Calluses and Corns

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

Calluses and corns are thick layers of dead skin that are the result of excessive pressure and friction. They can occur anywhere, but most commonly appear on your hands and feet.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If your calluses or corns affect you daily, see a doctor. If you have diabetes and also suffer from calluses or corns on your feet, see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Wear comfortable and well-fitting shoes. It's best to have up to three pairs of comfortable shoes to exchange and not wear one pair all the time.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Don't try to cut away the corn by yourself.

Folk Remedies

• Scrape the corns with a small and smooth pebble once a day.
• Use warm to hot water to soak feet for 30 minutes a day, (10 minutes, three times a day) for a month. Be careful not to burn yourself.
• Carve out a small indentation larger than the corn inside of your shoes where the calluses rub against it.

Chinese Massage

• Wash your feet with warm water. When you are watching TV, gently caresse the callused area as long as possible. Do so for a prolonged period.

Chinese Herbs

• Apply herb paste:

  Ingredients: Wolfberry bark, safflower, sesame oil.

  Procedure: Grind to a fine powder. Mix with sesame oil and apply to affected area for five hours a day.

Canker Sores

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

It is an ulcer surrounded by red swelling in the mouth. The precise cause of canker sores is still not determined, though multiple reasons, such as stress, physical trauma, and bacterial infection, may contribute to it.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If the canker sores do not improve for a long period of time or if you have recurrent sores, see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Maintain good oral hygiene.
• Eat more vegetables and fruits.
• Have regular bowel movements.
• Control your emotions.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Don't consume overstimulating items such as spicy or fried food. Don't eat fish.
• Don't drink alcohol and caffeine.

Folk Remedies

• Crush Vitamin C pills and apply it on sores. Do so twice a day for three days. At the same time, take 200 mg of Vitamin C three times a day. If you have an allergic reaction, discontinue use.
• Cut out an aloe vera leaf and apply the liquid on the sores. Do so three times a day for two or three days. If you have an allergic reaction stop.
• Slowly chew 1 tsp. soaked green tea leaves.

Food Therapy

• Soak 2 oz. of mung beans and 1 oz. of lotus seeds in water overnight. Place them in a pot with 3 cups of water and cook until they are soft. Add one beaten egg to the pot. Cook for another 20 seconds. Take twice a day.
• Frequently hold watermelon juice in your mouth for three minutes, then swallow. Or use radish juice to rinse your mouth three times a day.

Chinese Herbs

• Apply the patent herb powder Shuang Liao Hou Feng San. Follow the instructions.
• If canker sores keep recurring, try the patent herb pill Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan. Follow the instructions.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

It is the numbness or tingling and pain in the fingers. The pain may radiate to the palms, wrists, and forearms. Carpal tunnel is a gap where some nerves and tendons pass through to arrive at the hand. When tendons have an inflammation, the space becomes too crowded. The hand numbness and pain occur if the nerve is pressed.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If the pain affects your daily life, see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• When your hand starts tingling, rotate your wrist for a minute.
• If your wrist is swelling, apply an ice pack or a bag of frozen beans wrapped with a cloth to your arm for 15 to 20 minutes three to four times a day.
• When you lie down, elevate your arm with pillows to relieve the discomfort.
• If you work with a computer frequently, your fingers should be lower than your wrist. Keep your wrist straight. Don't flex. Type with a soft touch. Take breaks during long periods of work. Keep your palms facing up or sit with your elbows supported on the desk when you take a rest.
• Wear a splint when you are working with your hands for prolonged periods.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Don't grip the wheel too tightly when driving.
• Don't eat much salt, which causes water retention and promotes swelling.
• Don't smoke, which constricts the small blood vessels.

