Author Archives: Lok-Kwan

About Lok-Kwan

Lok-Kwan is a Licensed Acupuncturist in the state of Illinois. He is a board-certified acupuncturist and herbalist. He sees patients and teaches qigong in Chicago and Wilmette.

Stone Medicine Along the North Rim

Kaibab, Toroweap, Coconino, Hermit Shale, Supai, the top five layers of rock formations created over 500 million years are readily visible at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Look around and you see the same layers in mountains near … Continue reading

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Heaven Above, Earth Below

How is the story of Pangu 盤古 separating the yang from the yin to create heaven and earth important? Humans, unlike most animals,  are blessed with a vertically oriented spine, rooted in earth, but reaching up to heaven. In establishing order, … Continue reading

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Pangu 盤古 Created the World

Pangu 盤古 was the first being born out of formless chaos. For 18,000 years Pangu grew in a cosmic egg, working ceaselessly to create order by separating the clear yang from the turbid yin. The clear became the egg white, the … Continue reading

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Time & Timing in Acupuncture: Zi Wu Liu Zhu Fa 子午流注法

Zi Wu Liu Zhu Fa 子午流注法 is a method of prescribing and needling the five Shu points based on the date and time of treatment. Some of the ideas involved are well-known: for instance, the circadian flow of qi and … Continue reading

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The Five Changes 五變 and the Five Shu Points 五輸

Ling Shu Ch. 44 黃帝曰:願聞五變。歧伯曰:肝為牡藏,其色青,其時春,其音角,其味酸,其日甲乙;心為牡藏,其色赤,其時夏,其日丙丁,其音徵,其味苦;脾為牝藏,其色黃,其時長夏,其日戊己,其音宮,其味甘;肺為牝藏,其色白,其音商,其時?,其日庚辛,其味辛;腎為牝藏,其色黑,其時冬,其日壬癸,其音羽,其味鹹。是為五變。 Huang Di: I would like to learn about the five changes. Qi Bo: Pathological changes may occur in in the organ, and in color, time, tone, and flavor. The Liver is yang in nature. Its … Continue reading

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Six Sounds

Liver   xū 嘘   xu Heart   hē 呵   he Spleen & Pancreas   hū 呼   hu Lung   sī 嘶   si Kidney  chuī 吹   chui Triple Burner   xī 嘻   xi Share this:ShareSharePrintEmailStumbleUponRedditDigg

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Iron Crotch Qigong 鐵襠功 7

鐵襠功  tiě dāng gōng Iron Crotch Qigong strengthens kidney function, boosts yang energy, nourishes essence, and benefits the constitution. It can help with erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, male infertility, and aging. Raising and lowering the testicles: Sit comfortably and relax the whole … Continue reading

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‘Obtaining the qi’ 得氣 and ‘Arrival of the qi’ 氣至

Two Chinese terms are involved here: 得氣 ’de qi‘, obtaining the qi, and 氣至 ’qi zhi‘, arrival of the qi. In current Chinese TCM practice, no differentiation is made between the two. ‘De qi‘ is generally regarded as essential to effective acupuncture. Qi is … Continue reading

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How long do the needles stay in?

Ling Shu Ch 15 delineates the warp and woof of heaven, earth, and humanity: The 28 constellations correspond to the 28 primary meridians. The total length of the 28 meridians is 1,620 cun. Ying qi travels 6 cun in the meridians … Continue reading

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Dietary Prohibitions

Continuing translation of chapter 24 of Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (Jin gui yao lue) by Zhang Zhong-Jing, a 1,700 year old text. Liver organ meat, especially if it’s from an animal that died on it’s own, should not be eaten … Continue reading

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