Nourishing the Kidneys

A friend of mine has been going through a difficult time in her life for a few years, after having lost her job and only able to find occasional temporary employment slightly above minimum wage.  My friend is in her 60’s, has been in the technical field most of her working life, and had been used to making a lot more money before being laid off.  Needless to say, it has been very tough for her for the last few years.

These types of pressures and this type of continual fear of not knowing what is going to happen next, wears down a person and in particular, it wears down the kidneys. According to Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are the organ associated with fear and when someone is living with fear, their kidneys wear down.  In Chinese Medicine, it is the kidneys which are the main organ associated with the bones, so when the kidneys are impacted, a person will also experience problems and pain in their joints, including lower back pain.

It was the lower back pain that brought my friend to get a Qigong treatment.  In addition to her lower back pain, she also has pain in her hips and in her knees.

During her Qigong assessment, I could indeed feel that her kidneys were burned out and this was a factor in causing her lower back pain and pain in her hips and knees.   Her kidneys were dry and they felt absolutely burned out.  All those years of financial strain and fear of trying to avoid being forced out of her apartment had consumed almost all the energy in kidneys.  Having no energy in her kidneys meant she also didn't have energy to put lubrication in her joints, thereby causing her joints to also be dry and painful.

During her Qigong treatment I focused on rebuilding the energy in her kidneys. I spent a LOT of time infusing Qi into her kidneys.  Eventually I could see her kidneys start to fill up with the Qi energy and eventually they seemed to come back to life.

I then focused on getting her kidneys to fire and function correctly.  I also focused on having the kidneys distribute lubricant to each and every joint in her body as if they were each immersed in synovial fluid.

I then focused on helping her kidneys become better at sending her mind messages of what they needed, like “I need more water, make her thirsty” and “I need potassium, have her eat some broccoli or a banana!”  I wanted that connection between her kidneys and her mind to be strengthened so her kidneys could send messages on what they needed and her body would respond and provide that continual healing.  I wanted her to become balanced and more harmonized.  

At the end of the treatment we shared the impressions we each had during the Qigong treatment. She said she “saw” water starting to flow through her body as if the water was being used to clean out the grime and gunk from within her.  

She then said she felt as if she was being filled up with water and it got to the point where she was floating and bobbing in a large pool of calm clear water. She said she felt totally relaxed and safe while bobbing in that calm water.   

She also shared how here she felt like her right leg, the one which had been bothering her, had been stretched and it no longer felt shorter than her other leg.  It felt good.

She also shared how she still had the lower back pain, but it wasn’t as intense as when she first arrived.
  

She will be coming back in a few weeks for another Qigong treatment and we'll get an update on her progress.

Nourishing the Kidneys

Treating a Black Cloud

One of my friends shared how she felt like she had a black cloud over her head and volunteered to have a Qigong treatment to see if we could change that feeling and sensation.

She lay on the Qigong table, face up, and closed her eyes.  I began by first grounding myself, then her, and then aligning myself with my friend's energy.  After I did this, I could feel the presence of three other people in the room, who I assume were her Spiritual Guides.  I then did my Qigong assessment by feeling her energy field and I could feel heat on the left side of her body, the left side of her head, her left lung, and heat in both sides of her upper abdomen.  It felt like energy in those areas of heat was stuck and causing her that feeling of discomfort.

I began the Qigong to clear some of this stagnant energy.  I started to purge the stuck energy in her right lung, and then went to her left lung.  In her left lung, I had a very hard time clearing and cleansing the black "fog" I could "see" within her lung.  After many, many minutes of purging, sponging, and "sucking out that blackness," I discovered a small, and what had been hidden, little clump of what looked like black charcoal. It reminded me of a little piece of burned firewood. I know the image in my mind was but a representation of what I was sensing, but that was the image my mind translated so I could understand what was there. I had no idea what it was really representing.

