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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 1998)
JU L Y 22,1998 Page A6 Hiv ^ o rtlan h (ßbörrtier Body# M i n d &Q$ f i r it Qi G o n g : u s i n g a n a n c ie n t C h i n e s e F o r m o f e x c e r c is e to D e a l W i t h t h e S t r e s s o f M o d e r n L i f e R ushing to w ork. Fighting traffic. Putting in long hours. Feeling p res sured, stressed, w om out. S ound like y o u r life? If so, y o u are not alone. For m any o f us, life to d ay is hectic and frenetic. W e m ay not be able to chang e the w orld w e live in, but in the ancient C h in ese practice o f Qi G o n g (pronounced chee-gong), w e can find a w ay to red u ce the stress- and w ear and tear - o f m o d em life. “Q i G ong can bring a sense o f peace and happiness to you, and help you feel m ore en erg etic," exp lain ed Holly A nn A lsw el, a licensed ac u puncturist in N orth Portland. For thousands o f years, Q i G o n g has been a part o f traditional O riental m edicine. Qi G o n g consists o f a rep etition o f sim ple, g en tle exercises and m ay also include co rrect p o s ture, controlled breath in g and m ed i tation. “ In C hinese, Q i can m ean b reath or air as well as vital energy, and G ong refers to d iscipline and hard w ork," M s A lsw el explained. "S o Qi G ong is a w ay to draw vital life force into ourselves. It also is used in h eal ing, and in m y practice, I often use it to com plem ent acu p u n ctu re treat m ents." She w ent on to explain that there are m any styles o f O riental exercise based on the co ncept o f vital energy and disciplined m ovem ent. M any o f us are fam iliar w ith Tai C hi and other form s o f the m artial arts, in w hich an individual fights an im aginary o p p o nent in slow m otion. ’T h e re is grow ing aw areness ot Qi G ong, th e so fter type o f O riental ex er cise, and how it can calm the brain and settle the heart, how it can prom ote relaxation as well as im p ro v e stam ina and give one m ore energy and vital ity," M s A lsw el said. T think o f it as personal physical m edicine." T h e beauty o f Q i G ong is that any o n e can learn an d p ractice it, reg ard less o f age or physical ability. I n China, peo p le d o th eir Q i G ong exercises on b usy sid ew alk s and in parks often be fore b eginning th eir w ork day. In Portland, th e O regon C ollege o f O riental M edicine offers classes and has a special serv ice for answ ering questions ab o u t Q i G ong. T he num ber to call is 2 9 1-9570. A s a p ractitio n er o f O riental m edi cine, M s. A lsw el sees th e value o f Qi G o n g in m any w ays. “1 think Qi G ong is g o o d for oldei people, o r those w ith d isabilities, becau se they can go at th eir o w n pace. F or addictions involv ing alcohol, eatin g or o verw ork, Qi G o n g c a n e a se th e c o m p u lsio n s people 'Paul 'Von 'W ari: A u th o r of a ru m I nterv iew bv J oy R amos Paul V on W ard is a multidisciplined and multi! ingual researcher and writer in the fields o f new science and m etaphys ics, with degrees from Florida State U ni versity and Harvard. Paul uses the three- faceted m odel o f the hum an (conscious ness, subtle energy, and physical). He shows how the subtle senses and inner pow ers shape thenatureofrelationships, from die most intimate to the political. Q :W hat is the “s tu ff' that the Uni verse is m ade of? P aul V on W a rd : T he w hole Uni verse com es out o f the Universal Mind. It is also know n as our Universal Con- sciousness(ortheG randC ouple).rhatis from w hich everything else com es from. A nything w e see, feel, hear and touch in the physical universe is only concentra tions o f that second thing w e call subtle energy. T here are a lot o f w ords people use to describe the subtle energy fields. It's from the subtle energy field that you have this concentration o f energy that gives us matter. Thequestion isthen.what shapes that subtle energy field to give us a physical object? M ind does the shap ing. C onsciousness does the shaping. C onsciousnessactually shapes the subtle energy field. Q: H ow do you explain the phenom enon o f Firewalking? P aul V on W a rd : In m y mind, I want to feel m y physical body o ff from being burned by fire. H ow d o I do that? I have m y subtle energy body and I have my physical body. In order to walk on fire, I have to do som ething to m y physical body to m ake m e im pervious to those hot coals. I w ant to create m y physical body in a w ay that do esn ’t get burned. A nd 1 im agine the soles o f my feet as having an extra layer ofenergy protection, The first thing that happens then is that my subtle energy body forms a layer around my feet like the aura. It’s what physicists call ‘virtual reality'. It’s just there...just be tween nothingand something. And,then the subtle energy form is what is called the morphogenic field. This is best de scribed in a study called “The Hundreth M onkey”. Q: Please explain “The Hundreth Monkey.” P aul