Newsletter Archives: 2003
Spleen Meridian
One of the main functions of the Spleen meridian is to extract Qi (energy) from the food we eat, and if the Spleen is out of balance our digestion may be sluggish. Spleen is also said to house thought, which means that if we are spending too much time thinking, the Spleen meridian may suffer.
As part of the Earth element, Spleen is related to stability, the home, and nurturing—of ourselves and others. Spleen is sometimes referred to as Spleen/Pancreas, as it represents some of the functions of both of these physical organs. Spleen is a yin meridian, and its partner is Stomach.
The correspondences for the Earth element and the Spleen meridian are:
| Partner: Stomach | Sound: Singing | |
| Time of Day: 9 am to 11am |
Tissue: Muscles | |
| Color: Yellow | Sense Organ/Sense: Mouth/Taste | |
| Season: Late Summer | Direction: Center | |
| Climate: Dampness | Life Process: Adulthood/Manifestation | |
| Flavor: Sweet | Mental Quality: Clarity | |
| Emotions: Anxiety/Empathy | Energy Quality: Stabilizing |
The pathway for Spleen begins on the big toe, travels along the arch of the foot and continues up the inside of the leg to the torso. There are a total of 21 points on the Spleen meridian.
SP 6 (Three Yin Meeting or San Yin Jiao) is a great point for menstrual problems, as well as digestive disorders, headache, dizziness, and insomnia. This point should not be used during pregnancy.
Spleen 6 is located four finger-widths above the medial maleolus (the round bone protruding on the inside of the ankle), and right behind the leg bone (tibia).
Stretching – Earth Element Makko-ho
Begin on hands and knees, with your knees together and your feet slightly wider than hip-width. Sit back so that your hips come down between your feet. You may want to use your hands to roll the flesh of your calves outward to avoid pinching. At this point, if you can really feel a stretch, stop here.
If you aren’t feeling it yet, start leaning back so that your back is moving toward the floor, keeping your knees together and on the ground. Stop and hold when you begin to feel the stretch. If your back comes all the way to the floor, you can raise your arms up overhead to continue the stretch. Remember to take slow, deep breaths throughout your stretching. An alternative, if your legs or knees aren’t comfortable with this stretch, is to do this stretch with one leg at a time and the other leg straight.
Holiday Special
Gift Certificates—10% off
Give the gift of healing touch to your loved ones this holiday season. Gift certificates for one-hour treatments are $45 through December 31, 2003. Cora will be out of town December 14 through December 28, but she may be reached by phone (520.975.6355) and gift certificates may be ordered and mailed to you.
Book of the Month
Listening by Lee Coit
This is a simple guide for developing and learning to trust your intuition. The information is valuable for making decisions of all kinds, and learning to sense when you are on the right track.
Anatomy Quiz
How well do you know your body? Send me an e-mail with the correct answers to the following questions by December 31, 2003, and you’ll get $5 off your next session.
What is the largest organ in the body?
How many tonsils do humans have?
How many bones are in one leg (including the foot)?
What is the vomer, and where is it located?
Stomach Meridian
Stomach is in charge of "rotting and ripening," that is, preparing the food we eat for the Qi (energy) to be extracted and used by our body. It is the first step in our digestive process, and if Stomach meridian is out of balance we may experience nausea, low or excessive appetite, or other digestive disorders. In addition to taking in food, the Stomach is also related to accepting new information. Stomach is the yang meridian associated with the Earth element, and its partner is Spleen.
The pathway for Stomach begins on the face, just below the eyes, and travels down the front of the body to the front of the legs, ending on the second toe. There are a total of 45 points on the Stomach meridian.
The correspondences for the Earth element and the Stomach meridian are:
| Partner: Spleen | Sound: Singing | |
| Time of Day: 7 am to 9 am | Tissue: Muscles | |
| Color: Yellow | Sense Organ/Sense: Mouth/Taste | |
| Season: Late Summer | Direction: Center | |
| Climate: Dampness | Life Process: Adulthood/Manifestation | |
| Flavor: Sweet | Mental Quality: Clarity | |
| Emotions: Anxiety/Empathy | Energy Quality: Stabilizing |
ST 36 (Leg Three Miles or Zu San Li) is a wonderful acupressure point for nausea, dizziness, and bringing strength to the legs. It is located about four fingers-width below the kneecap on the outside edge of the shin bone (tibia).
Press this point on both legs with your fingers, or use your knuckles to create some friction in the area around the point.
Stretching
Note: Always stretch slowly and gently. This exercise should not be painful. Do not continue if you feel any pain.
Is your upper back always tight between the shoulder blades? Some of your tension may be caused by tight pectoralis muscles. The pecs are big muscles in your chest that get tighter when you slouch, causing the little muscles in the back to become overstretched and tight. Try this stretch to help balance your upper body and improve posture.
