According to prevailing theory, while the five basic emotional states are associated with the five Zang – the Heart, Pericardium and Liver are actually most closely involved in the emotional life of the human being. The Heart as the house of the Shen/Spirit holds a kind of master key for the evolution and expression of [...]
Continue reading...As a Chinese medicine student, my primary focus is learning the medicine. I spend most of my time reading the Classics, memorizing herbs and points, practicing my clinical skills and taking care of my self-cultivation. However, I also believe that I would be silly not to do what I can now to make sure that [...]
Continue reading...In my years interacting with the Chinese medicine community, only one thing has really irritated me about it. You may guess by the title that it has something to do with veganism. Many professors and students I have interacted with have claimed that being vegan is not healthy, not balanced, or otherwise out of step [...]
Continue reading...I found it extremely difficult to learn the acupuncture points and channels despite the expert instruction I received from Jim Cleaver, LAc. When I reach a difficult point in learning a subject, I have a simple strategy I use to break through the wall. I find a way to engage all of my senses, including [...]
Continue reading...It’s sometimes hard for me to sit down and study my single herbs. At NCNM we learn single herbs for a year, dabbling in combinations during our last term of that series and finally progressing to formulas, the holy grail of herbal education. So this summer as I work hard to drill everything I learned [...]
Continue reading...To come into a deep understanding of the emotional aspects of Chinese medicine, you have to start with the basics. In this article, I would like to demonstrate my understanding of the emotions as they are described in Chinese medical theory to provide some basis for further discussions on the topic. There are a few [...]
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