12 Self-care Tips to Boost Your Health from TCM

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12 Self-care Tips to Boost Your Health from TCM

Did you know that the famous Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician Sun Si Miao lived 141 years in the Tang Dynasty? He was one of the founders of TCM. He was born as a sick child, the cost of medical treatments was high and his family was not able to afford it. This motivated him to study medicine. He was one of the first physicians to recognize that good health requires good nutrition, a healthy daily routine, herbs, and natural remedies. Despite his mastery in herbal medicine, acupuncture, and folk remedies that entitled him the “King of Medicine” in China, he was against careless abuse of drugs. He also promoted the ethical practice of medicine, his ethical principles focused on compassion, justice, nonjudgement, and humility. These values remain valid today and define an ethical doctor. This is very different than what the big pharma is promoting these days, which is $science and following the money. In this content, I am going to talk about 12 self-care tips to boost your health from TCM.

1. Detoxify the Lungs

Today, we are facing tremendous toxins in the air. Exposure to toxins can happen both in an industrial setting and at home. From pesticides used to spray crops to home air fresheners. Some known effects of exposure to these toxins include asthma attacks, pneumonia, bronchitis, and even chronic scarring of the lung, known as fibrosis. Small particles (PM2.5 or 2.5 microns in size) that are floating in the air can get into our lungs too, and pass through the airway into the lung tissue where it can cause inflammation and eventually fibrosis. Some particles are small enough to pass right through the lungs and into the bloodstream. These particles range from diesel exhaust, hair spray chemicals, and deodorizers to toxic chemicals released by the jet streams in the sky.

Many people are aware of this and are using all kinds of supplements to detoxify the lungs, a healthy and clean diet is a must so the liver and other organs can get rid of the toxins more efficiently. I am going to talk about a simple exercise that you can do to detoxify the lungs. Based on TCM, the lung meridian channel passing through your arms, you can activate the energy in the lung meridian to help release toxins more efficiently. How to do it? Beat the elbow pit with another hand with a comfortable pressure for 3 -5 minutes for each arm daily. It is a good idea to drink a glass of water after this exercise to speed up the detoxification process.

2. Prevent Neck and Back Pain

Prolonged sitting in front of a computer can cause stiff neck and shoulder and also contributes to lower back pain. There is an important acupoint called “Hou Xi”, it is also called “Back Stream” (SI-3) in English. It is in the Small Intestine meridian channel, a master point of the Governing Vessel. Where is it located? Form a loose fist, it is in a depression proximal to the head of the metacarpal bone, at the junction of the light and dark skin. This acupoint can effectively relieve neck and shoulder stiffness and lower back pain. When you are taking a break from your work in front of the computer, you can form fists with both of your hands, then drum your fists against the edge of a desk to stimulate this spot on both hands. It is simple and effective; you can practice this a few times a day as you wish. “Hou Xi” acupoint also helps improve your vision and prevent spinal cord degeneration.

3. Liver Detox

The liver is the largest organ in the body after the skin. Ensuring toxins are safely removed from your blood is one of the most critical jobs for the liver. Many environmental toxins and hormones are fat-soluble and do not dissolve in watery fluids such as blood, bile, and urine. These fat-soluble toxins can only be broken down by the liver cells, which contain enzymes to convert the fatty toxins into water-soluble forms. If the liver is not maintained and cleansed regularly, this filter becomes dirty, blocked, and over-worked, which can lead to malfunction and eventually breakdown.

There are many ways to detoxify the liver, here is a simple exercise that you can do to detoxify the liver easily and effectively. This exercise is called the butterfly stretch. It works the inner thighs, hips, and groin. Because the liver meridian channel passes through your inner thighs, you can remove the energetic blockage and detoxify the liver by exercising your inner thighs.

