Meridian Therapy

Meridian Therapy greatly benefits a person's well being by keeping the meridians balanced. The procedure for meridian therapy becomes so simple with the use of the Multifunctional Headcare Apparatus of Tiens that has cogs with smooth ends that will not cause scratches on the skin.  The gadget is simply scanned or combed along the direction of the meridian from a starting point, as shown by the photos below:

There are 3 meridians shown on the photo at the left. The HEART meridian, the CONCEPTION meridian at the middle of the trunk, and the LUNG meridian. Scanning the comb gadget on the paler or lighter side or YIN side of the arm will touch two meridians, the HEART and the LUNG at the same time. Scanning or combing lightly should begin at the starting point of the meridian.  

On the YANG or outer or darker side of the arm are another two meridians, the LARGE INTESTINE and the ENDOCRINE GLANDS meridians. The starting points of these two meridians are found on the fingers, upwards.

Therefore, the comb may be scanned upward on the darker side then flip the arm and continue scanning downward on the lighter side. It is assumed that a person has no fever when this is done and the objective of the therapy is simply to keep the meridians normal or balanced.

The same procedure goes for meridians that run on a person's legs like the SPLEEN and LIVER meridians that start from the foot. The STOMACH, GALL BLADDER and BLADDER or Urinary Bladder on the other hand, start from points near the eyes, upward to the head then downward to the foot. In this case, combing or scanning may be divided in two or even 3 sections of the body, for example the head, trunk and legs.

Improving the Liver's Functions

A lot had been said about taking care of the liver and this post hopes to add more options to choose from.  I can guess that one of the best options is drinking a delicious juice that can improve the function of the liver. 

Wash, slice, then juice the following preferably using a slow juicer:  one apple, one medium sugar beet and one stalk of celery.  Drink  the juice immediately to avoid oxidation of the nutrients  Drinking this regularly cleanses the liver, improving its function.  

Another way to cleanse the liver is the TCM way of stimulating the acupoints of the liver found on the foot as shown on the photo.  This can be done by soaking the feet in the following boiled mixture:

1.  Sliced ginger (without peeling).
2.  Used tea bag of Tianshi Lipid Metabolic Management Tea (drinking two cups of this tea twice a day is also very good for the liver and the heart).
3,  Two or more liters of water, enough to soak the feet so that all acupoints are soaked (see photo).

Test if your feet can withstand the heat before soaking the feet, but the hotter the better.  Soak until the heat is gone.  You should feel the heat going up your body.

A traditional way of stimulating the acupoints of the liver to improve its functions is through acupuncture or acupressure.  There is now a modern way, through electro-acupuncture using state-of-the-art gadgets like the one from Tiens called Acupoints Treasure Multifunctional Apparatus.

Lastly, emotions greatly affect the organs of the body, each kind of emotion affecting each vital organ. The emotion affecting the liver is anger so people should not allow anger to linger in them. Lingering anger is usually the root cause of cancer because of the hormones secreted by anger which stimulates the growth of cancer cells.

Electroacupuncture to stop smoking

A lot of studies on the effectiveness of electroacupuncture have been published and we're lucky that a high-quality gadget in this category is already available. This gadget is the Tiens Acupoint Treasure Multifunctional Apparatus which uses electroacupuncture pulse technology.

One of the most common concern that will highly benefit by using this apparatus is in quitting smoking.  By using the Tiens Acupoints Treasure Multifunctional Apparatus regularly on an acupoint called "Tim Mee", and every time there is a craving to smoke,  a smoker will soon stop smoking.

"Tim Mee" is approximately one inch on top of the base of the "hole" formed near your wrist in line with the thumb, when you spread your thumb away from the other fingers. To those who are familiar with acupoints, "Tim Mee" is between the "hole" mentioned earlier and LU7 acupoint which is at the tip of the index finger of the other hand when base of two thumbs are crossed against each other in between the thumb and index finger.



Please watch the video to help you locate it. and use the Tiens Acupoint Treasure Multifunctional Apparatus which is much easier to use.

A delicious milkshake!

A combination of fruits and/or vegetables always makes a great recipe.  A milkshake that proved delicious was one that the class of my special child made and liked so much at Resources for the Blind and it was a mixture of bananas, mangoes and apples.  I experimented on that combination with a revision of the proportion of fruits and added a fruit that really made it the most delicious milkshake I've ever tasted, and that is kiwi.

Here's the proportion that I used:

2 bananas

1 mango

1 big apple

1 big kiwi

1/4 cup sugar

Around 150 ml. of milk (I used small tetrapacks so I can switch to low fat milk for me and my husband)

Procedure: 

Peel, slice and blend the above ingredients in a blender until smooth (that will take less than a half minute), transfer in a bowl then set aside.  Crush the ice small enough to be blended till fine or if you're using an ice crusher or something like a Matstone juicer that has an ice shaver like the one I used, you can use tube ice.

Pour a glass of shaved ice on the blender and add one cup of the blended fruit mixture in the blender and blend for 10 seconds. More milk may be added for the children before blending.  That can be good for 2 persons. I think I was able to produce 6 glasses all in all.

