Winter time, eat "black"

    Winter is cold, people who are low in Yang energy (easy to feel cold, hard to warm up) can eat more "black" food to nourish the kidney energy.
    
    Major black food include: black rice, black bean, black sesame, black date, black tree fungus, black mushroom, mulberry, kelp, sea cucumber, dry purple seaweed, and fishes are in black color.
    
    The color of the food has very important connection with its nutritional value. In general, as the natural color of the food getting darker, its nutritional value goes up.
    
    Black rice: stimulate the appetite, restore energy for the weak, strengthen the spleen, warm the liver and activate the blood circulation;
    
    Black sesame: lower cholesterol and maintain normal blood circulation; 
    
    Black tree fungus: high in Iron, help with the cold symptoms that caused by low blood volume;
    
    Black seaweed and kelp: high in algin, iodine and calcium, helps to soften the blood vessels, improves blood circulation and thyroid hormone secreting;
    
    Therefore these foods will particularly benefit those who are low in Yang energy, have bad blood circulations and "fragile" in the cold, such as ill person, seniors, women and children.

December 21st-22nd, 2010, "Winter Solstice", the 4th small Winter season arrives

   "Winter Solstice" is an internationally known term. According to the Chinese seasonal calender,2010 Winter Solstice starts December 22nd at 7:39am in China time zone. Interestingly, according to the Gregorian calendar, AKA Christian calender or western calender, 2010 Winter Solstice starts December 21st at 11:38pm UTC or GMT (Greenwich Mean time), or 6:38pm EST. Here I think the ancient Eastern and Western people did come up with an "agreement" as 11:38pm UTC on December 21st is the same moment as December 7:39am China Time(despite the 1min difference).


    Either way, this means at this universal moment, the north pole is tilted 23.5 degree away from the sun. In our 24-season system, "winter solstice" is one of the most important season of the year. In China it was recorded being established as the first season (among all 24)about 2500 years ago using the tool called “土圭” that looks like this:

We all know this is the day with the least daylight and after this day, day time will be getting longer and longer. The ancient Chinese described this day as   " 阴极之至，阳气始生，日南至，日短之至，日影长之至，故曰'冬至'".  Literally translated as "Yin energy at its most and start to reduce, Yang energy reaches its lowest and start to grow, the sun reaches the most southern point, daylight being the shortest, shadow of the stick being the longest, thus the days is called 'winter-est'". Here "Winter-est" is my personal interpretation of the season name "冬至", as "冬" means winter and "至" means the "most, extreme".  After this day we will be entering the real cold winter days. In Chinese culture, people will start to count every 9-day starting this day to measure the degree of coldness. For example from December 22nd to 30th will be the first "9-day", and the third and fourth "9-day" is considered as the coldest time of the year, which will be between January 9th to January 26th, 2011.
    
    "Winter Solstice" is considered as "Junior Chinese New Year" in China as the people believe from this day on the Yang energy will be stronger and stronger, therefore this is a starting day of the new season cycle, and a new starting day is always a good day to celebrate. Chinese will usually cook dumpling in the north and rice ball or noodle in the south. In the West this is the Christmas season, and here we find another Eastern-Western agreement (which could be explained in many ways).


    Enough background, our point is how to live through this season and do the right health preservation activities. I have mentioned above that "Winter Solstice season" is the most important season of the year and the "Winter Solstice Day" is the most important day of the season, obviously the "Winter Solstice Time" is the most important time of the day. Without exaggeration we can say how do you spend this moment determine your health condition for the coming year. Yes, it is that important.
    
    One very important Chinese history book recorded that during the Han dynasty (202 B.C - 220 A.D.), "Around the winter solstice day, the emperor closed the government, no official matters would be discussed, the army would not train, even the border was closed, no business or traveling, friends and family member would offer each others the best meal and everyone stayed pleasant but calm and quite." Well, ancient folks are not much different from us today. But today we cannot close the government and business, and even though we still offer the best food to each other we cannot stay too calm and quite as this is the crazy holiday season. So, what CAN we do?


