Many Covid sufferers experience at least one of the many symptoms six months after acquired Covid-19 virus. The symptoms include: anxiety or depression, heavy abnormal breathing, shortness of breath, abdominal symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, chest or throat pain, fatigues, lingering headache, foggy mind, joint pains or muscle aches.

Long Covid in the Western Medicine point of view.  It is understood that the Covid virus ties to blood vessel walls and endothelial cells. The virus is highly mobile and can cross blood brain barrier; it causes vascular inflammation. Covid 19 virus perseveres longer than other virus, and the virus is moving by movement or exercise.

The risk factors for developing “Long Covid” vary from person to person. It depends on their pre-existing health conditions. Some may have immune-compromised health conditions; some may have received delayed treatment; some may have much higher viral loads than others; some may have been infected with a more infectious variant of virus; some may have poor diet or nutrition prior to contracting the virus; some may suffer from Long Covid because of their old age; some may suffer from Long Covid due to the environment that they are living in, e.g. air pollution, poor air quality, over crowed conditions, living in a cold and damp environment.

Long Covid from a Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view. The retention of Covid virus fragments in the body can cause lethargy, lingering unproductive coughs, recurrent fevers, recurrent sore throat or recurrent body muscle aches and joint pains. Long Covid also causes stagnation of energy or chi and stagnation of blood due to the depletion of energy to keep the body mobile. It also creates “Heat” and “Toxins” from the lingering pockets of inflammation in the body caused by the virus fragments. When inflammation becomes infectious in a localised area of the body, it starts to release toxins, known as the toxic heat.  

Retention of “Heat”, or retention of pathogens, occurs when there isn’t any active pathogen in the body, just the yin deficient heat. This can be found on the patient’s tongue diagnosis with “red dots” found across the tongue.

Relapse occurs with “Long Covid” when it has entered the Shao-Yang level, the Gallbladder and Triple Heater channels. Sometimes, the patient can feel 100% wellness for a moment and became very ill the next moment. This pattern requires specific Chinese herbs to expel the pathogen, herbs that are sweet and nourishing as well as pungent to disperse and expel.

The progression of Covid 19 virus leads to dampness, heat and toxin into the human body. The body then retains the dampness and the toxic heat in the system. The dampness pathogen then turns into congealed phlegm in the upper warmer causing persisting un-productive cough which affects the person’s sleep quality; insomnia may then occur. The phlegm also attacks the middle warmer causing digestive problems such as lack of appetites. Last but not least, the virus also attacks the lower warmer causing inflammation in the urinary tract and bowel infection may follow. In some sever cases it even causes erectile dysfunction in men.

People suffering from “Long Covid” will experience kidney, liver and heart yin deficiency, as well as chi deficiency or chi stagnation in the spleen, kidney, live and heart. The symptoms of “Long Covid” related to the triple warmers are as follows: In the upper burner, one would experience shortness of breath, gasping for air, chest pains, sore throat, un-productive cough and palpitation. In the Middle burner, one would experience foggy thinking, temporally memory loss and abdominal problems. In the Lower burner, one would experience erectile dysfunction and urinary tract infection. On the spirit and mind level, the person can experience post-traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety, and depression.

Shiatsu Therapy can help clearing heat by moving chi and gentle meridian stretches which will reduce inflammation and clear chi and blood stagnation. Shiatsu can switch on the Parasympathetic nervous system, tonifying kidney meridian and calming the Shen to restore sleep, tonifying digestion to transform phlegm caused by dampness. Together with the herbalist, this oriental therapy can restore the spleen’s function of resolving dampness, clearing heat from blood, clearing oedema and blood stagnation.

Our final blog on the five elements focuses on the Metal element. It houses our Vitality, the bodily soul or ‘Po’ in Chinese, ‘魄’. In Chinese medicine theory, one with a balanced Metal element will have positive direction in life, optimism, and stability. On the other hand, one with a weak Metal element tends to hold on to things, not letting go, and may exhibit pessimism, sadness and grieving.

In the element chart shown below, Earth supports Metal, Metal feeds Water, Metal controls Wood, and Fire controls Metal. They have an interlocking relationship; should one be out-of-balance, it will undermine the other elements. For example, if the heart has too much fire, such as damp heat, it can weaken the lungs. If the lungs are weakened, then the lung chi cannot descend to support and anchor the kidney chi. When the kidney is too yang, it damages kidney yin. The rising kidney yang can cause insomnia and hypertension.

