Anyone applying yin and yang/ TCM to raw?

[Lavendula]

Is this okay to discuss, as it may mean discussing how some certain cooked foods may be necessary in some cases. They do even recommend and prescribe certain cooked foods in treating serious diseases at Hippocrates. I really need some help with this. I am seriously concerned about the implications of how too much or too much of the wrong raw food in winter has negatively affected my health. My determination to be all raw through this first winter may not be in my best health interest. Is anyone else struggling in this area? I am only asking to discuss the yin and yang/ hot and cold properties of food, and applying them to raw, whatever percentage raw you may be .

[Lavendula]

I have started adding some roasted roots once a week or so. Trying to deal the deep cold.

[Cinammon]

Hey Sweetie

Afraid I don't know much at all about the hot/cold food idea. But I'd say, if it's saying something you feel is right for you, then go ahead and do it. We are all usually the absolute best judges of what our body needs.

Best of luck

Love

Cinammon x

[lily]

I have heard that Dr Gabriel Cousens has some interesting and helpful things to say on this -- how we can incorporate the principles of yin and yang into our raw food diet -- but so far I have been unable to find his words on it.

Perhaps someone else on this forum knows what I'm talking about? Might be helpful...

[Lavendula]

Sometimes I just don't know where to turn, I'll look into Cousen's. I had my roots last night, with curry and coconut oil. I had parsnips, carrots, celery root, celery and whole garlic cloves( od'd on the garlic), and I had salmon. Which are the same veggies I had been making my raw carrot soup with. Anything else cooked just doesn't sit well. I certainly don't want grains, except maybe quinoa.

[beckx]

I have heard that Dr Gabriel Cousens has some interesting and helpful things to say on this -- how we can incorporate the principles of yin and yang into our raw food diet -- but so far I have been unable to find his words on it.

Perhaps someone else on this forum knows what I'm talking about? Might be helpful...

in rainbow green live food cuisine he talks about how blood type and ayurveda can influence how you design the best diet for yourself... i think there's more of that kind of stuff in conscious eating.

if i remember right ann marie colbin has some interesting stuff to say about the five elements... she isn't raw but i can see a lot of it carrying over.

i say, do what feels best for you. if you feel that you need root veggies in the winter... it certainly makes sense that it would be true. let us know if you find any good information.

[carrieann]

I would really like to hear what people have found. I am currently in school getting my OM degree, acupuncture and herbs. This is where I feel I can't be raw in the winter--I'm the type that is diagnosed as 'cold' in the winter, and I take herbs to keep me 'warm' (internally, they consider too much of cold, damp, heat, etc to be pathogenic factors). It's really hard in Michigan in February to think of unheated raw foods! I was happy to learn about using the dehydrator, now I just need to be able to afford one... :)

One thing I have found is to drink warm water, or even boiling hot water like a tea without the tea. I have also added slices of ginger to the water this winter to stay warm, as well as being on chinese herbs. This is in addition to just learning about raw foods and not being there 100% yet. I'd also like to experiment with adding more things like ginger to foods to make them warmer. Has anyone tried that with success?

Theoretically, Chinese medicine says the Stomach doesn't like things too dry or cold. You'll even hear the advice to wear an extra protective layer over your middle 'burner' or the mid part of your abdomen, to protect the Stomach and Spleen from cold. So, that's where some people find a conflict with TCM and raw foods.

Again, I would love to hear how other people have found this, or incorporated warming things into their diets in the winter.

**just wanted to add, with Ayurveda...certain doshas are better with raw foods. Its felt that vatas--the lighter, airy types--need more grounding sometimes with heavier energy foods. And with Kapha's, you don't want to get too 'damp' or mired down with cold foods, so warming would be important for them at times as well. From what I've seen Ayurveda likes raw foods, but wouldn't be afraid to prescribe cooked food medicinally. I hope this isn't controversial to say... just what I've been taught.

Thanks!
Carrie, a total newbie

[Lavendula]

Thank you all for your feedback I appreciate all the caring on this forum.

carrieann~ welcome to RFT, great to have you join the board. I have only recently sprouted myself. I think this is something that needs attention, for people dealing with serious stuff. I live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. I know several people, including my Naprapath, that attend the Milwaukee School of Chinese Medicine, at different stages for different practices. Is your school affiliated in any way, and when will you graduate? I am just barely dipping my toes in, so I don't know much. I am studying Paul Pitchford's book on Asian traditions and Modern Nutrition. It is a huge book, alot to digest. In my state of extreme yang deficiency, raw food, cold or warmed is not the best for me overall. It has depleted my Qi to be so raw this first winter. I think that is what I was told, does that sound right? So I have no strength or energy. I want to apply TCM to raw, but I'm in such a state I don't know what to do, I feel like I'm chasing my tail here. Yes, my middle burner is very cold, as well as legs, hands or feet. I can also be warm and toasty all over and really cold inside. What about just using a warm rub or heating pad. Have you learned about or applied moxabustion, I have the sticks my dr gave me to do over my navel. Do you use Life Rising Herbs, something else, or mix your own? I am a little leary of taking them, do they really help you, and what are your symptoms? I have some for cold and damp that I was taking last spring when I was going for acupunture, just before my RA surfaced, and some felt the herbs may have brought it out. Right now I have sausage fingers, I can still use my hands, but I'm concerned it's going to get worse. I believe it's from the cooked foods I've been eating. I'm feeling pretty desperate for a solution.

