Anxiety, Sleep & Stress

Insomnia (bù mèi 不寐, shī mián 失眠) is difficulty sleeping. Insomnia includes inability to sleep, difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, restlessness at night, a disordered sleep cycle and dream disturbed sleep. In Chinese medicine, insomnia is primarily associated with instability or agitation of the anima, the shén and hún.

The TCM concept of “form complementing form, organ complementing organ” (yi xing bu xing, yi zang bu zang 以形補形、以臟補臟 ) is well known throughout Asian culture and cooking. For example, eating walnuts for brain tonification and cashews for the health of the kidneys, or drinking red wine to tonify the blood is common folk wisdom. In this recipe, we are honoring this concept by using pig's heart (Zhu xin 豬心) to nourish the heart.

Fertility and women’s health is a very popular specialty for many acupuncturists and herbalists. Success stories permeate medical journals, mom groups and amongst the general public, giving hope to those who wish to become pregnant and have had difficulty in the past. The truth of the matter, however, is that not every patient has this success story, not every patient gets pregnant, not every IVF round is a success and not every pregnancy will carry to term. Support in the process of shock, loss and grief can be profound within the spectrum of Chinese medicine.

cPTSD is different from PTSD in that it is not so much associated with the trauma or reaction to outward events, but instead manifests inwardly - how we see and think about ourselves - and as a result, how we see the world. It may be caused by a single traumatic event, but more likely is the accumulation of smaller, more covert trauma that usually revolve around the core issue of not being seen or valued in a way that we needed to be or not being able to escape a situation or event that was a threat. As we look around at our communities of people hurting deeply, acting out in ways we would have never imagined, it seems easy to cast it aside as being an issue belonging only to that person, but truly this is a systemic community issue that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood.

From the view of traditional Chinese medicine, several emotions make up what we presently describe as anxiety. On close examination four emotions stand out as comprising what we call anxiety. According to TCM theory, the emotions of fear, pensiveness, grief and anger cause the Qi to sink, stagnate, dissipate, and rise respectively.

As practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, we understand the importance of balancing emotional and psychological health. Shen disharmony not only affects our emotional experience, but can also have a significant impact on our physical health. What follows is a discussion of four acupuncture treatments to harmonize the emotions and balance the Shen.

Breathe your way to harmony, balance, health, and well-being. Practicing Qi Gong yourself and teaching it to your patients is one of the most beneficial aspects of Chinese medicine. It can be engaged anywhere and by anyone, including those who are bed-ridden or in a wheelchair. In Qi Gong breathing, the action is focused on the exhale by intentionally contracting the diaphragm and abdominal wall muscles, squeezing out the carbon dioxide until the lungs are empty.

Mark Frost, Herbal Chair at American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) joins Mayway to highlight Huang Qi and Fang Feng. Mark discusses the similarities and differences of these important herbs including their TCM functions and how to select the best herbs for your patients.

No matter your type or time of travel, the family First-Aid kit is an essential item. Though the standard First-aid kit contains the usual emergency care items, traditional Chinese medicine has its own special list of medicines to address common health issues that can come up during many adventures. Over the decades of teaching traditional Chinese herbal medicine, countless students have asked me to share my list of recommended herbal formulations to always have on hand. The Plum Flower® Travel Kit includes covers the most common emergency needs.

When the Shen, frequently translated as “Mind”, is disturbed this can cause someone to experience sleep complications. We will take a deeper look at three formulas for Calming the Shen that lead to a more peaceful sleep, An Mien Pian, An Shui Wan, and An Shen Bu Xin San/Wan.

Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Most people will experience it from time to time as a normal response to the stresses and worries of life. Anxiety becomes a pathological disorder (jiāo lǜ zhèng 焦虑症) when it repeatedly interferes with daily life, is irrational, excessively prolonged or out of proportion with the cause. In Chinese medicine, anxiety is most frequently associated with disorder of the Heart and shén , and to a lesser extent the Liver and Kidneys.