Erle Montaigue's Tai Chi World

Q&A HEALTH SECTION THREE

Erle Montaigue receives many questions by email mainly, but also by phone and letter. Those that are deemed to be of help also to others will be listed in these pages. Come back regularly as we are updating this section daily.

Q&A General Section One

Q&A General Section Two

Q&A General Section Three

Q&A General Section Four

Q&A General Section Five

Q&H Health Section One

Q&A Health Section Two

Q&A Health Section Three

Please note that your name will also be given as the questioner unless you ask otherwise.

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1/ How to cause somnolence or awaken someone.	2 Varicose Veins, Stroke, Damaging training Methods	3 Qigong Questions	4 A success story: Diabetes.	5 Emphysema
6 Depression	7 Gout	8 Prolapsed Bladder: Prolapsed Anything!	9 Qigong Direction of Qi Flow?	10 Qigong, the correct weighting?
11 The 4 Breathing Methods & Why.	12: Varicose Veins	13: Spleen Problems	14: Bell's Palsy	15: Broken bones in hand from punching
16: "Head" vs "Centre"	17: Eye conditions and the Liver	18: Nausea when practicing shortened form in Taijiquan	19: Different Meridian Flows in Acupuncture	20: Yang Qi Causing Hir Loss!
21: Anti Jet Lag Works	22: Vagus Nerve revival,  Arrhythmia etc .	23: Qigong, danger period?	24: Inflexible Ankles?	25: Diabetes
26: Gall Stones	27: Colitis	28: Using the Qi for Healing	29: Dolphins and Monkeys having Sex!!	30: Ejaculation and Qi.
31 Tea, Unbendable Arm, Proving Qi?	32 Taking Negative qi out	33 Why lower the weight after the 2nd movement and not like everyone else after the first raise hands?	34 Eyes Qigong	35 Acid, diabetes, Low stances etc.
36 Pain in the Scapular Region?	37 Kidney Stones Removal

I'm told that there are particular pressure points that a person can use on themselves to increase alertness and conversely some that tend to make less alertness/somnolence more likely...any truth to this?

----- Original Message -----

From: Robert

To: Erle Montaigue

Sent: Sunday, 12 September 1999 3:11

Subject: some questions

Dear Erle,

 

I received an e-mail from a guy named Andy who liked to know how I resolved the problem of performing pushing hands.

He told me  that he got my address from you, I was really amazed, but I liked it.

Well we live too far apart to really train pushing hands, but we stay in contact and exchange some experiences concerning tai-chi. 

I had also some questions:

My grandfather had an, well sort of attack in his brain, I don't know the medical term, but he now lost partially his arm and leg function on the left side. This happened about 1,5 years ago.

This morning he came to me upset about his lower left leg because it appeared to be very swollen. After giving him a massage I said to him he had to use the leg more and do exercises with it. So we tried a few and his foot and calve (rear muscle group on the left of the lower leg) became more supple. 

I wondered if there are some qi-kung exercises to solve this problem. or some acupressure points which help the condition of the power in his arm and leg??

 

My second question is about swollen veins (women get them very often), we call them "spat aderen" ( snapped arteries) or something like that. The real term is varicose vein I believe. But the question is are there any qi-kung methods for this or some pressure points which I can use. And are there any herbal solutions to this problem?

 

My third question is about an training method me and two fellow students had to go through not recently but sometime ago.

 

I and two friends trained at that with a crane-style kung-fu teacher.

We were done training for that evening, but our teacher had one surprise left for us, the fire test.

Well we had to undress our upper body and stretch our hands side ways.

Some more advanced students were told to slap the lower arms the biceps, the chest en lower chest area near the belly, the back area the kidney area and inner and outer sides of our thighs. 10 times on each spot, well the slapping was really hard and caused an immense pain. My two fellow students could not bear the pain on the biceps the second spot the other spots even less, I could without blinking my eyes, not that I am really proud of it but here is what happened next. My teacher could not believe that the student was slapping hard enough en told him to hit harder. Well I did not blink this time either, because I was annoyed by the fact that he hoped me lowering my arms because of the pain. Well after 5 blows he took over and begun pounding my biceps with his hands held like a bowl, I noticed that it hurt a lot more but I did not let him notice and didn't blink my eyes, he would not get any laughs out of this. I kept very loose and made the pain flow out. The other two showed even tears . One quit after that day.

 

Well in the end I asked him what this was all about and he told me not to ask to many questions and just take this as an exercise. Well I was not pleased with this answer and asked later on again, but he would not tell me.

Now I know it had to do with iron shirt training, but I and my fellow students did not like this training method and later on our trainer stopped with this and told us it would come back in training some time later.

 

Now what I like to know is, was this a useful and good training method or not, did I and my fellow students miss out on something??

I like to know, because I feel it made him close up, not teaching us the real stuff. Which made me reconsider taking up other lessons. 

 

Now after 4 years  I quit the lessons , now I train only for myself, using your tapes as a guide. Which even give me more information than 4 years training.

My fourth question is about Old Yang style and healing.

