A Journey into Healing

October 10, 2009 — imyunity

From September 5th to September 9th, 2009, I’m-Yunity was on the West Coast, in LA at the 37th Annual Cancer Convention, held at the Sheraton Hotel.  This event had so many experts, such as MDs, NDs, Holistic Nurses, Nutritionists, and other related professionals, each with years of experience and proven clinical research under their belts.  Each had some sort of certification or degree in health and wellness, either CAM or Conventional modules.  Over the past few days, this life changing experience taught attendees that not only does Cancer love sugar, but you prevent the S.O.B from ever striking so hard, and quite possibly, from ever striking or claiming lives, period.  Something as simple as our eating habits can lessen the impact of cancer related issues throughout our lifetime.

I can vividly remember Cancer being branded as an elderly disease.  Today, women as young as 20 years of age diagnosed with breast cancer, stage 4, and very aggressive.  So much so, it metastasize to the bones.  Or even a 19 year old male with aggressive Colon Cancer.  Current day proves that Cancer isn’t very selective when choosing targets, nor does it recognize the significance of race, gender or class for that matter.

Frank Cousineau @ the Rubio Cancer Center, Tijuana, Mexico

With so many people, both young and old, affected to some extend by this mysterious beast, I’m-Yunity set out to find as much information as possible that is available, to inform our community members.  We found clinics in Tijuana, Mexico that specialize in Alternative and Integrated Therapies.  We are also building a database of health professionals who can further assist you and your family in the decision making process.  We will also start a NYC Chapter of the Cancer Control Society.  FYI…juicing, raw-organic-vegan diets, as well as nutritional supplementation can prevent cancer or just about any disease that threatens the immune system.  The key is to having a well balanced and functioning immune system and an overall health and wellness livelihood. Rubio Cancer Clinic, Tijuana, Mexico

With the current turmoil of our economy, the last thing we the people need is to be misinformed about our health and options for health care.  No person should ever have a right to sentence or pronounce death (due to disease) to another.  If one has a “will to live”, then the next steps should be relatively easy.  Our mission is to supply credible information that contributes to the overall health, wellness and happiness to all.  Happy people have been proven to heal faster and live longer than unhappy people.

With our resources, you can definitely find something of interest, including those that embrace CAM and Conventional practices.  Tijuana had at least five major clinical facilities which strengthen the odds against the battle of Cancer & other auto immune diseases, and we visited each one.   Studies show that a positive and strong attitude lends to a solid “will to live”, which contributes to the success of beaten Cancer & other diseases.  Proven success stories and other vital resources are made possible through the Cancer Control Society & it’s affiliates/associates.  Each gives birth to possibilities  and beliefs that can indeed heal.  And the first place to starts is within. Sun setting in Tijuana, Mexico over the Pacific Ocean

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . No Comments »

Zang (Yin) Organs are TCM’s Material Basis of Immunology

October 10, 2009 — imyunity

The lungs, spleen, kidney, liver and heart, also called the five solid organs (yin), are at the core of immune activity.  These organs also make up the zang organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  In TCM, the zang organs are joined with the body’s tissues, organs (viscera), qi (invisible vital energy), meridians, blood & other body fluid as well to create a unity.

Zang organs are part of the overall dynamic energy process of the human body.  Healthy energy is closely related to its physiology activities.  Human beings can actually learn a lot from the zang organs.  Despite their individual functions, they team up and act as messengers. They are responsible for transportation and storage, excess and wastes, controlling of internal communication, activating bodily functions, and making important decisions.

Traditional Chinese Medicine defines healthy energy as body’s natural resistance against diseases and its recovery and repair ability.  These functions are linked to the physiological activities of the five zang organs. In this description, you can safely relate the zang organs to the similarity of the Chakra system.