Folk Remedies

• In a chronic case, wrap leaves of cabbage around your wrist: Cut the hard rib out of a dark green cabbage leaf. Warm it in microwave until it becomes soft. Wrap it around your wrist and fix with a bandage.
• In a chronic case, blow the pain away: Set a low-power hair dryer at low. Blow the warm air on the forearm and hand from the distance you can feel warm air for two minutes, twice a day. This treatment is only for chronic cases. Take care not to burn yourself.
• In a chronic case, wash with vinegar:

  Ingredients: 500 ml rice vinegar, 6 inches of green onion.

  Procedure: Warm up vinegar and onion. Wash the forearm, wrist, and hand with this liquid for 10 minutes. Reheat if necessary. Discontinue use if you have an allergic reaction.

Food Therapy

• Drink warm red wine: Use a microwave to warm 30 ml red wine. Drink twice a day.

Chinese Massage

In chronic cases, choose the following and massage once a day:

• Using the heel of your palm to rub and knead both sides of the wrist and the two big bones in your forearm for one minute. Meanwhile gently bend and flex the wrist.
• Using the thumb and four fingers grasp the muscles from your forearm to your fingers for one minute. With your thumb against the index finger, use your other thumb and index finger to grasp the webbing where it bulges up the highest for one minute (Li4).
• Using your thumb, gently press and knead each of the following points for one minute:
  • The point two thumb-widths above the wrist crease of the palm side, between the tendons, right under the buckle of the watchstrap (Pc6).
  • On the center of your palm, where the middle finger touches when you are making a fist (Pc8).
  • The middle of the crease between the tendons on the palm side (Pc7).
  • The point on the pad of the thumb two finger-widths from the wrist, on the borderline between the dark and light skin (Lu10).
  • On the forearm two thumb-widths below the crease of the elbow in line with the thumb (Li10).

Chinese Herbs

• Rub the patent tincture Zheng Gu Shui to painful spots. Follow the instructions. If you have an allergic reaction, discontinue use.
• Take the patent herb Yu Nan Bai Yao. Follow the instructions.
• Apply the herb patch Shang Shi Zhi Tong Gao. Follow the instructions. If you have an allergic reaction, discontinue use.

Cataracts

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

Cataracts cause vision blurring or dimming because the lenses of your eyes become cloudy and opaque. Other symptoms are double vision, halos or sensitiveness around lights, and poor color perception. In severe cases your lens may look milky white or yellowish. Along with aging, diabetes, overexposure to ultraviolet light, smoking, and heredity can be the causes.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If you have any vision problems, see an eye specialist.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Wear ultraviolet-protective sunglasses if necessary.
• Research shows people who drink at least 5 cups of green tea a day can reduce the risk of cataracts.
• Take enough vitamins C and vitamin E.
• Eat more zinc-rich food such as peanuts, sesame seeds, bean products, fish, and shrimp.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Don't expose yourself to strong light, high temperatures, or chemical solutions for prolonged periods of time.
• Do not read books or watch TV for longer than one hour.
• Don't use halogen lights, as they cause the pupils to constrict.
• Don't eat fried food or too many sweets.
• Don't smoke.

Folk Remedies

• Walk with bare feet at home as much as you can. Place five golf balls in a plastic shallow container. Sit on a chair and roll these balls with your soles for 20 minutes a day.
• Dip a washcloth in water as hot as is comfortable for your skin. Wring out the excess water and cover your eyes and forehead. Change to a new one when it becomes cool. Repeat 10 times until your head feels warm. Do this every morning.

Food Therapy

• Drink white chrysanthemum tea:

  Ingredients: 1/4 oz. white chrysanthemum.

  Procedure: Add chrysanthemum to 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the decoction to drink, once a day.

• Drink green peas and corn soup:

  Ingredients: 2 oz. green peas, 2 oz. corn.

  Procedure: Add the green peas and corn to 2 cups of water and salt to make soup. Drink once a day.

• Drink soybean milk with black sesame and walnuts:

  Ingredients: 1/2 oz. black sesame seeds, 1/2 oz. walnuts, 300 ml soybean milk, honey.

  Procedure: Stir-fry sesame seeds and walnuts on low heat for two minutes. Grind them, then add to soybean milk. Add 1 tsp. of honey. Take once every day.