I have already have most of the tapes on Bagua, Qi-Kung and Qi-disruptive kata, but I remember something about you saying that more  tai-chi  and healing methods was written in the past, than about Bagua and healing methods.

I have also got the meridian balancing tapes because I liked to learn the healing side as well (eventually like to be able to heal others as well) 

My question is, is the Old Yang Style something I'd better learn because of the advantages concerning healing methods or can I learn Bagua and use the tai-chi methods?? 

I hope you can answer some of these questions, thanks in advance.

Greetings from Holland, Robert.

 

Dear Robert,

Thank you. I am glad that you got in touch with Andy he sounds like a nice person and very keen to learn.

You grandfather and his stroke. It is caused by a blood clot in the brain. I have seen some real miracles with this type of thing where people can get  a lot of movement back into their left arm etc.

The problem is that these people are usually so ill to begin with and so unhealthy that the Qi is too busy trying to fix the other parts of their body!

The Qi will always find a way around so if he can begin on a regime of proper diet! Then the Normal Qigong will greatly help him to get some movement back.

However, it is very difficult with older people as they are so conditioned and find it very difficult to change their diet!

 

Varicose veins. OK you can get some CALENDULA flowers. I think that you can get it in ointment form as well as tablet form. You can rub the ointment onto the veins and also drink a tea made from the flowers. you can get a fluid extract from the health shops and take 0.5 to 1 mil three times per day.

 

Echinacea is also good for varicose veins. Witch Hazel (rubbed onto the veins, also, CRANESBILL and MELILOT all herbs of course.

Best to go see a herbalist who will prescribe how to take the above herbs and where to get them etc.

 

About the White Crane teacher, you should sue him!!! That kind of training is rubbish. It was only done back in the dark ages in the Shaolin Temple with students who had been training since birth almost for around 30 years!

I think that teacher has a real EGO problem! I am happy that you left him! I knew the then leader of the Pak Hoc (White Crane System) and he never did any of that to his students as it is quite irresponsible! And I know of no other White Crane teachers who would do stuff like that in this day!

 

Bagua is one the greatest self healing methods. however, not much of it has been formalized as in Taijiquan. We only know that it works due to the fact that the old master, those who weren't killed in battles lived to very healthy old ages. I have sent you the Basic Yang Lu-ch'an form as a gift so that you can at least begin this great form. You will love it!

 

Kind Regards

 

Erle. TOP

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Steve

To: Erle Montaigue

Sent: Sunday, 12 September 1999 20:39

Dear Erle

    Firstly I would like to thank you very much for sending me those two videos.

    I must admit that I had some doubts about your reasons for concentrating on the martial arts side of Taijiquan, and your teaching of the more advanced deadly moves. But after reading your articles on your web site, I can see that you genuinely have other peoples best interests at heart. I now understand that the healing and Martial sides have to go hand in hand. In your videos it is obvious that you have a vast knowledge on this subject, and that you teach the advanced methods for the right reasons and not just to prove that you can do it.

    I find your teaching methods on the videos friendly and relaxed, but they are very thorough. But I have just a few things to ask to make sure that I am getting it right.

    When doing the Triple Heater Qigong how much effort should I put into the arm movements, (i.e., how much imagined resistance)?

    When doing the Three Circle Qigong I have a problem with the breathing. If I try to imagine sucking the energy up to the top of my head as you suggest, I find myself doing reverse breathing, sucking my stomach in on an in breath. Also I sometimes feel the need to take a deep breath and can not seem to get enough air just doing stomach breathing ,I feel I have to use my chest as well.

    I also experience a strange feeling which is hard to explain. It is as if I am divided straight down the middle and my left side is in the light and my right is in the dark. My right side also feels lower and heavier than my left. I have stood in front of a mirror to make sure that I am standing up straight, and I am. I also get a feeling in my head towards the back on my right side as if my brain is active. My left side feels relaxed almost as if it is not there, which is what I think I should be feeling all over. This might sound a bit loony but it is off putting and is preventing me from getting the full benefit of the Qigong.

    I would appreciate any tips or advice. Once again thank you very much. Steve. England.

 

Dear Steve,

Thank you.

 

The resistance is only imaginary and as such should only be that! Doing the arm movements slowly and in a state of 'sung' will add weight to your arms so that they feel like lead.

 

OK, do not imagine anything at all at this stage of 3 circle qigong. It is probably more important for you to simply not do ANYTHING during this Qigong. That way you can just do or (none do) the Qigong as it is supposed to be done using natural breathing. I think that you are probably putting physical expression into the imagination which is incorrect.

 

You feel like you cannot get enough air because a/ you have been breathing incorrectly probably from age 4! And b/ because there is tension in your body! When I first began Qigong, I was not told anything at all, just told to stand there in agony! I was left (first day) for 40 minutes, a quivering wreck at the end of it, could hardly walk down the stairs afterward. This is why it is done in this way as tension is muscle tension and if your muscles have gone, then you cannot have tension!

 

Actually, you are probably getting some of the more advanced benefits already as the right side SHOULD be Yang and the left YIN! But stick at it and just put in the hours and it will all balance out in the long run as it does with everyone if they stick at it!