V on W a rd : On an island in the South Pacific, scientists were studying monkeys. They observed that on one island, the monkeys started washing their yam s in the ocean. They did it to wash sand off. It made the yam s taste better. A nyhow, they I iked them . Then m ore o f them started doing that. W hen about a hundred m onkeys were practicing that, the scientists noticed that monkeys on a nearby island started doing the same thing. There was no communication be tween the m onkeys on the different is lands. How then did they learn to do that? T he m onkeys had an idea they all saw in th eir m inds (w ashing the yam s in the ocean). W hen enough m onkeys did it, it b ecam e a m orphogenic field. It becam e a subtle energy im age that traveled throughout tim e and space. It’s not lim ited by the physical senses so that the m orphogenic field can be percei ved by the m onkey s on the nearby islands. T hey learned through the subtle energies a new behavior. T his is how conscious im ages get passed on to o th er people through the subtle energy fields. OCOM Acupuncture ------- & ------- Herbal Clinic Stressed out? Want ta Quit Smoking? Affordable group treatments with acupuncture now available. hav e, because th a t's not their inherent nature, it's not th eir tru e h u m an ity.” In h er practice and in her ro le as a teacher, she has observ ed that there are obstacles to p ersuading p eople to incorporate Q i G ong in their ow n lives, even w hen they reco g n ize its value. Ms. A lsw el is sym pathetic to those w h o find excuses not to try. S h e is pragm atic enough, how ever, to help h er patients and students b alance the ideal w ith the practical. “ Ideally, if a person could do a h a lf an hour o f Qi G o n g and 15 m in u tes o f m editation every day for six w eeks, 1 'd find it hard to believe they w o u ld n ’t find som e pretty significant differences in their life.” In recent years, there has been a dram atic increase in the n u m b er o f peo p le seeking treatm ent from practi tioners o f traditional O riental m ed i cine. People h av e b ecom e aw are o f acupuncture and herbal rem edies, the m ain m odalities o f traditional O rien tal m edicine. N ow , m o re and m ore people are turning to Qi G ong, and using the graceful, calm ing m ovem ents and healthful benefits o f this ancient form o f excercise to increase th eir vitality and find a sense o f p eace and b alance in a fast-paced and stresslul w orld. Holly Ann Alswel, a Licensed Acupuncturist in North Portland, practicing Qi gong, a traditional form of Chinese exercise which promotes health and vitality. Chronic Pain and Magnesium Levels O n e o f the prin cip les o f n atu ro p athic m ed icin e is to treat th e causes o f disease rather th an to su p p ress the sy m p to m s, alth o u g h som etim es it is n ecessary to d o both at the sam e tim e. T o a n aturopathic doctor, th e d a n g er o f su p p ressin g sy m p to m s is that th e un d erly in g cau se m ay be ignored an d m ay result in even g reater sick ness. H ere is an ex am p le from research literature (1) o n how low m agnesium levels in the red b lo o d cells can have an im pact o n ch ro n ic pain levels from d iseases su ch as fibrom yalgia, ch ro n ic fatigue an d m yofacial pain. R esearchers n o w think this m ay be tru e fo r lu p u s p atien ts, as w ell. by J oy R amos C hronic pain and fatigue are key c o m ponents in all th ese conditions. Inves tigators hav e p ro p o sed that low m ag nesium levels m ay m ak e patients even m ore likely to experience chronic pain, and even cau se a low pain threshold in m ent for pain in lupus patients is the use o f im m une-system suppressants such as cortisone, w hich m ay ex acer bate the low m agnesium levels in the these disorders. (M agnesium is found in green leafy v egetables such as spinach and kale, although th erap eu tic d osages o f m a g nesium m ay req u ire dietary supple m ents, as instructed b y a qualified out the ten d en cy am ong clinicians to ignore m agnesium levels and treat m yalgia sym ptom s w ith cortisone and other im m une-system suppressants, even though the risks o f this type o f red blood cells. T he stu d y ’s au th o r fu rth er points health practitioner.) Ironically, the therapies used to su ppress chronic pain in these d is therapy in clude loss o f b o n e tissue, bone m arrow suppression, o steoporo sis, liver toxicity, and adv an ced d e velopm ent o f cataracts, additionally, eases can create even further m ag n e sium deficiencies, w hich in turn leaves th e patien ts vu ln erab le to m ore pain. F o r ex am p le, th e co n ventional tre a t several studies in the literature su g gest that corticosteroid treatm ent m ay intensify a m agnesium deficiency in these patients. T his is not to say that the u se o f m edication for controlling the inflam m ation associated w ith lu p u s is not necessary, but it w ould be ap p ro p riate to investigate m ag n e sium levels as part o f th e treatm ent plan. T