• Eat black beans, black dates, dried white beans:

  Ingredients: 1 oz. black beans, 10 black dates, 1 oz. dried white beans, available at Chinese grocery stores.

  Procedure: Soak beans in water overnight. Add enough water to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft. Eat as a snack every afternoon.

Chinese Massage

• Eye exercise:
  • Rub your palms against each other until they are warm. Place the center of your palms right over your eyeballs to feel a warm sensation in your eyes. Repeat this 10 times.
  • Close your eyes for five seconds. Quickly open. Repeat several times.
  • Close your eyes. Move your eyeballs in a clockwise circle five times. Move them in a counterclockwise circle five times.
  • Use the pad of both thumbs to gently press and knead the following area: from the frame of eyes, the temple, above the ears, to the back of your head. Do this for two minutes.
• Gently press and knead each point for one minute once a day:
  • The points in the depression, half a thumb's-width outside the corner of the eye (Gb1).
  • The point one finger-width right below the eye socket in line with the pupil (St2).
  • The depression right at the inner corner of your eyes (Bl1).
  • The middle point of your eyebrows (EX).
  • The point in the depression on the beginning of the eyebrow (Bl2).
  • The point in the depression at the bottom of the skull, outside of the two big muscles on the neck, which you can feel by bending down your neck (Gb20).

Chinese Herbs

• Eat lycium with longan aril:

  Ingredients: 1/4 oz. lycium fruit, 5 longan arils (Asian fruit). Both are available in Chinese grocery stores.

  Procedure: Add fruits and 1 cup of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Eat once a day.

Cholesterol (High)

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

High cholesterol means that the fat in your bloodstream has problems. You have too much LDL (low density lipoprotein), the “bad' cholesterol. It can deposit on blood vessels and add to risk for heart disease, stroke, and vascular disorders. Also, you may lack HDL (high density lipoprotein), the good cholesterol. It clears cholesterol out from your body. High cholesterol level is mainly caused by rich diet or genetic problems.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

You should get tested on a regular basis. If a child has a family history of high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, he or she needs to see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Change your eating habits. If you don't eat breakfast and eat too much for dinner, your cholesterol will be much higher than those who eat three regular meals a day. Be sure to eat a good breakfast. Eat lightly. Stop eating when you feel 70-percent full and you will live much longer.
• Watch what you eat very carefully.
  • Be aware that eggs, animal organs, cheese, pork fat, and western-style desserts have much high cholesterol.
  • Eat omega-3 rich food and soluble fiber. Mostly eat fish and vegetables such as mushrooms, celery, carrots, corn, sweet potato, peanuts, walnuts, and whole grains. Also eat garlic, onion, soybeans, hawthorn berries, mung beans, tofu, Chinese dry mushrooms, sunflower seeds, red dates, and kelp. Eat fruits such as kiwi, apples, and oranges.
  • Drink green tea such as Wu Long tea.
  • Drink wine moderately.
  • Add rice vinegar to your diet.
  • Exercise regularly. Research shows exercise can raise good cholesterol level and lower bad cholesterol level.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Never eat or drink too much at a time.
• Don't smoke.
• Don't live a stressful life, which could make your cholesterol higher.

Folk Remedies

• Take 1/8 oz. red rice yeast powder a day.

Food Therapy

• Eat garlic 1/4 oz. at a time, twice a day. If you feel it makes your stomach uncomfortable stop. Or eat one kiwi a day. Or eat sunflower seeds, 1/2 oz., once a day. Continue for one month.
• Eat peanuts with vinegar:

  Ingredients: Rice vinegar, peanuts with red skin.

  Procedure: Soak peanuts in vinegar for 10 days. Eat 10 to 15 pieces at a time, twice a day.

• Eat red bell pepper juice:

  Ingredients: 2 red bell peppers.

  Procedure: Cut the peppers in half. Remove the seeds. Use a juicer with 1/2 cup of water to make pepper juice. Add a few drops of olive oil. Eat 2 Tbs. at a time, twice a day for a prolonged period.

