What I learned from Humoral and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
I've spent several years now trying to understand the many medical art forms. This is one lesson I take from the combination of these two.
Each Its Strength
Every traditional form of the medical art that I have learned from seems to build upon or complement one another.
Let me give you an example.
Galenic/Humoral medicine teaches us about the interaction between the environment you inhabit and the choices you make about your life, and how that interactions impacts the balance of the substance and functions of our body.
This tells us why someone who is sanguine (more moist and hot than other temperaments) may experience “flu-like” symptoms in the spring if eating certain foods or rapid shift in climate.
Structural changes in the here and now.
Whereas, TCM tells us about the transformation of energy within and between these structures across time.
For instance, TCM tells us what response will the body manifest in the future if some disturbance in constitution occur today. So, if your summer is particular HOT or DRY…the body will undergo so-and-so transformation in the Fall or Winter.
Then, how do I apply this information?
A Case Narrative
I just came way up north to northern Ontario to visit family. I live in the Southern US. It was summer af where i came from, but it’s early spring here.
I am of the hot and moist temperament. Whereas I was in the throws of alternating dry and moist hot environment, I am now in a colder environment.
What does that do to moisture?
It condensates it.
I am now leaking fluids and feel more sluggish and congested.
So what am I focused on?
Keeping my blood flowing and fluids drying up to balance the excess moisture. Especially the food we are eating this time of year. Fatty beef. Which can shift temperament toward more hot/moist as well. Thereby amplifying the existing imbalance.
We need to dry things out.
What’s that mean? Dry sauna. Light exercise. Percussive/massaging skin and tissue manipulation. Less moistening and cooling food. Spices/pepper.
I feel better already.
Thank you, Galen and ibn Sina.
One of the other environmental shifts up here are that the days get longer.
Which I interpret as the need to adjust our life to spend more time in the Sun…we exist in this balance. Maybe we need more vitamin D? Maybe we need to accommodate to the temperature. Maybe we need more UV and IR light to improve our metabolism.
We are already doing it with artificial light lamps.
Who knows, winters here may require that much more time in the Sun.
You will need the extra boost once Fall and Winter arrive.
Soak it up.
Thank you, TCM.
The Limits
As you can see, the diagnosis and treatment are highly personal.
This is not something that can be scaled very easily.
Which plays to my strengths and desires.
To help people by empowering them with the wisdom of these medical arts using straightforward tools.
I believe one of those tools is making the wisdom of these medical arts more accessible.
Which is why this blog and the new podcast exist!
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The best experience for the podcast exists on the Youtube channel, simply because the ecosystem there asks for a different experience than other platforms.
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