Taoist81

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Here is a second to wudangspirit's suggestion. You can't just "treat renal failure" in TCM, without a full diagnosis with pulse, tongue, bowel movement etc. etc. no "good" recommedation can be made. Get your friend to a Licensed Acupuncturist (assuming you are in the US). Avoid "Certified Acupuncturist"s as they are usually Chiropractors with a couple of weekend courses in point location, and know nothing about TCM, least of all diagnosis. Best wishes for your friend.

He is not talking about physical anatomy. In Chinese Medicine the Kidneys rule essence, and thus seminal fluids (along with general body fluid). They relate to greying of hair, hearing and memory loss, lower back pain and loss of sexual function with age (i.e. as Kidney essence is exhausted through living). At the same time, most Chinese medical texts (including the Nei Jing) point out that moderate sexual activity is natural and healthy. (Even Plain Girl recommended an "ejaculation schedule" to the Yellow Emperor.) It was the later developed Taoist sects that promoted the idea that ejaculation should be avoided entirely, not the medical/health groups. On another note, retention in and of itself is not inherently dangerous. The associated practices (the qigongs and meditations) appear to be. This can be acertained from the fact that groups like the Oneida practiced absolute retention (mantis, they even had young guys sleep with postmenopausal women until they could control themselves perfectly, so age is not necessarily an issue) and none of the problems reported by those who attempt to practice Taoist retention methods. Anatomically semen breaks down naturally if it is not used. Of course, if it is not used the body also begins making less of it, and thus less of the associated hormones (which could certainly be less safe for a young guy who needs his hormones for proper development).

Before looking for any spiritual tradition, seek professional psychotherapy (this does not have to mean drugs) for the anxiety attacks. According to most here (and elsewhere) "masters" won't take you unless you are balanced already, so, take care of the basics first. If you want to get started, just do some deep breathing and qigong like Aiwei said, but don't neglect the professional help. People who don't get the mundane straightened out before going to the spiritual tend to just make things worse for themselves.

For bodybuilders the usual recommendation is 1-2g of protein per 1 lbs of body weight. Keep in mind though that meat is not you only source of protein, and even with a meat based diet you need different kinds. As for the milk, it does sound like a lesser of evils (no hormones) but again, the profs at school would say you should cut it completely. Vegan diets are statistically less healthy than even meat based diets (according to research vegetarians live longest, followed by moderate meateaters in a distant second, vegans came in last). It is possible to have a healthy vegan diet (probably), but most vegans don't have it. Just don't overdo the protein and bump up your veggies and you should be fine. Better yet, see a Nutritionist to help you tailor your diet to your workouts.

You would be amazed at the problems people come to our clinic with that either completely go away or improve vastly with decreased or eliminated milk consumption. It could possibly be argued that you could safely drink organic milk, but even that is doubtful. (this was not an opinion easily adopted, before seeing the results/effects of moderate t ohigh meat consumption in some people it seemed a little silly). Keep in mind that we are the only species that drinks milk (from another species) beyond infancy. As for red meat, you will hear various reports on this, but bottom line is that you do not need a large quantity of it. Also, remember meat is not the only source of protein. You can eat an assortment of beans and other vegetables. This will not only give you all the protein you need (the average human only requires a few grams at most a day) but also a well rounded diet. Some people here have spoken out against soy, but research showing problems has only been in cases of excessive consumption (problems with excessive meat or anything consumption arise also), not with balanced diets. Good luck.

mantis, if there is no problem with hardness then there is no real problem. Some men have a more stretched ligament than others (not to mention the natural curve). Usually this happens as men age, but some younger men are that way naturally. It is actually advantagous in some ways because men whose ligament cannot relax enough may find it difficult if not impossible to get into certain positions. The picture you referenced seems to be implying hardness (i.e. lack of blood pressure) which would be a problem. Re: your diet, in agreement with Lin, the profs at school (an acupuncture college) would be appaled. Cut the milk and start eating some real food. Drop the red meat and add lots more veggies. You know this is not a good diet.

Actually the one here in Houston is a rather large Temple (not as big as the Hindu temple here, or Lakewood Baptist for that matter, but large nonetheless). It is a Korean (if memory serves) Temple. There is a open air area with a number of gods and incense avaiable to offer to them. They also had a huge dead pig that looked as if it was going to be offered. There is also a closed temple area that looked like it was used for services of some kind. Though it looks like it has seen its years, it still looked very nice and well kept. Not a monestary though.