Doorway Stretch
Stand in front of a doorway and put both hands about shoulder height on the doorframe. Then lean forward so that your weight is supported by your hands and your elbows are pointing out behind you. Try varying the height of your hand position to stretch different parts of your chest muscles.
Have you tried Myofascial Release yet?
Cora just returned from an advanced seminar in the John F. Barnes, PT approach, called Myofascial Release. This was her ninth seminar with John, and undoubtedly the most profound yet. The seminar covered a wide range of techniques for working with conditions such as vision problems, jaw pain, back pain, emotional trauma and a whole lot more. Practically everyone can benefit from receiving Myofascial Release. Ask what MFR can do for you.
Book of the Month
Healing Ancient Wounds: The Renegade’s Wisdom by John F. Barnes, P.T.
This book is written by the founder of the Myofascial Release Approach, and is highly recommended for anyone interested in or currently receiving Myofascial Release. It is filled with stories from clients and therapists, tied together with explanations of the concepts behind the treatment, written in a conversational style.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated form our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."—1994 Inaugural Speech, Nelson Mandela
Large Intestine Meridian
Large
Intestine represents the ability to release. On the physical level,
this means that when our Large Intestine meridian is out of balance we
may have problems with constipation or diarrhea.
This meridian also plays a role in childbirth. We can experience mental or emotional "constipation" when we are obsessing about something. And we have all experienced times of grief when we didn’t want to let go of someone dear to us. The Large Intestine is the yang meridian associated with the Metal Element, and is paired with the Lung.
The Large Intestine pathway begins on the index finger and travels along
the arm, over the shoulder to end on the face just to the outside of the
nose. There are a total of 20 points on the Large Intestine meridian.
The correspondences relating to Large Intestine are:
| Partner: Lung | Sound: Weeping | |
| Time of Day: 5 am to 7 am | Tissue: Skin/Hair | |
| Color: White | Sense Organ/Sense: Nose/Smell | |
| Season: Fall/Autumn | Direction: West | |
| Climate: Dryness | Life Process: Aging/Communication | |
| Flavor: Pungent/Spicy | Mental Quality: Intuition | |
| Emotions: Grief/Courage | Energy Quality: Contracting |
LI
4 (Joining Valley or He Gu) is a very powerful acupressure point.
Do not use this point during pregnancy. Some of the many uses for Large
Intestine 4 are: headache, toothache, pain, cough, sore throat, constipation,
and delayed labor. It is found on the hand, in the middle of the second
metacarpal bone, on the radial side. That means the edge of the hand bone
to which your index finger attaches, about halfway between your finger
and your wrist.
LI
20 (Welcome Fragrance or Ying Xiang) is an excellent point for nasal
congestion. Press this point on both sides while trying to breathe deeply
through your nose to relieve congestion due to allergies, colds, and sinus
problems. Large Intestine 20 is located at the outside corners of the nostrils.
Stretching — Metal Element Makko-ho
The makko-ho’s are a series of stretches designed to help balance your meridians. Each makko-ho stretches the two meridians of a particular element. This month we will look at the Metal Element Makko-ho, which stretches the Lung and Large Intestine meridians. Taking deep, slow breaths while stretching with help your Qi to flow even more smoothly.
Note: Always stretch slowly and gently. This exercise should not be painful. Do not continue if you feel any pain.
Begin
in a standing position with your arms straight. Bring your hands behind you
and link your thumbs together, pointing your index fingers toward the floor.
Move your shoulders back while your face and chest stretch toward the sky,
and your index fingers reach toward the earth.
Next, while keeping your shoulders back and arms extended, bend at the waist
so that your fingers start pointing upwards, and your head hangs down with
your neck loose and relaxed. Repeat with your thumbs linked the opposite
direction. Remember to breathe deeply throughout the exercise.
Autumn Special — 20% off when you buy a Package of Treatments
If you plan to schedule a few appointments over the next couple of months, this is a great way to save money and remember to take care of yourself. A package of four treatments is only $160 when you pre-pay by October 31, 2003. You’ll save $40 off the regular treatment price! Please plan to use your package by the end of 2003.
Book of the Month
Take
Five by Pamela Ferguson
Five Element Theory is one aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this book describes it simply and with lots of color. Read this book to learn how emotions, colors, seasons, flavors, and many other aspects of our environments affect the energy flow in our bodies.
Rules of the Game
1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this
time around.
2. You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in a full-time school called life. Each day in this school
you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons
or think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed" experiments
are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it.
When you have learned it you can go on to the next lesson.
5. There is no end to life's lessons.
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive,
there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "here."
When your "there" has become "here" you will simply obtain
another "there" that will, again, look better than "here."
7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to
you something you love/hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up
to you.
9. Your answers lie inside you.
All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
Welcome to the first issue of the Touch of Radiance online newsletter!
