“True Warrior Decoction” is mentioned in the Shang Han Lun only twice. The first time it is mentioned, it is in reference to Tai Yang disease:
太陽病，發汗，汗出不解，其人仍發熱，心下悸，頭眩，身瞤動，振振欲擗地者，真武湯主之。
"In Tai Yang disease, when there is sweating, and the emergence of sweat does not resolve the disease, and the person still has fever, there are palpitations below the heart, the head is dizzy, and the body shivers violently, and they are quivering and about to fall on the ground, Zhen Wu Tang governs it."
In this scenario, the person is sweated with Gui Zhi Tang and the person does not recover or the person has sweated themselves and has not recovered. In both cases, the person has a yang deficiency because the person’s yang qi with the addition of a correct treatment of Gui Zhi Tang is still too weak to defeat the pathogen. Because of this yang deficiency, there is cold shivering, and because the body is attempting to mobilize its yang qi to the surface, there isn’t enough left to maintain the interior, so the Shao Yin heart and head begin to feel the effects.
The second time Zhen Wu Tang is mentioned is in reference to Shao Yin disease:
少陰病，二三日不已，至四五日，腹痛，小便不利，四肢沉重疼痛，自下利者，此為有水氣，其人或欬，或小便利，或下利，或嘔者，真武湯主之。
In ShaoYin disease, that has lasted two or three days without stopping, and at four or five days, there is abdominal cramping, inhibited urination, heaviness and pain of the four limbs, and spontaneous diarrhea, this is because the person has water qi, and the person may have cough, or uninhibited urination, or diarrhea, or retching, then Zhen Wu Tang governs it.
Zhen Wu Tang:
Fu Ling 3 Liang (45g)
Shao Yao 3 Liang (45g)
Bai Zhu 2 Liang (30g)
Sheng Jiang 3 Liang (45g)
Fu Zi 1 piece prepared
*if cough add:
Wu Wei Zi half sheng (100mL)
Xi Xin 1 Liang (15g)
Gan Jiang 1 Liang (15g)
*if urine flows freely, remove Fu Ling
*if there is diarrhea, remove Shao Yao and add 2 Liang of Gan Jiang
*if there is retching, remove Fu Zi and Sheng Jiang to equal 8 Liang (1/2 Jin).
In the first description of symptoms in Shao Yin disease, there are Earth symptoms being inversely invaded by Water: abdominal cramping (Wood trying to control the Water in the Earth), inhibited urination (Water being directed towards the Earth element), heaviness and pain of the four limbs (the Earth rules the four limbs), and spontaneous diarrhea (Water invading the Earth Spleen).
In the second description of the symptoms the Metal is overwhelmed by Water, and cough and uninhibited urination occur (or perhaps constant urination from the Lung being too open and a lack of pressure within the system). Also there is Earth disharmony as the Stomach is in counterflow, leading to collapse of the Spleen.
In both cases, the method is to restore the yang of the Kidney and drain the excess water to correct the reversal of Water Qi invading Metal and Earth. In the Tai Yang example, we can note that the Zhong Qi (中氣) of Tai Yang is Shao Yin and the Zhong Qi of Shao Yin is Tai Yang. This is an explanation for why, if someone is severely deficient and they are subjected to Tai Yang disease, and sweating does not work, that a Shao Yin pattern emerges. The ying and the wei have as their source the ultimate yang and yin of Shao Yin, when these are severely depleted the patient cannot mount an attack even with sweating so the underlying yang deficiency must be addressed with Fu Zi.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Second Lunar Month and Hexagram 34
Boom! The Yang qi is out of the gate and running now in the second lunar month. Whereas the last month was all about balance and being pressurized like an arrow on a drawn bowstring, this month is all about release and movement. Now is the time for production, strength, and action. All those plans that we've cultivated in the winter months can now be begun with full zeal. This is symbolized with the character 卯 for this month, which is the earthly branch depicting the opening of two great doors. The energy of this month, which began on February 25th and charges until March 25th is further represented by Hexagram 34, Da Zhuang 大壯, which is often translated as great strength, focus, movement, power, or killing.
《大壯》利貞。
Great Strength is auspicious.
剛以動，故壯。《大壯》「利貞」，大者、正也。正大而天地之情可見矣。
Movement with firmness, therefore strength.
Great strength is auspicious, great because of correctness.
Correctness and greatness like heaven and earth, conditions are very clear.
雷在天上，《大壯》。君子以非禮弗履。
Thunder above Heaven, this is Great Strength.
The noble person is never impolite or treads upon.
Here, as opposed to other line translations that I've done before, you can see that the energy is very simple. There is correctness in action while checking any abuse of power at the door.
Steven Karcher corroborates:
《大壯》利貞。
Great Strength is auspicious.
剛以動，故壯。《大壯》「利貞」，大者、正也。正大而天地之情可見矣。
Movement with firmness, therefore strength.
Great strength is auspicious, great because of correctness.
Correctness and greatness like heaven and earth, conditions are very clear.
雷在天上，《大壯》。君子以非禮弗履。
Thunder above Heaven, this is Great Strength.
The noble person is never impolite or treads upon.
Here, as opposed to other line translations that I've done before, you can see that the energy is very simple. There is correctness in action while checking any abuse of power at the door.
Steven Karcher corroborates:
The hexagram figure shows inner force expressing itself directly and decisively. Thunder located above heaven. This is a time for resolute action. Come out of retirement. It is important to be able to hold onto your strength, for you must judge things for yourself and proceed on your own. A great idea implies strength and power. Something solid and strong is stirring things up. This is the source of your strength. Put your ideas to the trial. Correct one-sidedness in yourself and others. Having a great idea and continually correcting your path lets you look into the heart of Heaven and Earth.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ling Shu Chapter 1
Ling Shu Chapter 1 is titled “The 9 needles and the 12 source points” wherein the source points are indicated as imperative to treat disorders of the Zang and the methods of tonification (“in slow, out fast”) and reducing (“in fast, out slow”) are explained. But I believe that the essence of the chapter lies in the following lines.