• Eat black and white fungus with crystal sugar:

  Ingredients: 1/4 oz. black fungus, 1/4 oz. white fungus, 1/4 oz. crystal sugar. These items are available from Chinese grocery stores.

  Procedure: Soak fungus in warm water for three hours. Wash and clean them carefully. Place in a bowl. Add one cup of water and sugar. Steam for one hour. Eat the fungus and drink the soup.

• Eat kelp with mung bean:

  Ingredients: 1/2 oz. kelp (dried seaweed), 1/2 oz. mung beans, 1/2 oz. brown sugar.

  Procedure: Soak kelp and mung beans in water overnight. Slice kelp into inch-long pieces. Add 3 cups of water and kelp to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the beans are soft. Divide into two portions. Eat with sugar, twice a day.

Chinese Herbs

• Take 1/16 oz. of pseudoginseng powder at a time, two times a day.
• Drink lycium fruit tea: Steep 1/4 oz. of lycium fruit in boiled water. Drink as tea.

Cold (Common) and Flu

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

The common cold is an upper respiratory infection caused by a cold virus. The symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, coughing, and possibly fever. Flu has almost all the above symptoms and is caused by a flu virus. It is hard to distinguish between flu and cold, except that the person suffering from flu may have a higher fever.

There are three types of colds in Chinese medicine:

• Cold Type: Aversion to cold, no sweating, sneezing, low-grade fever, white and thin mucus, and cough. It often occurs in winter or spring.
• Heat Type: Fever, sweating, sore or itching throat, dry mouth and nose, cough, yellowish and thick mucus or nose discharge. It often occurs in later spring or the beginning of fall.
• Damp Type: Fever, head heaviness, nausea, and bloating in chest or lower abdomen. It often happens in the hot summer season.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If you have a high fever or your fever lasts for more than two or three days, or if you feel a severe pain in the ear, stomach, lungs, or head, see your doctor. If you have swollen tonsils or neck glands and have developed rapid breathing or wheezing, see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Drink plenty of water or green tea. Drink 8 cups of water a day.
• Eat easily digested food. Eat more garlic and onion, and zinc-rich foods, such as milk, soymilk, lean meats, fish, beans, and cheese.
• If you can take care of the following you are much less likely to get colds:
  • Keep your body warm, especially your feet. Watch for change of weather. If you get wet in rain, drink hot tea with five ginger slices and 1 tsp. of brown sugar.
  • Take it easy. Don't be exhausted by anything.
  • Get enough sleep.
  • Washing your hands frequently can prevent a cold.
  • During summertime wash your face and nose with cold water. Gradually advance to taking a cold shower if possible.
• In flu season, use salt water to rinse your mouth (1 tsp. of salt with 8 oz. of water), or hold a salty olive in your mouth when you have to go outside.
• Keep your room moist and warm with fresh air. During flu season, fumigate your room with vinegar. Add 50 ml rice vinegar to 50 ml water for each 100 feet². Heat on stove to sterilize the air.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Avoid spicy, salty, and greasy food. Avoid raw, cold food. Don't eat watermelon or cucumber if you feel you are going to catch cold. Don't drink alcohol.
• Don't go to sleep right after washing your hair. Wait until the hair is dry.
• Avoid public places as much as possible.
• Avoid vigorously blowing your nose to prevent an ear infection. Blow one nostril at a time. If you have a cold, don't go on an airplane.

Folk Remedies

• Boil 250 ml rice vinegar, and soak a washcloth inside. Place the washcloth under your nose and inhale the warm vinegar for two minutes. Be careful to not burn yourself.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a warm wet washcloth. Set a hair dryer to low and blow hot air on your face for one minute. Keep the washcloth wet and warm. Do this three times a day. Take care not to scald yourself.
• Use a pair of tongs to hold a tangerine. Heat on top of the stove. Turn over continuously until you smell strong fragrance. Peel, but keep the tangerine pith. Eat it at the beginning of your cold.
• Applying toothpaste on both temples and the groove below the nose, slightly more then halfway up, may relieve symptoms.