 

Kind Regards

 

Erle. TOP

    

Dear Erle:  I don't know how to thank you enough, "MATE", if you allow me to use that term. I had my check up yesterday and NO MORE MEDICINE!!!  The Doctor was very proud of my weight loss, over 70 pounds and the Blood levels were great.  You put me on the correct path, however, I know the war is not won, and the battle must continue.  I think I have the diet and nutrition under control as far as understanding goes.  If you don't mind the future questions will be on Qigong and Tai Chi as I realize that is also the path to follow or as they say "The Way". Very sincerely yours, George

Dear George, well mate, that's great, congratulations. However, this is the danger period when others of a much less constitution than you would slip back into the old ways! So just be aware of this phenomenon. Kind Regards   Erle. TOP

 

also may I take advantage of your knowledge and ask what you know about EMPHYSEMA  best regards Jerry

6 

Hello, Erle -Some time ago, you advised me to swap from Yang Cheng-fu to Yang Lu-chan form, and kindly sent me a video to get me started - many thanks for this, as I'm really getting into it - can't seem to stop! For example, our lifts in work have mirrors all the way round down to waist height, and when I use them I practise the latest move and look to correct my posture etc! I haven't been caught yet. Anyway, on to the questions: 1) I'm still not sure I've grasped the concept of 'sung'. I remember practising pushing hands with my previous Sifu - his arms always seemed supernaturally massive (weighty) as though made of lead, yet this only seemed to be an impression, as I could hardly feel his touch. Do the arms become heavier with practice, and/or is this another chi manifestation? Is this part of being sung? I'm still not sure how to achieve this or how to train towards it. Can you advise? 
2) I suffer occasionally from bouts of depression - normally once a year at varying times, though some times I miss a year. This is quite debilitating and  have to take a couple of weeks off work before the prozac kicks in. I have seen your advice regarding depression in your Q+A pages - I was also interested in a dietary perspective here - anything I can eat regularly to help stop the problem in the first place, or alleviate the symptoms when they arrive? 
My best regards, Mark.

 

7 GOUT:

Dear Erle I have a friend (no really I do)! He suffers periodically with gout in his big toe which, being a surfer, is a major inconvenience. One of the guys who trains with Tony Court is an osteopath and reckons that fruit such as apples contain substances that can react badly in joints etc. My mate does not drink wine/port etc. to excess but does enjoy the odd lager (usually the 5th or 7th)! He's pretty fit but is not vegetarian. Any suggestions? Kind regards Pete:

9 USA: Question Taken out at request of sender. Only Answer left in as it is of interest.

10 

Sifu Montaigue,

Salutations!  And thanks for the knowledge you make available through your many videos. 

I have a question about the Taiji exercise called embracing the tree.  It's the one where a person stands in a qi-gong stance and holds the arms out in front of him or herself with the palms facing the body, as if your embracing something.  The breathing is of many types with the simplest being just deep abdominal breathing to centre the qi in the dantien.  Of course, you must remain physically still for the duration.

You have mentioned in your videos that there is a kidney point that is located on the ball of the foot, just in the centre of it.  You've said that if a person rests his weight onto that point for a prolonged period of time that he could become dizzy and loose his equilibrium.  But in the Taiji exercise, embracing the tree, which I've described, I was always taught to place my weight onto the balls of my feet while standing, and to not place the weight onto my heels.  I know that in your Bagua videos you have said to scrunch the toes under, as if to grip the ground with your feet!  So, I guess my question to you is as follows: Is it wrong to place the weight onto the balls of the feet when doing qi-gong?  I have actually become dizzy while doing it!  What's the correct way to distribute weight onto the feet while doing qi-gong?

Richie

11 

From: Stephen

To: <

Sent: Friday, 12 November 1999 10:14

Subject: Natural v Reverse Breathing

 

Hi, I have been interested in Tai Chi Ch'uan for several years now and I practice Chen Lo Jia and Yang forms. I am interested to learn more about the correct breathing for Tai Chi Ch'uan practice. I require clarification on "Natural breathing&Reverse breathing". Is it useful to practice both and in - which circumstance should one breath naturally and when should one use - reverse breathing &  why ?. My teacher has advised me to use Natural breath i.e. breath in & extend the belly then breath out & contract the belly,  however on many Tai Chi & Qigong sites & in books I read about Reverse breathing i.e breath in & contract the belly and then breath out and extend the belly. Thank you for any advice Stephen 

12 From Estonia: Can you please help with varicose veins. Thank you, Bart:

Varicose veins are a combination of blood stagnation or at least retardation and weakness of the Spleen Zhong Qi, this is upright Qi and holds things in place, Organs, veins, etc. You could use something like GuiZhiFuLingTang or ShaoFuZhuYuTang to move the blood stagnation first then consolidate the Spleen Qi with BuZhongYiQiTang. Probable a good idea to see a Chinese Medicine Doctor first to see there are no problems with using these formula's. BuZhongYiQiTang for instances should not be used during an external pathogenic invasion eg common cold etc.  Any of the QiGongs for the Spleen would help. Stork spreads wings, Waving hands in the clouds for instance.  Hope this is some help.   Wally Simpson: TOP

