rsalazar

Hello,

 

I think these suggestions have been great - our relative predisposition and response to different diets has a genetic component that also needs to be heeded - that being said, I think humans can adapt quite well to a range of conditions - case in point are the New Guinea Highlanders, which subsist mostly on sweet potatoes and greens, eating pork only a few times a year at celebrations - I was brought up on meat (being a Texas boy), and had always taken as a given that I needed a lot of protein to keep my energy levels high - after reading T. Colin Campbell's The China Study, I've pushed my diet further and further towards vegetarianism and it has been quite eye-opening.

 

Here's my experience: My energy levels are the best they've ever been, so much so that I no longer need coffee. This will give you a rough idea of what I've been eating (again, nutrient dense is the key phrase here):

 

Breakfast

1 handful bee pollen

1 t spirulina

1 t chyawanprash

 

1 bowl steel-cut oats soaked in almond milk (I soak for 10 min, microwave for 3 min)

1 handful roasted peanuts or peas

 

Lunch

handful of bee pollen

1-2 bowls rice, potatoes and moong dal (or green peas, black beans,lentils, etc.)

 

or

 

boiled sweet potatoes + Sriracha garlic/chili sauce + 1t recaito

 

Dinner

handful of bee pollen

handful roasted peas

1-2 glasses carrot/celery/parsely/chili juice

 

or

 

quickly sauteed bok choy, greens with a dash of soy sauce

 

A lot of variations on the rice and beans theme to experiment with here - desserts are fruit (mango is a fav) - an added benefit of veg fiber is that this will help bind up a lot of industrial contaminants in your body and help you detox.

 

I also keep a record of what I'm eating and how I'm feeling with a particular food - over a long period of time, you will definitely learn what your body responds best to.

Cheers,

Rene'

 

One added note:

 

My reason for mentioning the NG Highlanders is because a friend of mine lived with them for a year and marveled at their physical development and stamina sans the animal protein. He told me they didn't even use seasoning on their sweet potatoes, just plain boiled, which he couldn't stomach for very long.

 

Also, on my diet, I can do things now, like do 100 chins a day (sets of 10-15), which I couldn't do years ago - the chins are just a part of my routine, which includes tabata intervals, rope skipping, and other body weight calesthenics - I'm 41, 5'10", 170 lbs, so I'm not that skinny.

Cheers,

R

jVDUgUl2tLo

 

Yo Orb,

 

Niiiiiice!!!! I'd rank this up there with the anime spoof on South Park "Fun with Weapons"

Interesting - I was at a seminar in the early 1990's where Mooney was teaching - He gave several demos, but when he did a demo on me so I could feel something, I honestly didn't feel anything at all - After not feeling much, he asked me and I told him maybe there was a feeling (I was trying to be nice), and he immediately told me "Post that!" He seemed overly eager to gain converts there and when someone called what he did kong jing, he became very visibly irritated, almost out of proportion to the situation.

 

Perhaps in my case I would need to *really* attack him to actually feel something, I don't know.

Here's some interesting commentary on the current outbreak- while I don't really subscribe to any conspiracy theories, I do concede that there are scenarios where various virus strains are being tinkered with in an effort to research biological weapons - of course, if any "experiments" somehow leak, it's not good for anyone - his comment on Bayer's knowing release of HIV-contaminated medical products is sobering to say the least:

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles.../Swine-Flu.aspx

Actually, the response of the immune system is a constant balancing act, vitamin D is involved in many more regulatory paths than previously thought - if someone's immune system is not healthy, there is an inherent tendency to overreact, take a look at this in any chronic inflammatory condition with increasing age. Check out the review, it's an interesting perspective.

 

Viruses are constantly mutating and the chance of these fragments recombining is not so crazy if you look at any highly populated area where humans and animals are in close proximity. If enough exposures and interactions happen, you'd be surprised how probabilities increase.

