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Chinese martial arts have been around for thousands of years. There are internal arts and external arts. The external arts are what we see in the movies with all of the kicking and jumping. Most people get excited when seeing Kung Fu in the movies. However, Kung Fu is not all about kicking, punching, and fighting. It is a way to help improve yourself especially your children.
There are many benefits of learning Kung Fu. Some of the benefits of learning Kung Fu include physical fitness, coordination, focus, respect, and self-defense. One of the greatest benefits is learning and applying the morals and attitudes for practicing Chinese martial arts.
Grandmaster Yin Chian Ho (尹千合宗師), a Northern Shaolin Kung Fu master and Master Lu’s teacher, taught about the morals and attitudes for practicing martial arts. These morals and attitudes are taught at Master Lu’s Health Center. We teach them to all of our students to help them to become a better person personally, within the family, and in the community. Kung Fu practice will help your children instill within themselves these morals and attitudes. These attributes can be developed and applied throughout their lives whatever they do.
Master Lu’s Health Center teaches the following morals and attitudes in the children’s Kung Fu class:
Learning and beginning to apply these morals and attitudes is the first step learning martial arts. Kung Fu practice will transform your children’s lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. Children will gain greater confidence and will become good people. Your children will develop concentration and focus. They will be able to improve at school and other activities. They will also gain the confidence to protect themselves when needed, but at the same time will also develop discipline and peace within their lives.
Master Lu’s Health Center has children’s classes that will help your children develop diligence, respect, focus, and confidence. You are welcome to bring you children to try out a class and see for yourself the benefits of learning martial arts. The classes are fun and will help your children. Come by and start a class today!
Here at Master Lu’s Health Center we teach about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and how it is about bringing your life into balance. The key in this ancient system is about being able to move through the world in a way that our bodies can remain in homeostasis, in balance. The idea of bringing balance to our lives connects our sleeping patterns, what we eat and how we care for our bodies. The goal is to make sure that the Qi (Chi) flows freely throughout our body. In TCM eating the right foods during the right season is one of essential in maintaining the balance in our bodies. A good example is eating healthy for summertime. According to TCM, during the summer is about eating foods that are cooling foods to balance out how hot it is outside. In other words, we can find homeostasis from the inside out.
With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for healthy foods to keep you cool and active all summer long.
Fresh fruits: like watermelons, strawberries, tomatoes and pear are cooling and have strong yin energy. Summer meals should be predominately fresh fruits or vegetables, according to TCM. These food groups have the strongest yin energy, balancing out the fierce yang and fire energies of summer.
Fresh vegetables: that are in season in your region are also a great choice, especially cooling vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, peppers, celery, radish, carrots, and cauliflower. Vegetables have the second highest yin energy, according to TCM.
Summer herbs: like basil, cilantro, parsley, and mint are a great, healthy addition to most recipes. These herbs are also natural diuretics and heavy-metal detoxifiers, which flush excess waste from the body.
The best foods to eat vary with geography. If you live in a place where summer days are long, but not very hot and the nights get really cool, incorporate more neutral or even warming fruits and vegetables into your summer smorgasbord. These fruits and vegetables can include most varieties of squash, especially pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash, lentils and legumes, whole grains like brown rice and root vegetables like beets, potatoes and parsnips.
In places with cooler summers, or during late summer, the fifth season according to TCM, diet is about prioritizing self-nourishment so it can be utilized as energy. Late summer is the time to choose smart sugars that won’t clog up the spleen pathway, including apples, carrots, dates, figs, grapes, peaches, pears, sweet potatoes and squash. These smart sugars also regulate the body’s blood sugar, which decreases the strain on the pancreas.
For those whose summer climate is hot, here is a recipe for a cooling, detoxifying water you can drink all summer long to keep yourself in balance.
Cooling detox water:
Slice the lemon, lime and cucumber and add to the water. Stir in the mint. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and enjoy chilled.
Master Lu’s Health Center has started to new and affordable program for acupuncture and Tai Chi. This program will be great for maintaining wellness. Chinese medicine is all about prevention and this program will be great to help you prevent illness and to help you improve your health and well.
For most people the question we run into at Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City about acupuncture is how does acupuncture work? Chinese medicine has developed over the past 3000 years. Because Chinese medicine is so old there are many esoteric terms or terms that our modern Western minds have difficulty grasping. There are terms such as wind, dampness, phlegm, blood stasis, and qi. There are syndromes such as liver and spleen disharmony, kidney yin deficiency, taiyang disharmony, and taiyin qi deficiency. Only Chinese medicine trained practitioners would understand such terminology. So how do equate all of this with modern research and terminology?
Recently. there has been more research done on acupuncture. Researchers have found different mechanisms how acupuncture works. One of the main mechanisms how acupuncture works according to research is that it will act on the pain and will release different chemicals, hormones, and neurotransmitters such as endorphins. Acupuncture has also been shown to improve blood flow and circulation. The physiological mechanisms of how acupuncture works will facilitate your body to heal itself.