 

13 To: <taiji@moontagu.com
Sent: Friday, 28 January 2000 19:59
Subject: health/digestion


DEAR ERLE 
in order to treat weak digestion (spleen /pancreas) is it more advisable to  eat dry , warming foods rather than fruits , salads, and other raw foods which other resources say create damp and thus  weaken the spleen ? I am particularly fond of  your power breakfast and  have an appetite for apples yet at times I have become aware of physical weakness, aching limbs and am vulnerable to the cold, there is also the presence of loose stools. most of your previous advice/ resources indicates that fruit is the best cleanser and nurturer and that a raw diet is the best for the 'spirit'- i.e. foods that we were meant to eat. Bearing this in mind , and the need for balance within the body (ying /yang) ((warming foods balanced with cooling ones)) Is it more appropriate for me to treat weak digestion with warmer cooked foods ? What is it that is happening within the body for these weakening conditions to prevail ? Any recommendations gratefully received many thanks mark 

 

Dear Mark,
Thank you.
A weak spleen is quit often caused from malnutrition. Often when someone goes from eating junk processed food, to a raw diet, the  system had difficulty in coping with digesting it as it has become lazy from not having to work so hard in the past. So there is always a time of adjustment and tiredness etc., until your digestive system gets used to a more natural diet again. 
Raw is always better! However, if you are worried about dampness in the SP, then yes you should eat some 'warm' foods such as, Winter Squash, Carrots, Oats, Spelt, Parsnip, Turnip, Garbanzo beans, peas, sweet potato (never normal potato!), pumpkin. Onion, Leak, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, nutmeg. You have to distinguish between a watery stool and a loose stool as this indicates different deficiencies of sp. For you from what you have told me, I would suggest that you eat some of the cooked foods above, plus apples and the power breakfast. Many experience the loose stools as they change their diet. The condition is worse when you are also experiencing weakness of arm and leg! As the SP's Qi controls these areas. Kind Regards Erle. TOP

14  An Answer from Wally Simpson

Bells Palsy is due to a disruption of Qi and Blood and a general
malnourishment of the channels of the face most often caused by Wind
Cold penetration which disrupts the Zheng (upright) Qi and results in Qi
and blood not flowing through the facial region as well as it should.
Treatment principal is to eliminate wind from the channels, warm cold
and regulate the flow of Qi and Blood in the region. I most often do
this with Acupuncture and Moxibustion on the affected channels. This
gentleman would be much better to go see an Acupuncturist or Chinese
Herbalist for the best results. You can get very good results and in
most cases complete recovery with these mediums. Any of the points in
the affected region can be massaged plus Hegu Co 4, Baihui Du 20,
Taichong Liv 3, Taiyang (Extra pt in the temples, Renzhong Du 20,
Fengchi Gb 20, Fenglong St 40, Jingmen Bl 1, Zanzhu Bl 2,  and so on.
Can warm the regions and use Pts like St 40 Du 20, Bl 18, 17, 20, 23
with moxa. Need to be careful around the eyes and the face in general
with moxa but can still do face. Moxa is cheap and can be brought from
any Chinese medicine practioner. Need to keep warm and stay out of wind
and cold areas for some time. Hope this is of some help.
 best wishes  love and happiness   wally  TOP

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jeff

T

Sent: Tuesday, 15 February 2000 2:53

Subject: Fractured Scapula

 

15 Hi Erle, 

I've recently taken up Wing Chun and Qigong which I am enjoying immensely. Due to a great teacher. Unfortunately I broke my Scapula bone in my right hand (I'm right handed) during pad work. I have a cast on my arm from the base of my fingers to just above my elbow. So I can't touch the area from the outside. I'm told that in ten weeks if it hasn't repaired itself then they will consider surgery. Which I want to avoid at all costs.

What treatment can I apply to aid healing? What limitations would you suggest for exercise?

I would be very grateful for your advice.

Thank you.

Jeff

Dear Jeff,

Thank you. The scapular is just behind your shoulder!

However, as you have broken something in your hand, there is a Qigong method that will speed up the healing process.

You must perform the normal 3 circle standing Qigong method but with the palms facing downward.

If you do not know how to do this, leave me an address so that I can send  you that video title free of charge.

 

Kind Regards

 

Erle.

PS the best treatment is nothing, don't use the hand at all! And perhaps ask your instructor how to avoid breaks like that again! There are punching methods that use the physiology of the body to insure that you do not break bones when you punch! You should punch so that the pressure from the punches is paid out over the whole arm and not just on your wrist. When you punch, you should avoid punching your hand any more than 4 inches! It is the shock wave that causes the damage and not necessarily the distance you are able to push your fist. 

 TOP

16  

This one was addressed by Wally Simpson:

Dear Wally, I am a WTBA student training in Wales. After reading your excellent article in C+H . One query if I may quote "A large number of people in the 20 century, spend most of their lives in their head. They may visit their lower energy centres during sex or while eating, defecating or voiding. Even during sex quite a lot of people are in their heads" Please could you explain the above as I feel sometimes I remain in may head thus blocking sensations sometimes during sex. Also could you explain "while eating defecating or voiding"  How can I spend more time in my dantien? Any advice appreciated. Thank You, Mark.

