When I first put my foot on the path to herbalism I had no idea what I was in for. At the time I didn’t realize I had not just dipped my toe in the water but had jumped into the ocean. Being naïve at the time, I didn’t realize that every door I peeked behind would reveal just a little bit more of the amazing mysteries Nature holds. This is purely a symptom of not knowing what you don’t know. I soon found out I had more questions than answers.
One of those questions was how do people from other societies and other parts of the World treat illness and disease. Recently while driving through downtown Colorado Springs I was struck by the amount of so called health care facilities that dot the landscape. One on nearly every corner in some neighborhoods and even some specializing in particular diseases. If I were from another country and seeing this for the first time I would probably think the United States was likely the most dangerous place in the World.
If you find yourself in the doctor’s office or the ER in the United States you will most likely get a 10-15 minute visit with a doctor at best. Although I don’t frequent these places myself, I see plenty of people who do and it seems a vicious cycle to me. You’ll probably have a series of tests run and leave with a prescription for pharmaceutical meds. You may get more tests, or more meds but you may feel that the solutions to your problems elude you. Some may never get a solid diagnosis.
Medical science has made such tremendous progress that there is hardly a healthy human left. ~Aldous Huxley
Step outside the box with me and let’s turn our sights from the West to the East and check out some alternative methods that have proven successful in other countries.
Chinese Face Reading
You’ve heard the expression the eyes are the windows to the soul or it’s written all over your face. There is truth in those old sayings and the Chinese have known it for thousands of years.
Face reading AKA physiognomy is an ancient art and used as a diagnostic tool in Chinese medicine. Ancient physicians discovered that patterns in the features of people’s faces revealed tendencies of their physical bodies for illness or health. Per expert face reader Lillian Bridges, the oldest known Chinese text has a face map on the very first page making it one of the oldest known practices in the region.
To the expert physiognomist, every face is a map of the past, present and future. The expert can read a person’s face with uncanny accuracy to determine health and well-being, gain insight into their personality type including how they tend to think, feel and behave, as well as providing a window into the future.
The concept of Chinese face reading is the ability to learn simple facial patterns and their meaning but the subject is complicated by innumerable variables making each reading unique to every person.
Of all the features that make up a human face, physiognomists consider five that are vital to face reading. The eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and ears. These are known in ancient texts as the Five Vital Organs. In addition, each area of the face corresponds to the major organs of the body.
The eyes are more closely related to a person’s inner vitality and personality than all other facial features combined. Ancient texts point out that they are the most sensitive barometer of an individual’s feelings. The face reader will assess the eyes first then take into account the other facial features and how they contribute or detract from the total picture.
Once these features are evaluated in detail by size, position, shape, balance etc, the reader moves on to forehead, ears, cheekbones, jawbones, chin and groove between the bottom of the nose and the lip. Wrinkles even figure into the equation! Which, you’ll be glad to know can literally disappear upon resolving suppressed emotion in some cases.
Color, skin tone and texture are also considered. A blackish/greyish tone can indicate illness, blue can point to kidney issues or lack of oxygen, red or purple can indicate heart or circulatory problems and yellow can be indicative of a compromised liver. We all know someone who is either thick skinned or thin skinned and I think that one is self-explanatory.
All in all, physiognomy cannot analyze a person’s character or forecast his future with mathematical precision, however, over the course of literally thousands of years of research, it has proven amazingly accurate.
Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis
Examination of the tongue and pulse are two more of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese medicine. The major aspects of the tongue include color, shape and coating and can determine pathological changes in disease regardless of whether the condition is mild or severe, deficient or excessive, or whether there is dampness or exhaustion of bodily fluids such as stomach acid. Although it may seem creepy having your tongue examined, I find it far less intrusive than some Western diagnostic methods. Especially for those of us over 50.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the pulse is divided into three positions on each wrist. Each position represents a pair of organs. Generally, the first position on the left hand represents the heart and small intestine, the second, liver and gallbladder, and third the kidney yin and the bladder.