小鍼之要，易陳而難入，麤守形，上守神，神乎神，客在門，未睹其疾，惡知其原
The essentials of the small needles are easily explained but difficult to receive, the crude guard the form (the lesser physician only sees the body), the superior guard the Shen, Shen fantastic Shen, (without which the doctor is only a) guest at the gate and has not perceived the illness or known the origin of the evil.
刺之微在速遲，麤守關，上守機，機之動，不離其空，空中之機，清靜而微，其來不可逢，其往不可追。
The subtle and profound of needling are the rhythm (fastness and slowness), the crude physician guards the barrier (that which is closed), while the superior physician guards the movement of the mechanism, the mechanism is not separate from the void, the mechanism is the center of the void, it is quiet and subtle, you cannot meet it when it arrives, you cannot pursue it as it leaves.
知機之道者，不可掛以髮，不知機道，叩之不發，知其往來，要與之期，麤之闇乎，妙哉工獨有之。
To know the Dao of the mechanism, one cannot put up one's hair (be lazy), not knowing the way of the mechanism, you can knock (strike) the disease without emitting it, if you know its comings and goings, you can assist its phases, the dimness of the crude physician! the excellent physician alone has it.
往者為逆，來者為順，明知逆順，正行無問。
That which leaves is counterflow, that which arrives is flow, be fully aware of counterflow and flow, and you will have correct action without question.
逆而奪之，惡得無虛，追而濟之，惡得無實，迎之隨之，以意和之，鍼道畢矣。
Use it (the knowledge of the mechanism) to seize counterflow, get the evil without causing deficiency, pursue and assist it, get the evil without causing excess, welcome it and follow it, this means to harmonize it, this is the accomplished way of needling.
This is my favorite segment of this chapter of the Ling Shu because it explains the importance of engaging with the person’s Shen to observe disease but also of the disease process itself, the Bing Ji 病機, the pathological mechanism. This means that when we apply an acupuncture treatment, it isn’t enough to apply the rules of the body to find our treatment principles but we have to look at the process of the disease. For example, if someone has hemoptysis it isn’t enough to needle the points for hemoptysis. Rather we should seek an understanding of the root cause of the disorder and needle at the appropriate time, in the appropriate technique, to either “seize the counterflow to not create deficiency” or “follow it out to not cause excess.” “Not meeting it as it arrives and not pursuing it as it leaves” seems contradictory only if we operate from a fixed position. If we are firm in our beliefs and understandings of a disease, and thus remain metaphorically fixed in our ideas, we cannot be flexible and follow the ways of the disease which have a rhythm all of their own. It is this rhythm that is the key to unlocking the disease process.
小鍼之要，易陳而難入，麤守形，上守神，神乎神，客在門，未睹其疾，惡知其原
The essentials of the small needles are easily explained but difficult to receive, the crude guard the form (the lesser physician only sees the body), the superior guard the Shen, Shen fantastic Shen, (without which the doctor is only a) guest at the gate and has not perceived the illness or known the origin of the evil.
刺之微在速遲，麤守關，上守機，機之動，不離其空，空中之機，清靜而微，其來不可逢，其往不可追。
The subtle and profound of needling are the rhythm (fastness and slowness), the crude physician guards the barrier (that which is closed), while the superior physician guards the movement of the mechanism, the mechanism is not separate from the void, the mechanism is the center of the void, it is quiet and subtle, you cannot meet it when it arrives, you cannot pursue it as it leaves.
知機之道者，不可掛以髮，不知機道，叩之不發，知其往來，要與之期，麤之闇乎，妙哉工獨有之。
To know the Dao of the mechanism, one cannot put up one's hair (be lazy), not knowing the way of the mechanism, you can knock (strike) the disease without emitting it, if you know its comings and goings, you can assist its phases, the dimness of the crude physician! the excellent physician alone has it.
往者為逆，來者為順，明知逆順，正行無問。
That which leaves is counterflow, that which arrives is flow, be fully aware of counterflow and flow, and you will have correct action without question.
逆而奪之，惡得無虛，追而濟之，惡得無實，迎之隨之，以意和之，鍼道畢矣。
Use it (the knowledge of the mechanism) to seize counterflow, get the evil without causing deficiency, pursue and assist it, get the evil without causing excess, welcome it and follow it, this means to harmonize it, this is the accomplished way of needling.
This is my favorite segment of this chapter of the Ling Shu because it explains the importance of engaging with the person’s Shen to observe disease but also of the disease process itself, the Bing Ji 病機, the pathological mechanism. This means that when we apply an acupuncture treatment, it isn’t enough to apply the rules of the body to find our treatment principles but we have to look at the process of the disease. For example, if someone has hemoptysis it isn’t enough to needle the points for hemoptysis. Rather we should seek an understanding of the root cause of the disorder and needle at the appropriate time, in the appropriate technique, to either “seize the counterflow to not create deficiency” or “follow it out to not cause excess.” “Not meeting it as it arrives and not pursuing it as it leaves” seems contradictory only if we operate from a fixed position. If we are firm in our beliefs and understandings of a disease, and thus remain metaphorically fixed in our ideas, we cannot be flexible and follow the ways of the disease which have a rhythm all of their own. It is this rhythm that is the key to unlocking the disease process.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE EARTHEN OX!
