diabetes at the body level. In Western medicine, as we’ve seen, this condition means your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the insulin is not functioning properly. Prescribed insulin is supposed to fix the problem. Unfortunately, even with this step, diabetes is rarely completely fixed. The Eastern concept is different. In TCM, diabetes is one of the oldest conditions or symptoms that has been successfully treated for thousands of years. I think you will find the following information interesting. From everything we’ve discussed, you know now that the medical system of TCM doesn’t use terminology like “diabetes” to name or understand conditions. The practitioner is focused on how the diabetic patient’s Qi is doing. TCM’s goal is to determine the signs and signals from the organ systems to detect which relationships have been disrupted to cause the body to stop functioning properly. How do we tell? Generally speaking, diabetes symptoms point to a digestive system disorder. The body’s urine may contain sugar or be sweet. In ancient times, the condition could be confirmed by dripping the patient’s urine on the ground. If it attracted ants, the practitioner understood there was excess sweetness in the urine. The patient had an imbalance related to the essence of sweet or sweetness. Remember our discussion of the paired organ systems in the vital triangle for healthy metabolism function— Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder and Kidney-Bladder. Also recall, the five stages of metabolism function—receiving, digesting, processing, transformation and manifesting. Diabetes is a condition that signals the digestive system is out of order and not functioning properly. This understanding represents the TCM angle for looking at this health issue. If the Spleen-Stomach pair is involved, then because it is the first pair in contact with food, this form of diabetes is recognized as an issue with the entire digestive process. If diabetes is related to the upper body, which involves the paired organ systems of the Lung–Large Intestine and Heart–Small Intestine, the practitioner has to understand the nature of the imbalances and energetic functions of the meridians involved. One of the Lung’s responsibilities is to unconditionally support the Heart’s function at multidimensional levels. We will discover how essential this relationship is shortly. Based on the patient’s symptoms, the TCM practitioner will decide which organ is having a major impact on the condition. As I’ve said, a good TCM practitioner never just focuses on a condition; the condition is not the root cause. It’s the result of something deeper. TCM’s orientation is to understand the body in terms of unity or oneness and restore balance in the systems. When this happens, the body’s self-regulating or self-healing capabilities take over. These practitioners recognize health conditions stemming from imbalances in organ relationships are also associated with disrupted internal relationships, or between internal and external relationships. As I’ve emphasized throughout Digesting the Universe, our body–mind–spirit framework allows us to adopt a different angle of view. When we see different things, outcomes can be different.
As I’ve said, diabetes is intimately connected with the process of digestion. Remember too, our discussion that the Spleen-Stomach organ system is responsible for the digestion of the visible and invisible. This includes food, information and emotions. With diabetes, the whole body is suffering from a Qi deficiency. Its cause is diagnosed by looking at all the associated symptoms, including fatigue, lack of strength, weight gain, thirst and more. If the condition unbalances other organs, the outcome can get worse. The body has lost its ability to process many things, including sweet things, and no longer produces its own insulin. In the TCM framework, practitioners would use the vocabulary of “Qi deficiency” and “Qi stagnation” to describe the effect of having diabetes on the body. They would say there is a Stomach Qi deficiency, a Spleen Qi deficiency and so on. Now, let’s move to the mind level to look at diabetes. As we discussed in the Mind and Metabolism Function section, the mind’s processing or digestive function relates to emotions. Here too, we see the impact of a Qi deficiency. The TCM goal would be to balance the interrelationships and deal with how well the organs get along with each other. Once we understand the Qi deficiency affects the mind level, we know powerful energetic frequencies of emotions are involved. The goal is still to create balance, not only control symptoms. A skilled TCM practitioner can definitely help control symptoms. Sometimes, they can even help a patient get off medication and stop taking insulin, which occurs when the patient and all the practitioners are in agreement. However, the root cause—the real issue—is not just that the patient’s physical and emotional aspects are out of balance. The deeper, spiritual issue, we now know, is the patient’s life is out of balance. Once life is out of balance, this situation impacts a person’s mental, emotional and physical aspects. How do we deal with life becoming out of balance? I admit; this is not an easy thing to accept or deal with. To truly fix this condition, spirit has to be included. Even if patients are able to progress to the point where they can get off medication, the root cause of their condition is still not resolved. Body–mind–spirit healing is not just a nice theory. It’s not just a fairy tale. Complete healing has to take place at each of these levels. If the spiritual level is never dealt with, life will remain out of balance. Energy will find another place to express itself. If you fix diabetes at the body and mind levels, you might be able to eat sugar and stop insulin, but sooner or later, you may suddenly develop allergies or asthma. The root cause of life being out of balance is calling for a resolution. If it goes unresolved, it will manifest later in the disruptions of different organ relationships. It will find another way to deliver this message. For example, looking at it from the body–mind–spirit framework, some people might experience a stroke or develop Alzheimer’s disease. Now, if we look at this condition from the energetic perspective, we cannot think of diabetes as a disease anymore. As we penetrate deep down, we see everything in the quantum field is energy or Qi, and this energy has consciousness and purpose. Today, our scientific worldview understands that at the subatomic level, everything is energy, and there is only interrelating intelligent patterns in constant motion. Let me repeat: All energy has consciousness; all consciousness has purpose. Now, we have reached the ultimate question. What is this purpose? Major religions and spiritual practices help us understand the meaning of purpose. As I’ve explained above, we cannot fully understand or resolve illness and disease if we miss this aspect of our being. The body–mind–spirit framework is not based on traditional Chinese medicine; however, TCM is one healing system that has applied it for millennia and still uses it today.
When we say there are no accidents, we are affirming life itself has purpose. We are not born “accidently” into this reality. As difficult as it may be for some people to realize, no one is born without a purpose. How do we know there are no accidents? This is not just a religious or spiritual concept. Modern science can also help us explain there are no accidents. Atomic physicists know that in the subatomic world, everything happens for a specific reason. There are no accidents here. Changes on the sun affect our weather. The earth and sun are entrained in a special form of communication. We know the earth’s tides change when the full moon appears. And, we know these changes happen with great regularity because they are not random, accidental changes. It depends on what you want to see. I always challenge my patients about their belief in God, or whatever higher power they have faith in. I will use the term “God” here. Most say, “Yes, I believe in God.” I tell them, “This is a good start for us. I am so happy you have this belief. So, you believe everything is in God’s will, yes?” They say, “Yes, I believe everything is in God’s will.” I tell them, “That means everything is in God’s will, not just some things. If it’s everything, then we can’t question why things are so in God’s will. Your condition is not an accident. It is in God’s will; it is not in your will.” Opening this conversation allows us to talk about this concept and explore the spiritual aspect of their condition or situation. I say, “God has already given you something. It is an agreement with God. I encourage you to find the trust and faith you need to realize this. There is a saying that God never gives something to someone who cannot handle it. We have to apply this understanding to our reality. We can apply the Bible, or any other spiritual works, but this is the Law, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Being in God’s will has to apply to all areas and every event in our lives, particularly when there’s a problem like yours.” I try to challenge my patients’ belief and faith. Why? Because faith is the most powerful force we can embrace. Religious and spiritual practices are designed to stimulate and develop faith. Some religions call their followers “the faithful.” This is the most valuable concept of all. Why? Ultimately, we are all energy beings living in this third-dimensional world. We are all spirit. For this reason, I want to do the best I can to explain the concept of spirit and its relationship to health and well-being. I wish all my readers can use this body–mind–spirit framework as well as their own inner wisdom to really see the creativity and power of their own spirit. In some ways, that’s why diabetes is such a difficult condition to treat today, which brings us to look at this condition even more deeply from the spiritual level. Before we do, let’s return to the three main spiritual concepts we’ve been talking about here in Spirit and Metabolism Function. First, you are connected to the unconditional love, acceptance and compassion of the Universe. Second, there is only oneness, and third, there are no accidents. In the end, everything comes from the unlimited mind of God, or Universal love, however you would like to think about it. Everything is a symbol of this love, but can we read these symbols and understand them? To do this, we can use holographic theory, which tells us the whole is contained in the individual parts. If the Universe presents us with unlimited love and if everything is a symbol, then sweetness in this reality is a symbol as well. What does “sweetness” mean? When you eliminate sweetness in food, you eliminate sweetness in life. What exactly is this sweetness we’re talking about? We can hear echoes of this essence in our everyday language. We say, “Honey, you’re so sweet,” or, “Love is sweet.” We use this term to describe a special vibration that connects us with a feeling. When sweetness is rationed or eliminated, we have to recognize there is not enough of the vibration of sweetness in the diabetic’s life. That’s the image; that’s the symbol. At the spiritual level, life itself is missing its essential vibration or energetic frequency of sweetness. It’s missing the joy of being alive. When someone is nice, easy to work with, easy to get along with, we say they are so sweet. We don’t use the vocabulary of bitter, do we?
Now, we can connect this with the third spiritual law above: there are no accidents. At the deepest level of spirit, you have used your tremendous creativity and artistry to develop diabetes. What for? To help you achieve a better life, to fulfill your life’s promise or destiny. Think about it, you even have professionals around you whose job it is to stop you from eating sweet things, or literally including sweetness in your life! This is the meaning of spirit in connection with diabetes. It is giving you a message. If we look at it from a highest level, it’s saying your life is missing the quality of sweetness. Applying the Five Element energetic framework, TCM practitioners understand that diabetes comes from the Heart. At the more powerful Qi level, diabetes relates to the Heart’s emotion of joy, or rather, lack of joy. Again, remember, we have discussed the body from a hardware and software perspective; the Heart’s hardware may be fine, but its software is not tuned to the appropriate energetic frequency. This differs from the Western medical perspective, which focuses primarily on the Spleen and pancreatic function. Because the Heart’s emotion of joy is involved, TCM’s treatment approach has to encompass the Heart’s relationship with the Spleen-Stomach organ system, its child. The Heart must nurture this pair, but often they are so out of balance, they need to be nurtured even more. As I’ve mentioned, TCM has successfully dealt with diabetes for thousands of years, right up to today. Look at the taste associated with the Heart in the Five Element energetic framework. It’s bitter. Often, practitioners prescribe bitter herbs or include foods like bitter melon in a healing diet for the diabetic. There are no accidents here. If we really want to drill down and understand the root cause of diabetes from a different framework, we have to look at it from the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. What’s really happening? At the spiritual level, the diabetic’s life has lost its true purpose. He or she may feel life doesn’t have enough sweetness and joy any more. When I treat patients with this condition, in addition to helping alleviate their symptoms, we look at ways they can create meaningful, positive actions to bring more genuine happiness and sweetness into their lives. I encourage them to do what they truly want to do, not what they, or others, think they ought to do. It’s interesting; when I talk with patients who have diabetes, I find none of them are really doing what they truly love—what they find deeply satisfying. All these patients with diabetes have the same common problem. They need to make substantive changes along these lines. Insulin can help, but it can only control the symptoms. It can’t fix the real problem. It can’t fix life. Based on this understanding of diabetes from the spiritual perspective, we have to go further, even beyond the lack of sweetness. What’s really missing? Love is missing. Love makes life sweet. Unfortunately, these patients are missing the very sweetness of life. In their own Heart, they are missing love for themselves; they also can be missing the deep love of someone else. We can see here how the spiritual concept of oneness also enters into this perspective. With diabetes, the person has to practice a life where separation is the norm. They have to separate themselves; they have to disconnect themselves from the many relationships supporting their life. They have to be concerned with body parts; they have to disconnect themselves from the healing power of foods, including those with sugar; they have to worry about their environment. Many aspects of their life are disconnected from oneness.
This body–mind–spirit framework opens a way to resee diabetes. It allows us to understand this condition from the spiritual concept that says there are no accidents. What is the real message? It is, “I have a problem with oneness, but through this situation, I believe I can create a path to achieve a better life.” This challenging path, however, can lead to taking insulin for the rest of the patient’s life, to sitting in a wheel chair, amputation, blindness and more. There is another way. Deep down, people with diabetes long to bloom, to run and jump, to play with their children or grandchildren, to feel alive and connected. They long for a healthy, happy relationship to share love. They want to experience the sweetness of life every day. Through this energetic event, which we can call diabetes, they want to create a new, sweeter life. When we think about diabetes, we know sweetness is out of the picture. If you have this condition, every day, you have to remind yourself you can’t have any sweetness, no sweet things. On Valentine’s Day, while people are expressing love to those they care about with chocolate, you cannot. We may say, “Oh that’s just something silly that happens in physical reality,” but from the standpoint of oneness and interrelationships, this kind of thought, this kind of energetic vibration, this symbol, not only affects the mind but also the spirit. Diabetes is a sign or symbol that communicates something vital is missing. Sweetness is not just about taste; it’s a symbol of life. I believe if we can understand diabetes from this body–mind–spirit framework, we can limit and resolve it and cultivate joy in patients’ lives, as well as empower individuals to achieve a happier, sweeter life. Opening the mind to this kind of thinking can make a significant leap in addressing diabetes. As I’ve said, I learned from my master and from clinical experience, most disease and illness manifest at the invisible Qi or mind level first; then, they progress to the physical. Remember, the root cause is at the spiritual level. Its purpose is ultimately a positive one. Deep within, you hope this condition will help you achieve your goal and lead you to the loving, unconditional energy of the Universe and fulfill your life’s promise. From the spiritual perspective, there are no accidents. On the physical level, it is possible to treat diabetes effectively without insulin. TCM practitioners have used a different medical framework to successfully heal this condition for thousands of years.
Hypertension Before we talk about hypertension, let’s revisit the meaning of metabolism from the Western framework. It derives from the Greek word for “change.” In the West, metabolism refers to the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of living organisms. At the physical level, these enzyme-catalyzed reactions allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. The word metabolism can also refer to all chemical reactions that occur in living organisms, including digestion and the transport of substances into and between different cells. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories: catabolism, which breaks down organic matter and harvests energy by way of cellular respiration, and anabolism, which uses energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids. As we’ve seen, according to the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH, “Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors that increases the risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke. The term ‘metabolic’ refers to the biochemical processes involved in the body’s normal functioning. Risk factors are traits, conditions, or habits that increase the chance of developing a disease.” Many symptoms are associated with metabolic syndrome.
I hope Digesting the Universe has opened your mind so you can look at healthy metabolism function from our revolutionary framework based on ancient wisdom and modern science. As I’ve emphasized throughout, different frameworks allow us to see different things, which can often lead to different outcomes, as well as another way of understanding the same set of circumstances. If we use modern science thinking to discuss the action of digestion, one of the functions of metabolism, we can apply quantum concepts. Everything associated with the digestive process is interrelated. That is, everything in the energy field associated with this dynamic pattern has a connection. We can add TCM’s Five Element energetic framework to this understanding since there are three vital organ systems directly related to helping metabolism function perform at its best. The conditions of metabolic syndrome can be explained more fully by putting them into the body–mind–spirit framework. If Life and all its relationships could be fully digested and processed at any or all of these levels, various conditions would not appear in third-dimensional reality. Now, we have to go back again to the five stages of metabolism function. They are receiving, digesting, processing, transformation and manifesting the outcome this whole process produces. Once we begin a conversation about metabolism function, we have to look closely at digestion, processing, and transformation. We can use this concept for the physical processes the body undergoes; however, we also have to apply this concept to the mind’s processing of beliefs, thoughts and emotions and more, including the spiritual aspect of consciousness. If a condition associated with metabolic syndrome appears at the physical level, it’s a sign you are not able to process, digest and transform what you put into your body. It could be at the visible level, but more likely, as we will see, it can remain at the invisible, energetic level for a while. If this happens, your body might show the imbalance as a condition or an event. At the mind or emotional level, if you are not able to process, digest and transform excessive or chronic emotions, these energies will impact you internally and, eventually, in an observable way as well. We just have to understand the body, mind and spirit are an integrated whole. They are not divisible. The concept of oneness has to be applied in speaking about any health condition we can see externally. Now, let’s use our body–mind–spirit framework to examine hypertension, or high blood pressure, a condition that may go undetected for years. According to the CDC, today 67 million American adults, or 31 percent, have high blood pressure. That’s one of every three adults. Only about half (47 percent) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control. High blood pressure costs the nation $47.5 billion each year. This includes the cost of healthcare services, medications and missed workdays. According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, part of the NIH, in about 95 percent of cases, the exact causes of high blood pressure cannot be determined. The Mayo Clinic defines two kinds of hypertension. One is essential hypertension. It says, “For most adults, there’s no identifiable cause of high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure, called essential hypertension or primary hypertension, tends to develop gradually over many years. The other is secondary hypertension, which is high blood pressure caused by an underlying condition.” This type tends to appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than primary hypertension. High blood pressure increases the chance of having a stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease or early death.
Determining a person’s blood pressure level involves taking a reading of the measurement of the force against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the veins. Sometimes, patients exhibit headaches with their hypertension because Blood and Qi are rising and not coming down as quickly as they should. At the physical level, we can tell if someone has high blood pressure from the reading of the pressure that’s exerted in the arteries. Technology can easily show us the numbers that indicate someone’s blood pressure is not within what is considered a normal range. What does it show? Something is causing pressure inside the arteries that cannot be relieved or released. Here’s a simple way to look at blood pressure at the physical level to recognize if this condition is the result of physical or emotional pressure. Often, people go to the gym and run on the treadmill for a while. Immediately after, if you measure their blood pressure, you will find it’s elevated. If they stop what they’re doing and take a rest, the blood pressure usually reverts to a normal reading. Some people like to play an intense game of tennis or racquetball. Definitely, they will have high blood pressure after an exciting, physically demanding match. When they rest or take it easy, the person’s self-regulating capability adjusts the body’s blood pressure so it can return to normal. I know many people have elevated readings when they visit their doctors. This is usually due to anxiety over their appointment and typically goes back to normal after the visit. When blood pressure is too high, we ask, “Why?” When there are physical events like exercise that exert the body and raise blood pressure, most people don’t automatically turn to medication. They just stop the activity and rest. The body has the natural capability of releasing pressure within the blood vessels; otherwise, every athlete would have high blood pressure. However, when the condition is a result of stress or emotional imbalances, releasing pressure becomes more difficult and more complicated. If this is the case, sometimes, we can take a rest, sit in a hot bath, drink some coffee, or listen to music. In a few minutes, or a few hours, blood pressure may come down, that is, in normal situations. Often, we see that people with high blood pressure have to run to the bathroom frequently. A patient might say, “Why do I have this frequent urination? What’s wrong with my body?” While we could define this problem as an illness, we could also look at it from a different angle. As we’ve discussed, the body is born with the skill to regulate itself naturally. When urine is released, blood pressure goes down. When this process doesn’t function properly, medication like diuretics to release water is often prescribed, but these can create side effects that have to be controlled as well. Some people with hypertension who are under great stress may exhibit diarrhea. This action also releases pressure in the body. Looking at it from one framework, we could explain the body’s condition of frequent urination or diarrhea as an illness. From a different framework, you could say these actions are related to the body’s understanding that pressure in the body needs to be alleviated so its harmful effects can be avoided, or at least reduced. In TCM, hypertension is seen as a condition related to stress and the smooth flow of emotions. At the physical level, in this framework, it is a Liver function disorder because Qi and Blood, as well as emotions, are not flowing smoothly due to excess emotions. TCM understands the function of the Kidney, the organ responsible for nurturing the Liver, is also impaired. The Kidney’s energetic frequency of fear is involved with this condition as well. Sometimes, the Heart also is involved with hypertension.
