Research is now backing up oriental and alternative medicine.  Sixty percent of MD's practice some form of alternative medicine, whether meditation, nutrition, acupuncture, etc.  Doctors are now prescribing vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin c and other supplements and herbs for prevention or to help patients recover from chronic illnesses.

Different foods promote positive or negative reactions in your body.  One such example is Sulforaphane, a compound that was identified in broccoli sprouts by scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD

This compound helps the liver metabolizes bad estrogen. Watch a short preview of Drew teaching one of his classes where he speaks about the latest research on broccoli and sulforaphane.

Chinese medicine views the body as a dynamic, interrelated whole possessing a vital energy or life force called Qi (pronounced chee)  Health depends on the free flow of this energy and the interplay of the body, mind and spirit.  When disease occurs, specific herbs are chosen to rebalance the energy and allow the body to heal itself.

The Crane Exercise is designed to strengthen the organs within the trunk of the body.  Even though these organs are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, the Crane Exercise enables us to balance the energy and thereby promote a smoother functioning of these organs.

This exercise may be done standing, sitting or lying down on your back.

1.  Rub the palms of your hands together vigorously.  This creates heat in your hands and brings the energy of your body into your palms and fingers.

2.  Place your hands, palm down, on your lower abdomen so that they lie on either side of your navel.

3.  Inhale

4.  Begin to exhale slowly, pressing your hands down lightly so that your abdomen forms a hollow cavity.  This gently forces the air out of your lower lungs.  Imagine that every drop of air is leaving your lungs.  (See figure 2)

5.  After you have exhaled completely, slowly begin to inhale, extending your abdomen outward so it becomes like a balloon.  Try not to allow your chest to expand – use only the muscles in your lower abdomen.  (see figure 3)

6.  One complete exhalation, followed by an inhalation constitutes one round of breathing.  At first you will only be able to do two or three rounds of breathing at one sitting.  Gradually increase the number until you have reached twelve rounds.

NOTES:

i. It is not necessary to force either the inhalation or the exhalation.  With continued practice you will be able to extend and contract your abdomen quite easily while breathing slowly.  In the beginning your hands act as guides to help you learn the exercise.  Once you have learned the breathing, it is not necessary to continue using your hands.

ii.  Once you have mastered the Crane Exercise, you may combine the anal lock as described in the Deer Exercise with the Crane breathing.  This will increase the strength of the exercise.

iii.  The best time to do the Crane Exercise is in the morning, if possible while facing the sun.  Imagine that as you inhale you bring the energy of the sun into your body and that as you exhale all toxins and wastes are leaving your body.

iv.  When done before retiring at night, the Crane Exercise gives a gently massage it the inner organs which helps calm the body, relaxing us for proper sleep.

Women should not perform the Crane Exercise during pregnancy as the in and out motions of the abdomen may create unpleasant feelings within the abdomen.

Oprah and Eckhart Tolle are teaching an exclusive online ‘free’ class by LIVE webcast starting March 3.  Check for details. 

Tolle says in "A New Earth" on page 75:

Fighting disease will not eradicate it.  Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.  Whenever I hear, "the war against" this or that, I know it is condemned to failure as in the war against cancer.  According to the Journal Of the American Medical Association, medical treatment is the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States. 

Homeopathy and Chinese Medicine are two examples of possible alternative approaches to disease that do not treat the illness as an enemy and therefore do not create new diseases.

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In 1978 while I was still in high school my mother developed breast cancer.  I had no idea what detoxification was or how it worked.  The nutritional program that she decided to use to help her overcome her condition was the Gerson Program.  The main strategy of this program is detoxification which treats existing conditions and can prevent disease.  Now in my 14th year of private practice detoxification as a healing strategy is the most important part of my practice.

How does detoxification work and why is it so important?

Today we are exposed to many toxins from the environment such as the air we breath(including house hold cleaning products), the preservatives in food and of course toxins from alcohol, prescription and recreational drugs. Recent studies have suggested that long term low level exposure to toxins such as heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic), pesticides, and industrial compounds are associated with such conditions as chronic fatigue, environmental and chemical sensitivities and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.  High levels of toxins in the body have also been linked to headaches, fertility problems, memory loss, and depression.