In the regenerative cycle of the Five elements, dry wood in the forest is very flammable when lighting strikes, so fire consumes wood, the forest, and turns wood into ash, ash becomes earth; during bush fire, a tremendous amount of heat is created and vapours rise into the atmosphere and transform into cloud; as the vapours becomes heavier and heavier, it condense into rain drops. Plants need moisture to survive and turn into wood or forest, and hence the process repeats itself.

In the control cycle, a metal chainsaw or axe is used to cut down wood; wood breaks down earth and consumes nutrients in earth to thrive; water is gathered by reservoir built from earth, so earth contains water like rivers and creeks. Water is used to put out fire so it controls fire. Metal is controlled by fire because metal melts by fire to form liquid.

The Metal element consists of the Lungs and Large Intestine, its meridian channels and vital pressure points. The functions of the Metal element are respiration and regeneration through exchange and elimination. The lung is in charge of the whole body’s Chi intake. Fresh oxygen is inhaled through the nose or mouth, down the throat into the trachea, it then fills up the lung’s left and right bronchi, the bronchioles, and then the alveoli. Each alveolus is covered by a network of fine blood vessels call capillaries. This process of respiration is called inspiration, breathing in with oxygen. The heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lung’s capillaries to exchange for oxygenated blood to pump back to the heart and to the whole body. A waste product of this process, carbon dioxide, is then exhaled through the mouth and the nose. This process of respiration is called expiration, breathing out carbon dioxide. This respiration process is smooth and effortless when the lungs are in good order. The other role of the lung is to transform oxygen air into liquid vapour and circulate this water vapour throughout the whole body to moisten the skin and body hair. Lush and shiny body hair indicates healthy lungs: the lung rules the external body hair. It also regulates the body temperature by sweating out through the sweat glands. When the lung is weak, it can either produce too much sweat or too little sweat.

According to Chinese Medicine Theory, the lung meridian links to the nose via the throat, its primary corridor. Sinus problems, nose congestion and too much mucus and phlegm in the throat might indicate weakness of the lungs. The over production of mucus in the lungs can be due to the inflammation of the lungs. Excess mucus is produced to trap germs and prevent harmful particles entering through the nose or mouth. Common diseases associated with lung infections are asthma, profuse coughing of phlegm, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and bronchitis. Lung diseases can be caused by toxic mould, chemicals in the air, asbestos, bacteria or air born virus, passive smoke, Tobacco smoking, and allergens such as pollen, pet fur and dust.

The metal element meridian channels are mostly on the hands, arms, front of shoulders, front of the neck and beside the nose. The tissue that metal element governs are the skin and membranes. The sense organ for metal is the nose, the sense is smell, physical manifestation is skin and body hair, the body skin colour is white or pale when it is out of balance, its body odour is a rotten smell, and it produces excess mucus when it’s out of tuned. The weather season for the metal element is autumn, the damaging climate for metal is dryness. The direction for metal is west. According to Chinese Medicine Clock, the lung occupies the time of day from 3am to 5am. The large intestine covers the time of day from 5am to 7pm; these are the prime time to nourish one’s metal element. The metal element likes pungent flavours, but too much spice can damage the heart due to excessive heat. Negative emotions for the metal element are grieving, sadness, pessimism and not letting go; positive emotions for metal are optimism and positive direction in life. Coughing occurs when the metal element is not running smoothly. The body parts that related to metal element are shoulders, abdomen and chest. The metal element also controls the body’s respiratory system.

We can learn a great deal from the cycle of the four seasons. Autumn is the season for the metal element. Trees and plants blossom in spring, the beginning of the growth cycle, followed by the fruiting cycle in late summer, then the harvest time. As the trees and plants enter the autumn season, they go bare, they let go of the last year’s foliage and produce. Some trees’ foliage will put on spectacular autumn colours, and maturate fruits are picked by the farmers. In late Autumn, deciduous trees shed leaves and mulch the surrounding earth, fertilise the soil to promote new growth for next year’s harvest. This natural cycle teaches us about the cycle of regeneration and letting go.  In with the news and out with the olds, don’t hold onto what we have created or collected from the past, our negativities, old habits, or old bad memories. We must learn from nature to let go of the waste and create room for the news, new energy, new ideas and new directions.

The emotional symptoms that indicate an out-of-balanced Metal element are holding on to the past, not letting go of old possessions, pessimism, excessive grieving, depression, living in isolation and negativities, anti-social, feeling worthless. The physical symptoms that indicate an out-of-balanced metal element are tight chest, shortness of breath, sinus congestion, a running nose, sore throat, asthma, coughs, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and constipation.

