The year of the Metal Rat, and the season of ‘Tele-medicine’ has arrived
Hi everyone,
Quite a time, this new beginning of a new 12-year cycle – the Year of the Metal Rat. It’s my year (1960) but don’t quite hold me responsible, yet! I think as the result of this there is the possibility of a glint of a real treasure (gold/metal), but hard to deny that the plague and pestilence associated with the “Rat” seems to be on all our doorsteps right now. But helpful herbal formulas might also be able to arrive on your doorstep soon, so please read on…
As recommended by our state board, I closed the Center from doing acupuncture over a week ago as at this point having full protective gear (‘PPE’) is just not desirable or even possible, and community safety is paramount. What’s important now is that we take care of ourselves and families, hunker down, and figure out what this time brings. There is so much basic information everywhere about the virus, and many examples of good-sense diet and herbal and hygiene advice, so I won’t go on about that too much in this short newsletter. Here is a longer blog with focus on prevention.
All of this information being gathered and presented is very “Rat-like” in the Chinese astrological View. Rats learn by testing things out, they check out all the mazes, all the tunnels, all the information… and then they can, we can, share and really move into the ‘gold’ of what this whole new cycle can be about. And when we don’t know where we are going next can feel quite fearful, as we are aware of how small we really are. Ultimately we ‘Rats’ are the most sentimental of signs, but it is said we need to start with taking care of our home and immediate family first.
One of the main things I’ve been doing over my 33 years of continuous practice as an acupuncturist is integrating Chinese medical herbs as a main part of my work. I was an intern for a few months at Zhejiang Provincial hospital in Hangzhou back in 1992, focusing on studying with a Lung and Stomach TCM Herbal doctor. Since then I’ve carried the raw, bulk herbs (to boil, the old fashioned way) for bronchitis and acute upper respiratory conditions. I’ve always hoped others would also carry these bulk herbs for lung conditions, in case there was ever a community epidemic. Well now we are there.
And in this time, Chinese herbs are at the forefront with treating Covid-19 and the profession has quite a bit of updated information from Chinese herbal doctors on the front lines dealing with this, it’s front page news at times. I have started following this and sharing some about it on Facebook. I’m trying to share more Chinese herb focused, or under-reported information about the use of herbs particularly used for prevention and staying healthy in the midst of this evolving crisis (and actually despite motivational speakers everywhere – crisis and opportunity are not the same word in Chinese, lol).
The most famous herbalists in China treated many large-scale epidemics over the course of history. Entire ‘cold-disease’ and ‘warm disease’ schools of thought exist that have different explanations of how disease progress from the exterior to the interior of the body. This current condition, similar to SARS, is classified as a “damp invasion”. Understanding this characteristic of Covid-19 has ramifications not only for the use of Chinese herb formulas for prevention and treatment, but also for evaluating diet and supplementation. Chinese herbs traditionally chosen to the constitution and activity of a client by consultation with an experienced Chinese-trained herbalist can provide very important help in prevention and treatment of the situation we are now in.
CHINESE MEDICINE by TELE-CONSULTING and HERBAL PICKUP and DELIVERY
As have many health practitioners, I’ve transitioned from on-site clinic time into ‘tele-health’ or video conferencing appointments.
Using Zoom preferably, or Facetime of Skype for our tele-health appointment, we will do an evaluation of your condition and talk about what’s been going on. For previous clients, now would be a great time to do a seasonal evaluation, Neither I, nor anyone, has all the answers for everyone. Based on my experience, and yours, the two of us will evaluate you as you are, your constitution, your activity, your life! We will keep in mind the ‘dampness’ paradigm but more importantly the intention is to customize an herbal plan that will allow you to function in your most vibrant and resilient state.
Appointments can be scheduled online click here for further information
We can also talk about what to do not only for prevention or treatment of symptoms with Chinese herbs and diet, but also how to use modalities such as self-acupressure, meditation exercises, possibly moxa, and so on. Many of these things can help with anxiety, sleep-disorders, and just the stress of being cooped up like…rats in a cage. For right now there is potential for real psychological stress around that! In Chinese medicine, more ‘KIDNEY’ core inner strength means less FEAR (i.e: “False Evidence Appearing Real’) and more calm, less ‘fight-or-flight’ response.
Along with bulk herbs and pills, we are nicely stocked with 5:1 Taiwanese KPC herbal granules for blending custom formulas that are easy to mix and take – good compliance!
Herbs we choose can be picked up outside the office door, or drop-shipped from suppliers, or locally it’s possible they be delivered to your doorstep if you just can’t make it out.
There is a story about an old herbalist who would hang out in a restaurant with his friends, and when people came in he would just glance at them and say who they ‘were’ in terms of a formula.
So he’d say, “she is ‘Gui-pi-tang” or “he is ‘Ba-wei-di-huang-wan”, i.e. seeing and naming the person as the formula they looked like and that expressed their condition. I say this in terms of having to evaluate without being in person to do the traditional pulse diagnosis. There are other ways to tune-in (like taking a good history, and tongue diagnosis) and in my 33 years of practice I’ve had the experience to see and hear what’s going on to a good degree.
Wishing for you and loved ones health and wellness,
Ken Bendat, L.Ac.
Any questions feel free to reply to this email, or text only at 541-621-7101
P.S. As a sideline, I have studied Chinese/Vedic astrology for years, and find that it can assist certain clients in looking at longstanding health issues from a different point of view. This can be part of our session, if desired.
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