Arriving at China with Children

I had read and heard about Beijing pollution causing the "Beijing cough", hordes of crowds, pickpockets, sales scams, rude people, unbelievably
dangerous traffic, unrelenting heat, uncomfortable beds, unclean food and difficulty getting from place to place. Conscious I may be inflicting a
holiday of horrors on my children (ages 8 and 6) purely for my own passion of Chinese medicine, I was apprehensive and concerned. In an attempt to allay my fears and excite the children about our journey, I took them to see Karate Kid. It worked for the kids and scared me. I had to admit to myself that my ability to read Chinese is that of a two year old and my speaking skills only slightly higher. I had visions of being subjected to two weeks of eating donkey willies and dog meat that the kids couldn't eat because it was too spicy. Which was only secondary to the fear of having diarrhoea inflicted children and an inability to correctly say, "Where's the toilet?"

We arrived in Beijing airport at about 2 in the afternoon after an overnight flight. The kids slept a few hours on the flight; adults not at all. I've never been one to sleep on planes but my years of flying business class and flat beds have made coach class sleep impossible. I realise I get no sympathy for that. In Beijing, the sky was grey and the warm air thick with humidity. It was 37 degrees, 80 plus humidity. Hot. The kids didn't seem to notice. I always find foreign airports daunting with signs that never seem to go where you thought they did while you try to look like you've been there before. However, Beijing airport was simple to navigate, clean and...actually pleasant. Immediately our children were pointed at and smiled to. Several people said "hello" and the children responded shyly, "nihao" (hello) much to their appreciation. An older woman gently stroked my daughter's long blond hair as we waited for passport control. Surprisingly, my daughter didn't seem to mind.

We hopped into a taxi with our pre-printed destination located on a Chinese language map and headed to our first hotel-located in a hutong near Dongsi station. I was pleased that the ride was no more crazy or terrifying than anything I had experienced during my days in New York City. It was far better than Bangkok or Vietnam which were almost a religious experience creating a belief in fatalism.

We arrived at Double Happiness, located midway down the grey grittiness of the 4th alley. As in any grotty, gritty, grey alley I hoped it was a safe location and was comforted that we were located midway between two police stations. Double Happiness was a haven. Everything about it was fantastic. It was so safe that our kids walked around the hotel on their own, ordered juice at the bar and then came into the room to tell us all they discovered-fountains with spinning balls, bonsai trees with hidden statues, fish with bulging eyes, a rooftop garden. They talked with the people who worked and lived there. The kids confidence in speaking some Chinese grew and the staff complemented them and helped them say more. The beds were comfortable and despite being woken by our children giggling at 2am and not falling asleep again until 4:30am, we got some sleep in our beautiful room (the Family room). When we awoke for breakfast, we passed a staff member doing Qi Gong in the courtyard. The buffet breakfast was all made on site with dumplings, steamed buns (pork or bean paste), delicious vegetables, meat , eggs, and everything else you can imagine. The kids managed their breakfast without resorting to forks or Western food (both were available).

We were now ready to venture out...

Spirit, Science & Sophistication

This article is also available on the Avicenna website

Although it is common knowledge that Chinese medicine has been utilised for centuries, less is known about its sophisticated evolution and the scientific scrutiny it has undergone throughout its lifetime. Several ideas and concepts of medicine, assumed to be developed in the West, were actually developed in China and predated the West by thousands of years. For example the concept of how blood circulates around the body via the heart is attributed to William Harvey in 1628. It is well documented that the theory of circulating blood was developed prior to this, however Harvey substantiated the theory utilising experimental methods and therefore gained credit for the idea. Interestingly, the scholars whose theories dominated before Harvey were based on texts of an Arab of Damascus, al-Nafis, who historians believe, may have obtained his knowledge from China.

In China, the concept of circulating blood in the body was established by the second century B.C., two thousand years before it had been accepted in the West. For the Chinese, this was not just theory. The Chinese researched corpses, stretching out arteries and veins to be methodically measured and weighed in order to estimate the time it takes for blood to circulate the body (Temple, 2007, p. 136-8). Their findings were published and discussed among academics. New ideas were launched from this discourse including descriptions of the 28 pulse characteristics and pulse diagnostics.

Unique to the Chinese concept was the dual circulation of Qi which flowed throughout the body as well as through the blood. Additionally, the Chinese linked an individuals spirit or Shen with the heart and blood. A statement of fact in Chinese medicine says: “If the blood vessels are harmonious and uninhibited, the essence spirit has an abode“. In other words, if the blood is not flowing as it should, an individual’s spirit may be effected. An example would be a state of delirium that can occur in a severe illness.
Despite the elusiveness of certain topics such as “spirit” the Chinese were methodical researchers. Utilising incredible skills of observation, they documented, tested and discussed their theories among scholars. Observation was made not just on individual patients but groups of patients and populations and then compared with other regions. From there, ideas were developed upon, questioned, and modified. These are the same considerations required for quality research today. This evolving, methodical and rigorous research over a large population, over an extended amount of time is what has made Chinese medicine effective. This process continues to this day.

Even the more elusive topics such as “spirit” are gaining credibility today. Recent studies in neuropsychology show that the heart has its own intrinsic nervous system that processes information independently of the brain or nervous system. Research has also revealed the heart’s ability to release a number of hormones including noradrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin (the ‘love’ or bonding hormone). A 2004 study showed that when heart rhythm patterns are coherent the effect is heightened mental clarity, improved decision making and increased creativity. In Chinese medicine these are signs of a strong Shen (spirit). The similarity to this 2004 statement and the two thousand year old statement of fact would not surprise a practitioner of Chinese medicine: “If the blood vessels are harmonious and uninhibited, the essence spirit has an abode”.

by Liz Evans

Sources:

Flaws, B. (2008). Statements of fact in traditional Chinese medicine. Boulder: Blue Poppy Press.