The Metal element consists of two organs, the large intestine (colon) and the lungs. The large intestine is the yang organ and the lung is the yin organ. The lung meridian consists of 11 pressure points and is the shortest meridian. The first point of the lung meridian Lu 1 starts from the chest, located about 2.5cm below a depression under the lateral end of the clavicle. Lu 2 is where the depression is, 2.5cm up from Lu1. The meridian then travels down the front of the bicep; Lu 3 is about 4 fingers down measured from the deltoid, Lu 4 is 1 thumb down from Lu3. Lu 5 located in the most lateral depression in the elbow fold, on the radial side of the tendon. Lu 6 is about the middle of the forearm on the radial side. Lu 7 located on the radial side of the arm, in the depression about 2 fingers width above the end of the wrist fold. Lu 8 is one finger width down from Lu 7. Lu 9 is located on the radial side of the wrist in the depression at the lateral end of the wrist fold. Lu 10 is located in the middle of the radial edge of the first metacarpal bone, the fleshy bit of muscle. Lu 11 is located at the radial corner of the thumbnail.

The important pressure points on the lung meridian are: Lu 1 for clearing phlegm in the lung and shoulder problems, Lu 5 for treating tennis elbow, clearing heat and cold from the lungs, Lu 7 to recharge the lungs, Lu 9 known for treating sore throat and chest cold. Lu 10 for treating sore throat and clearing heat from the body. Lu 11 for stimulating the flow of energy in the lung meridian.

The functions of Large Intestine are transformation, transportation and elimination of waste products from the foods consumed. It is about 1.5 metres long, sitting in the lower abdominal cavity. A healthy colon will work with the lungs seamlessly in the exchange and elimination processes to eliminate its waste products and toxin daily, sometimes once or twice a day to clean out the system and help to unblock Chi and promote deep inhalation. The colon also produces friendly bacteria which helps breaking down food fibre. These friendly bacteria are store in the Appendix.

When the large colon is out of balance, one might experience cold lower abdomen, bloatedness, constipation, diarrhoea, haemorrhoids from constipation, shallow breathes, skin problems and lack of energy. Emotionally, one might experience difficulties in self-expression, letting go of negative thoughts and resentments, and holding on to clutters and possession.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, the chewing process is very important when we ingest our foods. The TCM theory beliefs that, by chewing our food thoroughly, it activates the large intestine meridian and promotes a healthy function of the large colon. It is recommended by the TCM theory to chew our food 32 times before swallowing it.

There are 20 points on the Large Intestine meridian. It begins on the index finger, from the radial corner of the fingernail LI 1, then the points travel up the anterior lateral aspect of the arm. LI 2 is located on the head of the metacarpal distal to the body; LI 3 is located on the head of the metacarpal proximal to the body; LI 4 is located on the base of the metacarpal, the highest point of the web of flesh between the thumb and the index finger; LI 5 is located on the joint of the carpal and radius, on the radial side of the wrist. LI 6 to LI 9 runs along the radius on the anterior lateral aspect of the forearm; LI 10 located 3 fingers width below the elbow fold; LI 11 located at the lateral end of the elbow fold; LI 12 located on the elbow joint on the head of the humerus bone distal to the body. LI 13 is located 4 fingers width up from the elbow fold, about the middle of the bicep; LI 14 is located on the depression that separate the deltoid and the bicep muscle on the radial side of the shoulder; LI 15 is located on the depression of the joint that connects the humerus bone, the clavical bone and the scapula socket; LI 16 is located on the upper aspect of the shoulder, in the depression between the adjacent extremity of the clavicle and the scapular bone; LI 17 is on the depression just above the end of the clavical bone proximal  to the mid-line of the body. LI 18 is located 2 fingers width above LI 17; LI 19 is located diagonally over the front of the neck and jaw to the corner of the nose on the maxilla bone just below the nostril; and LI 20 located just on the corner of the nostril.

The vital pressure points on the Large Intestine meridian are: LI 1 for activating the entire meridian, and can also be used for treating sore throat; LI 4 can be used to treat toothache, promote bowel movement, stimulate body immunity and increase energy level; do not work on LI 4 during pregnancy; LI 5 can be used for treating sinus problems and low energy; LI 10 is a major point for treating problems with the arm and shoulder, but should not be used in pregnancy; LI 11 can be used for constipation and tennis elbow; LI 16 can be used for treating frozen shoulder and shoulder stiffness; LI 20 can be used for treating all sinus problems.