Taking care of the Gallbladder

I found a simple article in the internet about taking care of the gallbladder, but I had to edit it not only to shorten it but to make it fit to the lifestyle of Filipinos who are workaholics and wouldn't usually notice the time.  I therefore prioritized the hows of taking care of the gallbladder according to the lifestyle I just mentioned:

1.  Know What Time It Is

In TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine, every organ is seen to have 2 hours out of every 12 where its Qi is at its peak. The time when the Gallbladder’s energy is its most abundant is between 11pm-1am. During these 2 hours, it is helpful if you can refrain from drinking alcohol or other intoxicants, as they place unnecessary stress on the Gallbladder. It also helps the Gallbladder if you can rest the body as much as possible in these 2 hours.

2.  Avoid Greasy, Fatty, Rich or Spicy Foods

Sharp abdominal pains after eating these types of foods points to Gallbladder stones and other problems. Because the Gallbladder is responsible for releasing bile which helps break down fats, you want to keep intake of these foods to a minimum and not overload your Gallbladder.

3.  Express Emotions Freely

This may be easier said than done, but any stagnation or blockage in TCM is what causes disease and pain. This includes emotions, so it is important to have a healthy emotional life, and always try to express what you are feeling instead of allowing it to build up. Emotions specific to Gallbladder are anger (frustration, resentment, etc..) associated with its partner, the Liver. Emotional changes such as depression (which is considered anger turned inward) can also point to a Gallbladder imbalance.

4. Eat Foods that are beneficial to the Gallbladder

• Broccoli
• Rocket
• Beetroot
• Oranges
• Jasmine tea
• Green tea
• Radishes
• Basil
• Garlic
• Cayenne (eat moderately)
• Dill
• Chive
• Cardamom
• Lemon
• Dandelion root
• Licorice root
• Cumquat
• Grapefruit
• Kale
• Carrot
• Celery
• Peppermint tea
• Chrysanthemum tea
• Tea with orange peel

5. Exercise and Keep Moving

The Gallbladder meridian runs bilaterally along the body starting at the outside corner of the eye (at the end of the eyebrow) and runs along the side of the body, ending at the corner of the nail bed of the 4th toe. Therefore, any exercise that stimulates the sides of the body are beneficial for the flow of Qi and to help remove any blockages in the Gallbladder  organ and meridian. Side stretches are ideal. There are many Chinese internal as well as external martial arts that are excellent for mind, body and spirit. Tai Chi and Qi Gong are 2 examples of internal martial arts that are beneficial for moving Qi in all of the meridians, as well as strengthening the body and the mind. Movement is the most important aspect for keeping your Qi from stagnating, so even by just walking the Qi will keep moving.

6. Avoid foods that hurt the Gallbladder

• Deep fried food – (Greasy)
• Alcohol – (Damp)
• Spicy foods (may be eaten in moderation)
• Hot foods like lamb and beef
• Lamb
• Beef
• Curry

It is also beneficial to cleanse these organs by drinking lots of water and eating things like fresh greens to nourish the Gallbladder and Liver.

If you are experiencing any Gallbladder symptoms, or have been told by your doctor that you should consider surgery, explore the non surgical options to rebalance your body and heal your Gallbladder.

The wonderful thing about TCM is that it was developed to be a system that focuses on prevention. That is why, it is not only the oldest medical system on earth, but it teaches an entire way of life, teaching how to live in harmony with nature, eating with the seasons, moderation in work and play, exercise and emotional wellness. By practicing these basic principles, the Chinese believe that you can maintain optimum health so that illness never has a chance to develop.

What is CRM?

In a retail store, customers come and go. The store owner recognizes an old customer by seeing a familiar face, but never knowing any other information about that customer, not even his name. That scenario should be in the past, no longer at present.

Today, an application on managing information about customers can be found from different developers around the world. This application is called CRM or Customer Relationship Management. Here is a definition of CRM that I found in Webopedia:

"CRM entails all aspects of interaction that a company has with its customer, whether it is sales or service-related. While the phrase customer relationship management is most commonly used to describe a business-customer relationship, CRM systems are used in the same way to manage business contacts, clients, contract wins and sales leads."

Leads originate from several sources like seminars, trade shows, or even a simple chat in Facebook or other social networking sites. It would be good to record not only the information about a lead but also the source for statistical analysis later.

When a negotiation with a lead is made, such as sending a quotation to a lead, the lead should be converted to an account if it is a company, or a contact if it is a person. This conversion process can be automated by a CRM application. The nature of the negotiation made with the account or contact, like the quotation sent, should be recorded as a “Potential”.

As long as a “Potential” is not categorized as a “closed sale”, the expected revenue is not final and the “Potential” will be in the “Pipeline”. A good CRM application can show these types of transactions so that they can be monitored and followed-up.

The essence of a CRM I believe, is not only knowing what a customer will need based on information that was recorded about him, but also making each time spent on a customer valuable and can be a possible source of a potential revenue or customer experience.