Eventually I was able to metaphorically bring that little piece of charcoal out of her lungs and was then able to focus on refilling the Qi energy into her lungs.  Her left lung, however, was taking a VERY long time to fill with Qi.  I could see the Qi energy immediately becoming absorbed and soaked into the lung tissue as if it were in desperate need, almost as if it were a dry sponge. Eventually, the lungs became full and I was able to move on to another part of the Qigong treatment plan.  

Next I began what is called the "13 ghost point treatment" which is a treatment protocol to help emotions.   There wasn't anything unusual about this treatment except I could feel her body deeply relax.  

During one of the 13 ghost point treatment protocols, I focused on building up her energy via SP 1 and then UB 62 (which are located on the feet) and I once again had another visual come to my mind.  I now saw her legs as if they were filled now little tiny pebbles of gravel, something you would use when you are repotting flowers.  The gravel is put in a potting plant to provide a means of drainage so water doesn't pool and damage the plant.  With this visual I knew we were creating a method for my friend to process and drain unwanted thoughts or emotions from her body that could otherwise become stagnant and contribute to making her ill or produce a black cloud of sadness.  Her body was using the Qigong as a tool to help her create a long term solution to promote continued healing. 

At the end of the Qigong treatment, I saw her three Spiritual Guides acknowledge the treatment was a success.  I then saw each one go up to her head, one at a time, and gently kiss her good-bye.   The first kissed each of her closed eyes.  The second kissed her forehead.  The third kissed the top of her head.  They then disappeared.

I aroused my volunteer patient and we shared our experiences.  She acknowledged the  "black cloud" was gone and she felt much better.  I shared what I had seen during her treatment, including seeing her three Spiritual Guides.

She will be returning in a couple of weeks for another treatment and we will see what happens next.

Treating a Black Cloud

Chinese Medicine & Treating the Whole Person

I have worked in health care my entire life, and because I'm no longer a spring chicken, that means it has been a good LONG time.  But recently I’ve gone back to college to learn about Chinese Medicine.  Chinese Medicine is very different from Western Medicine.  It’s not only the language that is different, but how the human body is viewed. It has been a tough transition but there are a couple of aspects in this new paradigm I just love.  For example, I love how Chinese Medicine looks at a patient as a whole person.  I mean, everything is inter-related and important when it comes to health.  In Chinese Medicine you assess and treat the whole person and with this focus, you treat more than just an organ.

Let me give you an example.  

If I go to see my Western Medicine doctor because I have a cold, my doctor will primarily ask me only things related to my lungs. The entire focus of this visit will be on whether or not to give me antibiotics.  She doesn’t ask me anything about what I’ve been eating.  She doesn't ask me about how I feel or my emotional state.  She doesn’t inquire about my sleep habits or family life, or the type of work I do. The focus is strictly on "is this a bacterium or virus?" Her desire is to quickly diagnose, give me the right medication, and get me out the door.

But,

If I were to go to a Chinese Doctor (an Acupuncturist) with my cold, I would be asked more than just the state of my lungs. I would be asked about how and when I became ill and to describe it in detail.  I would be asked if I am feeling hot or cold.  I would also be asked about sweating and chills, along with questions about my cough, sputum, and tongue. I would be asked about what I was eating and drinking, when I sleep, and for how long. I would be asked about my exercise habits, my emotional well being, and if I was grieving.  I would be asked about my environment at home and where I work to discover if it is damp or dry, if it is air conditioned, or has blowing air.  There would be a myriad of other questions asked that would seem to have little to do with a virus, but in Chinese Medicine, all of these factors are important.  The focus at my Chinese Medicine doctor will be on assessing all the relationships in my whole body that could be impacting and playing a role in this cold.  After that, the focus will be on getting me to feel better NOW, and then getting me on a path to sustain harmony and balance.  

In my Western Medicine medical experience, I would probably have left the doctors office with a prescription for a cough medicine and still probably felt pretty crappy.  I would probably think of myself as a victim with little control over my health.  