Dear Mark,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the article, it was prompted by a lot of
clients and students asking me that question.
So when we eat, defecate (shit) or Void (Piss) we put our minds in
Dantian. We concentrate on at least starting the urine or faeces moving, then we might move back into the head with thoughts of what other activities we need to engage in later in the day or that night / next day etc. People with urinary difficulty or constipation might even spend their whole time while sitting on the toilet concentrating on what it is they are doing (Pissing or shitting), though often the reason they are constipated or have urinary difficulty is because they don't visit the lower Dantian at all. For most it is just an instant to get the ball rolling then read the paper / a mag etc or wander off into thoughts of past events or imagined futures. We need to feel our selves empting these waste (letting go) so that we don't create blockages. While eating we may spend some time in Dantian  as we savour and enjoy the substances we are devouring. Here there is no thought only being in the moment enjoying nourishing our bodies. This is not always the case as even at meal time we are busy talking, thinking about what needs to be done, what has happened or at least our perception of these things. We need to be empty at this time (mentally and in the Stomach) so we can take in and absorb nourishment in stead of filling our being with thoughts and other activities that consume our energy. During sex we might fantasize about things, people, situations etc. For males it is sometimes in order to prolong the experience and prevent ejaculation, perhaps for our benefit (where we have become to familiar with our lover / wife etc and she just doesn't get us off anymore) or perhaps to be sure our partner is satisfied. For females it might be for similar reasons or just to  promote orgasm. These are all important times in our life, we are nourishing our being and discarding wastes, both need as much attention as each other. Sex for me has always felt the best when I have been totality consumed by the act with no expectations or fears of failure or consequence. This as we grow older often becomes very hard to achieve as we tend to judge our present activity by our past experience. Look to very small children, they tend to live very much in the moment without judgement until we corrupt them with fears and expectations. 
There is no easy way to achieve this state of emptiness, visiting Dantian as many times as you can manage for as long as you can manage is the only way I know. The big thing is to give up attachments to expectations and desire. Hope this helps a little. Best wishes    Wally   TOP

17 The next Q&A came from a friend who has a congenital eye condition. He has been following our Qigong program and is taking acupuncture and is having some success. In addition, I advised him to do the following.

Dear Robert,
Mate, in order for Qi to do its stuff of healing the body, you must give it a chance! So if for instance you are not so young now and your Qi system is slowing down because of 'bad habits' such as eating the wrong things etc., then you need to give the Qi you have the best opportunity to work for you. 
So if you are using your power (Qi) for things like digestion all the time (as most westerners do) then the Qi never gets the chance to work properly in the self-healing area. And when this happens, the body goes into stress. And even when you do for instance meditation and think that you are not stressful, your body is still being stressed because it is not getting the Qi to heal itself. It's like running a car without oil, the engine goes into stress but you keep driving it because for the early parts, there are no signs of the stress until, BOOM, the results of stress are evident all of a sudden. 
Same with the body. So you have to give your body (eyes in your case) some much needed Qi. You are going half the way there by doing the Qigong and taking the acupuncture but all of the Qigong and acupuncture in the world will only take you that half way until you give that extra Qi a chance to work on something other than digestion. I had a dangerous eye condition where the blood vessels were breaking and causing scars at the back of my retina. Left unchecked, I would have been blind. Now, I only have ancient scar tissue and no new ones! 
So, I began eating less and fasting and eating what God meant for us to eat! In other words, I began putting the correct oil into the engine. And as we all know it's just as bad to put too much good oil into an engine as too little.
So, my advice to you is to do what you are doing, follow the Qigong tapes plus eat less and take at least a one day fast per week. We fast from Sunday evening through to Tuesday  morning. And quite often we will only eat fruit for the day, mainly apples. 
The eyes are connected to the Liver in Chinese Medicine, hence when we have some problem with the Liver, it shows up in the eyes. Apples clean the Liver as does fasting. Dandelion root also cleans the Liver. There is an old Chinese saying, "Fix the Liver, fix the eyes'. 

Kind Regards

Erle. TOP


18 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve"
To: <taiji@moontagu.com
Sent: Thursday, 16 March 2000 10:05
Subject: Qi or chi
Sifu Montaigue: I hope you don't mind answering a question or two. For the last few months I have bee studying old eight palm ba gua, and I have been doing the 24 form Yang style Tai chi set several times a day. It has really added a lot to my study of Shorin Ryu Karate to the point where I like the internal arts more and more. But, the last few times I did Tai Chi I concentrated on relaxing, and cantering my chi in the lower dan tien, I started feeling sick, or nauseous. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was noticeable. Is this normal? Also I don't mean to sound indelicate, but I have noticed more blood circulation, especially in one area. Can you offer any pointers on these phenomenon. I am about to start some standing post meditation, as well as ma bu. I really appreciate your time. You can email me at. signed Steve