h is research dem onstrates how supp ressio n o f sym ptom s not only leaves the cause untouched but actu ally can create m ore disease. T o learn m ore about how to treat chronic pain and the diseases that cause it, contact a licensed naturo pathic physician listed in the Y ellow Pages, or m ake an appointm ent at the clinic at M t. O livet Baptist C hurch, 8501 N. C hatauqua, operated by the N ational C ollege o f N aturopathic M edicine. C all 255-7355. Firewalking for Personal Transformation W hen I w as pregnant with m y first child, 1 was encouraged by a friend to try Firewalking. Shehad recom m ended itso that I may get over my fear o f labor and delivery pains. I declined her offer. The thought o f crossing over a bed o f hot coals was daringly outrageous, but allur ing for the extremist in me. Fouryears later, I decided to try it. My present life circumstances are different, but the intentions for doing a Firewalk haven’t changed: to break through self- imposed limitations and get beyond my fears. ITiere w ere a group o f us gathered at Sauvie Island for the Firewalk session. I sensed anticipation from others and my own growing. A lot o f us understood the mom ent as a "potential” for personal transformation like a rite ofpassage. The debate still raged within m e to go ahead with this or back out t suddenly. Preparation by the instructors helped. They readied us to align our body, mind and spirit for the moment. W e headed outdoors to build the fire with cedar logs, stacking them high and including our notes detailing our per sonal fears. W e threw them in as a sym bolic gesture o f inner release from bel iefs that bind us. It took several hours for the logs to bum dow n into coals. T hey were care fully raked out to form a searingly hot pathway burning at 1200 degrees Fahr enheit. T heheat’s intensity was toom uch for m y face or hands to be near it for m ore than a minute. Crossing the fiery path required several steps on the red-hot coals. The night was clear and the m oon loomed large above us. W e drum m ed together, tribally connected like Native Feei your best with Naturopathic Medicine Americans Americans preparing preparing fo 1 ra sacred ritual. All 1 can see ahead o f m e were the glowing red em bers em anating waves o f heat and our instructor waiting on the other side with outstretched arms, ready to receive us with a warm embrace. I asked how w e w ould know when w e're ready. F orsom eofus.therew ould be a sign or just a “know ingness" to go forward. I stood outside the fiery pathway, feeling m y fears grip me. There were times like this w here I’ve placet! m yself "on the edge” and forced to decide: give in to the fear or m ove beyond it. An inner conflict raged. I closed my eyes and gently focused. There was a clearing in m y consciousness I ike a peace fulness settling in. An unspoken voice w ithinm esaid,“It’sT im e.” T hatw asm y sign to begin the Firewalk. With each step, there w as little feel ing. M y feet felt the rough contours ofthe coals, but not much else. I met my in structor on the other end in loving em brace. My m ind was reeling in disbelief. I D ID N ’T BU R N ! I w as compelled to walk again ; again just just to see if it w as all real. The courage to cross felt solid this time. Again, I closed my eyes and waited. T he sam e calm confirm ation cam e through and I went with it. This time, 1 sensed som e heat, but not too noticeable. This must be w hat’s known as "M ind over Matter". A cooling energy circulated around my feet which kept me aw ake for many hours till daylight. I inwardly accepted the F irewalk as phenomenal even though my mind tries to reduce it to a subtle dream. From that experience, I've learned to allow m yself to be as powerful as I want to be and disengage fears that com e up. I deal better with inhibitions and insecurity with a detachment that’s like observing a movie and know ing that it’s just a grand illusion. For that lesson in Fear Management alone, the Firewalk experience w as worth going through. For your ow n Firewalking experi ence, contact Daniel Pharr and Ariel o f “W ings o f Fire” at (503) 224-3868 or v ie w th e ir w e b s ite at www.firewalking.org. Bringing low-cost naturopathic medicine to you for: Asthma Diabetes High blood pressure Menopause / PMS Allergies Headaches Colds & flu Fatigue Paul Von W and A o C h o rt op " □ o la rc ia n L egacy/" NCNM Natural Health Centers at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church 8725 N. Chautauqua For in fo r m a tio n & schedule, c a ll 254-3566 1054 1 SE C h e rry B lossom Dr., P o rtla n d (by M ail 205) ■\ S ervice o f th e O re g o n C ollege o f O rie n to i M ed icin e OF V , 1 - 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays Metascience & A N cyy Renaissance Talk and Booksigning Call for appointment; walk-ins welcome 255-7355 P ow ell’s Books on Burnside, 7:30 PM Thursday, July 30th. A teaching clinic o f the National College o f Naturopathic Medicine iF « ♦ . . . ‘ *■* u* *