 

Regarding cytokines: some viruses (and some blood-based cancers) reprogram the immune system to flood the blood with cytokines -- it's not an overreaction of a normal healthy immune system, it's a mechanism used by the pathogen so as to keep the immune system busy fighting ghosts instead of the actual invader, itself. This mechanism is absolutely impossible to turn off until the virus (or the cancer) is destroyed, because the bastards multiply so fast. There's many, many herbs I know that are effective cytokine suppressors -- New Chapter has put a dozen or so of these in a single herbal formula, Zyflamed, available at HFSs (costing an arm and a leg though... I prefer loose herbs in bulk). However, all of these are useful in prolonged chronic inflammatory conditions with overproduction of cytokines going on routinely due to actual immune system "jumpiness" (usually created by vaccinations and aggravated by multiple exposures to hundreds of thousands of unnatural substances) -- and not at all in an acute scenario.

 

So the whole argument re the 1918 flu preferentially killing the young and healthy because their immune systems overreacted wouldn't make much sense to a good virologist. An alternative explanation -- that it was a designer virus customized specifically to kill the young and healthy, i.e. soldiers, the target population of the period, will of course be laughed off by "coincidence theorists." However, the current swine flu hasn't infected a single pig before miraculously appearing in humans, and is a combination of three viruses from three different species (human, avian, porcine) from three different continents. What are the odds of a virus of this kind occurring naturally?..

The cytokine "storms" are an overreaction from the immune systems, which typically happens with younger people - In many cases, victims of the 1918 pandemic were killed by their own immune systems, the massive cytokine release creating a inflammatory nightmare - There is a strong correlation with this tendency of the immune system to overreact and low levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream - there also is some evidence to indicate that increasing vitamin D levels may reduce the possibility of the immune system overreacting while bolstering innate immunity, check out this recent review on flu and vitamin D levels, very eye-opening (the full article is available online at PubMed):

 

Virol J. 2008 Feb 25;5:29.

 

Comment in:

Virol J. 2008;5:149.

 

On the epidemiology of influenza.

Cannell JJ, Zasloff M, Garland CF, Scragg R, Giovannucci E.

 

Department of Psychiatry, Atascadero State Hospital, 10333 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93423, USA. [email protected]

 

The epidemiology of influenza swarms with incongruities, incongruities exhaustively detailed by the late British epidemiologist, Edgar Hope-Simpson. He was the first to propose a parsimonious theory explaining why influenza is, as Gregg said, "seemingly unmindful of traditional infectious disease behavioral patterns." Recent discoveries indicate vitamin D upregulates the endogenous antibiotics of innate immunity and suggest that the incongruities explored by Hope-Simpson may be secondary to the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency. We identify - and attempt to explain - nine influenza conundrums: (1) Why is influenza both seasonal and ubiquitous and where is the virus between epidemics? (2) Why are the epidemics so explosive? (3) Why do they end so abruptly? (4) What explains the frequent coincidental timing of epidemics in countries of similar latitude? (5) Why is the serial interval obscure? (6) Why is the secondary attack rate so low? (7) Why did epidemics in previous ages spread so rapidly, despite the lack of modern transport? (8) Why does experimental inoculation of seronegative humans fail to cause illness in all the volunteers? (9) Why has influenza mortality of the aged not declined as their vaccination rates increased? We review recent discoveries about vitamin D's effects on innate immunity, human studies attempting sick-to-well transmission, naturalistic reports of human transmission, studies of serial interval, secondary attack rates, and relevant animal studies. We hypothesize that two factors explain the nine conundrums: vitamin D's seasonal and population effects on innate immunity, and the presence of a subpopulation of "good infectors." If true, our revision of Edgar Hope-Simpson's theory has profound implications for the prevention of influenza.

 

PMID: 18298852 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

take care and be well,

Rene'

 

 

 

Swine Flu, 1918 pandemic flu, SARS and "cytokine storms". Keep your immune system balance !

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_outbreak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

 

By the report from Mexican, the mortality rate is about 3-6% of clinical cases. The 1918 pandemic flu mortality rate was 1%-2%. The 1918 pandemic flu killed more young people. The influenza triggered a stronger response from the bodies defenses. This stronger immune response is called "cytokine storms". The mortality rate of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ) is much higher than 6%, and it also caused by stronger immune response.

