20 benefits I have enjoyed since having a blog focused on Chinese Medicine
As a follow-up to my previous popular post about Why all natural health care practitioners should have a blog, I thought I would put forward a list of the benefits I have noticed so far in having my blog about Chinese medicine. I want to create this list because I feel that there could be so much benefit to patients if more health care practitioners would face their fears and put their thoughts out there. This is particularly true in the field of natural medicine, because there is so much low-quality information on the Internet about various natural healing modalities. By flooding the Internet with high-quality personalized content, we can be a force for change in the minds of the world’s citizens. A noble goal! Now, the list.
- Connections with peers : I have a lot of good friends at school and in the Portland acupuncture and herbal medicine community. I wouldn’t trade those connections for anything. However, it’s really wonderful to be able to connect with Chinese medicine students and new practitioners all over the world. Some of those connections seem to be bearing real fruit that will enrich my life for years to come. Lesson - if you want to network within your profession, become a blogger!
- Connections with patients and future patients : In the post I linked to above, there was some discussion about whether blogging is an effective way to bring in patients. I won’t really know until I thoroughly test it, but I have found that my current patients at the clinic enjoy reading my thoughts. At least one patient has rescheduled because she received her email update and it reminded her to reschedule! In the end, though, it’s really about helping to educate patients about the power and promise of Chinese medicine. Lesson - If you’re interested in keeping in touch with your patients, consider blogging and having them sign up for email updates!
- Free critique of my own ideas, refining my thinking about Chinese medicine : Many people are afraid to write about their thoughts concerning Chinese medicine. I’ve never supposed I have all the answers. Sometimes (gasp) I’m even just wrong. But, you really don’t know what you don’t know until you write about it and put it out there. It can be scary, but exhilarating and I truly believe I have grown as a student and scholar by blogging. Lesson - Want to be an expert in your field? Write about it and pay attention to corrections and criticism.
- Writing practice : I guess this is self explanatory, but it’s always easier to learn how to write by … writing. :) Lesson - If “you’re not a writer,” the best way to become one is to start writing. It’s funny like that.
- Crash course in Internet marketing : Because I decided I wanted to grow this blog as large as I could and make some money with it, I had to start learning a lot about Internet marketing. I’ve consumed a whole lot of information on the subject and while I’m no expert, I’m happy to say I get it for the most part. Lesson - Blogging is a multi-skill activity that will expand your knowledge in many different respects.
- Staying abreast of trends in technology : I’m not obsessed with gadgets (really, I’m not!) or even Internet trends. However, in an effort to keep reasonably well updated, I do learn quite a bit about what’s going on and what’s coming up. I like feeling like I know what’s going on and I learn by doing - so running a blog (or three) is an effective way to keep up to date. Lesson - Similar to the one associated with #5.
- Higher standard of personal organization (more projects means more organization) : For some people, more to do means less organized. Naturally, this leads people to believe that they can become more organized if they just simplify their lives and take on fewer projects. For some people, this may be appropriate. In my case, I find that (to a certain limit) the more I take on, the more efficient I become at managing it. When I have relatively little to do, I actually become less likely to fulfill my basic obligations! Many people have asked me how I do what I do - to them I say that the event that most shaped my ability to do a lot was the birth of my daughter. This surely has many dimensions, but one of them was that because of the compression of my available time, I had to become better at managing my time. My schooling, blogging and other activities just add to this. Lesson - You’re capable of more. Maybe much more.
- A higher than average tolerance for thoughtless comments : If blogging doesn’t give you a thick skin, nothing will. I have been blessed to have a lower than average number of “trolls” and my comment spam catching software is quite effective, but I still get a few folks who think it’s fun to be intentionally antagonistic. You learn to ignore them. Lesson - Don’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole crate.
- Less tendency to goof off on the Internet : I know, I know. This sounds crazy. But, because I see being online as part of my job, I really don’t want to use it very much “for fun.” I get off as quickly as I can unless a good friend is online and interested in conversation. My friends who primarily use the Internet for shopping and email seem far more likely to wander the crazytube of the Internet aimlessly. Poor things. Lesson - You can learn to be productive on the Internet. Yes, really.
- Helping others gain study skills : There are lots of ways that I feel that my work on Deepest Health has helped others - and this is truly the greatest benefits I have received by blogging about Chinese Medicine. I’ve listed just three ways I’ve helped here, but there are others. Lesson - If you are a person who likes to help people, blogging is one way you can fulfill that divine desire.
- Helping others understand Chinese medicine concepts : Countless examples abound, from talking to people about the six conformations to talking about the organ clock and so much more. I really enjoy sharing what I’m learning with others. I learn so much in doing so.
- Helping to promote friends’ businesses and hobbies : I’ve promoted others blogs but also businesses like Paul Rosenberg’s Sacred Tea.