January 26th marks the first day of the first month of the chinese new year of the ox. Starting on the new moon, this month will extend until February 24th. In a way, the year of the ox is energetically represented as what I described in the last months energy as both have "ox" energy and are associated with Hexagram 19: the continuing endurance and approaching of something great. So the same can be said of the coming year of 2009. Having visited the dark cave that 2008 represented (子）, and fleshed out what direction we want to go in, 2009 is the year to begin executing those plans, and begin taking our internal ideas to the external world. Have something you were dreaming up last year but didn't quite getting around to making a move on? Well, this year is the one to start that big project. Also with the new year, and every year, comes a time to forgive those who owe us money that never showed up or apologies that never came and move on to a more compassionate, "we're all in this together" mentality.
Within this context of an oxen year, we begin in the first lunar month, represented by Hexagram 11 泰 often translated as peace, quiet, or balance.
Here is the text from the Yi Jing, as well as my translation.
小往大來，吉，亨
The small goes and the big arrives, auspicious, successful.
則是天地交而萬物通也，上下交而其志同也。
It is the joining of heaven and earth and the communion of the 10,000 things,
the joining of above and below and it is similar to will.
內陽而外陰，內健而外順，內君子而外小人，君子道長，小人道消也。
inside is yang and outside is yin, inside is strong and outside is following, inside is the character of a noble person and outside is the appearance of a lesser man, the noble person's path is long, the lesser person's path disappears.
This is a time of ultimate communion between heaven and earth. 3 yin lines are falling, and 3 yang lines are rising. Internal strength and external following is indicated here, to show that we follow the path of nature even though we may be pursuing our internal goals. Stephen Karcher writes:
Within this context of an oxen year, we begin in the first lunar month, represented by Hexagram 11 泰 often translated as peace, quiet, or balance.
Here is the text from the Yi Jing, as well as my translation.
小往大來，吉，亨
The small goes and the big arrives, auspicious, successful.
則是天地交而萬物通也，上下交而其志同也。
It is the joining of heaven and earth and the communion of the 10,000 things,
the joining of above and below and it is similar to will.
內陽而外陰，內健而外順，內君子而外小人，君子道長，小人道消也。
inside is yang and outside is yin, inside is strong and outside is following, inside is the character of a noble person and outside is the appearance of a lesser man, the noble person's path is long, the lesser person's path disappears.
This is a time of ultimate communion between heaven and earth. 3 yin lines are falling, and 3 yang lines are rising. Internal strength and external following is indicated here, to show that we follow the path of nature even though we may be pursuing our internal goals. Stephen Karcher writes:
This is a time of abundance. If you let yourself be lead you can realize your hidden potential. Later you can be quiet and settled. Reach out and penetrate things. Sense their interconnections. Radically change your sense of self and who you associate with. Put your possessions at the service of the spirit of the time. Support and encourage people. Use peace and abundance to set life in order.
Friday, January 02, 2009
The 12th Lunar Month and Hexagram 19
New Year's is always an interesting time for me now that I'm studying Chinese Medicine. For one, there is a mismatch between the solar calendar that we follow here in the west and the lunar calendar favored by the ancient Chinese. Chinese New Year this year doesn't happen until February 4th, at which time we will begin the year of the Earthen Ox. Because I've been following the energetics of the seasons for over a year now (according to the 24 seasonal nodes) I have to admit January 1, 2009 seemed a bit premature for celebration as the Winter energy, especially here in Portland, is still quite strong. Secondly, the typical celebratory script of getting shitfaced and staying up all night is also contra-indicated for this time of year [note to reader: i managed to ignore this prescription this year and am still paying the price as i write this. i blame the bellinis!]
But what I actually want to write about is not my debaucherous ways but the energy of the lunar month that we are currently in, which began on December 27th and continues until January 25th. This is the 12th Lunar month, represented by the Earthly Branch 丑 and Hexagram 19, Lin 臨.
This hexagram represents the continued endurance of the Yang Qi as it has "returned" in the previous month, but still faces an uphill battle. It is often translated as Endurance and Approaching.
Here is my translation of the text from the YiJing for Hexagram 19.
《臨》元亨，利貞。至于八月有凶。
Successful, Benefitial. As for the 8th month (august) it is ominous.
《彖》曰：《臨》，剛浸而長，說而順，剛中而應。大「亨」以正、天之道也。「至于八月有凶」、消不久也。 Gradually firm and enduring, speaking with direction, responding with a firm center. Big success with correctness, this is the way of Heaven. Ominous challenges will soon disappear.
《象》曰：澤上有地，《臨》。君子以教思�窮，容保民�疆。
The marsh above indicates earthliness. The noble man uses this to teach the poor of thought, and contains and protects those on the outside.
[if anyone has insight to these two characters that are missing, i'd appreciate a hand digging them up!]
We can see from this translation that this is generally a beneficial gua for action though the action is quite specific in that it is centered in both directions (from the outer to the inner and the inner to the outer). There is an indication that there are obstacles present, but that if we hold to the correctness of the Dao, they will fade and be overcome naturally. The indication of teaching represents that of action, even with those who are not aligned with the way (the "poor" and those on the "outside").
Stephen Karcher writes:
But what I actually want to write about is not my debaucherous ways but the energy of the lunar month that we are currently in, which began on December 27th and continues until January 25th. This is the 12th Lunar month, represented by the Earthly Branch 丑 and Hexagram 19, Lin 臨.
This hexagram represents the continued endurance of the Yang Qi as it has "returned" in the previous month, but still faces an uphill battle. It is often translated as Endurance and Approaching.
Here is my translation of the text from the YiJing for Hexagram 19.
《臨》元亨，利貞。至于八月有凶。
Successful, Benefitial. As for the 8th month (august) it is ominous.
《彖》曰：《臨》，剛浸而長，說而順，剛中而應。大「亨」以正、天之道也。「至于八月有凶」、消不久也。 Gradually firm and enduring, speaking with direction, responding with a firm center. Big success with correctness, this is the way of Heaven. Ominous challenges will soon disappear.