Let me bring the Qi or energetic aspect into hypertension. There are six Yang meridians or energy channels that run up through the head. They are the Urinary Bladder, Gallbladder, Stomach, Large Intestine, Small Intestine and San Jiao. Part of the natural circulatory flow of these meridians is upward and then down. However, if the upward flow of Qi in one meridian or a combination of meridians happens too quickly and takes too long to come down, blood pressure can rise. Any exciting emotion can drive Qi up, and the body is very capable of handling the process of bringing it down naturally. However, if Qi rises constantly and doesn’t come down, gets stuck and doesn’t drop in the manner it should, hypertension occurs. At the physical level, an acupuncturist or herbalist will try to determine which organ is out of balance, release stagnation and stimulate Qi or energy flow, so the body can regain the balance it needs to readjust itself and resolve the hypertension. The TCM practitioner’s goal is to strengthen the function of the patient’s organs so the body can process its stress and relieve tension. When we move to the mind level and look at high blood pressure, we see consciousness and emotions are also not flowing. Somehow, they’ve become stuck. In the previous section, on the Mind and Metabolism Function, the vocabulary TCM uses to describe the processing or digestive ability of the mind is Qi. In the case of high blood pressure, we would say, “Qi doesn’t flow; Qi is stagnant.” As we discussed in Section II, Basic Principles and Theories of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body’s meridians function by Qi. They allow Universal life force to flow through the physical body. If energetic frequencies—body, mind and emotions—don’t flow freely, many different health problems arise. Deep down, what’s going on when someone has high blood pressure? Life itself doesn’t flow. If this situation is severe or chronic enough, Qi stagnation or lack of flow impacts the body. You could be in the middle of a divorce, or caring for a sick mother. You could have lost your job, or be dealing with a child who has problems in school. It’s possible you have a career where deadlines are common. Or, the continual demands of your life have just become too much. The body has limits. If you’re listening to its signs, it will tell you when it’s time to take a breather. The question we have to ask is, “Are you listening?” If your stress levels are high enough, and your emotions are far enough out of balance, this situation will create a visible sign. It will create pressure. Physically, this pressure may not be apparent right away. In this day and age, we’re not lifting heavy things all day; we’re not pushing a plow through a cornfield, yet we feel pushed in many areas of our lives, just the same. Your boss may give you impossible deadlines; your company may be in the middle of a chaotic transition; your elderly mother is no longer able to care herself; you’ve received a promotion that increases your salary and workload, but doesn’t come with more staff. All these situations and events create pressure. They can cause Qi to slow down and back up. It’s all pressure. It just depends on which way you want to see it. On the other hand, when you’re deeply in love, your emotions flow naturally in the right direction. When real love enters life, things go more smoothly, internally and externally. Everything flows in the right direction and life has creativity. Energetically, the vibration of human love is connected with the spirit of the Universe’s unconditional love; they share the same frequency. When you’re in love or in a loving relationship, you connect to spirit’s flow, so high blood pressure has less possibility of taking hold. How can you have stress when you’re really in love? In terms of imbalances that come from the mind, how can we treat them? Sometimes, a visit to a good therapist is called for; he or she may be able to help you see your issues from a different perspective. They might be able to assist you to become more flexible and go with life’s flow. But now that you recognize healing has to start with spirit, the question is: “What can we learn about high blood pressure when we move to the spirit level?” Many religions and spiritual practices tell us to let it go. To do this well, we have to place faith in God (or whatever higher power we believe in). With faith, you can drop everything. It’s very freeing. With faith, you have no attachment because you know everything is in God’s will and everything is ultimately for good. What problems can stay with you? Shifting to this perspective allows you to adopt a different worldview and relax. When you relax, it’s easier for blood pressure to come down. From the spiritual perspective, hypertension points to a lack of faith in the unconditional love of the Universe, or the indefinable force greater than ourselves. We don’t believe reality is for good, or for our own enjoyment and happiness. Perhaps we focus on the negative side too much. At the spiritual level, we think we can control everything with our mind and intellect. Remember though, from the relativistic framework, in the energy field, everything is connected. When we see one thing not working or when life isn’t flowing, or something is not the way we think it should be, we believe it’s our fault and we must fix it. We think we are responsible for everything. Unless we choose to see things from a different framework that encompasses the notion of unity and oneness of the Universe, we will never recognize, let alone understand, all the many connections influencing the situation or event in front of us. We will never appreciate everything invisible and visible is connected. Looking at this from the spiritual perspective, you don’t trust your body’s reactions. It’s trying to communicate through your high blood pressure you are under too much stress and unwilling to let things go, or use a different approach that doesn’t create internal pressure. Within your body, you are holding so much Qi or energetic force, it is literally pushing your artery walls!
In some ways, hypertension is a language. What is it trying to say? We just want our own way. We think things should be done the way we want them to be done. We try to control everything, but often we don’t get a good result this way. If we were right, then everything could be resolved easily with this kind of thinking. High blood pressure would be gone, but typically, that’s not the case. You will experience far less stress internally if you can recognize one important reality: Many things are out of your control. It has to be this way. You cannot see all the connections leading up to and entangled with every event in every area of your life. On a spiritual level, practicing faith and acceptance helps. A meditative practice like Qigong helps. Practicing The Four Energy Gates consistently (found in the following section, on Preparation for Your Healing Journey) also helps rebalance high blood pressure. A good meditation or yoga practice can help. These activities create a different kind of energetic motion that helps your Qi flow in the right direction. Many people with hypertension try very hard to maintain invisible control over their feelings and emotions. They don’t let these feelings and emotions show very much, if at all. Yes, they are constantly felt, but rarely expressed. Or, they’re often suppressed altogether. On the outside, many people with hypertension look calm, but on the inside, they are anything but calm physically, mentally, or emotionally. If you suffer from hypertension, I would like you to know that while a good energy practice can help alleviate high blood pressure, so can just sitting on the beach and watching the ocean. Yes, believe it or not, sitting on the beach or by a lake or just being in Nature can help blood pressure drop; that is, unless you are sitting there worrying about something in your life and still trying to control it! Besides its physical benefits, an energy practice helps you practice faith. It encourages you to let energy flow. The image or language of hypertension is that the person with it constantly wants to manage everything around them and exercise a certain kind of energy control. To get to the root cause of hypertension, it essential to recognize, spiritually speaking, there is a lack of faith. There is a continual need to control events, situations, relationships and more. One of the best ways to alleviate the constant upward motion of Qi in the meridians related to hypertension is to practice detachment from the events and situations of life. I tell my patients, “Try not to personalize everything or let it give you an energy charge that causes Qi to rise. When you have faith, you realize that you can’t control everything (or anything for that matter).” Letting things go and letting Qi flow automatically let’s your body’s energy move in the appropriate direction.
Let me show you a way to see stressful situations from a different perspective. Suppose you find yourself stuck in traffic in the middle of the highway far from an exit. You are bumper to bumper with nowhere to go. What do you do? You are on your way to an important meeting. You can become stressed because you’re in a traffic jam. Still, you know you can’t do anything about it. You can’t move forward; you can’t move backward. What can you do to help yourself? You can turn to the Taoist Spirit Gate Opening Qigong breathing practice in the following section. You can breathe slowly in and out several minutes. You can listen to your favorite music and make a decision to get off at the nearest exit. You know with absolute certainty this situation is out of your control. Most intelligent people will reach this conclusion and use certain techniques to calm themselves down. We all have the capability of going with the flow, but often our mind refuses to follow this path and we create a continual loop of negative thinking. Somehow, we believe we should be able to control this traffic event. Weather offers another example. Suppose you miss a flight to a vacation in the Caribbean because you’re stuck in a city that’s had a blizzard. You can stew about this and let your blood pressure rise. You can fret about missing this event and chase your thoughts around in an unending circle of regret and recrimination about your ability to plan, and so on. Or, you can recognize that there are no accidents and this act of Nature is far beyond your control. In both these situations, stress or tension can impact us in the moment, but there’s no need for them to create trouble on an ongoing basis. I encourage patients to become more conscious of the way their mind functions and, little by little, lead it away from the kind of thinking that causes hypertension. Looking at events with this kind of framework can impact our consciousness and the mind. We have the ability to dismantle the driving forces behind hypertension, but it takes practice and commitment. As I mentioned in Section VI, on the Mind and Metabolism Function, all the conditions I see today have their root cause in the unbalanced energetic frequencies of emotions. Please don’t underestimate the power of these frequencies. One way to alleviate the symptoms of hypertension is through medication. However, if you really want to get to the root cause of this stubborn, and sometimes life-threatening, condition, I urge you to find a different, more healthful way to change your reactions to life events. There is a saying, “It’s not what happens to you. It’s how you take it.” At the spiritual level, there are no accidents and, as I’ve said, much of what happens in our lives is beyond our control or understanding, but it doesn’t mean they are random events. They occur for a reason, and this reason is ultimately for good. Can you gradually help your mind shift your thinking process? If you can embrace the notion everything is interrelated, little by little, you will find your beliefs and thoughts can change. You will be more willing to go with the flow. You will also stop punishing yourself by putting so much pressure on your mind and body. To reiterate, the NHLB says “the risk factors for metabolic syndrome include traits, conditions, or habits that increase the chance of developing a [one of these] disease[s].” While losing weight, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption can help somewhat, the most powerful trait, condition, or habit, we can change is how we use the rational part of our mind to create the energetic frequencies of emotions. Real healing starts from spirit; real change comes from the inside. In discussing hypertension, I would like to remind readers: You create your own reality. Therefore, you have the power to create the best health for yourself.
Osteoporosis
According to the NIH’s National Library of Medicine, “Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to fracture. Usually the bone loses density, which measures the amount of calcium and minerals in the bone.” This condition occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone, when too much existing bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both. Osteoporosis is considered the most common type of bone disease. About one in two women over age 50 will break a bone because of it. Of the estimated ten million Americans with osteoporosis, about eight million or 80 percent are women. Western research points to a decrease of estrogen as a factor in women, and testosterone in men. Osteoporosis is common. It is also serious and costly. Twenty percent of seniors who break a hip die within one year from problems related to the broken bone itself or surgery to repair it. Today, osteoporosis is responsible for two million broken bones and $19 billion in related costs yearly. By 2025, experts predict this will increase to approximately three million fractures and $25.3 billion in costs yearly. Bones are living, growing tissue made of collagen, calcium-phosphate mineral complexes and living bone cells whose function is to replace weakened bone. Existing bone is constantly being replaced by new bone. Your entire skeleton is replaced about every ten years. Osteoporosis means “porous bone.” The healthy honeycombed structure of bone begins to change when its holes and spaces become bigger. This causes bones to become weaker, thinner and more likely to break. Now, let’s explore osteoporosis from the body–mind–spirit perspective. Why does the body suddenly begin to lose bone, its hardest substance? Forensic anthropologists say that, depending on the environment, it may take hundreds of years for bones to decompose entirely. That’s how durable bone is. At a certain age, why does the body suddenly stop creating this essential, living material? Where did the lost bone go? That’s a very interesting question with an equally interesting answer. Osteoporosis gives us an excellent example of Einstein’s theory, E=mc². The average baby born in the U.S. today weighs about 7.5 pounds. Imagine how much energy it takes to grow to an adult. First, bones have to grow to provide a scaffold or structure for the baby’s muscles, tendons and skin to grow around. The entire body develops to a certain point in time and suddenly, for many people—mostly women—it begins to lose mass. What’s really happening? What’s the trigger? From the TCM perspective, osteoporosis represents a serious Qi deficiency. Let me use this analogy to give you a better idea of having this kind of energy deficiency: It’s the American way to acquire assets like cars, jewelry, property, and so on. But, if you need immediate cash, where are you going to go, what are you going to do? The answer is simple. If your assets are tied up, you have to sell or liquidate some of them to get the cash you need. As we’ve seen, the body has tremendous transference abilities. In effect, it does the same thing when events and situations create serious energy demands. Where does it turn for more Qi to maintain its functions? The answer is simple: it turns to the bone. It has to liquidate some of its assets to generate Qi for maintaining daily operation of all its organs and their many duties. When the body has no other reserves of Qi, it asks the bone for more; the result is osteoporosis. Now, let’s return to our discussion of Kidney function in Section IV, on the Body and Metabolism Function. After birth, there are three key areas where there is a need for bone to grow: the fontanels, the knee and teeth. After birth, these areas require additional Kidney Qi so fontanels can close, knees can support the baby’s weight for walking and teeth can push through the gums. If Kidney function is weak, bone will have difficulty growing. If there is a problem in these areas, the TCM practitioner strengthens the infant’s Kidney function with herbs, foods for healing and more to support bone health and encourage strong growth. In other words, the practitioner provides an infusion of “cash,” which comes from these external sources. With the aging process, we can apply a similar understanding to Kidney function. In this case, unfortunately, it’s the reverse. Too much cash is being withdrawn. As we age, Kidney function requires more support. This is part of the natural aging process. Where does the body go for extra Qi? It cashes in and withdraws energy from the bone. We’ve already talked about this special transference capability with regard to the Liver and Spleen. Where does the body go when the creation of healthy white or red blood cells is compromised or depleted? It turns to bone marrow for additional Qi to sustain the multiple responsibilities of these two organs.
Look at young children. When they fall, they rarely break their bones. Why is that? The original Qi stored in their Kidney is still strong. Their Qi has good quality and they have a lot of it. As humans age, energy levels decline, the quality of the bone as well as bone structure changes. Bones break more easily. And, when they’re broken, they are more difficult to heal. Why? Because the body doesn’t as have as much Qi as it had previously to heal the bones quickly. As we’ve discussed, different kinds of organs have a different kind of frequency. When women reach the age of menopause, Kidney Qi has been declining over time in seven-year cycles. For many women, as they become older, Kidney Qi no longer functions at its highest level. TCM would describe this situation as a Kidney function disorder. In the case of osteoporosis, the “hardware” of the physical Kidney may be fine, but the organ’s “software” has become weaker and its battery lacks a big enough charge to manage all its functions, one of which is to maintain healthy bone structure. The Kidney doesn’t have enough juice to keep the battery charged. Now, we can understand this dynamic process even more deeply by bringing in the Five Element energetic framework. In it, we can see bone is the “tissue” associated with the Kidney. We also see the energetic frequency of this organ’s emotion is fear. Deep down, the person with this condition is engulfed with many fears: What should I do with my life? How will my finances work out now that I am getting older? How many changes will my body go through as I age? What if I get very sick, who will take care of me? These individuals are in the middle of so many changes and experiencing so much fear, their body has difficulty functioning properly. Fear of the unknown grips them and this energetic frequency constantly steals Qi from the bone. Bone mass is exchanged for the energetic frequency of fear. Here, mass (m) is converted by the body into energy (E). When we look at this from the spiritual perspective, we come, at last, to the root cause of this health condition. It’s the same issue as hypertension. There is a lack of faith. All the major religions constantly stress the importance of faith and the individual’s connection to God and the unconditional love of a higher power. As we’ve discussed, our society is one based on fear or the negative energetic vibration of fear. Even achieving good health is based on fear. This kind of subtle, pervasive fear continually saps Kidney Qi. It’s an insidious vibration that blankets the cultures of the world. The reality is we live in a society that exists within an energy field that vibrates with fear. If your beliefs aren’t strong enough, if you don’t have a strong faith in a higher power, and if you have convinced yourself you are alone and have little power, you will find yourself in a constant battle with today’s culture and vibrations. It will cost a lot of Kidney energy. You can waste double, maybe even triple, the amount of your irreplaceable Kidney Qi in trying to fend off society’s negative energetic frequencies. You will soon deplete your Kidney Qi; the result will be a function disorder. Remember, Kidney Qi is inherited from your parents. You are born with a limited supply. Don’t deplete this special resource. It takes a long time for your body to build up a reserve of enough Qi for all your organs to function properly. Fear can cause a serious internal imbalance. In short, your income doesn’t balance with your expenses. No one wants to be “short” in the energetic way! One menopausal symptom, hot flashes, offers another way to explain this energy transference. Hot flashes are like the body’s smoke detector. It either warns of smoke or there is actually fire. Hot flashes are the body’s sign it has a Qi deficiency. Most menopausal women recognize that if they are under emotional or physical stress, their hot flashes increase. The more stress they experience, the more frequent the hot flashes. If these symptoms are not alleviated and if Qi is not conserved and increased, the condition can progress to bone loss.
Taking supplements might not work quickly enough to stop bone loss. Why? Let’s go back to the five stages of metabolism function. No matter what you put into your body, it has to undergo the five stages of metabolism function. Remember, this complete digestive function also applies to emotions and information as well. The supplement still has to undergo these steps to process vitamin D and deliver it in a usable form to the organs. This process too requires Qi so the energetic aspect of the supplement can reach the Kidney and alleviate its function disorder. If we look at this condition the modern science way, we can say energy and matter are exchanged. The body has to “sell” or liquidate bone to keep up with its “Qi” or energy demands. I would like to emphasize to women readers that prevention is the key. To help prevent osteoporosis, look at the areas of your life where you make massive Qi or energy expenditures—from the physical to the emotional. Are you constantly in motion? Do you like to shop all the time? Does your diet support your Kidney functions with foods like roasted walnuts, black beans and other items that boost Kidney Qi. Do you take time to relax and rest? Can you identify what aspects of fear impact your emotions? Can you adopt a spiritual practice like Qigong to gain additional Qi from the unlimited source of the Universe? I encourage women, as well as men, to identify your “energy expenses” and find healthier solutions so you can conserve the amount of Qi you expend every day. Or, better yet, try to find ways to avoid these situations altogether. These cumulative changes will pay off well in the years to come. Whether Life has given you a tall candle or a short one, it’s how you manage the flame that counts. At the spiritual level, osteoporosis is about fear and its impact on Kidney function and its multiple body–mind–spirit responsibilities, which include managing bone health. As the motion of our world accelerates and the amount of negative vibrations we live with increase, more and more people will be impacted by the powerful energetic frequency of fear. Remember, though, fear is about something that “might” happen.
