Curing Headaches Naturally with Chinese Medicine
by Bob Flaws

There are many different types of headaches. They vary in location (front, back, temples), severity, and frequency, among other things. Often a headache can be identified by the energy along which the pain is located (for example, Bladder channel headaches between the eyes). Holding points in the feet that are on the same channel can often bring rapid relief.

There is no one treatment for headaches, since different types of headaches will require a different course of treatment. This illustrates one of the strengths of Chinese Medicine: Rather than treat the symptom attached to the label "headache," it attempts to identify and treat the total pattern -- something that will be unique for each individual.

Many people experience a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of their headaches once the underlying pattern has been identified and their energy brought back into balance.

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Better Breast Health Naturally with Chinese Medicine
by Honora Lee Wolfe and Bob Flaws

This book discusses the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of breast diseases from the perspective of Chinese medicine. Included are a number of self-care remedies, such as self-massage, magnet therapy, moxibustion, aromatherapy, medicine plasters and liniments, and herbal teas. Many of the lifestyle changes recommended for the prevention of breast diseases are already familiar to us. But understanding why these changes will be effective, from the point of view of Chinese medicine, can provide the motivation we need to maintain these changes in our lives.

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Medical Qigong for Understanding, Preventing, and Treating Breast Disease
by Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson

Jerry Alan Johnson is recognized in both China and the West as a leading authority on Medical Qigong Therapy. He is the Executive Director and founder of the International Institute of Medical Qigong in Pacific Grove, CA, a school that has several branches in the San Jose area. He's also the Dean of Medical Qigong Science at Five Branches (an acupuncture school) in Santa Cruz.

Among his many areas of expertise are the application of medical qigong to emotional trauma, the treatment of tumors and cancer, and the healing power of sound. These come together in his video on treating breast cancer. Using movements, postures, visualizations, sounds, and affirmations, the goal of these practices is to break up and eliminate the energy blockage at the root of breast disease. Many of the practices are designed to release emotions that have been stored in the body over a lifetime.

The video combines educational material with demonstrations of qigong practices. You can view an outline of the contents online (although the page is out of date and many of the links don't work).

By design, the video can be used for both prevention and treatment of breast disease, but I feel its strength is on the treatment side. The practices require dedication and a considerable daily time commitment over a three-month period.

There's one segment of the tape I recommend as excellent preventive therapy -- the one that demonstrates the use of acupressure points (Point Therapy Treatment). If you develop the habit of applying pressure to these points on a daily basis -- when you wake up in the morning or when you're falling asleep at night - you'll create a good physical and emotional foundation for breast health.

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Curing Hay Fever Naturally with Chinese Medicine
by Bob Flaws

From the author's introduction: "For many years, I myself suffered from allergic rhinitis, both seasonal and to animal dander, and from asthma. Since learning Chinese medicine and living by its precepts, I have not had an episode of asthma in many years and do not even own any asthma medication. I do not have hay fever, and I can even be around cats without feeling that dreaded itching in my eyes and constriction in my lungs.

"Chinese medicine has helped me learn what was at the root of my allergies and how to correct especially my diet in order to eliminate my allergies' fundamental causes. ... If you follow the advice [this book] contains, I believe that you too will experience fewer and less severe allergic attacks and that your general level of health and well-being will definitely improve."

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Curing Arthritis Naturally with Chinese Medicine
by Douglas Frank and Bob Flaws

In Chinese medicine, rheumatic diseases, including all types of arthritis, are considered "bi zheng" or impediment conditions. An impediment is a blockage or obstruction that results in pain. What's blocked is the flow of chi and blood. This can happen either because something is interfering with the flow or because there is not enough chi and blood to maintain a smooth flow. Acupressure, herbs, and massage can help restore the flow of chi and blood and alleviate the pain.

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Chinese Medicine Balls

Chinese Medicine Balls provide excellent exercise for the joints of the hands. You can purchase a set for $5 at Easy Food Company on Castro Street in Mountain View (at the corner of Dana, across from the former Printers Inc).

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Curing Insomnia Naturally with Chinese Medicine
by Bob Flaws

The body goes through a daily cycle in which chi, produced from food and air, rises during the daylight hours and sinks downward at night. If chi is unable to move downward into or remain in the lower body at night, we will have insomnia.

Chinese medicine has an explanation for why babies sleep so much, why we tire more easily after age 35, why remedies for insomnia slow down the aging process, and why women experience insomnia in connection with menstrual cycles, childbirth, and menopause.

To alleviate insomnia, Chinese medicine first identifies the underlying pattern -- usually a matter of excess or deficiency in one or more of the organ systems -- and then treats the pattern. The information here on diet, exercise, and relaxation is useful for treating oneself.

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Yoga Builds Bones, Easy Gentle Stretches that Prevent Osteoporosis
by Jan Maddern

The instructions and diagrams in this book are easy to follow. In addition to yoga poses for the upper and lower body, there are poses for the ovaries, the adrenals, the pituitary, pineal, and parathyroid glands, and special yoga techniques for relieving menopausal symptoms.

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The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health, a lifelong guide to wellness
by Linda Sparrowe with yoga sequences by Patricia Walden

This is a large format book, with many photos and an attractive layout, published by Shambhala. Part One contains three yoga sequences -- essential, energizing, and restorative. The remaining parts of the book deal with life stages (adolescence, childbirth, menopause) and specific issues (headaches, back aches, digestion, the immune system). There is a chapter devoted to osteoporosis. If you already have some yoga experience with a teacher, you will find this book a useful reference and valuable source of information.

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Back Pain: Chinese Qigong for Healing & Prevention
by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming

Back pain can be alleviated with acupressure and Tui Na, but ideally one should work on the root cause of the pain, otherwise it will simply reoccur. This book contains a helpful sequence of Qigong movements to prevent and relieve back pain. Qigong is effective for back pain because it reestablishes a strong, smooth flow of chi through the affected area. When the flow of chi and blood is increased, physical damage to the area can be repaired.

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