TCM 101 : Your Free Guide to Basics
Module 1: Introduction
1.1 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is about BALANCE
1.2 Concept of Yin and Yang
Module 2: Self-Care Habits to Maintain Balance
2.1 Watch Your Plate: ‘5 Colours’ Diet
2.2 Note Your Cravings
2.3 Meridian Clock Timing: Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time
Module 3: Acupressure
Module 4: Stay Active
Module 5: What’s next?
Module 1: Introduction
1.1 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is about BALANCE
Most people can guess that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) comes from China—but have no idea of its essence or central principle, which is 中庸 (zhong yong), which means BALANCE. TCM requires an overall understanding of the human body and the connection between humans, nature (ie, the physical environment), and the social environment.
Our physical environment affects our health. A healthy body adjusts quickly to the environment it finds itself in; for example, the body easily adjusts to the seasons of the year. If the environment is very damp, our spleen (which is involved with digestion) is likely to be affected. If for any reason we cannot get into balance, we begin to feel discomfort. Our social environment also creates differences in our physical and mental functions and body constitutions. For instance, violence in our social environment has a huge adverse impact on the psychological functioning of the human body and results in damage to health.
Activity: Is Your Life In Balance?
On a scale of 0 (No Balance) to 10 (Completely Balanced), rate yourself on the following dimensions of life.
Living environment: ______
Work environment: _______
Social environment: ______
Body health: ______
Mental wellness: ______
1.2 Concept of Yin and Yang
Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) is an ancient Chinese philosophical principle about the two complementary forces that interact to make up all aspects and phenomena of life. The concept is used to explain the occurrence, development, and change of everything in the universe. Yin and Yang always go together; you cannot have one without the other. As the following table shows, Yin and Yang is often shown as opposing forces or natures.
Examples of Yin and Yang:
Yin | Yang
Night | Day
Dark | Light
Cold | Hot
Passive | Active
Asleep | Awake
Quiet | Loud
Applications:
(Yin) Looking dark 色泽晦暗 | (Yang) Looking bright 色泽鲜明
(Yin) Low weak voice, low energy 声低气弱 | (Yang) Strong forceful voice, high energy 声高气粗
(Yin) Cold body, likes warmth 身寒喜暖 | (Yang) Warm body, averse to heat 身热恶热
Activity: Are you more Yin or more Yang, according to the traits above?
I believe I am more on the yin / yang side because _______________________
Module 2: Self-Care Habits to Maintain Balance
2.1 Watch Your Plate: ‘5 Colours’ Diet
Our five major organs are associated with five colours:
* Taking GREEN food is good for the LIVER.
* Taking RED food is good for the HEART.
* Taking YELLOW (which includes ORANGE) food is good for the SPLEEN.
* Taking WHITE food is good for the LUNG.
* Taking BLACK (which includes BLUE and PURPLE) food is good for the KIDNEY.
What this means is that we can consume foods of a specific colour to strengthen a particular organ or to manage specific concerns:
* Take green leafy vegetables for better eyesight.
* Take yellow food like ginger or pumpkin for better digestion.
* Take black fungus or black sesame for better hair condition.
We often hear about the ‘Rainbow Diet’, the idea that eating foods (especially fruits and vegetables) of different colours every day is good for health. TCM with its focus on balance has exactly the same idea.
Try planning your meals to have all five of these colours in your daily diet. For instance:
* Breakfast: cereal (white) with banana (yellow) and blueberries (black)
* Lunch: noodles with vegetables (green), tomatoes (red), mushrooms (white), and brinjal (black)
* Dinner: rice with vegetables (green), pumpkin (yellow), and black fungus (black)
Of course, go for foods you prefer. Create meal plans based on both foods you enjoy and the 5 Colours Diet.
My Experience Tracking the Colour of My Food
Over a period of some months, I took pictures of all my meals and food intake to make it easier for me to track the colours of my foods.
I usually have cereals with fruits for breakfast. This means I consume white (cereal) + yellow (banana) + black (blueberry) or some other colours depending on the fruits available.
What was missing there was green and red foods, so I try to make up by having green and red foods in my other meals. For example, I try to have vegetables (green) and tomatoes (red). White is usually not an issue since rice is one of my staple foods. For black (including blue and purple), I look for brinjal (black) and black fungus.
There is no need to have foods of all five colours every day. But if you don’t track, you’re not even aware of what you are lacking (until something goes out of balance in your body).
Again, all this reminds us of the need for balance, in this case in our diet.
Activity: Plan your 5 colours plate
Watch your plate for a few days.
What are the colours on your plate?
___________________________
I plan to add these onto my plate (enjoy theses food, helps with sustainability).
