Posted by Hombre on September 16, 2010, at 21:20:36
In reply to Re: TCM)))Hombre, posted by Lao Tzu on September 16, 2010, at 13:41:01
I have taken Shi Quan Da Bu Wan for quite a while. It is a combination of two famous formulas. One for building blood, the other for building qi. Qi and blood are intimately connected, however, so overall this formula strengthens digestion and increases the production of blood -> more energy.
I switched to Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan because I feel it has more of an antidepressant punch. But your body is different and you may respond better to the Shi Quan Da Bu Wan. I'd stick with the Bu Zhong for a little longer before switching the the Shi Quan Da Bu Wan. Then you could make a good comparison of the two.
The Ren Shen... formula is also for boosting digestion. Ren shen is ginseng. It has rehmannia, not sure if it is raw or prepared, but that herb nourishes the kidneys and liver. Overall that formula tonifies qi in the spleen and kidneys, I think. When spleen qi is weak, you get the low energy, loose stools, poor memory, mental fatigue. The sweating and mental fatigue might also be weak kidneys.
I currently take Emperor's Teapills as a sort of replacement for Seroquel. I reduced my Seroquel from 100mg to 50m and I think it is OK. I'm kind of on the fence of whether it is too Yin for me; what I mean is that I already have a lot of Yin characteristics: I'm thin, I tend toward low qi and poor digestion, I get tired easily and can be sort of lazy. However, I also tend towards anxiety and poor sleep. Emperpr's Teapills tonify the blood and Yin. They say that when blood is not ample, the heart qi cannot settle down. That could lead to poor sleep, dream-disturbed sleep, night sweats, etc. These are symptoms of my illness and/or side effects of my antidepressants. I am no longer sure I am bipolar, but since sleep is such an issue, I decided to try herbs for that. There are several formulas in that category, often schisandra, polygala, and rehmannia are present. I feel like the risks of taking Seroquel may not justify taking 100mg. It isn't a high dose per se, but if I can get the sleep/anxiety benefit at 50mg I think that is better. Also, I save $$$.
I have changed my view about symptoms since sincerely trying herbs. Before, I put everything into the DSM boxes. Now, I wonder if I cannot work on my symptoms from a CM point of view while still taking the meds. If I can slowly decrease the meds, that's probably better in the long run. If not, that's OK as long as I can fight the SEs and the deleterious effects on my "organs" using herbs.
One more thing. This morning I woke up feeling pretty tired. It has been like this since I quit smoking. Actually, it has been like this for a couple of weeks. I realized that I have not been doing any sort of meditative/calming activity. So, I did a simple meditation where I tried to let go of any tension in my body. It takes some time and patience and practice to where you can tune into the unconscious tension held in the muscles. The feeling is that the energy cannot sink down to your lower abdomen. It's like making a tight fist with your hand and then letting it go. Your mind/nervous system starts to tighten its hold on your muscles unconsciously. You have to let go of the "fist" by relaxing, slowly, slowly, realizing your are "holding" your muscles tight and releasing them. I start with the head and move down slowly. After about 10-20 minutes you will feel like you can bring your mind's awareness down to your lower navel. After doing this practice, your mind will be much clearer and you will feel very calm. Maybe not immediately, but later on in the day you'll realize you have a lot more energy, and indeed you do, because you are not wasting energy holding tension in your nervous system. You can also do this practice sitting. Tai Chi is about doing this while moving, learning how to move without unnecessary tension and relying more on momentum and structural alignment to produce power.
poster:Hombre
thread:961091
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100812/msgs/962666.html