Below are some research articles and abstracts on acupuncture works according to modern research. There are several different ones. I highlighted a few articles below. If you or anyone you know would like to use acupuncture and Chinese medicine as part of their health care and naturally improve health and wellness please call Master Lu’s Health Center anytime.
The Effects of Acupuncture on Cerebral Blood Flow in Post-Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Published in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed/26569545
Correlation between acupoints and corresponding brain cortices using functional MRI, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: http://www.pnas.org/content/95-5/2670.short
Ovarian Blood Flow Responses To Electro-Acupuncture Stimulation at Different Frequencies and Intensities in Rats, published in Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14614964
Effext and Mechanism of Acupuncdture on Grastrointestinal diseases. Published in International Review of Neurobiligy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed/24215928
Relationship Between Regional Mast Cell Activity and Peripheral Nerve Discharges During Manual Acupuncture Stimulation of “Zusanli” ( ST 36), Published in Acupuncture Research https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23819213
Electroacupuncture Promotes the Regeneration of Different Fibers in Rat’s Tibial Nerve, Published in Acupuncture Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7923723
Electroacupuncture for Reproductive Hormone Levels in Patients with Diminished Ovarian Reserve: A Prospective Observational Study, Published in Acupuncture in Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26964178
Effect of Electroacupuncture at Different Acupoints on Hormones and Neurotransmitters of Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis in Rats in Simulated Weightlessness, Published in Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.pubmed/26964178
Functional MRI Study About How Acupuncture Changes Brain’s Perception and Processing of Pain Signals, Published in Science Daily, Featured in Acupuncture Today http://www.acupuncture.com/newsletters/m_jan11/acupuncturebrain.htm
Electroacupuncture Reduces the Effects of Acute Noxious Stimulation on the Electrical Activity of Pain-Related Neurons in the Hippocampus of Control and Neuropathic Pain Rats, Published in Neural Plasticity https: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27833763
Low back pain is one of the most common health conditions. It affects thousands of people each year. It has been reported that a quarter of US adults would of have had low back pain sometime within the last three months. There are many different treatments for low back pain ranging from medications to exercise to natural therapies such as acupuncture. At Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City, we treat low back pain successfully utilizing acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Recently, the American College of Physicians have recommended non-drug therapies to treat low back pain. The report came out also in response to help with the opioid crisis. One of the non-drug therapies they mentioned is acupuncture. The report was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Acupuncture is recommended as part of the first recommendation.
The first recommendation in the reports says: “Given that most patients with acute or subacute low back pain improve over time regardless of treatment, clinicians and patients should select nonpharmacologic treatment with superficial heat (moderate-quality evidence), massage, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation (low-quality evidence). If pharmacologic treatment is desired, clinicians and patients should select nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or skeletal muscle relaxants (moderate-quality evidence). (Grade: strong recommendation)”
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is a complete medical system to diagnose and treat disease. It has been shown to be very effective for low back pain both acute and chronic. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is a viable and natural form of medicine to help with low back pain and to avoid surgeries.
For the complete report from the Annals of Medicine click on Non-Pharmacological Therapies for Low Back Pain.
I hope this helps you with recommendations for low back pain and to become healthier in a more natural way. If you would like more information on acupuncture or would like to schedule an appointment please give us a call at Master Lu’s Health Center.
Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City has many patients with depression and sadness. There are many different reasons why you may have depression or sadness. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been shown to help with depression and sadness.
In fact, recent research conducted at Guangzhou Chinese Medicine University showed that acupuncture alleviated depression and benefited the brain. For a summary of the research you can click Acupuncture Alleviates Depression.
As Licensed Acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners, we are always looking at the imbalances you may have. We assess the different organs in your body to see which organ system may be out of balance. The lung is one organ that we look at. According to five element theory the lung is related to metal.
So what does this mean? Metal is rigid, straight, and unbending. This would represent a personality that likes rules and routines. When things go out of the normal routine or rules someone with a metal personality may get frustrated and stressed. The other part of the lung is that it controls the emotion of sadness and grief. There are times when you may feel excess sadness or grief. You may also have difficulty letting go. When the emotion of sadness and grief becomes excessive either acute or chronic it will cause the lung to be imbalance and manifest into different health conditions such as low energy, recurrent colds, and low immunity.
So, as a practitioner, what might I see that would demonstrate a lung personality in a prospective patient? These types of patients might not be overly warm and fuzzy, but they would display good manners and a respectful air. They would likely be right on time for their session, paperwork filled out completely and perhaps have a number of questions regarding exactly what they should expect following their session. In any of the organ systems, an imbalance would cause these personality traits to become more pronounced. In the case of lung energetics, a polite manner might come across as aloof; an orderly nature might transform into the desire to control the people around you; perfectionism can result in frustration with both self and others.
