JING Issue 2 : Feb 2008 from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine

The Ethereal Soul Giovanni Maciocia on the source of our intuition and inspiration Spring greens Danny Blyth opens his new series about Chinese food energetics Being a highly effective acupuncturist Angie Hicks shares her insights Changes afoot New Chinese medicine MSc Oxford Medical Supplies Ltd The UK’s foremost supplier of products.

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Oxford Medical Supplies Ltd Units 11 & 12, Horcott Industrial Estate, Fairford, Gloucestershire GL7 4BX Freephone: 0800 975 8000 Freefax: 0800 975 8111 Email: [email protected] Website: www.oxfordmedical.co.uk Why Shen? Hello and welcome to the second Just as jing and shen edition of Jing Shen! I’d like to start by celebrating the stand alone but success of our fi rst edition. It appears unite as a combined our new publication is being thoroughly enjoyed and the response has been power, so do TCM amazing! Thank you very much for your and Five Element theory feedback. Your opinions are extremely valuable and will come together to create contribute to the evolution of the magazine in the future. The encouragement received has provided useful the integrated style sustinence to motivate us through the winter months, of acupuncture taught 精 and this time for your enjoyment we are very proud here at the College and honoured to present contributions from Giovanni Maciocia, Angela Hicks, John Hicks, Peter , Peter of Integrated Chinese Firebrace plus much, much, more. We hope that these Medicine. Our magazine articles provide food for thought and contribute to your is intended to spark ideas,神 practice of Chinese medicine in a positive way. Much love fuel discussion, and help nourish our professional community. Charlotte Brydon-Smith Lic Ac, BSc (Hons) Editor [email protected]

Back issues available 4 Hun, the Ethereal Soul 32 Clinical study trip via our newly-relaunched Giovanni Maciocia explores to website cicm.org.uk this level of consciousness Book your place now... 11 Round the ole 33 Fifteen treasures Jing Shen would like to camp fi re Find out how Peter Firebrace extend a big thank you Marcus James looks at Five likes to relax to Ewan at Oxford Medical Supplies Element diagnosis from 34 Feeding our : an unusual perspective for sponsoring our spring greens magazine 13 Emotion testing The fi rst in John Hicks on the benefi ts Danny Blyth’s Jing Shen is published by the College of this diagnostic technique new series on of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Chinese food 19 Castle Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 7SB 20 Breathing life into cicm.org.uk 0118 950 8880 the winter months energetics The views of the writers in Jing Shen are not Another in Gio Maschio’s series 36 CPD necessarily shared by the College. The contents on developing your qi events for of this magazine are fully protected by copyright practitioners and may not be reproduced without permission 22 Seven secrets of being a highly effective Our seminar and workshops We welcome correspondence about this plus a preview of upcoming magazine. Please email the editor acupuncturist seminars by Jason D Robertson [email protected] Angie Hicks shares her list or write to her at the address above. Letters and Jeffrey Yuen 27 Crossword and and emails may be considered for publication. 38 New MSc programme Please let us know if you do not want your pin yin wordsearch Tony Booker on exciting correspondence to be published Sharpen your wits changes to our Chinese herbal with our brain teasers Editor Charlotte Brydon-Smith medicine training package Design The Design Works, Reading 28 Why so weary? 39 About this Our grateful thanks to all contributors. Special Peter Mole looks thanks also go to Yu Hong Zhang and Sandra Hill College at the bigger for help with the Chinese characters, Bea Hallas The facts, in picture on for the illustrations on pp 29, 34 and 35 and a nutshell the front cover photo of a horsetail, and Anna causes of Bennett for the cartoon on p 19 tiredness Printed on recycled paper Hun, the Ethereal Soul Giovanni Maciocia explores the level of consciousness responsible for intuition, inspiration, purpose and direction

The Ethereal Soul broadly What is the Ethereal Soul and what does corresponds to our Western it do? An analysis of the Chinese character concept of soul. According to depicting the Ethereal Soul is essential to gain ancient Chinese beliefs it enters an understanding and a feeling for what it the body shortly after birth. is. The presence of the radical for gui within Ethereal in , after its character immediately tells us that the death it survives the body and fl ows back Ethereal Soul has a somewhat dark nature, to Heaven (tian). in ancient Greek philosophy we would say it has a Dionysian nature. It pertains to a This is the Chinese subterranean world that is different from the character for Ethereal Soul: world of the Mind (shen of the ). It is composed The Ethereal Soul is the gui, i.e. the dark, of two parts: 魂 intuitive, non-rational side of human nature: yang in character, it enters and exits through = clouds = spirit, ghost 云鬼 the nose and communicates with Heaven. The The ancient character for spirit or ghost was gui in the character hun for the Ethereal Soul itself composed of two parts, a head without has also another important meaning. The fact a body and a swirling movement. that the Ethereal Soul has the nature of gui This ancient radical therefore depicts the means that it has an independent existence bodiless head of a dead person fl owing to from the Mind (shen). The Ethereal Soul has Heaven or swimming in the realm of spirits its own life and agenda over which the Mind and ghosts in a swirling movement. It is like has no say: the interaction and integration of a ghost or the spirit of a dead person but it is the Mind with the Ethereal Soul is the basis for essentially harmless, i.e. it is not one of the our rich psychic life. evil spirits (hence the presence of the Unlike the Ethereal Soul, the other two cloud radical). mental-spiritual aspects of Intellect (yi of the The concept of Ethereal Soul is closely Spleen) and Will-Power (zhi of the Kidneys) linked to ancient Chinese beliefs in spirits, do not have an independent existence but ghosts and demons. According to these beliefs, could be said to be part of the Mind (shen of spirits, ghosts and demons are spirit-like the Heart). creatures who preserve a physical appearance According to ancient Chinese beliefs, the after death and wander in the world of spirit. Ethereal Soul was imparted by the father three Some are good and some are evil. days after birth during a naming ceremony,

4 Jing Shen February 2008 i.e. the baby was given a name and the father Sleep and dreaming imparted the Ethereal Soul to him or her. This is signifi cant as it is symbolic of the social, The Ethereal Soul infl uences sleep and relational nature of the Ethereal Soul (as dreaming. If it is well rooted, sleep is normal opposed to the Corporeal Soul). The Ethereal and sound and without too many dreams. Soul is responsible for relationships and our If -yin or Liver-Blood is defi cient, the relating to other people in the family and Ethereal Soul is deprived of its residence and society. The Ethereal Soul corresponds to our wanders off at night, causing a restless sleep individuality, but within the context of the with many tiring dreams. Sleep disturbances family and society. related to excessive dreaming are particularly When describing the Ethereal Soul, the related to the Ethereal Soul. Tang Zong Hai theme of ‘movement’, ‘swirling’, ‘wandering’ says: ‘At night during sleep the Ethereal Soul is ever present. The Ethereal Soul provides returns to the Liver; if the Ethereal Soul is not 1 movement to the psyche in many ways: peaceful there are a lot of dreams’. Chinese movement of the soul out of the body as in books do not defi ne ‘excessive dreaming’ but dreaming, movement out of one’s everyday life in my experience, dreaming can be defi ned as as in life dreams and ideas, movement towards excessive either when there are nightmares or others in human relationships, movement in when one has unpleasant or anxiety-causing terms of plans and projects. The Ethereal Soul dreams the whole night, waking up exhausted. is rooted in the Liver and in particular Liver- If Liver-yin is very depleted, at times yin (which includes Liver-Blood). If Liver-yin is the Ethereal Soul may even leave the body depleted, the Ethereal Soul is deprived of its temporarily at night during or just before residence and becomes rootless. The Ethereal sleep. Those who suffer from severe defi ciency Soul, deprived of its residence, wanders of yin may experience a fl oating sensation in without aim. the few moments just before falling asleep. The nature and functions of the Of course, the length and quality of sleep Ethereal Soul can be summarised under also depends on the state of Heart-Blood and seven headings: there is an overlap between the infl uence of Heart-Blood and Liver-Blood on sleep. • Sleep and dreaming The Ethereal Soul is also responsible for • Mental activities daydreaming. Zhang Jie Bin says in the Classic • Balance of emotions of Categories: ‘Absent-mindedness as if in a • Eyes and sight trance is due to the Ethereal Soul wandering • Courage outside its residence’. 2 Thus, if Liver-Blood • Planning or Liver-yin is defi cient, the Ethereal Soul • Relationship with Mind wanders off in a daydream and the person has no clear sense of direction in life.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 5 The Ethereal Soul may even leave the life, under the leadership of the Heart and body temporarily: some Chinese idiomatic the Mind. Emotions are a normal part of our expressions confi rm this. For example, fan mental life: we all experience anger, sadness, hun (literally ‘hun returning’) means ‘to come worry, or fear on occasions in the course of back to life’, as after being in a trance during our life and these do not normally lead to which the soul leaves the body. Hun fei po san disease. The Ethereal Soul, being responsible (literally ‘hun fl ying, po scattered’) means ‘to for the more intuitive and subconscious be scared out of one’s wits’ or also ‘to be struck part of the Mind, plays a role in keeping an dumb’, e.g. by love. emotional balance and, most of all, prevents the emotions from becoming excessive and Mental activities therefore turning into causes of disease. The Ethereal Soul assists the Mind in This regulatory function of the Ethereal its mental activities. The Five-Channel Soul is closely related to the balance between Righteousness, a text from the , Liver-Blood (the yin part of the Liver) and says: ‘Knowledge is dependent on the Liver-qi (the yang part of the Liver). Liver-Blood sharpness of the Ethereal Soul’. 3 The Ethereal and Liver-qi need to be harmonised and Liver- Soul provides the Mind, which is responsible Blood must root Liver-qi to prevent it from for rational thinking, with intuition and becoming stagnant or rebelling upwards. On inspiration. It also gives the Mind ‘movement’ a mental-emotional level, Liver-Blood needs in the sense that it allows the Mind the to root the Ethereal Soul thus allowing a capacity of self-insight and introspection balanced and happy emotional life. This is one as well as the ability to project outwards of the meanings, on a mental level, of the Liver and relate to other people. It also allows the being a ‘regulating and harmonising’ organ. mind creativity, dreaming, planning and The free fl ow of Liver-qi is the physical imagination. This capacity for movement and counterpart of the ‘coming and going’ of the outward projection is closely related to the Ethereal Soul: this ‘coming and going’ should Liver-qi quality of quick and free movement. be regulated and balanced. If it is defi cient (as The Ethereal Soul gives the Mind the in Liver-qi stagnation), the person is depressed necessary psychic tension of . The and not in touch with his or her emotions; if Mind without the Ethereal Soul would be like it is excessive (as in Liver-yang rising or Liver- a powerful computer without software. ), the person may be agitated, angry, too emotional or slightly manic. Balance of emotions These two opposing emotional states, The Ethereal Soul is responsible for characterised by a hyperactive Liver-qi (with maintaining a normal balance between excessive ‘coming and going’ of the Ethereal excitation and restraint of the emotional Soul) or a stagnant Liver-qi (with insuffi cient

