The ancient art of Tai Ji may have a new application – Parkinson’s disease patients. Numerous studies in the past few years have demonstrated Tai Ji’s effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is a disease that affects nerve cells – called neurons – in the region of the brain controlling muscle movement. Those suffering from Parkinson’s disease may experience difficulty walking, muscle rigidity, trembling, and problems with coordination. While these symptoms generally develop in adults over age 50, a small percentage of patients are young adults and even children. The disease is progressive – meaning its symptoms become progressively worse over time.

High blood levels of glucose and insulin predispose people to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and are associated with accelerated aging. For many people, sugar is the primary culprit in the accumulation of body fat. One animal study showed a significant reduction in body fat in response to green tea catechin supplementation.

Diabetes, or “sugar diabetes,” as it is most commonly referred to, is broken down into two main classes.

By Kathleen Rushall

Traditional Chinese medicine is a large practice composed of many aspects. There is acupuncture (the use of small needles to free and aid one’s qi), qi gong (a self healing art that combines meditation and movement), massage therapy, herbs, and various manners of meditation, to name a few. Each practice has specific ailments that it can aid, and some may overlap in their benefits. For example, there is new evidence that the ancient arts of acupuncture and qi gong can help with hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

Traditional Medicine (TCM) uses several diagnostic methods used in their practices, including herbology, qi-gong, moxibustion, and acupuncture. Practically unheard-of by the general public, pulse diagnosis is a diagnostic technique used to determine imbalances in the three Doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha – which further identify the presence and location of certain disorders within the patient’s body.

“Pulse diagnosis is a convenient, inexpensive, painless, and non-invasive diagnosis,” said researchers at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China. In TCM, six pulses may be examined by the palpation of the radial artery. Acupuncturists and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine use a very intricate system of pulse measurement and rely carefully upon on observations rather than diagnostic tools. Skilled doctors of this technique can find health problems with a quick touch.

The Five Element Theory serves as a major diagnostic and treatment tool in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It is based on the observation of the natural cycles and interrelationships in the environment and within ourselves.  For example, there are five environmental elements – Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood – each corresponding with certain body organs, such as the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines, stomach, urinary bladder and gull bladder.  The five different elements are associated with different times of the year: Fire with summer, Earth with late-summer, Metal with autumn, Water with winter and Wood with spring.

The five elements interact with each other (they depend on each other).  For example, the liver, belonging to the Wood element, directly affects the spleen, which belongs to the Earth element.  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners try to maintain a balance among the body’s organs.

Tea is a natural beverage without any artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives.  It is also free of cholesterol and calories.  Tea is one of the most common beverages consumed around the globe.  One out of every two people in the world today is a tea drinker.  It has been estimated that around 3.2 million tons of tea were produced in the year 2004.

Tea is made by processing the leaves or buds of the tea bush.  The degree of fermentation that the tea leaves undergo determines what type of tea will be produced: white tea, green tea, or black tea.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) suggests that there are three main causes of infertility: deficiency syndrome, stagnancy syndrome and heat syndrome. 

According to Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda from the Institute for Traditional Medicine, the deficiency syndrome prevents the hormonal system from properly influencing the sexual and reproductive functions. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) suggests that there are three main causes of infertility: deficiency syndrome, stagnancy syndrome and heat syndrome.

According to Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda from the Institute for Traditional Medicine, the deficiency syndrome prevents the hormonal system from properly influencing the sexual and reproductive functions.

By Michelle Fletcher, B.A., http://michellefletcher.net

The benefits of yoga extend beyond the flexibility and relaxation gleaned from our Saturday morning class. Men and women of all ages have benefited from regular yoga sessions, but now studies are highlighting yoga’s many benefits for menopausal women.

By Michelle Fletcher, B.A., http://michellefletcher.net

American late-night infomercials are not the only ones promoting improved sexuality. The Chinese have been doing it for centuries!