Allergies: How I'm Healing Mine

About my recent discoveries about my mucous... it could be the pollen, but pollen gets in everyone's noses... so, it's us folks on the edge... with weakened immune systems or past our threshold for allergens, pushed over the top by pollen or whatever... so, we've got to get off the fence and back on the ground of well being. My "allergies" or mucous issue has greatly improved thanks to the teachings of a chinese doctor and the yoga sutras. Here are the current top 4 hanging on my wall next to the computer:

1: Sleep. Go to bed early (before 11PM). Chinese medicine says our liver must rest from 11pm to 3am aroundabouts. if it doesn't, problems ensue. I didn't bellieve, but now I do and it's helped me immensely!

2. Excercise Daily. Necessary.

3. Stop, contemplate, Meditate: Answers soon follow.

4. Eating healthy, small portions, only when truly hungry for the purpose of serving the Lord... and not for sense gratification. This one has allowed me to quit some foods that may have been aggravating my system... especially bread, which I failed to quit so many times before. I've discovered I'm allergic to yeast... putting nutritional yeast on my food now causes an instant nose explosion and coughing? So glad I found out.

*Bonus: No smoking: Smoking is enemy of our lungs, and who wants to be an enemy of their own body? If the Lungs are unhappy, the respiratory system will be unhappy, thereby causing the nose unhappiness in myriad ways. The good Herb is best taken orally through food or oil (if required at all... Chinese medicine says it weakens the Kidneys, and the Kidneys are considered a vital organ of health). Why fight the body when we can make Peace with it!

I was just amazed by this TED Talk by Edward Burtynsky:
(http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/56)


Shipbreaking No. 4, Chittagong, Bangladesh 2000

Burtynsky presents a riveting slideshow of his photographs, which show vividly how industrial development is altering the Earth's natural landscape. From mountains of tires to rivers of bright orange waste from a nickel mine, his images are simultaneously beautiful and horrifying.


Deda Chicken Processing Plant, Dehui City, Jilin Province, 2005

The second half of his presentation about China is fascinating!


And if you're inspired to realize solutions to these global issues we face, you can read this article about Japan's "Thomas Edison" Dr. Nakamats (http://www.pingmag.jp/2006/10/20/twilight-zone-dr-nakamats-inventions/)
who has pushed limits in every realm of his life to break into optimum creative conciousness. Most interesting to me was his recent Nobel Prize in nutrition for his studies on the optimal diet for health and creativity. Dr. Nakamats only eats 700 calories per day and has been for years! Is he healthy? Well, how many patents do you hold? He only has 3,000+ patents to his name. Check out this interview on his creative process: (http://www.creativityatwork.com/articlesContent/Nakamats1.html)

PyonPyon flying shoes allow the wearer to leap into the air with minimal effort.

Enjoy,
Precious James

Taiwan English Teaching

Having taught English in Taiwan for 5 years already, it's about time I share the wonders of it all. I've had such a great experience teaching here in Taiwan! Teaching part-time (avg. 20 hours / week) I've been able to earn an average of $1500 USD per month. Of the $1500 / month, I am usually able to save $1,000 of it living a very simple life. This lifestyle affords me much free time to study and do things I most enjoy. I've spent a majority of my time studying Tai Chi and computer skills. It's an amazing opportunity to be able to study and save simultaneously. For ppeople interested in studying anything Chinese, Taiwan offers awesome oppotunities!







Here are some great sites offering more information about teaching English in Taiwan:

http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/index.php Very informative forums
http://www.tealit.com/ Job listings and Life style info
http://www.buxiban.com/ Job Listings, detailed school info, laws
http://www.englishintaiwan.com/ Gives a good feel for teaching in Taiwan
http://www.therealtaiwan.com Taiwan Lifestyle

My First Acupuncture Experience

A friend and I have plans for a video of the Acupuncture Experience, but here's a vision through words to warm you up...

Imagine walking into a room... with 20 chairs lined up. An electric box above each chair with multi-color wires hanging down from each box. These wires connect to the needles that will be inserted into the acupuncture points of your body. The nurse takes you over to a seat and you sit next to another patient waiting to get stuck. Then after waiting for awhile, the good doctor roles on up with his cart of needles and sundry gadgets that can return balance and harmony to your chi flow.

The person next to you gets the treatment first... Thank Goddess!, so you get to watch the guy next to you first. Psychologically tormenting to watch each needle go in, but simultaneously calming and easing because he seems unmoved. The patient just sits stoically as each needle is inserted... I gain confidence. Then another nurse follows the doctor up by putting cotton enveloped herbal balls (of mugwort) on the end of some of his needles. Then they are lit like incense to slowly burn and add heat to the acupuncture points. The smoke is soothing and irritating, yin and yang. Now time to juice the patient up with some voltage. The multi-colored wires you noticed before, hanging from the electrocuting boxes, are now attatched to some of the needles by clasps. Mild, stimulating, current is then fed to the needles in alternating flows of existence and nothingness, thus causing his muscles to twitch around the electrofied points.

Now, it's your turn... Lai2 (come), your turn. Each one time use, disposable needle is in a plastic tube of equal length. The needle is said to be as thin as a hair (well it's not, but it is really thin). The doctor puts the plastic tube to your skin. He gives one good tap to the needles head to drive the needle through your skin (and a few other dermal layers). There is a sharp pain sometimes, and sometimes no pain. Then a numbness ensues for a few minutes until you become assimilated and your mind wanders to other things. After 30 minutes, the nurse returns to remove the needles and uses a cotton swab to swab up the miniscule drop of blood that sometimes forms at the point of removal.