6 Jing Shen February 2008 ‘coming and going’ of the Ethereal Soul) are described in Simple Questions as ‘fullness and emptiness’ of the Mind (shen). Chapter 62 of Simple Questions says: ‘What are the symptoms of Fullness and Emptiness of the Mind [shen]? When the Mind is in Excess, the person laughs uncontrollably; when the Mind is Defi cient, 4 the person is sad’. 魂Just as in disease Liver-yang easily fl ares Eyes and sight upwards causing anger, in health the same type of mental deriving from The Ethereal Soul relates to the eyes and sight. Liver-Blood can give a person courage and Tang Zong Hai says: ‘When the Ethereal Soul resoluteness. If Liver-Blood is defi cient and wanders to the eyes, they can see’. 5 The Secret the Ethereal Soul is dithering, the person of the Golden Flower in chapter 2 says: ‘In the lacks courage and resolve, cannot face up to daytime the Ethereal Soul is in the eyes and at diffi culties or making decisions, and is easily night in the Liver. When it is in the eyes we can discouraged. A vague feeling of fear at night see. When it is in the Liver we dream’. 6 before falling asleep is also due to a lack of Apart from physical sight, the Ethereal Soul rooting of the Ethereal Soul. The quality of also gives us ‘vision’ in life, i.e. the capacity to courage and resoluteness is also dependent have life dreams, projects and creativity. This on the strength of Gall-Bladder qi. connection with the eyes can easily be related to the rooting of the Hun in Liver-Blood as Planning Liver-Blood nourishes the eyes. The Ethereal Soul infl uences our capacity Courage for planning our life and giving it a sense of direction. A lack of direction in life and a sense The Ethereal Soul is related to courage or of spiritual confusion may be compared to cowardice and for this reason the Liver is the aimless wandering of the Ethereal Soul: sometimes called the ‘resolute organ’. Tang such a sense of lack of direction and plans is Zong Hai says: ‘When the Ethereal Soul is not due to the insuffi cient ‘coming and going’ of strong, the person is timid’. 7 The ‘strength’ of the Ethereal Soul. If the Liver is fl ourishing the Ethereal Soul in this connection derives the Ethereal Soul is fi rmly rooted and can mainly from Liver-Blood. If Liver-Blood help us to plan our life with vision, wisdom is abundant, the person is fearless and is and creativity. If Liver-Blood and Liver-qi are able to face up to life’s diffi culties with an defi cient, the Ethereal Soul does not ‘come and indomitable spirit. go’ enough and we lack a sense of direction and vision in life.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 7 Please note I translate the shen of the Heart as Mind; I translate as spirit the shen, hun, po, yi and zhi together.

Relationship with the Mind and its movement excessive, only bringing confusion and chaos to the Mind, making the It is important to consider the relationship person scattered, unsettled and slightly manic. between the Mind and the Ethereal Soul. Both This can be observed in some people who are yang in nature, they are closely connected to always full of ideas, dreams and projects none each other and both partake in all the mental of which ever comes to fruition because of the activities of a human being. Through the chaotic state of the Mind which is therefore Ethereal Soul, the Mind can project outwards unable to restrain the Ethereal Soul. to the external world and to other people and The Mind should integrate the Ethereal can also turn inwards to receive the intuition, Soul so that images, symbols and dreams inspiration, dreams and images deriving from coming from it can be assimilated. For the the unconscious. conscious Mind this means bringing together The perfect relationship between the Mind two disparate ways of seeing the world: the and the Ethereal Soul is one in which the conscious and rational one (of the Mind) and latter provides the former with movement the entirely different one in which the Ethereal manifesting with aims, intuition, creativity, Soul holds sway. If not, the Mind may be ideas, life dreams, plans, etc; on the other fl ooded by the contents of the Ethereal Soul hand, the Mind provides control and with risk of obstruction of the Mind and, in integration to the material coming from the serious cases, psychosis. Ethereal Soul as it can only cope with one idea Whilst the Mind and Ethereal Soul are at a time originating from the Ethereal Soul. closely connected, there are some differences It must also integrate the material deriving between the two. The main difference is that from the Ethereal Soul in the general psychic the Ethereal Soul pertains to the world of life. If the Mind is strong and the Ethereal Image, i.e. non-material existence, to which Soul properly gathered, there will be harmony it returns after death, whilst the Mind is the between the two and the person has calm individual mind of a human being that dies vision, insight and wisdom. with the person. Drawing from Buddhist and If the Ethereal Soul does not ‘come and go’ Jungian ideas, the Mind could be said to be enough, it may lack movement and inspiration the individual Mind, and the Ethereal Soul and the person may be depressed, without the link between the individual and aim or life dreams. The Ethereal Soul may be Universal Mind. restrained in its movement either by itself or The Universal Mind is the repository because the Mind is over-controlling it. This of images, archetypes, symbols and ideas happens, for example, in people who are rigid belonging to the collective unconscious in in their views and repressed. Jungian psychology. These often manifest If the Mind is weak and fails to restrain and to our Mind as myths, symbols and dreams. control the Ethereal Soul, it may be too restless

8 Jing Shen February 2008 They come into our consciousness (individual depositing fresh ones. The Ethereal Soul is an Mind) via the Ethereal Soul since this belongs underwater world and a total immersion of the to the world of Image and ideas. Thus the Mind in it means insanity. Ethereal Soul is the vehicle through which The relationship between the Mind and images, ideas and symbols from the Universal the Ethereal Soul is all about expansion and Mind (or collective unconscious) emerge into contraction in our psychic life. Shen and gui our individual Mind (conscious). can be interpreted as the two opposing states This shows the vital importance of the of expansion (shen) and contraction (gui) in Ethereal Soul for our mental and spiritual our psychic life. The proper alternation of life. Without the Ethereal Soul, our mental expansion (stimulation of the ‘coming and and spiritual life would be quite sterile and going’ of the Ethereal Soul) and contraction deprived of images, ideas and dreams. If the (restraint of the ‘coming and going’ of the Liver is strong and the Ethereal Soul fi rm Ethereal Soul) symbolises a healthy and and fl owing harmoniously, ideas and images normal psychic life. from the Universal Mind will fl ow freely and When we feel ‘up’, we are in an extrovert the mental and spiritual state will be happy, mood, we feel like going out, and we are creative and fruitful. If the ‘coming and active, then we are in a state of expansion going’ of the Ethereal Soul is insuffi cient, and the Ethereal Soul is ‘coming and going’ the individual Mind will be cut off from normally. When we feel ‘down’, we are in an the Universal Mind and will be unhappy, introvert mood, we do not feel like going out, confused, isolated, aimless, sterile and and we feel passive, then we are in a state of without dreams. contraction and the Ethereal Soul’s ‘coming According to Jung the unconscious is and going’ is restrained. 9 compensatory to consciousness. He said: Chinese refl ects this ‘The psyche is a self-regulating system that polarity of expansion and contraction in our maintains itself in equilibrium. Every process psychic life. Within the category of that goes too far immediately and inevitably that calm the Mind, some are pungent and calls forth a compensatory activity.’ 8 This stimulate expansion, while others are sour compensatory relationship between the and astringent and stimulate contraction. unconscious and consciousness resembles the For example, Yuan Zhi (Radix Polygalae) balancing relationship between the Ethereal is pungent, bitter, warm, dispersing and Soul and the Mind. draining, resolves Phlegm and opens the The Mind discriminates and differentiates, Heart orifi ces, i.e. stimulates expansion. Suan whereas the Ethereal Soul is like an undiff- Zao Ren (Semen Ziziphi spinosae) is sour, sweet, 魂erentiated sea that fl ows around, under and astringent, promotes sleep, and anchors the above the Mind, eroding certain parts and Ethereal Soul, i.e. stimulates contraction.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 9 What are the patterns that arise from activities, balancing the emotions, eyes and the Ethereal Soul ‘coming and going’ too sight, courage and planning. It is a part of the much or too little? The coming and going psyche that is not rational like the Mind (shen) of the Ethereal Soul may become excessive but is responsible for intuition, inspiration, either from Full conditions of Heat or Fire or ideas, life dreams, artistic inspiration. Finally, from Empty conditions with a defi ciency of it ensures the movement of our psyche Liver-Blood and/or Liver-yin. In case of Full towards the environment and other people in conditions with Heat or Fire, these agitate the relationships, enabling us to move through life Ethereal Soul and stimulate its coming and with both purpose and direction. going excessively; in the case of defi ciency References of Liver-Blood and/or Liver-yin, these fail 1 Tang Zong Hai 1979 Discussion on Blood Patterns (Xue Zheng Lun) to anchor the Ethereal Soul so that this People’s Health Publishing House, fi rst published 1884, p 29 becomes agitated and its coming and going 2 Classic of Categories, p 50 3 becomes excessive. Kong Ying Da Five-Channel Righteousness (Wu Jing Zheng Yi), cited in Theory of the Mind in Chinese Medicine, p 37 The coming and going of the Ethereal Soul 4 Simple Questions, p 335 may become defi cient under three conditions. 5 The Essence of the Convergence between Chinese and Western Liver-qi stagnation, Liver-Blood and Liver- Medicine, cited in Theory of the Mind in Chinese Medicine, p 36 6 The Secret of the Golden Flower, p 26 7 Ibid, p 36 qi defi ciency, and defi ciency of yang of the 8 Jung C G 1961 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, Routledge & Kegan Spleen and Kidneys may all impair the coming Paul, London 9 and going of the Ethereal Soul and result in Classical music often displays alternation of expansion/contraction, none more than Beethoven’s with its musical phrases of intense, depression. Although we are often told that deep, romantic feeling (expansion) followed quickly by phrases of ‘Liver-qi cannot be defi cient’, this is not quite turbulent and dark passion (contraction), as in his Violin Sonata no 5 true. Defi ciency of Liver-qi does exist and it manifests primarily in the psychic sphere with Giovanni Maciocia is one of the most highly depression. The normal and correct fl ow of respected practitioners of acupuncture and Liver-qi is ascending and one important aspect Chinese herbal medicine in Europe. He reads of its movement is the ascension towards the Chinese so has access to Chinese medicine Heart and the Mind (shen). In this way the textbooks (old and new) published in China and Ethereal Soul stimulates the ‘coming and is the author of Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese going’ of the Mind. A defi ciency of Liver-qi Medicine, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, The Practice of Chinese Medicine, Obstetrics and always implies a failure of Liver-qi to ascend to Gynaecology in Chinese Medicine, Diagnosis the Mind and therefore results in depression. in Chinese Medicine and The Channels of To sum up, the Ethereal Soul is basically Acupuncture. Firmly rooted in TCM, his ideas are another level of consciousness, different often innovative as Chinese medicine theories from the Mind but closely related to it. It is need to be adapted to Western conditions and responsible for sleep and dreaming, mental new Western diseases.