4. Relieve the Neck and Shoulder Pain

Although the neck is such a short part of your body, it supports the function of your brain and spine. There are many meridian channels passing through your neck according to TCM, including the small intestine, gallbladder, bladder meridians, and the Governing Vessel and triple energizer meridian. If the energy in your neck is blocked, it can lead to lots of health challenges, such as headaches, memory loss, strained voice, shoulder and neck pain, and back pain. Here is a simple exercise that you can do to prevent neck and should pain and prevent energetic blockage

around your neck and shoulders. How to do it? Stand straight and extend your hands at the same width of the shoulders, lift both of your hands up towards the top of your head, stretch your arms backward as much as you can, keep this stretching position for 10 seconds, and release. Repeat 5 – 10 times each time. Prevention is the key; you don’t want to wait until the muscles around your neck are stiff as a piece of rock to take action.

Here are more tips on how to relieve neck and shoulder pain.

5. Rejuvenate Your Face

It is almost everyone’s dream to keep a young and youthful look when we are getting older. This is why the cosmetic industry is harvesting billions of dollars each year. It doesn’t have to be so costly. There are quite a few meridians passing through your face according to TCM, including the stomach and large intestine meridians, therefore, massaging your face can not only help reduce wrinkles but also improve your health. How to do it? Rub your palms until they are warm, massage your face with both of your palms like washing your face, about 20-30 times each time. You can do this right after you get up or before you go to bed.

6. Weight Loss

Weight loss has been a hot topic for decades. According to TCM, fat is considered as accumulated waste built up in the body. A healthy digestive system is critical for maintaining healthy body weight. You don’t have to spend hours in a gym trying to burn the fat off. Taking good care of your digestive system with a healthy diet is the key. Exercise is a moving medicine, but you don’t have to be so hard on your body. Here is a simple exercise that can promote weight loss but also boost the function of your internal organs. Get a rolling pin first, then put your foot on the rolling pin and start to roll the bottom of your foot back and forward for about 10 minutes for each foot, you can do this a few times a day. Pay attention to any pain spot and emphasize that area when you roll your foot until the pain is released. This foot exercise also helps enhance your digestive functions, relieve shoulder pain, and improve your sleep quality.

Here are more tips on how to shrink your waistline fast.

7. Enhance Your Gut Function

Your health starts from your gut. A healthy digestive system is a must for weight management and longevity. Today, many people are aware of the importance of gut health and they are pumping lots of nutrition supplements with the intention to boost their gut health. Again, nutrition supplements are another industry that is aiming at everyone’s pocket these days. What about a simple and drug-free approach? Here comes the wisdom from TCM, there are many important acupoints around your abdomen, you can enhance your gut functions effectively by stimulating these acupoints. How to do it? Warm up your palms first, use one palm to massage your abdomen clockwise 100 times, and then use another palm to massage your abdomen counterclockwise for another 100 times. You can check my video on Youtube for detailed information on this, the video is called “How to Harness the Zero Point Energy to Boost Your Gut Health”. This exercise routine can not only boost your gut health but also reduce your waistline and improve your sleep quality.

Did you know your gut microbiota can significantly affect your gut health?

8. Prevent Lower Back Pain

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Du Vessel Governs all of the Yang meridians in the body, which is critical for our health and longevity, and the energy of the Du Vessel runs through our spine. You can see how important your spine is in terms of your physical health. “Du” in Chinese means the “govern”. The Du channel represents our ability to rule our lives, our transformation, survival, and grounding energy. The Governing vessel is also responsible for nourishing the five ancestral organs, which include the brain and spinal cord.

The spine is the second lifeline of the human body and occupies a vital position in the human body, if the spine encounters problems, it will have a great impact on our health. A large number of clinical studies have confirmed that more than 80% of chronic diseases are related to spinal dislocation and compression of the spinal nerves. But not many people have looked for the real causes of their chronic conditions – spinal dislocation. If the spine is misaligned, it not only compresses the roots of spinal nerves, which causes neck, shoulder, and back pain, and leg pain, but also causes visceral nerve conduction disorder and spinal-related diseases.

Here is a simple exercise to improve your spine function and prevent lower back pain. Sit straight on a mat and flex your feet. Bend your upper body and stretch your hands to reach your feet. Stretch your upper body as much as you can to reach your feet, keep this bending position for 3- 5 minutes each time. Stretching your spine is a great way to bring life energy to your spine.

