BON & Health

Physical pain is a common occurrence for many Australians. In fact, a national survey found that more than one-quarter of Australian adults had recently experienced some sort of pain lasting more than a day.

Pain is a feeling triggered in the nervous system. It may be sharp or dull, off-and-on or steady, localised (such as back pain) or all over (such as muscle aches from the flu). Sometimes, pain alerts us to injuries and illnesses that need attention.

Although pain usually goes away once the underlying problem is addressed, it can last for weeks, months, or even years. Chronic pain may be due to an ongoing condition (such as arthritis) or to abnormal activity in pain-sensing regions of the brain, or the cause may not be known.

Acupuncture can be assist in a wide range of condition such as

• Acute & Chronic Low back pain such as sciatica, disc prolapse
• stiff neck & frozen shoulder
• sports injuries including sprain, tennis elbow, golf, elbow etc.
• Joint Arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• Menstrual Cramps
• Myofascial pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches/ Migraine

Almost all people have had at least one occurrence of common cold in their life, which is a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract. The main symptoms are associated with runny nose, coughing, sore throat, nasal obstruction, fever, body aches and headache. Most people recover from a common cold within a week or two. In Chinese Medicine  it is interpreted  that is related Lung function and Wei Qi (protective Qi) which originates from the Lung and circulates on the body’s surface. It is believed that common cold can be caused when the Lung function is weak which fails to nourish the Wei Qi. Therefore Chinese Medicine can assist to be able to overcome the common cold through boosting the Lung function.

The spirit and mind in Chinese Medicine is involved in all mental phenomena (thinking, reason), emotional phenomena and bodily phenomena. Spirit and body are two different states of condensation and aggregation of Qi (pronounced as “chee”). That is, through the medium of Qi, the spirit and body cooperate and control each other to get body and emotional balance. The changes in emotion bring change in the flow of Qi in the body, which is when balance and harmony can be disrupted, and can result in the development of illness.

Chinese Medicine believes that each internal organ owns vital energy, which are associated with emotions such as joy, anger, grief, worry and fear. These five emotional activities can be seen as a normal physiological response to external stimuli. There is no harm and disease when emotions are well controlled within normal limits. However, when emotions become extremely powerful for a pronged duration, then the vital Qi (or functional Qi) in the internal organ corresponding with the powerful emotion will be obstructed, and then weakened. Thereby it can cause damage to the internal organ and open the door to disease.

There are seven pathogenic emotions which are

• Joyful (喜) – ‘Excessive joy makes the spirit and Qi be scattered, directly affecting Heart organ’
• Anger(怒) – ‘ Excessive anger (including irritability, frustration) makes the Qi ascend, directly affecting Liver’
• Anxiety(憂) – ‘ Excessive anxiety lets the Qi sink, directly affecting Lung organ,
• Pensiveness(思) – ‘ Too much thinking makes the Qi be knotted, directly affecting Spleen organ’
• Grief(悲) – ‘ Prolonged grief (sadness) consumes the Qi, directly affecting Lung’ (grief is a normal emotional expression within a standard healthy limit)
• Fright(驚) – ‘ sudden and unexpected startling makes the Qi disorganised, affecting Heart, then Kidney’
• Fear(恐) – ‘ prolonged fear lets the Qi descend, directly affecting Kidney organ’ (Fear is a normal emotional expression within a standard healthy limit)

In modern society, people have busy lives, being exposed to many digestive condition triggers such as stress and fast food. Digestion problems such as indigestion, stomach aches, abdominal distension, constipation, diarrhea etc. have a big effect on daily life. However, most people think poor digestion is minor issue for their health. Chinese medicine holds the belief that a balanced diet is integral to overall health. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Chinese medicine is extremely regimented when it comes to diet and bowel motions. Many ancient books emphasise the importance that food intake and discharge is in the matter in health.