10 Jing Shen February 2008 Round the ole camp fi re In some qualitative research undertaken at the College Marcus James looks at Five Element diagnosis from an unusual angle

As a new practitioner I fi nd refl ects a consciousness that is different myself looking everywhere from the mainstream. It has been described for ways to improve my skills. as a ‘solvent of morality,’ a creative strategy I’m constantly analysing each using laughter and irony as a means of stage of my diagnoses and dealing with the incongruous position of treatments, and one particular gay men in society. By making others laugh, patient really set me thinking. the camp builds bridges to the heterosexual I carried out a full Traditional diagnosis community.1 Signifi cantly for the Five on the young victim of a homophobic assault. Element practitioner whose diagnosis relies Throughout the interview his body language, upon the assessment of inappropriateness, voice tone and responses to questioning were Newton defi nes camp as a set of incongruous extreme examples of what I consider to be juxtapositions, in which its style manifests stereotypically camp. He was hilarious, but as theatricality, its strategy humour. The I couldn’t be sure who I was observing. modifi cation of an individual, in which Of course Five Element diagnosis relies aspects of culture are anchored in the body, upon colour, sound, odour and the expression was given the Latin title habitus in 1935. of emotion (CSOE), but in the case of sound, Embodied phenomena such as voice tone, and to some extent emotion, the manifestation express a relationship to the social world and in this case seemed to be subject to the provide us with ‘symbolic capital’ for use in infl uence of this young man’s social peers. He our daily interactions. By adapting in this was camping it up on a grand scale, and as I way we literally carry our social and cultural watched this fl amboyant performance unfold history with us, but how does this affect I wondered what this could tell me in terms of us as practitioners of Chinese medicine? the Elements. He had learned to behave and Consideration of environmental infl uences to speak in this way and, whether consciously certainly formed a fundamental part of the or unconsciously, he had changed as a result diagnostic process in Ancient China, and is of social conditioning. I wanted to know if this documented in the Su Wen 80. Camp, by its had any value diagnostically, if it could be a easy deconstruction, provided the stimulus barrier to diagnosis or if it was something I for lively discussion with experts from four just needed to acknowledge and see beyond. acupuncture colleges into the nature of Five Camp is essentially, although not Element practice and the difference between exclusively, a homosexual sensibility which behaviour and emotion. Its extravagance and

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 11 its singing voice, could appear to resonate with the diagnostic process is confused. The Fire and , with displayed within temptation to attribute labels to behavioural irony. Isolating the individual characteristics patterns is strong, even seductive. How often of camp, and talking about these in terms does one patient remind us of another, and of the Five Elements really highlighted the that thought start to infl uence our perception danger of stereotyping and the ease with of the CF? Camp proved to be a useful example which this can lead to incorrect diagnosis of habitus and its impact upon Five Element of the constitutional, or causative factor diagnosis, but we could equally have been (CF). Habitus can be useful as a diagnostic talking about ethnicity, religion, sexuality, tool provided it is recognised as such and gender or socio-economic class. As Five separated from CF diagnosis. This value lies Element practitioners we make decisions in its application as a means of monitoring on a daily basis as to the appropriateness of progress. If learned behaviour is holding the aspects of our patients, but this must take patient back in some way then treatment into account what is the norm for each. As will help them to move away from old we strive to be the best we can be in practice, patterns. Habitus can also be an indicator of our journeys must include the development imbalance, where such behaviour is judged of a high level of cultural competency whilst to be inauthentic. Once in the treatment retaining an awareness of our sensory input, room it is as inappropriate for a patient to as distinct from the observation of behaviour. continue to behave as though they are in a It was a wonderful opportunity for me, to talk gay bar as in a management board meeting. to practitioners with so much experience and Where this happens, it is the emotional insight, and thinking about Five Element impetus behind the behaviour that is relevant. practice in this way has certainly improved my However, regardless of the habitus embedded, diagnostic skills. the CF should still be apparent, since social You can contact Marcus at marcusjamesclinics.co.uk conditioning will impact upon different CFs 1 Newton, E (1993) ‘Role Models’ In: Bergman, D. (ed) in different ways, determining how they take Camp Grounds: Style and Homosexuality pp 39-53 Amherst MA, on cultural infl uences, and there will still University of Massachusetts Press be within that expression a quality that is I wish to sincerely thank to my co-researchers Cherith Adams, unique to that Element or Offi cial. True CF Guy Caplan, Gerad Kite, Stella King and Peter Linthwaite. diagnosis is a sensory experience that should Marcus James studied image science and not be infl uenced by behaviour. It demands medical illustration, and worked in diagnostic of the practitioner that they have an acute imaging for 12 years. He trained in acupuncture awareness of when they are predominantly at this College. Now he practises in Islington and experiencing an Element. When this is not Sevenoaks, also running a clinic in Westminster achieved, and behaviour is allowed into the serving the transgender community. equation, perhaps because CSOE are unclear,

12 Jing Shen February 2008 Emotion testing Acupuncturists use different modes of diagnosis with a common aim: to get the patient better. But different methods result in slightly different treatment plans and results. John Hicks describes one method of diagnosis practised by Five Element constitutional acupuncturists and explains how it might benefi t those who practise TCM

My own experience is of using seems to be little coherence amongst the signs both TCM patterns and the and symptoms and therefore diffi culty in Five Element constitutional sorting them into simple, prioritised patterns. imbalance. They are both I would acknowledge that treating the essential to me. In this article constitutional imbalance is not the whole of I am making two suggestions: treatment by any means. It does not do fi rst The fi rst is that the Five Element constitutional aid, it does not deal with trauma and it does imbalance be recognised as a pattern and not deal with well-established pathogenic used in bian zheng practice in a similar way to factors (although it will help). However, with any of the TCM syndromes. The second is that some patients, constitutional treatment emotion testing be recognised as a valid way of is almost all they need; with others it is an establishing the constitutional imbalance. So, important part of the treatment. Hence, join me in this exploration. Five Element constitutional diagnosis can add Emotion testing is part of the diagnosis of to the effectiveness of your diagnosis the Five Element constitutional imbalance. and treatment. The patient’s facial colour, sound in the voice Those who already use emotion testing and body odour are also used; but emotion will fi nd this review helpful. Those who don’t testing, while not easy, results in the most have the most to gain and will begin with the reliable indicator of the patient’s Five Element greatest uncertainties. constitutional type. Emotion testing discovers the Element to The underlying theory approach when directing treatment at the As all practitioners know, Five Element theory most long-term underlying imbalance – useful proposes a division of the world into fi ve with chronic illness and especially with those energetic phases, usually called Elements. poorly-specifi ed problems when people know These Elements are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal more that they are not right and less what and . Different aspects of life – colours, exactly is wrong. These may be patients who sounds in the voice, seasons, animals – all do not manifest an easy TCM diagnosis. There resonate with one or other of the Elements.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 13 The digram below shows how emotions The basis of emotion testing lies in the resonate with the Elements. balance or imbalance of each Element (or the Two important points about these Organs associated with it). When the energy emotional associations or resonances: of an Element is balanced, the associated 1 In spite of the one-word description emotion is expressed appropriately. When the of the emotion, e.g. anger for Wood, this energy of an Element has been chronically out emotion covers a wide range of related of balance, then the associated emotion will emotions from ballistic rage to inert be expressed inappropriately. In this context, depression. There is a similar range for the other emotions. For How emotions example, joy ranges from hysteria resonate with to a complete inability to feel joy the Five Elements (bu li or lack of joy). 1 To understand the range of an Element’s Fire emotions, it is useful to relate the Joy emotion to the function of the Organs (especially from Su Wen 8). Earth For example, anger to the smooth Wood fl ow of qi, worry to transformation, Worry/ Anger joy to the Heart housing the Blood, sympathy grief to taking in ‘qi’ from the Heavens and fear to the cleverness of the Kidneys. 2 This connection of Organs to the emotion implies a relationship Water Metal between the emotions and the Grief health of the Organs. For example, Fear if the Organs are chronically unwell, the manifestation of the related emotion will be out of balance or inappropriate. Equally, if a person ‘appropriately’ means that the emotion is is constrained by life’s circumstances to suffer expressed smoothly and with an intensity an excess of an emotion (sadness, worry, grief, appropriate to the context. This smoothness fear or frustration), then the relevant Organs is a characteristic of the fl ow of healthy qi, may be adversely affected. emotions being nothing more than the fl ow of qi.