 

In China's SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ) epidemic in 2003, Chinese and Taiwanese officers and doctors had consulted Chinese Daoists on controlling this virus. At that time, the Chinese Health Minister was replaced/substituted by Vice Premier Wu Yi (woman). Madam Wu is a sort of heroine for many Chinese people. Madam Wu retired at the end of 2007. She also said that she would research traditional Chinese medicine after retirement.

 

(http://www.womenofchina.cn/Profiles/Officials/202762.jsp)

 

Practice the meditation on Daoism right way, is a good way to keep the immune system balance. The Daosim practice was proved to be efficient in China's 2003 SARS.

Well Said Santiago

 

I'll second Santi's suggestions and add a few things - the cases in the US have either managed

to recover so far or to have been fairly mild infections, which is encouraging since this looks much less

virulent than the 1918 strain - to keep infection as low a

probability as possible, I suggest to start even more extensive

handwashing than usual at this time, this is one of THE best

preventatives to practice - avoid touching your face if your hands are not washed first, this is one of the primary routes for these viruses - if you want to give your

immune system a boost through this time I'd also *highly* recommend

coconut oil, vitamin C and bee propolis (check to make sure you are not

allergic to coconuts and propolis before taking any of this). The more extreme bowel tolerance protocols with vitamin C may even be useful in extreme cases.

 

Lauric acid in coconut oil has been shown to interfere with

replication of certain viruses, and I've used this over the years to

*really* good effect with respiratory illness - I was using this at a

dosage of 3T per meal when I was coming down with symptoms and these

usually abated with hours after starting this - of course, this is

just my small experience, but it's worth a shot - This oil is

definitely worth keeping in the cupboard, since it is readily

available and it's incorporation in the diet is relatively painless.

 

Here is a great link on this with more details:

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article10147.htm

 

Take care and be well,

Rene'

Interesting stuff guys.

 

This reminds me of a time I was doing simple standing years ago. I noticed a peculiar sensation after about 15 min, unrelated to any "energy flow", I noticed that after finishing I felt a lot taller and "expanded" - I also noticed I could perform certain chains of movement sequences (capoeira) in a *much* more coordinated fashion than before - these feelings were very odd for me at the time because I did not get typical "qigong sensations" when practicing, but this was unmistakable - unfortunately, I was not consistent in my practice, so I have not explored this, I may have to give it another go.

 

Also interesting to note that Toshihiko Yayama in his book Qi Healing highly recommends simple standing as a way to improve your martial arts (echoing the original purpose of dachengquan), he adds his own personal observation that after six months of practice his movement quality was greatly changed.

 

Cheers,

Rene'

Hi Drew,

Fascinating stuff - is there any particular reason you stopped your veggie diet and went back to a SAD (Standard American Diet)?

 

FWIW, after re-reading T. Colin Campbell's The China Study, I've been eating mostly vegetarian during the week, then I indulge in some chicken and beef on some weekends, but just to get a taste.

 

Cheers,

Rene'

 

Froggie -- it's true that diet is way more important than people realize. I smell like shit all the time because I eat "normal" food (meat, sugar, salt, etc.) so then I have to include anti-septic in my diet like garlic or tea tree oil or alcohol or fluoride/boron, etc. So being vegetarian is a big step for a lot of people. I was vegan/vegetarian for 15 years but only when I got serious about qigong did I go SALT-FREE (and sugar free) for several months when I did alchemy for several hours a day. This was following the book TAOIST YOGA. So no salt means getting sodium from Bragg's and from vegetables. I was living right next to a vegan/veggie restaurant and a co-op and had more money from my school funding and I was living close to work so I didn't need to bike nearly as much. Taoist Yoga warns against too much exercise because you over-exert the body without actually practicing the alchemy and then to counteract burning the calories it's more tempting to eat high calorie food (especially in a very cold climate). I biked outside all winter in Minnesota about 10 miles a day -- it gets 20 below zero weather.