- Walking farther along my spiritual path : While I certainly would have made spiritual progress without this blog, the connections I’ve made and conversations I’ve had have really helped me move along. Because I feel empowered to discuss spiritual matters on this blog, it’s been relatively simple to use my blogging as a medium to walk my Path. Lesson - Technology does not negate spirituality.
- Money and other material benefits : Of course it has been nice to get some material benefits from blogging. I’m nowhere near making even a part-time income, but it grows with every lesson from Yaro I am able to implement. I have enjoyed receiving review copies of books and software as well. While I wouldn’t blog ONLY for the material benefits, they are nice. Lesson - Blogging can be profitable in more ways than one.
- Lateral networking : Because of the nature of the Internet, people run across Deepest Health from many different walks of life and professions. While I do come in contact with all sorts of people in the offline world, I generally keep within a certain group of friends and colleagues. The connections I have made with people in very diverse fields has helped me to think differently about Chinese Medicine, and I’m profoundly grateful for that. Lesson - Reaching out on the Internet helps you connect with the whole world.
- Ability to say, in conversation, “I’m a blogger” : A silly one, perhaps. But, it is always interesting to see people’s reactions. More often than not, they try to ignore that I said it. Sometimes, they ask what that means. Sometimes, they launch into a diatribe about Myspace. It’s entertaining. No lesson required.
- A greater appreciation for the immense diversity of our planet : This is connected to some degree with #15 about lateral networking. Again, because of the nature of the Internet, you just end up connecting with a wider variety of people than you would normally when you blog. Particularly when I use various forms of social media, I get a sense for what’s going on in Cairo or Melbourne or anywhere else. I understand the struggles that normal people go through in places different from my own. I also begin to see how similar we all are. Lesson - The world is a vast, fascinating place. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to connect with it.
- Better posture : Over time I’ve gone from sitting in a somewhat ergonomically structured plush office chair to a kitchen chair to my current seat - a simple short flat bench. Strange? I find that I am able to keep better posture when I have less support. I don’t know if this makes any biomechanical sense at all. Regardless, I have never paid so much attention to my posture as I have on long days of blogging. Lesson - Just because other people slouch at the computer doesn’t mean you have to.
- A greater than average tolerance for sitting in long, long, long classes and seminars : This one goes with #18 to a certain degree. Instead of making me less tolerant to sitting, blogging has increased my stamina when it comes to sedentary activity. I should note that while I do have long periods of sitting and writing, I do get up to do a couple of minutes of exercise about every 30 minutes. I will sometimes do this in seminars when it is possible (as when I end up in the back of the room and it is not very quiet). I’ll just get up and stretch my legs. But, in general, I find that my ability to sit when necessary is much increased, and this has been tremendously helpful in some circumstances. Lesson - Yeah, sitting all the time is no good, but you have to count your blessings.
- Greater finger strength for needling : I have fingers of POWER from all of this typing, I assure you. Seriously, though, I pay close attention to my finger health, which includes finger exercising. I don’t know if this has actually helped my needling, but let’s just pretend. Lesson - See lesson#19 above.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
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Tags: Blogging, Business, fun, internet, Learning, lists, networking, organization, student, Technology, writingRelated posts
8 Scholarship Winning habits I learned through Chinese medicine study
In the same vein as my popular article 7 Life Changing Habits I learned from Chinese medicine study, I thought I would provide something a little more focused for students since we are coming up on school season. I’ve been able to obtain big ticket scholarships in a variety of disciplines ever since I realized there were scholarships. Part of that is knowing how to write a scholarship application. There are a variety of websites out there that guide you through writing a killer scholarship app, this isn’t one of them. A couple of these habits I learned prior to starting my study of Chinese medicine, but I have since come to understand how Chinese philosophy supports and strengthens them. Most of the habits, however, I have learned through trial-and-error in my study of Chinese medicine or through my study of Confucian and Daoist educational philosophy. They are listed in no particular order.
1. Write or teach every day
#1 and #2 on this list are somewhat interdependent. The principle binding them is this: don’t take in a lot more than you put out. Although I can’t find the quote right now, I’m pretty sure that it was the philosopher Sartre who stated that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to demonstrate what you know through writing. I think teaching provides the same checks and balances. Most of us are brilliant in our heads, most of us have our stuff memorized and ready to go. But try writing out, say, the definitions of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang. Try to explain to your mother how the Kidney and Heart work together in the body. Not so easy.
I’ve used several methods to “get stuff out of my head.” One is this blog, obviously. I’ve used other online methods, too, such as forums. Study groups, when taken seriously, can be a great method for learning what you do and do not know. Get together with a few students at the same level of understanding and dedication as yourself and go through a list of topics, try to explain them to one another. I’ve also just used simple writing exercises to test myself. I’ll make a list of all the basic things I’ve learned in a given class, term or year either by memory or by looking over old tests, lecture notes and the like. I will then try to explain each of those concepts in writing. When I run into trouble, I research. If I’m not sure my explanation works, I run it by someone.