Here is a break down the organs and their functions:

  1. Heart – to regulate yinyang heart

The heart controls and regulates blood flow throughout the body in vessels.   In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart is considered the chief administrator of all mental and physiological activities.  It rules the spirit (shen) which is an important aspect of mind or spirit in Chinese medicine; it refers to thought, state of consciousness or mental health. The heart influences the organs through the monarch-fire (it cooperates with the prime minister fire to promote the functional activities of the organs), also called the heart fire. The prime minister fire (a yang-energy that originates from the vital gate and which is stored in the liver, gallbladder and triple-burner) assists the heart to promote the functional activities of the other organs.

The heart also possesses our Western understanding of the brain’s role in regulating the nervous, cardiovascular and endocrine functions.  In addition, meridians are the pathways of qi and blood circulation, as well as the channels where the immune functions take effect, the triple burner, which is actually a collective term for the upper, middle and lower burner, (the upper burner is located above the diaphragm and includes the heart and lungs. The middle burner is located in the region above the belly button and below the diaphragm and includes the spleen and stomach. The lower burner is located below the belly button, and it includes the liver, kidneys, large intestine, small intestine and bladder)  directs the various types of qi, and they act as the channel stations for body fluids to circulate. They have an important effect on immune activities.

2. Liver – to maintain Milk Thistle Honeybee

According to TCM, the liver  is responsible for part of the functions of the endocrine, digestive, circulatory and immune systems. The liver promotes flowing and spreading movements; by stimulating flow, the liver adjusts and ensures the smooth flux of qi, blood and body fluids throughout the body. The Chinese believe emotional activity(The five yin organs of the human body produce five kinds of essential qi, which bring forth joy, anger, grief, worry, and fear) is an outer manifestation of the physiological status of the internal organ system, and is considered the major internal cause for diseases (endogenous evils in extreme conditions). Normal emotional health depends on the balance of qi and blood flow. Once the liver is flowing, diseases are kept out.

3. Kidneys – at the basis/root

Cistanche

TCM say the kidneys are the “congenital foundation of life”, the root of healthy energy. The stored kidney essence (jing) is the material basis for the entire body’s yin and yang (Yin yang theory is a kind of logic, which views things in relation to its whole and is based on two basic components: yin and yang, which are neither materials nor energy. They combine in a complementary manner and form a method for explaining relationships between objects) forces, which make the body’s physical form and functions, become balanced. The modern understanding of TCM kidneys not only regulates the urinary system, they also exercise control over the reproductive, hematological, endocrine and nervous systems. The kidneys work closely with the neural-endocrine immune regulating network.

4. Spleen – to promote

Western physiology defines the spleen as a large, vascular, lymphatic organ. TCM’s regard it as the “acquired foundation of life”; the source of blood and qi (vital energy) production. The spleen is a multi- functioning unit. It covers functions of the western anatomical spleen and pancreas and promotes activities of the digestive, endocrine, nervous and blood systems. The spleen governs transportation and transformation of body fluids and nutrient essences (also referred to as acquired essence, it is derived from foods and is necessary for the constitution of the human body and the maintenance of health and physical activities. It can be converted to essence, an essential substance needed for reproduction that is stored in the kidneys) and also controls blood flow. The spleen determines the abundance and depletion of healthy energy, assuring the body’s protection against diseases. spleen

5. Lungs – immune-barrier

The lungs administer qi (vital energy). They connect externally with the skin and hair and disseminate protective qi (kind of qi regulated by the lungs. It flows between the skin and the muscles in order to guard against invasion by exogenous evils) over the body’s surface. The lungs’ protective qi belongs to part of the healthy energy (zheng qi); because it forms the first barrier against the invasion of exogenous pathogens (Exogenous evils or environmental pathogens are the six natural climatic factors: wind, cold, summer-heat, dampness, dryness, and fire that represent the natural conditions within which all living things exist and are not harmful under normal conditions -  becoming pathogenic or disease factors when they are excessive or when sudden changes occur that cause an imbalance of yin and yang inside the body). Protective qi provides warmth and nourishment to the skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles; it also regulates opening and closing of skin pores. When protective qi is abundant, muscles are smooth, skin is tender and subcutaneous tissues are firm. mullein Verbascum thapsus