Foods that are good for nourishing Lungs are duck, cow milk, pork, cheese, walnut, pine nut, pistachio, rice, ginkgo nut, almond, apricot, tangerine, yam, strawberry, watermelon, pears, asparagus, dairy and apples. Foods that are good for counteracting phlegm heat in the lungs are chrysanthemum, lily bulb, lyceum fruit, Chinese ginseng, citrus peel, astragalus, American ginseng,  carrot, grapefruit, watercress, cabbage, celery and cucumber. Foods that are good for treating phlegm cold in the lungs are mustard seed, pepper, ginger, onion, garlic coffee, peanuts cherries, peach and eggs. Foods that are good for nourishing Large intestine are broccoli, banana, eggplant, lettuce, parsnip, potato, rhubarb, spinach, almond, fennel seed, sesame, walnut, and pine nut.

Exercises that can help to strengthen the Metal element are swimming, walking, Tai Chi, meridian stretches, Pilates, walking meditation, weight-based workouts, cycling, yoga and deep breathing exercise.

Regular shiatsu massage can promote blood circulation and energy flow to release physical tension and emotional stress within the body and harmonise the organs and its meridians in the Metal element.

Benefits of the Meridian Stretches

Regular practice of Meridian stretches can increase your muscle tone, body flexibility, immunity, blood circulation, promote the smooth flow of energy in the twelve meridian channels and nourish each of the internal organs.

Lung Meridian (3am-5am)(yin)(Metal )

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, place your arms behind your back, cross your thumbs and inhale through your nose, allow air travel to your lower abdomen. Bend your body forward, and raise your arms as high as possible and exhale. Repeat this process 12 times. Each time, pay attention to your lung meridian and visualise the lung meridian is filled with fresh energy.

Large Intestine Meridian (5am-7am)(yang)(Metal )

Raise one of your legs and step forward to form a 90 degree angle, leave the other leg to form a straight line in an incline angle, then rise your arms above your head, title your head back and inhale; exhale as you bring back in the leg that was stepped out to form the 90 degree angle. Repeat this for the other leg and perform the sequences for 12 times.

We have now covered Water, Wood and Fire elements in previous blogs, and the Earth element is the second last element that we will discuss. In Chinese medicine theory, the Earth element houses our intellect or ‘Zhi’ in Chinese, ‘智‘. One with a balanced Earth element will have a clear mind. On the other hand, one with an imbalanced Earth element might have muddy thinking. In the element chart shown below, Fire supports Earth, Earth feeds Metal, Wood controls Earth, and Earth controls Water. They are inter-related; should one be out-of-balance, it will greatly affect the other elements.

The Earth element consists of the Stomach and Spleen organs, its meridian channels and vital pressure points. The functions of the Earth element are transformation, assimilation and satisfying needs. The Earth element acts like a Reserve Bank and a defence department of the body; it supplies nourishment, energy, Qi and blood to the body and also the body’s immunity system. The roles of the stomach are to break-down foods that are consumed by the body so that it can be transformed into useful energy or blood that circulates throughout the whole body.

The Earth element meridian channels covered most of the front of the body, and the tissue it governs are muscle and flesh. The sense organ for earth is the mouth, the sense is taste, physical manifestation is flesh, the body skin colour is yellow or brown when it is out of balance, its body odour is fragrant, and it produces sticky saliva when it’s out of tuned. The weather season for the earth element is late summer, the damaging climate for earth is humidity or dampness. The direction for earth is the centre. The spleen occupies the time of day from 9am to 11am. The stomach covers the time of day from 11am to 1pm; these are the prime time to nourish one’s Earth element. The Earth element likes sweet flavours, but too much sweet will damage the spleen. Negative emotions for the Earth element are worry, cynicism and jealousy; positive emotions for earth are sympathy, compassion and groundedness. Belching occurs when earth element is not running smoothly. The body parts that related to Earth element are knees, elbows and mid back. The Earth element also controls the lymphatic system of the body.

The Earth element can be damaged by the overeating of raw vegetables, oily fried foods, iced drinks, cold foods from the fridge and over-consumption of green or black tea. In wintertime, one might think that having raw salad is healthy and fresh diet, but according to Chinese medicine dietary theory, one should consume well cooked meals in winter instead.

Over consumption of raw cold foods can cause the development of fluid stagnation and dampness in the body system. The Spleen is responsible for transforming and transporting fluids, and congestion of fluids develops in the body when the Spleen energy is down. When the Spleen is low in energy, the organ is not producing the right amount of enzymes to break down the foods consumed and also weakens the body’s immunity due to lack of energy circulation and nutrient supply.

As mentioned before, the Earth element also looks after our intellect. Overthinking or paying too much attention to details can result in a compromised Earth Element. Cluttered thinking or fixated thinking would be an indication of an Earth imbalance. Lack of focus and foggy minds are caused by spleen energy deficiency. Spleen Qi deficiency is caused by excessive accumulation of dampness or phlegm in one’s body system.