9. Reduce Stress

Today, we are facing stress from different areas in our lives, including financial stress, emotional stress in relationships, work-related stress, etc. If the stress is not released properly, it can accumulate and lead to various health challenges, such as headaches and insomnia. There is an important acupoint called “Yintang” on your face, it is also called the “Hall of Impression” in English. Yintang acupoint is located on the forehead midway between the eyebrows, which is in the area of the third eye. This spot can help calm the mind and reduce stress. Massaging this acupoint with your thumb or middle finger regularly also helps reduce headaches and improve your sleep quality. When your mind is clear, you are able to fall asleep quickly.

10. Relieve Headaches

Headaches can relate to stress or energetic blockage in meridian lines because there are many meridian lines running over the head, including the stomach meridian, gallbladder meridian, bladder meridian, small intestine meridian, large intestine meridian, and the Governing vessel, etc. Any blockage in these meridians can cause headaches, so one painkiller pill is not the solution for headaches because it doesn’t resolve the root cause. Here is a simple tip you can do to relieve headaches effectively, it also helps boost your memory, prevent grey hairs, enhance your mental clarity and increase your productivity. How to do it? Very simple, just use your fingers like a comb to massage your head. Use both of your hands to give your head a thorough and good massage for about 5 to 10 minutes, and cover all the areas, from the front to the back, and from the left to the right. After the massage, your headache is gone and you feel great!

11. Prevent a Stroke

According to the theory of holographic positioning from TCM, the heel is closely related to the brain. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that most strokes are caused by the imbalance of Yin and Yang energy flow in the body. Unbalanced Yang energy rushes upward and concentrates in the brain, which overstimulates the central nervous system and leads to seizures and unconsciousness. Toestand is a great solution to prevent strokes. It helps balance the Qi (energy) and blood in the brain, but more importantly, it can direct the Yang energy down to the feet through the bladder and kidney meridians to prevent a stroke. Regular toestand exercises can effectively improve blood circulation in the brain. For those who work in a fast-paced environment and use their brain more often, toe stand can be a great way to relieve stress and recharge the brain. This exercise is simple and effective, you can practice it anywhere and at any time.

12. Enhance Your Longevity

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidney meridian is the power center of your life force and the energy in the kidney meridian opens in the ears, this is why massaging your ears can enhance longevity, prevent ear ringing, and improve your sleep quality and boost your energy.

Good health requires daily maintenance especially when we are getting older. Developing a daily routine to take good care of your health will increase your productivity, bring you happiness, and enhance your quality of life, so you can fully enjoy this life journey. What do you think?

I also made a video on YouTube about these self-care tips, you can use it as a visual tool to help you apply them more efficiently.

I hope you enjoy the information. If you would like to learn more about the amazing healing power of acupoints from the ancient wisdom of TCM, you could check my book “88 Most Important First-Aid Acupoints for Self-care from TCM”. This book includes 88 most important acupoints (acupressure points) from the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine for self-care. It is designed in a beautiful and colorful card fashion, which is very visual and user-friendly to the readers. According to TCM, all illnesses are energetic blockages in the body, acupoints can be viewed as the energetic gates that can amplify the energy flow in certain areas in the body. By stimulating specific acupoints; one can remove those energetic blockages and enhance the energy flow in these areas, thus illnesses will be resolved. This book covers the most common health challenges, such as cold, fever, cough, sore throat, headache, indigestion, diarrhea/constipation, bloating, insomnia, night sweat, computer syndromes, shoulder pain, back pain, etc. It can also be used to effectively manage chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure, chronic pains, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and weight management; and it can also be used for anti-aging purposes and enhancing longevity.

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About the author: Lucy Liu

As a Holistic Health Practitioner, Registered Dietitian, TCM Practitioner, Energy Healer, Master Hypnotist, Reiki Master, Advanced Theta Healing Practitioner, Author and Speaker, Lucy Liu, the founder of optimalhealthsolutions.ca, has gained a good reputation in holistic health after many years of serving patients and clients as a holistic health practitioner. Lucy has developed a unique and comprehensive approach, which combines Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Energy Medicine, and Alternative Medicine together, to help others achieve optimal health by creating harmony between the body, mind, and spirit, and maintain long-term success for healthy lifestyle changes.
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