14 Jing Shen February 2008 On the other hand, ‘inappropriately’ ‘For each Element there is means that the emotion is expressed without a range of related emotions, the normal smoothness. In addition, it is and a chronic imbalance of the expressed either less or more frequently than Organs leads to emotions being the context suggests, less or more intensely expressed inappropriately’ and is less or more under control than the When such examples are ‘in our face’, other emotions. As an example, some Wood they seem odd if not obvious. Yet we have a types never get angry and some are angry curious blind spot for inappropriateness. We all the time; some are intensely and others feel that it is ‘odd’, but we pass it off as just are minimally angry; some have their anger the way people are, and say, for example, that completely under control and others have people are just different. We seem to have the their anger out of control. What is not the case insight to make the individual judgements, is that these expressions are appropriately but don’t know how to organise the various balanced. observations into a Five Element framework. So there are two important related ideas: As practitioners we do know how to organise One is that for each Element there is a range the symptoms/signs of a fl oating empty of related emotions, and the other is that a pulse, dry skin, constipation, thirst and night chronic imbalance of the Organs leads to sweats into a meaningful pattern. We do not emotions being expressed inappropriately. have a traditional framework within which Here are some examples of inappropriate we can see an emotional pattern and the emotions: indicated imbalance. As patterns, yin xu and • Anger out of control, too intense and a constitutional Elemental imbalance are initiated by trivial circumstances. similar and similarly useful. The difference • Joy is expressed in face of a sad event. between the two is that the constitutional • Worry which seems to be recurring even imbalance does not use symptoms, only signs. when realistically there is nothing to worry So what does it mean that an Element about; or a request for understanding is constitutionally imbalanced? One of the that seems to be repeated frequently, Elements is less in balance or simply weaker and on which expressed sympathy or than the other four – from birth or very early understanding makes little impact. in life. There are two characteristics of early • A non-verbally expressed sense of ongoing imbalances. One is that the Organs of the loss when there is nothing really missing. weaker Element process many of the traumas of growing up; being weak, these Organs • No fear is expressed even though the naturally are more affected by the various circumstances are threatening; or vice stresses of life. versa, many fears arise with no real threat present.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 15 The other is that the psyche’s development ‘As individuals we are often not takes place in the internal context of this conscious of our core values and imbalance and this context affects how core beliefs and how they developed, beliefs and values are formed. Fire types with although we may be willing a weak heart, when asked to list their core to die for them’ values in a relationship, will list ‘trust’, much differ one from another. Signifi cantly, it also more often than the other constitutional presents patterns that can point to the long- types. Metal types and Earth types have a term underlying imbalance. As individuals we different internal set of values and different are often not conscious of our core values and core beliefs. Of course, much of the variation beliefs and how they developed, although we in people depends on the external reality of may be willing to die for them. their upbringing; but a great deal also depends Another example from the Earth Element. upon their original constitutional imbalance. We all at times get worried, need some For example, a Metal constitutional understanding, or are heartened by someone type will often deal less appropriately with giving us sympathy. This ‘support’ is the loss. Given a normal loss, the expression glue that helps society and various groups of grief is either excessive or minimised within society to stick together. It explains – usually minimised. Equally likely, the why we gravitate to those who understand Metal constitutional type will often, with us and avoid those who don’t share our no immediate loss occurring, appear to be concerns. It is the basis of familial, tribal, suffering from a loss where something or gang, organisational and small group loyalty. other just seems to be missing but can’t be But some people seem to be needy and want identifi ed in the environment. The emotion is support too much of the time. Non-verbally internally generated and overrides whatever they seem unable to ‘digest’ the support they might be being evoked by the environment. do get. Like the chocolates that disappear and Given that this process starts early don’t seem to satisfy the need for which they in life, there are many aspects of our psyche were intended (‘did I eat all those?’). The need that develop as a reaction to the imbalance. for support seems more than the situation For example, a Fire type might think requires. The opposite pattern, but still an ‘I feel vulnerable, weak and don’t trust those Earth pattern, is to compulsively support around me, and therefore I must be strong others – maybe even when they don’t need it, and stand up for myself’. Or, ‘I feel vulnerable and for the ‘supporter’ not to address his/her and weak, and therefore I must not take risks own needs with the same fervour. in relationships; better safe than sorry’. The Again, we often notice these events, but development of our psyche, in the context of a we do not go the whole way and see the larger pre-existing imbalance, explains how we pattern. We see the incidents of emotional

16 Jing Shen February 2008 inappropriateness, but we do not notice how patient to take in an emotion (e.g. sympathy they all come from one Element and that or support) or making a request for the patient the emotions of the other four Elements to express an emotion (e.g. ‘You must have are expressed appropriately. Put those been very annoyed’ with appropriate voice and together and you have an important clue face). From the outside, this looks like the cup- to the underlying constitutional energetic of-tea conversation. On the inside, different imbalance. After all, emotions are just the things are happening and the whole process movement of qi. is intended ultimately to produce a diagnosis and ultimately help for the patient. What does emotion testing look like? Learning to do all these things at the same Were you to watch a practitioner emotion time requires some skill and timing, but the testing, from the outside it would look like value is to be judged by the result. two friends chatting whilst having a cup ‘Every person’s mind is a stage, of tea. The tester and testee would appear and endlessly people or situations similar, but there would, of course, be put things on this stage’ underlying differences. In a genuine cup- of-tea conversation, the friends are close. There is another important aspect to They may easily match each other in non- emotion testing. Shakespeare said that ‘All the verbal behaviour. The conversation moves world’s a stage /And all the men and women from topic to topic by association (‘oh, that merely players’. There is another and similar reminds me’). No judgements are made about notion that is important in emotion testing. appropriateness or inappropriateness. No one Every person’s mind is a stage, and endlessly is trying to remember what was talked about; people or situations put things on this no one is consciously and carefully watching stage. A threat in the environment, another the other’s non-verbal behaviour. person’s chance remark, the news on TV, a Alternatively, in an emotion testing context, family situation – all these evoke thoughts, the tester pays particular attention to what has memories, pictures, internal dialogue – the been said and how the patient is responding stuff that occurs on the stage of our mind. emotionally. In order to develop rapport, the When I ask someone what their fondest tester may be consciously matching the non- memories are, I am helping to put something verbal behaviour of the patient. The tester on the stage of their mind. It isn’t exactly like will, apparently spontaneously, be introducing in a theatre bringing on a table with a large subjects and placing subjects on the ‘stage’ envelope on it or having a man in a black cape of the patient’s mind. The tester will be enter from the left; but it is similar. When responding emotionally and on occasions we pay careful attention to our ability to put be obviously doing so, either requesting the ‘things’ on the stage of another’s mind, we are getting close to knowing how to emotion

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 17 test. Put happy thoughts on the stage and we usually involves a tightening of muscles in the should elicit joy. Put scary thoughts on and chest and throat areas, a jerky or not-smooth we should elicit fear. Put personal thoughts response, denial of what was previously said, of what is missing or lost and we should elicit lame excuses which are designed to change grief. This is not the whole story, but putting previous assumptions, an over or under the right stuff on the stage of the mind – that intensity which you might also describe as is, stuff that would normally lead to the non- a lack of smooth fl ow of qi. Acquiring the verbal expression of an emotion – is essential relevant database is an essential part of the to emotion testing. overall skill, and it obviously requires some So emotion testing is more than just a cosy systematic practice. cup-of-tea chat. It also requires some skill in What are other similarities and differences putting things on the stage of a person’s mind. between simply observing a patient’s emotions But how do we really know that, as the result of and emotion testing? One is that emotion an emotion test, we have seen an inappropriate testing and observation both involve acute or appropriate expression. Surely there are too observation. After the request to express anger, many variables for that to be possible? or giving a patient clear-cut understanding/ The ability to make these judgements support/sympathy, the practitioner has comes from experience – a certain roughly 4–7 seconds to notice and judge the accumulation of experience. If you take a response. In some cases, the initial response is pattern for testing anger (which I haven’t covered over by another response in less than clearly spelled out in detail), and use it on a second that makes accurate observation Fire, Earth, Metal and Water types – say eight diffi cult. 2 Good observation and a process we to ten of each – then you acquire a ‘database’ call ‘slowing time’ are both essential. of normal responses. In this database, On the other hand, a crucial difference there will be a range of responses, but they between testing and simple observation is would all be classifi ed as normal – smooth that emotion testing permits the practitioner, fl owing with appropriate intensity. When I through putting things on the stage of the referred earlier to how we notice individual patient’s mind, to engage with all of the cases of inappropriate responses, but don’t Five emotional areas. Patients are not there put together the overall pattern, one of the to express much more than their issues. So missing pieces is this database of normal often simple observation doesn’t touch on responses. With this database of normal, what may be a crucial Element. In testing, when you hit the inappropriate response, you however, the practitioner’s familiarity with know it, even feel it as a kind of shock. the emotions and their natural context of So there is an internal comparison between expression, the subsequent knowledge of how your bank of normal responses and the one in to navigate into each Element area and the front of you right now. The abnormal response practitioner’s expressiveness, all combine to

18 Jing Shen February 2008 make all the Five emotions accessible. So this I am available for criticisms or queries. is a signifi cant difference. It makes the overall You can email John at [email protected] assessment possible. References As an example of how testing leads to better 1 See Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture, Hicks, Hicks and observation, I remember when adjudicating Mole, Churchill Livingstone 2004 a practical exam watching a student trying to 2 See Unmasking the Face, Ekman P and Friesen W, 1975, Prentice fi nd an opening to test anger. In the debrief, Hall, New Jersey, p 31 and pp 144-5 (republished in 2003 by Malor Books, Cambridge, MA) the student explained how she had tried and 3 Where this is not so, you need to look for patterns arising from failed to fi nd an opening for an anger test. She the ‘miscellaneous’ causes of disease very accurately described in detail the patient’s strategy for avoiding an opening and she John Hicks is joint principal of the College of judged that to be abnormal, putting her fi nger Integrated Chinese Medicine where he teaches and on the emotions of Wood as inappropriate. supervises students. He has been an acupuncturist since 1975 and is also a Chinese herbalist. John This was not a conventional test result, but has written or co-written three books: Five Element I knew the patient, thought the student was Constitutional Acupuncture, Healing your Emotions right and she got a high mark. Knowing how to and The Principles of Chinese Herbal Medicine. test both allows for a more creative approach He has a special interest in NLP (neuro-linguistic and improves observation. programming) used therapeutically. For the date of John and Angie’s next CF seminar see p37. How to learn/proceed This article gives you some partial guidance as to how to learn emotion testing and how Acupuncture Clinic to make the process more objective and less subjective. Anyone in practice can begin to work with their existing patients. The basic TCM patterns – defi ciency syndromes and those involving pathogenic factors – usually accompany the constitutional imbalance. 3 An essential point is that the constitutional imbalance is a pattern like any of the syndromes and it can be recognised by the way the patient expresses his/her emotions, signs only, no symptoms. No matter how unconscious we are of our emotions, we are defi nitely emotional beings and thus reveal our constitutional imbalance in our emotional ‘I thought you said come in a suitable tyre’ expression. Why not use this pattern?