A well balanced earth element has the ability to take in nourishment, to transform fresh food energy into Qi and Blood to supply to the body and to maintain good health and balance.

Physical and emotional symptoms that indicate an out-of-balanced Earth element are, overthinking, worrying, obsessing about details, lack of sympathy, lack of grounding, carving for sweets, clinging, nausea, diabetes, unexplained weight gain, fluffy muscles, submissive behaviour, low body immunity, stomach problems, irritable bowel syndromes.

The Stomach is the yang organ and the Spleen is the yin organ in the Earth element. The Spleen meridian consists of 21 pressure points. The first point of the spleen meridian Sp 1 starts from the medial side of the big toe nail, then it travels up on the medial side of the ankle. Sp 6 is a point where the three yin meridians meet which is located four fingers’ width above the medial malleolus. Sp 6 harmonises liver, nourishes kidney and regulates the menstrual cycle. Sp 9 is located on the medial side of the leg and below the knee, a diagnostic point for dampness accumulation in one’s body. Sp 10 is located 3 fingers width just above the medial edge of the superior border of the knee cap, and is an important point for treating knee problems. Then it ascends on the medial side of the leg, then through the crotch area to the floating rib, then continues to travel up to the 2^nd rib. Sp 21 finishes up on the side of the body about 4 finger’s width down from the crease of the arm and the chest.

The stomach meridian starts from below the eyes at St 1, then travels down to the side of the mouth at St 4, and through St 6 located on the side of the jaw at the prominence of the masseter muscle. The meridian then travels up to the side of the forehead at St 8, then descends down to the clavicle bone at St 10 and through St 12 which is located in the middle of the clavicle bone, 4 fingers’ width from the mid-line of the body. Then there are 7 pressure points descending down the chest on top of the rib cage in line with the nipple, and 12 pressure points travelling down the abdomen about 2 fingers’ width from the mid-line. St 30 is located on the upper border of the pubic bone, then travels outward to the top of the leg. There are 4 pressure points on top of the thigh, and 6 pressure points on the lower leg along the shin-bone. An important pressure point here to note is St 36, about 4 fingers width down from the kneecap; it regulates the digestive system, menstrual cycle, strengthening the body’s immunity and overall energy flow. Then 5 pressure points travel down the middle of the foot to the last point St 45 on the second toe nail. There are 45 pressure points all together, making it the second longest meridian channel in the body.

Nourishing foods and drinks for the Earth element are millet, root vegetables such as carrot, potato and sweet potato, pumpkin, apple, apricot, banana, beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cherry, corn, cucumber, eggplant, fig, ginger, grapefruit, kelp, lettuce, lychee, orange, parsley, parsnip, pea, pear, peach, pineapple shiitake mushroom, strawberry, barley, oats, peanut, rice , soya bean, green tea, cider vinegar, and mineral water. Animal based nourishing foods for the Earth element are beef, butter, catfish, chicken, duck, lamb, milk, rabbit and veal.

Exercises that can help to strengthen the Earth element are singing, Karaoke, swimming, walking, Tai Chi, meridian stretches, Pilates, walking meditation, weight-based workouts, cycling and yoga.

Regular shiatsu massage can promote blood circulation and energy flow to release physical tension and emotional stress within the body and harmonise the organs and its meridians in the Earth element.

Benefits of the Meridian Stretches

Regular practice of Meridian stretches can increase your muscle tone, body flexibility, immunity, blood circulation, promote the smooth flow of energy in the twelve meridian channels and nourish each of the internal organs.

Spleen Meridian stretches (9am-11am)(yin)(earth)

Sit like a Japanese Geisha with your bottom touching the floor

Lift your right leg outward and use your big toe knuckle as the pivot point and repeat the same for your left leg as shown above. You should experience the stretching sensation on the interior side of your leg through to your groin.

Stomach Meridian stretches (11am-1pm)(yang)(earth)

Back to the Geisha sitting position.

Use your arms and elbows to support your body as you lower your back to the floor.

Advanced position (Please note, this is a very strong stretching position, not recommended for people with a bad back)

What is the Fire Element? The Fire Element is one of the five elements in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory (TCM). As we discussed previously, the five elements are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood, as shown in the diagram below. They are inter-related; they support each other in a clock-wise direction. Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water regulates Fire, Fire controls Metal, and Metal controls Wood. Therefore, if one element is out of balance, it will affect the other four elements; and when one element is out of balance, others have to compensate for the losses.