Dear Steve, Please call me Erle! 
The 24 form is flawed! In fact ANY shortened form is flawed and should never have been invented! The reason that you are feeling ill when doing it 'properly' is that every movement is Taijiquan was designed to take the Qi around the body in a SET ORDER! That is, the order that it would normally route in a normal day. But when those who did not know started leaving out whole chunks and shortening it, they did not know that they were playing around with the Qi flow through the body. So now, the Qi has to jump all over the place rather than taking its normal route. These bad effects are only evident when you practice the form as it should have been practiced, with 'sung' or relaxation! If you do it at a very basic level and only physical, then it will not harm you, nor will it give you any benefit! It's only when you begin to practice correctly when doing the shortened forms that there is a problem! Hence your situation now. You must be doing something right! but please learn the correct full form! Stop practicing that short form now. 
With regard to Ma-bu, it is a hard Shaolin type of stance that is not good for Qi flow, only leg strength! I would not do it if you are at all interested in Qi flow and development etc. Do the 3 Circle Standing Qigong as that one is the mean between tension and sung, just enough heat to cause the qi to flow but not enough tension to cause it to be blocked!

Kind Regards

Erle.  TOP

19  From Wally Simpson, re., different meridian flows etc.

There are quite a few variations on the pathways of the meridians. Most of them are similar to the accepted TCM version of the JingLuo. The Nepalise, Tibetians, Indians and the acient Egyptians had there own versions of energy pathways and from my understanding even in China there are many variations. I don't know off the top of my head of any books or charts on the subject. What the Chinese call extra pts and the western medicine call trigger pts could well be associated with different meridians. The Koreans have a system that deals exclusive with the hands and feet to Rx disease. They also have a form of Lymph Acupuncture where very small needles are placed in the lymph nodes of the neck. There is also a scalp, face, hand and foot treatment protocol in China. You need to keep in mind that the Channels and collaterals are not thin lines of energy that disect the body but overlapping regions of energy flow or at least potential flow that surposedly cover the whole body. Understanding the potential interaction of these mai allows us to treat most things with some degree of success.
I'm not a lot of help with this one I'm sorry, I find working with the Mai I know is very effective with nerve damage especially when coupled with Chinese Herbs. TOP

20: ----- Original Message -----
From: Ben
To: <
Sent: Friday, 21 April 2000 7:27
Subject: Re: Yang Qi to head?


Thanks Erle.  I'd like to ask a qigong question if I may. Have you ever heard of hair loss caused by raising yang qi to the head and not drawing it back down? 
Thanks for your time.

Dear Ben,
Thank you. Raising too much Yang Qi to the head causes all kinds of problems. Hair  loss is only a small part of it! This often happens when we perform Qigong incorrectly placing the weight onto the balls of the feet and not on the heels! You should never force Qi  into  your head it will not only make you lose your hair but also give you sunstroke! 
Kind Regards

Erle
PS the antidote for this is to press down hard onto GB21 points on the shoulders then rub then off each shoulder violently. TOP

21: First: Neil Marsh

Country: New Zealand

Subject: Web Site

Comments: What can I say. I have just returned from a 24 hour non stop flight from the UK following your brilliant Anti jet lag notes. I have never felt this good! They seem to have completely eliminated any ill effects. Not that I ever doubted it! As a student of Annie Blackman here in NZ I have been a guinea pig at a few of your workshops, but hey, thanks a lot Erle.

Colon squats, vegetables and Qigong walking .....Respect,

Neil Marsh   TOP

22: The following is from a good friend in the USA, Michael Kelly who has a book coming out called ‘Dim-Mak: The Science Behind the Legend”.

Hi Erle,
Oh by the way, I just finished watching dim mak intricacies #5. I was blown away. I learned so much.
In your video, you demonstrate pressing stomach 11 before striking the bladder points for the heart revival. I was amazed because according to my research, stimulation of the vagus nerve is protective against a cardiac arrhythmia and striking the bladder points relating to the heart has the potential to cause a sympathetically induced arrhythmia. Thus, by stimulating the vagus nerve first, the heart is actually protected against a sympathetic nervous system induced arrhythmia, which can be caused by striking the bladder points too hard. I thought that you would find this bit of information interesting. If you already knew this, then I apologize for the redundancy. The more that I learn, the more amazed I am at the effectiveness of dim mak, its revival, and your teachings.
Erle, I believe that you have done a great deal for the martial arts. As you know, there are others who have been teaching the points and how to strike them, but everything that you teach can be backed up by medical science. In addition, you address the issue of safety, which seems to have been forgotten by so many. Thank you again for all of you help and teaching. Your friend, Michael. TOP

23  
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bernard " 
To: <info@taijiworld.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 5:44 AM
Subject: qigong progress


Dear Erle,

How are you?  Anyway, I got a question concerning my 3 circle qigong practice.  I was wondering if I might be doing something wrong. I've been pracicing for about  3 years now, though I must admit I wasn't all that consistent in the past.  In recent weeks however I have been consistent with my practice.  I practice everyday for about 20 minutes with the 3 circle qigong.  Initially I would feel the shakes in my legs and towards the end of the session I would be perspire profusely, and I normally don't sweat much even after a hard workout. In my gung fu class, my classmates' shirts are usually soaked, but mine's is nowhere near as soak as theirs. The past few days, however, the shakes is still present but faint.  As for sweating, there is only a thin film of sweat on my forehead but I'm relatively dry compared to past sessions.  I do still feel the warmth especially in the arms and spinal area.  I'm pretty sure my posture is right and the amount of my 'mindclutter' is still the same as usually. Though I could be wrong. Anyway I was just wondering if I may be doing something wrong.  Kind regards, Bernard 