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 19 developing your qi with Gio Maschio Breathing life into the winter months

More from Gio on Daoist qi reversal of the fl ow of energy inwards, fi rst into gong and energy practices the lungs, spine and brain in autumn, then as winter takes hold, back to the origin, the kidneys, lower dan tien, and the earth. Hello again! In the last article I looked at how The fl ow of energy towards the lungs, spine, to make best use of the expansive energies and brain in autumn has several functions: of spring and summer in your practice and daily life, exploring how to stretch and open • It begins the process of storing energy your body and energy without strain, and inwards towards the body’s core. Unlike introducing the key technique of moving in winter however, this inwards fl ow is your shoulder blades and arms to release and directed towards the deeper layers of the smooth out the energy of the heart. Here we upper body and back, i.e. the yang aspect of consider how to approach autumn and winter, the body’s core. This activates and stabilises especially with regard to your breathing. the body’s deeper yang energies and the body’s protective energy or wei qi. The energy of autumn and winter • Activating the lungs (especially the upper After the outwards expansion of spring and lungs), brain and spinal cord also activates summer, autumn marks the beginning of the mental clarity needed to store energy energy returning inwards towards the earth. effi ciently, and to be able to progressively let Plants shed their leaves, fruits and seeds go go of all unnecessary habits as we progress back into the ground; animals prepare for into winter. winter and grow more effi cient in their food- Especially in damp, cooler countries such as gathering activities. The energy of the earth the UK, autumn practice is not to be missed! cools and the nights grow crisp and clear. Come winter, the practitioner will have This return inwards reaches its completion developed the strength, stability (‘backbone’) in winter, where the energy of the earth and clarity necessary to better see through the cools fully and sinks back down to its origin, trials of winter (such as colds, fl u, depression), animals turn to rest and hibernate, and the and so allow oneself to rest, recharge and ‘let way is cleared for regeneration in spring. go of the old’ effectively in the winter months, In essence, this is seen as a dual process of making full and productive use of the winter energy returning inwards and refi ning, storing season. In winter, the body’s energy is allowed the essential and clearing away the non- to return and collect in the deepest yin aspect essential for a healthy new growth in spring. of the body’s core, all unnecessary baggage Daoist practices move in sympathy with is released, and the scene is set for vital and this natural inwards process. They follow the healthy new growth in spring.

20 Jing Shen February 2008 ‘In winter, it is important to make sure your breathing does not shut down… people’s breathing often becomes next to non-existent in this season.’

Daoist breathing techniques anything you are not normally aware of but can’t really name). Gradually become aware Your breathing is key to your health in autumn of how they block a restful state. and winter. Daoist breathing teaches you • Each time you breathe out, allow your feet, how to breathe like a baby, with the whole of hands and the tissues of your forehead and your body. Everything in your front, back and face to steadily sink and relax. Gradually let sides, to the depth of your spine, moves easily go of the strength you are using to hold all and in unison as you breathe in and out. The the subtle tensions inside you, feeling them chest and front of your lungs remain still so fl ow out with your breathing, smooth out that the diaphragm activates fully and your of your nerves, and drain out of your hands qi rises naturally up the back and falls down and feet, connecting you to the earth. Let the front of your body, naturally causing the yourself become more relaxed, smooth and ‘micro-cosmic’ orbit up the ren and back down quiet with each out-fl owing of the breath, the du channels. It is one of the bedrocks of and allow yourself to rest as you breathe. Daoist longevity practices and is an invaluable • Each time you breathe in, let your energy life skill to learn. In winter, it is important absorb into your kidneys and to make sure your breathing does not shut lower dan tien. down and go dead, as people’s breathing often • Allow your breathing to become ever more becomes next to non-existent in this season. fl uid and continuous, and as you breathe • Have your breath become very fi ne, out, allow yourself to let go of anything breathing through your nose if possible. Let of any kind you feel you no longer need the in-breath merge into the out-breath and inside you. Breathe naturally, store what is back into the in-breath, like water fl owing essential, and let go of what isn’t. into water. Allow this fi ne circulation of the breath to become very subtle and quiet, Gio Maschio has taught Daoist internal arts for your chest to become relaxed and still, and over a decade, and practised them for more than let your sense of feeling settle into the lower 17 years. He designed and teaches the College’s dan tien and legs. qi gong for acupuncturists course, has conducted • Your autumn practice will have developed seminars for the BAcC, and is one of Master your internal clarity. Now as you breathe BK Frantzis’ most experienced instructors in in, feel for any subtle tensions in your Europe. He also studies buddhism and dzogchen system which prevent you from being able meditation, is a tutor at the Oxford School of to rest. Any tensions in your breathing, any Massage and teaches and practises internal holding in your nerves, any strength in your arts full time. He has an MPhil, speaks three emotions or thoughts (especially the yin languages and is a keen amateur musician. emotions such as grief, fear, depression,

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 21 seven secrets from Angie Hicks Being a highly effective acupuncturist

In practice for over thirty fl ourishes, patients who love seeing them and years, Angie has valuable an enjoyment of treating their patients? Below are listed (in no particular order) the insights to share seven key qualities I see in many of the most successful practitioners: I never cease to be intrigued by the talents • A good heart students bring to their initial training. Most • Passion for acupuncture students are mature and are making major • A thirst for knowledge career changes. Having had their fair share • Clear outcomes of life experience they have developed many • A desire for self-development skills. I notice that some have ‘good hands’ • A sense of worth and palpation skills, others make rapport • Staying power easily, others have good academic ability or well-tuned senses of sight, smell or hearing. A good heart Students come with several talents. By the When Dr John Shen, a famous practitioner, end of their training they have usually fi ne- was asked ‘what is the most important quality tuned these strengths and have also developed for a Chinese medicine practitioner?’ he other skills that enable them to build a said ‘having a good heart’. Acupuncture is a successful practice. caring profession and to do it well we must So which of these are important? What have the desire to help others. One sign that enables practitioners to have a practice that practitioners have a good heart is that they can be ‘present’ with a patient; another is that they are able to create good rapport. Presence means the ability to ‘be there’ for patients – to hear them and accept them as they are. This enables patients to open themselves up to the practitioner. Being accepted can in itself be part of the patient’s healing process. It doesn’t matter if the patient’s problem is depression, a sore shoulder or a gynaecological problem – everyone needs to know they matter. A good heart is also expressed in how

22 Jing Shen February 2008 we connect with people, so the ability to ‘How students learn Chinese make rapport and have easy interactions is medicine affects their enthusiasm. important too. This has been termed having An interesting curriculum with a ‘good bedside manner’. Most practitioners inspiring teaching can feed students’ have this ability – and it may be why they and practitioners’ desire to make want to do this work. It is easier to be in tune a difference in the world. It can with some people than others and effective fuel a passion for acupuncture practitioners also strive to fi nd things in that lasts a lifetime.’ common with those they wouldn’t normally are doing and patients will pick this up relate to. Good rapport enables patients to feel – consciously or not. secure so that they can trust and relax while Our patients want to know that we believe being treated. in and love what we do. The more they feel that Practitioners may develop a ‘good heart’ by excitement, the more they want a piece of it for coming through their own painful adversities. themselves. Conversely, if a practitioner seems Having recovered, they want to give something to be bored with practice, patients will pick back. Strange though it may sound, many that up too – who wants to be around someone practitioners learn to feel grateful for these who doesn’t seem interested in what they do? past physical, mental or spiritual diffi culties. Practitioners’ passion may originate from Their struggle may have enabled them to their experience of their own treatment and resonate better with their patients’ distress. this may even be the reason that they decide to Most of all a good heart comes from the learn acupuncture. At least 90% of those I talk practitioner’s own authenticity – when we truly to say their interest in acupuncture developed relate from within ourselves the patient will when they benefi ted from treatment and was pick this up and want to come for treatment. nurtured while talking to their practitioner. Passion How students learn Chinese medicine affects their enthusiasm. An interesting Passion is infectious. The more practitioners curriculum with inspiring teaching can feed have of it, the more patients will fl ock to their students’ and practitioners’ desire to make a door. Passionate practitioners show they are difference in the world. It can fuel a passion excited and animated by their work. This for acupuncture that lasts a lifetime. may be apparent when they discuss Chinese medicine, advise a patient, or create a special A thirst for knowledge ‘something’ about their treatment room. It It’s one thing to be enthusiastic about Chinese can even be shown in the design of a leafl et or medicine, but in order to practise competently card. It’s the small details that demonstrate practitioners also need to study Chinese that practitioners care about what they

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 23 medicine thoroughly and then continue as Clear outcomes ‘lifelong learners’. The most effective acupuncturists aren’t Practitioners who do well in their practice necessarily academically brilliant but create clear outcomes for treatment that are they do have a thirst for knowledge. When unique for each patient. students fi rst study Chinese medicine their Two patients with the same ‘named’ understanding is very basic. Over time as they condition will not, of course, have the same become increasingly competent it builds to diagnosis. Effective practitioners will use a deeper insight into and intuitive sense of points according to the patient’s individual their patients. Intuition develops from a fi rm needs rather than using the same old points knowledge base. for the same condition. Lifelong learning means that practitioners Both the patient’s and the practitioner’s continue to extend their knowledge after they expectations need to be realistic and in qualify. It is an interesting paradox that we agreement. Some patients have over-idealistic can be both extremely knowledgeable and at expectations about what acupuncture can do. the same time know that we are always just A recent patient with a degenerative disease beginners. Those who continue to learn needed clear guidance to ensure he had from a ‘beginner’s mind’ will always remain reasonable expectations from treatment – curious and open to new understandings but without lowering his morale. about Chinese medicine. As it is an ancient There are many skills involved in the system of medicine we can learn both from process of treatment planning. Treatment the earliest classics as well as keep up with planning includes a thorough diagnosis and new developments and deepen what we culminates in an overall treatment strategy. already know. As well as having an overall plan, practitioners There are many ways in which practitioners need to keep in touch with their sense of continue to develop. These vary from formal sight, hearing, smell and touch and take in supervision groups to informal discussions the patient’s needs each time she or he comes. with colleagues; from seminars or post- This keeps treatment fresh and alive and graduate courses to our own study and ensures the patient is treated as a whole. refl ection. And of course we learn through Practitioners who plan well are properly practice! However they do it, effective prepared for any eventualities. Changing acupuncturists know that knowledge is the treatment as the patient changes takes power! The more we continue to learn and fl exibility and sound judgement and ensures understand, the more choices we have about that the patient makes steady progress. our patients’ treatment.