Thanks, for the link Taomeow, time will be made to look it over, probably later today. If you have any other links please do post them, if you don't mind. As for personal opinions? During the referenced conversation the idea of organics being safer was being argued. It was the other party who was claiming that this position was unfounded. In that instance however, there was some playing the devil's advocate, primarily because of a lack of information, hence, this thread. No trick question, just seeing if anyone (and you specifically only because you had mentioned it off hand in a past thread) had references. Again, thanks for humoring the question despite your doubts as to its intent.

So much suffering in the world? The "suffering" is for the most part only in self-esteem. Most men (i.e. average men) are within a 5-6 inch long range with a similarly small variation in girth. This is plenty enough to satisfy the vast majority of women with the proper technique. A small number of men have micropenises, and for these men surgery is recommended. Some women are more....accommodating than others but they can with simple kegels tighten up enough for even the smaller end of the average. On the other end, some men with abundant endowments are painfully large for small women. While they can overtime accommodate (come on, it is designed to expand enough for a baby to pass through), it is much more painful. Anabolic steroids don't permanently change muscle genetics. They simply increase hormones that cause the body to build more muscle. Once the steroids are gone the individual will (if they are lucky) go back to normal. Further erectile tissue is not a muscle. The sympathetic system doesn't just "keep going" just because you don't ejaculate. If this were the case then you would have to every time you became aroused.

Topping for Taomeow and others

As Lin mentioned that depends on your definition. Since the original poster mentioned Western Traditions a quote from one of the Western Adepts seems fitting: "Magick is the art and science of causing change to occur in conformity with Will." (note: the meaning of this statement is NOT "causing change in conformity to what you want", "will" is capitalized and could be appropriately substituted with "Tao").

With that clarification it seems we can agree on most points One really worrisome thing is that more and more chiro's etc. are getting certification in acupuncture without even basic diagnosis training. Also, it really seems that the person most affected by practicing TCM without any internal work is the practitioner (which of course ends up affecting the patient). On prof. the other night was commenting on how acupuncturists that don't at least meditate end up losing all of their energy.

This is something that cannot be left without comment. While much of what your post says has salt grains of truth to it (like Taoists did contribute much, but certainly not all, to TCM), there are very effective TCM practitioners that know very little about qigong. Much of the research that has proven TCM's effectiveness has been done by those who have very little understanding of the mechanisms involved. Many of our teachers do suggest that acupuncturists who do some type of energy work (not necessarily traditional qigong) will get better results, it is clear that it is not a requirement. Most of what TCM does (with the exception of qigong treatment) is mechanical. Much like affecting the gears inside a watch by moving the hands. Needles and herbs have huge effect on the body, whether or not the person inserting them or cooking them knows anything about it. This is why a good doctor can give a prescription (good diagnosis is something that cannot be downplayed) and have an assistant do the treatment and get great results, even if the assistant is not an "adept". That is a really good book. It seems like it should have superceded the CAM by now.

That is only according to Cleary. Jung claimed that Wilhelm didn't only have a text that he was translating, he also had a teacher instructing him on the meaning/practice. Who knows who is actually right, most likely they are both right. Chances are the opposing sects used the same text with very different interpretations (like the Xtians with the bible).

We both smoke on special occasions but not on a day to day basis (anymore). This was just a topic that had come up here before, though never with citations.

Not necessarily. There are plenty of students at school (a TCM college) that are clueless when presented with Qigong practices/theories. Not to mention that the way the Ren channel is taught traditionally would not allow for bringing qi "down" that channel. On the other hand, after studying some Taoist texts one can start to understand why you can tonify the Ren channel by needling at a downward angle, when that would normally be a reducing method.

Under that loose definition of "scientist" perhaps, most of us are. However, to fit any definition of "scientist" one would need to be using the scientific method, which, unfortunately many people today do not do. Too many people believe things about "reality" despite clear logical evidence otherwise. By your definition Intelligent Design proponents would be considered scientists, and they are not. Re: meditation/mysticism This is one area that Crowley (To Mega Therion) seemed to really have a good point on. He said that every experience, especially religious/mystical ones, should be rigorously tested with skepticism. The motto of his Equinox (and thereby of the A.'.A.'.) was "The method of science, the aim of religion". That seems like something that is really needed nowadays.

You should always make sure she drinks a good deal of water and, preferably, an electrolyte replenishing fluid (like gatorade) afterwards.