My digestion, and inflammation was better all raw, and I don't feel well eating much cooked food. I just prefer raw and I know it helped me when it was warm, but I can't eat most of the foods I was eating raw. I make a nice warm soup by heating my bowl in a pan of water first. I use nappa cabbage and other Asian veggies/flavors, bored with the broth part though. It's my salad/soup, but I can't put everthing into soup; and I don't do recipes that mimic cooked food. I need simple and I have to be extremely careful with food combining. So far I think pineapple (temperature neutral) and cherries (warming), are the only fruits that fit. The past few days I have tried some broth with nutritional yeast and spirulina or supersprout powder, today I added my fresh veggie juice. Not sure about it, even with the best enzymes, still have acid. Again, Thank you all!:)

[carrieann]

moxa is the best! I'm in the Five Element tradition, in a school in Florida. When I get an acupuncture treatment, over half of it involves moxa.

In the Five Element tradition we use pure moxa herb, not the prepackaged sticks or stick-ons. You roll the herb in a cone after applying something like chapstick to the point, and then put it on the point and light it with an incense stick. Burn halfway down, pluck off into a bowl of water, apply again if you'd like. I do this on my spleen and stomach meridian, a couple of points, and the most fun is to do the belly button. Fill it up with salt :) yes salt and put moxa cones on that. It warms the whole belly!!! But the stick on moxa sticks and the ones you hold in your hand over a point are excellent. Try Spleen 3, 4 or 6 and of course Stomach 36. There are also some Qi Gong moves, the circular motions over the stomach, that help warm the stomach and spleen.

Honestly, I won't be totally raw in the winter time. TOO COLD!! I will be using steaming, blanching and of course the dehydrator. I also incorporate meat for joint problems in the winter. (I know, I used to be totally vegan and started having knee problems--incorporate a little free range chicken, all gone.) But, for spring, summer and part of fall, I'm going raw.

I think that kind of goes along with the eating locally as well--where we live, there isn't a lot available in comparison to summer.

I too feel the circular, what should i do? I've been told specifically at one point not to go raw, but nothing else is making me feel good and helping me control my weight. Even though I don't eat 'bad' I still can't lose weight, despite exercise, etc. So, the raw food diet is getting a couple of months from me! :) Again, many things will be warmed, I'm on warming herbs, I'm drinking warm water, tea, and ginger water. And MOXA! :) Moxa has the same energetic frequency as sunlight.

It's cool to hear that someone else is experiencing the contrasts and contradictions of all this. I think overall we get so many conflicting stories all the time through the media. I'm just doing my own thing now.

:)
Carrie

[carrieann]

Oh, and for the herbs--my acupuncturist gives me a dry herb mix that goes with warm water. Not the best tasting, but has lots of yummy cinnamon to keep me warm, among other things for my Earth element (Stomach and Spleen).

Good luck!

[Stina]

Gabriel Cousens covers this comprehensively in his book Conscious Eating. When I took my acupuncturist's advice on nutrition, I got pudgy and constipated.

We can learn a lot of warming tricks like warming spices like ginger and cayenne, eating food at room temp or putting raw soup in a pot and heating it to less than 114 temp- or just put your finger into it 'til warm but not hot. Warm herbal teas.

[Lavendula]

I think this is one of the reasons only a few of you actually understand what I mean. I can tell that, by some of the replies. It's not about warming foods. I do ginger, cayenne, curry, etc. I'm even the one who could not make chicken soup w/o, crushed red chilies, curry, or ginger, and do similar things with my raw soups. I am not a stranger to warming spices, chilies, etc. I can be drinking hot ginger tea and feel cold inside. This is new and unique to me, since using very high -100% raw foods my first winter. It is my middle burner, my fire has gone out so to speak, I have depleted my Qi by not balancing my raw diet for the winter. I knew that, I know what my condition is, in my small understanding of TCM. What I am trying to figure out is how to correct it, generate heat, build my Qi, while staying raw to manage the inflammation and digestion. I had a good talk today, with two of the people I trust the most on TCM and Chinese herbs. Neither one would ever consider a raw diet, but understand how important it is for me, in dealing with my RA. I want to stay raw, believe me.
I ordered both of Cousen's books today, and making plans to go to a sage TCM DR. who does it all.

[Lavendula]

carrieann~We had our first exposure to it about 26 years ago with a Japanese Buddhist Nun, whom we hosted for a Thanksgiving dinner. She used a mound of the loose herb on my husbands recently and badly broken (peiced together with a plate) leg. I'm sorry, I initially only read the last post before my last one, and didn't want to go into it for anyone who is not familiar with it. We talked today, about the salt in the navel, and many other things.
It sounds like you are using Life Rising herbs. Are they in small foil packets, a white box with pink labeling? Are the formulas in letters that don't really spell anything? If so, Dr Guo(sp), who fomulated them was my friends Dr. for many, many years.

[Lavendula]

I found a formula in a TCM hanbook, that will help with the pathogenic cold in my middle and lower burners. At least I am trusting it will, because my goal is to restore the fire, so that all my internal heat is not used up to digest the raw food.
carrieann~ if indeed, the herbs you are taking are Life Rising, is it FZLZ, or another?

[Cinammon]

Hey

Just to say good luck with it. Glad you found it; hope it helps.

Love

Cinammon x

[Lavendula]

I am getting deeper into grasping some of the things that are key for me, and trying to apply them to a raw diet. Expansive (warm) liquids in the am is one that I am working on. I went so seriously raw, I wasn't even drinking hot tea in the am, can't wait to get my herbs.