2. Don’t read too much
I wrote about this at length in my post about the perils of reading too much. The essential point is this: reading more doesn’t necessarily make you more well read. Paradox? Perhaps. Don’t put an emphasis on quantity, put an emphasis on quality. If you can thoroughly understand a text or otherwise incorporate it into your knowledge base, committing to memory the most relevant parts - then moving on to another book is probably fine. I want to emphasize that this exhortation includes not just reading books and other print media, but also online sources of information (except this blog, ;) of course!), even radio and television.
I would also like to add that in the study of Classical Chinese medicine, keep as close to the Classics as you possibly can. As I’ve said elsewhere, you will inevitably have to read outside of the classics, but they should be your foundation regardless of where you are going to school. I was just taught a simple lesson on this by one of my professors. I wrote to ask him whether it is truly important to memorize the Qi and flavor of each herb - as we are not required to memorize this information in the first year of herbs. I had actually already begun the process before asking the question, but decided I would get some advice before I wasted too much time on the activity. To begin, I had been working with my beloved Bensky’s materia medica
Oh, right. That book. There are differences and they are significant and I should actually learn the modern properties as well as the ancient ones. So - lesson learned. Read more
Tags: Acupuncture, chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, education, erics-habits, habits, Learning, lists, Personal Development, productivity, students, study-methods, studyingRelated posts
7 tips on how to study single Chinese herbs and even enjoy it
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 last year deep into my bones I find it a little odious to continue going over single herbs when formula class is so tantalizingly close. Single herbs was difficult the first time around, anyway. It’s hard to know what to do with all the information! It’s hard to figure out why you should know much about the single herbs when it’s really all about formulas. Here are 7 tips, drawn from my own experience, to help you learn your single herbs well and even enjoy the process. Oh, all of these tips assume you are going to lecture and paying attention! Ready?
- Play with dried samples of the herbs: engage all five senses
- At my school, we were given the option of buying a set of 3-5 grams of each herb we would be studying during the year. If you don’t have that option just head to the medicinary at your school or at a local clinic and obtain a few grams (3-4 is usually enough) of each herb you will be studying. Every single time I studied herbs, I had the samples right next to me. I smelled them, tasted them, made small decoctions out of them with hot water, pulled them apart to look at the inside, and closed my eyes to fully experience the texture. Sometimes simply sitting with the herb in your hand gives you a better understanding of it. I cannot adequately stress how important this was to my success in herbs class.
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What are the classical texts of Chinese medicine?
Because I mention the classics of Chinese medicine often, I think it makes sense to list them. The list below is short, and rightly so. These are the works that have been recommended to me most often, and they are also available in English. There are doubtless other books that one could consider under the category “Chinese Medical Classics” (for instance, the Pi Wei Lun) but they have either not been recommended to me by my CCM teachers or are not available in suitable English translations.
Each name will lead you to a link where you can purchase a recommended translation of each book. Future posts will discuss the texts at length and provide reviews of different translations where available. The best of all worlds is achieved when you have at least two different translations of the text as well as the original Chinese and either a command of the language or an excellent Chinese-English dictionary and the ability to use it. This way you can use prior translations as a guide and fallback while checking the translation for accuracy and gaining a broader understanding of the information.
Shang Han Lun
Huangdi Neijing - The Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic. The Huangdi Neijing is composed of the Suwen
Shennong Ben Cao Jing
Mai Jing
Nan Jing
Huangdi Zhen Jui Jia Yi Jing, aka Jia Yi Jing
Zhong Zang Jing
There are several other texts that one might consider foundational in the field of Chinese medicine, but they are not medical books. They serve as a foundation insofar that CM grows out of the soil of Chinese culture and philosophy. Thus, if a person wants to have a deep relationship with the medicine they must feel comfortable operating within the context of ancient Chinese culture and philosophy.
Yi Jing (I Ching) - Th
Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) - The Classic of the Way
The Analects
* I have provided some Wade-Giles spelling for texts that people recognize best that way.
Eric
Tags: Acupuncture, books, Classical Texts (general), education, Learning, lists, students, study-methods, translationsRelated posts
7 Ways Chinese medicine is changing the world (for the better)
I’m on vacation - soaking in the five elements on the Oregon coast. Here’s something quick to tide my loyal readers over. No pun intended.
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I’ll admit it, I’m concerned about the state of our planet and our people. I’m not a fatalist, I’m not a Doomsday prophecist. I don’t want to recommend that everyone move out into the woods and start tanning hides. I don’t think buying a shirt at Nordstrom rack is the pinnacle of evil. But, I do worry about global warming. I do wonder what kind of natural environment my daughter will be experiencing when she’s my age. I do think commercialization of our society has gone too far. When I decided to get involved in Chinese medicine I did so because I believed and still believe that it is a vital piece of the solution for many of the problems facing our world today. Here’s 7 reasons why I believe this and why you should, too.