Food Therapy

• Drink garlic milk:

  Ingredients: 1 clove garlic, milk.

  Procedure: Peel garlic, pound to small pieces. Add 1 cup of hot milk to a pot. Stir and soak for 15 minutes. Use a piece of gauze to filter the garlic out of the milk when pouring it out of the pot. Slowly drink the milk, three times a day. Stop if garlic makes your stomach upset.

• Eat radish with green onion:

  Ingredients: 6 oz. radish, 3 white stalks of green onion.

  Procedure: Add ingredients to 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Eat radish and drink soup once a day.

• Drink green tea with mung bean:

  Ingredients: 1 oz. mung beans, 1/4 oz. green tea, 1 oz. sugar.

  Procedure: Soak mung beans in water overnight. Place green tea in a gauze bag. Place both tea and beans in a pot and add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft. Add sugar. Eat beans and drink soup once a day.

Chinese Massage

Choose from the following and massage once a day:

• Rub your hands against each other until they are warm. Use both palms to gently rub your face from the forehead down to the chin, from the temples down to the lower jaw until your face feels warm.
• Use the index and middle fingers to push from the central point between your eyebrows to both temples for one minute.
• Use your four fingers to repeatedly rub the back of the head. Also repeatedly rub the point in the depression at the bottom of the skull, outside of the two big muscles on the neck, which you can feel by bending down your neck (Gb20).
• With your thumb against the index finger, use your other thumb to gently press the webbing where it bulges up the highest for one minute (Li4).
• Gently press the point located two finger-widths up from the wrist crease, on the inside of the forearm, in line with the thumb for one minute (Lu7).
• If your nose is congested, use the index finger to gently press the point in the middle of the groove of the outside edge of the nostril for one minute (Li20). Using your thumb and index finger rub and knead from the inner corner of your eyes down to the bottom of your nose for one minute.
• If you are coughing, gently press the depression right above the top of the breastbone for one minute (Cv22).

Chinese Herbs

• If you have heat-type, take the patent herb Yin Qiao Jie Du Pian. Follow the instructions.
• If you have cold-type, take the patent herb Gan Mao Qing Re Chong Ji. Follow the instructions.
• If you have damp-type, take the patent herb Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui. Follow the instructions.

Colic

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

It is the persistent crying of a baby with no apparent health problems. The cause of periodic and intense outbursts can be hard to decipher because babies have no other way to communicate their discomfort.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

The persistent crying may be a sign of an underlying health problem. You should take your baby to the doctor at any signs of colic.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Feed your baby in an upright position, and burp often. If bottle-feeding, burp the baby after every ounce.
• Carefully observe your baby. He or she may be hungry, too warm, have insect bites, have a stuffy nose, and so on.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• As a breastfeeding mother, you shouldn't eat anything spicy or anything containing caffeine. Eat few bananas, tomatoes, oranges and strawberries. Such food may have an indirect impact on your baby if you are breastfeeding. Stop eating them for five days to see if the crying gets better. Do the same test for dairy products too.
• Don't feed your baby too much before bedtime.

Folk Remedies

• Record the baby's cries. When he or she cries again, play the tape back to him or her.
• Boil an egg and leave the shell intact. Let the egg cool until it is only warm. Touch the egg on your skin to test whether the temperature is comfortable for your baby. If it is, place the egg on the bellybutton and roll it outward in a spiral pattern and then roll it inward.
• Apply warm salt: Stir-fry 3 oz. of salt until warm. Add 2 oz. of white stalks of green onions. Continue to stir-fry for one minute. Put in a 3 × 3-inch cotton fabric bag (remember to test temperature on your skin) and apply to your baby's abdomen for five minutes before bedtime. Take great care not to burn him or her.
• Wrap the baby in a blanket.