24 Jing Shen February 2008 Self-development Effective practitioners understand the importance of self-development. This can take many forms. For instance, qi exercises such as qi gong, yoga, martial arts and some meditations are popular with acupuncturists. They are especially useful as self-development tools to strengthen energy, gain greater internal awareness and prevent burnout. Another area may be therapeutic work which may be carried out one-to-one or in a self-development group. NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and Focusing are two of my favourites – but there is a long list that others themselves. How much they charge, time fi nd effective. Our own treatment can also management, contracts and boundaries with be part of self-development. This may be their patients are all examples of this. acupuncture, herbs or massage or some other How much we charge is, of course, always complementary therapy that benefi ts our a choice and many practitioners choose health and therefore our internal to reduce fees in certain circumstances. development. Practitioners must be able to make ends meet, Our self-development can also come from however, and consistent undercharging leads things in our lives that appear very ordinary to burnout and resentment. In the early days but that nourish us. For instance, being with of my practice I reduced a patient’s fee only to family, going dancing or following a healthy later hear about her wonderful holiday abroad diet. These encourage our growth and help us – and at that time I couldn’t afford one! to develop life skills. Another issue is time management. Thriving practitioners know that their self- Practitioners who always try to fi t treatment development will help their own wellbeing – times around their patients, for example, will and as they grow their patients benefi t too. By end up exhausted. An effective acupuncturist, developing ourselves we never get stale and the although fl exible, sets limits. benefi ts to our wellbeing feed into our practice Effective practitioners will make a verbal ensuring it always remains interesting. contract with the patient before starting treatment and will create boundaries and A sense of worth sometimes say ‘no’ or be fi rm with a patient if Having worked hard to qualify, competence necessary. Saying ‘no’ on occasion can be an is not enough. Practitioners need to value important part of the healing process.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 25 Patients can sense that we value ourselves. The more we demonstrate this, the more they will value our treatment. Staying power Whatever the practitioner’s talents, building a practice takes time, effort, and perseverance. The phone won’t always ring and things won’t twenty-year bowel problem had cleared and always go to plan. Effective practitioners are urinary problems, diagnosed as untreatable, determined. They keep on going when things had also improved. It’s the ‘diffi cult’ patients don’t go their way; they pick themselves up rather than the easy ones that make treating after mistakes and failures. the most worthwhile. ‘Practitioners who succeed in building Practitioners who succeed in building a practice know they’re not perfect, a practice know they’re not perfect, so so diffi culties motivate them to keep diffi culties motivate them to keep developing developing their skills. They can learn their skills. They can learn from their mistakes from their mistakes and turn “failure” and turn ‘failure’ into feedback. into feedback.’ My purpose in writing this article is to enable us to think about what makes us thrive When patients respond to treatment like as practitioners and how we might develop a dream this is very encouraging. I’ve also ourselves further. You may even want to rate observed, however, that encountering a yourself on each quality! I’m sure many of diffi cult patient is an opportunity to develop you can think of other strengths (perhaps ones staying power. you have) to add to this list and I will be happy I recently supervised a student who treated to hear from you about any important ones a patient in her late seventies. She could have I’ve missed… been labelled a ‘hopeless’ case having been [email protected] on a string of strong medicines for depression You can email Angie at and other conditions for almost forty years. Angie Hicks is joint principal of the College of Initially the patient didn’t respond to Integrated Chinese Medicine. She has been an treatment. The lack of progress only made the acupuncturist since 1976, is a Chinese herbalist student practitioner more determined. After and has written/co-written six books including fi ne-tuning the treatment plan a turning-point Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture, Healing came and the patient came to treatment with a your Emotions and The Acupuncture Handbook. bright smile on her face. In time she reported She is especially interested in body-based that she was not only no longer depressed, her therapies, qi gong, meditation and Focusing.

26 Jing Shen February 2008 crossword 1 2 354

Across 6 1 You might look this up to differentiate paralysis (2 words) 78 6 Organ of the Fire Element 7 Great (pin yin) 8 A lasting mark – can be physical

or mental 9101112 9 _ _ _ _ _ intestine 11 A lack of this can cause disease 13 14 Du 16 – has been used to treat people who are deaf _ _ _ _ 14 15 15 It can be from cold, damp, wind or heat 16 16 We do this when we investigate thoroughly 17 They could be red, pale, orange or 17 purple (2 words)

Down 1 Which one of the fi ve? (2 words) J INGLUONH 2 It helps to do this well during a traditional diagnosis 3 The direction of Water I UFYOUGIU 4 They once used tortoise shells – we might use the I Ching N BEQANOYA 5 The only one that doesn’t start at the fi rst point is Li 4 (2 words) G EIYINGNT 10 The name of St 29 is ______ing 12 Lower back S NM J I A G I U 13 In 2014 it’s this animal’s year H UIGSNOPO E ENANEHS J pin yin wordsearch N UINJINYI There are at least 26 words is this W UX INGMUA wordsearch – and maybe more! Every square has been used for at least one word. Words E HUANGD I J may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal and maybe reversed. See page 32 for solution I HZZONGQI

Jing Shen 1 crossword solution Across 1 kidney yin 5 ova 6 south 8 tone 9 pain 12 du mai 14 shi 15 balancing Down 1 knotted 2 drain 3 east 4 you 7 hanging 10 ah shi 11 sign 13 mal (solution to this issue’s crossword on page 32)

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 27 Why so weary? Patients frequently complain of profound feelings of tiredness. Peter Mole looks at the bigger picture, beyond the reasons they give

There are many reasons why Overwork There is no doubt that some someone may feel tired. Some of our patients are working too hard and/or are completely understandable playing too hard. Tiredness is obviously and anybody would feel tired likely to follow unless one is still pretty young in such circumstances. But or constitutionally very strong. There is no people’s perception of their substitute for having strong jingshen. tiredness and why they think they are tired Too much sex Chinese medicine books is a very complex issue. The reasons why our always give this as a cause of tiredness, albeit patients frequently believe they are tired are as a bigger issue for men than women. This often only part of the story. The three main may be the case for a few patients, but frankly categories of causation are: most of my patients should be so lucky! • lifestyle When these reasons underlie our patients’ • physiological/medical tiredness then we must treat them as best we • emotions. can and discuss with them the consequences Generally patients tend to blame their of their lifestyle. tiredness on the fi rst two causes. I believe, But for most of our patients, these factors however, that the third cause, the emotions, is do not lie at the heart of their feelings of the most widespread cause of tiredness in the tiredness. And they generally know this to patients that we see. be the case. Lifestyle Physiological/medical In the model of Chinese medicine this largely Biomedical comes in the category of the ‘miscellaneous’ Some patients have physiological reasons that (bu wai bu nei yin – neither internal nor contribute to their tiredness. When they external) causes of disease. complain of tiredness to their GP the doctor Lack of sleep There appears to be a generally runs a serious of blood tests to see if minimum amount of sleep that people need there is a biochemical basis for the condition. in order not to feel tired much of the time. It Anaemia is one possible cause. Glandular varies somewhat from person to person. If fever, infection or low thyroid function are one’s young baby is keeping one awake half the examples of other ‘medical’ reasons for night then of course one is tired. someone to feel more tired than they should.

28 Jing Shen February 2008 Partly in an attempt to diagnose a physiological basis it has become fashionable in recent years to diagnose low thyroid function in patients who previously would not have been regarded as having defi cient thyroid function. If a patient is suffering from chronic tiredness it is always worth them having some blood tests. But patients seldom People also obviously have less energy as fi nd that laboratory diagnosis of their blood they get older. It is very hard to know, however, yields much insight into their exhaustion. what is a reasonable expectation and people I once had a patient who said she had never often blame their age when other factors are felt as energetic and positive as when her GP more important. It is easy for someone who used to give her amphetamines (speed) in the feels tired in their 50s or 60s to feel inadequate 60s. But nowadays prescribing a ‘tonic’ has when the newspapers have stories of people been dropped from the doctor’s repertoire of running marathons in their 80s. They often treatments in the UK – though not in some say things like ‘But I don’t feel any different other parts of Europe. Deprived of this method now to when I was 20’ and it seems that there of attempting to enhance function, and in the is an unchanging aspect of one’s mind/spirit absence of any diagnosis of a known medical (shen) throughout one’s life. And yet one has to condition, the GP has little to fall back on accept that as one gets older one can’t party as other than anti-depressants. one used to and not feel the consequences for The issue as to whether ME (or chronic a good deal longer than in one’s youth. fatigue syndrome) is truly a biomedical Some people are tired because they are condition is still being fought over. There insomniac for purely physiological reasons. is no doubt that some people have genuine Some hormonal imbalances, indigestion, physiological dysfunction that accounts for , bipolar disorder, chronic their fatigue, but many doctors think a large pain and other syndromes can be responsible question mark hangs over many sufferers of for a small minority of people’s insomnia and, these complaints. There are few physicians therefore, tiredness. But even in these cases working with such patients who do not think it is often hard to be sure of the extent of the that psychological factors play an enormous psychosomatic component of the illness. part in many of their patients’ diffi culties. Complementary medical Even if the cause is largely psychosomatic the feelings are just as debilitating as those from Practitioners’ views on why people become purely physiologically based fatigue. ill are largely shaped by the medicine they practise. Nutritionists naturally suspect a lack

