Little Shaolin - Taoist Teaching & Healing Clinic

Back in 2002 I was on my second educational tour to China. The group I was with was visiting Wudang – well known for being the birth place of Tai Chi. This was a 22 hour train ride from Beijing, followed by a walk through a small village, followed by a long bus ride way up into the jungle-like mountains.


Wudang was beautiful, peaceful, and in the middle of nowhere. No computers, some electricity, and hot water turned on only at specific times of the day. The hotel had concrete block walls with holes left out for windows, no screen. Down below, the neighbors caught a chicken or goat each night and slaughtered it on the back porch for dinner. I remember having a zucchini-like squash cooked in a delicious variety of ways for almost every meal, since it was the most abundant locally grown food, and locally grown was all that was available.


We were there to study Tai Chi and QiGong and there wasn’t much to distract us from this incredible journey of self-cultivation.


One day, we took a trip to a nearby Taoist monastery where we had been invited to meet the monks that lived off the land and watch them perform Tai Chi. The monastery was ancient looking and had the feeling of many, many lives being lived there. This day was pure blue sky sunny and about 108 degrees F. No fans, no air conditioning, just cool water to drink and a little shade.


Standing in the hot sun, we were watching the monks do Tai Chi, when all of a sudden a man in our group turned very pale and collapsed. No doctors, no hospital, no telephone or anything else one usually thinks of in an emergency situation.

The monks immediately sprang into action. They carried him through a doorway behind us and laid him on the floor. A monk ran up and showed me a small glass vial with purple liquid inside (Chinese herbs), the look on his face obviously asking if it was ok to administer the liquid. I shook my head “yes” and he lifted our friend’s head and poured it into his mouth.

Another monk showed me an acupuncture needle – his big needle, only one, looked about 200 years old and not washed often. Again the questioning look of “can I do acupuncture on him?” “Yes” I motioned back. What else do you do in this situation?


The monk quickly visually scanned our friend’s body, then knelt beside him and stuck the needle in, pulled it out fast. He did this to about 9 different acupoints, then stepped back to do another visual scan. (In my travel diary I noted all the points used.)


Our friend opened his eyes, sat up a little, and said “I feel ok – thank you! Xie Xie!”


The monks brought him lots of cool water and were happy to see him doing much better. He left a large cash donation in gratitude for their emergency service.

In watching all of this, I was so impressed by how calm everyone was, and how they knew exactly what to do on the spot to take care of the situation. I thought, “This is what I want our school to be like one day! People can walk in and no matter what they have going on, we’ll know how to care for them using these wonderful and very old healing methods.”


This was the seed planted that has now sprouted into the Little Shaolin Clinic. I hope we make our monk friends, so far away, proud of what they inspired.  And thanks to our own Shifu for instilling the depth of cultivation involved in the strong foundation we have to work with.

See:  http://www.touchoftao.com/LittleShaolin.htm


~Cynthia McMullen, School Instructor, Master Massage Therapist & Oriental Bodyworker, Medical QiGong Therapist. Relieving pain and harmonizing symptoms since 1999.

Herbal Medicine Carrier Oils for Essential Oil Blends

Essential oils are most commonly used by the drop, added to another carrier oil such as Sweet Almond, Jojoba, or even Olive oil. Sometimes certain oils may be used “neat”, or undiluted, on the skin, but this is usually reserved for specific therapeutic purposes, and some essential oils can be irritating to the skin when undiluted.

Essential oils are extremely concentrated herbal medicines. For example, one drop of essential oil is equivalent to 30-50 bags of herbal tea. Energetically, the essential oils are tightly contained within each drop. Upon adding a drop of essential oil to carrier oil, the energy will burst open, released, freed to expand and unfold the ultimate experience of its essence for us!

As a general rule of thumb, if you use an essential oil straight out of the bottle, undiluted, you will commonly experience a very physical result. This is great for trauma, injuries, and acute symptoms.