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments »

Traditional Chinese Medicine & the Immune System

February 13, 2009 — imyunity

Dictionary.com defines immunology as the branch of science dealing with the components of the immune system, immunity from disease, the immune response, and immunologic techniques of analysis. The early stages of this field focused on the non-infectious aspect, which in fact, is part of microbiology.  The rapid advancement of immunology expanded the study to autoimmune, allergy and immunodeficiency, basically becoming an individual science.

traditional_chinese_medicinecopyToday, in theory, our body’s self defense against various infections from bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites, is the immune system. Normal functioning of the immune system maintains the  body’s health. The malfunctioning of the immune system results in disharmony within the body, giving rise to illness.

In the history of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plague was a common term used by the ancient Chinese to refer to infectious diseases affecting mass population.  TCM already knew about the theory and practice of immunology and infectious diseases from prior dynasties. TCM regards immunology as the “healthy energy“  which is the general defense mechanism against infectious diseases.

Since ancient times, TCM harnessed holistic approaches. It sees the human body as an organic whole. The correlations between the organs and tissues, as well as the human itself and its living environments, are organized according to specific orders, which create a mutual balance between each physiological function. This fundamental balance is the root of disease defense and health maintenance.

Every part of the body,  such as qi (vital energy), blood, body fluids, organs and the meridians has its own particular function. These combine to build up the body’s natural defense system and also bring out their protective strengths, mutually. TCM concepts affirm that the body’s natural resistance against diseases is  described as a flow of energy that circulates the entire body. This is called the healthy energy (zheng qi).

TCMSimilar to Western medicine, TCM also holds that the body has its own disease defense ability due to the existence of healthy energy (zheng qi).  In fact, The Book of Plain Questions states that “when healthy energy is well stored inside the body, no evils can cause interference. Whenever the evils are gathered inside, a deficiency of healthy energy must be present”. So basically, healthy energy is the body’s natural resistance against disease, and disease is seen as the result of the imbalance of healthy energy within us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, when healthy energy (zheng qi) is abundant, evil forces (disease and other imbalance) cannot prevail.

According to the  yin yang theory, the body’s yin and yang are regulated and adjusted continuously. Keeping yin and yang in balance, is an essential factor to channel normal life activities. Once this harmony is disturbed, disease will result.

Promoting the yin and yang harmony is the universal treatment goal of TCM. The overall therapeutic strategy is to replenish deficiencies and remove excesses of yin or yang. These approaches are usually focused on holistic regulation and possession of dual modulation effects; to remove excesses and replenish deficiencies, and are similar to Western medicine’s understanding of our body’s immune modulation effects.

Dual Modulation characteristic effects of TCM:yin-yang-symbol-blue-flare

  • TCM focuses on activating our own innate healing power; working mostly on the whole being, not just specific systems. Their healing powers are far beyond the physical level; they can also work on the level of qi (vital energy), which empowers us. Even when the body seems healthy and there are no visible or recognizable symptoms, our immune function can be affected by symptoms present within. According to TCM, herbal remedies can locate and regulate these imbalances even when they are not apparent to us.
  • TCM uses different modulation methods (to balance the process), for example adjusting the body’s yin and yang, qi (vital energy), blood or organ functions.  These methods can rehabilitate the body from a hyper-functioning state to a normal state or from an under-functioning level back to normal. TCM has unique theories categorizing the regulating properties into four actions; “to depress when stimulated”, “to rise when collapsed”, “to subdue when overwhelming” and “to nourish when deficient.”
  • Normal immune functions are enhanced and the internal pathogenic factors are eliminated with dual modulation effects. A complementary relationship is formed that reinforces healthy energy and repels evils.

All information and references are based on Integrated Chinese Holdings, Ltd (ICM) and affiliates.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments »