Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity: Understanding the Five Elemental Types for Health and Well-Being

458 Pages·1999·1.99 MB·English

by  Jason Elias

Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction by Jason Elias - THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES
Part One - UNDERSTANDING THE POWERS WITHIN
Introduction to Part One
1♦ WHO AM I? A QUESTIONNAIRE
Section One - PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Section Two - PSYCHOLOGICAL/BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS
2♦ WOOD: THE COMMANDER
Imbalances In Wood Energy
Restoring Harmony
A Story for Wood
3♦ FIRE: THE LOVER
Imbalances In Fire Energy
Restoring Harmony
A Story for Fire
4♦ EARTH: THE PEACEMAKER
Imbalances In Earth Energy
Restoring Harmony
A Story for Earth
5♦ METAL: THE ARTIST
Imbalances In Metal Energy
Restoring Harmony
A Story for Metal
6♦ WATER: THE PHILOSOPHER
Imbalances In Water Energy
Restoring Harmony
A Story for Water
7♦ A DELICATE BALANCE
Wood/Earth
Wood/Fire
Earth/Water
Metal/Wood
Water/Fire
Metal/Water
Part Two - THE HEALING ZONES
Introduction to Part Two
8♦ LEVEL ONE: THE WEI CHI
The Five Devils
The Five Destructive Emotions
Recurrent Colds and Flus
Allergies and Food Sensitivities
9♦ LEVEL TWO: THE CHI
The Five Functions of Chi
The Flow of Chi
Disturbances of Chi
Chronic Sinusitis
Asthma
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease and Colitis)
Chronic Skin Disorders (Eczema and Psoriasis)
10♦ LEVEL THREE: THE BLOOD
Arthritis (Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis)
Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosis)
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Type II Diabetes (Adult Onset Diabetes Mellitus)
11♦ LEVEL FOUR: THE ORGANS
Cancer
HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
APPENDIX I: RESOURCES
APPENDIX II: MAKING YOUR OWN HERBAL FORMULAS
APPENDIX III: ACUPRESSURE POINTS
Copyright Page
To our children:
Adam Elias
Robyn, Alison, and Benjamin Spencer
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every book is a journey, full of winding roads and countless adventures. The
pathway to this book was paved thousands of years ago by ancient Chinese sages
such as Lao-tzu, Confucius, Huang Di, and Qi Bo, who helped create the
philosophical and practical system we now call traditional Chinese medicine.
Many modern healers have followed their bright lights to illuminate the way.
Those who have made our journey easier by offering expert advice and insights
from their own experience include Leon Hammer, Bob Duggan, Mark Seem,
Ted Kaptchuck, Simon Mills, Frank Lipman, M.D., Doug Heller, M.D., Richard
Nagle, M.D., and Perle Besserman.
I give special thanks to those who have combed the manuscript and offered
valuable suggestions: Steve Cowen, M.D., and Larry Baskind, M.D., for their
encouragement and critical review of the medical data; Fara Kelsey for her
insight and critique of the herbal sections; Bob Lesnow and Ellen Marshall for
their expertise on clinical nutrition and the use of supplements; Amarish James
Caruso for his insights into the “yogic” connection to the five elements; and
Marc Gross-man for his general support and critical support. And an extra-
special thanks to Berkana Gervais for her unending support through this process.
For their support, camaraderie, and professional guidance we owe a deep debt
of gratitude to our friends and colleagues at Integral Health Associates: Bob
Lesnow, David Lester, Ellen Marshall, Kady Bray, Lynn Walcott, and Marc
Gross-man, with special thanks to Marc for his insights on vision.
We are deeply indebted to our literary agents, Janis Vallely and Jane Dystel,
who have advised and encouraged us countless times in the three years spent
researching and writing this book.
At Harmony Books our sincere thanks go to all who have played a part in the
creation of this book, especially Leslie Meredith for her commitment to the idea
from the very beginning, and Andrew Stuart, who shepherded us through the
final stages.
Our greatest debt, as always, is to our families: Jason’s mother, Betty Elias;
his wife, Brigit; and his son, Adam; and Kathy’s mother, Joan Ketcham; her
husband, Patrick Spencer; and her children, Robyn, Alison, and Benjamin
Spencer. Their love has guided our steps from beginning to end.
Introduction by Jason Elias
THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES
Prevent trouble before it arises. Put things in order before they exist. The giant
pine tree grows from a tiny sprout. The journey of a thousand miles starts from
beneath your feet.
—Tao Te Ching
I will never forget the first time I read The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of