 

So yeah diet is essential and I've just ignored it so when I sit in full-lotus the serotonin in my stomach gets transduced -- burning off the food into electromagnetic fields through the pineal gland -- but the anaerobic bacteria ALSO gets transduced -- so that my brain, gums, nose, are leaching the shit smell.

 

haha.

 

I did go 8 days on just half a glass of water -- and TRUE samadhi means doing just that -- not relying on food for energy -- a modified bigu diet at least. But what I see instead in "western" taoism is this neurotic obsession with physical perfection -- instead of relying on pure consciousness. I just read the book "THIS HOUSE IS ON FIRE" by Sri Anandi Ma about her guru -- and she states that the most difficult aspect for yogis is controlling the diet. When she toured the u.s. at first she always got sick because she needed her food specially prepared.

 

So it can go both ways -- you can overdo the emphasis on diet -- without actually BURNING the food -- ionizing it so it doesn't turn into external ejaculation -- and instead gets shot out of the brain as electromagnetic fields.

 

That's the basic process of alchemy and if you shoot the electromagnetic fields back into your body and then continue building up your energy then eating food just blocks up the energy. That's why a qigong master can fast without water even for a month at a time -- and then the rest of the time fasts one day a week and then eats a little veggie meal a day.

 

The thing about food is that it's a RITUAL based action -- since food is so closely linked to sex. So if a person doesn't eat too much they are considered a threat to their own safety -- our culture prefers for people to overeat -- so I say o.k. -- I'll just smell like shit or garlic or tea tree oil or alcohol, etc. if people are going to harrass me about not eating enough food, etc. haha.

Hello,

The less common one you note looks to be the seated set that has been popularized by Stuart Olson - the seated set is supposedly the original form of the brocades set - I believe there many, many different styles of both the standing and sitting sets that are referred to as 8 Brocades - I originally started practicing a standing set from Geoff Pikes book "The Power of Ch'i" back in 1990 - Pike's book is interesting because he attributes his speedy recovery from cancer (as well as avoiding side effects from radiotherapy) to his practice of the brocades - the set he details in the book he learned from a teacher in the Philippines.

Cheers,

Rene'

 

Perhaps that is it. At school they only taught the standing set, so it had been assumed that the seated set was similar to the "most common" found set, simply adapted for sitting. The web seems to be lacking in discussion of the "red dragon parts the sea" etc.

Have you studied the seated set? do you (or does anyone here) have a description?

Hi Rodger,

 

That's an interesting question, I've wondered about this - If I recall my histology correctly, the seminiferous tubules have some absorptive ability - I've never seen any studies on the recycling (which should go on) during extended periods with no activity - I wonder how many energetic components there are - as far as the biological raw materials are concerned, I know seminal retention has been discussed into the ground, but I thought I'd mention (mind you it was only one study, no follow-up that I know of) there was a study on earthworms done in a high profile journal (for what it's worth, either Nature or Science) where they did find a correlation between frequency of mating and longevity, I'll have to dig it up some time.

Cheers,

Rene'

 

 

I just read a bit from Vajrasattva's recent post of how one can absorb the Jing Chi back into the hair follicles of their bag (or something to that effect). I have always wondered if guys that have had 'The snip' actually retain Jing Chi automatically? Of course they still loose their seminal plasma but not the spermatozoa. That reminds me of something a Chi Kung Master told me a long time ago now about separating two different essences from his jam. It was a method not easy to achieve but I forget the details to be honest. Not something I contemplate while eating my toast in the morning.

 

But seriously, any thoughts or opinions on this?

Hello Santiago,

 

Thank you for uploading these videos, very very interesting and inspiring! What is the origin of the healing art that your teacher is performing?

 

Did the electrical shocks come as a steady, flowing sensation or was it in pulses? When I visited Robert Peng last year, I was getting shocks that came in pulses lasting about 2-3 sec each wave. When he treated points in my head (the third eye and temples), I could hear fairly loud pops, like you would hear from a taser, although I don't know if this was just in my head or if these were audible to Robert as well, I was in a bit of shock during this time, so I didn't think to ask. These sounds didn't occur any where else. Did you hear any sounds associated with the shocks?