Dear Bernard,
Thank you. This is quite common and a good thing as it means that your
internal Qi is getting there!
This is the danger period as many think that it is no longer working! But it
is. Look at it this way, When you sleep on your arm, you cannot feel
anything in the morning. But when the blood begins to fill the arm again,
you fell the blood in the form of tingling. But after a while the tingling
goes away. but the blood is still flowing of course. It's the same with
Qigong. When you first begin, you feel all kinds of things but as you get
used to it, those sensations become less and less but it does not mean that
less is happening!
If you are at all worried about your posture, just send me a video tape of
yourself doing Qigong for about 10 minutes as I also need to see it when it
has been on for a while, and I will gladly correct it for you.

Kind Regards

Erle. TOP

24 

25: 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark" 
To: <
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 11:58 PM
Subject: Fwd: Re: blood sugar

dear Erle , thanks for previous advice ,, i made it to Wednesday  on fruit , mainly apples , and yes, fruit surely works wonders especially apples my favorites being the green granny smith variety ! i have met no other food which seems to offer so much. however due to previous conditioning , and good old fashion variety ,, after 3 days of becoming more like the person i remember , i  resorted back to simple smaller meals of other whole foods . within 2hours of my dinner ... WHAM !... im having another hypo .. aware that this is not going to go away overnight i would like to  ask, in your opinion how long you would suggest me stay on this fruit/apple diet . 
other references you have made suggest that the apple is the only food we humans can live on forever is this really possible ? how should i go about introducing other foods at the appropriate time ? in your experience with diabetes /blood sugar problems what is happening internally within me ? thank you in advance mark. 

Dear Mark,
Thank you. That is good news mate.

I eat only fruit plus my 'power breakfast' less the oats now. So you can
stay on only fruit forever! I will also take a green salad sometimes in the
evening at around 4.30 as my last meal for the day.
Yes, you can live on apples just as long as you also eat the seeds. However,
the seeds taste like shit, so I substitute those for flax seeds in the
mornings to get my daily e.f.a's.

You should NEVER eat things like bread (ANY BREAD), sugar of course,
potatoes, and other root vegetables.

What is happening is that you, like so many of we westerners, have abused
our organs by over-feeding them causing them to work too hard, thus either
coming to the end of their lives pre-maturely, or simply no longer bothering
to work.

If it is the case of your body becoming immune to your own insulin, you can
fix that problem by doing what you have been doing with the fruit and other
fasting which gives the body a chance to recover. THis takes time though,
like a few years! If your pancreas has simply come to the end of its life,
then you can do nothing except eat those foods that do not increase your BSL
too much, like apricots and other foods that are low on the glycaemic index.

It's a hard road for us especially when we are so used to that high carb
food hit! But it is the only way.

Kind Regards

Erle. TOP

26: 

TOP

27: Dear, Master Montaigue My wife has ulcerative colitis but now her doctor's say's she has to take steroid's to cure it. but using steroids are not   good for you because of the problems they cause after use! I ask  you is their another way bedside's taking    steroids. could she take some herbs or a antidote that you or a herb shop can offer with     hopeful findings, 

There are many chinese herb formulas which could help with
this. What is really needed to prescribe a formula is a detailed sign
and symptom analisis. Formulas like Xiao Yao San or Jia Wei Xiao San for
instance harmonise the Liver and Spleen, the difference is one takes
heat out the other dose not. This problem is most often a case of Liver
Spleen disharmony, though it can involve other things. Hence the need
for a analsis of Signs and symptoms. I would be happy to look at this
ladys signs and symptoms and make a suggestion for a herb formula,
though she would probable be better to go and see a Chinese Herbalist in
her area. The things that would be asked are -- what is her stool like,
is there blood in it or mucous? Dose she get loose stool or
constipation? Dose she get irritability, depression, headache, flushing
sensations? Is there any abdominal pain or distension either of the
abdomen or under the ribs? Is her stool explosive and very smelly or
just formed but just loose? Dose she have any irregularities with her
period, such as premenstrual breast tenderness or swelling, fluid
retention, irregular times fro period, etc? Is she a light sleeper or
have difficulty in any way with sleep? Dose she have a small or large
appetite? Dose she get headaches and if so where dose she feel them?
Then there is her tongue and pulse to consider. So as you can see from
the questions we need to go into quite some detail.  Wally. TOP