Green: ______________
Red: _______________
Yellow (orange): ______________
White: _________________
Black (blue, purple): _______________________
2.3 Meridian Clock Timing: Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time
We can stay healthy when we live according to the rules of nature. Be active during the day, and rest in the night. Sad to say, many have their lifestyle quite the opposite.
One of the ways to stay BALANCED is a lifestyle aligned with our Meridian Clock.
We have 12 major meridians.
What is a meridian?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a meridian (or “jingluo” in Chinese) is a pathway through which qi (vital energy) flows throughout the body. These pathways connect various organs and tissues, helping maintain the balance and harmony of energy, which is considered essential for health. There are twelve main meridians, each associated with specific organs like the lungs, liver, kidneys, etc. Additionally, there are “extraordinary meridians” that play a regulatory role in energy distribution and storage.
Meridians can be seen as channels or networks, though they are not visible physical structures like veins or nerves. Rather, they are conceptual channels mapped along the body, with specific acupoints where practitioners can influence qi flow through techniques like acupuncture, acupressure, or guasha. When qi flows smoothly through these meridians, the body is believed to function well. However, disruptions in this flow can lead to pain, illness, or general imbalance, according to TCM theory.
The concept of meridians is foundational in TCM for diagnosis and treatment and is used in a variety of practices, such as qigong, tai chi, and TCM massage techniques.
During different periods of the 24 hours of each day, a different major meridian is dominant, in the sense that it carries a larger quantity of the vital energy we term ‘Qi’.
The Meridian Clock shows us which meridians, with their associated organs and emotions, are most energetically active at which periods of the day:
- 5am to 7am: Large intestines
- 7am to 9am: Stomach
- 9am to 11am: Spleen
- 11am to 1pm: Heart
- 1pm to 3pm: Small intestines
- 3pm to 5pm: Bladder
- 5pm to 7pm: Kidney
- 7pm to 9pm: Pericardium
- 9pm to 11pm: ‘Triple warmer’ (controls metabolism and involved in digestion and waste processing)
- 11pm to 1am: Gall bladder
- 1am to 3am: Liver
- 3am to 5am: Lung
Here are some examples of living a life that is aligned with your Meridian Clock timing:
* 3am to 5am: Lung meridian is the most active. It is best to be in deep sleep at this time. The body is at its weakest now.
* 5am to 7am: Large-intestines meridian is the most active. This is the best time to clear your bowels.
* 7am to 9am: Stomach meridian is the most active. This is the best time to take breakfast.
* 11am to 1pm: Heart meridian is the most active. Try not to schedule any surgery during this period. This is a good time to catch a nap (of not more than 30 mins).
* 3pm to 5pm: Bladder meridian is the most active. This is the best time for a tea break.
Module 3: Acupressure
Meridians, Acupressure Points
In TCM, meridians refer to a widely branching system of channels that run through the entire body and through which the life-energy known as Qi flows.
There are 12 main meridians in the human body. Meridians can be considered very much like a mass-rapid-transit or train system (see the following image). The various lines (green, red, yellow, purple, blue) are just like the various meridian channels: liver meridian, heart meridian, spleen meridian, lung meridian, kidney meridian. The train stations are very much like acupressure points (acupoints).
Figure ?: MRT system
Methods to stimulate acupressure points
Reset 12 is for general maintenance. Encourage to do regularly (1/day).
Download the Ouch! Acupressure Handbook on the acupressure points to relieve common pains.
Watch the videos to locate the acupressure points!
Module 4: Stay Active
“活动,活动,要活就要动”
“Stay active to stay alive; movement is life.”
We encourage Qigong as one of your ways of movement.
Edwin from Harmony Qigong & Meditation (https://www.instagram.com/harmony_qigongmeditation/)
What is qi gong?
Qi Gong is made up of 2 words, Qi and Gong. Qi refers to the life force energy that sustains our body. Gong refers to effort. Together it refers to practices that help to encourage and balance the life force energy within our body.
There are 4 main category of Qi Gong. Health, martial, medical and esoteric. The qi gong that most people practice in a park would probably be health qi gong, whereas something like taichi or bagua would be martial qi gong. Medical qi gong is used mainly for healing and esoteric qi gong is for spiritual progress.
With regular practice, qi gong helps to bring more vitality, balance and strength into our body. This leads to both better physical and mental health.
Edwin was featured on ChannelNewsAsia (CNA)
“How did qigong suddenly become a cool workout for young people?
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/qigong-young-people-exercise-workout-285247
Practise qigong with Edwin: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVSc4HepqJy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cb9642ff-d80f-448b-86ed-f42a37ed4725
Module 5: What’s next?
eCourses: ouch.com.sg/e-courses/
Workshops: ouch.com.sg/workshops