《象》曰：澤上有地，《臨》。君子以教思�窮，容保民�疆。
The marsh above indicates earthliness. The noble man uses this to teach the poor of thought, and contains and protects those on the outside.
[if anyone has insight to these two characters that are missing, i'd appreciate a hand digging them up!]
We can see from this translation that this is generally a beneficial gua for action though the action is quite specific in that it is centered in both directions (from the outer to the inner and the inner to the outer). There is an indication that there are obstacles present, but that if we hold to the correctness of the Dao, they will fade and be overcome naturally. The indication of teaching represents that of action, even with those who are not aligned with the way (the "poor" and those on the "outside").
Stephen Karcher writes:
Nearing describes your situation in terms of something approaching, particularly something great approaching something smaller. It is the first arrival and point of new contact. The way to deal with it is to move towards what is approaching without expecting to get what you want immediately. Look at things with care and sympathy. Welcome the approach of others. Keep your expectations modest. This contact opens a whole new cycle of time. It is particularly favorable for what is growing. So beware. Trying to rush to completion and an early harvest will cut you off from the spirits and leave you open to danger.
Friday, November 28, 2008
heartbreak haiku
------------------------------
Once she pulled the thread
Life unravelled rather quick
And I'm no seamstress
------------------------------
Shadows lurking near
Easily dissolve with light
Where is that flashlight?
------------------------------
The prayer for today:
May my heart continue to
Break open, gently.
------------------------------
If ever you've tried
Loving in spite of violence
You know what I'm sayin'
------------------------------
Betrayal knows none
Better than me this autumn
Here's to raking leaves.
------------------------------
I've written you lots
But the end is all the same:
you can't even read
Once she pulled the thread
Life unravelled rather quick
And I'm no seamstress
------------------------------
Shadows lurking near
Easily dissolve with light
Where is that flashlight?
------------------------------
The prayer for today:
May my heart continue to
Break open, gently.
------------------------------
If ever you've tried
Loving in spite of violence
You know what I'm sayin'
------------------------------
Betrayal knows none
Better than me this autumn
Here's to raking leaves.
------------------------------
I've written you lots
But the end is all the same:
you can't even read
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
on love
"When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire,
that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart,
and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips."
-- Khalil Gibran
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire,
that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart,
and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips."
-- Khalil Gibran
Monday, September 29, 2008
Chinese Astrological Calendar
I've spent the last few weeks creating a Chinese Astrological Calendar to aid in my studies of astrology and general energy watching of the seasons. It contains the heavenly stems and earthly branches in an easy to read color-coded fashion for every day from now until august 2009 in a big 11x17 format. It also has the seasonal nodes, moon phases, and tidal hexagrams for the months, as well as a reminder of what that month is about. And because I made it pretty (see below), I've decided to offer it for sale. The cost is $25, please email me if you are interested.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
References for my paper on Salt-Sensitive Hypertension
Over at Deepest Health, I put up a guest posting on a Classical Chinese Medicine view of a modern disease process, Salt-Sensitive Hypertension. Below are the references I site in the work, in case you are interested in perusing them further. I welcome your comments here, or on eric's blog.
[i] Am J Kidney Dis. 2007 Oct;50(4):655-72. Pathophysiological mechanisms of salt-dependent hypertension. Rodriguez-Iturbe B, Romero F, Johnson RJ.
[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension
[iii] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_19.pdf
[iv] Kempner W. Treatment of kidney disease and hypertensive vascular disease with rice diet. N C Med J1944; 5: 125–133
[v] Nephrol Ther. 2007 Sep;3 Suppl 2:S94-8. Abnormalities of renal sodium transport and blood pressure sensitivity to salt. Burnier M.
[vi] http://duedall.fit.edu/ocn1010eng/jan27sp.htm
[vii] http://www.palomar.edu/oceanography/salty_ocean.htm
[viii] Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
[ix] Salt, Diet, and Health. MacGregor & deWardener. Cambridge University Press: 1998.
[x] Jones, E. The symbolic significance of salt in folklore and superstition. In: Essays in Folklore, Anthropology, and Religion. Vol. 2 Hogarth Press, 1951. London.
[i] Am J Kidney Dis. 2007 Oct;50(4):655-72. Pathophysiological mechanisms of salt-dependent hypertension. Rodriguez-Iturbe B, Romero F, Johnson RJ.
[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension
[iii] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_19.pdf
[iv] Kempner W. Treatment of kidney disease and hypertensive vascular disease with rice diet. N C Med J1944; 5: 125–133
[v] Nephrol Ther. 2007 Sep;3 Suppl 2:S94-8. Abnormalities of renal sodium transport and blood pressure sensitivity to salt. Burnier M.
[vi] http://duedall.fit.edu/ocn1010eng/jan27sp.htm
[vii] http://www.palomar.edu/oceanography/salty_ocean.htm
[viii] Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
[ix] Salt, Diet, and Health. MacGregor & deWardener. Cambridge University Press: 1998.
[x] Jones, E. The symbolic significance of salt in folklore and superstition. In: Essays in Folklore, Anthropology, and Religion. Vol. 2 Hogarth Press, 1951. London.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Omnivore's 100
Everyone is doing it these days, so now its my turn. Pass it on.
Here are the instructions:
1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: Post a comment here linking to your results.
The Very Good Taste Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (thailand!)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (regrettably)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
Not bad. Fortunately, I'm only 31. I'm hoping to knock the rest out, especially once I know what some of these actually are.
Here are the instructions:
1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: Post a comment here linking to your results.