In my Chinese Medicine medical experience, I would leave feeling somewhat better because I would have received an acupuncture or moxibustion treatment.  I may have a prescription for some herbs, a recommendation for different foods to now be included in my diet that could help my lungs (like chicken soups with marrow and probably some persimmons).  I would perhaps be given some new movements or  exercises to do which would help strengthen my lungs (with posture and deep breaths).  I would have been advised on some meditation or visualization practices to help me guide my internal energies (qi/chee) to tonify my heart and lungs.  It may also have had the opportunity to talk about some sadness I was feeling because my Acupuncturist would know how sensitive the lungs are to grief and would have encouraged me to purge these feelings of grief. I would leave the Chinese Doctor's office feeling empowered because I would probably have new ways to help me take charge of returning to a state of balance and well being.  

I think there is merit in both Western and Chinese Medicine systems, but the thing I like most about Chinese Medicine is the broader focus on a person's whole being.   I like how a patient is more than just a failed body part or two.  

I also like the way Chinese Medicine practitioners will partner with a patient to help guide them back into balance and alignment.  This can help a person feel empowered and in charge of their own state of wellness. I like that. I think this is what we are missing in Western Medicine and desperately need.

Chinese Medicine & Treating the Whole Person

Healing a Broken Heart

I had a volunteer patient come to my home for a Qigong treatment.  I asked her if there was anything in particular she wanted me to focus on in with her healing treatment.   She shared how her husband had suddenly died about a year ago and she was still very broken hearted over this experience.  She loved him very much and he had been her best friend.  She had been sad a long time.

I had her lay down on the table and during the assessment phase of the treatment, I did indeed feel heat surrounding her heart, which can be a symptom of sorrow and pain. I started to share what I was assessing but I felt someone in the room with us.  I stopped, looked around, but no one was there.

I continued on with the assessment and once again had that same feeling return. I again stopped and looked around.  No one was there.  

Chills then came running through my body as if to validate there was another energy and presence with us.  

I said to her, "it feels like your husband is here with us."

Blue birds came flying past the window and calling out, and then I had chills once again go down my spine.  Then a strong warm feeling of comfort enveloped me and a message popped into my mind that it indeed was her husband who was in the room with us.  

I once again shared that I felt a presence that seemed to be her husband. She said "No, he is gone.  I know he is not around."  So I started the Qigong medical treatment.

I cleared some of the stagnant energy and feelings within her heart and then went on to the next step, which is to direct and focus Qi energy into the heart to help tonify it.  As I started this process, I started to see pink, red, and white valentine hearts starting to move with this focused energy.  These valentines and hearts seemed to be enveloping the directed Qi energy and encapsulating it with love while it was moving towards her heart.

More and more valentines came pouring in and now started to spill out and around her heart.  It started to cover much of her body and was now covering her body, the table, and started to pile up on the floor.  I knew her husband was sending these valentines as if to share his love with her.  He wanted desperately to comfort her. 

After the treatment, I shared what I had sensed and seen during her treatment.  She did not believe the message could be from her husband.  She also did not see or feel the valentines and did not share what I had experienced during this treatment.  At the end of the treatment, she felt good as well as relaxed, but not much more.

She then said "Perhaps the valentines are from my preschoolers.  I am a teacher."

She then went on to say the preschoolers had been her primary source of comfort since her husband died and they did make cutout out objects of paper in school.  Perhaps the image was a representation of her preschoolers.

I have no doubt at all her husband was present in that room and trying to send her a message.  I feel regret the message was not received or translated in a way she could accept and receive.  

This experience for me was so profound and the feelings so intense the experience still lingers with me. My volunteer patient seemed to have a nice and relaxing treatment, but nothing remarkable as far as I know.    

Even now, when I go into my Qigong treatment room, I can still feel those unclaimed valentines still scattered on the floor.  I am still hopeful she will come to accept and feel gift of healing and the love that was being poured within her heart.    

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Healing a Broken Heart