In the last blog we talked about the Wood Element and its meridian stretches, Wood supports Fire, and Fire supports Earth. The Fire Element is the biggest element amongst the five. It consists of the Heart organ, Small Intestine, Pericardium and Triple heater. The functions of the Fire element are integration, assimilation, circulation and protection. The Heart is the centre and the engine of the body. It pumps oxygenated blood and nutrients around the body through a network of arteries and veins. It also removes unwanted waste products and carbon dioxide. It is the driver of the whole circulatory system.

In Chinese Medicine, the heart is the housing of “Shen” or “神“ in Chinese, which means our spirit, mind or consciousness. The heart is also known as the Emperor of the body; the Pericardium is the Emperor’s guard, and the Liver is the Emperor’s Commander.

The Pericardium is the outer layer of the heart. It consists of an inner serous membrane layer and a structural fibrous outer layer to keep the heart in the right place. The small intestine works with heart as the ‘yang’ pair organ. It absorbs nutrients from the food we eat and it completes the chemical digestion of the food we consume. The Triple Heater or triple warmer works with the Pericardium to aid in warmth circulation.  The body is divided into Upper warmer, Middle warmer and Lower warmer. Upper warmer consists organs such as the heart and lungs. Middle warmer consists of liver, gallbladder, stomach, and spleen. Lower warmer consists of small intestine and large intestine, kidney and urinary bladder.

The Heart meridian is relatively short, and only consists of 9 major acupressure points starting at the deepest part of the armpit Ht1. It then travels down between the biceps and the triceps towards the elbow Ht3, then the medial part of the anterior of the arm towards the wrist Ht7, and it finishes on the small fingernail’s base Ht9.

The Heart is the yin organ, and Small Intestine is the Yang organ in the Fire element. The Small Intestine meridian consists of 19 acupressure points. The channel starts from the ulnar side of the little finger nail base SI1. It travels along the edge of the hand to the wrist SI5, and up along the edge of the ulnar to the medial part of the elbow SI8, then it travels up in the middle of the triceps to the shoulder just above the crease SI9. It then zigzags through the scapula to cervical vertebra 7, SI15, then travels through the side of the neck to behind the jaw, to the cheek bone SI18, then back to the ear SI19 between GB2 and SJ21.

The Pericardium is also a yin organ. Its meridian starts from the lateral side of the nipple PC1 and travels up the chest to the same level of the axillary crease, then it descends along the interior side of the biceps to the inner elbow PC3, then it travels down the middle of the medial side of the arm to the wrist PC7, through the centre of the palm and finishes on the radial side of the middle finger nail PC9.

The Triple Heater meridian regulates body temperature and water passages within the three warmers. Its meridian has 23 pressure points. It starts from the ulnar side of the 4^th finger TH1, travels up through the centre of the dorsal side of the wrist TH4, then travels up the middle of the forearm to the elbow bone TH10, and continue ascending through the back of the triceps to the back of the deltoid TH14. It then travels along the back of the shoulder just above the scapula TH15, then it ascends to the back of the ear TH17, and wraps around the back of the ear to the front of the ear just above SI19 and it finishes at the end of the eyebrow TH23.

Psychological impacts of fire element imbalance include jumpiness, nervousness, oversensitive, anxiety, lack of concentration and forgetfulness, paying too much attention to details, cautiousness and avoidance of social life. Physical symptoms of fire element imbalance are tension between scapulae, shortness of breath, palpitation, sweaty hands, tension around throat area, neck and shoulders tension, lower back pain due to blood stagnation in abdomen, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, restless, high blood pressure, cold extremities, itchy skins and swollen glands.

The tissues that fire element governs are blood vessels. The sense organ for fire element is tongue and the sense is speech. Good communication skills and speech indicates good heart energy. Its physical manifestation is complexion. When the element is out of balance, the skin colour might show red or purple, body odour is burnt smell, and body might have excessive sweat. The season for the fire element is summer; hot summer days are damaging weather for the fire element. The Fire element prefers a southerly direction to prevent excessive heat or hot weather. Colour preference for fire element is Red, and the element likes bitter taste. The negative emotions for this element are panics, excitement and nervousness.  Its positive emotions are joy, calmness and love. Laughing is good for the element, and talking too much will deplete the element’s energy. The body areas for the fire element are the chest and between the scapulae.

The time of day for fire element is between 11am and 3pm during the day, and 7pm to 11pm during the night. The yin organs of the fire element, heart and pericardium occupies the time between 11am to 1pm and 7pm to 9pm respectively. The yang organs of the fire element, small intestine and triple heaters occupie the time between 1pm and 3pm, and 9pm to 11pm respectively.

