22/01/2019

In line with my posting on the ‘Diabetics,’ dated  08/12/2018 we know that the infirmity of diabetics is a thousand years old disease, which has encroached millions of people globally as of today. 消 渴(Xiāo kě)  has been the traditional name for it. According to 内经 (Huángdì Nèijīng ), “三多一少 (“sān duō yī shǎo”)” – 多食-多饮-多尿-及体重减少 (Duō shí-duō yǐn-duō niào-jí tǐzhòng jiǎnshǎo) are the typical symptoms in general, and that says of people who has too much of eating; drinking and urinating and weight loss (some don’t) during the day, so Diabetic is also a strange disease.

It was by the grace of 王焘Wángtāo– (670-755), a TCM practitioner at his time, and now everybody knows the Western Diabetics is 糖尿病(Tángniàobin) in Chinese. It is the meaning of the two Chinese characters of Sugar(糖-Táng) and Urine(尿–Táng).  The most amazing medical discovery was when 王焘 Wángtāo – (670-755) noticed,  his father was continually feeling hungry and thirsty, drinking a considerable amount of water, and urinating a lot during the day, and also had scabies on his body. He also sensed a strong fruity smell with his father’s urine.

Being a filial son compelled him to study the medical Classic of 《古今条验》by 甄立言 ( Wángtāo). One day, he found ants on top of his father ’s urine stain that dripped on the ground, so he decided to drink his father’s urine, the experiment was the test on a human, on himself, and later he testified the sugary urine (糖尿-Tángniào). It was not till 200 years then, we had Dr Avicenna (or Bin Sine – 980-1037) from Arabia talked about the sugary urine.

王焘 Wángtāo with his empirical knowledge, discernment and reading from more than 60 other Classics that were written by the masters before his times, in the end, he wrote the Classic of 《外台秘要》. Not only he managed to treat his father and have his diabetic condition under control. He spent over 20 years in studying, without being prejudices collecting and compiling 6000 Classic herbal prescriptions including home remedies into his Classic. More than half of his writings dedicated to TCM Internal medicine and Clinical Trials.

He also recorded in his book the old procedure of using the golden needle (acupunctural therapy) to extract cataracts. Evidently, he had earned his remarkable esteem and contributed to the development of the entire history of TCM significantly. Millenniums have gone by, although Conventional or Western medicine and TCM share the common diabetes therapeutic goals of minimising symptoms and preventing complications. However, their approaches to conceptualising, diagnosing, and treating the disease are very different.

For example, due to the complexity of the disease, many people who with type 2 diabetics have symptoms too mild under the screening test that they go undiagnosed. Thus, the challenge was how to effectively guide the clinical trial, treatments and researches with an unvarying name of the disease. Finally, in October 1990, all participants in the first ‘China Nationwide Diabetics Symposium‘ agreed that the name of 糖尿病 (Tángniàobin) and 消 渴 (Xiāo kě) are synonyms.  

Amazingly, the lists of symptoms of type 2 diabetes due to high blood sugar (hyperglycemia associated with diabetics) on the WebMD site are in tune with the signs that are what TCM conferred to people thousands of years ago. The profound wisdom in the Diabetics/Xiao Ke is still like for Medical professionals, scholars and scientists trying to fathom the depth of the ocean. Or we may be able to see the light of it, if we try to read the Diabetic in the filter of the doctrine of Yin/Yang ?

• Increased thirst – 多饮(duō yǐn)
• Increased hunger (especially after eating) – 多食 (Duō shí)
• Dry mouth
• Frequent urination – 多尿(duō niào)
• Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry)
• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Weight Loss –  消 瘦 (Xiaoshou)

James 1:5 NIV

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

14/01/2019

It was in the afternoon of the New Year’s Eve, 31st December 2018, a single digit C of winter temperature in Tokyo. As travellers, we felt to chill out again at the Tsutaya book store in Daikanyama, a quaint area within the district of Ebisu of the big city of Tokyo that we have always enjoyed going there.

Tsutaya is a huge book store chain in Japan. Only this particular store that I know sells English and foreign language books/magazines. We can also have tea and meals there. At first, I was disappointed that I couldn’t find anything in Chinese. But in the cookbook area, I saw the prominent four Chinese Characters that read as 药食同原 as a particular section, and immediately I knew that I had found my treasure.

It’s not a big section, all the books up on the shelf are in Japanese, even photos of authors are Europeans on the covers, the contents are all in Japanese. Fortunately, I do have limited Japanese resources both in words and speaks. I was hoping to find some books that are translated from the Chinese just because of the concept of 药食同原(Yào shí tóng yuán) was originated from China, but in vain.

药食同原 actually and literally shall read as  药食同源  (Yào shí tóng yuán), and the Google translation is ” Drug-Food Homology.” It’s a profound concept that has budded from the teaching of the Huángdì Nèijīng (chin. 黄帝内經) thousands of years ago to focus on our health and wellbeings through what we eat. Finally, in 618 to 907, 《黄帝内经太素》 (Huángdì nèijīng tài sù) is the more comprehensive literature on the subject matter.

It says in the book that 书中写道：“空腹食之为食物，患者食之为药物” (Kōngfù shí zhī wèi shíwù, huànzhě shí zhī wèi yàowù), which means that when you eat it with an empty stomach is Food; food prepared explicitly for people who are sick are drugs. From detoxication, food preparation, processing and the information on properties of all the seasonings… I was once obsessed wanting to learn more about it, but if it is not a TCM PhD study is definitely a postgraduate education.

Therefore, I can only settle my heart with a few copies of the cookbooks to bring home with. At first, the printings of the books are not only pleasing to my eyes, but I am open to trying some receipts that are new to me. In reflection, as now more people are health conscious than before and also convicted that we are what we eat. But why we have many weight-watchers had a hard time or discipline to keep their diets?

Personally, I gained a few pounds during my stay in Tokyo, if it was not my New Year’s resolution, I need to do something about it to refit to my fairly new wardrobe. An incentive, and also thought in contemplation, what if I can think of a way that I can eat whatever ( not whatever amount of it) I like and wouldn’t have to worry about my weight? I am sure that I can gain a few insights if I spend the time to flip through the book on what and how I shall eat. Until then.

I Corinthians 6:13a New American Standard 1977 

You say “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.”