Chinese Massage

Do the following massage a half hour before bedtime. Use some massage oil on your baby's skin.

• Use the tip of your nail to gently press the central point at the heel of the baby's palm five times. Use your middle finger to gently knead the same point 100 times. Do so for both hands.
• Use both hands to gently rub-roll the first joint of your baby's fingers 30 times. Repeat both hands.
• If your baby has cold limbs, cold lower abdomen, and a greenish stool, use your thumb to gently push his or her forearm on the inner side in a line with the thumb from the wrist to the elbow 100 times. Do both arms.
• If your baby is irritable and has a reddish face, hot hands and a hot abdomen, use your index finger to gently push his or her forearm on the inside along the midline from the wrist to the elbow 100 times. Do both arms.
• If your baby is startled and irritable during sleep, suddenly crying and screaming, use your thumb's nail to gently pinch the point at the central point of the second crease of his or her wrist on the palm side five times. Knead that point 100 times. Do both hands.
• If your baby has poor appetite, reflux, bloated abdomen, gently rub his or her lower abdomen for five minutes. Before you massage the abdomen, rub your hands against each other until they are warm. Do this three times a day.

Constipation

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

Constipation is infrequent bowel movements with a dry, hard stool. The main cause is insufficient fiber in your diet. Lack of exercise and fluids in the body are other possible causes.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If you experience constipation for more than five days, or you have a fever, abdominal cramping, or bloody stool, see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Set a regular bathroom time. Even if you can't have a bowel movement. The best time is 20 minutes after breakfast. Before you go to the bathroom, drink 2 cups of water and walk for 10 minutes.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat more fiber-rich food such as soybeans, yams, sweat potatoes, or celery. Eat more walnuts, honey, sesame seeds, or peanuts to lubricate your intestines. Eat more beans, potatoes, onion, or radish to produce more gas to accelerate the movement of the intestines.
• Drink at least 8 cups of water a day.
• Take warm baths to increase blood circulation and for personal hygiene in the anus area.
• Keep regular exercise. Lack of exercise is the main reason for constipation in the elderly.
• If you have hemorrhoids or anal fissures, treat them promptly.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• If you are elderly, don't force your bowel movements.
• Don't eat too many dairy products or too much meat or eggs.
• Don't ignore the urge to defecate.

Folk Remedies

• Soak a towel in hot water and place it under your anus for one or two minutes to stimulate the bowels.
• Watch comedy shows frequently. Laughing functions to massage your intestines.
• When sitting on the toilet, do the following to accelerate the movement of the intestines:
  • Alternately expand and contract your belly through breathing in and out.
  • Find the point on the back of the forearm, four finger-widths up from the crease on the wrist (Te6). Use the nail to gently press that point between two bones for one minute.
  • Use your left index finger to gently press the point two thumb-widths to the left of the belly button (St25) until you have a sensation of soreness and distention, and continue to press 20 to 30 seconds.

Food Therapy

• Eat fruit or vegetables:
  • Eat one ripe banana and a cup of cold water with 1 tsp. of honey in the morning.
  • Eat 1/2 lb. of yams two to three times a week.
  • Eat a raw cucumber with 1 cup of water on an empty stomach every morning.
• Eat more nuts:
  • Eat 1 oz. of walnuts before bedtime daily for a chronic case.
  • Eat pine seeds. Stir-fry pine seeds lightly. Peel them. Eat 1/2 oz. at a time, twice a day. It is good for the elderly.
• Drink potato juice:

  Ingredients: One baseball-size potato, 1 tsp. honey.

  Procedure: Use a juicer to make potato juice. Mix potato juice and honey with 1/2 cup of cold water and take in the morning on an empty stomach.

Chinese Massage

In daily life, do the following massage to improve the function of your digestive system.