We, human beings, obtain energy and nutrients from food and get rid of waste matter produced from daily metabolism by excretion. That is why it can be said that eating well and regular bowel motions are the keys to maintaining health. If a person takes little care of his daily meals, there would be poor digestion. Then he does not get enough energy and nutrients, feeling lethargic and with no will to do daily activities. It would be accompanied by poor appetite and his digestive function would get weaker and weaker, finally resulting in internal organ damage such as such as peptic/gastric ulcer, colitis etc.

The meaning of a balanced diet in Chinese medicine is not only what you eat, but it also matters how you eat it and what time you eat your meals. Eating habits are quite important as much as what kind of healthy foods you eat.

We, BON clinic, provide some recommendations to keep your digestion healthy;

• Sitting position is always better while you eat
• Chew thoroughly ( more than 20 times) and eat slowly
• Do not overeat
• Focus on the meal ( turn off TV or put books, newspaper away)
• Avoid eating while you drive or doing other tasks
• Don’t skip meals, eat regularly.
• Avoid processed food or instant food
• Try to eat more vegetables, preferably organic and in season

In Western Medicine, gyneacology and obstetrics are the two main branches in women’s health. As you know, Gynaecology deals with any disorders relating to the female reproductive system. It covers menstrual disorders, infectious disease such as PID (Pelvic inflammatory disease), UTI and recurrent cystitis, abnormal secretion of sex hormone, abnormal structure formations in the reproductive system like cysts, endometriosis and fibroids etc. Obstetrics is related to caring and treatment during pregnancy and labour.  In modern practice, the integration with advanced diagnostic method is quite important, especially for women’s health. This aids Chinese Medicine in identifying a specific strategy for a client’s condition. We, BON clinic, recommend clients to bring their examination results from their Western medicine tests to the clinic when visiting for a consultation in women’s health.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, we understand that there is a gender variation in physiology and developing disease between males and females. Women’s physiology is rooted in blood which is a source of menstrual period, pregnancy, lactation and child birth. Women also have a special physiological structure called the “uterus”, known as the “palace of baby” in Chinese. Uterus is 胞 (‘ bao’) in Chinese character which means fetal membrane, blood and cell. We call it an extraordinary organ which is full of blood, and some extra meridians begin at uterus. So blood, not the cellular view in Western medicine but a red fluid supplying all nutrients and Qi throughout the body, is an important factor for women’s health. If a woman is exposed to cold weather or any pathogenic stimuli like stress, the reproductive system would be likely to be affected first.

We, BON clinic, apply flexible approach when diagnosing clients, relying on the pattern of symptoms and signs. We use useful parameters such as yin, yang, cold, heat, deficiency, excess, and Qi and blood, and determine the stage and location of the problem and then differentiate the individual treatment strategy.

We may use other modalities such as moxibustion and cupping to help your body condition

The skin is the largest organ in the body, with the functions of protecting internal organs, regulating the body temperature by sweating, excreting waste matter and being a part of our immune system. In Chinese Medicine, the skin belongs to the Lung but it is supported from all other internal organs and is closely connected with them.

The Lung is the origin of Wei Qi, which is a vital energy to protect the body from external pathogens, and disperses nutritive fluid to moisten the skin. The Spleen and Stomach supply enough nutrients to regenerate skin. The Liver governs smooth circulation in the body to assist the organs in their supply of nutrients and fluid. Finally, the Kidney supports the Lung to produce enough Wei Qi.

Even though the skin is an independent organ, it is closely connected to internal organs and their physiological activities. Unlike Western medicine, which treats an affected area using local soothing creams like corticosteroids, Chinese medicine is not only looking at the affected area on the skin but also finding any physiological problems between internal organs and disharmony between Qi and Blood.

If you want to get extra vital Qi, Chinese Medicine may be the best modality to boost your physiological system. Chinese medicine has a preventative philosophy that health is to be maintained and cared for before illness arises. BON clinic provides BOYAK (boosting tonics) according to individual constitution and is prepared with high-quality herbal ingredients.