When the essential oils are released into a carrier oil, the experience will travel into the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms, providing a much different result. This is perfect for providing life enhancing insights, changing moods, and working with chronic and deep levels of our mindbodyspirit.

Many carrier oils can be used – any that are appropriate for massage, plus most cooking oils. You do want to avoid carrier oils that contain petroleum jelly or mineral oil in any form as these substances create a barrier and don’t allow the essential oil to penetrate the skin.

However, we can use very specific carrier oils to enhance the therapeutic properties of the essential oil blend we are using. When we apply the carrier oil AND essential oil characteristics to the Five Element Method in Chinese medicine, we can work with Element Energy and Element Relationships in an exciting and highly effective way. Remember that Chinese medicine is mindbodyspirit based – there is no separation between these aspects.

For example, as a massage therapist/Oriental medicine bodyworker, lets say I have a client come in presenting the chief complaint of low back pain. The health history intake shows a pattern of fatigue, unusual hair loss, unfulfilled creativity issues, and occasional anxiety attacks. I might identify that the Water Element is out of balance and it’s affecting the Fire Element.

Here, I can choose an essential oil blend to tonify Water – maybe Ginger, Juniper, and Frankincense. Then I want the carrier oil to be nurturing – Earth, with a touch of passion – Fire. I might mix Sesame and Safflower together as the base carrier oil.

I have the choice of blending the oil for a full body massage (2% dilution) or maybe a little stronger for a spot low back treatment, rubbing it only into the lower back and applying acupressure to the Bladder-23 Kidney Shu points. I might also apply it with acupressure to Kidney – 1 Yong Quan at the feet, Pericardium – 6 Nei Guan at the wrist, and combining Governing Vessel 20 - Bai Hui at the crown of the head while energetically holding Kidney 27 – Shu Mansion points at the top of the chest.

We can go even deeper into this method by using herbal infused oils as a portion of the base carrier oil. An herbal infused oil is made by steeping packed plant material in a carrier oil, like Olive oil, leaving it in the sun to infuse for a few weeks, and straining the resulting oil out. To make a base carrier oil with this, use 20% herbal infused oil and 80% carrier oil.

Some examples of common herbal infused oils are: Rosemary, Plantain, Peppermint, and Calendula. Mountain Rose Herbs http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ is a good source for quality organic pre-made herbal infused oils, or you can experiment with making your own. I prefer to infuse my oils with the spirits of local plants, but not everything grows well in Alaska so I order what I can’t grow.

Again, the characteristics of the herbal infused oils are associated with Five Element Method, and this becomes part of the relationship that the essential oil blend will work out of.

You can blend Ginger essential oil in Sweet Almond carrier oil because you always use Sweet Almond for massage, or you can blend Ginger essential oil in Sesame carrier with 20% Rosemary herbal infusion because you want to warm the lungs and stimulate the Wei Qi energy.  It’s a beautiful art!

Learn tons of great information - including using carrier oils according to 5-Element Theory - from my On-Line Essential Oils Course series.  You can study here at our school in Alaska from anywhere in the world!

Herbs as Teachers

Purple Morning Glories, Plant Teachers

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In the Taoist healing practices (and also other tribal and traditional customs), medicinal herbs are used in a very special way. We don’t just take them and expect our symptoms to go away, like a pill. We take them into us as if they are our friends, guardians, and teachers.

“My plant brother, will you teach me why my leg keeps swelling? I want to learn from you and will pay attention to what you tell me.” Plants communicate easily with sincere intention from your heart. They will understand and they love to fulfill their destiny by assisting us.

When I give someone an herbal formula or a special essential oil blend I have already asked the plants if they will help this person, and I know they will. Now it is up to the person taking them to experience and learn from changes in their life as they use the herbs.