• Lie down and bend your knees up (feet flat on the floor) to relax the muscles on the abdomen. Rub your hands against each other until they are warm. Rub your upper abdomen clockwise 30 times. Rub the lower abdomen clockwise 30 times. Place the right palm on your right lower abdomen and push up. Then push horizontally to left and pass through your belly button. Then push downwards to the pubic bone. Repeat this 10 times.
• Use the pad of your thumb to scrub the area around your waist two finger-widths on both sides of the spine for one minute.
• Use your middle finger to gently press and knead 30 times on the point halfway between the belly button and the lower edge of the breastbone (Cv12).
• Use the middle finger of left hand to gently press and knead 30 times on the point two thumb-widths from your belly button on either side (St25).

Qi Gong

• In the morning before breakfast, stand naturally, with two arms lifted backward, your two palms facing towards the back. Place feet shoulder width apart. Fold your fists forcefully. Meanwhile, inhale and tighten your anus (constrict and lift the anus). Keep this position for two seconds. Then exhale and relax your anus muscles and fists. Repeat this process 30 times. You can also do this exercise on your bed for five minutes every morning.

Chinese Herbs

• Take the patent herb honey ball Ma Ren Run Chang Wan. Follow the instructions.

Cough

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CAUSES IT?

Coughing is a reflex symptom resulting from irritation or excess mucus of the respiratory tract. Cold and flu are the most common causes. There are three types of coughs in Chinese medicine:

• Cold Type: Loud cough, thin white phlegm, aversion to cold, and no sweating. It happens in winter or early spring.
• Heat Type: Frequent cough with heavy breath, hoarseness, and thick, yellow phlegm. It happens in late spring or early summer.
• Dry Type: Dry cough with itching and dry throat, no mucus or it is hard to come out. It happens in late summer or early fall.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?

If you have a cough for more than three days, or you have a fever, or yellow, green, or bloody mucus, see a doctor.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN DAILY LIFE?

• Drink plenty of water. Drinking hot green tea is a very good choice.
• Keep your body warm. Pay close attention to weather changes.

WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO?

• Don't eat raw, cold food. Avoid fat and spicy food. Avoid food that is too sweet or too salty. Avoid seafood.
• Don't overuse cough suppressants.
• Quit smoking right away. Drink less alcohol.

Food Therapy

• If you have heat-type cough, drink pear and lotus soup:

  Ingredients: 1 Asian pear, 8 oz. lotus root, 1 oz. sugar.

  Procedure: Peel the skin off the pear and remove the center. Cut the node of lotus out. Place them in a juicer to make juice. Add sugar and drink once a day.

• If you have cold-type cough, drink radish soup:

  Ingredients: 6 oz. daikon radish, 3 white stalks of green onion, 1/2 oz. ginger.

  Procedure: Add ingredients and 3 cups of water to a pot and cook for five minutes. Drink once a day.

• If you have dry-type cough eat walnut and pine nut seeds with honey:

  Ingredients: 1 oz. pine nut seeds, 1 oz. walnuts, 15 ml white honey.

  Procedure: Pound nuts into small pieces. Mix with honey. Eat 1/4 oz. with warm water after a meal once a day.

• If you have a cough for a prolonged period, eat tofu with sugar and ginger:

  Ingredients: 8 oz. tofu, 2 oz. sugar, 1/4 oz. ginger.

  Procedure: Add ingredients and 2 cups of water to a pot and cook for five minutes. Eat all before bedtime for a week.

• If you have a cough for a prolonged period, eat eggs with vinegar:

  Ingredients: 70 ml rice vinegar, 3 eggs, 30 ml sesame oil.

  Procedure: Beat eggs and scramble in oil. Add vinegar and cook for three minutes. Divide into two portions. Eat twice a day.

Chinese Massage

See Bronchitis section.

Chinese Herbs

• If you have a cold-type cough, take the patent herb Tong Xuang Li Fei Wan. Follow the instructions.
• If you have a heat-type cough, drink the patent herb tincture She Dan Chuan Bei Ye. Follow the instructions.
• If you have a dry-type cough, take the patent herb Pi Ba Ye Gao. Follow the instructions.