1. Low-tech medicine reduces the impact on the planet. Chinese medicine requires few machines in most of its forms. It uses only simple medicines gleaned from the bounty of the Earth, stainless steel needles and the body of the practitioner. No elaborate high-tech production facilities dumping chemical laden sludge into the rivers and streams. No radioactive materials used in diagnostics. This is important given the rapidly deteriorating nature of our planet’s vital life-support systems. To be sure, there are also environmental challenges in the medicine - mostly related to the harvesting and processing of sensitive plants and animals. Further, the increasing popularity of our medicine has created a “race to the bottom” when it comes to the production of all herbs. This is beginning to be addressed and all practitioners must do everything in their power to put pressure on producers to create an ethical commercial environment.
2. Heals the whole person. Because CM theory regards the person as an integrated whole it inevitably treats the whole. So even though you may be coming in with a complaint of stomach pain, your doctor is likely to be treating a diverse range of imbalances with the aim of relieving your acute symptoms but also preventing their eventual return. If you maintain a relationship with your practitioner, you will inevitably uncover symptoms that you had forgotten about or simply learned to live with - these will be compassionately revealed and dealt with. Eventually, you will emerge as a healthy being on all levels - body, mind and spirit. A whole person interacts with the world in an integral way - and we need integral beings interacting with one another authentically if we hope to continue our evolution as a species.
3. Not involved in a race for progress. Classical Chinese medicine is rooted in ancient soil. It grows and thrives in this soil. To a large extent, progress in our medicine only means delving as far back as we can - absorbing all the wisdom from those amazing human beings who, for whatever reason, had a unique and incredibly accurate understanding of people and their ailments. We do learn from what is going on today, and various practitioners have learned to integrate the understandings of modern medical traditions into the body of the medicine. But there is no obsession with the Next Big Thing. There is no delving too quickly and with too little information into areas of understanding that have potentially disastrous consequences. I count this as a good thing, I believe you can see why.
4. Lends itself well to service for disadvantaged people. The gap between rich and poor is as large now as it has ever been. In the United States, many people live without insurance. The working poor have no recourse either from government programs that won’t help them because they are working or from the world of commerce that won’t help them because they are not affluent enough. People all over the Earth suffer in numbers that cry out in urgent need of assistance. Because Chinese medicine is highly portable and doesn’t require inordinate amounts of time for basic treatment - programs like Acupuncturists Without Borders and Working Class Acupuncture find fertile ground from which to grow. My school, National College of Natural Medicine runs clinics for disadvantaged people and many other schools do the same. I believe this is a field that will only grow as time goes on.
5. As an integral part of the healing process - patient as active participant. Many people have complained that contemporary Western medicine leaves them feeling disenfranchised in their own healing process. People who do not feel in control of their bodies and their fates are inevitably going to act like victims. People who act like victims are unlikely to be working for change, even if they believe it is important for things to change. Chinese medicine creates a space in which people can get to know their bodies and their bodies’ reactions to the environment. A good CM practitioner will encourage the person to be an active participant in their own healing process, extending the therapy at home and simply becoming more aware of their whole self.
6. The philosophical underpinnings of the medicine are what the world needs today. If I had to boil Chinese medical philosophy down to one word it would be “respect.” Respect for your body and mind, respect for balance, respect for nature, respect for other people. As a student, as I delve deeper into the Confucian, Buddhist and Daoist roots of my medicine my feeling of deep gratitude for others and the Universe at large grows exponentially. I believe I pass this on to others as I teach them about the medicine. Given what I said in #5 about patients being, essentially, students as they walk their healing path - each patient is going to learn something about the deep philosophical roots of the medicine they are using. So, practitioners and patients will both be impacted and hopefully deeply affected by the tradition of respect and balance that lies behind everything we do. Hopefully this will have a fractal effect throughout the world.
7. Increased international awareness an important by-product of its dissemination into the West. Particularly in the United States, awareness of other people is not a strong point of the culture. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the terrible studies where US citizens, young and old, couldn’t even say where some of the largest countries in the world are located. This isolationism and lack of interest in places outside of the US is having a range of negative effects on our culture. It’s hard to have compassion for people you don’t even know exist. When a person has a positive treatment from a CM doctor, they tend to have an interest in the philosophy behind the medicine. Sometimes this leads to a broader interest in Chinese culture in general. I know it did for me. I think just this simple process can have a profound impact on people - opening their eyes to the diversity of cultures on our planet. Surely a good thing.
Eric
Tags: Acupuncture, changing-the-world, lists, philosophy, revolution, Theory
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