1. Exercise:
- Chinese medicine recommends a moderate amount of exercise: 30 minutes, 3 times per week. The rest is negotiable and varies, as does everything else, according to individual constitution. It is also important to note that excessive exercise consumes lung and heart Qi, so moderation is the key.
2. Relaxation:
- A fundamental practice in maintaining health and balance is a good but simple meditative technique. Breathing. The goal is to get into one’s breath – don’t try to alter it, or change it, just visualize and feel it going in and out of the lungs – for 20 minutes per day. This takes us out of our heads and into our bodies, turning off the harmful effects of stress.
- In TCM, a healthy body relies on a relaxed Liver, which regulates the flow of Qi, Blood and Emotions in the body. Stress impacts the Liver’s ability to maintain good flow of Qi, leading to imbalances in all organs’ energetic systems.
- Start out by setting aside 5 minutes every day. If the mind wanders away from the breath after only 10 seconds, notice it and bring it back. Remember, it’s called a ‘practice’ for a reason. Do this for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, working your way to 20 minutes.
- 20 minutes may seem like a long time that you can’t afford. Consider that you can’t afford not to practice it.
- Get to 20 minutes a day for a month and you won’t recognize yourself.
3. Diet:
Chinese medicine speaks of a ‘Clear Bland Diet’, the description of which is closely resembles our common anti-Candida diets. To keep it simple:
- Consume all types of food in moderation when in a state of good health.
- Generally, avoid the excessive consumption of greasy, deep-fried, sweet, and raw foods. These tend to hamper the Spleen’s ability to extract the pure energies and excrete the impure energies from our diet, leading to Dampness, the symptoms of which often closely resemble the effects of excessive Candida albicans.
- Avoid excessive consumption of spicy foods and alcohol as these lead to an imbalance of the Liver energy system.
- Avoid excessive consumption of salty foods as these lead to imbalances in the Kidney energy system.
- It may be necessary to adopt a more rigorous and exclusive diet when managing existing health imbalances. It is often difficult to reverse such imbalances with diet changes alone; a TCM herbal protocol is recommended. Consult with your TCM doctor for more information.