Here are my notes from the lecture and at the bottom there is a compilation of useful remedies for the Cold-and-Flu season.
Enjoy, g
Synopsis of Gilles Obermayer’s lecture at SHH 10/15/15
How to keep children (and everyone else) healthy during the Cold and Flu Season
Introduction:
Chinese Medicine as Applied Philosophy
Dynasties:
Warring States 475-221 BC
concept of Yin and Yang 330 BC
Qin Dynasty
221-207 Huang Di, first emperor, the one who writes the Nei Jing/ Suwen
Han Dynasty 206BC 220 CE
SHL written at that time by Zhang Zhongjing 220ce
Middle Dynaties Shui Dynasty 581 618
Sun Si Miao 581-682
As to his general philosophy of health, he believed people should keep moving, saying that “running water is never stale and a door hinge does not become worm-eaten because they never stop moving.” But, he thought it was damaging to do too much hard labor, saying: “The way to keep in good health lies in doing light work frequently without fatiguing yourself doing what you cannot.” He was an advocate of good nutrition, having noted that many diseases were curable by consuming the proper foods and that diseases could be caused by eating food that was uncooked, unclean, or poisonous, or by overeating or not chewing one’s food well. He advocated the use of massage therapies, physical exercises, and breathing exercises. Sun suggested that travelers should take with them some remedies and a guidebook to formulas so that they could deal with emergencies that might crop up, such as injuries, bites, skin sores, etc.
Song Dynasty 960-1279
Decrease in Acupuncture, raise of Herbal Medicine
Ming Dynasty 1368-1644
Booming of CM, acupuncture Tuina, cupping, etc… ER Xiao Tui Na theorized.
Wou XouXing write the Wern Bing 1652, Treatise of infectious diseases
Qing Dynasty 1644-1911
Modern CM
CM is about prevention, doctors will treat for free if patient is sick under their care.
“Treating people when they are sick is like digging a well when you are thirsty”
CCM is based on Daoist philosophy
observing and correcting not punishing. All thing have a connection and originate from the same “Void”. Chapt 42 of Dao De Jing: “The dao give birth to the One (WuJi), the one give birth to the two (Yin&Yang), the Two give birth to the tThree (Yin, Yang, Ren/Qi), the Three give birth to the myriads of things…”
CCM/Daoism: observing cycles of Planets, Seasons, Life (oceans, rivers, mountains, wind, plants, animals, human beings)
Yang within Yang
Yin within Yang
Yin within Yin
Yang within Yin
Cycles of Yin and Yang: cycle of 7&8 for Woman and Man
Cycles of the seasons (see diagrams)
4 seasons 52 weeks each season 13 week
6 1/2 weeks at each sides of equinox ands solstice
Yin/Yang growth and weaning
Climate of season
Cycle of our holidays and children diseases (no record of High/Low of Dx repeating each year in Neijing or SuWen)
The 3 requisites of Life
Breathing / Exercises / Qigong
Nutrition/ Food/ Knowledge
Sleep / Rest / Meditation
3 Approaches to Life:
Active: doing self / Qigong
Interactive: doing with / Acupuncture, Tuina, cooking herbal teas, …
Passive: taking pills, surgery with anesthesia, radiation, …
Characteristic of Children
Every Child/Ren is unique!
no “one for all treatment” (Shan Han Lun v/s Wen Bing)
Children are pr definition YANG; they are growing and growing and therefore breathing a lot, exercising a lot, eating a lot and sleeping a lot.
If not: imbalance that will affect health of child and everyone else. “When treating the child, treat the parents” (Child will suck parents/mother energy)
Children NEED to grow, will get what they can.
