Traditional Chinese Medicine and Me

Born as a Chinese did not automatically made me understand Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). When I was not feeling well, as a child, my mother used to give me some kind of herbs that she bought from a Chinese herbal store in our neighborhood. She also gave me a strict rules about food that was good and bad for my body. Some of my favorite food that my mother gave me in a limit number was deep frying food. “That kind of food is too hot for your body,” she said. That’s all. In a simple way, actually my mother had applied the Traditional Chinese Medicine Rules – the balancing of Yin and Yang.

When I grew up, TCM was not an interesting matter because of its complicated Chinese letters and names. I did not want to know about TCM anymore until in the middle of 2007 I watched a Korean historical drama, Dr Heo Jun, in Arirang TV. While enjoying the story, I also saw the power of TCM in the palaces until the huts of villagers. Started from that time, I have been interested in TCM.
Fortunately articles about Traditional Chinese Medicine are available in English now. Although this materials are not easy things but at least I can understand the basic principles of TCM. My two favorite writers are Joerg Kastner, M.D., L.Ac. and Daoshing Ni, D.O.M., L.Ac., Ph.D. The information that I got from their books – Chinese Nutrition Therapy and The Tao of Fertility – have helped me to dig my ancestors treasuries . Also I read many short articles from a lot of writers – Chinese and non Chinese.

The five foundations of therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine are acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal, dietetics, and exercise (qi gong, tai chi). For the first three foundations someone has to have enough expertise before applying them. For me, it is easier to learn the last two, dietetics and exercise, and apply them firstly for myself and then for my family. But now I started to learn about food therapy.

I really agree with the famous physician Sun Si Miao of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) in his quote : “Without the knowledge of proper diet, it is hardly possible to enjoy good health.” What I expect in applying TCM food therapy is getting my and family health as good as Chinese emperors’ in the ancient time.