The Very Good Taste Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (thailand!)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (regrettably)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
Not bad. Fortunately, I'm only 31. I'm hoping to knock the rest out, especially once I know what some of these actually are.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, April 06, 2008
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
by David Pinchbeck. On December 21, 2012 we know that many things will happen. For one, this happens to be the winter solstice, and the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun with Sagittarius A, what is thought to be the super-massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Secondly, the Mayan calendar expires, reaching the end of its long count, and ushering in a new world. Based on this calendar each world stage, reflected by the 9 levels of the Mayan pyramid and our spiral galaxy, increases in speed and thus decreases in duration based on the solar calendar. Thus, the worlds proceed in a manner that marks major transitions:
* First World: 16.4 billion years ago. The Big Bang. Development of cellular life on earth.
* Second World: 820 million years ago. Animal life emerged.
* Third World: 41 million years ago. Evolution of primates and first use of rudimentary tools.
* Fourth World: 2 million years ago. Tribal organization.
* Fifth World: 102,000 years ago. Homo sapiens emerged. First use of language.
* Sixth World: 5,125 years ago (from 2012). Creation of patriarchal society, law, writing.
* Seventh World: 256 years ago. Creation of Industrialization, Electricity, Technology.
* Eighth World: 12.8 years ago (from 2012). 1999. The dissemination and consumption of global information via the Internet.
* Ninth World: 260 days after 2012. ???
Its anyone's guess as to what will happen at this point, but there is plenty of conjecture. Some hypothesize that the earth's poles will undergo a magnetic shift, causing problems in instrumentation but also in the migratory patterns of birds and insects. Some hypotheses put the culmination of peak oil at this date, at which point massive socio-economic shifts will take place, leading to increased pressure on food stores and fresh water supplies. Some think that 2012 will usher in the first use of widespread nuclear weapons. Global warming will decimate the planet.
Pinchbeck attempts to fill in the question marks and in so doing hits all of it in this book: global warming, massive culminations of wealth by the very few, exponentially increasing availability of information through the internet, terrorism and runaway nation-states, excessive materialism and its effect on our psyche, nuclear proliferation, disintegration of the family and our national health.
Quoting Marcuse: "There is a fundamental irrational rationality of our system. Industrialization and mechanization could - and logically should - have led to a reduction in labor time and the institution of a post-work and post-scarcity global society after World War II... The response to this deep threat to the controlling apparatus was the creation of "false needs" in the consumer, the perpetuating fear of nuclear war and terrorism, and the use of the mass media to enforce consensus consciousness:
Pinchbeck looks at the theme behind all of these trends, and gives archetypical descriptions along with personal and global ramifications of all of it. He goes about answering these questions in a very personal way, one that i think we are all ultimately facing: do we find in ourselves the strength to change what is necessary in order to avoid total extinction? Pinchbeck's answer is ultimately a Gnostic one, where he integrates multiple shamanic religions and narratives to arrive at an answer that corroborates well with my own understanding of our role. Fear is the first and most natural response given any threat. But because we have a higher role as human beings, we must ultimately move past our fear and overcome ourselves first to usher in the change that we so desperately need.
Quoting Gebsner:
* First World: 16.4 billion years ago. The Big Bang. Development of cellular life on earth.
* Second World: 820 million years ago. Animal life emerged.
* Third World: 41 million years ago. Evolution of primates and first use of rudimentary tools.
* Fourth World: 2 million years ago. Tribal organization.
* Fifth World: 102,000 years ago. Homo sapiens emerged. First use of language.
* Sixth World: 5,125 years ago (from 2012). Creation of patriarchal society, law, writing.
* Seventh World: 256 years ago. Creation of Industrialization, Electricity, Technology.
* Eighth World: 12.8 years ago (from 2012). 1999. The dissemination and consumption of global information via the Internet.
* Ninth World: 260 days after 2012. ???
Its anyone's guess as to what will happen at this point, but there is plenty of conjecture. Some hypothesize that the earth's poles will undergo a magnetic shift, causing problems in instrumentation but also in the migratory patterns of birds and insects. Some hypotheses put the culmination of peak oil at this date, at which point massive socio-economic shifts will take place, leading to increased pressure on food stores and fresh water supplies. Some think that 2012 will usher in the first use of widespread nuclear weapons. Global warming will decimate the planet.
Pinchbeck attempts to fill in the question marks and in so doing hits all of it in this book: global warming, massive culminations of wealth by the very few, exponentially increasing availability of information through the internet, terrorism and runaway nation-states, excessive materialism and its effect on our psyche, nuclear proliferation, disintegration of the family and our national health.
Quoting Marcuse: "There is a fundamental irrational rationality of our system. Industrialization and mechanization could - and logically should - have led to a reduction in labor time and the institution of a post-work and post-scarcity global society after World War II... The response to this deep threat to the controlling apparatus was the creation of "false needs" in the consumer, the perpetuating fear of nuclear war and terrorism, and the use of the mass media to enforce consensus consciousness:
The union of growing productivity and growing destruction; the brinkmanship of annihilation; the surrender of thought, hope, and fear to the decisions of the powers that be; the preservation of misery in the face of unprecedented wealth constitute the most impartial indictment. Its sweeping rationality, which propels efficiency and growth, is itself irrational.The great mass of humanity forfeits their inner freedom of thought, conscience, and will to participate in this system, which presents itself as inevitable, inescapable, and airtight."
Pinchbeck looks at the theme behind all of these trends, and gives archetypical descriptions along with personal and global ramifications of all of it. He goes about answering these questions in a very personal way, one that i think we are all ultimately facing: do we find in ourselves the strength to change what is necessary in order to avoid total extinction? Pinchbeck's answer is ultimately a Gnostic one, where he integrates multiple shamanic religions and narratives to arrive at an answer that corroborates well with my own understanding of our role. Fear is the first and most natural response given any threat. But because we have a higher role as human beings, we must ultimately move past our fear and overcome ourselves first to usher in the change that we so desperately need.