Nurturing foods for fire element are sweet corn and round leafy veggies. The heart houses the mind, spirit or consciousness. Foods that can calm the mind or Shen are lotus seed, red dates, oyster, lemons, adzuki bean, buckwheat and wheat. Foods that can nourish the heart blood are red grapes, rice, steak, chicken breast, beetroot and sweet corn. Foods that can reduce heat in the fire element are soybeans, asparagus, lettuce, celery, cucumber, rhubarb, seaweed pears, watermelon, pineapple and green tea. Foods that can regulate blood flow in the fire element are vinegar, radish, cinnamon, oats, red wine, eggplant, watercress, turnip, cherries and apple cider. Herbs that can invigorate energy flow in the fire element are Chinese Ginseng, angelica root, and water lily bulb.

Exercises that can help to strengthen the fire element are singing, Karaoke, swimming, walking, Tai Chi, meridian stretches, breathing meditation, chi-gong, Pilates, group exercise, and group dancing.

Regular shiatsu massage can promote blood circulation and energy flow to release physical tension and emotional tension within the body and harmonise the organs and its meridians in the fire element.

Benefits of the Meridian Stretches

Regular practice of Meridian stretches can increase your muscle tone, your body flexibility, your body’s immunity, blood circulation, smooth flow of energy in the twelve meridian channels and the nourishing of the internal organs.

Heart Meridian stretches (11am-1pm)(yin)(Fire)

Place your feet sole to sole; breath-in as you rock your body from side to side and bring feet towards your groin. Breath-out as you bend your head forward as far as you can until your head touches your toes. Repeat the sequence six times. Be mindful with your breath, imagine that your heart meridian channels in your arms and legs are filled up with fresh energy and revitalise your heart.

Small Meridian stretches (1pm-3pm)(yang)(Fire)

Place your feet sole to sole, hold your ankles with your hands, rocking your body from side to side and try to maintain your centre of gravity. Repeat the sequence six times.

Pericardium Meridian stretches (7pm-9pm)(yin)(fire)

Cross your legs, breath-in as you crisscross your arms and place your hands on your knees; breath-out as you bend your head forwards. Then, swap your arms, and crisscross your arms and place them on your knees, breath-out as you bend your head forwards. Repeat the sequence six times.

Triple Warmers Meridian stretches (9pm-11pm)(yang)(fire)

Stand with your legs shoulder width apart and with your arms crisscrossed over your chest, breath-in and turn your waist to one side and breath-out; back to starting position, breath-in and turn your waist to the other side and breath-out. Repeat the sequence six times.

What is Wood Element?

The Wood Element is one of the five elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory (TCM). The five elements are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood, as shown in the diagram below. They are inter-related; they support each other in a clock-wise direction. Therefore, if one element is out of balance, it will affect the other four elements; and when one element is weak or imbalanced, others have to take on the extra load to compensate.

In the last Blog, we talked about Water Element and its meridian stretches. Water supports wood. Now, we are in the Spring Season which belongs to the Wood Element. Our Liver organ and Gallbladder organ belong to the wood element. The functions of the wood element are distribution and storage. The liver purifies and stores blood; it also distributes blood when the body needs it. The gallbladder produces and stores bale; it releases it when the body needs the bale to break down oily foods that we consume in our diet.

Liver is the Yin organ and Gallbladder is the Yang organ, and their meridian channels run on the side of the body. Most of the liver meridian line runs on the interior side of our legs, and most of the Gall Bladder meridian line runs on the posterior side of our legs and sides of the body.

The Liver meridian consists of 14 major acupressure points starting at the lateral side of the big toenail and going up between the big toe and the second toe to the medial side of the ankle. It runs on the posterior side of the tibia bone to a point two third of the way up the leg, then it curves away from the bone towards the medial end of the knee crease. From there, it runs up the inside of the thigh through the genital, the groin and the lateral abdomen to the fourth inter-costal space counting from bottom of the rib-cage.

The Gall Bladder meridian channel starts at the lateral corner of the eye and travels down to the jaw and the side of the head, wraps around the ear, then the occipital ridge. From there, it travels down the upper border of the trapezium to the midpoint of the shoulder and goes underneath the outline of the scapula to the armpit and travels side of the ribcage to the waistline and hip. It keeps travelling down the lateral side of the buttock and descends through the midline of the side of the upper and lower leg and then through the front of the lateral malleolus, then along the 4^th metatarsal and finishes on the side of the 4^th small toe. With 44 acupressure points in total, the Gall Bladder meridian is the third longest meridian line.