Medicine, a five-thousand-year-old book that describes the philosophical
foundation and practical techniques of traditional Chinese medicine. It was the
summer of 1968, the first of several summers I spent at Esalen Institute in Big
Sur, California, studying with such luminaries as Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts,
and Ilana Rubenfeld and investigating the healing powers of the body, mind, and
spirit.
That particular summer marked the beginning of my adventures into the world
of Eastern philosophy and ancient healing techniques. In the late afternoon after
class and discussion group, I’d walk to the cliffs overlooking the beach, sit down
in the shade of the wind-bowed cedars, and read the The I Ching, the Tao Te
Ching, and The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine. Losing myself in the
gentle wisdom of the ancient sages, I felt as if I understood for the first time the
exquisite harmony and continuity of life, where night always follows day, the
rising moon shadows the setting sun, and the present rests on the enduring
foundation of the past. The same sun rose and set on Confucius, Lao-tzu, Huang
Di, and Qi Bo, and the same ocean lapped at the edges of their country as they
searched for answers to the questions that disturbed my own peace of mind.
One of my favorite passages in The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine
occurs on the very first page, when Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, asks his
minister Qi Bo why people in the days of old enjoyed longer, happier lives. Does
the world itself change from one generation to the next, he asks, or have people
forgotten how to live in harmony with the enduring laws of nature? Qi Bo gently
answers the young emperor’s questions, speaking at length about the many
dramatic changes in lifestyle and philosophy that have contributed to the present
predicament of chronic disease, premature aging, and a general state of
disharmony.
“In the past,” Qi Bo observes, “people practiced the Tao, the Way of Life . . .
They understood the principle of balance, of yin and yang, as represented by the transformation of the
energies of the universe. Thus, they formulated practices such as Dao-in, an exercise combining stretching,
massaging, and breathing to promote energy flow, and meditation to help maintain and harmonize
themselves with the universe. They ate a balanced diet at regular times, arose and retired at regular hours,
avoided overstressing their bodies and minds, and refrained from overindulgence of all kinds. They
maintained well-being of body and mind; thus, it is not surprising that they lived over one hundred years.
These days, people have changed their way of life. They drink wine as though it were water, indulge
excessively in destructive activities, drain their jing—the body’s essence that is stored in the kidneys—and
deplete their qi [vital energy]. They do not know the secret of conserving their energy and vitality. Seeking
emotional excitement and momentary pleasures, people disregard the natural rhythm and order of the
universe. They fail to regulate their lifestyle and diet, and sleep improperly. So it is not surprising that they
look old at fifty and die soon after.
This conversation took place nearly five thousand years ago, yet I heard the
same concerns being raised at Esalen that summer, and I hear them repeated with
even more urgency today. Health care practitioners, philosophers,
environmentalists, and concerned citizens are still pondering the connections
between the rise in chronic illnesses and changing lifestyle patterns. Why, we
wonder, is our health declining? In what ways does our modern lifestyle
contribute to premature aging and chronic, degenerative illness? What can we do
to restore the natural order and live in peace and harmony as people did in the
days of old?
As a thoroughly modern healer trained in both Eastern and Western
techniques, I know too well that the problems we face today are infinitely more
complicated and life-threatening than they were in the days of Huang Di and Qi
Bo. Unlike our ancient ancestors, we live in a world that is slowly but surely
being poisoned by technology, industry, and human encroachment on the natural
world. A few statistics aptly illustrate the magnitude of today’s American
environmental dilemmas: Over sixty percent of the population—150 million
Americans—live in areas where carbon monoxide levels and ozone pollution are
considered “unsafe”; every year industry releases more than 2.4 billion pounds
of hazardous chemicals into our atmosphere; air pollution is responsible for an
estimated 50,000 premature deaths every year; according to a study by the