How does the body becomes toxic? There are two phases of the liver, Phase 1 and Phase 2, which are mostly responsible for removing toxins from the body.  Basically, Phase 1 (cytochrome P450) removes the toxins from the blood.  The result of Phase I creates a 'free radical' (free radicals are electrically charged molecules that damage healthy cells). The free radical is then conjugated by Phase 2 and excreted from the body through urination or through the bowels.  It sounds complicated but it’s really not.

Basically, the more toxins we are exposed to, the more free radicals we produce which then burdens the liver's ability (Phase 1 and Phase 2) to remove the toxins or free radicals.  The result is more free radical production leading to more cell death and chronic inflammation.

Not eating or fasting on water is NOT detoxification.  According to research, the liver needs specific nutrients to detoxify.  Depriving the liver during a detoxification program only produces more free radicals which can lead to a healing crisis or poisoning of the body.  A safe and effective detoxification program requires specific nutrients to enhance the liver's ability (Phase 1 and Phase 2) to remove the harmful toxins stored in the body.

Let’s take a look at some foods, herbs and nutrients that are powerful antioxidants that can help our liver effectively and safely excrete toxins from the body.

Green Tea is the most popular antioxidant on the market today and has anti-cancer properties.  The catechins (phytochemicals) in green tea have been shown to lower the incidence of Parkinson Disease.  The National Cancer Institute is currently investigating green tea's chemotherapeutic potential.  In addition, green tea helps to regulate blood sugar and improves digestion.

Milk Thistle (silymarin the active ingredient) is a well know liver protectant and powerful antioxidant.  Milk Thistle is the best antioxidant which should be taken on a daily basis to help the liver manage the many toxins we are exposed to.

Lastly, our B vitamins are essential for detoxification especially Folic acid.  Folic acid helps our liver to metabolize homocystine, an amino acid which is associated with inflammation and heart disease.  Folic acid also helps to rid the body of harmful heavy metals.

For more information on detoxification or my detoxification program please contact me(use contact above)

Drew DiVittorio Dipl., (NCCAOM)

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My interview for the book focused on the theories and treatment of Asthma according to Oriental Medicine. The theory I discuss in the book dates back to the Hun dynasty (220AD).  It is a classical text, the Shang Hun Lun (Treatise on Cold Induced Disorders), written by one the Great Masters and Physicians of Oriental Medicine, Chang Chong Ching. 

This classical text brilliantly explains specific symptoms and guidelines for treatment strategies related to colds and flu that can be acute or chronic.  The treatment protocols are still being used successfully today. 

The way we work with Asthma or any western pathology according to Oriental Medical Theory, is to translate the condition into the diagnostic categories according to Oriental Medicine.  For example we can divide the causes of Asthma into many different categories.  For this discussion, however,  I will present two of them.

Causes of Asthma According to Oriental Medicine:

Cold Phlegm; a patient with cold phlegm will present with copious amounts of sputum, a productive cough, a thick white coating on the tongue and a slippery pulse.

Kidney Qi and Yang Deficiency a patient will present with fatigue, cold limbs, low back pain, poor concentration, exercised induced asthma or difficulty breathing on, a pale swollen tongue with a deep or submerged pulse.

Treatment Strategies According To Oriental Medicine:

With Cold Phlegm Asthma, we remove sweet sticky foods from the diet (see my shopping list) which will reduce dampness and phlegm.  Conversely, one should begin to increase warming spices to help induce sweating and clear phlegm.  A traditional herbal formula that may be used for this condition would be a combination called Minor Blue Green Dragon (xiao qing long tang), which clears cold phlegm from the lungs and stops wheezing.

With Kidney Qi & Yang Deficient Asthma, we increase warming foods and spices and reduce cold food from the diet like green leafy vegetables and tropical fruits.  A traditional herbal formula used for this condition is Rehmannia 8 (jin gui shen qi wan).  Tshis formula strengthens the Kidney Qi and Yang and allows the free flow of Qi from the lung thus reducing wheezing.

 Drew DiVittorio, Dipl,.(NCCAOM), Oriental Medicine & Nutrition

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