 

 

Best,

Rene'

If you want to learn the Zikr you would need to learn a few arabic names for the creator.

 

Most of what i do is specialized breathing much like gTummo with special prayers and also specific hand motions (Jurus Jurus).

 

A lot of my Tenaga Dalam & Tenaga Batin training is VERY similar to what I do in KAP & to what I learned in trulkhor except there is heavy emphasis in prayer and Zikr. I do not mind that aspect since it really does make one smoother, humbler, peaceful. And the truth is the ultimate power is found in surrendering to the Divine.

 

This order is of a high caliber and very esoteric. Directly connected to the Wali Songo.

 

Naqshabandi.org

 

This site has some great meditations similar to what I do daily as part of my Internal Silat training

 

http://nurmuhammad.com/

 

Peace

 

Santiago

 

Hello Santiago,

 

Thanks for the link. In your experience, how have you dealt with training under multiple teachers with diverging lineages? For example, would Sufi teachers take offense to training as well with Taoist or Tibetan teachers? Or do they see all learning as good as long as it is done with an open heart? I guess it also depends on the teachers, their temperament and their expectations of you.

 

I may also be confusing the outer aspects of religions with the deeper aspects which are more transcendent.

 

I hope all is rockin' with you.

Peace,

Rene'

Hello Rene,

 

Thank you very much.

 

The ape analogy is an interesting one. Have you had time to have a look at Ellis Amdur's article yet? Very interesting observations indeed.

 

Russia is a BIG place, so it stands to reason they would have quite a body of martial arts knowledge. It is just pleasing to see Stalin and company did not wipe it all out. Not sure how much of what is being claimed is ancient is in fact of recent vintage. Would make for a fascinating field trip sometime I am sure.

 

There is just SO MUCH interesting stuff out there. I have to reign myself in otherwise I would spend all my time reading and researching it and not enough actually training! As things are I am quite pre-occupied with the Chinese methods I am learning. Otherwise, I would very much like to set up a school of old European methods of combat. Boxing, wrestling, sword, stick, archery...happy thoughts.

 

Best,

 

Mike

 

Hello Mike,

 

Wow, I just checked out Amdur's article, really eye-opening, thanks for the link and for sharing the other files.

 

Yeah, I totally hear ya on the restraint needed to keep on track, there is so much out there, I've been lost in it so many times when I should have been practicing more .

 

Best,

Rene'

Hi Mike,

 

Nice to see you back, great thread.

 

I had a chance to briefly study Systema a while back and their punches and movement are impressive - I like the ball-and-chain manner of powering punches, like slaps from a bear or ape - they advocated progressive muscle relaxation exercises (similar to the classic Jacobsen protocol) - I heard some of the higher level guys like Ryabko advised doing things like this as a warm-up before getting out of bed - I also got a brief glimpse at their bodywork, great stuff that could be done standing and basically involved percussion with loose fists (I saw a similar practice at the end of a class with Allen Pittman, a body "reset") - Unfortunately, I had only a cursory exposure and I'm sure there is so much I'm unaware of, but it seems likely that if they take the rudimentary body control involved with constant training of relaxation, this by itself may result in increases with body efficiency, this being only one factor in the overall expression of power - I've also wondered about techniques such as Feldenkrais and their training of a more "intelligent" body with greater kinesthetic capacity, how this might also result in benefits for overall power expression.

 

I hope all is rockin' with you.

Cheers,

Rene'

 

 

London. Me. Here I am at a Systema seminar. I don't really want to go along, but what the hell, its an excuse to visit London and see some friends. One of my friends has trained for some time in this method and is quite well known by the Russians present. Introductions are made, including one gentleman who reputed used to work for the Russian secret service. I don't know about that, but he surely was a formidable individual. I took one of his zero inch 'taps' and it certainly got my attention. It went right through me, and not in a pleasant way. Not like any of your 'normal' strikes.