Hay Fever According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, roughly 7.8 percent of people 18 and over in the U.S. have hay fever. Allergies are among the most common chronic conditions worldwide. Allergy symptoms can range from making you miserable to putting you at risk for life-threatening reactions. According to the CDC, in 2012, about 17.6 million individuals were diagnosed with hay fever. In the West, leading experts tell us allergic reactions begin in the immune system. Previously, we’ve talked about hay fever. Let’s explore hay fever using the full body– mind–spirit framework. If you suffer from its uncomfortable symptoms, your experience is caused by a relationship dysfunction between you and Nature itself. When Nature’s Qi changes and processes through its normal seasonal changes— whether from winter to spring or late summer to autumn—you are interrelated with these changes. In the case of allergies or hay fever, the body’s own energy cannot shift smoothly enough to match the arrival of the new energy frequency. We have to ask, “Is hay fever an illness or disease, or is it a relationship problem?”
While hay fever sufferers may blame pollen as the cause, this is an inside job! There is something about the way your organs function at the time of the seasonal change that causes an imbalance between you and Nature’s natural energy shift. Your body cannot smoothly shift its functions to remain in harmony with Nature. It’s like being stuck in second gear. Time offers a clue to the physical source of this condition. If your seasonal allergy begins in the spring, from the perspective of the Five Element energetic framework, the condition is related to a Liver dysfunction. If it occurs in the fall, then it’s related to a Lung dysfunction. Neither organ is strong enough to meet the changes in Qi of the related season. The root problem is still a function problem with the Kidney. With hay fever, once the seasonal transition completes itself, it’s possible itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing may disappear. Why do they disappear? It’s related to the earth’s turning and its energy processing. To understand physical problems aggravated by environmental shifts, we have only to look to “snow birds” or senior citizens whose arthritis or bronchitis improves significantly when they move to warmer climates, like Florida or Arizona. In these new locations, their problems are often lessened, sometimes even eliminated. If this happens, it’s a sign the body can’t handle the environmental changes that occur in winter. This condition relates to a Kidney function disorder. In this case, TCM would strengthen Kidney Qi. Definitely, everyone has some experience with a relationship problem that has impacted health. For instance, maybe during a divorce, you develop a chronic headache. You know that no matter what kind of painkiller you take, you still cannot totally get rid of this condition. The real cause is not your head; it’s the disruption of your relationship. The headache is really an effect of a deeper cause; in the body–mind–spirit framework, it’s not an illness or disease. The relationship dysfunction is causing the physical problem. Even children in our society speak to us about what’s on their mind through physical conditions. Sometimes a child doesn’t want to go to school. What do they do? They complain of a stomachache. This stomachache is not from any breakfast food they’ve eaten. It’s rarely from a stomach virus; it’s almost never from a stomach abnormality. It’s a physical sign, or rather a message, they are experiencing an issue that’s emotional in nature—either with a teacher, other students, their workload, family issues or other factors. These are simple examples that allow us to open our minds to look at health issues that we call “illness and disease” and see how they relate to the three main spiritual concepts discussed in this section: we are all connected to the unconditional love of the Universe; there is only oneness; there are no accidents. That’s why good TCM practitioners help a patient identify and readjust imbalanced relationships on as many levels as possible. If the patient can improve this dynamic, the body will regain its balance and use its healing ability to resolve symptoms we label illness and disease. Remember, modern science tells us, in the energy field, when one thing changes all its interrelationships have to change as well. The concept of hay fever in Western medicine is that of immune deficiency. In TCM, the concept is that of a Qi deficiency involving the Kidney and Liver. Let’s remember: when the body shows physical signs of imbalances, the mind and spirit are always involved. At the spiritual level, hay fever or allergy symptoms are signs holding up a mirror showing there is a relationship problem somewhere in your life. It could be with Nature or the environment, but it could just as likely be symbolizing a relationship problem with a family member, your job, your house, a neighbor, or someone you’re in a relationship with. There may be many issues involved. Here, you might want to revisit the example of the newlywed bride and her allergic reaction to her mother-in-law’s cheesecake.
Key Points
Following are key points I would like you to remember about spirit and metabolism function: To discover spirit, we have to leave the mind behind. Three spiritual laws are especially relevant to creating and maintaining healthy metabolism function: we are never separate from the unconditional love of God or the Universe; there is only oneness; there are no accidents. Energy is creativity; creativity is energy. Life is meant for happiness, not misery and suffering. Ultimately, when we look at health conditions from the energetic perspective, they are patterns of energy processing with other energy patterns in the quantum field. Illness and diseases are different languages. Ultimately, they exist for a good purpose: to help spirit fulfill its promise and achieve its purpose in this reality. Spirit can fulfill its promise and achieve its purpose in this reality by choosing the path of balance and harmony.
Metabolism Function Can Be Applied to Improve Everyone’s Health and Any Chronic Condition I would like readers to remember this unique body–mind–spirit approach to metabolism function can be applied to all kinds of chronic conditions. Everyone can benefit from understanding this powerful framework that integrates ancient wisdom with principles and theories of modern science to achieve vibrant health and a profoundly richer life. Applying the information in Digesting the Universe can help you create a major foundation you can build on to strengthen metabolism function. As I’ve emphasized throughout, this framework is not meant to fight with disease or illness only. Its purpose is to help you discover your own true healing power and restore balance. When this happens, the body has the inherited wisdom and capacity to heal itself. When your organs come back into balance and work in harmony, and Qi flows in the meridians, “Then, there is no place for illness or disease to enter,” the ancient medical text of the Nei Jing tells us. This powerful guiding principle of TCM is based on Natural Law. It has been used for thousands of years. It has allowed untold millions of people in China to preserve their culture and their health. Prevention has been its watchword and key to success. This comprehensive medical system has traveled the path of restoring balance and harmony for millennia. Following this route has produced a civilization of intelligent, creative, highly motivated individuals. This functional medicine system has allowed China’s population to overcome illnesses of all kinds, as well as poor agriculture conditions, famines, wars, and situations that would, otherwise, have decimated its population. This fully developed, body–mind–spirit healing system, born of spiritual practice, offers today’s healthcare practitioners and health-seekers tremendous wisdom and energetic power. The power does not just come from being technically excellent; it emerges from a place and time that is beyond the reality we experience with our five senses. It comes to us out of time and, therefore, remains timeless in its efficacy.
Ultimately, on the physical level, any chronic condition you can name is a disruption of relationships among the five major organ systems and between the body and Nature. At the spiritual level, it’s a quest for achieving the best life for yourself and fulfilling spirit’s promise. I think most readers know very well that if one of your personal relationships has been disrupted, it takes time to heal it and get it back on track. The same is true with chronic health conditions. Applying the information in Digesting the Universe can produce real health gains over the long term. I would like to remind you again, if a condition disappears, it doesn’t mean it is healed. With the approach we have discussed throughout this book, you may not see results immediately, but as your energy foundation becomes stronger, you will see real improvements. Most importantly, you will have put more than a Band-Aid on your health condition; you will have dealt powerfully and courageously with its root cause.
Some Final Thoughts It has been a privilege to share this ancient wisdom with you. My master, Master Xu, feels the time is right to reveal some of the real secrets behind traditional Chinese medicine and its Five Element energetic framework. Because of his unique gift to use his other senses to see beyond this reality, he also believes it is time to reveal how today’s principles and theories of modern science mirror those of Taoist thinking and TCM’s Five Element energetic framework. Each of your organs is a microcosm with its own metabolism function that we can look at individually from the body, mind and spirit levels. Because each one has chosen to live within your unique material body, it has agreed to follow the rules of the macrocosm and cooperate fully so your whole body can function optimally and achieve its purpose. We can scale up this kind of thinking to the Universe itself. Look at the earth. It too has its own metabolism function within the larger body of the Universe. Like your organs, it too has to function well as an organized physical entity, but it also has to cooperate fully with its partner planets so the macrocosm of the solar system can continue to function. Solar systems in turn also have to function well within the galaxy and provide the same kind of cooperation for the greater Universe. This is the biggest functioning metabolism system we can observe today and it brings us many lessons and insights. You cannot connect to the infinite wisdom of the Universe through the mind, but one way you can do this is through your meridians. This precious, invisible energy network can connect you to the unconditional love, acceptance and compassion of the Universal mind. Some would say meridians are an “insert” in this reality to help us develop more fully. Like the TCM principles and theories we’ve explored, the discovery of meridians was a by-product of the spiritual practice of ancient Qigong masters during the nonconscious state. I would like to emphasize, knowledge about meridians is not just for Chinese patients. Everyone can use this priceless wisdom. Everyone can benefit from understanding the energy network that connects our body at the invisible level. Just as Microsoft is not only for U.S. users, the unique knowledge of the meridian system can help everyone throughout the world. True information is simple and timeless; it can be applied to anyone, anywhere, in any situation. My biggest wish is to see this ancient wisdom applied for today’s health needs, particularly for prevention, but also for the chronic conditions that threaten to swamp us in every area of our society.
In the distant past, how did people discover the connections of the body’s meridians to the greater Universe without technology? How did they come to understand metabolism function as a reflection of the Universe’s capabilities? I would like you to remember this angle when you think about your own metabolism function. Through your genetic code, your organs hold information from the many times you have lived on this earth. You have already digested the Universe! You have already processed many things. Because this function exists in your body, the human race is still here today. The earth does not function alone, just as your organs do not function by themselves. The earth and your body are interconnected, interrelated systems. In the case of the earth, it is one tiny individuation of energetic possibilities in the quantum energy field. Thanks to Einstein’s general relativity theory, we’ve discovered our whole Universe is connected through this energy field. In fact, as I’ve stated throughout, at the subatomic level there is only unity and inseparability. It is up to each of us to recognize and appreciate our connections—first to our own digestive or processing capabilities, and then to the far greater digestive capabilities Earth and the Universe show us every moment. One of the world’s oldest functional medicines offers a tremendous amount of wisdom precisely because it’s based on Natural Law, not man’s laws. As I hope you have seen, Taoist thinking and TCM’s Five Element energetic framework have an enormous amount of information we can incorporate into our daily lives to stay well and avoid illness and disease. Combining this body–mind–spirit framework with modern science thinking, we can now create a far deeper understanding of the mystery and miracle of metabolism function. So much of today’s functional medicine focuses on metabolic function at the molecular, chemical and physical level and does not take into account the fact we are all energy beings with a body, mind and spirit. Much of what is categorized as health and healing information today causes us to discriminate against the power of our own spirit and body. Often, the prevailing thinking is we must turn to external interventions because we cannot achieve a balanced metabolism function on our own. We’ve been persuaded to discount the very healing abilities we were born with. Rarely, if ever, in healthcare do we hear about the role of spirit and life purpose. Yet, healing has to start with spirit; it’s the most important aspect of who we truly are. Spirit, seeking to fulfill its purpose, exists beyond this dimension, beyond time and space. This is why true healing has to begin from this place of greater awareness. We do not live in the Newtonian world of classical science anymore. If the human race is to make great progress with its many challenges, we have to acknowledge and embrace spirit as the driving force of who we truly are. We have to understand oneness. We also have to bring the principles and theories of modern science into our everyday lives and apply them to develop a more profound understanding of health and wellness. We don’t just need more technology to help us penetrate things more deeply. We need revolutionary frameworks to help us open our minds so we can not only look for more but also see more deeply. Otherwise, we can look but we cannot see. As we end our quantum journey, I would like to remind readers traditional Chinese medicine is only one vehicle for achieving good health. The skill of the driver and the willingness of the passengers are important factors in how well it works. As we’ve seen, TCM is a by-product of spiritual practice by ancient masters who could perceive the world in a way few of us can do today. Its fundamental principle of Yin-Yang and its theories of the Five Element energetic framework, meridians, as well as Qi and Blood, are so powerful because they are based on a deep understanding of energy or Qi—a simple word with enormous complexity, power and dimensions. Though TCM has used different language to describe the quantum world, as you’ve seen, it has understood and applied its quantum principles and theories for thousands of years. For all its advances and use of quantum technologies, the foundations of modern Western medicine still rest somewhat on Newtonian concepts. Through differentiation, analysis and separation, practitioners focus on isolation rather than oneness. One day, I believe, if Western medicine practitioners could study oneness from their first day in medical school, the Western medical system would be a more powerful force for good health and healing than TCM. Why do I say this? Western medicine has, at its disposal, incredible tools developed through modern technology and quantum thinking. It has the science to peer more deeply than ever before into the human body. It has amazing diagnostic capabilities, but today, results continue to be interpreted within a Newtonian framework.
Because it developed along different lines, traditional Chinese medicine uses humans as its technology. To understand the signs and symbols of conditions, to master TCM’s treatment modalities, takes years of self-cultivation, as well as a master to guide the practitioner. TCM is a medicine that cannot be mass-produced. It is a one-to-one medicine. It stands in contrast to Western medicine that makes extensive use of EKGs, MRIs, CT and PET scans, and the like, to help many patients at once. While its tests are standardized, readings can be different. TCM is a medicine of the individual. Each person is different. As we’ve seen, each diagnosis depends on who you are, where you are, when you are and how you are. Testing protocols are not always the same; different practitioners offer different diagnoses or interpretations based on their energy level and how deeply they understand the complexity of the body–mind–spirit framework. TCM skills cannot be mass-produced. The best TCM practitioners are like artists. Still, we have to move beyond a discussion of techniques and treatments to encompass the bigger spiritual reality of who we are. Remember, at the spiritual level, everything happens for a reason; everything happens for good. Western medicine has happened for a reason. Applying the quantum physics principle of complementarity, my hope for the future is that Western medicine can contribute its high-tech, mass-produced role of “Yang,” and TCM can contribute its organic, holistic healing role of “Yin.” The world needs both aspects to right itself and rebalance the opposite energetic forces of our world culture. This entire work is not about who is right and who is wrong. It is about what speaks to you. Western medicine is not bad and Chinese medicine good. Both can meet on the ground of modern science and advance on this ground to carve out a powerful, new complementary path that can comprehensively address the many modern health conditions that cause so many people pain and suffering. I believe this is possible. More than five thousand years ago, TCM had already embarked on a specialty in functional medicine. More than five thousand years ago, TCM had already used quantum theories, especially oneness, as a vehicle to achieve wellness. Today, modern science has helped us recognize the deliberate actions and conscious motion of the Universe. There are no accidents. You are not an accidental human. You have chosen to be born into this world with the purpose of living life fully in the twenty-first century. Your genetic code has the ability to adapt to and function in this reality and within this time frame. I recognize the concepts I have shared in Digesting the Universe are not for everyone. If you’ve read this book until the end, you are someone who is ready to function at the body–mind–spirit level. Otherwise, you would not have continued this quantum journey. You are someone who finds this information touches you at your core. The idea of oneness speaks to you. Deep down, you already appreciate that, through this wisdom and the information here, you might discover the precious secret of yourself! Each of you who has reached this point has the ability to download a new program and upgrade your software, if you want to. This book is a mirror of the power within you. Love is energy. I encourage you to embrace the basic spiritual concepts we’ve explored. I urge you to take action today. Don’t wait. Complete the final leg of our quantum journey by reading Section VIII, Preparation for Your Healing Journey, and by starting to apply this ancient healing knowledge now.
At the spiritual level, everything is in God’s will. It’s up to you to choose where you want to go and how you want to go. This power and the choices you make are yours alone. As I have said many times, “You create your own reality.” God’s love is energy. This aware energy is unconditional, compassionate and wise. Only your mind is conditional. Why not start changing your beliefs today? This is the real shortcut to healing the body. By healing the mind, changing thoughts to more powerful, positive ones and allowing your organs to work in harmony, you can achieve good health and enjoy your life as you fulfill your unique purpose. Above all, please remember no matter what choices you make, the unconditional love of the Universe always exists on the other side. It is waiting patiently for you to make a relationship. I urge you to make the connection! Many religions tell us, “God helps those who help themselves.” It is your choice to take action. It is your choice to do something now. Buddha tells us, “Buddha never helps anyone who doesn’t have faith.” Finally, I encourage you to meditate on the following thought that comes to us from across the ages.
As above, so below, as within, so without, as the Universe, so the Soul …
SECTION VIII PREPARATION FOR YOUR HEALING JOURNEY
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. –BUDDHA A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. –LAO TZU
Beginning Your Healing Journey As we discussed in the last section on Spirit and Metabolism Function, every journey needs some kind of preparation. In the case of restoring and supporting healthy metabolism function, this has to be a journey that takes into account the entirety of who you are. And, of course, this means addressing the fact you are an energy being who functions at the body, mind and spirit levels. Therefore, there are certain things you need to prepare at each level. One of the first requirements for a journey like this is to assess what stage you’re at, what you have and what you don’t have. And, if there is something missing, the question is, “How can I get it?” The first place we can start is to understand who you are at the physical level from the perspective of TCM’s Five Element energetic framework. I have created a list of various signs of imbalances associated with function disorders of the three paired organ systems—Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, KidneyBladder. This is the vital triangle responsible for metabolism function; these organs must function well individually; then, they have to cooperate as a paired organ system. And, of course, the organ system itself must work seamlessly with the other two paired organ systems. All these functions have to operate smoothly and consistently at multidimensional levels. This is by no means a comprehensive list of signs; there are many others that indicate an organ dysfunction, but the common ones are listed here. I urge you to take these signs seriously since, as we’ve seen, everything in third-dimensional reality is a symbol of the manifestation of energy and consciousness. You now know from the body–mind–spirit framework that conditions we can see are really pointing to signs of deeper imbalances. They are not the ultimate reason for health issues, especially chronic ones. For example, if you have gallstones, it’s evident the Gallbladder is in distress and already out of balance. The real cause, however, is that the Liver has stopped functioning properly. Unfortunately, the Liver’s imbalance has now affected its lifelong partner, the Gallbladder. As I have said many times throughout Digesting the Universe, your body never lies. It is your living mirror in this reality and reflects the state of your mind and the processing of its emotions. I have grouped a list of conditions under each of the organ systems that support metabolism function. Looking at these conditions can help you understand the organ system TCM relates them to. Now, you will be able to identify the deeper cause of many conditions, or symptoms, you may be experiencing. Following these self-assessment groupings, there are several, powerful energy healing practices that can help you at the body, mind and spirit levels. I encourage you to do them as often as possible to stimulate your own healing ability and bring back healthy function to your organ systems. I would like to remind readers again that when we look at something from a different framework, we will see different things and therefore can achieve different results. TCM’s ancient Five Element energetic framework is the one I am using here to categorize symptoms and their relationship to the function of three major organs. These symptoms reflect the state of a person’s Qi and how well he or she functions at the energetic level.
Remember, in the TCM framework the goal is restoring balance and harmony, not only focusing on fighting with conditions. TCM’s Five Element framework integrates the body’s organs and their messaging capabilities within a quantum system of immense feedback loops that allows for unlimited information flow. It shows us everything is about relationships. I would also like readers to understand these self-assessment groupings are not for diagnosing or treating illness or disease. I have included them for very important purposes—to help you see which part of your body is out of balance and to help you discover and strengthen your skill at paying attention to your body. As your sensitivity and skill increase, your body can begin to heal itself at deeper levels.