McCraty, R. (2000). Psychophysiological coherence: A link between positive emotions, stress reduction, performance and health. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Congress on Stress, Mauna Lani Bay, Hawaii.

Temple, R. (2007). The genius of China: 300 years of science, discovery & invention. London: Andrew Deutch. (based on the research of Joseph Needham)

Tiller W, McCraty, & Atkinson, M. (1996). Cardiac coherence; A new non-invasive measure of autonomic system order. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine; 2(1): 52-65.

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Facial acupuncture vs a bike?

A year ago I took a course in "facial revitalisation". I took it because, as a woman who has hit the 4-0 mark, I really wanted to know "does it work?". When I left the course, all the students were abuzz with excitement with their new found skill that was going to get them new, and happy patients... except me. It's not that it doesn't work. It does. However, deep inside I feel its being a little deceptive. It's like giving someone a bike to stop wrinkles. If a person is in poor health, stressed, angry, holding tension in their shoulders and have a furrowed brow, one of the best thing they can do is to move their Qi a bit. A great way to move your Qi is through a bit of exercise... a bike will do. Once that person starts moving their Qi, getting a few endorphins, a bit of serotonin, they feel a lot better. Moving their Qi is synonymous with stress release. So, they stop furrowing their brow and pinching their shoulders up. You'd be surprised at how much tensing the shoulders radiates up to the face. When you relax facial muscles the wrinkes appear less. Relaxing facial muscles is exactly what botox does. Well...not exactly-- botox paralyses the muscles and then heads to the brain (or at least it did in one 2009 study on rats). Essentially, riding a bike could result in reduced wrinkles. Needles could have relaxed the facial muscles as well, so it does work. However, as a practitioner, I feel that acupuncture is a tool, not a prop. Patients should be given the awareness and knowledge of how to improve their own health. Sometimes they can't and needles can be an excellent tool to start them on their way. For example, sometimes people can't relax their shoulders because they are so used to them being tense they don't even know what relaxed feels like. A few sessions can give such strong relief from that tension that they suddenly are aware of when they are pinching their shoulders to their ears. With that awareness, they can then relax them on their own.

But wrinkles aren't always about tension. They can be caused by being depleted. I had a patient come in several months ago who was overworked, exhausted from poor sleep, and feeling run down. She came in because she felt her immune system was weak and she was constantly on the verge of getting a cold and she couldn't afford the break in her schedule. Physically, this showed on her face with bags under her eyes, furrowed brow and skin sagging. She looked beyond her 40 years. I gave her four weeks worth of treatment aimed at moving and tonifying her Qi. I also talked with her about ways to manage her time which was causing her stress. She responded well to treatment and each week she reported feeling stronger. And each week, she looked younger and more vibrant. Her brow wasn't furrowed, her eyes weren't puffy and she looked "lifted". I didn't put one needle into her face. I wasn't giving her a beauty treatment, I was giving her a health treatment. When you are healthy, you look vibrant and younger.

Facial acupuncture is expensive. If you want to spend £600 on your looks, that money might be better spent to extend your holiday or upgrade your hotel room. We all know how much younger we look after a great holiday!

No Spring Allergies

Spring has sprung and all the blossoms are out. This is the first year in 4 years my son has not been on Chinese herbs for his seasonal allergies. Four years ago, my son's allergies caused his eyes such intense irritation, he rubbed them while crying hysterically until he exhausted himself into sleep. When he awoke, his eyes were blackened, one was swollen shut. Yet they still itched and he resumed crying and scratching. When he wasn't scratching and rubbing his eyes, he was scratching his skin until it bled. He had never had horrible eczema, but during tree pollen season, it worsened. I held him and rocked him while holding his hands away from his battered face. I tried not to let him see my own distress, holding back my tears and my desire to scream.

The following day we saw an Avicenna practitioner who gave my son a week worth of sachets of Chinese herbs to be taken three times a day. Although they smelled horrible, there was only a tiny amount he needed to take and after a bit of trial and error on how to convince him to take them, he willingly took the herbs. My son's symptom improved immediately. When his eyes did itch, a cool cloth was all that was needed to relief them.

After a week, and more herbs for the month, we were able to drive in the country with the windows down-- something we never dared do before as it would definitely cause his eyes to itch. After three weeks, my son actually started to like his herbs and made certain that he took them even when I forgot. He loved the idea that these herbs were made specially for him and that they made him better. He loved his follow-up consultations at the clinic and felt welcome and a part of something unique. At the advice of the practitioner, we reduced his intake of sugar and dairy foods. Later, I also reduced the amount of wheat. This proved a bit difficult during his birthday where I made him a wheat free and sugar free cake. Quite a challenge, but it still came out delicious. Yet it broke my heart when he said, "When I'm healthy again, can I eat sweets?". It took lots of long conversations to explain that he is healthy, he just is sensitive to tree pollen. At the end of August, he was weaned off the herbs and no longer needed them. We were told to start again before allergy season in the Spring. For the next two years, he went on herbs in the summer but his symptoms were less and less. Last year, he was only on herbs for a month.

This year, my son celebrated his 8th birthday at the beginning of May this year. It was the first time he had a "normal" cake. Although he still eats very healthy foods with little dairy, sugar or wheat, we don't feel bound by it and he can have treats at times without risking an increase in symptoms. This is also the first year we have seent he blossoms and not had any allergy symptoms.

It's quite ironic that his allergies are resolved as I am about to complete my first year of my MSc in Chinese herbal medicine. Yet there is nothing as inpsiring as first hand experience.