Where are you finding these saintly scientists working without pay (other than in universities where they are working for merit and the university is receiving the funding)? Keep in mind of course that real, qualified scientific research requires funding for proper equipment and other necessities of protocol. The biggest advances in science since the dawn of the 20th century have been funded either by profit or war (or by sex in the case of advances in recording and playback technologies promoted by the porn industry). Now we have these great things like the X Prize where groups are providing monetary awards for more beneficial technological advances, but again, even there you need funding. Even these wonderful gadgets commonly called computers that we use to access the internet (which again was inspired by missle-defense planning) are made more efficient and more affordable by those nasty "for profit" companies. The vast majority of scientists are likely underpaid, but it is still their job, and they still require money.

Ron Jeremy's posts are amusing... why was he banned (if it is not a taboo subject)? Smile, your comment about natural PUA sounds vaguely like the ideagasms "plan" (at least the way Stephane talks in the newsletters), do you read/listen to his stuff or did you stumble upon the same "effect"?

Please note that most "penis enlarging" pills and exercises can do damage to your penis. Unless you are really small you should not try to enlarge it. If you are < 3 inches your physician can talk to you about surgery in which they would use your own penis (most of it is inside the body anyway) to lengthen it. If you start messing with your plumbing you can stretch or tear ligaments that are essential to full erection and if you start using pills (the snake oil you get ads for in your email) you can seriously mess up your circ. system in the same area. There is the chance that these things can lead to impotency later in life. As long as you have a "normal" hard erection, you are fine...

"Well, that depends on what the definition of 'is' is...."

You are right, Conspiracy Theory has come to elicit quite a knee jerk response. However, that doesn't mean the title doesn't fit. Further, the 9/11 conspiracy theories share arguments in common not just with older conspiracy theories, but also "intelligent design". So, perhaps we need a new word for "really badly put together conspiracy theories with less real evidence than UFO's and Bigfoot", after all, we don't want to disrespect Bigfoot. It is unfortunate that you would have automatically jumped to the conclusion that a person was lying just because they said it was an inside job. Unlike you, many people were concerned, and thought things like Loose Change may have been right (while remaining reasonably skeptical of both Loose Change and the 9/11 commission). That is the very reason that so many scientists looked into the REAL EVIDENCE and found that the towers fell because of planes and debris and the hole in the pentagon follows the exact physics models for a plane flying into it as did the hole and debris pattern in PA. Sure, Hitler did it. You could even say that Nero did it when Rome burned so he could blame it on the Xtians. Just because something has been done in the past does not mean that it was done in this case. No disagreement here. Our entire planet has seen far too much war in the past 100 years, much of it sadly instigated by the US. However, it is worth noting that this is the very reason that Osama and his goons attacked on 911, because we have been causing wars in their 'hood for so long. Umm.. yeah, war is profitable.... No one said it wasn't. Why We Fight is another good documentary about the "military-industrial complex". This argument applies clearly to the unjust war in Iraq, but it has nothing to do with 9/11. We could still have gone into Iraq (based on the false evidence presented about WMD's) without 9/11. Would it have been a little more difficult? Yeah, but there still would have been enough support to do it. We can agree all day that the Fed is a damaging institution. We can agree that the gold standard would be a better economic policy. That doesn't have anything to do with whether or not the REAL EVIDENCE points toward 19 hijackers pulling off 9/11. By the way, this (as well as your argument above about war for profit) is one of the characteristics of Conspiracy Theories. Point toward powerful groups that abuse their power and show how they may have benefited from an event. By doing this, you avoid all that nastiness about having to produce evidence to support your "theory" (actually a hypothesis since there is no real evidence for it). If you look at the ID movement they do the same thing. They don't produce EVIDENCE of ID, instead they say "See, the darwinists can't prove how every nit-picky little aspect of evolution works so it must be false...and since evolution is false ID must be true. and since ID is true Jesus is your savior and you will go to hell unless you say a prayer." Now, what does that argument have to do with the evolution of humans? Nothing, but it convinces hundreds of Xtians that IDers are real scientists.... Sounds interesting, the country does seem to be headed that way from both the Republican and the Democratic Parties. Less and less freedom and larger and larger government... Support your local Libertarian Party!! www.lp.org Don't the words "Patriot Act" and "Terrorist Surveilance Act" just make you think 1984.

"Between 5:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. nobody was allowed to see him, and a screen was erected for that purpose. Many people speculated that he ate and drank water during that time." 12 hours a day during which people just 'trust' that he isn't eating or drinking? Not to mention the fact that his handlers were more than happy to take donations. Perhaps he is legit, and they will start giving the money away to the poor, but more likely, he is just a kid trained by hucksters like so many a "master" in india and elsewhere that will display they "abilities" for "free" while accepting ridiculous donations from poor saps who lack education....