TCM’s Five Element Energetic Framework and Symptoms For more than five thousand years, TCM has practiced functional medicine based on the Five Element energetic framework to successfully diagnose the root cause of a broad range of health conditions and diseases. Since its beginning, TCM has focused on function as the most important aspect of health. Its path is based on approaching signs and signals as relationship imbalances that cause dysfunctions. Even small changes in relationships can produce good results. How is that so? We can return to the modern science concept that everything in the dynamic web of life is connected to every other thing in the interrelated patterns or processing of the energy field. Nothing stands in isolation and everything has to be discussed in relationship to something else. Here again, I’d like to remind you that you are not isolated or alone either. As you prepare to take this unique healing journey, please remember you are always connected to the loving energy of the Universe, the source from which you came. In the Qi field, one small change causes everything else to shift. Pick a flower on Earth and you move the farthest star. –PAUL DIRAC Western medicine’s methodology involves analysis, separation and specific targeting of what it perceives to be the cause of a condition. TCM sees the condition as a symptom of disrupted relationships in organ systems. Its method is to change the relationships so the condition is no longer a threat. Understanding the body’s relationships is the most important aspect of maintaining optimum health. Generally speaking, it takes about one hundred days for changes to occur at the physical level. This is typically the length of time it takes for red blood cells to replace themselves. Sometimes, positive healing changes can occur more quickly; sometimes, they take longer. I would also like to add this important piece of advice: Please, don’t doubt yourself ! Even small changes are real and can be built upon. I’d like to emphasize this self-assessment exercise is designed to sharpen your self-awareness and sensitivity to your body. It can also help build your self-confidence, which is an essential step in any healing journey. At the spiritual level, remember, time and space don’t exist. Healing is in your hands. Buckle up; in a spiritual journey, there are no speed limits!
The First 100 Days: Using TCM’s Self-Assessment Symptom Checker My suggestion is, at the start, that you create a simple chart or journal for yourself to track the changes you experience over the next 100 days as you begin to strengthen your metabolism function. If you are serious about this healing journey, it is important to develop your own set of tools. I would like you to learn how to see your body change. This is a tangible, direct way to practice learning how to understand yourself. I would like you to become aware of the many subtle ways that your body speaks to you. Observe as much as you can. Note any small changes that occur. Below are common symptoms you might be experiencing. If you are like many of my patients, I think you are probably experiencing more than one of them. Review each list carefully. Identify which ones impact your health today and rank them by importance. Then, decide on an easy method to track these symptoms over the next 100 days. After you begin to work with the self-healing energy practices described in this section, I suggest you see how much your symptoms change on a monthly basis. Make sure part of your chart or journal notes how often you incorporate these practices into your healing routine. How much effort are you putting into this work? Each month, I would like you to measure two aspects of your symptoms: one is severity or intensity; the other is frequency. See if your conditions are becoming less intense, or if their frequency has changed. Or, perhaps both have changed? It is important to assess the quantity and quality associated with any of your symptoms. For instance, have they lessened, even slightly, in intensity? In terms of frequency, before working with these practices, did your symptom occur many times a day and now it happens only once or twice a day or every other day? Even small changes are important; one small change can impact many related things. You may see amazing things. For example, if you’re a woman dealing with menopausal symptoms and awaken several times a night with hot flashes, after a month, assess whether you have fewer hot flashes per night, or if they are less severe. The Four Energy Gates should be practiced together, but they can also be effective alone. For example, if you suffer from a chronic sinus infection, Energy Gate No. 1, in particular, is good for opening up sinuses and alleviating headaches, no matter where they are located. I would like you to be aware of whether your headache’s frequency changes as you include this particular practice. You yourself have to build up your sensitivity to the impact of increased Qi in your body. As noted, I’ve divided symptoms into three categories associated with the paired organs systems of Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder and Kidney-Bladder. The more symptoms you check off, the more attention you should give to the function of their related organs. You will find some symptoms appear under more than one organ system. One or the other may be involved; or, both could be causing your condition. As we’ve seen, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, has served as this kind of example throughout the book. Without bringing the Liver and Stomach relationship back into balance, it is almost impossible to heal this condition.
Many times, I’ve emphasized that TCM focuses on helping individuals restore balance and harmony, which can stimulate the immune system. It concentrates on supporting healthy relationships between the major organ systems internally and between the body and Nature externally. It does this by promoting the free flow of Qi in the body, mind and spirit. Here is the list of common symptoms; some you may not readily associate with the organ pair, but remember, we are using the Five Element energetic framework to look at these things. Now, you can also identify the root cause of certain conditions. For millennia, TCM has specialized in prevention. So, please, I ask you to really pay attention to these symptoms. Try to address them as soon as possible and as completely as possible. Your body is already communicating with you by sending these signals of deeper causes.
Spleen-Stomach Fat tongue, white or yellow coating on the tongue, stomach distension, bloating, food allergies, migraines in the forehead area, cold hands and feet, acid reflux, yeast infections, vaginal discharge, hair loss, low white blood cell count, ulcers, constipation, chronic loose stools, chronic fatigue, teeth and gum problems, bad breath and insomnia.
Liver-Gallbladder Dull, uneven nails, brittle nails that break easily, problems with the eye or eyesight, migraine headaches on the left side of the head, tendency to injure easily, especially to incur sport injuries, sprains and strains, sprained ankles, tendonitis, dry, dull hair, anemia, acid reflux, ulcers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, breast tenderness, breast cysts, fibroids, gynecological and menstrual problems, PMS, itchy skin, itchy scalp, emotional imbalances including mood swings, angry moods and being quick to anger. A reminder: The Liver is the No. 1 organ involved in most conditions I see in clinic today. It is also directly or indirectly related to all women’s health issues. The good news is that the Liver is unique. Of all the organs, it has the ability to change the fastest and, therefore, produce the fastest results. You will often see TCM practitioners treat this organ along with others. They recognize that boosting the Liver’s function will have an impact on other organs as well.
Kidney-Bladder Lower back pain, knee pain, ankle pain, ankle swelling, heel pain, allergies, migraine headaches at the top and back of the head, weight problems, teeth problems, gum disease, jaw pain, edema, urinary tract infections, cystitis, conditions of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sexual dysfunction, bone loss, prostate problems, low sperm count, infertility issues, memory loss, genetic conditions, insomnia, anxiety and depression.
Assess where you are in terms of these three paired organ systems that must work cooperatively for healthy metabolism function. Recall too that when we discuss digestion, we are talking about the larger concept of being able to digest not only food but also emotions and information. The more symptoms you have checked off, the more support your organ systems need to function properly. Now is the time to begin a healing program that includes the powerful, self-healing energy practices below. Most patients are eager and impatient to get well; some expect healing miracles without giving a thought to what the requirements are to experience one. Some would prefer relying on outside interventions, medications and experts of all sorts to resolve their condition. For those who want to heal the root cause of their condition, I can tell you it is doable, but it takes real effort. It takes patience and persistence; it also takes faith. Most likely, your condition did not appear overnight and has taken a long time to develop. It will take time to heal as well. I recommend you continue working with these Taoist energy practices for at least 100 days. If you’ve tried everything to get well, please give yourself this special time to heal. You deserve to try a different path that can lead to profound changes. It is a small price to pay for real progress. Depending on the length and severity of your condition, eventually you will see meaningful results, if you stay on this path. Best of all, you will be addressing the underlying root cause of your symptoms. I would like to remind readers that moving in the direction of health opens up an infinite path. Your health can always get better and better; it can always move to a higher level. Moving in the direction of illness and disease only ends one way. It’s up to you; which way do you want to go? You create your own reality.
The Four Energy Gates Now you know: everything is energy and everything is connected in the energy field. The Four Energy Gates are the body’s master energy gates; they allow maximum Qi to flow through meridians in the upper and lower body. I recommend you practice this unique, 20-minute self-healing energy massage daily. The benefits are tremendous. You will strengthen your energy foundation, allow the whole body to function in harmony and nurture oneness. Master Xi-hua Xu and I developed this unique system especially for today’s lifestyle. Basically, it’s a shortcut to help organs connect and cooperate with each other. I asked him to help me create something powerful and effective for the many patients I see whose lives are so busy they don’t have a lot time to practice. Using his knowledge of the interrelationships of the organs and the function of their meridians, Master Xu devised The Four Energy Gates program; it is uniquely capable of creating internal harmony. The Four Energy Gates are like four major airports connecting the large cities of the world. They are based on the Chinese medicine understanding of the meridian network. These special gateways are energy intersections or hubs that connect with the body’s other meridians. When stimulated using acupressure techniques, these four master energy gates allow a maximum amount of Qi—intelligent motion and messages—to flow to the organ systems. This special practice gives the whole body an energy tune-up. Practiced daily, The Four Energy Gates program offers a total healing regimen; it strengthens the multidimensional aspects of body, mind and spirit for ultimate health. I recommend you set aside time to practice all four energy gates together. You can also practice them separately for the specific conditions, as noted.
Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice Each of you has been born with unique healing gifts that have come from your parents. These gifts are always with you. I would like to show you how to use them to stimulate healthy metabolism function. Most people don’t appreciate these gifts because they don’t understand the power behind them and their ability to help the body readjust itself. What are these gifts? They are the ability to scream, cry and smile! This sounds too simple to be true, doesn’t it? I can assure you, however, looking at these actions from the Five Element energetic framework, you will discover the power you have inherited to process or digest emotions that can negatively impact organ function. This kind of practice uses the vibration of the voice as well as the action of smiling to let emotions exit the body naturally. This way, they are not being held inside where they can do real damage to organ function. It is the ultimate cleansing practice. On the energetic level, it allows you to understand how to communicate with your own body and manifest emotions. As we conclude Digesting the Universe, we can return to the most important concept of all, the one that allows us to comprehend the duality and interdependence of our world. That is the principle of Yin-Yang. It helps us understand everything can be transformed. Everything can be digested in different ways. In this powerful Taoist cleansing practice, using your voice allows you to digest emotions; a smile stimulates healing ability. The body can use its transference skills to transform the invisible, energetic frequencies of Yin into visible, energetic frequencies of Yang—with a scream, a tear or a smile. Can you appreciate the amazing healing capabilities you have!
Because this three-step practice is so significant, I want to describe it in more detail here, even though I’ve talked about it in Section VI, on the Mind and Metabolism Function. I recommend you take 20 minutes or so in a quiet, private place to practice all three steps together. Take time to do this slowly and deliberately several times a week. With this practice, your vocal vibrations serve as a processing mechanism to transform and relieve stress. Remember, different vibrations or energetic frequencies are associated with different organs and consequently their emotions. So, sound offers a profound way to help your body activate part of this emotional cleansing process. As we’ve seen earlier, the first step uses the vibration of sound through screaming. This action helps release anger, frustration, stress and irritability—the Liver’s associated emotions. Be cautious at first, so you don’t cause any damage. As you begin, don’t use your voice at full volume. Get acquainted with your body’s vocal capabilities before pushing boundaries. You have to build up a relationship with your body to understand the kind of frequency that comes through your throat when you scream and how it impacts your mind. By the way, this is not for women only; it works well for men too. Think of a child’s scream. In this case, the vocal vibration of a scream acts as a carrier of energy or sound waves. This makes him or her feel better. You can get the same kind of relief too! The voice is not only frequency; the voice itself is a device that produces a sound that allows emotions to follow the sound and release themselves. Through screaming, you can expel internal emotions. Everyone has emotions. This is part of being human. As we’ve discussed, they are the expression of your mind’s actions; the processing of your mind’s Qi. If excess or chronic emotions haven’t manifested already at the observable level of a symptom or condition, this is an excellent way to conserve more Qi for healing. Here, you can use sound and imagination to let the Liver’s emotions out of the body quickly. This relieves your organs of emotional overload or releases emotions that have become stagnant or stuck. After practicing screaming, you are ready to take the second step. The goal is to see if you can cause a tear to emerge. This action also helps exercise your metabolism function. It uses crying to release sadness. Why is this tear so important? It is actually one of the most powerful, natural healing tools humans have. With a tear, we can transform the invisible energetic frequency of sadness into the physical matter of the tear. Here is another example of the unique transference capabilities of the human body. Imagine how many more abilities or features we haven’t yet discovered! Creating this tear is a powerful action. This step gives the emotions of sadness and even grief an opportunity to cleanse themselves. Some people may only associate a tear with sadness, but a tear can manifest other emotional frequencies. For instance, anger can produce tears. But, happiness can produce tears as well. You may burst into tears on meeting a dear friend you haven’t seen in a long time. Sometimes, we are grateful for a person’s kindness and a tear emerges; or, we may be looking at a beautiful view and, unexpectedly, a tear will drop. In third-dimensional reality, a tear is a symbol your emotions are changing. I would like you to practice exercising this special gift you were born with. Looking at this action through the lens of the Five Element energetic framework, we can readily see how valuable it is to use your natural healing skills. They have been passed down to you through untold generations. No one needed to teach you to cry. Perhaps, no one has ever shared this wisdom about the healing power of tears, but I can assure you it exists. Everyone enters reality with this inborn skill. It is one of the first actions babies use to communicate. Ask any mother. She understands her baby’s needs just by hearing his or her particular cries. This kind of energetic vibration is a vehicle for communication that precedes language.
The most important thing to understand about these precious liquid drops is that they allow the body to accomplish effective healing work. They transform the invisible into the visible. They allow Qi or the energetic frequency of emotions to become the visible vehicle of a tear and move out of the body before the emotion can impair the function of the organ with which it’s associated. The third and final step of the Taoist Emotional Cleansing practice is to smile from your Heart. At first, you may find this a challenge, but stick with this step. It has many benefits. Let everything dissolve with a smile that comes from your Heart. We are not just talking about an everyday smile that we greet others with. Can you really smile from the inside out? Can you smile at yourself from your Heart? In this step, it’s important to use a deep, beautiful smile filled with self-love to transform any anger you may be holding. How does this Taoist Emotional Cleansing practice support your healing journey? From a functional standpoint, it helps several major organ systems express themselves and allow emotions to flow out of the body: The sound or vibrational frequency of screaming allows the Liver to express itself. Importantly, it also helps Qi and Blood flow. Through the creation of a tear (or many tears!), the Lung can increase its Qi and release the energetic frequencies of sadness or grief. Finally, when you smile deeply from the Heart, the organ that controls the mind and allows its Qi to flow, a deep feeling of peace is created that helps support the body, mind and spirit. I encourage you not to underestimate the power of, what look like, such simple actions. This three-step Taoist Emotional Cleansing practice activates a strong physiological healing response in the body. It makes use of its natural processing and transference capabilities. Everyone is born knowing how to scream, cry and smile. No one has to learn complicated “mind” techniques to use these healing actions. They are so natural that no one has to practice to get them right. There are no mantras; no special equipment is involved. Everyone can perform these actions easily and reap tremendous benefits.
Spirit Gate Opening—Wu Ming Qigong Breathing Practice This Wu Ming Qigong practice allows you to make the deepest connection of all—to the source of Universal life itself. There are many Qigong systems that use movement to connect to this source. There are also many Qigong systems that use different breathing techniques with certain kinds of visualizations. Spirit Gate Opening is a special Wu Ming Qigong practice that uses a reverse breathing technique that focuses on the navel. It can be done anywhere, anytime, by anyone. Its spiritual benefits are many since it helps you connect to the real root of who you are. It connects you to the very source of human creation. When I say you are a child of the Universe, as you will see, this is what I mean. Naturally, you are born into this reality through the union of your parents. In some ways, but certainly not all, they have created you. Through your DNA, or genetic blueprint, you are connected to your mother, her mother—your grandmother—your grandmother’s mother and so on, down through your lineage. On the spiritual level, Spirit Gate Opening allows you to connect to the power of this entire genetic heritage that is many thousands of years old. On the physical level, tapping into this power can stimulate healthy metabolism function. In addition to its spiritual benefits, Spirit Gate Opening practice is highly effective for calming anxiety, reducing stress and stimulating the immune system. As mentioned, this special Wu Ming Qigong practice uses reverse breathing. Start by closing your eyes and focusing attention on your navel or belly button. While breathing in through your nose, pull in your stomach and navel as far as you can. Then, breathe out slowly through your mouth while pushing your stomach and navel out as far as you can. Take a few breaths like this as preparation.
To begin, breathe in as deeply as possible. Then, slowly hold for a count of five: 1-2-3-4-5. Breathe out slowly. Breathe in and out this way for about 3 to 4 minutes. If you are overwhelmed by stress or feeling anxious, you can calm yourself down very effectively after using this breathing practice for several minutes. The more you practice, the more benefits you will experience. Now that you know how to practice Spirit Gate Opening, let me explain why this breathing exercise is so powerful and the story behind it. When I learned about the Spirit Gate from Master Xu, he told me the real secret behind this ancient Taoist breathing practice. I would like to share this secret with you. TCM calls the navel or belly button, shen jiu. These words literally mean “spirit gate.” We can understand the importance of this energy gate by looking at it from two different frameworks. First, let me talk about it from the modern science perspective and its understanding of space-time. It will help you to understand why this simple practice is so powerful. Where is the safest space in the world that you have ever been? The answer is in your mother’s womb. Within this space, you were sheltered, nurtured and connected to her through your umbilical cord for nine months. During this time, your mother allowed the unconditional love of the Universe to flow through her so a new energy being could grow. The navel or belly button is the space left by the umbilical cord that physically connected you to your mother. In turn, her navel connects her to her mother, and so on down through your entire genetic line. We have discussed space-time throughout Digesting the Universe. You now know space and time cannot be separated. They are one thing. As author Fritjof Capra says, “There is no law of physics which does not require the concepts of space and time for its formulation.” We cannot talk about space without talking about its partner, time; we cannot talk about time without talking about its partner, space. As long as there is space, there is time and vice versa. By focusing your breathing on the space of your navel, you automatically to connect your mother’s space, as well as this space’s inseparable aspect of time. She in turn connects to her mother and so on. Through space-time, you can trace your connection back through all the generations that existed before you through the time associated with your umbilical space. Most importantly, using this focus lets you connect to the unlimited, unconditional love of the Universe (All That Is, God, or the higher power you believe in). Why? Your genetic code meets the requirement of Universal life. This information is always stored within, embedded in your genetic code. Space-time links each of us individually to an unimaginable, infinite source of love and creativity. This source is so incredible that it is impossible to describe further using more words. Understanding this powerful Taoist energy practice may help you change your beliefs. What I am trying to tell you is beyond words; however, if you can truly grasp this meaning, you might open up your Spirit Gate to merge with the source of life itself through your genes. I can also explain this practice from the Taoist perspective. You are not just your mother’s child. Through her willingness to carry you and allow Natural Law to process through her, you are also a child of the Universe. You are an energy being—not only connected to her life but to all life through time and space. If you are able to recall this feeling and connection today, you will receive tremendous benefits at the body, mind and spirit levels. Each of your body’s cells has memory. When you focus on the space of your navel, you can bring back the memory of the time in your mother’s womb where you were the most balanced and your life was the most harmonious. Focusing on your navel is a multidimensional process. As I’ve said, this connects mother to mother and all the generations behind them. It also brings back the promise of love, as well as the loving intention behind these connections. Again, this is not human love we’re talking about but that inexpressible force that is greater than we are.