Quoting Gebsner:
All work, the genuine work we must achieve, is that which is most difficult and painful: the work on ourselves. If we do not freely take upon ourselves this pre-acceptance of the pain and torment, they will be visited upon us in an otherwise necessary individual and universal collapse. Anyone dissociated from his origin and his spirituality sensed task acts against origin. Anyone who acts against it neither has a today nor a tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
The Qur'an
So, for my first month of sagely living (see previous post) I'm going to be reading and studying the Qur'an (the Koran), the holy book of the Muslims as revealed by God to the prophet Muhammed. I chose this book for many reasons, some of which political, some of which spiritual, but I've simply never read it at all and there are a lot of people who have (20% of the world). Because school is starting in a week, and because I'm always trying to balance my life, I didn't want to overload on Chinese Medicine (though I was very tempted to read and translate The Art of War). I'm happy to be beginning this project and I chose Thomas Cleary's "Essential Koran" translation as a starting point.
There are some interesting things I've already learned. For one, the idea that reading the Qur'an in English is rather impossible task. As I've written here before about the limited nature of English, and the multi-layered meanings inherent in languages like Chinese and Arabic, a translation of this book into English lacks a great deal at the onset. Cleary understands this and creates some devices to help stretch English, like using poetic phrasing and pronouns. However, this is one of those things that would be hard to understand even if I did speak Arabic:
Thus, "the dramatic shifts in person, mood, tense, and mode become exhilirating exercises in perspective and translation of consciousness into a new manner of perception."
Whoah.
There are some interesting things I've already learned. For one, the idea that reading the Qur'an in English is rather impossible task. As I've written here before about the limited nature of English, and the multi-layered meanings inherent in languages like Chinese and Arabic, a translation of this book into English lacks a great deal at the onset. Cleary understands this and creates some devices to help stretch English, like using poetic phrasing and pronouns. However, this is one of those things that would be hard to understand even if I did speak Arabic:
The text of the Qur'an reveals human language crushed by the power of the Divine Word. It is as if human language were scattered into a thousand fragments like a wave scattered into drops against the rocks at sea. The Qur'an displays human language with all the weakness inherent in it becoming suddenly the recipient of the Divine Word and displaying its frailty before a power which is infinitely greater than man can imagine. -- Seyyid Hussein Nasr
Thus, "the dramatic shifts in person, mood, tense, and mode become exhilirating exercises in perspective and translation of consciousness into a new manner of perception."
Whoah.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
year of sagely living
my classmate eric over at Deepest Health, has proposed a year of sagely livingas not only a challenge but a way to deepen our understanding of the all important aspect of self-cultivation. I've mentioned in posts here before that self-cultivation is a crucial aspect in being an effective practitioner in Chinese Medicine. In many respects, we can only ask our patients to be as healthy as we are and the best way to lead is by example. There are a number of teachers at my school who follow this principle, and they swear that it is not only beneficial, but necessary and crucial.
So the Year of sagely living will progress beginning Jan 1, 2008 according to the lunar 12 earthly branch clock. The first month, January, corresponds to the earthly branch of Zi 子。Zi is a picture of a child or an embryo and represents the contracted nature of the middle of winter. At this time, all that goes on is internal and external movements are diminished or severely reduced. Eric has appropriately chosen Scholarship/Study as the pairing for this month. So in the next day, I will choose an appropriate topic that i will study every day for a month and post my comments on the experience here.
You don't need to be a student to do this, if you'd like to join in at any time, just post some comments about your experiences.
Happy New Year!
So the Year of sagely living will progress beginning Jan 1, 2008 according to the lunar 12 earthly branch clock. The first month, January, corresponds to the earthly branch of Zi 子。Zi is a picture of a child or an embryo and represents the contracted nature of the middle of winter. At this time, all that goes on is internal and external movements are diminished or severely reduced. Eric has appropriately chosen Scholarship/Study as the pairing for this month. So in the next day, I will choose an appropriate topic that i will study every day for a month and post my comments on the experience here.
You don't need to be a student to do this, if you'd like to join in at any time, just post some comments about your experiences.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 17, 2007
the dynamic duo: the moon and the earth
I was reading an interesting article about the moon's effect on the earth and came across this:
"Earth’s moon has helped stabilize our planet so that its axis of rotation stays in the same direction. For this reason, we had much less climatic change than if the Earth had been alone. And this has changed the way life evolved on Earth, allowing for the emergence of more complex multi-cellular organisms compared to a planet where drastic climatic change would allow only small, robust organisms to survive."
The moon has played a pivotal role in the evolution of man. Our systems of knowledge, observation, and activity once hinged upon the phase of the moon. Its interesting to think about what we've left behind by ignoring the phases of the moon, or more appropriately: if its even possible to divorce ourselves from its silent cadence.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Foundation of the Chronic Miasms in the Practice of Homeopathy
by Henny Heudens-Mast. This was my first introduction to Homeopathy and I devoured this book in a couple of weeks (and it was during finals!). "But Homeopathy isn't Chinese Medicine!" you say. I'm one of those people who thinks that all medicine can be Chinese Medicine if approached in the right way. Yes, even surgeons!
But what HH does in this book is describe the way she watches a patient, the way she categorizes them according to the miasms, and then tries to stimulate their vital force in order to expel disease. Although the categories of the miasms don't correspond to the 5 phase elements or the 6 Qi in a one-to-one manner I'm sure something could be gleaned from overlaying the two systems.
For example, the Tuburcular Miasm (dissatisfaction, lack of tolerance, changes everything, does harmful thing to one's self, solace in the mountains) smacked of Pericardium and maybe what is known as Yang Ming disease (Large Intestine and Stomach Networks).
