anxiety

[foolinthedeck]

Hi all,
I'm an occupational therapy technician in wales. I currently work with a lot of people who suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia etc. As my job is OT thats my main course of treatment, but my background is also very much one of kung fu, wing chun, wild goose qigong, yang taiji etc. A client has asked for information on acupuncture and i wondered if anyone can suggest any online resources, meridians, etc to help??

My client has already identified taiji as something he would like to and i would agree from my own experience and also from the Occupational perspective.

Also, does anyone know of or have links to information on how mental health is dealt with in china both traditionally and today? is the western model prevalent or is it based on TCM??

many thanks.

[anerlich]

The TCM link in my .sig has a fair amount of info. It is basically the notes from a TCM and Oriental Massage course I took about 20 years ago.

You could also try Erle Montaigue's site, www.tajiworld.com, which has a number of good articles on TCM. Just be wary of the more sensational claims about dim mak, and his occasional annoying excursions into "do it my way or you're a moron" mode.

I don't know if TCM is used to treat mental illness in China. *I* can't see it doing a lot to deal with the imbalances in brain chemistry which require intervention through drugs.

From what I've seen, a poorly timed excursion into "Eastern Intrigue" by a person not from that culture who has some instability can sometimes make them more loopy rather than more sane.

Breathing links both the conscious and unconscious motor functions, and can serve to both relax and stimulate the organism. IMO yoga bodywork and breathing is a better solution than qigong. Once again, it may tip certain individuals the wrong way.

[Keng Geng]

Just wondering if you see a connection between caffeine and anxiety, and other related conditions?

[John Weiland]

Originally posted by Keng Geng
Just wondering if you see a connection between caffeine and anxiety, and other related conditions?
Yes. My wife and I get anxious if we don't get our morning coffee.

[Keng Geng]

Well I used to drink about 2 - 4 coffees per day, which I know is a lot, but at the same time is not a lot compared to how much others drink. I would get very agitated at work, and found myself becoming clausterphobic. I couldn't sit on the inside of booth seating, always had to have the aisle seat or I would get anxious and itchy.

Once I cut my coffee to 1 - all gone.

[Phenix]

Originally posted by foolinthedeck


Also, does anyone know of or have links to information on how mental health is dealt with in china both traditionally and today? is the western model prevalent or is it based on TCM??

many thanks.



Mental health( not those with mental or psychological illness) is deep rooted in Silence for the ancient China traditonal .


Silence has different level.

From the begining of let one's thought and relax to the state of Dao De Ching or Chan's True Emptiness wonderful existance or unflettered wisdom.....

To keep it simple. To be able to enter into silence is the basic of all Qigong or Internal art ect.

Basically, it is about relaxing the brain and body. But it is more complex then just relaxation. It also involve what is the reason behind all the symtomp and does one willing to let go or believe can let go of the stress, panic.... thoughts.




In the mean time, Doing Taiji, relaxing the body, pay attention to the movement will get the mind silence. That will help to keep one's mind healty. Notice that silence can mean no distrubing noise, can mean a mind state of freedom while listerning to a music, or sit beside the ocean.... get into those alfa brain wave state.

The challenge of cause is that while one does the Taiji or ect and after one does the Taiji living in daily life. Will one trust that letting go the thoughts and staying within the "silence" is the optimal for one and does one willing to let go the thoughts of making one mad, tense, stress, hate..... and accept with no reasoning......

The journey toward the mind is complicated. Thus, the Surangama sutra is a must as a reference book for ancient Buddhist and Daoist when travel into this domain.

if you want to try something simple and will work for both body and mind and has been practiced for thousand of years try this.

http://www.bambootemple.com/shaolinbrand/htmmorechi/sx060002.htm

Master Ma Litang is a father of Mordern Qigong. had heal numerous of ilness including cancer with the qigong training. He is a famous martial artist, a guru in his time.