During your nine months of growth, your mother allowed her own body, mind and spirit to interact with and download the spirit of the Universe. She digested this Qi and passed it along to you. As you focus your breathing deeply, you connect to millions of years of information stored in your genes that goes all the way back to the Universal source. Maybe this is why this practice is referred to as the Spirit Gate? It connects you to the source of life itself, beyond the many roles you have played in this reality. No matter which framework you would like to understand this profound Spirit Gate Wu Ming Qigong breathing practice from—the modern science angle or Taoist point of view —I can tell you it will help you in profound ways, if you practice consistently. On a practical level, I teach this reverse breathing practice in my clinic to business executives, people in high-stress positions like lawyers, and those with busy lives who live with constant anxiety, fear and stress. Once you get comfortable with this breathing practice, I encourage you to use it throughout the day: For instance, you can practice before you start your car in the morning or during your commute by train or bus. Take a minute or two for Spirit Gate Opening breathing. When you arrive at work, don’t start to make phone calls or check your messages immediately. Do just a few minutes of this special breathing technique. Again, before meetings, take a minute or two to practice reverse breathing. As you keep your healing journal over the next 100 days, keep track of how many times you practice Spirit Gate Opening. What changes do you notice? This breathing practice is especially effective at breaking patterns of anxiety and stress. It is even an effective emergency remedy for headaches. It has the capability to help you resolve emotional imbalances and restore proper function to your digestive system. The body is born with the knowledge of how to heal itself. This breathing process offers a way to stimulate your immune system, as well as readjust the energetic frequencies of your body, mind and spirit. Most importantly, it allows you to connect to the source, the root of all life, and to the oneness that gives rise to our physical world.
Standing Wu Ming Qigong Meditation
At first, you may find this standing posture challenging. Start with 3 to 5 minutes; then, work up to 20 or 30 minutes at a time. Longer is always better. See if you can go beyond 30 minutes. Keep a chart of your progress. This Wu Ming Qigong standing meditation is also the final posture in The Dragon’s Way®, the stress management and weight loss program that our Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation has conducted for more than twenty years. It has helped tens of thousands of participants to rebalance their bodies, increase Qi and regain health. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Relax and remain comfortable. Make sure your knees are bent slightly. With your hands out straight in front of your body, make a fist and point your thumbs toward each other. Now, draw your arms in so that your fists are pointing toward each other at chest level. Close your eyes and imagine you are the Dragon standing between Heaven and Earth. Feel this power. The longer you hold this posture, the more healing benefits you can gain. Open your eyes slowly and try to keep this relaxed feeling with you at all times. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share the healing wisdom in Digesting the Universe with you. My greatest wish is that you will use the bridge we have crossed together on our quantum travels and begin your self-healing journey today. I encourage you to adopt this revolutionary framework of ancient wisdom and modern science to improve your metabolism function and any chronic condition you may be dealing with. I believe your journey will be a successful one and that it will allow you to discover the wonder and mystery of who you truly are and your unique purpose in this reality. Note: Throughout this book, when you see an organ or element capitalized, we are referring to a larger concept than its physical aspect. The capital letter is a reminder of multidimensional functions that occur at the body, mind and spirit levels.
SECTION IX APPENDIX
The words are strung together, with their own special grammar—the laws of quantum theory—to form sentences, which are molecules. Soon we have books, entire libraries, made out of molecular “sentences.” The universe is like a library in which the words are atoms. Just look at what has been written with these hundred words! Our own bodies are books in that library, specified by the organization of molecules—but the universe and literature are organizations of identical, interchangeable objects; they are information systems. –HEINZ R. PAGELS
More Information on Quoted Sources Throughout Digesting the Universe, we have quoted various Western physicists and philosophers as well as Eastern philosophers, mystics and writers. Following is a brief biography of each. Bohm, David Joseph, FRS, 1917‒1992, was an American-born theoretical physicist who contributed innovative and unorthodox ideas to quantum theory, philosophy of mind, and neuropsychology. He is considered to be one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the twentieth century. Bohr, Niels Henrik David, 1885‒1962, was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1922. Buddha (also known as Gautama Buddha and Siddhārtha Gautama), lived sometime between 563 and 400 bce—historians are unsure of his birth or death dates. He was born into the Shakya clan in Lumbini (in modern-day Nepal), and his father was at least the leader of that clan, or a king (possibly King Śuddhodana). Raised as a prince, with all the accompanying worldly benefits and status, Siddhārtha married, had a son and eventually emerged from the palace walls to discover the world as it is—with its suffering, in the forms of illness and disease, pain and death. This awareness caused him to become a sage who realized the path of the “Middle Way.” Under a Bodhi tree, he gained enlightenment or awakening—the word “Buddha” means “awakened one.” Over the ages, Buddha’s teachings have inspired millions to follow in his footsteps and apply his profound spiritual insight to their own lives. Capra, Fritjof, 1939‒, is an Austrian-born American physicist. He is a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California, which promotes ecology and systems thinking in primary and secondary education. He is on the faculty of Schumacher College. Capra is the author of several books, including The Tao of Physics (1975), The Turning Point (1982), Uncommon Wisdom (1988), The Web of Life (1996), The Hidden Connections (2002), and The Systems View of Life (2014). Chuang Tzu (also Chuang-Tze or Zhuang Zhou), 369‒286 bce, was a Chinese philosopher who lived during the Warring States period in China. Using immensely creative and intriguing parables and wordplay to convey profound messages about the essential nature of life and the world, Chuang Tzu, literally meaning “Master Chuang,” is considered a seminal Taoist thinker, coming after Lao Tzu. His eponymous work, Chuang Tzu, is one of China’s most important Taoist works. Perhaps of all Chinese philosophers, Chuang Tzu embodies the relativism of modern science. His work highlights that our perception and language are conditional—based on our past. A different past, or different set of experiences, Chuang Tzu argues, could well have resulted in a different perception or viewpoint. He also emphasizes how our natural tendencies are combined with acquired inclinations that are conditioned by acting in accord with societal norms and standards. For Chuang Tzu, “Life is limited and knowledge is unlimited. To use the limited to pursue the unlimited is foolish.”
Confucius (also K’ung Fu-tzu), 551–479 bce, Zhou dynasty, was a Chinese philosopher who was also a teacher and political figure known for his popular aphorisms and models of social interaction. His teachings, preserved in the Analects, focused on creating ethical models of family and public interaction, and setting educational standards. Confucius’s political beliefs were based on the concept of self-discipline. Through his teachings, Confucius strove to resurrect the traditional values of benevolence, propriety and ritual in Chinese society. His work was extremely influential during the Han, Tang and Song dynasties. Confucian core principles revolve around lǐ, doing the proper thing at the proper time, and the related concept of yì, doing the right thing for the right reason. Yì encompasses reciprocity, the idea that the righteous person acts in a way that contributes to the greater good versus acting solely out of self-interest. The Confucian principle rén, perfectly fulfilling one’s responsibilities toward others, frequently translated as “humaneness” or “selflessness,” is considered an ancient version of the Golden Rule. As Confucius expressed it, “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.” Rén embodies five fundamental virtues: seriousness, generosity, sincerity, diligence and kindness. Confucius embodied and taught a moral system of empathy which is indelibly entwined with the fabric of Chinese life and culture. Dirac, Paul Adrien Maurice, 1902‒1984, made fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics, in their early stages. In 1933, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics, with Erwin Schrödinger, “for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory.” Dirac was also known for his efforts that became the foundation of later modern work to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics. This important theoretical physicist was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Einstein, Albert, 1879–1955, was a German-born theoretical physicist and philosopher of science. His work entailed developing the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (along with quantum mechanics). He is best known in popular culture for his mass-energy equivalence formula E=mc² (often dubbed “the world’s most famous equation”). In 1921, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for his efforts in theoretical physics, especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, which helped establish quantum theory. Feynman, Richard Phillips, 1918–1988, was an American theoretical physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics. For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman, jointly with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, received the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1965. Goswami, Amit, 1935–, is an Indian-born theoretical quantum physicist who served as a full professor from 1968 to 1997 at the University of Oregon’s department of physics. Dr. Goswami is considered a pioneer of the new paradigm of science called “science within consciousness.” He is the author of the seminal book The Self-Aware Universe, as well as several popular books based on his research on quantum physics and consciousness. Dr. Goswami calls himself a “quantum activist” and has appeared in a number of films, including What the Bleep Do We Know?
Hawking, Stephen William, 1942‒, is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. Hawking was the first to set forth a cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He is a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Hawking is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S. Hawking’s science book A Brief History of Time stayed on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Heisenberg, Werner Karl, 1901–1976, was a German theoretical physicist and one of the key pioneers of quantum mechanics. He published his work in 1925 in a breakthrough paper. In the subsequent series of papers with Max Born and Pascual Jordan, during the same year, this matrix formulation of quantum mechanics was substantially elaborated. In 1927, Heisenberg published his uncertainty principle, upon which he built his philosophy and for which he is best known. Heisenberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1932, “for the creation of quantum mechanics.” Jung, Carl Gustav, 1875–1961, often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Jung proposed and developed the concepts of the collective unconscious, archetypes, and extraversion and introversion. His work has been influential in psychiatry as well as philosophy, anthropology, archeology, literature, and religious studies. Lao Tzu (also Lao-Tze), c. 571 bce, Zhou dynasty, was one of the most influential philosophers of China, a poet and central figure of ancient Chinese culture. He is best known as the reputed author of the classic Taoist text Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism. Although a legendary figure, he is usually dated to around the sixth century bce and considered a contemporary of Confucius. Pagels, Heinz Rudolf, 1939–1988, was an American physicist, an adjunct professor of physics at Rockefeller University, the executive director and chief executive officer of the New York Academy of Sciences, and president of the International League for Human Rights. He is best known to the general public for his popular science books The Cosmic Code (1982), Perfect Symmetry (1985), and The Dreams of Reason: The Computer and the Rise of the Sciences of Complexity (1988). Pribram, Karl, 1919–2015, was a professor at Georgetown University, Yale University and Stanford University, where he was an emeritus professor of psychology and psychiatry. Board-certified as a neurosurgeon, Pribram did pioneering work on the definition of the limbic system, as well as many aspects of the brain. Pribram is best known for his development of the holonomic brain model of cognitive function and his contribution to ongoing neurological research into memory, emotion, motivation and consciousness. Schrödinger, Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander, 1887–1961, was a Nobel Prize‒winning Austrian physicist who developed a number of fundamental results in the field of quantum theory, which formed the basis of wave mechanics: he formulated the wave equation (stationary and time-dependent Schrödinger equation) and revealed the identity of his development of the formalism and matrix mechanics. Schrödinger proposed an original interpretation of the physical meaning of the wave function. He authored many works in various fields of physics and made several attempts to construct a unified field theory. He paid great attention to the philosophical aspects of science, ancient and oriental philosophical concepts, ethics, and religion. He also wrote on philosophy and theoretical biology.
Senge, Peter Michael, 1947‒, is an American systems scientist who is a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, co-faculty at the New England Complex Systems Institute, and the founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning, which helps with the communication of ideas between large corporations. He is the author The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (1990, rev. 2006). He received a BS in aerospace engineering from Stanford University, where he also studied philosophy. He earned an MS from MIT and his PhD from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He is a longtime practitioner of meditation. Sheldrake, Alfred Rupert, 1942‒, is a biologist and author of more than eighty scientific papers and ten books. He was among the top one hundred Global Thought Leaders for 2013, as ranked by an independent Swiss think-tank. He studied natural sciences at Cambridge University. He also studied philosophy and history of science at Harvard University and took his PhD in biochemistry at Cambridge. His first book, A New Science of Life, was published in 1981. One of his latest books, written in 2012, called The Science Delusion, in the U.K., and Sc ience Set Free, in the U.S., examines the ten dogmas of modern science. The work received the Book of the Year award from the British Scientific and Medical Network. Su, Shi (also Su Tungpo), 1037‒1101 ce, was a prominent literati figure of China’s Song dynasty. His father was a famous member of the literati as was his brother, Su Zhe. Born in Sichuan province, Su Shi rose to become a statesman, noted poet, calligrapher, painter, pharmacologist and gastronome—one of four of China’s most renowned classical gastronomes. His writing included prose, particularly essays on his travel experiences, formally called “travel record literature” (youji wenxue), which were very popular in the Song era. His pseudonym was Dongpo Jushi. Talbot, Michael Coleman, 1953–1992, was an American author of several books highlighting parallels between ancient mysticism and quantum mechanics, and espousing a theoretical model of reality that suggests the physical universe is akin to a giant hologram. According to Talbot, ESP, telepathy and other paranormal phenomena are a product of this holographic model of reality. He is perhaps best known for his book The Holographic Universe. Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre, Society of Jesus, 1881‒1955, was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of Peking Man. He conceived the idea of the Omega Point (a maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which he believed the Universe was evolving) and developed Vladimir Vernadsky’s concept of noosphere, the sphere of human thought. Xu, Xi-hua, 1935‒, is a highly respected scholar, lecturer and researcher on Qigong, an ancient Chinese self-healing energy practice, and its roots in Taoism, specifically Taoist philosophy and practices. At Yunnan University, Yunnan, China, Professor Xu served as a professor in the Chinese history department from 1967 to 1994, developing his specialty in Taoism. Professor Xu has researched the effects of Taoist practices on human consciousness, longevity and extra sensory perception (ESP). Because of his unique skills, he has been asked to serve as a consultant on medical issues to officials at the highest levels of the Chinese government. (Please see Master Xu’s biography for additional details.)
Classical Chinese Texts References I Ching and the Bagua Framework The I Ching (also called The Book of Changes) is one of the most profound ancient classical texts to emerge from the Chinese civilization. (The word “Ching” means “classic,” and to the Chinese, it’s a sacred text—it is the Tao.) It’s known to have existed at least twenty-five hundred years ago. Used as a source for divination, the I Ching distills and condenses the movement and interactions of everything in the Universe into symbols in the form of sixty-four hexagrams, or gua, based on combinations of eight primary trigrams. The underlying spirit of the I Ching captures and transmits what is a continual unfolding of Universal Life and its inevitable change. Ancient Chinese was a language based on pictures, and the I Ching is written in a language of poetic images. Behind every picture is a multidimensional message. For those who look to the I Ching for answers to life’s questions, they should consider this approach: Can I perceive the real message and interpret what it is saying in the present moment about what I want to know? The bagua is an eight-sided formation or framework that encompasses the eight primary trigrams of the I Ching. Like the I Ching, its form is set up to communicate that everything in life can and does change. There is possibility and opportunity in every trigram, also referenced as gua, as one moves through the octagonal form. Like the I Ching, the bagua also communicates through symbols. The real significance lies in the invisible meaning of the messages behind the visible symbols. For millennia, TCM practitioners have used the bagua for healing purposes. In terms of answers or messages, what one gets—whether for a patient or for one’s life—depends on the specific question asked and the skill with which it is asked. Nan Jing (Huangdi Bashiyi Nan Jing) is one of the four great classics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It was written sometime in the late Han dynasty (206 bce‒ 220 CE). The English translation for the title, The Huang Emperor’s Classic of Eighty-One Difficult Issues, or Classic of Difficult Issues, speaks to this text’s attempt to clarify and explain “mysterious” statements made in the Huangdi Nei Jing. Each of the Nan Jing’s eighty-one chapters focuses on “difficult” or unclear subjects from the earlier work. It’s a significant text for acupuncturists because it systematized wrist (radial arteries) pulse diagnosis and sixty shu, or transporting, points. Nei Jing (also Huangdi Nei Jing, translated as The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine) is considered the fundamental and essential classical source on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dating back at least several thousand years or more. With two main texts, consisting of eighty-one chapters or “treatises” each, the Nei Jing is arranged in a question-and-answer format between the mythical Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and six of his equally mythical ministers. The first text, the Su Wen (Basic Questions) discusses TCM theory, including diagnostics. The second text, the Lingshu (Spiritual Pivot), is a treatise on acupuncture. This classic is still considered a rich source of knowledge for TCM practitioners and those interested in authentic traditional Chinese medicine.
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Classic of Herbal Medicine) is, along with the other three seminal TCM classics, the Nei Jing, the Nan Jing, Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders) and its sister text, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essentials of the Golden Chest), a treasure trove for TCM practitioners to this day. The original text, attributed to the mythical Chinese king Shen Nong, who is thought to have lived around 2800 bce, no longer exists; however, it’s believed the text was written in the first century ce, compiling a long oral tradition. In truth, TCM’s vast and expansive knowledge of foods and herbs, as well as a wide range of other substances, was originally a result of direct knowing through the spiritual practice of ancient masters. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing is the first classical text to describe the medicinal use of plants. Its three volumes include a rich and voluminous array of herbs, flowers and healing foods, detailing their specific actions in the body. Tao Te Ching (also Tao Teh Ching) is the classical Taoist text, traditionally considered to be written by Lao Tzu, in the sixth century bce. The historical figure of Lao Tzu has been a subject of vigorous scholarly debate. He first appears in a historical context in a biography written by Chinese historian Sima Qian in the first century bce. The Lao Tzu that has emerged was named Li Er (posthumously, Li Dan) and was an official in the imperial archives. The Tao Te Ching was thought to have been passed to a gatekeeper by Lao Tzu as he made his way away from the court and the society of the time in China. Some five thousand Chinese characters in length, organized into eighty-one sections, the Tao Te Ching was very influential on subsequent Chinese schools of thought, such as Confucianism, Legalism, and Chinese Buddhism. It has also served throughout time as inspiration for countless poets, painters and calligraphers. Today, the Tao Te Ching is one of the world’s most translated works of literature. It’s nearly impossible to summarize or encapsulate the wisdom and insight in this classic text. It’s as atomic or elemental as E=mc2. Reading it in Chinese allows the reader access to the “pictures behind pictures” of Chinese characters. In its first few lines, the text warns against the limitation of language to apprehend the Tao: “The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.” Lao Tzu’s philosophy also speaks to the potential effects of accumulated learning and knowledge: “In the pursuit of learning, every day something is added. In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.”