Benefit?: I've been using Chinese Medicine for 5 years and have had great results with it for treating common colds, chronic sinusitis (including thick green mucous), allergies, chronic coughs lasting months, and general joint soreness. For the chronic sinusitis, western doctors only offered antibiotics or surgery, both of which I prefer to avoid. I've now been going for the 30 minute acupuncture treatments 6 days a week for over a month. I feel my chronic sinus issues are improving to a whole new level of wellness that chinese herbal medicine alone did not bring me to. I'm quite impressed and will continue to go daily. The Doctor recommends I do daily tratments for 3 months... especially because of my weak physical condition.

Cost?: Taiwan's insurance covers 80% of the treatment cost. I pay $1.70 USD for each 30 minute visit. And $5 for one weekly visit which includes diagnosis by the doctor and a new week's worth of chinese herbal medicine. Soooooo cheap! I've heard acupuncture treatments in the States cost $50-$70 per treatment, and I imagine herbal medicine can be pricey as well. So I'm racking up the Chinese Medicine experiences while I'm here.

Diagnosis?: Chinese medicine's other main treatment method is it's herbal medicine. The doctor asks a few questions. How's your sleep? How is your appetite, bowel movements, and dreams? The doctor will look at your tongue (and the coating on it). Then the doctor will ask you to put your wrist upon a cute little pillow and using two fingers, he will feel your pulse. There are 37? different kinds of pulses that tell the doctor much about your physical condition. I've actually sat down to see a Chinese Doctor, meeting him for the first time, and without saying a word, he “listened” to my pulse and told me my ear, nose, and throat history from childhood. Miraculous? Well, he probably wouldn't call it miraculous, considering how many years he studied and practiced to aquire this skill. He'd probably call it hard work and science. So, we see there is a science to Chinese medicine, though quite a different science from that of western medicine.

To learn more about Chinese Medicine and Nutrition, I've been reading:

And

Enjoy your first Accupuncture Session! Tell me about it!!!

Happy Punctures

Completely Around Taiwan for Chinese New Year 2007

I was visiting some Tai Chi Masters in Taipei and Taichung. Here's the Taipei 101 Building, the tallest building in the world since 2003.
Click the Taiwan Satellite image to see a map of where I live (in the SE corner in T'ai-tung).


If you're interested in some basic facts about Taiwan, visit here for the Wiki.

And here is a famous Daoist temple in Taipei that I visited which also has many Buddhist images. Many people go here everyday to give offerings of incense to the the Gods and pray.

--
After Push Hands class with the Tai Chi master, I went to the National Palace Museum:

Here I saw the ancient treasures of China from 5000 B.C. to present... all these treasures were brought to Taiwan during the Communist Revolution in China circa 1949 (Thank God!). The communists would have destroyed most of the treasures and erased so much history if the Nationalist Army had not rescued them and brought them to Taiwan. A cool thing about this museum is you can see in the picture how the museum goes into the mountain. It has a high tech security system that will retract the most precious ancient treasures into vaults within the mountain in case of earthquake or attack (by agressive American politicians... they're not too worried about China anymore).

It was an enlightening experience to see things such as past emperors' hygienic tools that kept them looking cool and powerful everyday. Also amazing, are small intricately carved statues that can fit in the palm of your hand that took a master artist 5 years to complete! This one is carved from an olive pit and has a story composed of 300 Chinese characters carved into the bottom of the boat!!! The actual carving is smaller than this picture!:

This snuff bottle given as a gift to an Emperor of China is painted on the INSIDE! It was painted with a minute brush through the small hole in the top!

Check out this Bullet train. My girlfriend and I rode on one in Japan at 186 mph. It was a wicked ride! At times it felt cooler than a roller coaster ride! Click the pic to read about Japan's Shinkansen:


And now Taiwan has a bullet train too! It just began operating and I'm looking forward to boarding it! A previous 5 hour ride across Taiwan has been cut to 1.5 hours by the "Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp."



Next, I hope to catch a ride on the MagLev in Shanghai, China. It can reach 500 kmh by gliding over magnets! (click the pic for the wiki).

Chinese Studies & New Learning Tools Discovered!

Began the New Year delving into Chinese studies. What better way to begin the Chinese New Year! I found some great online resources. The first two of which provide online Chinese Study through multimedia... Awesome! I've been searching for tools like these for years! Now I don't have to sign up for Chinese class this semster! I can stay at my computer, peering over the screen at my beautiful view of the Taidong mountains and skip the drive to the University. Spread the word and share any cool tools you find!

Chinese Pod: http://www.chinesepod.com/



And for interesting reading practice for all levels visit Adsotrans: http://textbook.adsotrans.com/
Has pinyin and definition pop-up window for each word in the articles.


Interested in pinyin: http://www.pinyin.info/



Using pinyin to input chinese characters on Windows XP and other pinyin tools?: http://www.pinyinjoe.com/index.html


Happy Chinese,
Precious
--

Give the fruits of thy labor unto me!

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18. Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation http://www.asitis.com/18/51-53.html

Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place, who eats little and who controls the body and the tongue, and is always in trance and is detached, who is without false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and who does not accept material things, such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization.




Interesting blog of a nudist in Tonga:
http://sonia-belle.blogspot.com/