For example, ask some of the following questions as you are using herbs (in any form – tea, tincture, decoction, topical):

• Does your desire for food change?
• Do you dream differently?
• How does your breathing change?
• Any shift in attitudes or emotions?
• Any changes in the people around you that you relate with on a regular basis?
• Is sleep different?
• Is there anything you normally do that you have less of a desire to do?
• Is there anything you don’t usually do that you suddenly have a desire to do?
• Any unusual thoughts that keep popping into your mind?
• Any changes in digestion or elimination?
• What physical symptoms change?
• Do you feel anything different about your purpose in life?

When you answer the questions and notice changes, stop and look at what they are teaching you. For example:

  

You normally eat pasta 3 times a week out of habit. Since taking the herbs you just don’t feel like eating it as much, and instead you would rather have a lighter rice dish. You may be learning that the way you eat is done out of habit rather than by listening to your body, and other foods will help to balance out what is either missing or you are using in excess, and your symptoms will normalize.

Or someone else may go to work, sit down at their desk, and turn on the computer. As they look at their schedule for the day their breath subtly changes and becomes constricted in the mid-chest and shallow. As the day goes on and they continue breathing this way, the energy of their body is getting stuck rather than flowing easily throughout, and they end up with their normal and almost daily afternoon headache. Using herbs, all of a sudden there is an awareness of the tight constriction in their chest, and pondering this, the person has an idea – “What if I breathe deeper? Yes, that feels much better.” There is a moment of beautiful peace and calm as they learn that their breathing was greatly contributing to their symptoms.

This might sound very simple, but it is an extremely profound experience to have. There is no one answer for everyone. It will be unique for you and your circumstances. When you know the herbs are teachers and you listen to them, you will learn amazing things about yourself and how you live your life.

Next time you decide to use herbs, remember this. Open your heart to them, ask them to teach you, and always thank them for what they share with you.

Please remember to consult a qualified and certified herbalist who can ensure you are using herbs appropriate for you, and who will refer you to your medical doctor for any advice on prescribed medications.

Use Your Essential Oils for Seasonal Allergies!

I’m seeing a lot of wonderful people walking around with some miserable symptoms as the incredible (and hopefully warm and sunny) Spring season emerges this year.
 I’m talking about:

• Red, itchy, watery eyes
• Stuffy head
• Runny and congested nose
• Sore throat
• Sneezing, sneezing, and more sneezing!

If you have some basic essential oils or have access to buying some you can give yourself some much needed relief – very quickly and very efficiently.

Throat Spray:

NOTE: Because this method uses oils that go into your mouth, please make sure you are using 100% Organic Pure & Genuine oils only. If you are not sure of the quality, use topically instead by putting 1 drop each of the same oils below into a small amount of olive oil and rub it into your throat and chest area.

In a small bottle with a finger mister top, fill with filtered water and 1 tsp. of vegetable glycerin if you have it. If you don’t have it, just leave it out but keep the spray refrigerated – it won’t last as long. Add the following essential oils, shake well, and spray into the back of your throat while breathing in lightly. Ok to use up to 1x/hour as needed.

1 oz. bottle of water and vegetable glycerin
Cypress 3 drops
Lemon 3 drops
Tea Tree 3 drops
(optional: Stevia – herbal sweetener, 2-3 drops)


Eye Soother: (NOTE: NEVER put essential oils directly into your eyes!)

Would it feel better to you to put hot or cold on your eyes? Pour a bowl of water – either hot or cold depending on how you feel. Add 2 drops of Naiouli, 2 drops of Tea Tree, and 1-2 drops Lemon. Stir gently with your finger, then dip a washcloth into the water, wring it out, and lay it over your eyes. Softly press it onto and around your closed eyes. Ok to use up to 5x/day.


Breathe Easier:

If you have an essential oil diffuser – use it! If not, put one drop of Eucalyptus or Naiouli on the corner of a tissue, roll it up, and insert it into one of your nostrils. Leave in for 10 minutes, then do the other side if needed. Usually when you take it out you get a great rush of open fresh air that gives you the hope that you will get over these symptoms and have fun again. Ok to do this up to every 2 hours if needed.