Martial Arts References Wan Laisheng and Ziranmen (Natural Style Boxing) “Ziranmen” (also Zi Ran Men) is a style of Kung Fu with origins in northern China. It is an “internal” style in that it uses Qigong as a component as well as ancient Taoist philosophy. The Ziranmen lineage began with Dwarf Xu and was passed to Du Xinwu (1869‒1953), who served as a bodyguard to the then provisional president of China, Sun Yat-sen. Du Xinwu in turn passed Ziranmen to Du Xiu Si, his eldest son, and Wan Laisheng (born in 1902 in Wuchang, Hubei Province, and passed away in 1992, in Fuzhou, Fujian Province), a well respected martial artist, known as one of the “Five Tigers of China,” or the “Five Northern Tigers.” Wan Laisheng was the first martial artist to hold the Chinese military rank of general. In addition to being a high-level martial artist, Master Wan was also a well-educated expert in Qigong, Chinese medicine and Taoism, and a prolific author. He integrated Chuang Tzu’s ideology into the martial arts and authored twenty books on the martial arts, the first of which was published in 1928: Wu Shu Hui Zong (The Convergence of Martial Arts). In the late 1920s, five prominent northern Chinese martial artists were sent to southern China (Guangzhou, also known as Canton, Guangdong Province) to establish a martial arts school and teach there. Constantly challenged by the southern Chinese martial artists, the “Five Northern Tigers,” as they respectfully came to be called, consistently beat all challenges. They ultimately spread northern Chinese martial arts styles throughout southern China—and beyond. Today, there are Ziranmen schools in Fuzhou, China; New York, New York; and Austin, Texas. Visit www.ziranmenkungfu.com for more information.
Author Biographies About Master Xi-hua Xu, PhD Professor Xu is a respected scholar, researcher and lecturer on Qigong and Taoist philosophy. For twenty-seven years, he served as professor in the Chinese history department at Yunnan University, where he developed a specialty in Taoism and its effect on longevity, human consciousness and extrasensory perception (ESP). His work with the Chinese Qigong Association, China’s governmental body dedicated to qualifying Qigong experts and advancing this ancient self-healing energy system, led to a seminar series on Taoism and healing, from 1988 to 1990, in China and internationally. Today, he is one of a few rare individuals in China recognized for his ability to see the body’s invisible meridian system, which has given him an expertise in treating problems related to the function of organ systems. His unique skills also allow him to recognize the singular essence of materials and which meridians they impact. Professor Xu has been a much-sought-after health consultant by some of the highest ranking members of the Chinese government, including Zhao Ziyang, third premier of the People’s Republic of China; General Xiao Jingguang, a former commander of the Chinese navy; former Secretary General Peng Chong, the National People’s Congress, and former Chinese Health Minister Cui Yue Li, among others. Master Xu is responsible for developing three of the major self-healing programs based on Wu Ming Qigong for Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation—LifeForce: Tao of Medical Qigong, The Dragon’s Way® Program and the Breast Cancer Prevention Project. These successful programs have given many thousands of individuals special tools to rebalance their health and improve their lives.
About Nan Lu, OMD Nan Lu, OMD, is founding director and president of Tao of Healing and Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation. He holds a doctorate in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hubei, China, and is a New York State—licensed acupuncturist. Dr. Lu is also a clinical associate professor in the School of Social Welfare at the State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, where he serves as an executive board member of the Center for Culturally Competent Education and Training. For more than two decades, his work has been dedicated to developing educational programs and curricula to help individuals discover their own healing abilities and the effect of energy and consciousness on the body, mind and spirit. Classically and academically trained, Dr. Lu is an herbalist, a martial arts expert and Qigong master. He is the best-selling author of three self-care books on TCM published by HarperCollins, as well as Ask Dr. Lu and A Revolutionary Approach to Breast Cancer Prevention. Dr. Lu’s Tao of Healing includes his private practice, Wu Ming Qigong school and LifeForce: Tao of Medical Qigong educational initiative. He says, “It is still remarkable to me that modern science reflects so beautifully the ancient wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine’s Five Element energetic framework. Both frameworks help us understand that deep down, everything is energy, and underpinning our reality is a state of ‘oneness.’ We are all connected to everything—worlds within and the world without.”
About Ellen Schaplowsky Ellen Schaplowsky is vice president of Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation, located in New York, NY. As founding vice president of this nonprofit, educational organization, she has collaborated with Nan Lu, OMD, on developing many of the its educational initiatives, programming and publications. She has also served as co-author of his three self-care books on TCM, and now this fourth work, Digesting the Universe: A Revolutionary Framework for Healing Metabolism Function. Ellen began her association with Dr. Lu as a patient; she subsequently became a Qigong student and then helped him launch TCM World Foundation, in 1995. She is certified in LifeForce: Tao of Medical Qigong. As founder of the Marketing for the Environment practice and then former director of training for one of the world’s largest independent PR firms, her background includes creating marketing communications and reputation-building strategies for well-known companies, brands, and nonprofit organizations. She remarks, “It has been my privilege to help Dr. Lu plant many seeds that have communicated the extraordinary benefits of TCM, Qigong and the internal martial arts, as well as the tremendous rewards of Taoist spirituality. The beautiful flowers that have grown turned into a vibrant garden that has become Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation. We invite everyone to come in.”
Acknowledgements There are many people on this journey of discovery with me that I would like to acknowledge. Without Master Xi-hua Xu , Digesting the Universe would not exist. He has bridged two worlds—the visible and invisible—to bring the secrets of this extraordinary ancient healing wisdom to readers. I have been inspired by the pioneers of modern physics, especially Albert Einstein, who opened a doorway to a corridor that links modern science with ancient healing wisdom in a most amazing way. And, of course, this link is Qi or vital energy. For more than thirty years, Fritjof Capra’s The Tao of Physics has popularized the notion for millions of readers that Eastern thought and modern physics are two sides of one coin. This work, in which he describes his own Aha! moment, has been a true inspiration and opened a doorway that allows me to introduce a revolutionary framework for health and healing that is built on the inseparability of body, mind and spirit. Contemporary scientists like Rupert Sheldrake and Amit Goswami have helped educate the many diverse healthcare professionals at our Foundation’s Building Bridges of Integration for Traditional Chinese Medicine educational events. They too have furthered my thinking on the energy field, consciousness and the mind, as well as quantum principles and theories. Dr. Frances L. Brisbane, dean of the School of Social Welfare, State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, has been a true inspiration, both professionally and personally. As my dean, she has been a wise mentor. As a dear friend, she has put her passion and support behind the work of our Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation from the day we met. Her appreciation for the power and efficacy of traditional medicines is boundless; her friendship is priceless. This is the fourth book I have written with Ellen Schaplowsky. She has helped me tremendously in framing the wisdom imbedded in this material for Western readers. Her special gift of interpretation on many levels and her willingness to grow from the material in Digesting the Universe is deeply appreciated. Kristen Park stepped in to devote great care to the editing and proofreading processes. Her meticulous attention to the letter and spirit of this manuscript has brought it great clarity, as have her meridian drawings. Karen Schulz has designed an evocative cover and overseen the graphics that make this work visually appealing and easier to “digest.” Carlton Davis is appreciated for capturing The Four Energy Gates and other photos in this book, as well as for his many contributions to our photography needs. He is appreciated for capturing The Four Energy Gates and other photos here, as well as his many contributions to our photography needs. As I have said throughout this work, there is an invisible reality that underpins the everyday world we live in. A remarkable team stands behind Digesting the Universe. Their love and energetic support underpin this work: Elaine Katen has spent countless hours ensuring that Ellen and I can focus on this book. Her passion for helping to spread the messages of this revolutionary framework is deeply appreciated. I would also like to acknowledge those at Tao of Healing and TCM World Foundation who have supported this effort with love, belief and enthusiasm: Tatiana Philippova, Deborah Hallahan, Irma Jenne, Josh Schindler, Jennifer Oh and Angela Van Zandt. My appreciation also goes to my patients, who graciously teach me new things every day and allow me to open the door to true healing, which always starts with spirit. I am happy to acknowledge our large and growing family of students at Tao of Healing Wu Ming Qigong School, our LifeForce: Tao of Medical Qigong practitioners, and Dragon’s Way® instructors and participants. They too have surrounded this effort with support and patience and many eager inquiries of, “How’s the book coming? When can we read it?” Appreciation goes also to Barbara Lowenstein of Lowenstein Associates. Our first three books on self-care and traditional Chinese medicine would not have been published without her guidance and support.
Healing Resources About Tao of Healing Tao of Healing is the private practice of Nan Lu, OMD, located in New York City. Its guiding healing vision for interacting with every patient springs from Dr. Lu and his distinguished master, Master Xi-hua Xu. Both are highly respected Qigong masters and experts in traditional Chinese medicine. Tao of Healing’s goal is to develop a pathway that is uniquely suited to each patient. These pathways are designed to awaken each individual’s healing strength, maximize their body–mind–spirit health and improve their quality of life. Treatment philosophy is rooted in the understanding that real healing begins with spirit and consciousness. Tao of Healing also encompasses a school and programs based on Wu Ming Qigong. Students have the rare opportunity of training in the ancient, traditional way with an authentic master. Classes are offered in internal martial arts of China, energy-based medical Qigong programs, such as The Four Energy Gates and Lifeforce: Tao of Medical Qigong. Tao of Healing gives healthcare professionals and individuals alike the tools they need to maintain balance at multidimensional levels for a lifetime of wellness. www.taoofhealing.com
About Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation Founded in 1995, Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in New York City. Ongoing educational initiatives encompass professional curricula as well as self-healing programs and resources to help individuals develop the tools they need to achieve optimum health through traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Wu Ming Qigong. The Foundation is also committed to building bridges of understanding between East and West through interdisciplinary collaboration and educational programs based on TCM, Taoist healing and classical Chinese martial arts. Its goal is to advance the understanding and implementation of authentic TCM; major programs include the Breast Cancer Prevention Project, which focuses on women’s health and prevention, and The Dragon’s Way® Weight Loss and Stress Management Program. www.tcmworld.org ǀ www.breastcancer.com
The Twelve Major Meridians
Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the invisible network of meridians or energy channels and recognizes the relationship of meridians to time and higher dimensions. This insight allows TCM practitioners to understand that the patient’s body, mind and spirit connect to something beyond third-dimensional reality. While these energy channels connect all the body’s visible and invisible structures, most importantly, they connect the body with the Five Elements or essences of Nature and Universal consciousness, in fact, all of Life! It is these invisible connections that make acupuncture so powerful. As we’ve discussed throughout Digesting the Universe, bilateral meridians also allow the power of Qi, its intelligent messages and Universal life to travel throughout the body. Meridians relate to circadian rhythm, seasons, planetary movements and more.
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Index d=diagram, i= inset, p= photo, q=quotation A accidents, there are no, (concept of), 102, 197, 365q, 406–410, 417, 422–423, 428 and cancer, 399–401 and flexibility, 188 and unconditional love, 370 from the spiritual perspective, 217, 248–250, 299, 321, 386–388, 393, 396–397 acid reflux. See gastroesophageal reflux disease Acquired Qi. See energy checking and savings accounts acupressure (Tuina), 34, 53, 107–109, 228, 245, 290, 435 acupuncture, xix, 9–10, 34, 51, 53, 101, 170, 180, 197, 230–231, 245, 290, 346i acupuncture needle, 14, 60, 104, 108, 295, 332 acupuncture points (acupoints), 9–10, 107–109, 290, 328, 332, 338 and balance, harmony in the body, 53, 101, 134 and meridians, 103–104, 107–109, 460 and transformation, 48 allergies, 50–51, 119, 127–130, 343, 433–434 and internal Cold, 151–152, 165
food allergies, 124, 138–140, 151–152, 221, 299–300, 343, 356, 373–375, 382–383, 388, 403d, 433 hay fever (allergic rhinitis), 49–51, 82, 267–268, 300, 357, 421–422 Alzheimer’s disease, 63, 207, 406 anger (stress; frustration; irritability). See emotions, and the Liver; Five Element energetic framework, Liver; Liver, and emotion anxiety, 32, 110, 172, 215–217, 319, 337, 412, 434, 436, 441, 443 arthritis (joint pain), 24, 35, 71, 75, 91, 101, 163–165, 168, 185, 191, 214, 221, 281, 293, 317, 373, 378, 382, 399, 422 asthma, 34, 82, 159, 165, 229, 406 astragalus, 155, 159, 293 chicken with astragalus and notoginseng recipe, 159 and dong gui tea (for blood deficiency), 155 B breathing issues, 229–230 back pain, 101, 110, 164, 171, 191–192, 211, 214, 221, 431, 437. See also Kidney, Kidney-Bladder organ pair bagua, 329, 453. See also I Ching balance and harmony, (concept of), 27, 65, 98, 213, 266, 289 and healthy function, 5–7, 101, 268, 323–333, 337, 378 and Qigong, 217, 264 and TCM, 12–13, 76, 81, 161, 381–382, 431, 433 beliefs (belief system), (concept of), 36, 112, 122, 173–174, 197 and food, 255–257, 270–271, 300
and the Liver, 197–198, 204 effect on the body, 39, 124–125, 172, 249, 306, 308, 318 belly button (shen jiu), 290, 441–443 and breathing, 229–230 Bladder, Bladder function, 170–171, 191, 208–211, 214, 217, 221–222, 231–232 Bladder meridian, 171, 214, 221, 224 See also Kidney, Kidney-Bladder organ pair Blood, and the Kidney, 99–100 and Qi (energy), 153–155, 172, 193, 205, 375, 413 and the Spleen, 149, 152–153, 158, 162, 172 blood cells, 99, 153, 156–158, 192, 293, 300, 342, 356, 419, 432–433 blood deficiency, 153–156 blood deficiency, tea for. See astragalus blood flow, and the Liver, 22, 59, 126, 178–179, 181, 185–187, 315 and smiling, 238, 315, 350, 440 blood pressure (high blood pressure), 434. See also hypertension Blood stagnation, 107, 151, 186–187
