Chinese Medicine and Rudolf Steiner

Warning: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Antroposophical Medicine(based on Rudolf steiner's indications) is a knowledge of observation. Diagnosis made in these disciplines are made on the basis of individual assessment. It is not a mandate and this article does not replace consultation by a health practitioner


We certainly have experienced something blocking our energy in our body. It may happen during Tai Chi form, standing meditation(zhan zhuang)and many of our daily activities.A very rough summary of possible causes of energy blockage through a viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM). We need to acknowledge that TCM is a knowledge of observation.

Nowadays, many aspects such as acupuncture have become accepted by science through a rationale of electrophysiology. Sports science start to recognize the effect of low stances(quadriceps workout) to increase the heart rate, weight shifting exercises to prevent falls in the elderly or smooth forward and backward movements to relieve pain in osteoarthritis.

There are a few problems which may cause blockage of energy(qi) in our meridians:

Emotion
Unbalanced emotions, especially when it is suppressed by denial, is the biggest cause of blockages in the body.Over-excitement and excessive enthusiasm will effect the energy in the heart system. When a person is over-excited, the energy will burn the heart first. It travels to the head but the distance between head and liver is very short. Exactly like an overfilled balloon, this may result in some sort of energy explosion

Anger and anxiety will effect the liver system. Too much angry energy is collected in the liver. The German culture for instance has one saying:" The stress enters the liver". It is very interesting how many different cultures like Chinese or German are consistent with modern findings. Angry people very often have higher values in their liver parameters.

Our ancient wisdom advices us to stay calm all the time to keep the Yin and Yang in good balance. Tai Chi Chuan is a good opportunity to keep our body moving from the center and stay mentally balanced.


Food(nutrition)
Part of our qi(life energy) intake is through food. When we do not eat healthy, it affects our balance. Too much spicy affects the liver, too much acid the stomach, too much sweet especially refined sugars affect cardiovascular health. Food needs to be adjusted to somebody's individual condition. It is good to eat locally produced food because the body and nature become one


Changes of weather and season
In sub-tropical countries like Australia or the Mediterranean countries, there are much less complaints about weather sensitivity. The latter is taken very seriously in the middle European countries and parts of the United States. The weather change is so sudden, that some people are unable to make proper adjustments. I have seen severe changes in students who just arrived to Europe from a warmer country

In general, TCM states that:
The spring time induces liver energy imbalance
As summer comes, the heart system may be disbalanced
As the autumn comes, many people get lung problems.(asthma)
As winter comes, the kidney energy can be affected

I found it very interesting that the teaching of TCM is very consistent with anthroposophical medicine(based on indications by Rudolf Steiner). While Rudolf Steiner suggested curative eurhtyhmy, Tai Chi Chuan or qi gong helps us to adjust better to weather changes. Since I am practicing Tai Chi Chuan on a regular basis, I hardly have any problems with jet lag. I can overcome time zones as though nothing has ever intruded into my life


Environment
Pollution or lack of hygiene will result in many different types of medical conditions. However, a person with a healthy mind and strong immune system will not be too much affected by unfavourable conditions. There is the teaching of Feng Shui where the energy of the house will affect your energy. But when your energy is strong, then you will affect your house and environment. We can feel it ourselves: a person with strong qi will make us feel comfortable and safe. As I met Grandmaster Chenxiaowang and later his son YIngjun, I did have the feeling that their qi is transferred to me.


Wrong medication
A lot of pharmaceuticals have severe side effects. Although prescription of these drugs is sometimes life-saving in agressive conditions, unnecessary medication should be avoided. Despite very successful studies in blood pressure lowering drugs, the practicing physician needs to assess individual possibilities in each patient.


Injury
Any type of injury blocks the qi like cuts, sprained ankles, torn muscles, broken arms and even just a pulled muscle. A person with strong qi and immune system has faster wound healing properties and may recover from surgery much quicker.

Elective surgery such as cosmetic or Lasik surgery should be reflected carefully. One should try the best possible conservative methods like sports or nutrition for a better figure or contact lenses for refractive errors(bad vision).

Which type of exercise or martial art will help regulating qi(energy) in the meridians?
Tai Chi Chuan, qi gong, many martial arts such as pencak silat or curative eurhythmy(a non-martial body/mind exercise) all have the same effect. They regulate and balance the energy flow in the meridians. Most of my students and friends experienced some "opening" of the important energy gates like laogong(in the middle of the hand palm), baihui(in the middle of the head)or dazhui(7th cervix).

Why do we sometimes experience physical and emotional pain after practising?
During deep meditation in zhan zhuang(standing meditation) or even form practice, many people are confronted with the depth of their emotional and physical imbalances.Tai Chi chuan may become some sort of psychotherapy when the surpressed emotions rise to the surface. Even physical pain can occur due to adjustment of the body. This happens very often after acupuncture treatment.

I remember my first lesson when my teacher deliberately did not correct me. The next day I had lower back pain. He smiled and said that he wanted me to have back pain, so I could feel the difference between correct and wrong posture. One of my students currently experienced some sort of left blockage despite being relaxed. Corrections by many good teachers were not really successful until he increased his zhan zhuang practice from 1/2 to 1 hour.

As we grow older, our motor or muscle memory will adjust to the bad posture and erroneously perceive it as correct. Tai Chi Chuan taught by a good teacher is an excellent way to bring us back to our natural alignment we had as we were still a baby.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is not rooted in the teaching of physical organs as we know in present science. It is more or less a wholistic organ system. However, it is assumed that the physicians in those days were able to develop understanding of inner organ anatomy by treating severely injured patients with open wounds.