    As we already know that winter is the season of "storing". Like a seed being planted and asleep, on winter solstice day it finally start to grow as the Yang energy has past its lowest spot and starts to bounce back. Ideally, we should reduced our physical activities to the minimum from 5 days before the winter solstice day to 5 days after. Realistically, at least on the Winter solstice day, we should reduce our physical activities and just rest or meditate. For those who cannot do that, at least reduce your activities at the winter solstice moment! We have been taking care of our "seed" for a long time and now it's the time to give a great push for it to grow into a great tree. Since the Yang energy is so young like an infant, the best way to nourishing it is NOT to feed it too much but quietly take care of it and allow it to gather its own energy force. Same thing to our body, at this moment the best way is not to force anything, meaning don't eat or drink crazy, don't run around and don't do physical exercises. The best way is to sit there and meditate, or practice some static Qi Gong exercise. 
    
    Winter Solstice day is considered as the "midnight" of the year, just as we need to be asleep during midnight, we should be at least resting and "recharging" during "midnight" of the year. Besides physical activities, mental activities also need to be reduced. Stay in a very pleasant but calm mood, don't consume the precious energy to worry about things.


    We will be doing seasonal special Qi Gong and meditation on our usual Tuesday night class on the 21st. Since the Winter Solstice moment is 6:38pm, I hope everyone can finish a lite dinner before that time and rest before come to class. For those who are not around. My minimum "requirement" for you is to be calm and quite from 5pm-8pm on the 21st. This 3-hour can be your key to next year's health. Please do so.  

The "13 often” for easy health preservation

    "13" may not be an American's favor number, but here is the "13 often" you need to favor for easy health preservation. No equipments needed, free of charge, no location requirement, and you can do it anytime.

1. Comb the hair often: stimulate the scalp, activate the brain, better than fish oil;
2. Roll the eyes often: improve the sight, clarify the mind;
3. Pull the ears often: stimulate all 89 ear acu-points that cover the entire human body;
4. Shake the head often: keep the circulation well around the neck area;
5. Rub the face often: make the face skin staying in nice condition and wrinkle-free;
6. Knock the teeth often: bite and knock, keep the gum healthy;
7. Swallow the saliva often: keep the essence in the body, keep the mouth healthy;
8. Rub the hands often: increase circulation on the hands, keep the wrists healthy, as fingers are connected with heart, this also is good for the heart;
9. Throw the arms often: keep the joints and muscle in the arms healthy and strong;
10. Rub the belly often: helping with digestion, absorption and excretion ;
11. Tighten the PC muscle (pubococcygeus muscle) often: preventing and healing hemorrhoid and other rectal illness;
12. Slap the legs often: give you stronger legs;
13. Rub the bottom of the feet often: adjust the Yin-Yang balance of the body.

what to eat to protect yourself from flu in winter?

    The key to resist flu is the human body's internal strength, AKA immune system. The vitality of immune system depends on right nutrient substance. Here is a simple list of things can help your immune system to stay strong and alive:

1. Colorful fruits and vegetables.  Common things like grapefruit, orange, apple, tomato, carrot not only look good, they also contain antioxidants that protect your immune system from being damaged and strengthen your white blood cell functions. Meanwhile these food also contains lots of Vitamin C, which is a well known element that helps with defending and healing.
2. High quality protein. When human is sick, the body needs a lot more energy to fight the illness, and meanwhile the immune system needs amino acids to repair itself. When virus attacks the body, the body will produce a lot antibodies which are actually protein. These protein will neutralize the infected cell therefore eliminate the pathogen and eventually clean it out of the body. Main sources for these protein are eggs, lean meat and bean products (tofu!)
3. Vitamin E. This is proven by modern scientific researches. If you are already taking VE supplement then you should be in good shape on this one. But it's always better to acquire it from natural food such as almond, malt, and deep-green color vegetables.
4. Garlic and onion. They don't smell good but we all know that they kills the bad guys. So it is up to your recipe to make them taste good too.
5. Multi-vitamin. Immune system needs more than just one kind of vitamin, multi-vitamin will create a balanced state in the body, and there is no negative side effects. BUT this doesn't mean that they can replace regular food, as there are many other kinds of element in natural food that must be given by the universe and can never be artificially reproduced. 