and Cold, Dampness, 150–151, 165, 185, 191 and the Liver, 181, 185, 187, 191 and Spleen-Stomach, 150–151, 162, 165, 171–172 blood tests, 19, 135, 158 blood vessels, 238, 242 body (“Your body never lies.”), (concept of), 6, 99, 125, 152, 165, 223, 297, 356, 430 acts of transference of, 154–155 as a mirror, 159, 192, 204, 208, 228, 289, 308, 344, 351, 356–357, 363–364, 422, 430 body signals, 95, 139, 200, 356, 404, 433 hardware (physical problem) vs. software problem (function disorder), 7, 22, 24–25, 98–99, 110, 152, 181, 183–185, 205, 307–309, 408, 419 “Healing is in your hands,” (concept of), 12, 37, 49, 216, 249, 301, 346, 351, 452. See also self-healing material body, 136, 320i, 398, 401, 424 body–mind–spirit, 204, 366d, 404, 406 and diabetes, 404–410 and headaches, 422 and healing, 145, 244 and life purpose, 116, 406 body, mind and spirit levels, 42, 116, 430 body–mind–spirit medicine (Jing, Qi, Shen), 304, 329–331 Bohr, Niels, 40, 73i, 79, 87, 113i, 119i, 377–378, 448
bone, and osteoporosis, 417–421 as tissue of the Kidney, 157–158, 211–214, 419 broken, 16–17, 41, 110, 417, 419–420 bone health, 99, 101, 126, 130, 157–158, 211–214, 296 density, 296, 417 skeletal system, 101, 211–212, 226 brain, 63, 68, 78, 100, 107, 207, 317, 324, 341, 451 brain health, 63, 234–235 breast cancer. See cancer Breast Cancer Prevention Project, 162, 456, 460 breast health, 185–186, 198, 273, 332, 338–339, 434 business model, organs as, (concept of), 129, 176, 207, 226, 234, 241, 278, 295–296 C Caesarian section (C-section), and meridian damage, 110 cancer, 34–35, 49, 58, 78, 130, 135–136, 286, 388, 398–401 and Cold, Dampness, 151, 163, 165, 176, 185–186 breast cancer and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 54, 91, 108, 112–113, 135–136, 166, 185–186, 197–198, 286, 300, 340, 388–389, 400 treatment of, 12, 112–113, 156–158, 172, 340, 400–401
chemotherapy, 130, 156–157, 166–167, 169, 234, 245, 254, 293, 342, 399–400 radiation, 156–157, 166–167, 234, 245, 254, 399 Capra, Fritjof, 13, 42, 47, 48i, 73, 77, 132, 247, 253, 257–258, 265, 384, 442, 448, 458 cause (and effect), 388, 390–391. See also effect and cause cellular memory, 316, 356, 442 children, 31, 159, 180, 196, 212–213, 222, 232, 316, 343, 349, 419, 422 Chinese barley (coix seed), 245, 293 Chinese culture, 8–12, 14–15, 79, 87, 91, 161, 212, 244–245, 275, 313–314, 327–331, 375, 451, 453 interpretation of, 9, 10, 314, 453 Chinese medical literature, 8, 11–12, 91, 200, 202 cholesterol, 109, 134, 149, 159, 177, 300, 305, 403d, 434 chronic fatigue syndrome, 24, 35, 210, 308, 381, 433 chronic conditions 4, 71, 97, 106, 137, 165, 286–287, 424, 433 and external factors, 5, 19, 81, 92 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 34–36, 57, 84, 134, 170 Cold (as internal pathogen), 18, 124, 150–152, 162–167, 169, 171, 176, 181–182, 185, 191, 209, 219, 224, 228, 284. See also pathogens colon problems (elimination), 127, 228–229, 233–234, 389, 436 constipation, 97, 138, 140, 142, 192, 233–234, 295, 356, 383, 403d, 433, 436 diarrhea, 130, 156, 170, 187, 219, 221, 413 IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), 35, 119, 183, 221, 317
complementarity, 13, 38, 42, 46, 60, 61i, 72, 79, 83, 86i, 87, 91, 141, 147q, 354, 358, 377–378, 427 complementary medicine, 21, 31, 70, 80, 241, 341, 401 consciousness, (concept of), 3i, 37, 43d, 44–47, 64, 78–80, 85, 112i, 117–119, 122, 153, 223, 229, 269, 331–333, 340, 353–354 and food, 285 and the Heart, 235, 237, 242 and meridian system, 107 and metabolism, 23, 140, 305, 321 and the mind, 307, 310, 312–313, 360 and purpose, 59, 121, 133, 325, 406 and Qi (energy), 375–376, 379–380, 391–392, 406 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 42, 44–46, 92, 94, 103–104, 126 and transformation, 293 symbols of, 329, 343 cooperation and support, (concept of), 93–95, 102, 127, 136, 144–145, 149, 153–154, 178, 232, 268–271, 295–296, 302, 385 cough, 50, 109, 164, 171, 228, 230–232, 281, 339 Bladder cough, 171, 231–232 Liver cough, 230–232 Cousins, Norman, 314–315 creativity, 14, 37, 92, 140, 175, 223, 340–341, 359, 371 and intuitional thinking, 141, 143, 307, 312–316, 317
and metabolism function, 121 and Qi (energy), 391–392, 394–396, 423 crying, 43d, 92, 140, 349, 438–440 cycle, 24-hour energy, 22, 96d, 105, 225, 232 cysts (lumps), 48, 54, 166, 185, 264, 273, 286, 338, 434 D Dampness (as internal pathogen), 18, 43d, 150–152, 162–163, 167–171, 176, 191–192, 293 and transformation, 167, 170, 224, 226 Damp Qi, 167–170 in Kidney-Bladder, 167–168, 208–210, 214, 218, 226 in Liver-Gallbladder, 167–168, 171 in Spleen-Stomach, 152, 162 dao yin, 53, 106 depression, 32, 155–156, 170, 173, 205, 215–216, 434 postpartum depression, 110, 155 detoxification, 35, 194–197, 273, 383 diabetes, 6, 134, 403d and metabolism, 30, 247, 305, 404 and body–mind–spirit framework, 404–410 diarrhea. See colon problems
digestive system, 31–32, 131, 269–270, 319–322, 402 and immune system, 158–159 and Qi (energy), 160 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 160–161, 302 and Yang energy, 200–201 Kidney-Bladder, 171, 208–209, 434 Liver-Gallbladder, 177–178, 201–204 Lung–Large Intestine, 227 Small Intestine, 240 Spleen-Stomach, 149–150, 159, 162, 214 digesting (as a stage of metabolism function), 27, 116–117, 124–125, 321–322, 411 and beliefs, 124–125 and spiritual purpose, 121, 131, 138, 354 digesting the Universe, (concept of), 2–4, 20, 26–27, 117 digestion, 124–125, 134, 402, 410, 411 and body–mind–spirit, 260–261 and the mind, 31, 320–322, 334, 348 Dampness, Damp Qi, 167, 169, 171, 176, 209 effect of Cold, 124, 151–152, 209, 219 GERD (acid reflux), 53, 183
signs not working well, 125, 130, 183, 214, 240–241, 297, 404–405 direct cognition (direct knowing), 13, 120, 245, 259, 283, 289, 454 DNA, 37–38, 38d, 160, 217, 265, 270, 274, 345, 359, 372, 374, 378, 441 Dragon’s Way® for Weight Loss and Stress Management, The, 32, 162, 275, 444, 456, 459–460 Dryness (internal pathogen), 43d, 83, 163, 235 Du Xinwu, 15, 455 E E=mc2 (relativity theory; theory of special relativity), 14, 33, 40, 47, 97, 139, 154, 181, 287, 310, 401 and acupuncture, 108 and energy, 57, 71, 75, 186–187, 259, 273, 336 and transformation; transference, 48, 76, 108, 153–154, 223, 338 ear, 90, 100–101, 128, 200 as opening of the Kidney, 90, 101, 123i, 128, 200, 211 earth, the, 26, 43d, 83i, 173–175 and oneness, 64, 85, 92, 146, 266, 371, 425 earth element, 42, 43d, 60, 82–83, 88, 134, 159 effect (and cause) 388, 390, 393. See also cause and effect Einstein, Albert, 1q, 33, 40, 67q, 71–72, 77–79, 80i, 123, 243q, 259, 273–274, 303q, 312i, 449–450 and oneness, 24 and space-time, 21, 58, 69, 77, 91
theories of, 2–3, 20, 40, 44, 75, 78, 337 See also E=mc2 (relativity theory; theory of special relativity) electromagnetic fields, 85, 195, 228, 255, 309, 311, 343 electromagnetic frequencies (vibrations), 5, 41, 44, 54, 56–57, 61, 167 emotions, 39, 44, 138, 141, 172, 207, 308d, 311d and associated organ relationships, anger, stress, and the Liver, 22, 33, 44, 53, 91, 126, 161, 178, 186, 192, 206 fear, shock, and the Kidney, Bladder, 44, 126, 215, 217, 221 joy, and the Heart, 44, 237, 239 overthinking, worry, and the Stomach, Spleen, 32–33, 36, 44–45, 139, 149, 171–173 sadness, grief, and the Lung, 44, 228 and beliefs, 197–198, 344–346, 351 and energy stagnation, 69–70, 76 and the face, 121, 138, 224, 344, 373 and the mind, 26, 140, 181, 307–308, 310–312, 318–322, 336 and physical conditions, 155, 179–180, 182, 187, 339–340, 342 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 36, 43d, 107, 334 contrast with feelings, 317 crying, and emotional cleansing, 43d, 349–350, 438–440 Emotional Cleansing Practice, Taoist, 315, 348–350, 438–440
stagnation, 193–194 voice, and emotional cleansing, 349–350, 438–439 energy checking and savings accounts, (concept of), 100, 159–160, 162, 176, 217–218, 278 energy stagnation (energy blockages), 48, 54, 139, 162, 182, 190–192 and Cold, 185–186 and Dampness, 170 and emotion, 193–194, 205 and the Liver, 196–198, 206 and metabolism, 178–179 and the mind, 347–348 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 62, 75–76, 107, 186–188, 338–339, 389, 397, 405, 413–414 energy transfer, 48, 138, 156, 187, 200–201, 222–223, 261, 318, 323, 328, 338, 341, 349, 363, 420, 438, 440 enlightenment, 239, 313, 399, 448 exercise, 106, 139, 216, 220, 238–239, 322–323, 338, 351, 361, 363, 412 eyes, 50, 54–56, 111, 251, 316, 320, 331 eye function, 51, 90–92, 232, 281, 433, 434 as the window of the Liver, 50–51, 90–91, 127–128, 194–196, 232, 433–434 F faith, 140–141, 236, 249, 356, 370, 373, 407, 414–416, 419–420 feelings, 140, 181, 187–189, 193, 307, 316–317
Five Element energetic framework, 43d, 93d, 88–95, 187, 193–195, 200, 204–207, 211, 214, 221–222, 228–230, 232 Heart, and emotion, (joy), 43d, 44, 62, 187, 304, 318, 344, 350, 408 and associated taste, (bitter), 43d, 125, 273, 286, 408 Fire element, 43d, 109, 235–236 Kidney, and emotion, (fear and shock), 36, 43d, 44–45, 126, 172–173, 187, 197, 203, 215–219, 221–223, 240, 265, 304, 317–319, 334–335, 337, 344, 362, 389, 413, 419–421, 443 and associated taste, (salty), 43d, 94–95, 125, 210 Water element, 43d, 60, 82–83, 88–89, 109, 208–211, 218–226 Liver, and emotion, (anger; stress; frustration; irritability), 36, 39, 43d, 44, 84, 91, 109, 126, 141, 161, 169, 173, 179–180, 187, 189–190, 192–194, 205–206, 304, 318–319, 335, 344, 349, 434, 439–440 and associated taste, (sour), 43d, 91, 125, 206 Wood element, 43d, 50, 60, 82–83, 88, 90, 132, 183 Lung, and emotion, (sadness; grief), 36, 39, 43d, 44, 84, 91, 109, 126, 141, 161, 169, 173, 179–180, 187, 189–190, 192–194, 205–206, 228, 304, 317–319, 335, 340, 344, 349–350, 434, 439–440 and associated taste, (spicy), 43d, 125, 286 Metal element, 43d, 60, 82–83, 88, 228, 285 Spleen,
and emotion, (overthinking; worry), 32, 43d, 44–45, 126, 139, 171–173, 187, 299, 317–319, 334–335, 344 and associated taste, (sweet), 32–33, 125, 210, 405 Earth element, 134, 159, 174 flexibility, 188–190, 348 and the Liver, 126, 178–179, 182, 189, 192–194, 207 food, 244–247, 282 and essence, 282–285, 301 and metabolism function, 247, 270 and TCM, 270, 285–286 food allergies, 299–300 food for healing and prevention, 244–247 messages of, (How foods really heal), 256–257, 265, 284, 287 Qi of, 24, 284, 302 spirit level of, 284–285 fourth dimension, 19, 40, 53–54, 62, 73, 77, 92, 103, 132–133, 259, 266, 274, 345, 387 frameworks, 20–23, 401 and diabetes, 404–410 and TCM, 32, 34, 44, 98–102, 107–108 Five Element energetic framework, 18, 26, 36, 42, 43d, 88, 90–95 modern science framework, 30, 157, 223, 227, 295, 323
revolutionary framework, 5, 8, 20–21, 39, 410 function (organ function), (concept of), 27, 93–95, 98–102, 230 and emotion, beliefs, 32–33, 39, 141, 181, 189, 351, 353, 364 and flexibility, 192–194 and seasonal change, 421–422 and stress, 161, 172 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 21–25, 36, 42, 44–45, 48, 50–52, 76, 91, 136, 176, 234, 264, 296, 301–302, 413, 431 effect of chemotherapy, 156–158 function disorder, 23, 49–54, 99, 169, 231–233, 430 of the Bladder, 214–215 of the Kidney, 101, 212–215, 419–420 of the Liver, 22, 91, 179, 181–182, 185–186, 193–194, 206–207 of the Lung, 98, 228–229 functional medicine, 3–4, 12, 23, 42, 57, 70, 75, 136, 161, 180, 191, 275, 306, 330, 382, 424, 426–427, 431 G Gallbladder, 59, 95, 178, 203–204 Gallbladder removal, 202 Gallbladder meridian, 201–203 and San Jiao meridian, 200–201 gallstones, 286, 430. See also body and acts of transference
garden (gardening), 142, 272, 282, 355, 358–359 gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD; acid reflux), 22–23, 52–53, 177, 180, 187, 338, 381, 433 genes and genetic code, 37–38, 38d, 217, 282, 325, 345–346, 374, 378, 380, 443 and beliefs, 219–220, 270, 355 and the Kidney, 100, 217 and Yin-Yang theory, 100, 378–379 requirement for turning on, 217, 270 genetically modified foods (GMOs), 195, 274, 277 Gershon, Michael, MD, 324 ginger, 191, 287, 291–292 and the Liver, 192 ginger oil massage, 224 ginger tea, 165–166 three gingers soup, 292 God, (concept of), 102, 120, 351, 372, 375, 391–392, 423, 428 and the Heart, 239 and miracles, 381 and oneness, 375 God’s will, 248, 363, 407, 414, 428 Green Dragon system, 161–162
H habits, 30, 105, 139, 169, 198, 305–306, 315, 410, 417 hair loss, 170–171, 214, 433 harmony, (concept of), 6–7, 27, 65, 76, 167i, 268, 347i, 403d, 435 and food, 266–267 and Four Energy Gates, The, 435–437 and Green Dragon system, 161 and purpose, 264, 428 and TCM, 11–12, 25, 34, 76, 81, 98, 101, 107, 135, 241, 287, 333, 381–382, 423–424, 431 in Liver-Gallbladder, 177 in Spleen-Stomach, 149 hay fever. See allergies headaches, 21–23, 41, 134, 151, 254, 281, 338, 342–343, 412, 433, 436, 443 and hypertension, 422 at the top or back of head (Kidney-Bladder), 214, 434 migraines (Spleen-Stomach; Kidney-Bladder), 206, 342, 433–434 on the left side of head (Liver-Gallbladder), 22, 433–434 “Healing is in your hands.”, (concept of), 12, 37, 49, 216, 249, 301, 346, 351, 432 healthcare (healthcare system), 24, 162, 166, 238, 246–247, 382, 411, 426 and metabolic syndrome, 30, 315
TCM, 12, 156, 424 Heart, 43d, 62, 130, 242, 436. See also Five Element energetic framework; emotions and breathing issues, 229–230 and diabetes, 408, 410 and the tongue, 18, 128, 152, 165, 171, 284, 433 as business operations model, 241 as king of organs, 235–237, 239, 242, 245, 350 heart attack, 207, 238, 318, 412 heart disease (cardiovascular problems), 200, 237–238, 241, 305, 379 Heart meridian, 108–109, 461ff Heart–Small Intestine organ pair, 62, 97, 227–230, 235–240 Shen (spirit) and the Heart, 111, 236 Heat/Summer Heat (as internal pathogens), 83, 163, 185 heel pain, 101, 211, 214 Heisenberg, Werner, 40, 46, 47i, 61i, 78i, 79, 143i, 147q, 450 Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle (uncertainty principle), 78–79, 400, 450 herbs; Chinese classical herbal formulas, (concept of), 10, 23, 50, 53, 98, 100, 113, 136, 155, 159, 170, 197, 246, 259, 264, 282–283, 288–293, 295–297, 302, 361, 408, 418, 454 herbal therapy, 31–32, 34, 41, 51, 53, 60, 101, 134–135, 155–156, 158, 170, 180, 191, 224, 234, 245, 270, 282–283, 300, 341–342, 363 honey, and Nature’s messages, 122, 142, 144–145, 165, 245, 267–269, 271
hypertension, 35, 167, 381, 388, 403d, 410–413, 415–417, 419 and metabolic syndrome, 30, 187, 305, 337, 411–416 I I Ching, 313, 329, 453 IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). See colon problems immune system, 24, 51, 99, 153, 157–159, 166, 421, 433, 441, 443 immune function disorder, 134, 158, 167 immune system conditions, 134, 422 Inborn Qi. See energy checking and savings accounts infertility, 101, 185, 211, 214, 434 inseparability, 19, 40, 130, 355, 363, 375, 387, 425–426. See also oneness and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 74, 77, 83, 264, 332, 334 insomnia, 87, 140, 172, 348, 383, 388, 403d, 434–435 interdependence, 40, 61, 64, 79, 86–87, 96, 142, 148, 354, 438 interrelationship, 24, 48–49, 65, 259, 355, 371, 375–376, 385, 388, 417, 420. See also oneness and energy, 57, 254, 261, 374, 425 and food, 265–266, 280, 285, 334 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 42–43, 53, 59, 62, 83–84, 88–90, 93, 333, 382, 405, 422 intuition, 48–49, 80i, 140, 143, 269, 307, 312, 321, 328, 354, 369. See also mind; intuitive mind invisible, the, (concept of), 5, 12–13, 27, 56–61, 69–70, 77, 121, 123, 132–133, 188, 190, 339
and belief, 123–124 and Cold, 163–164 and Dampness, 167–170 and digestive function, metabolism function, 32, 116–120, 125–126, 138, 140–141, 146, 354, 411 and emotions, 206–207, 221, 265, 318 and food, 257–258, 261–263, 270–271, 273–275, 277, 282–283 and meridian system, 103–104, 108–110, 199–200, 214, 425, 460 and Qi (energy), 5, 18–19, 40, 48, 74, 95, 122, 153–154, 223 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 22, 90–91, 136–137, 241, 357 See also Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) J Jing, Qi, Shen. See body–mind–spirit medicine K Kidney, 43d, 63, 93, 98–101, 135, 226, 341 and adolescent growth, 212–213, 222, 225–226, 419 and bone. See bone, skeletal system and the ear, 90, 100–101, 128, 200 and emotion, (fear, shock), 36, 44–45, 126, 172–173, 187, 197, 203, 215–219, 221–223, 240, 265, 304, 317–319, 334–335, 337, 344, 362, 389, 413, 419–421, 443 and heel pain, 101, 211
and knee joint pain, 101, 130, 212, 213–214, 389, 418, 434 and taste, (salty), 43d, 94–95, 125, 210 and Water element, 43d, 60, 82–83, 88–89, 109, 208–211, 218–226 and water-loving culture, 218–220 as business operations model, 226, 241 Kidney-Bladder, common symptoms of conditions, 101–102, 130, 210, 214, 389 Kidney-Bladder organ pair, 95, 102, 134, 167, 183, 208–211, 221–222 Kidney meridian, 213, 461 and neck pain, 214, 221 Kidney Qi (Kidney energy), 100, 130–131, 160, 176, 178, 211, 278, 419–420 Kidney stones, 222–223, 286 L Large Intestine, 43d, 62, 95, 97–98, 127, 170, 200, 219, 228, 233–235, 285, 413 Large Intestine meridian, 97, 148, 199, 226–228, 233, 241, 318, 389, 405, 461ff laughing, as therapy, 231, 238, 314–315 letting go, (concept of), 126, 136, 181–182, 187–190, 193, 198, 205, 292, 348–350, 398, 414–416, 438–440 life as a mystery, 14, 18, 64, 88, 380 lifestyle changes, 30–32, 50–51, 57, 113, 136, 161, 166, 179–180, 197, 247, 300, 318 light spectrum, 55d, 55–56 lineage (in healing and martial arts), 14–15, 17, 90, 200, 345, 441, 455
