Welcome to
Point of Serenity

This was supposed to be my September entry, but when I tried to post, my tablet said that my website didn’t exist.  I figured out a way around, but I think I’m going to take this opportunity to end my blogging.  I may pick it back up later, but the future changes every week.

One last note:  I’m used to the mask.  It doesn’t bother me, even though my glasses still fog up sometimes.  But I won’t miss the gloves when they’re gone.  It’s really challenging to do acupuncture with gloves.

Thanks.

I know that a lot of people have been having bad dreams this year.  These are a few explanations from a TCM point of view.

In the book Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies by Dr. Leon Hammer, he addresses nightmares.  He writes that weak Shen of the Heart and poor Gall Bladder function causes them. The Gall Bladder has the role of decision-maker in TCM, and one could extrapolate that the loss of control in a nightmare is an extension of Gall Bladder illness.

Illness in the body can result in problems with sleep and generate specific dreams.  Heart Fire disturbing the Spirit causes insomnia.  Dream-disturbed sleep is due to Liver Blood deficiency or Kidney yin deficiency.  A corresponding problem in the body manifests in dreams.  It is the Spirit’s reaction to the problem.  In TCM, the mental and physical are linked.  There is a direct connection between dreams and physical state.

In Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, it says that people’s dreams can reflect the state of energy and also help a doctor to diagnose a person’s illness.  To assess one’s energy state, for example, a doctor can evaluate the Spleen Qi.  The Spleen Qi is in excess if one dreams of the construction of a wall.  The Spleen Qi is deficient if one dreams of starving.  As an example of diagnosis, Qi Bo says to Huang Di, “if one dreams of flying, there is an excess in the upper body, if one dreams of falling, there is an excess in the lower body” (p. 66).

So, dreams can provide valuable insight to ourselves and those who want to help heal us.

I have been thinking about post-COVID symptoms, and here are some of the possible reasons, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  And some things you can do to help yourself, if you are experiencing these post-illness.

Qi and yin can become deficient after any long and/or difficult illness.  And if the illness has phlegm production, it can follow along the path of Qi and accumulate somewhere else.  That is called sometimes called hidden phlegm.

If someone has a chronic cough, it may be due to Lung Qi deficiency if she sweats easily but also feels cold.  If she has a rush of heat or nighttime sweating with a dryer cough, it may be due to Lung yin deficiency.

The following symptoms may be due to Qi deficiency or hidden phlegm or a combination of both: leg swelling, severe fatigue, heart palpitations, muscle aches, joint pain, trouble breathing, headaches, brain fog, or sensation of something stuck in the throat.

Here’s a few dietary changes you can try.  Limit dairy, temporarily, especially milk and ice cream.  Eliminate sugar.  Stop drinking beer;  it has a dampness quality to it.  Heat your vegetables.  Raw food is more challenging when your Qi is deficient.

Dried orange peel tea is my favorite tea for phlegm.  Cinnamon is also a good, mildly warming tea for hidden phlegm and joint pain.  I wouldn’t recommend teas that are colder in nature, such as green tea or peppermint.  They can aggravate weak Qi and phlegm.  I also wouldn’t recommend going directly to strong tonics, such as ginseng, unless and until the phlegm is resolved.  Black Tea can even help resolve phlegm, but it has caffeine.

Be well.