Remember what I said about letting go? From a physical standpoint, the lungs have a connection to constipation. If the body can’t let go, this is the result. If the mind can’t let go, you might feel stuck, and unwilling to change. Or, you may simmer over past grievances, unable to move on. You might also become frozen by your desire for perfection. Since the lung is all about correct, fair behavior, it may be hard for a lung type to think outside the box, or to come up with creative solutions.
If you fall into this category, acupuncture can work wonders on helping you to relax, soften and release old, negative patterns that have become stuck within. Give us a call at Master Lu’s Health Center if you feel that you need help with depression, sadness, or motivation. We can help you!
At Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City, we help people everyday with stress and anxiety utilizing Chinese medicine including acupuncture and herbs. Acupuncture has been shown to help reduce stress. We have helped hundreds of people with stress related health conditions.
Stress is part of everyday life. The ancient Chinese physicians realized that stress affects the body physically. In the Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic, one of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, there are discussions how emotions are connected to our body and if there is an imbalance of emotions then disease will arise. Stress can be an emotion or feeling that will cause physical disease to the body. One definition of stress is “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension an may be a factor in disease causation.”
Stress can be our body’s way of telling us that we need a break and time to relax from our daily routine. When we don’t listen to our body when we have a lot of stress disease and health problems will arise.
Cortisol is the hormone that is released into our body when there is stress. It has a relation with the fight or flight response. When we have chronic stress and don’t mange it well, the cortisol levels will become elevated and out of balance. When we have high cortisol levels in our body, we will have problems such as insomnia, weight gain, depression, anxiety, digestive issues and mental illness.
What can we do help manage stress? Acupuncture has been shown to help with stress. When you get an acupuncture treatment you will feel a relaxed feeling come over your body. Acupuncture will allow the blood to flow better throughout your body and cause you to feel more calm and relaxed. Many times our patients will even fall asleep on the table during an acupuncture treatment.
There have been studies done that acupuncture will act on the brain and release chemicals, hormones, and neurotransmitters to help heal the body. One of the hormones that acupunture will release is cortisol. Acupuncture will allow the cortisol to be at balanced levels to help manage stress. Acupuncture will also release seratonin and dopamine to help with sleep and insomnia.
Another way acupuncture helps with stress is to maintain the heart rate. Acupuncture will help regulate the heart rate. Many times when people are stressed their heart rate gets fast. Acupuncture will help slow down the heart rate and keep it at a rate that will help combat stress.
When you have high stress for very long time, you will begin to feel effects from stress physically. You will have digestive problems, insomnia, heart palpitations, and feel irritable. Acupuncture will help with the physical effects of stress. If you are on medications because of stress, regular acupuncture treatments will help you to reduce your medications and cut them out.
Stress will also cause digestive problems either constipation or diarrhea. Acupuncture will help with stress related digestive problems. Many people will have irritable bowel syndrome which gets worse with stress. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will help harmonize and manage the stress that will help alleviate the IBS.
Besides acupuncture, exercise is very important to manage and help with stress. Tai Chi is one form of exercise that will reduce stress. Tai Chi will help with calming the mind, stress reduction, flexibility, coordination, and strength. Acupuncture, Tai Chi, and Chinese herbs together will help you manage stress and prevent you from having stress related illnesses.
If you have questions or would like to come in to discuss your health problem and reduce stress please call us at 801-463-1101 to schedule an appointment.
Chinese medicine has several areas of focus. One of the areas of focus is exercise. Exercise is essential to prevent disease and also to help facilitate healing. One of the exerises that we teach and practice at Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City is called eight sections of brocade or ba duan jin.
Ba Duan Jin is a qi gong set known to have been originally developed by Yue Fei who was a Chinese general during the Southern Song Dynasty. Ba Duan Jin is a group of eight exercises that will help you develop flexibility, strength, and health. The daily practice of Ba Duan Jin will help you from getting sick and prevent illness.
Recently there has been research about ba duan jin (eight section of brocade). There was a recent research article that showed improved health among those with COPD or chronic obstruction pulmonary disorder. The study was a small study, and there needs to be more or larger studies. However, it is a start and it did have good results.
It study concluded that patients with COPD can benefit from the practice of Ba Duan Jin along with conventional treatment. It is recommended that COPD patients learn and practice Ba Duan Jin to help with the disease. Ba Duan Jin will improve pulmonary capacity and help with the lung function.
To take a look at the study you can go to the following link: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/9/1830/htm
Ba Duan Jin is a form wonderful form of exercise that will help you to prevent illness, and improve your health and wellness. Give us call at Master Lu’s Health Center if you are interested learning more about ba duan jin.
Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City specializes in helping you to feel better and pain free utilizing acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine is a complete medical system to diagnose and treat disease. It has been used to treat many different health conditions for over 3,000 years. There are many different reasons why you may be interested to use Chinese medicine as part of your health care.
This is as short list that of some of the top reasons why you should try acupuncture.
I hope that these reasons help you to get a better understanding of Chinese medicine. Please give us a call at Master Lu’s Health Center to help you to achieve and improve better health and wellness.
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