This newsletter is intended to provide tidbits of useful information, and serve as a reminder to all of us to take care of ourselves. The Traditional Chinese Medicine section will introduce a different meridian (energy channel) each month, so those of you who are receiving Shiatsu can learn more about what is behind the work I do. I also plan to include a stretching exercise or some other health tip each month, and any specials that I am offering in my practice. The newsletter should come out around the first week of each month, and you will be notified by e-mail, if you subscribe, when it has been posted.
If you haven’t already seen it, please check out the rest of the web site. Additions are being made all the time, so please check back frequently. Also, if you know of anyone who might be interested in this newsletter, the Touch of Radiance website, or receiving bodywork from Cora Jacobson, please pass my information along. And if you have any questions, comments, or helpful advice, please let me know.
The Lung Meridian
The Lung is a good place to begin our study of the twelve major meridians because its main function is the intake of Qi (vital energy). Over the next year, we’ll look at each of the meridians, in the order in which energy flows from one to the next. As we breathe in fresh, clean air, our Lung meridian extracts Air Qi to descend and disperse it throughout the body. Lung symbolically represents structure and vitality. As part of the Metal Element, the Lung is paired with the Large Intestine.
The correspondences relating to Lung are:
| Partner: Large Intestine | Sound: Weeping | |
| Time of Day: 3 am to 5 am | Tissue: Skin/Hair | |
| Color: White | Sense Organ/Sense: Nose/Smell | |
| Season: Fall/Autumn | Direction: West | |
| Climate: Dryness | Life Process: Aging/Communication | |
| Flavor: Pungent/Spicy | Mental Quality: Intuition | |
| Emotions: Grief/Courage | Energy Quality: Contracting |
Looking
at the correspondences, haven’t you noticed how as we start to get older, our skin gets dry and
our hair turns white?
Do you tend to wake up between the hours of 3 am and 5 am? Or feel sluggish
between 3 pm and 5 pm? Having a hard time staying organized? Try wearing
white more often, letting yourself cry over a sad movie, and eating some
spicy foods to nurture your metal element.
The Lung pathway begins just below the lateral end of the clavicle. (That’s the outside end of your collarbone.) It travels down the arm to the thumb, and there are a total of 11 acupressure points on the Lung meridian.
Lung
1 (Central Palace or Zhong
Fu) is a useful acupressure point, excellent for breathing problems,
asthma, sore throat, and shoulder and upper back pain. It is known to clear
the chest and emotions, and strengthen the lungs. First find the depression
just below the outside end of your collarbone, then go about an inch below
that depression onto the muscle (pectoralis major). It is usually tender
on most people. Use your thumbs to hold this point while taking deep, slow
breaths.
Wrist & Forearm Stretches — for those of you who use computers
Note: Always stretch slowly and gently. This exercise should not be painful. Do not continue if you feel any pain.
Flexor Stretch
Start
with your left arm straight out in front of you, palm up. Place the thumb
of your right hand on the back of your left hand, and the fingers of your
right hand perpendicular to and on top of the fingers of your left hand.
Using your right hand, push with your thumb and pull with your fingers until
you begin to feel a gentle stretch in your left forearm. Hold for ten seconds,
while taking deep, slow breaths. Repeat for your right arm.
Extensor Stretch
Start
with your left arm straight out in front of you, palm down. Curl your left
hand into a loose fist. Place the thumb of your right hand on the inside
of your left wrist, and the fingers of your right hand on the back of your
left hand. Using your right hand, push with your thumb and pull with your
fingers until you begin to feel a gentle stretch in your left forearm. Hold
for ten seconds, while taking deep, slow breaths. Repeat for your right arm.
Book of the Month
Waking
the Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter A. Levine
This is such an eye-opening and empowering book. It discusses trauma, where
it comes from, and what we can do about it. I learned a lot about myself
while reading this book, and gained a deeper understanding for others as
well. I would recommend this book to anyone in search of healing.
Autumn Special — 20% off when you buy a Package of Treatments
If you plan to schedule a few appointments over the next couple of months, this is a great way to save money and remember to take care of yourself. A package of four treatments is only $160 when you pre-pay by October 31, 2003. You’ll save $40 off the regular treatment price! Please plan to use your package by the end of 2003.
The 12 Warning Signs of Health
1. Persistent presence of support network.
2. Chronic positive expectations: tendency to frame events in a constructive
light.
3. Episodic peak experiences.
4. Sense of spiritual involvement.
5. Increased sensitivity.
6. Tendency to adapt to changing conditions.
7. Rapid response and recovery of adrenaline system due to repeated challenges.
8. Increased appetite for physical activity.
9. Tendency to identify and communicate feelings.
10. Repeated episodes of gratitude, generosity or related emotions.
11. Compulsion to contribute to society.
12. Persistent sense of humor.
If five or more of these indicators are present, you may be at risk for full-blown health.