What struck me most about this book was HH's methods. She often instructed her students to take no action if change was underway, and to only prescribe when it was clear what was happening was a roadblock to health as opposed to seeing a symptom as a beneficial "healing crisis."
The book has the best of both theory and application: true cases applied to the theory and decisions made on theory, study, and deep knowledge of the nature of life.
But what HH does in this book is describe the way she watches a patient, the way she categorizes them according to the miasms, and then tries to stimulate their vital force in order to expel disease. Although the categories of the miasms don't correspond to the 5 phase elements or the 6 Qi in a one-to-one manner I'm sure something could be gleaned from overlaying the two systems.
For example, the Tuburcular Miasm (dissatisfaction, lack of tolerance, changes everything, does harmful thing to one's self, solace in the mountains) smacked of Pericardium and maybe what is known as Yang Ming disease (Large Intestine and Stomach Networks).
What struck me most about this book was HH's methods. She often instructed her students to take no action if change was underway, and to only prescribe when it was clear what was happening was a roadblock to health as opposed to seeing a symptom as a beneficial "healing crisis."
The book has the best of both theory and application: true cases applied to the theory and decisions made on theory, study, and deep knowledge of the nature of life.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
of snakes and spleens
In Chinese Medicine the snake is the animal associated with the spleen in the system of the 12 organs. Though the animals were ascribed to the organs much later in the Medicine's history, there are remarkable parallels that can be drawn by meditating on the relationship between an organ and its animal. Sometimes, modern research will even point it out for us. Recently, it has been discovered that the snake can decrease its metabolic fasting rate by around 70%. Even at such a low rate, they still remain very alert and cognizant of possible approaching food. The mechanism isn't known, but some guesses are that the heart and liver cells down-regulate mitochondrial production or activity.
In Chinese Medicine the Spleen is a very important organ that raises the clear Qi from the food received by the stomach. The Spleen "steams" this clear Qi up to the lung to be combined with the Qi from the breath. When we discussed the Spleen in class we noted how snakes can eat nearly anything (including an entire kangaroo). Thus it shouldn't be surprising, considering typical Chinese duality, that something that can eat nearly anything can survive for an extended amount of time on nearly nothing. I say nearly nothing, because I think there may be ways to survive without eating anything at all but by absorbing this clear Qi through other methods.
In Chinese Medicine the Spleen is a very important organ that raises the clear Qi from the food received by the stomach. The Spleen "steams" this clear Qi up to the lung to be combined with the Qi from the breath. When we discussed the Spleen in class we noted how snakes can eat nearly anything (including an entire kangaroo). Thus it shouldn't be surprising, considering typical Chinese duality, that something that can eat nearly anything can survive for an extended amount of time on nearly nothing. I say nearly nothing, because I think there may be ways to survive without eating anything at all but by absorbing this clear Qi through other methods.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
car(s)
so, i bought a car. i know, i know: they're evil, and i've been pretty preachy about the beauty of not owning one. but i have one now, and i want to share with you what I learned in 3.5 years of going without:
(1) Our cities are designed around cars. This is pretty obvious to anyone who has tried living without a car for any time whatsoever. Portland is nearly an exception to this rule, though not entirely. Our public transportation is excellent. Living in the NW of Portland, I didn't really need a car, I could walk most places and public transit was readily available and cheap. However, the majority of the people drive carsand when i was walking and riding my bike, you are painfully aware that cars will kill you if you aren't paying attention. I'm fairly serious about this. I walk down busy streets and ride my bike so defensively these days I might as well be pretending that the cars are actually out to get me.
(2) Our lives are designed around cars. Socially, we go out and see people. We meet them in places that aren't near our homes after work, between other social events, etc. What I realized in not owning a car is that because it takes sooooo long to get places on the bus, you end up doing less. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I realized that I'm such a social butterfly that this was a hard adjustment to make.
Going to the grocery store is different without a car as well. You have to go more often on foot because you can only carry two bags. This problem is compounded by my involvement in the healthcare field. The truly healthy food is in disparate places: farmers markets, whole foods, new seasons, and the co-ops; though all in the same quadrant of Portland, they aren't anywhere near each other on foot. And again the problem of carrying things emerges.
Getting out of the city is another, probably more important aspect that I was missing without a car. I like camping. I like going to the coast. I like road trips. But you can't do these things on the bike very well (unless it becomes the trip itself).
(3) Cars are expensive. Do you know how much I spent on transportation per month including bike parts and riding public transit? $60/month. Total. That is cheap. I just bought a car for $1800, that i hope isn't going to die or need repairs, that costs $30 to fill up every couple weeks, insurance is relatively cheap but still more than $60/month itself, and add the occasional oil change and we're talking at least 4 times the cost. And that doesn't even include the true cost of driving:
Which doesn't include the cost of wars (452 billion!) like Iraq, which I posted about here
(4) Gasoline is a dinosaur. I hate that I have to contribute to this. I really do. But the alternatives aren't there yet for a starving student who needs to get around. I looked into running a diesel on free vegetable oil but that seemed like more work and time than taking public transport. I think Biodiesel is trading one problem (foreign dependence on oil) for the same one (where do you think they get the fertilizer to grow the biodiesel?). I'm waiting for the Algae/Hydrogen powered car - I'll probably have a real job by then too, so I might even be able to afford it.
So, in conclusion, it might seem entirely contradictory that I now own a car. Or maybe it doesn't even seem like it. But there are tradeoffs, and if its one thing that Chinese Medicine has taught me is that things aren't inherently good or bad, they just are:
(1) Our cities are designed around cars. This is pretty obvious to anyone who has tried living without a car for any time whatsoever. Portland is nearly an exception to this rule, though not entirely. Our public transportation is excellent. Living in the NW of Portland, I didn't really need a car, I could walk most places and public transit was readily available and cheap. However, the majority of the people drive carsand when i was walking and riding my bike, you are painfully aware that cars will kill you if you aren't paying attention. I'm fairly serious about this. I walk down busy streets and ride my bike so defensively these days I might as well be pretending that the cars are actually out to get me.