If you still need extra help:

Make an appointment with a professional at the Oriental Healing Arts Center. We can do some great Tui Na bodywork to open your Bladder Meridian, strengthen your energy with some moxa to your lower legs, and possibly suggest a Chinese herbal formula to get you re-balanced and feeling great. 907-279-0135.

Learn tons of great information from my On-Line Essential Oils Course series. You can study here at our school in Alaska from anywhere in the world!

Natural Help for Red Itchy Eyes

My sister came home from work last night and I couldn't help but notice how irritatingly red her eyes were. She said they felt like there was dust or some kind of grit all over them. I had her dip a fresh lemon slice in a small cup of water and rinse her eyes out with it. She did this and went to bed for the night. Fresh lemon juice in water is recommended as a natural eye wash for red irritated eyes. (To do this, add 2 drops fresh lemon juice to about 1 oz water and rinse or spray into eye. Use several times throughout the day as needed.)

It's ok to put DILUTED essential oils gently on eyelids, but NEVER put essential oils directly in your eyes. 
This morning she looked terrible! Her eyes were swollen, red, and watery. They were so bad she couldn't see to drive to work and had to stay home. I immediately got a bowl of hot water and added 4 drops each of Tea Tree and Naiouli essential oils. I had her use a washcloth dipped in the water to gently place over her eyes, re-dipping the cloth several times over the next 10 minutes. I also put Tea Tree, Naiouli, and Lemon essential oils in my nebulizer (a special kind of diffuser) and turned it on so she could breath this at the same time the treated cloth was on her eyes. These 3 essential oils have antibacterial and cleansing properties, plus the lemon is cooling (to cool the heat of the red eyes).

According to Chinese medicine, physical problems with the eyes are related to Wood energy which includes the season of Spring and the internal organ of the Liver. Right now we are strongly coming into Spring so that energy is very permeating. My sister has also had other Wood/Liver symptoms in the past so I know she can be prone to them and has to watch herself to balance them out as soon as they start to appear.

After the essential oil treatments had soothed her eyes some, I had her sit up so I could do an Auricular Therapy ear treatment on her. This is an acupressure reflexology technique that uses little beads held in place by tape. I used the points Shen Men, Allergies, Liver, Eyes, and San Jiao. I am expecting this to have a significant effect. The beads will stay in for 1 week, then if she needs it I'll repeat the treatment.

I then had her drink a glass of water with 1 drop of organic medicinal quality Carrot Seed essential oil. She enjoyed this, and I recommended she call her eye doctor to at least have her eyes looked at. The Carrot Seed oil is beneficial to both the Liver and the eyes.

Several times throughout the day she used the essential oil water treatment on her eyes - we switched to cold water after the first bowl - and also continued the nebulizer. By 5:00pm she looked and felt amazingly better! It's about 85% improved with barely noticeable swelling. The redness and watering are gone.

I made a very light Spring soup for dinner. The Liver likes light and fresh right now. The soup was baby new potatoes, zuchini, leek, and purple Thai rice (I just found this at New Sagaya and had to try it!!) simmered in chicken broth and water. Once the potatoes were soft I turned it off and added 1 clove chopped garlic, and fresh chopped green and organge peppers. Then I juiced 5 tomatoes and 1/2 lemon with the peel and added that. Topped it off with a squirt of flax seed oil and plain yogurt. DELICIOUS!!

I still want her to see the eye doctor if this is not 100% gone by tomorrow, but at least now she can comfortably drive herself.

UPDATE: The next day her eyes were completely better, and have been for the past week. I asked what made the biggest difference, because this is always very important for me to know - directly from the other person's experience. She said the Auricular Therapy ear treatment immediately calmed her down and she could open her eyes some after that. But she loved the cloth dipped in essential oil drops in water best, saying it was incredibly soothing and created the most noticeable difference.

Learn tons of great information from my On-Line Essential Oils Course series. You can study here at our school in Alaska from anywhere in the world!