At birth babies are: exuberant in Yang and (this is my interpretation not written in Classical texts: deficient in Yin: birth= death from the womb=exhaust the Yin=rebirth=Yang) deficient in Yin
Exuberant LR/HT
Immature SP/ST-LU/LI
Deficient KI (only have Yuan Qi, no Post natal Qi yet)
Exuberant in LR/HT:
need to exercise, move in order to diff-use the Yang
need to eat, digest in order to replenish/nourish the Yang
need to sleep in order fortify the Yang
Immature SP/ST-LU/LI:
need to exercise, move in order to move Qi & Blood, nourish the flesh, create Yang movement
need food to make the blood (SP/LU)
need sleep to transform and transport the nutrients = nap after eating
Deficient KI:
need to exercise, move in order to pump the KI Yin/Yang
need to eat, digest in order to create Post-natal Qi and Save it
need to sleep in order replenish Post-natal Qi
We need to honor these requisites in order to have an healthy child/human being
Nutrition:
“Food is what we live off and sometimes die off, if we eat the wrong mushrooms or berries”
“We are not what we eat but what we can digest”
“mal/wrong nutrition is the cause of all children dx”
Nutrition is different for:
Babies: breast feeding or not; feed on schedule v/s on demand
Infants (see schedule of infant feeding)
Todlers
3 to 7-8 year/old
from 7-8 to teenager
rules of thumbs for all of them:
no cold or raw
no sweet
no juices
no dairy: cow hormones not human hormones
new modern considerations:
no gluten
no soy
no corn
We have to feed nutritive values not gastronomique values
Do not altered the food w spices. Spices are medicine, potent.
Children are not picky (negative meaning)! They repeat habit from womb and post-natal feeding but also choose what they need.
Boys like more protein than girls (more Yang)
Children not big on veggie and sea food (too Yin, they need to grow); but depend on environment
US food too spicy. Need Clear-Blend-Diet (CBD)
Disease (DX) mechanisms
TCM: patter of discrimination
CCM: individual assessment of individuals relationship between organs/Phases and pathways.
5 elements
Meridians
3 stages of DX: onset, full (or not)blown, resolved or chronic. If chronic: remisions and flare-ups
Fever and inflammation are HEALTHY response of the body!!! should not be stopped unless dangerous.
Danger not a measurement; depends on the kid. Convulsion and delirium may be s/s to control the heat.
When treating children: stop tx midway; w/ adult tx all the way
Encourage eruption (unless very weak= latency=divergent meridians); follow the course
Treating Children when ill:
Use Tui Na and EO to prevent DX
To regulate fever:
Lavender behind ear
Xiao Er Tui Na
Jing/well pts
Keep child home
no bath, unless very hot=warm or sl cool bath
CBD! (two wrongs won’t make it right)
have an extra day S/S free before resuming activities and school
Babies, Infant: Tui Na and EO most effective
Todler: same
3-7/8 same plus herbal remedies & Ax if necessary
7/8-teens: same plus acupuncture
Supositories: number one tx in Europe for all pulmonary issues
To Treat Common cold and Flu: Gan Mao Jie Du Wan
Winter Season Health Kit:
Essential Oils and Herbal remedies to assist the prevention of Cold/Flu and Infectious DX; Compiled & created by Gilles Obermayer, MS, L.Ac, LMT
Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil Formulas
Cold & Flu Season Immune Booster: Essential Oil Formula to boost immune response to Viral, Bacterial and Fungal infestations. Internal use.
Wind-Heat-Damp & Wind-Cold-Damp Diffuser Formulas: to diffuse and inhale in home to clear out congestion, clear airborne viruses, bacterias and funguses. External Use.
Suppositories: for acute pulmonary ailment; cough, cold induced chest tightness (cold induced asthma). Has to be made case pr case. Internal use.
2 Chest-Rubs: for Wind-Heat and Wind-Cold, w/ presence of Dampness. External Use.
Relaxing/Sleeping Aid: Diffuser or inhalation. External use.
Chinese herbal / Patent formulas (internal use):
Chuan Xin Lian Kan Yan Pian
to prevent from infectious diseases in case of outbreak (flu, measle, chicken pox, etc…)
Yu Ping Fen Wan
To prevent from Common Cold and Flu; help to prevent from airborne allergies
Ga Mao Jie Du Wan
To treat common cold and flu