The tissues that wood element governs are our tendons, ligaments, joints and muscles. The sense organ for the wood element is our eyes. Its physical manifestations are the finger nails, hands and feet. The skin colour for the wood element is green or yellow when the organ is out of balance, body odour is a rancid smell, and the body fluid for the wood element is tears. A damaging climate for the wood element is wind.

The time of day for the wood element is between 11pm at night and 3am in the morning. The yang organ ‘gall bladder’ occupies the time between 11pm and 1am, and the yin organ ‘liver’ occupies the time between 1am and 3am in the morning. The favourite colour for the wood element is Green and its favourite taste is sour. The positive emotion for the wood element is humour and patience; the negative emotion is anger and impatience. When ones wood element is out of balance, the person tends to shout and have clipped voice.

The body areas that associate with wood elements are joints, knees and especially the right shoulder. In general, the wood element looks after the muscular system of the body.

Nurturing foods for the wood element are wheat, leafy green veggies such as broccoli, spinach, celery and cabbage. Foods that can activate Liver energy are basil, bay leaf, leek, onion, coffee, cabbage, black pepper, garlic ginger and peppermint. Foods that can calm liver yang energy from rising are celery, lettuce, seaweed, rhubarb, watercress, spinach, lemons, apples bananas and yogurt. Foods that can relax or soften liver are black sesame, celery, lettuce, plum, tomatoes and apple cider vinegar. Foods that can nourish liver blood are plum, kiwi fruits, cherry, grapes, apples sesame seed, sunflower seeds, beetroot and small quantities of red wine.

Exercises that can help to strengthen the wood element are gardening, swimming, walking, Tai Chi, meridian stretches and meditation.

Regular shiatsu massage can also help the body to invigorate the flow of liver energy, relax the liver organ and brings the wood element back to harmony.

Benefits of the Meridian Stretches

Regular practice of Meridian stretches can increase your muscle tone, body flexibility, and immunity. Meridian stretches can also improve blood circulation, smooth the fl ow of energy in the twelve meridian channels and nourish the internal organs.

Gall Bladder Meridian stretches

Sit with your legs flat and straight on the ground. Cross your right leg over your left knee, with the left elbow resting against the outer side of your right knee to create a restraint. Turn your body to look over your right shoulder as far as you can until you can feel the stretch on your right hip and thigh. Repeat on the opposite side.

Liver Meridian stretches

Spread your legs far apart as possible, like performing a 180 degree split. Reach your arms on one side all the way until you can touch your toes and feel the stretch in your inner thigh and the side of your ribcage. Repeat on the opposite side.

Winter has arrived a month earlier than usual. It is now time to strengthen our ‘water element’ for the winter months. The water element in Five element Chinese Medicine Theory consists of the Kidneys, the Urinary Bladder, and their associated meridian channels.

The Kidney meridian consists of 27 major acupressure points starting at the soles of our feet and finishing just below the clavicle bone on our chests. The Urinary Bladder meridian channel starts between the eyes and finishes on the side of the little toes. With 67 acupressure points in total, the Urinary Bladder meridian is the longest.

A well balanced water element requires a good flow of Qi (energy), and blood circulation in the meridians just mentioned, and has an impact on ones emotional and physical wellbeing. When the water element is out of balance, a person may feel depressed, fearful, insecure, and lacking in confidence. In contrast, a person with a balanced water element is likely to display courage and determination. Physical effects of imbalance include insomnia, trembling, lower back pain, frequent urination, thinning of the head hair, hearing loss, ankle and wrist pain, and feeling cold all the time.

Foods that are good for the water element are sea vegetables, sea weed, fish, oysters, mussels, tuna, pork, boiled eggs,  black sesame, eggplant, sweet potato, celery, cucumber, lettuce, adzuki beans, red kidney beans,  lentils, apple, banana, grapes, raspberries, chestnut, pistachio, and walnuts.

Exercises that can help to strengthen the water element are swimming, walking, Tai Chi, Qi Kong, meridian stretches and meditation.

Shiatsu massage and oriental therapies such as moxa and sliding style cupping can also help strengthen the water element, restoring balance and activating the body’s self healing power.

The first two photos demonstrate Urinary Bladder Meridian Stretches, and the last two photos show Kidney Meridian Stretches.

Sit flat on the floor, with your toes pointing up, take a deep breathe and breath-out as you stretch your arms towards your toes with your thumbs pointing down. Reach as far forward as you can, hold in that position and breathe naturally to feel the stretches under your legs. Remember not to push beyond your own limitation.

Stretch your right arm forward and retract the left leg by moving your left heel inward. Repeat the same on the other side. Breathe naturally to feel the stretches in your inner thighs. Remember not to push beyond your own limitation.