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 29 of nutrients for someone’s lethargy and are why they are feeling so tired. They naturally inclined to prescribe changes to the person’s hope that if they can take some pills, be they diet along with vitamin and/or mineral iron tablets, thyroxine, vitamins, herbs or supplements. The vitamin and supplement whatever, the problem will be solved. They industry is now enormous as people spend won’t have to signifi cantly change their large amounts on supplements in pursuit lifestyle and perhaps more importantly the of better health and vitality. Most people problem will be something they ‘have’. This taking health supplements in an attempt effectively means that they won’t have to to boost their vitality self-diagnose or take examine too closely the real cause of their something based on the recommendation of problem – their internal state. someone they know or advice from a book or the internet. Over the last few decades royal Emotions jelly, Q 10, and a host of other natural Physiological reasons are not the primary remedies have, rightly or wrongly, been touted reason why most people sleep badly. Why can as being able to give someone more energy. a person who is exhausted not sleep when In the 90s diagnosing excessive candida they want to? For most people it is because albicans in the body was a popular diagnosis they struggle to calm their mind/spirit (shen). with naturopaths, nutritionists and people Most people know what it is like to have reading about it in various books. Some people trouble getting off to sleep because they have benefi ted from the much improved, more been upset. Or to wake early and be unable to limited diets they were encouraged to endure. return to sleep because of anxieties. But for But as the old maxim says ‘Just because the some people this disturbance in the shen has patient improves it doesn’t mean that the become chronic and despite being exhausted diagnosis was correct’. Cutting out sugar, they cannot get enough sleep. Agitation robs alcohol, wheat, coffee, processed foods, etc them of their sleep and therefore their vitality. defi nitely helps some people. In terms of Chinese medicine, defi ciency of yin There is a multitude of diagnoses and or excess of yang are usually present. treatments. For example, diagnosis of But most people who feel tired get plenty parasites – despite the fact that blood and of sleep. Because the feelings of lethargy feel stool tests can detect none – has been growing so physical, so tangible, they fail to see the in popularity recently. Practitioners of colonic tiredness as primarily psychosomatic. Chinese irrigation also have their views on why people medicine textbooks also never give emotional feel fatigued. Only time will tell whether these diffi culties as a cause of tiredness. diagnoses and treatments remain popular. In recent times many people increasingly Many patients are very keen to receive regard some of their symptoms as dependent a diagnosis from their conventional or on their internal state. Patients often talk of complementary physician which will explain ‘tension’ headaches and seem to accept

30 Jing Shen February 2008 ‘Many of our patients feel tired that in turn enables them to make changes because they lack enthusiasm for in their life or changes in how they perceive the life they are living’ and feel about their life. As it says in Su Wen chapter 7, ’When the body is well and the that syndromes like IBS and tense shoulder shen suffers, illnesses arise in the channels. muscles are often caused by ‘stress’. In these Moxa and needles are the proper treatment.’ cases frustration and anxiety are recognised Acupuncture’s ability to bring about change as causes of symptoms. But people don’t in someone’s shen makes it such an effective seem to be so ready to recognise chronic therapy for tiredness that results from disappointment, loneliness, feelings of failure emotional causes. and inadequacy, sadness or sense of loss as People who have recently ‘fallen in love’ the underlying cause of their tiredness. The very rarely complain of tiredness, despite reason why many of our patients feel so tired is often getting very little sleep! The heightened because they lack enthusiasm for the life they feelings of pleasure easily transcend the are living. feelings of fatigue. ‘Falling in love’ is, by They often feel that they are low because defi nition, a temporary state. For many of our they are tired and not the other way around. patients the crucial realisation they must come If they think that they are tired because they to, and the practitioner must understand, are low, then self-examination is required to is that the solution to their problem is in a discover why that might be. And that might revitalisation of the shen. French philosopher lead them to thoughts that they would rather Henri Amiel wrote that ‘Happiness is the basis not have. Perhaps they no longer fi nd purpose of health’. Certainly in regard to tiredness in their work, love in their relationship or there is no substitute for a sense of meaning meaning to their life. to one’s existence, intimacy with people one ‘Acupuncture’s ability to bring about loves, enthusiasm and a for life. change in someone’s shen makes it such an effective therapy for tiredness Peter Mole has practised in Oxford since that results from emotional causes’ 1978. He studied with JR Worsley, receiving his MAc in 1984. He has been teaching for twenty Being prepared to examine one’s self years, and is dean of this College. He is author and one’s life and realise that change is of Acupuncture: Energy Balancing for Body, necessary is sometimes the motivating force Mind and Spirit, and also co-wrote Five Element that impels people to start acupuncture Constitutional Acupuncture with Angela and John treatment. It is not that acupuncture can, in Hicks, the fi rst comprehensive textbook on the itself, restore meaning to a person’s life or love subject. A founding council member of the BAcC, to their marriage. But at best it is capable of Peter is also a member of the BAAB and chairman generating change in peoples’ shen and vitality of the Oriental Medicine Research Trust.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 31 Clinical study trip Points guide revised to Guangzhou, China This indispensible study aid is one of 31 Oct – 20 Nov 2008 the resources we A three-week study trip for have developed practitioners of acupuncture to support our and Chinese herbal medicine students in their including two weeks’ clinical learning. Points experience in one of China’s most modern are explored hospitals with the opportunity to treat in detail with information presented in patients under the watchful eye of senior an accessible way, including the use of TCM doctors, and lectures from hospital staff. charts and diagrams. Recently revised and Optional trips and sight-seeing tours also improved, it is available in a handy fi lofax available. For more details and an application format in two sizes: A6 size £25 + £2 p&p form, follow the link from our newly A5 size £30 + £3 p&p relaunched website home page cicm.org.uk To order a copy by post send your name, or call Silvia on 0118 950 8880. Study trip address, cheque and requirement coordinator Tony Booker is also happy to to Mary West at the College, quoting JS2 answer any queries [email protected] See inside back cover for full postal address

Dragon & Tiger Chinese medicine in medical chi gung the twenty-fi rst century Taoist Lineage Master with Lonny S Jarrett 5–8 June 08 Bruce Frantzis teaches Lonny’s teaching includes: Core grounding in the the fi rst instructor perspective of the Inner Tradition • Constitutional diagnosis as an organising framework yielding training in Europe deep insights into each patient’s destiny and Brighton, 28 March–10 April 08 the path of their healing • Inner functions of 1,500-year-old, seven-movement set • For any age acupuncture points • An exploration of the rich or fi tness level • Easy to learn • Quickly gives a imagery found within the point names. recognisable feeling of chi in the body • Instructor Location The Window (London’s premier retreat trainings are the most intense of Bruce’s courses • centre), 13 Windsor Street, London, N1 8QG Everyone welcome • Full details energyarts.com Cost £290 Contact Tom on 0141 638 8801 or Local contact Brian Cooper, Inside email him [email protected] Lonny may be

01273 506833 [email protected] reached at [email protected]

(see puzzles on page 27) page on puzzles (see si mu, fei, ben, xin, qing, hui, mai, zhi, yi, po, shen, yang,

jingshen, huatuojiaji, mingmen, huangdi, neijing, jingluo, jueyin, wuxing, nu, pinyin, zongqi, xue, yin, yin, xue, zongqi, pinyin, nu, wuxing, jueyin, jingluo, neijing, huangdi, mingmen, huatuojiaji, jingshen, Wordsearch solution solution Wordsearch

horse 13 lumbar 12 return 10 points entry 5 oracle 4 north 3 seeing 2 Element Wood 1 Down areas tongue 17

16 probe probe 16 bi 15 mute 14 sleep 11 large 9 scar 8 da 7 Heart 6 syndrome wei 1 Across solution Crossword

32 Jing Shen February 2008 fi fteen treasures Peter Firebrace

What is your idea of happiness? What is your favourite fantasy? Peace within and peace without. However, That all will be well. while peace within is largely up to me, peace For what cause would you die? without is not. So happiness is only relative The welfare of humanity. and ultimately unattainable while there is still suffering. What is your greatest regret? None yet, but probably worth asking again What is your greatest fear? on the day I die. That some deep connections I have made will not be fulfi lled. What keeps you awake at night? My overactive brain trying to sort out How do you relax? the unsortable. Meditation, walking in the mountains, listening to music, writing songs, playing How would you like to die? guitar, being with friends and family. Consciously. I’ve always liked travelling and see it as the ultimate journey. Which historical fi gure do you most identify with? What is the most important lesson that None. life has taught you? To accept the unacceptable, while expecting What trait do you most deplore in yourself? the unexpected. Self-pity. Which living person do you most admire? Peter Firebrace BAc MBAcC studied Anyone with a perceptive mind and generous acupuncture at the International College of heart who can weather the storms of life and Oriental Medicine (ICOM) in England, the still retain their shen ming. European School of Acupuncture in France and the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in What is the trait you deplore in others? Chengdu, China. He has also studied Chinese at Self-satisfaction. the Ricci Institute in Paris. Past Principal of ICOM, What makes you depressed? he is a co-founder of Monkey Press, publishing The feeling that none of us will ever learn the Chinese Medicine from the Classics series. and so the tide will never turn. Co-author of A Guide to Acupuncture, he has produced educational DVDs on The Roots of What is your favourite smell? Chinese Medicine and The Body Map of Chinese Hard to choose between mountain pines, Medicine. He teaches widely in Europe and fresh baked bread or a bonfi re. practises acupuncture in London.

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 33 Feeding our qi: spring greens In the fi rst in a series on Chinese food energetics Danny Blyth delves into the deep underworld of the winter soil, emerging with some ideas on how to adapt our diet from heavy winter stodge to the fresh, light produce of spring

It’s that time of year again when 3 No food at all after six o’clock. If this is just everything in the garden starts too much to bear, try a few grapes. to come to life, and our system 4 Eat relatively more vegetables, and less adjusts to the change of pace protein and carbohydrates – more carrots and that spring brings. And the salad, less pie, chips, pasta or cheese! burning dietary question at this 5 Avoid overeating – only 80–90% of capacity time of the year is ‘how do I use my knowledge – and eat slowly too, as the stomach’s ‘I’m of the fi ve fl avours to make a smooth full’ receptors are slower than the brain’s ‘I’m transition from the restfulness of winter famished’ indicators. This of course is obvious into the potential of spring?’ (a euphemism – try fi lling your washing machine all the way for ‘how do I get rid of those extra pounds I to the top and see how well it washes! You can piled on eating half a turkey, a mountain of also avoid stagnation by having a little walk chocolate and far too many mince pies’?). shortly after a meal rather than a nap. Patients in their droves ask if acupuncture 6 Cut out refi ned sugar – I put this one last can help with weight loss at this time of the because it is the hardest to do. year. My answer is generally no, unless there The desire or need to initiate a dietary is marked Spleen or Kidney yang defi ciency ‘spring clean’ seems to be older still than the (these patients seem to put on weight despite mince pie. This time of year has long been all good eating and exercise habits). However, associated with cleansing and purifying, as I do offer this (often ill-received) advice: our bodies eliminate the extra heat that was 1 Cut out snacking – it weakens the Spleen. needed to power us through the winter. 2 Plan a relatively large breakfast, normal The taste associated with spring is sour. lunch, and small dinner – eat when the digestive Most of the sour food that we consume is system is at its strongest at the start of the day, fruit. So did the ancients have magical ways of and avoid overloading it at the end of the day. preserving fresh fruit for the spring detox, or (Sumo wrestlers reverse this, exercising early did they jet it over from Peru too? Pickles (also and eating late so they become fi t and very sour) are generally good digestives, help to large. They skip breakfast to keep morning help cut through fatty foods, wake up the Gall metabolic rate low, and nap after eating.) Bladder and stimulate saliva production.