On the right hand, the first position is representative of the lungs and large intestine, the second of the spleen and stomach, and the third represents the kidney yang and uterus. The strengths and weaknesses of the positions are used to assess the patient diagnostically, along with the different qualities and speed of the pulse. Meaning, is your pulse deep and throbbing or tight and fast like a stretched rubberband? Perhaps you are somewhere in between. All clues to your state of being.
Ayurvedic medicine, another ancient methodology employs many of the same diagnostic tools as the Chinese.
Japanese Forest Bathing
Although Japanese culture is another ancient civilization, it was only in 1982 that the government of Japan coined the term “forest bathing” and it’s not what you think. It has nothing to do with actual bathing in the Western sense of the word.
Because most modern people live in urban areas, we have lost the connection to Nature that we once had. Nature based recreation has rapidly declined just in the last 40 years. There are numerous benefits to perusing a forest but I would like to touch on one in particular; Stress.
If you see a doctor in Japan they may suggest the forest over an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication. The forest is a place where people can disengage from the fight or flight response that many people appear to be stuck in and allow us to relax and breath. We can turn our attention away from the traffic, congestion and noise and focus on the beauty and serenity that Nature provides just by being there.
There are 5 steps to forest bathing using 5 senses and you must be fully engaged so leave the headphones and cell phones at home.
- 1) Look around you at the shapes, colors and textures. Notice the creatures inhabiting the area. Notice the canopy above.
- 2) Hear the bird songs or the trickling water or the wind blowing through the trees.
- 3) Feel the ground beneath you or dip your feet in the stream and feel the current running over them. Feel how soft some plants are and how prickly others can be. Hug a tree!
- 4) Smell the flowers, the essential oils from the trees or the air after a rainstorm.
- 5) Taste the needles of the pine tree or a piece of aspen bark, chew on a piece of grass. Just be sure to accurately identify what you’re putting in your mouth.
Seems very much like a meditation doesn’t it? That’s because it is, and meditation has proven to lower blood pressure, the stress hormone cortisol and improve focus and attention. I guarantee that if your doctor ran tests on you in the forest as opposed to the doctor’s office the results would be vastly different.
While you’re out there, take off your shoes and stay awhile.
Earthing
There is a reason it’s called the ground.
Earthing or grounding refers to connecting your body directly to the planet. Earth is an electrical planet charged with a subtle surface energy commonly known as a ground. When in contact with the Earth, this energy transfers to any conductive object whether it be a metal rod, a plant or tree, animal or a barefoot person and they become grounded. The Earths electrical surface is always negative meaning it’s filled with free electrons that are capable of reducing a positive charge. This may seem confusing, but free radicals and all the destructive things going on in your body have a positive charge.
Grounding discharges and prevents the buildup of electrical stress. Your body becomes suffused with negative charged free electrons and immediately equalizes to the same electric energy level as the Earth. Walking barefoot as humans have done throughout history, naturally grounds and discharges the body. The sole of the foot has 1300 nerve endings per inch. I believe this is for a reason, every living thing draws energy from the Earth’s energy field via their feet, paws or roots. This could explain why barefoot on the beach is such a desirable place to be. The ocean amplifies this energy.
If you are a person who spends a lot of time around computers, under fluorescent lighting, or live in an area with multiple cell phone towers, grounding is highly recommended to release the energy you absorb throughout the day. If you feel like you are buzzing when you lay down at night, get rid of the electric blanket and turn off the wifi. You can purchase grounding mats, blankets, sheets and q-links to protect you from electrical stress, but why? Simply touch the Earth.
Tip: To make Earthing most effective remove your shoes and socks and wet the earth to increase conductivity, leave your feet squarely on the ground for 30-40 minutes. A concrete basement floor will work if it isn’t painted or sealed but this won’t work on carpet, wood, asphalt or vinyl.
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