Could you use more Energy?

Energy is a central focus of Chinese Medicine. In the clinic it’s common to hear people say they feel tired, or even just that they could use some more energy. Energy is called Qi (pronounced Chee) in Chinese medicine. Although Qi is more than the ideas that the English word Energy contains. Its a lifeforce, the force which provides movement, flow, and at the same time nourishment to the body.

Qi is more of a Yang quality. There are more than 10 different kinds of Qi in the body – Defensive Qi – or the energy that protects us from getting sick from exposure to external pathogens, is just one example. Food Qi, know as Gu Qi is another.

How do we make Qi? Food and Air are the two main ingredients. We can breathe in Qi. This is why breathing is so important and exercise therapies in Oriental cultures are centered around breathing (Qi Gong, Yoga, Tai Chi etc).

The second way to make Qi is from food. “Gu Qi” literally means “food Qi” – which is the energy our bodies get from nutrients extracted from our diet.

Making energy essentially depends on 2 things:

1) The source – having fresh air and nutrient appropriate food to begin with

2) The machine – Our body is essentially a machine to make energy. The bodies ability to process the air – the techniques we use to breathe, our posture, our habits and the bodies digestion are essential to extracting good Gu Qi from food and fluids. If you tune up your car to make it run better, doesn’t it makes sense to tune up your body from time to time?

Chinese Medicine practitioners are very concerned with your digestion as it’s the essential way for the body to make the energy it needs to heal itself. Even if you’ve come in with a sprained ankle or a headache, good digestion is important to the long term healing of your body.

Practitioners will often ask about bowel movements, appetite and the in’s and out’s of what you eat on a regular basis.

Good digestion means you will recover quicker from injury, react better to stressful and unforeseen events and generally be able to eat a wide variety of foods without too many side effects.

If you experience bloating, gas, diarrhoea or loose stools or constipation (not going every day) on a frequent/normal basis then your body could probably do with a tune up.

When you have acupuncture, there are many ways an acupuncturist can “boost your energy”. One common way is throught strengthening the organs in the processes above – the Spleen and Stomach are central to healthy diegestion. The Lungs are essential to breathing and getting Air Qi into into your body.

THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN BY CHINESE MEDICINE PRACTITIONER MARIE HOPKINSON. THERE ARE MORE ARTICLES ON MARIE’S BLOG ABOUT WHAT TO EAT TO OPTIMISE YOUR DIGESTION ACCORDING TO CHINESE MEDICINE.

Healing Vegitarian Paleo Salad

This salad is an unusual mix with a really delicious taste, and only takes 15-20 minutes to prepare.

THIS RECIPE IS VEGETARIAN, PALEO Diet Friendly Options, GLUTEN-FREE, and HEALTHY in a CHINESE MEDICINE sense. IT CAN NOURISH SPLEEN QI, NOURISH YIN and mildly CLEAR HEAT. Combines cooked and raw, eaten Warm.

I created this recipe with a friend who was post-surgery recovery in mind, to aid warding off potential infections. Both Hyssop and Mint have heat clearing functions. Hyssop has historical use dating back to the Bible, where it is often referred to in ceremonial cleaning and cleansing people of infections diseases.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chick peas

1 purple sweet potato

1 regular sweet potato

~1/4 cup pecan nuts

~1/8 cup pistachio nuts, un-shelled.

4 tomatoes

sprig of fresh hyssop

sprig of fresh mint

Pepper or lemon pepper

METHOD: 

1) Cut up one large sweet potato (or two small sweet potatoes, I like to use half white/purple one and half the regular orange sweet potato), boil in pot on the stove until soft - 10 - 15 minutes.

2) Prepare the salad dressing

• Finely chop one sprig of fresh Hyssop and 1 large sprig of fresh mint.
• Add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil (about 30-50ml)
• Add a large handful of pecan nuts and 2 teaspoons of un-shelled pistachio nuts
• Grind some pepper or lemon-pepper into the salad dressing mix.