34 Jing Shen February 2008 Some good common sense comes from the sprouting, spring greens, spinach, rocket) wonderful herbalist and scholar Li Shi Zhen. are great for getting the qi moving, and have He suggested pungent foods at this time of the added bonus of nourishing the Blood. the year (spicy and aromatic, but not hot – for The alliums (spring and ordinary onions) are example , , , , pungent, warming and moving – great for the spring greens). These tend to circulate the Liver. But they can also be heating if eaten qi, clear Phlegm and improve digestion – all too much. In fact, many monks refrain from good for the Liver and the transition between them because they ‘stimulate the desires’ and stillness and movement. ‘stir up anger’. So opt for leeks – a relatively The Liver also likes food that is ‘qing’ or mild allium, both sour and pungent – surely light. Although a rather vague and unscientifi c this must make them the best spring food of term, anybody can tell the difference between all! The cabbage family tend to be sweet and a light meal, and a heavy or rich one. This a little pungent, and help to strengthen the means limiting fats and oils, cooking foods digestive system. Root vegetables tend to be gently (steaming or lightly boiling), and eating the most neutral and easy to digest of all foods relatively more vegetables; remember the (that’s why we wean our children with them – old adage ‘grains build, vegetables cleanse’. they are basically stores of qi and fl uids for the And in this modern world avoiding the nasty plants themselves) – carrots, suede, parsnips stuff (preservatives, fl avourings, additives, and beetroot. And it won’t be long before the colourings) is also important for the Liver. I’m more cooling salad leaves and lettuce are here. sure Li Shi Zhen would have lots to say about No great surprises? Lao Zi in the Tao Te Jing this if he was around today! wrote ‘my teachings are so simple, yet people However, we also have to be careful that we still don’t seem to get it’. don’t overcool our poor Spleen. A simple light meal mainly of veg is a great way to detoxify Danny Blyth studied acupuncture and Chinese the system, but a smoothie with orange juice, herbal medicine at this College and has a bananas, yoghurt and ice cubes is perhaps not postgraduate diploma in Chinese language. He so good due to its cooling sticky nature. practises in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds as well as teaching tai chi and qi gong. He also If this all sounds complicated, we can teaches here at the College including on our CPD simply look and see what food nature provides programme (see Feeding your qi on page 37). us with at this time. Sprouting plants (purple

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 35 CPD events preview

Channel palpation The spiritual development Jason Robertson of a healer 11–12 or 13–14 March Jeffrey Yuen Channel palpation is a classical 29 April diagnostic tool seldom used in Master Jeffrey Yuen is modern acupuncture practice. recognised internationally It offers a reliable, verifi able, as a master of acupuncture, relatively measureable way for practitioners Chinese herbology, classical to confi rm diagnostic hypotheses derived Chinese medicine, Daoism, tai chi and qi from more mainstream Chinese medical gong. Apprenticed for more than 20 years approaches. Because it provides signifi cant in Classical Chinese Medicine and other information about the state of organ function Daoist healing arts with Master Yu Wen, it can help focus diagnosis and treatment, he also studied under the direct tutelage of allowing for greater diagnostic precision, Lu Xin-Zu, a Daoist priest of the Long Men smaller point prescriptions and, most tradition. He holds academic positions in the importantly, better clinical results. It does USA, and has a herbal practice in New York not involve radically changing one’s clinical City with a special focus on caring for people approach but instead provides a useful tool with cancer. He bridges western and oriental which can be used in the context of much that traditions, translating the classical tradition has already been learned. It was a principle of Chinese medical culture into terminology diagnostic tool in early acupuncture therapy. familiar to westerners. This extends to a The Nei Jing (Inner Classic) and Nan Jing fuller understanding of the energetic map (Classic of Diffi culties) include descriptions of the body and a practical education in of techniques for palpating the channels to the spiritual and psychological dimensions search for nodules and other tissue changes. that were either expressed solely as somatic In the modern clinic there is often a cerebral symptoms or eliminated as unsuitable for a approach to acupuncture point choice that modern medical practice. He is committed fails to consider palpatory fi ndings beyond to the spiritual education of the practitioner the information provided by the pulse. At the and to deepening our understanding of what same time, practitioners who are interested it is that we attempt to do in our practice. He in fi nding ways to integrate palpated fi ndings is a wonderful teacher, kind and affi rming of into their diagnosis often lack a useful his students and generous to those who study theoretical structure to categorise what they with him. His teaching is challenging but also are feeling. immensely rewarding. Celine Leonard See Jason D Robertson and Wang Ju-Yi’s article in The Journal of Celine has been a student of Jeffrey’s for fi ve years. She practises Chinese Medicine 83, February 2007 (available online at jcm.co.uk) acupuncture in Dublin (specialising in gynaecology) and chairs the For seminar details go to the CPD events section of our website Irish Herbal Council and Irish Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine. Register online at cicm.org.uk or call 0118 950 8880

36 Jing Shen February 2008 CPD events for practitioners The popularity and value of our events programme is well established. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine professionals from this and other colleges come to Reading to develop their knowledge and meet their peers. We update our website regularly to show which events are fully booked.

Danny Blyth and Jeffrey Yuen 29 Apr 2008 Michael Pringle 10 July 2008 Greg Lampert 21 Feb 2008 The spiritual develop- Fire cupping Feed your qi ment of a healer Scott Tower 17–19 Sep, How to incorporate dietary 22–24 Oct, 18–21 Nov 2008 advice in your treatments. Jeffrey Yuen 30 Apr 2008 Chinese medical Contemporary pulse Angela and John Hicks gynaecology diagnosis 28 Feb 2008 A ten-day course on the Getting better at getting Rachel Peckham and Shen-Hammer System the CF Jacqueline Mangold offering a rare opportunity to 12–13 May 2008 ‘Oral tradition’ seminar. develop advanced skills Substance misuse in . Jason Robertson The NADA five-point Charlotte Stone, Calum 11–12 Mar or 13–14 Mar 2008 ear detox protocol. Channel palpation Thomson and Nik Tilling Michael Cassidy 25 Sep 2008 Diagnostic technique rarely 19 May 2008 taught in the West. Multi-bed clinics Auricular acupuncture: Tony Brewer an introduction Sarah Budd 19–20 Mar 2008 2 Oct 2008 The limbs: examination Radha Thambirajah Obstetric complications and treatment 20–21 May 2008 in pregnancy Common limb injuries. Age-related problems Focusing on obstetric ‘red flags’. Bruce Frantzis 26 Mar 2008 Steve Gascoigne The Fire Element 9–10 Jun 2008 Day Post 16 Oct 2008 and the Heart Diseases of the Scalp acupuncture Qi gong workshop with this endocrine system Techniques to treat motor and sensory disorders. Daoist Lineage Master. Lillian Bridges Alex and Judi Brazkiewicz 23–24 Jun 2008 31 Oct – 20 Nov 2008 24 Apr 2008 Basic face reading Clinical study trip Emergency first aid to Guangzhou, China Lillian Bridges 25 Jun 2008 Includes how to react in an Includes two weeks’ clinical emergency; latest health and Feng shui in the experience in one of China’s safety legislation. treatment room most modern hospitals. To find out more or register online via our newly-relaunched website cicm.org.uk or call our Silvia Hovancova on 0118 950 8880

College of Integrated Chinese Medicine cicm.org.uk 37 Chinese herbal medicine at the College New MSc programme Exciting changes afoot. Charlotte Brydon-Smith puts the questions to Tony Booker

What inspired you to rewrite the College’s step for postgraduate certifi cate holders will Chinese herbal medicine programme? be our postgraduate diploma course, and the It’s defi nitely been a joint effort beween third option will be our new MSc, which will various staff members. Following on from confer full practitioner status. In all cases the success of our undergraduate BSc (Hons) accreditation of prior learning will determine Acupuncture course we felt what was needed the precise details of an applicant’s course. was a postgraduate qualifi cation in herbs We have taken on some new lecturers with robust educational credentials. That’s who will bring additional energy and ideas what really started the ball rolling towards to the mix, including some great home-study launching an MSc, with Greg Lampert packages in the western science elements. doing much of the detailed work involved We also have a new dispensary and a student in developing the syllabus, and Di Eckersley clinic that’s open to the public which will using her expertise to bring it in line with the give students the dispensary training they educational requirements of a masters course. need early on in the programme. How will interested students or practitioners benefi t from these changes? This new programme is going to be challenging and stimulating but I also think it’s going to be fun. We have some great lecturers who really bring their subjects to life. We’ll be visiting the Bristol Chinese Herb Garden during the dispensary training, and making trips to the herbarium and laboratories at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Couple this with the warm and friendly What are the main changes afoot? learning environment for which this College is We’ll be offering three courses (subject to known, and you have a sure recipe for success. validation). The one-year postgraduate certifi cate course for acupuncturists will If you’d like to discuss any aspect of this cover, amongst other things, the use of training, and what it can offer you please pre-prepared formulae (patents) and entitle arrange to speak to me by ringing 0118 950 graduates to prescribe them. The natural next 8880 or email [email protected]

For more details of this training visit our website cicm.org.uk

38 Jing Shen February 2008 The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine offers training in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine

For years two main styles of acupuncture have been taught in the UK, Five Element acupuncture and TCM. What makes our degree course special is the combining, in one training, of both styles of treatment – by teachers experienced in their integration. We’ve also offered training in Chinese herbal medicine since 1994. Restructuring of the study package means MSc options will be available soon – see website for details. And we keep in touch with our graduates and others when they come to the College to take advantage of our programme of continuing professional development workshops and seminars. We are committed to training competent, confi dent practitioners in a supportive and friendly environment where learning is made as natural and enjoyable as possible. And we place strong emphasis on the quality and practical experience of our teaching staff, many of whom have been involved since the College was created in 1993. Two elegant Georgian buildings in the centre of Reading, Berkshire provide ample space for teaching and learning as well as a public clinic which has seventeen treatment rooms staffed by students during their clinical training, and by qualifi ed practitioners at other times. To fi nd out more about the training we offer, or about using the College clinic call 0118 950 8880 or go to cicm.org.uk College of Integrated Chinese Medicine 19 Castle Street Reading Berkshire RG1 7SB t 0118 950 8880 e [email protected] All our needles are silicone free

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