December 7th, 2010. "Heavy Snow", the 3rd small winter season arrives

    Easy to understand that "heavy snow" is the upgrade of the last season "light snow". But here the word "heavy" means both the amount and area. Apparently it's going to be colder and more snow. We care more about how to live better in this season, and here are the "Yes" to go after and No"s to prevent for everyone.


    The 7 "Yes"s:

1. Stay warm: Common sense, winter is Yin season and we need to protect the Yin essence. It is necessary to stay warm but not too hot either. Especially do not sweat too much as sweat is part of the Yin essence and we need to keep it.
2. Work on the feet: keep the feet clean, change the socks often. Also it's the best time to do foot bath every night and work on the foot acu-pressure points you know. Walk some good distance everyday to give the feet some exercise. Also make sure to wear a right pair of shoes that are comfortable, light, warm and anti-moisture.
3. Drink more water: Although there is less water elimination in the winter, the brain and other body organ cell still need enough water in order to maintain it's function.
4. Balance the mind: It's the depressed feeling you need to avoid by doing some physical activities.
5. Keep the air fresh: As the windows are locked, the air in the house is more polluted. When there is a possible nice day, open a window and have some air exchange.
6. Congee-like type of food: Winter food should not be hard or cold. Congee or porridge are recommended. Eat warm congee-like food in the morning and less food for dinner to protect the stomach.
7. Go to bed early: Yang energy is precious in the winter, especially later at night. Try to sleep earlier and get up later. Sleep early for nourishing the Yang energy and get up later to solidify the Yin energy.

    The 10 "no"s

1. Falling: Especially for seniors and people with osteoporosis.
2. Stroke: Cold weather affects blood vessel and nerve system strongly. Plus in winter people sweat less, the volume of blood will increase, and this may cause higher blood pressure. If you happened to have any blood or heart related matter make sure be extra careful to maintain a good level, meanwhile be cautious about any foreboding of stroke such as acute vertigo, acute and sharp headache, blurry vision and numbness.
3. Heart attack: Similar to the reason for stroke, low temperature cause blood vessel contraction and increases blood consistency.
4. Stomach ulcer: Cold excites human nerve system. The autonomic nerve system stays "tight" often which may cause hyperacidity that damage the gastric.Therefore if you have had related symptom before, make sure to eat things are easy to digest, mild, warm and less greasy. 
5. Respiratory symptoms: This is a high season for common problems such as cold, coughing, and lung related issues.
6. Carbon Monoxide: if you use natural gas heating your home, make sure check the furnace regularly to make sure it functions well.
7. Hot shower: When it's cold we like to take a shower that is very hot. But long hot shower may cause collapse for someone who are already low in Yang energy, such as elderly and people who are recovering from illness. 
8. Outdoor activities: Make sure to warm up before you jump into the cold weather. The body needs some time to adjust itself for such a big temperature change, especially when you plan to do some exercise such as jogging.
9. Burns: Elderly and babies are less sensitive with temperature, if you are using things like electrical heating blanket or other similar items make sure they are comfortable with the temperature.
10. Inappropriate ways of  warm-keeping: Such as shutting all windows without enough air circulation or sleeping with your head covered.

    Everything I mentioned above are very general therefore not necessarily applies to everyone. I simply hope they can act as friendly reminders for you.

   Friends who live in the WNY area had already experienced some heavy snow in the "light snow" season. If our "prediction" about the warm winter is right, Lake Erie may stay open and provide more snow when the air travel from the west to the east. We don't know how heavy it will be in the "heavy snow" season, but it never hurts if you prepare for the worst.

  But no matter which part of earth you live, winter is always a season for "storing". The universe made the rule and we human beings are to work on how to fit in instead of going against.