liu wei di huang wan, to strengthen Kidney function, 211–213 Liver, xxiii, 6, 43d, 50 and blood flow, 22, 59 126, 178–179, 181, 185–187, 315 and emotion, (anger; stress; frustration; irritability), 36, 39, 44, 84, 91, 109, 126, 141, 161, 169, 173, 179–180, 187, 189–190, 192–194, 205–206, 304, 318–319, 335, 344, 349, 434, 439–440 and the Stomach, 22, 52–53, 180 and associated taste, (sweet), 33 and Wood element, 43d, 50, 60, 82–83, 88, 90, 132, 183 as business operations model, 207, 241 Liver function, 50, 53, 126, 178 Liver function disorder, 22, 158, 161, 179, 184–186 Liver-Gallbladder, common symptoms of conditions, 22, 44, 52–53, 158 Liver-Gallbladder organ pair, 22, 31 Liver meridian, 19–20, 22, 109, 171, 182, 201, 206 longevity, 234, 235, 452, 456 love. See Universal Qi, unconditional love of the universe Lung, xxiii, 22, 43d, 44, 50, 127, 229–230, 234–235 and carpal tunnel, 91, 233, 357 and emotion, (sadness; grief), 36, 39, 43d, 44, 84, 91, 109, 126, 141, 161, 169, 173, 179–180, 187, 189–190, 192–194, 205–206, 228, 304, 318–319, 335, 340, 344, 349–350, 434, 439–440 and Metal element, 43d, 60, 82–83, 88, 228, 285
and associated taste, (spicy), 43d, 125, 286 as business operations model, 234, 241 Lung function disorder, 98, 228–230, 233 Lung–Large Intestine organ pair, 62, 95, 97–98 lymph node removal, 108–109 M macrocosm, 107, 162, 173–175, 199, 204, 270, 310, 356, 377, 425 manifesting (as a stage of metabolism function), 116–117, 121, 131–133, 139, 142, 146, 227–229, 320, 356, 384, 386, 411 martial arts, 9, 14–17, 91, 109–110, 192, 220, 226, 232, 326–328, 455 matter and energy, 75, 102–103, 138–139, 265 media, 33, 40, 45, 197, 215, 385, 389 fear and negativity, 197, 215, 383 information overload, 33, 39, 118, 195 medications, 51–53, 94, 110, 113, 136–137, 156–157, 180–181, 186–187, 194, 196, 206, 215, 238, 300, 305, 337–338, 341–342, 346, 403d, 411–413, 417 difference from Chinese herbal formulas, 290 meditation, 18, 24, 60, 80, 83, 91, 239, 248, 281, 312, 342, 361–363, 368–370, 377, 380, 398–399, 415, 428, 444 memory loss, 63, 100, 203, 434 men’s health, 101–102, 162, 211, 214, 224–225, 341, 434 menstrual cycle, 22–23, 110, 113, 126, 165, 181–182, 185–186, 188, 194, 225, 292, 354, 388
Meridian theory, 61–62, 104, 107–109, 241 meridians (energy channels), 9–10, 61–62, 101–105, 460 and Cold, 165, 224 and Dampness, 171 and food, herbs, 263, 273, 283, 301 and Four Energy Gates, The, 435 and physical conditions, 108–110, 171 and Qi (energy), 105–107, 345, 376, 414 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 74, 83, 85, 98, 107–108, 240–242, 281, 289, 338, 425–426 Bladder meridian, 214, 221, 224 Gallbladder meridian, 201–202 illustrations of, 461ff Liver meridian, 109, 206 Lung meridian, 339 San Jiao meridian, 198–202 Yang meridians, 87, 200–201, 413 Yin meridians, 200 messages, (concept of), 6, 39, 59, 396 and balance, 138, 189, 194, 406 and food, 121–122, 125, 144–145, 256–257, 259–260, 268–274, 279–281, 284–285, 287, 301–302, 320
and oneness, 42, 374, 383, 408–409 and physical conditions, 6, 44–45, 49–50, 99, 101, 119, 171, 221, 223, 231–233, 241, 399 and Qi (energy), 74, 85, 103–104, 127, 153–154, 210, 239, 335 metabolic function, 3–4, 116, 132, 146, 260–261, 300, 334, 347, 426 metabolic syndrome, 30–31, 116, 166, 238, 247, 304–306, 308, 315, 318, 320, 336, 362, 374, 386, 395, 401–402, 403d, 404, 410–411, 417 conditions of, diabetes, 134, 305, 404–410 hypertension, 167, 403d, 410–417 risk factors for, 30, 305, 410, 417 metabolism function, xxiv, 2–4, 7–8, 12, 18, 20, 23–27, 30–31, 33, 116, 304, 308, 315, 334, 374 five stages of metabolism function, 3, 27, 115–133, 146, 168–169, 227, 246, 269, 309, 320, 348, 352, 384, 404, 411, 420 microcosm, 106–107, 173–175, 183, 199, 204, 208, 223–224, 263, 266, 281, 284, 289, 310, 356, 371, 424–425 mind, 239, 303q, 304, 307, 320 actions of, 140, 204, 221, 305 and beliefs, 306, 309, 344–347 as a digestive organ, 315, 319–322 ego mind, 144, 240 emotions, as processing of, 266, 318 intuitive mind, 237, 251, 312–317, 321 rational mind, 143, 251, 310
unhealthy effects of, 337–339 miracles, 14, 39, 49, 84–86, 106, 180, 298–300, 313–314, 316, 373, 380–381, 398–399 modalities, TCM, 12, 34, 83, 103, 134–135, 156–157, 161, 197, 205, 245, 275, 282–283, 290, 377, 427 modern science, 2–3, 47, 49, 63–66, 237i and emotional cleansing, 349–350 and energy, 40–41, 85, 206, 323, 391, 400 and food, 254, 258–259, 261–262, 273–274, 277 and inseparability, oneness, 5–6, 19, 47, 77, 87, 111–113, 174, 375, 385, 387 and Natural Law, 80–81, 83–84 as a framework for health and metabolism function, 20–24, 26–27, 31, 35, 42, 44, 68–74, 102, 116, 144–145, 166, 223, 304, 410–411, 423–424, 426–428 modern science framework, 38, 144, 157, 223, 273, 277, 279, 295, 297, 323, 401, 457 principles and theories of, 13, 47–49, 73–74, 97–98, 111 complementarity, 38, 79, 354, 358 discontinuity, (Aha! moment), 42, 46, 48–49, 62, 79–80, 259, 289, 316 theory of relativity, 75–77, 374 holographic principle, 72, 80, 83, 263, 384, 407, 452 nonlocality, 78, 83 space-time continuum, 53–54, 63, 77, 442 uncertainty principle, 78–79, 400
moon (full moon), 64, 82, 88, 140, 175–176, 224, 314, 354, 406 morphic resonance (morphogenic theory), 106, 107, 324 motion, 322 of energy, 100 planetary, 460 Qigong, 32, 45–46, 106, 171, 295, 441, 444 subatomic, 78 MRIs, 19, 41, 56, 68–69, 76, 107, 109, 184, 254–255, 310, 342, 379, 400, 427 mulberry, 280i, 281 multidimensional process, 13, 18, 131, 145, 443 mystery, (concept of), 2, 18, 64–65, 66, 88, 175, 239, 327–328, 368, 380, 426 N Nan Jing, 11, 453–454 National Institutes of Health (NIH), 30, 31, 37, 107, 166, 212, 247, 305–306, 315, 325, 381, 410–411, 417 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 216 Natural Law, (concept of), 20, 46, 80–83, 139, 175, 205, 265–266, 346, 367–368, 426 and food, 267–269 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 48, 91, 134, 426 and Yin-Yang, 86–88 Nature, (human connection to), 7, 12, 37, 49–51
Nei Jing (Huangdi Nei Jing) 11, 61i, 63i, 88i, 103i, 133, 164, 167i, 236, 287, 289, 313, 330, 346i, 347i, 423, 453–454 Newton, Sir Isaac, 24 and classical science, 39–41, 57, 71, 73, 78–79, 122, 253, 265, 375, 380, 387, 426–427 and food, herbs, 257–258, 291 O obesity, 4–5, 30, 31, 71, 100, 305, 357, 403d, 404 oneness, xxiii, 4, 42, 47, 115q, 175, 375–378, 383–387, 422–423 and metabolism, 24, 70, 77, 116, 353, 355–356 and purpose, spirit, 121, 391–394 and Qi (energy), 40, 84–86, 174 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 18, 48, 64–65, 74, 80, 103, 136–137, 241, 264, 289, 380, 382, 427 identifying root cause, 25–26 nonlocality, 78, 83 See also inseparability; Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) organs, as business operations model (examples), 129, 176, 207, 226, 234, 241, 278, 295–296 organ function, 27, 152, 161, 192, 207, 308, 388 and allergies, 50 and emotions, 32–33, 39, 181, 318, 351, 353–358, 364, 438 and metabolism, 139, 141, 265, 283 and TCM, 52, 91, 98–99, 133–134, 290–291, 296, 302
organ systems. See paired organ systems osteoporosis, 417–421. See also bone P paired organ systems, Heart–Small Intestine, 62, 97, 227–230, 235d, 235–240 Kidney-Bladder, 95, 102, 134, 167, 183, 208–211, 221–222 and neck pain, 214, 221 Dampness, 167–168, 208–210, 214, 218, 226 Liver-Gallbladder, 22, 31, 177d and nails, 194, 453–454 Lung–Large Intestine, 62, 95, 97–98, 227d Spleen-Stomach, 7, 25–26, 31–33, 45, 95, 134, 150d, 148–152, 156–157, 160–162, 165, 171, 174, 278, 405, 433 and Blood stagnation, 150–151, 162, 165, 171–172 and overthinking (and worry), 32, 43d, 44–45, 126, 139, 171–173, 187, 299, 317–319, 334–335, 344 and metabolism function, 31 vital triangle, Liver, Stomach, Kidney, (concept of), 147–148, 183, 199, 297, 364, 404, 430 pathogens, 18, 151, 163, 165–171, 176, 182, 185, 209, 224, 228, 235 Pericardium, 200, 461ff. See also San Jiao meridian PET scans, 19, 56, 69, 76, 427 prevention, as part of TCM, 3, 31, 81, 84, 92, 95, 166, 169, 246, 247, 255, 376, 420, 423–425, 433
and fear, 215 processing (as a stage of metabolism function), 27, 31–32, 116, 121–122, 126–129, 131, 133, 140, 142, 150, 269–270, 321 projection, 132–133, 172 pulses and pulse diagnosis, 10–11, 203, 226, 453 Q Qi (energy, vital energy, life force), 2, 7, 42, 74, 85, 121, 159–160 conserving Qi, 7, 160, 340, 421, 439 Qi field (quantum field, energy field), 19, 21, 40, 85, 138, 277–280, 375, 423, 432 Qi stagnation. See energy stagnation (energy blockages) Qigong, 8, 9, 45–46, 264. See also Taoist energy practices; Wu Ming Qigong Qigong (spiritual) masters, 8–9, 11, 13, 61–62 Qigong practice, 13, 24, 31, 86, 100, 106, 127, 160, 441–443 quantum field, 138, 248, 277–280, 282, 375, 392, 400, 406, 423. See also Einstein, Albert quantum information flow, 72d quantum mechanics, 2, 8, 38, 40–41, 46, 56, 60, 63, 68–69, 73, 76, 79, 248, 377, 385, 387, 449, 450, 452 R receiving (taking in, as a stage of metabolism function), 27, 116, 118, 121–124, 168–169, 174, 176, 261, 298, 320, 352 relationships, 2, 12, 14 imbalances in, 6, 31–32, 42, 52d, 97, 138 nurturing (mother-child), 93d, 93–95, 102
unconditional support, 52, 93d, 95, 231 relativity theories, xxi, 8, 42, 49, 75, 77, 376, 425, 449 Reynaud’s Syndrome, 152 root cause (of a condition), 25–26, 53, 83, 134–135, 286–287 S San Jiao (triple warmer; triple heater; Er Jing), 87, 198–201, 413, 461ff science. See modern science seasonal energy transition, 50–51, 64, 81–82, 85, 164, 197, 268, 278, 382, 421–422 self-assessment symptom checker, 430–435 self-cultivation, 9, 12–14, 46, 62, 111, 156, 314, 360–361, 427 self-healing, (concept of), 12, 34, 197, 224, 296, 301, 359–360, 432 the body’s self-healing ability, 36–37, 65, 229, 396, 405 sexual function, 101, 211, 339, 434 Sheldrake, Rupert, 46, 65, 106–107, 324, 452, 458. See also morphic resonance Shen (spirit), 236, 330. See also body–mind–spirit Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Classic of Herbal Medicine), 11, 245, 301, 454 shoulder conditions, 193–194, 214, 233, 240–242, 436 shower practice (to relieve emotional tension), 323–324, 348–349 sinus infection, 25–26, 97, 433
sixth sense, 45, 119–120, 123, 312 skin and skin conditions, 43d, 98, 168, 228–229, 233–234, 281, 293 sleep, 21–22, 62, 137–140, 235, 242, 323, 356 Small Intestine, 43d, 62, 95, 97, 134, 148, 199, 202, 219, 226–227, 233, 235–236, 240–242, 318, 381, 405 Small Intestine meridian, 200, 240, 241, 413, 461ff See also Heart–Small Intestine organ pair smiling, smiling and blood flow, 238, 315, 350, 438–440 sound, 43d, 63, 100, 349–350, 359, 439–440 space-time (space-time continuum), 13, 21–22, 40, 42, 46–47, 53–54, 58, 63, 69–70, 72–73, 77, 91, 95–97, 223, 233, 259, 272, 274, 280, 345, 383, 401, 442 apples, 262, 271, 273–274 lettuce, 274 tomatoes, 272 spirit, 4, 7, 9–10 spirit’s purpose, 48, 122, 138, 264, 306, 346, 396, 403d Spirit Gate Opening. See Taoist energy practices spiritual law, 248, 250, 362, 386, 408, 423 spiritual purpose, 11, 95–96, 213, 236, 363, 392 spiritual realm, 18, 237, 347 spiritual technology, 85, 233, 248, 334 Spleen, xxiii, 43d, 149
and Blood quality and quantity, 152–153, 158, 162, 172 and emotion, (overthinking, over-worry), 32–33, 36, 44–45, 139, 149, 171–173 and metabolism function, 45, 59, 128, 160 and muscle, 43d and the nose, 25–26 and taste, (sweet), 32–33, 43d, 95, 125, 210, 286, 355, 405 as business operations model, 176, 241 Spleen-Stomach, common conditions, 165, 284, 405 Spleen-Stomach organ pair, 6–7, 26, 31–33, 149–152, 176 sport injury, 433–434 and Liver stagnation, 190–191 and TCM, heat, 105, 109–110, 190–194, 213 Standing Wu Ming Qigong Meditation, 444. See also Taoist energy practices Stomach, 6, 32, 43d, 44, 126, 128, 171–172 and emotion, (overthinking, over-worry), 32–33, 36, 44–45, 139, 149, 171–173 and taste, (sweet), 32–33, 43d, 95, 125, 210, 286, 355, 405 stomach bloating, 173, 178, 206, 221, 278, 284, 433 Stomach function, 52, 124, 134, 150 Stomach meridian, 110, 151, 171, 273, 461ff
Stomach Qi, 53, 178, 206, 284, 381, 405 See also Spleen-Stomach organ pair stress, and hypertension, 413, 415 and the Liver, 32–33, 36, 44–45, 52–53, 93, 179, 187, 193–194, 201, 231, 335 and menstrual cycle, 22, 188 and the Stomach, 52–53, 240 effect on body’s balance and metabolism, 137, 161 stress reduction, 104, 113, 317, 322, 348–349, 439, 441, 443 stroke, 179, 187, 205, 207, 305, 403d, 410, 412 supplements, 294–298, 420 sweating, 191 and Dampness, 170–171, 224 night sweats, 113, 300, 434 symbol(s), (concept of) 331–333, 343, 355, 397, 407–409, 430, 453 roles of, 329 words as, 313, 342–343 See also Yin-Yang symbol (Taiji), 60d symptoms, 50–51, 71, 76, 101, 196, 214, 241, 388 and TCM, 83–84, 92, 98, 213, 288, 300, 382, 405 treating symptoms, 25, 34, 51, 59, 182, 268
understanding, Five Element energetic framework, 346–347, 357, 431–435 Western culture and, 39, 45, 58–59 T Taiji. See Yin-Yang symbol, 60d tamoxifen, 113, 300 Tao, xxiii, 17, 188, 208, 236–237, 242, 454 Tao Te Ching, 83i, 123, 208, 234, 313, 326, 381, 451, 454 Taoist energy practices, 3, 25 Four Energy Gates, The, 107, 228–229, 415, 433, 435–437 Spirit Gate Opening (Wu Ming Qigong Breathing practice; reverse breathing), 171, 197, 416, 441–444 Taoist Emotional Cleansing Practice, 315, 348–350, 438–440 Taoist philosophy, 24, 44, 72, 74, 86–87, 106, 198, 208, 313, 315, 376, 448–449, 451–452 TCM psychology (energy psychology), 34, 53, 205, 245 tears, 349–350, 439–440 tendons, 91, 126, 190, 193–194 tendonitis, 190, 194, 433–434 tennis elbow, 98, 193, 233, 332, 339–340 thoughts, 5, 26, 309–310 and emotions, 36, 39, 140, 181, 187, 192–193, 207, 309, 318–319, 336–337 effect on the Liver, 179, 193, 197
effect on organ function, 207, 265, 308, 351, 353–357, 364 negative thoughts, 5, 36, 197–198, 353, 416 thyroid, 135 tinnitus, 100–101, 211 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM; Chinese medicine), 84, 103–104 principles and theories of, xxiii, 7–9, 60, 84–113 Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation, 21, 32, 162, 197, 275, 332, 444, 456–457 transference, 48, 153–155, 222–223, 338, 349, 418–419, 438–440 transformation, 4, 48 and belief, 293 and joy, 128–129 and Lung–Large Intestine, 234 as a stage of metabolism function, 116, 121, 128–131, 172–173, 411 of Qi and energy, 76, 86, 167, 226, 269, 277–279, 334 Yin and Yang, 87 transmission (energy), 13–14, 45–46, 326–328, 335 Tuina. See acupressure tumors, 54, 69, 70, 76, 166 transformation of, 48, 76 and Qi (energy) stagnation, 75–76
and space-time, 54, 69–70 U Universal consciousness, 18, 85, 92, 104, 117, 133, 148, 329, 332 Universal mind, 11, 90, 425 Universal Qi (unconditional love of the Universe), 7, 37, 45–47, 85, 106, 138, 142, 175, 239, 266, 371–372, 380, 386, 393, 407, 423, 425, 444 and the Heart, 62, 236–237, 239–240, 242 and food, 122, 142, 256, 259–260, 269–270 and the meridian system, 61, 85, 104–105, 199 Universe, 37, 65, 102 urinary problems, 101–102, 171, 209, 222, 224, 413, 434 V vibrational frequency (energy level), 200, 350, 440 visible, the, (concept of), 5, 13, 57, 61, 79 88 vital triangle, 6–7, 125, 133, 148d, 206, 297, 335, 430, 440. See also Spleen-Stomach, Liver-Gallbladder, Kidney-Bladder vitamin D deficiency, 213, 295, 297–299 W Wan, Laisheng, 15p, 15–16, 326, 455 and Ziranmen (natural style boxing), 15–16, 455 wave-particle, 97, 258–259, 282, 377 wei Qi (protective Qi), 165, 228
Western medicine, 18, 52–54, 102, 136–137, 427 women’s health and the Liver, 22, 171, 181–182, 185–186, 194 and TCM, Five Element energetic framework, 91, 181, 434 worry, 32, 45, 172–173, 265, 317, 335 and the Stomach, 44–45, 171, 319, 344 wu (thinking with your Heart), 237 Wu Ming Qigong, 32, 45, 153, 171, 197, 359, 380, 441–444 See also Taoist energy practices Wu Zetian,”emperor,” xxiii X Xu, Xi-hua, xxi–xxiv, xxiv(p), 12, 17, 26, 325–326, 365q, 435, 452, 456 Y Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, The (Nei Jing; Huangdi Nei Jing), 11, 236, 330, 453–454 Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang), 38, 79, 86–87 and meridians, 87, 200–201, 241, 413–414 Yin-Yang, principle of, 54, 200–201, 354, 358, 376–378, 426, 438 Yin Qi (energy) and Yang Qi (energy), 60–61, 82, 86–88, 208 Yin-Yang symbol (Taiji), 60d, 60–61, 79, 86 Z Zhang, Zi He, king of Chinese psychology, 205
Table of Contents Title Copyright Other Works by Nan Lu, OMD Dedication Contents The Mystery and Miracles of Metabolism Function: True Stories of Real Success Foreword Introduction Section I Seeing Metabolism Function from Different Angles Section II Basic Principles and Theories of Modern Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine Section III The Five Stages of Healthy Metabolism Function Section IV The Body and Metabolism Function Section V Food and Metabolism Function Section VI The Mind and Metabolism Function Section VII Spirit and Metabolism Function Section VIII Preparation for Your Healing Journey Section IX Appendix Bibliography Index