28: Hi Erle -

I hope you don't mind, I have a healing question for you.  On Saturday, I
injured my left foot (I struck a hard object - I think a pipe).  Sunday
morning, it felt like my middle toe was broken (but it was just soft tissue
trauma -and the entire area around the toe was swollen and red).  After
using acupuncture on it, I decided to attempt a "Ch'i Healing" movement
(which I have had no prior experience in).  I concentrated on the lower
heaters, and moved extra Ch'i (I think) down both legs.  I say I "think"
this happened, because I don't have enough experience in attempting this to
know for sure.  My legs felt all tingly and warm as the Ch'i moved down, and
it took me a while to get the Chi past my knees.  But finally, after about
an hour of concentrating, I could feel the internal pushing of he Ch'i on
the soles of my feet, each time I exhaled.  The Ch'i movement wore me out,
and I immediately fell to sleep right after that.  The next morning, the toe
was 100% OK (the redness and swelling was gone) - but it had moved up 6
inches to my ankle!  Now the top of my foot, right at the ankle crease was
red and swollen!  So Monday night, I attempted to push healing Ch'i down
again.  Same effects as the night before, but when I woke up Tuesday
morning, the injury have moved AGAIN... this time to the base of the
Achilles Tendon! The top of the foot was fine, all swelling gone, etc!

Does the above sound right to you?  Am I starting to experience Ch'i healing
movement / control, or is this something else?  The thing that blew my mind
was the area of the injury moved... twice!  Is there something I need to do
to learn how to manifest and control this better?

As always, all the best to you and your family.

Your friend and student,

R.

Dear R,
The Classics tell us that where the mind goes, so too does the blood and
then the Qi.
So the tingling sensation is usually the blood moving through that area
flushing it out quicker than what normally happens. You can also do this
using a cold object on the part for 20 minutes (precisely) then allow it to
warm up, then repeat it several times but is time consuming. Then the Qi
enters the area to heal the tissue etc.
So indeed what you experienced IS Qi healing of yourself. You have entered
the first door of moving the Qi consciously! This is a good thing.
You have to realize that minute gate between conscious  thought and
sub-conscious thought, it's there in every move we make in the Taijiquan
forms, it's the empty part and as we are told, it is the 'empty' that is
most important.
We automatically learn to do this during Taijiquan training. You firstly
find the 'empty' physically, then it manifests internally and you can
actually feel 'nothing'. I cannot explain that feeling because it is 'empty'
but it is a wonderful feeling. And when you can get it consciously, this is
when you are well on the way to controlling your Qi transference into other
people as well, or along wooden and metal objects etc, as in the weapons
forms.
You concentrated upon it so much that during a brief (1/1000 of a second)
moment of relapse, you had empty spots when the Qi could burst into that
area. This is quite normal and is indeed the way of Taijiquan healing.
Everything we do is based upon a sine wave, the Qi, our breathing and our
blood flow. And all have that moment when the flow is neither yin or yang.
This is the time when there is the most Qi activity. And this is inherent in
the Taijiquan form, it is one of the most important lessons that I teach to
my students, to be able to recognize this time firstly, then to hold that
period of time to lengthen the 'empty' period. It is in our self-defence
when we attack someone during that 'empty' period as this is when they are
un-protected. However, our own ability is at it highest when we are in that
'empty' state for the healing and medical arts.

Kind Regards

Erle. TOP

29: 

First Barry England

Comments Just a quick nit-picking comment about an article of yours - and this only because I'm bored at work late in the evening. Both dolphins and bonobo chimps (1 of our closest relatives) have sex for pleasure.

Besides that, I have very recently started going to a Tai Chi class, and so have found your web-site really interesting and accessible. Cheers mate.

Dear Barry,

Thanks mate, nice to hear from you.

I always write from my own experiences and that of others etc., combined with my Chinese medicine knowledge which states that we should only do it twice in summer and once in winter! It takes around 4 to 5 days to completely recover from an ejaculation once we are over 40 or thereabouts! I would not think that dolphins or monkeys have sex that often as monkeys cannot swim that well!! -)

Kind Regards Erle. PS, having sex is not necessarily ejaculation! And I would like to know what dolphin or monkey told some scientist about this? TOP

30:  ----- Original Message -----
From: "Bevan: USA
To: <montaigue@ozemail.com.au
Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2001 2:59 AM
Subject: Sex, Qigong, and Kidney Jing

 Greetings Mr. Montaigue!
 Considering your expertise and extensive training with the Wudang Shan Group, I would appreciate your feedback in regards to sexual activity in relation to performing Qigong, and preserving our Jing (e.g., sexual intercourse & masturbation frequency, how long after sex to do qigong, replenishing our kidney jing after too much sex, etc.). Thank you Sir! Good day to you.
 

Dear Kevin,
I believe that I have an article on my site about exactly that subject! However, there is an old Chinese saying. "once in Winter, Twice in Summer' It means for ejaculation, not for sex! Sex is great for your body (kidneys and liver etc.) However, ejaculation not only damages your body physically, but also mentally and reduces your REAL power mentally, the internal power that we use to cause things to happen! I have experimented with this. See my books (Free to download) Internal Gung-fu Vols 1 & 2. However, when you a re younger, you have much Yang Qi so it is not so much of a problem. However, even when younger one should limit the amount of ejaculation as too much tends to give you the condition of Diabetes when older! Kind regards Erle.
TOP

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