 

Anyone who has participated in a Systema class or seminar and who has felt their strikes would certainly be a 'believer'. They come from all directions, with no 'wind-up', and they work. They can hit to knock out, incapacitate or resuscitate. Hmm. Just like those stories of old Asian martial arts masters.

 

Just to clarify, non of this feels like the famous 1-3 inch punch of Wing Chun fame, whereby force is generated by torquing the wrist and using the shoulder and lats.

 

Shotokai karate is famous for its 'soft' no tension punch. They say being hit by one of these punches takes everything out of you and makes you want to curl up and die. Not dissimilar to the Systema strikes.

 

Interestingly, while the Russians had power, the other people at the seminar, including people who had done Systema for several years, well, they didn't look too impressive. The impression I got was the Russians had something and they weren't passing it on.

 

Unfortunately the attitude of not passing this knowledge along has been prevalent over the years. So, the mystery of qi, its existence, or not, has been argued over instead.

 

QUOTE

Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid.

So, do we just start eating coconut products to get this lauric acid?

 

Hi Vortex,

 

I believe you have to ingest coconut oil in order for the lauric acid to be available, so digestion is key. No antibiotic/antiviral properties from just the oil itself.

 

I highly recommend Bruce Fife's books, he's a great resource (even though I'm a bit leery of books that have "miracle" in a title).

 

Another two that I'd highly recommend are bee propolis and clay. I've used both over the years while traveling to stave off any possible food poisoning. Of course, just my experience, but propolis seem to really help with colds and flu in general, so I always keep this on hand.

 

Also, the tried and true strategy of obsessively washing your hands in general before touching any part of your face will keep most wee beasties at bay, you'd be surprised how effective this can be.

 

Cheers,

Rene'

I'll add simple ascorbate (vitamin C) to the list here - less toxic than aspirin, in megadoses it has been shown to have interesting antibiotic and antiviral effects - Dr. Fred Klenner used *really* high doses intravenously back in the 1950's to treat different viral infections, including encephalitis and polio, his case histories really deserve a revisit, check it out:

 

Journal of Applied Nutrition Vol. 23, No's 3 & 4, Winter 1971

Observations On the Dose and Administration of Ascorbic Acid When Employed Beyond the Range of A Vitamin in Human Pathology

Frederick R. Klenner, M.D., F,C,C.P.

 

http://www.nutri.com/wn/klenner.html

 

It would make a lot of sense to stock up on ascorbate in prep for coming epidemics since we clearly will not have enough vaccines or traditional meds to go around.

 

Also, coconut oil - the lauric acid has been a focus of attention since this component disrupts viral coat stability (HIV in particular).

 

and

 

Sangre de drago - antibiotic and antiviral properties.

 

Cheers,

Rene'

Very cool discussion. I've kept bentonite in my medicine chest while traveling and this has really helped bail me out of a couple situations where I ate bad food. An interesting reference for clays in the diets of animals can be found in Cindy Engel's "Wild Health" where she documents the use of clays by different species to conteract the presence of toxic metabolites in their diets. She also references a study that showed, at least in pigs, that adding clay to their feed increased their growth in general.

 

Another interesting reference to clays in regards to detoxing can be found under the term "enterosorption", which is a term used by Russians who were doing research at the time (1980's) on a form of activated charcoal to leach cellular trash (like lipofuscins, I believe) out of the tissues of rats. It was interesting because, if I remember correctly, they had actual histological sections of the tissues to show that it was more clear in older rats taking the charcoal, similar to younger rats.

 

Of course our individual mileage from this supp will vary, but this thread has me pondering a revisit on a cyclical, weekly basis.

Rene'

Hello All,

 

I have a big interest in tuina, gua sha and Chinese medicine, as well as qigong. I find myself getting further and further away from the martial arts as time goes by, maybe because I'm just getting old . I started out in the Filipino martial arts, then trained BJJ for a while until taking up capoeira in 2000. I have enjoyed a lot of the discourse here, so I've decided to join the fray.

 

All the best,

Rene'