In addition, anxiety and stress have also rooted in Liver medirian stagnation and/ or spleen? medirian weakness. with the above Qigong, also address the flow to take care of the stagnation....ect.


in additional,
Huang Bing-shan TCM doctor, living in San Jose, Calif, who is within who is who (top world leading )TCM list, is an expert in using TCM for anxiety. DR Huang is a Mainland China Prof in Medicine before his retire to the USA. His expertise is in Liver, ei cancer.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=slv1&ei=UTF-8&p=Huang+Bing-shan+anxiety

Just some thought.

[foolinthedeck]

thanks!
i thought that i would get much better help from the wing chun forum and not the TCM one!!! excellent!

phenix - excellent info, i agree that zen and silence are keys to unlocking mental health, and i am already pursuing zen as an approach other than western pyschology to helping, a great book is Zen in the art of helping by David Brandon. I further take it that you intend that taiji can be helpful in terms of achieving mindfulness etc. Thanks also for the liver/spleen stuff, i guess that was what i was looking for although it is clear that this is not for the uninitiated...

Keng Geng - definitely, caffeine is linked to anxiety chemically etc, i've been reading studies on this... important as this is, it doesnt tend to help when the anxiety management groups tend to have a break fro instant coffee - i guess its such a cultural thing round here to drink tea or coffee, i myself only drink rooibos or herbals. but there we go..

anerlich - excellent, yes i'll try erle, but i'm aware of his 'style' and i tend to stay away from it if i can.. i read you on most of what u say, TCM prob cant rival modern western pharmocological drugs for schizophrenia for example, but then i'm of the opinion that much of modern forensic psychiatry is based on socialising individuals rather than letting them explore dynamic patterns of quality... What you say about yoga is interesting, much of the OT literature supports yoga above other eastern therapies, but i presumed this because of yogas 'pre-eminence', or bias from popularity etc.. But as you brought it up i remember reading about how doing qigong improperly can adversly affect the mind.

thanks again!

[Phenix]

phenix - excellent info, i agree that zen and silence are keys to unlocking mental health, and i am already pursuing zen as an approach other than western pyschology to helping, a great book is Zen in the art of helping by David Brandon. I further take it that you intend that taiji can be helpful in terms of achieving mindfulness etc. Thanks also for the liver/spleen stuff, i guess that was what i was looking for although it is clear that this is not for the uninitiated... -------


1, accupunture and herb cannot fully cure the anxiety problem. because that only can manage the body. But it is a great support.

The body must move and live differently. It is a Incure-able dis-ease. meaning others cannot cure for us but we need to think different, live different, and transform ourself to beyond what we were.

2, The mind or thinking process of people in anxiety needs to be unerstood. and change willingly. It we cannot learn to live in NOW and let go the passed or worrying the future. no energy medicine such as silence will work. being not living in This instance one is draining one's energy which needs for healling.

3, people stop breathing or breathing rapid and shallow which cause all short of issues unconciously. Check ourself, we often stop breathing even when we sit in the office typing...




IMHO, instead of going to Zen. where everyone can tell you they are satori . even they have non sense of what is what but bunch of talks which is using mind to reason to make more confusion.

get this book

http://www.sedonamethod.com

http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=1290016&matches=9&qsort=r

these guys teach about simple releasing technics and breathing technics. that is very close to Chan's practice of letting go and meditation.....

The technics work.
and I rather believe in these technics which has gone through research then someone's wise opinion.

The above will take care of MInd and breathing issues. and using TCM and exercise and herb for the body.

One sure will be improve and migth even transform into a different person with courage to help others. He/She who has gone throught it will be the best help for others.



Just my thoughts.


PS. for anyone wants to experience about deeper SLT, get these books and practice the technics while doing SLT. we understand the nature we will be able to do better. understand the nature and has a simple technics which according to nature is the way.
I don't believe in the Oral dogma of WCK be it from NG Mui Herself if it doesn't make sense. And truth is not just belong to Ng Mui or Jeo BOB. It is universal.
Understand breathing, mind management in language of our time.
Instead of those translation or Chinese which even the translator has no idea of what is what. why wait for decades trying to guess what the heck those masters of hundreds of years ago is saying. Then, try the research result within a few hours and then realize. Oh this is what the old masters are saying.
Practice and have a great health both mind and body.