Healing My Dad's Leg Pain with Acupuncture

"My medical appointment today was, for me, a first: a first-time acupuncture treatment. Cynthia approved my choice of clinics here (where I live in the Lower 48) and had encouraged me to do it in hopes of relieving my leg pains. Not knowing what to expect, I had the idea that I would be instantly cured with the first thrust of the acupuncture needle. Not so -- but it helped a lot, and I'll have 3 more treatments next week.

The needle is a slender wire -- almost just a whisker -- about 3 inches long. I did not feel a thing when the acupuncturist placed any of the several needles in my back and legs. There was no blood. I was laying face down on the table with my legs resting on a pillow. He aimed a heat lamp on my back, told me to breathe deeply to improve blood flow to the area, and left me to 'cook' for about 1/2 hour. I was in considerable pain in my right leg at the start, and for quite a while nothing seemed to be happening. But as time wore on I began to have "spasms of relief." They lengthened and the pain dwindled until it was almost completely gone by the time he turned off the lamp and pulled out the needles. I still had quite a bit of pain turning onto my side and sitting up. He claims that this will be gone by the time he finishes my treatments.

I have noticed this evening that I feel better in my legs and hips (both of them). Going up and down stairs has felt much better than before and has let me go faster. I even notice a difference in sensation (better!) as I walk.

But if you decide to go for acupuncture, make sure to check with someone like (The Oriental Healing Arts Center) to get advice on how to choose a good one."

NOTE: This leg pain started out so bad my dad couldn't sleep at night, or barely get comfortable in any position. He went to his conventional doctor first and did not receive any treatment that helped. After about 8 acupuncture treatments his leg pain was completely gone and he experienced other seemingly unrelated benefits as well. This was almost 3 years ago and it has not returned. I knew it would help him!

Juice Fasting: Day 2

Christmas Day - I can't believe my kids slept in (which means I also got to)! I'm very low key on the holiday, but apparently Santa stopped by with something small and fun for the kids to play with.

Last night the abdominal massage I did with Marjoram essential oil felt incredible. This morning I got up and did a little extra personal hygiene to go along with the fast: face mask with French green clay, rose hip seed oil, and water followed by a nice long body brushing, and then an essential oil blend of Rose Geranium and Combava in jojoba carrier oil immediately after my shower while still wet. All this with a fresh juice of carrots, apples, orange, lemon and lime for breakfast - what a way to start the day!

I've felt very clean and light all day. Morning yoga and tai chi was smooth and strong, like my muscles were enjoying going extra slow with my mind focused deeply inside.

Even though it is just barely above zero, I've felt a little on the cold side today so have kept most of the juices warm. More tomato with cayenne and flax seed oil, and instead of the leek/watercress broth today I've had plenty of my favorite liver cleansing "tea": 1-2 slices each of organic lemon and lime, a small dollup of maple syrup, covered in just boiled water.

My sister is doing great. I laughed yesterday because after the first juice she started talking about recipes I could cook after we are done. Today she got up early and has been very motivated to organize a lot of stuff. Wow - I'm doing that again too!

One of the biggest things I notice about fasting is that time slows down. It really seems like I always get an incredible amount of things done in a short period of time. I become very aware of how much time is normally spent cooking and eating food. (Passing thought - "wouldn't it be great to juice fast every day, or for a really long time?")

How long will I continue the fast? I'm not sure - this time I planned to feel and listen to my body rather than pre-determining a set amount of time. So far I feel great, clear, light, happy, and as far as hunger goes we've both been very satisfied from the juices. I'll probably go another 2-4 days and then ease lightly back into eating normal again. I like to end a fast by making a rice congee and eating just that for one day, then adding vegetables to it the next day.

Tonight I'll do another abdominal massage, this time with Coriander essential oil. The fast will continue pretty much the same as today. My body will feel hungry again when it's time to be done. Until then, I love juice fasting!!