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Monday, July 20, 2009
On looking at the big picture
How often do we hear this saying? What does it mean? How do we accomplish this? And really, why look at the big picture? I'm not sure I have answers, but it does relate to how Chinese medicine is practiced.
This past weekend I took the opportunity to go up in Portland's aerial tram (the weather was gorgeous, and I hadn't yet been since moving to this city) to see the city from up high. It made me think just how different the city looks and feels when you can see the whole of it from the sky. The whole thing seemed to me a living, breathing organism with roadways as arteries, the movement of the cars, blood flowing through the veins (it all comes back to anatomy, doesn't it?). From up there I could see how it all worked together - how and where the highways join, the placement of bridges over the river, the concentrations of buildings versus the concentrations of greenery, the mountains in the distance.
I'm not writing this to wax poetic on the beauty of Portland (though I do find it a beautiful city), but I did want to share how looking at the city as a whole struck me. Usually when I find myself downtown I don't see how all the frustrating one-way streets, bridge on-ramps (which are never where I think they are), buildings upon buildings that block my view, are functional or beautiful. Generally I am annoyed at having to be there, have trouble getting around and can only see what is in front of me. From a distance though, it all made a lot more sense - because I could see the big picture.
This is a bit like diagnosis in Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is built on a pattern based approach rather than a symptomatic one. This is one of the main differences in paradigms between TCM and biomedicine. Both certainly have their places and strengths (and in my personal opinion, work together beautifully) but take drastically different approaches.
Many patients wonder why when they come in with a specific complaint (say, insomnia) we ask all sorts of other questions about seeming unrelated things like digestion, pain, ear ringing, night , sweating, emotional well-being...etc. We do this is because we're looking for a pattern in the big picture. While you may not see a connection between various symptoms (lets say insomnia and chronic low back pain) they might be related as
you are one complete, inter-related person. So, we need to know all about you to find the other pieces of this pattern and figure out what the root cause of your symptom is.
Looking at the big picture is not the only perspective, but certainly an important one. It lets us see possibilities that are different than the ones we may see at close range. What are some instances where the big picture made you see things differently?
~Alexis
This past weekend I took the opportunity to go up in Portland's aerial tram (the weather was gorgeous, and I hadn't yet been since moving to this city) to see the city from up high. It made me think just how different the city looks and feels when you can see the whole of it from the sky. The whole thing seemed to me a living, breathing organism with roadways as arteries, the movement of the cars, blood flowing through the veins (it all comes back to anatomy, doesn't it?). From up there I could see how it all worked together - how and where the highways join, the placement of bridges over the river, the concentrations of buildings versus the concentrations of greenery, the mountains in the distance.
I'm not writing this to wax poetic on the beauty of Portland (though I do find it a beautiful city), but I did want to share how looking at the city as a whole struck me. Usually when I find myself downtown I don't see how all the frustrating one-way streets, bridge on-ramps (which are never where I think they are), buildings upon buildings that block my view, are functional or beautiful. Generally I am annoyed at having to be there, have trouble getting around and can only see what is in front of me. From a distance though, it all made a lot more sense - because I could see the big picture.
This is a bit like diagnosis in Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is built on a pattern based approach rather than a symptomatic one. This is one of the main differences in paradigms between TCM and biomedicine. Both certainly have their places and strengths (and in my personal opinion, work together beautifully) but take drastically different approaches.
Many patients wonder why when they come in with a specific complaint (say, insomnia) we ask all sorts of other questions about seeming unrelated things like digestion, pain, ear ringing, night , sweating, emotional well-being...etc. We do this is because we're looking for a pattern in the big picture. While you may not see a connection between various symptoms (lets say insomnia and chronic low back pain) they might be related as
you are one complete, inter-related person. So, we need to know all about you to find the other pieces of this pattern and figure out what the root cause of your symptom is.
Looking at the big picture is not the only perspective, but certainly an important one. It lets us see possibilities that are different than the ones we may see at close range. What are some instances where the big picture made you see things differently?
~Alexis
Labels: big picture, chinese medicine, pattern diagnosis, Portland, TCM
Saturday, July 4, 2009
For these hot summer days... (a recipe!)
Given the recent heat wave here in Portland, I've certainly been looking for a way to keep cool. And I came across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen (a food blog I am obsessed with - check it out!) and it seemed ideal for the several days of over 90* weather + no AC situation I've found myself in. Not to mention, it's easy to prepare, delicious and is a great intro to food therapy.
To paraphrase (poorly) one of my very favorite professors, who spoke a lot about the value of food therapy, food is the most consistent medicine we give ourselves... we have it multiple times a day, every day. He believed that if you could get someone to change how they eat it would be their most lasting and effective route to health. Certainly, this is something easier said than done in the long run - but every once in a while, food therapy can be as simple as making a tall, cool glass of watermelon lemonade to get you through the hot, humid days of summer.
First the recipe (and then the why).
Watermelon Lemonade
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Instead of giving you exact measurements (I've never been good about those in the kitchen, I'll let you know proportions, that way you can make as much as you like!)
1 part lemon juice (fresh-squeezed is always best)
2 parts watermelon puree (take some watermelon, throw it in the blender, and then put through a coarse strainer to get out all the seeds!)
3 parts water (you could easily make a spritzer using mineral water or seltzer instead)
agave syrup to taste (the original version calls for simple syrup, but agave is a great way to sweeten with a low glycemic index and my personal preference)
Fig. 1: watermelon dissection.
Fig. 2: straining watermelon puree.
Fig. 3: the finished product!
So besides being delicious why am I sharing this recipe with you? Because watermelon is ideal for hot summer days. We all know how good a piece of watermelon can taste on the days when the mercury hits 90+, but in Chinese Medicine watermelon is also considered medicinal and treats a condition known as summerheat.
Summerheat is a bit like it sounds... in English it's what we'd refer to as heatstroke or sunstroke and can have some variations (such as summerheat-heat and summerheat-damp) which have slightly different clinical pictures. Essentially these are externally contracted diseases due to hot (or hot, humid) weather and can include such symptoms as fever, irritability, thirst, heavy limbs, lethargy, poor appetite, chest oppression and dark urination.
Not a lot of fun, in the end. In order to prevent such occurrences it's best to stay hydrated, and it wouldn't hurt to add a dose of watermelon into the mix.
Fig. 4: Xi GuaWatermelon, known as xi gua in Chinese, has sweet and cold properties that enter the heart, stomach and bladder channels. It has a remarkable ability to clear both heat and dampness due to summerheat conditions. This is because it generates fluids and promotes urination. It is said to cool the lung and stomach channels, stop thirst, resolve irritability and have a mild diuretic effect.
Not too shabby for a summertime staple, eh? Xi gua can be used medicinally just as is, or juiced - or as I outlined above, as part of delicious summer drink.
Try it out, let me know what you think and most importantly - stay hydrated and cool and out there!
Happy 4th of July,
~Alexis
ps - incidently, watermelon is also supposed to restore sobriety after over-consumption of alcohol according to the Essentials of the Materia Medica.
Resources:
Bensky, Dan, Steven Clavey, and Erich Stoger. Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica. Seattle: Eastland Press, 2004.
Chen, John K., and Tina T. Chen. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. City of Industry: Art of Medicine Press, Inc., 2004.
Wiseman, Nigel, and Feng Ye. A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine. Brookline: Paradigm Publications, 1998.
Labels: drink, food therapy, recipe, summer, watermelon
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