3) Cut up tomatoes, and any additional variation ingredients

4) Combine Tomatoes (and any additions) with 1 can of chick peas (drained) in a large, heat proof bowl.

5) once cooked potatoes are soft (but not mushy) remove from heat, strain water from them set aside in strainer ready to add at the very end.

6) Pour salad dressing mixture over the ingredients, stirring thoroughly,  then add potatoes and stir the mixture around carefully to ensure all combined but potatoes don't go mushy.

VARIATION INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Purple onion - Moves Qi (chee or energy) for Liver Qi Stagnation

PALEO DIET OPTION - Remove Chick Peas and increase cooked Vegitables, adding variety from Purple carrot, carrot or pumpkin. Baby Spinach leaves can be added just before serving.

Spring is Here!

To paraphrase from the Yellow Emperor, "Spring is the season where all living creatures grow"

Growth is a vital part of our lives, not just physically but mentally. The spring season brings warmpth that pushes our Yang Qi (Energy) from it's hybernative state of winter to the exterior of the body. The sun rises earlier and in the early days of spring you can feel the increasingly warmer early mornings...your body is teling you to get up earlier!

Spring is the best season to do new things.

Spring is associated with the Wood element according to the five elements theory. Wood is about growth, budding, regenration, new, creativity. The movement of this element is in a spreading direction - outwards, upwards and downwards (all directions).

It's easy to observe this inclination of growth and regeneration in nature. Flowers bloom, new seedlings sprout and animals are born in the spring season.  But what about in our bodies? Do you observe the inclination to grow, to learn, to do new things with the onset of spring?

Awareness is the first step. As you become aware of enviornmental prompts, allow your body and mind the time to explore the different lifestyle of the spring season.

Great things to do in spring are:
- Learn a musical instrument

- Take an art or dance class or workshop

- Go for a drive to the countryside, stop for a moment and take a walk in the bush.

- Get around sunrise and take a walk in your local park

- Eat regular, lightly cooked meals

- If you had a fully cooked diet in winter, you can start to add a few raw foods to your diet, like some fruit, or a salad with your cooked meats.

- Drink Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua) or Jasmine tea.

- Do any kind of exercise or increase the intensity of your exercise

- Sing

- Laugh

Spring is a good season to challenge ourselves to do new things mentally as well as getting physically active. If you live in Australia, we have Christmas around the corner, there is still time to embark on something new, read a book, change careers or make changes to our mental outlook before the new year hits us!


Seasonally, wind is a prevalent pathogen in spring which can often cause allergies, skin conditions and hayfever to be agrrivated. Chinese herbs, tea (check out our new Spring Tea below) and acupuncture can be effective treatments for these conditions. For appoiontments, please contact our clinic via our website www.metrohealth.com.au
 

Lest We Forget

In Australia we are approaching ANZAC day on 25th April. This is a day of rememberance and thankfulness about those Australian soldiers fallen and those who gave their lives to serve in war times. ANZAC has always had a special meaning to our family, as my grandad, Eustace Mickle was a rat of Trobruk, in the past I have marched in rememberacnce of him, worn his medals and even been pushed in a pram by my mum and Anutie clipping the heels of the other ex-service men in the march!

Soldiers who fought for our freedom have brought us here, they fought for what we so easily enjoy now. For many of us our lives have been far from the fringe of war and we might not feel this on a personal level. Other people might have more influential in bringing us to where we are today.

Remembrance and reflection is a powerful thing for us as individuals and as a society. Why not use this ANZAC day as a chance to reflect on the sacrifice that people in your world, including the soldiers, who have brought you to where you are? How can we show our gratitude for the sacrifice?  

Because my blog is about Chinese medicine, I might mention that Chinese medicine considers refletion "Yi" to be part of the Spleen Energy. We digest thoughts as well as food through the Spleen's energy. Healthy digestion of thoughts such as creating time for rememberance
and reflection is part of a healthy person.