(2) Our lives are designed around cars. Socially, we go out and see people. We meet them in places that aren't near our homes after work, between other social events, etc. What I realized in not owning a car is that because it takes sooooo long to get places on the bus, you end up doing less. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I realized that I'm such a social butterfly that this was a hard adjustment to make.
Going to the grocery store is different without a car as well. You have to go more often on foot because you can only carry two bags. This problem is compounded by my involvement in the healthcare field. The truly healthy food is in disparate places: farmers markets, whole foods, new seasons, and the co-ops; though all in the same quadrant of Portland, they aren't anywhere near each other on foot. And again the problem of carrying things emerges.
Getting out of the city is another, probably more important aspect that I was missing without a car. I like camping. I like going to the coast. I like road trips. But you can't do these things on the bike very well (unless it becomes the trip itself).
(3) Cars are expensive. Do you know how much I spent on transportation per month including bike parts and riding public transit? $60/month. Total. That is cheap. I just bought a car for $1800, that i hope isn't going to die or need repairs, that costs $30 to fill up every couple weeks, insurance is relatively cheap but still more than $60/month itself, and add the occasional oil change and we're talking at least 4 times the cost. And that doesn't even include the true cost of driving:
What would it cost to drive if the price tag of gas and cars included air pollution, road construction and maintenance; property taxes lost from land cleared for freeways; free parking paid for by taxes; noise and vibration damage to structures; protection of petroleum supply lines; sprawl and loss of transportation options; auto accidents; and congestion? A number of researchers have tried to answer this question, and John Holtzclaw of the Sierra Club profiled eight studies that, when averaged, estimated the true price of gas at $6.05 a gallon.
Which doesn't include the cost of wars (452 billion!) like Iraq, which I posted about here
(4) Gasoline is a dinosaur. I hate that I have to contribute to this. I really do. But the alternatives aren't there yet for a starving student who needs to get around. I looked into running a diesel on free vegetable oil but that seemed like more work and time than taking public transport. I think Biodiesel is trading one problem (foreign dependence on oil) for the same one (where do you think they get the fertilizer to grow the biodiesel?). I'm waiting for the Algae/Hydrogen powered car - I'll probably have a real job by then too, so I might even be able to afford it.
So, in conclusion, it might seem entirely contradictory that I now own a car. Or maybe it doesn't even seem like it. But there are tradeoffs, and if its one thing that Chinese Medicine has taught me is that things aren't inherently good or bad, they just are:
--------------------------------------------
Harmony is only in following the Way.
The Way is without form or quality,
But expresses all forms and qualities;
The Way is hidden and implicate,
But expresses all of nature;
The Way is unchanging,
But expresses all motion.
Beneath sensation and memory
The Way is the source of all the world.
How can I understand the source of the world?
By accepting.
--------------------------------------------Tao Te Ching Chapter 21
Thursday, August 09, 2007
butterflies
there's a new image at brandonblogtastic-land from the Helfgotters:
The butterfly in this context specifically shows support for a universal health care involving compassionate health practitioners, who seek the root cause for suffering, who are educated with effective tools for treating sickness and suffering, who possess exemplary bed-side mannerisms, and who rely on treatment methodology that does not harm the patient.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
presidents
i love voting. you know this. so whenever a big race is looming i get kinda giddy. mostly cause everyone seems to have an opinion and i like to hear how people have distilled the news and their personal life experiences to either support or not support and individual candidate. At this point, everything is very wide open: there are many democratic candidates to choose from as well as some possible late entries (keeping my fingers crossed for Gore to enter late).
I think Iraq is a non-issue. Its a very bad situation and anything you do at this point is crisis management. Clearly we need an apology in the hopes of building an international presence. Other issues are more important to me for this race, namely health-care and a sane environmental/energy policy. When I look at who offers the most compelling vision on these things I like Chris Dodd and John Edwards. Dodd's healthcare plan goes the furthest, ensuring every american is covered using a national marketplace of current providers. Dodd's energy policy is also the most comprehensive. Biodiesel isn't a total solution but a good band-aid for the moment (I want to see numbers on how much petroleum-based fertilizer it takes to fertilize all that corn). Obama and Hillary are obviously the ones to beat because they've raised the most money, but their policies are kinda dull - which isn't surprising as they're pandering to what they think the middle is. Yawn.
My friend rob is hoping for a Blumberg-Chuck Hagel ticket. Silly rob.
A neat way to see who has what money and from whom they got it is at this cool site.
What do you think? Who do you like at this point?
I think Iraq is a non-issue. Its a very bad situation and anything you do at this point is crisis management. Clearly we need an apology in the hopes of building an international presence. Other issues are more important to me for this race, namely health-care and a sane environmental/energy policy. When I look at who offers the most compelling vision on these things I like Chris Dodd and John Edwards. Dodd's healthcare plan goes the furthest, ensuring every american is covered using a national marketplace of current providers. Dodd's energy policy is also the most comprehensive. Biodiesel isn't a total solution but a good band-aid for the moment (I want to see numbers on how much petroleum-based fertilizer it takes to fertilize all that corn). Obama and Hillary are obviously the ones to beat because they've raised the most money, but their policies are kinda dull - which isn't surprising as they're pandering to what they think the middle is. Yawn.
My friend rob is hoping for a Blumberg-Chuck Hagel ticket. Silly rob.
A neat way to see who has what money and from whom they got it is at this cool site.
What do you think? Who do you like at this point?
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