Russian Salad

I think I have to say "time out!" from SOME on the list of my cancer prevention regimen, since I have an obligation to fulfill especially to the Diaz side members of my clan, which is to serve the traditional dishes of the clan. I had to temporarily remove the traditional desserts that take long to cook because of the high electricity rate, so I was left with just one traditional dish: Russian Salad.

The recipe was passed by my mother to me, so we assumed it was passed by her mother, the late Remedios Diaz-Balolong. In 1993, I saw an article in Sunday Times Magazine authored by a culinary expert, Benjie Diaz (the sister of Gloria Diaz and Mom's cousin), featuring some dishes for Christmas with recipes, and I was amused to see it included some of our traditional dishes like ham and Russian salad. I didn't bother though to check what ingredients were used in her recipes.

This is the version of my recipe with slight change from the original...

Boil the following until soft enough to be pricked with fork, cool then peel and cube:
1 kilo potatoes
1/2 kilo carrots
1 medium sized sugar beet
100 grams kidney beans (Baguio beans)
150 grams green cabbage
150 grams red cabbage
1 small breast of chicken, boil separately with salt, flake after cubing, removing any bone that may be present

Chop the following:
One small red onion
One small yellow onion
1-2 stalks celery

Mix all the above in a large bowl and add the following:
2/3 to 3/4 of the contents of a 700 ml. Miracle Whip (80% less fat)
2 tsps. pickle relish
1 can medium sized drained pineapple tidbits
3 juiced calamansi (remove the seeds), this serves as preservative
1/2 tbsp. salt

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients and get a portion on a saucer and taste whatever is lacking. Add salt only if lack of it is significant, or mix some more. The taste can change after a while, when the ingredients react with each other. Chill before serving and don't use a bowl that is too large for serving so that a fresh batch from the ref is always served.

This should be yummy! Serves 10-15 people.

Tiens Herbal Toothpaste

This is another amazing product that I should have shared a long time ago in this blog, but I didn't perhaps because I was ashamed to describe how I was helped by this product. The first time I was helped by Tiens Herbal Toothpaste was when I had a "blister" inside my mouth, more known as "singaw" in Tagalog. It was the first time my "singaw" was cured in just one day, by just brushing my teeth in the morning and evening as usual!

The second time this product helped me, I had a pimple on my face, and usually, I can't stand a pimple and would squeeze it. Instead, I applied this Tiens Herbal Toothpaste on my pimple and the next day it dried up and what could be seen was just a dot of the dried-up pimple. Looking at its ingredients, it has Tea Tree Oil, Red Algae and Wild Chrysanthemum among others. When I "googled" these three herbal ingredients, I was amazed by their benefits and understood why my pimple easily dried-up. I read that Tea Tree Oil is used to treat acne, boils and burns. I used to bake a lot in the past, one reason why the Tiens Herbal Toothpaste was an indispensable product in our house. I can't remember how many burns on my arms I've treated with the Tiens Herbal toothpaste, they were many for sure but I can't find a single scar of any burn now.

I was astonished to learn that Red Algae can control the growth of Candida Albicans and Herpes Simplex, and heal skin irritations. No wonder why some use the Tiens Herbal toothpaste on their private parts, LOL! In my case, it cured my persistent skin irritation that was very uncomfortable because it was on the inside of my thighs. I was ashamed to tell my story because during that time I had fat thighs that would easily perspire during the hot season. I'm slimmer now, so it's the best time to tell this story, haha.

What about the Wild Chrysanthemum? I just read that it can be used for toxic carbuncles, furuncles and other external applications. Wow, that means that no matter how big the acne is, the Tiens Herbal Toothpaste can help in its treatment. Wild chrysanthemum is also used to treat gingivitis or stomatitis, a good news especially to the elderly suffering from gingivitis. My late mother-in-law was so thankful that this toothpaste cured her gingivitis.

My special child's halitosis had been a "mystery" for many months, we thought it was normal since it was her age to have tooth decays and time for her temporary teeth to be replaced. But my sister who is a dentist said she couldn't say if it was caused by the tooth decays so my husband decided to just use the Tiens Herbal Toothpaste for this child. After just a few days, it was like magic that our special child's halitosis was suddenly gone. I also found out that she didn't really have significant tooth decays. Perhaps what my special child had was periodontal disease.

It goes without saying that the Tiens Herbal Toothpaste has been a big part of a comfortable life at home for us. Thank you Tiens Biotech Group, for a wonderful product!

Quick Gindara Steak

I just learned that Gindara takes time to absorb marinades so an overnight marinating is usually required for this fish. But all I had inside the ref was the gindara slices and I've planned to try to make steaks out of them so I started to experiment, and it was quicker than I thought.

Here's the instant recipe:

1 tsp. sesame oil for every one tbsp. of light soy sauce for "instant marinating" (good for 5 to 6 gindara slices)
2 cloves garlic for every slice of gindara, chopped
1 tsp. oyster sauce per side of gindara slice
Salt and pepper

After the gindara slices are completely thawed, lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of the gindara slices. In a pan using low heat, pour one tsp. of sesame oil and 1 tbsp. of light soy sauce, and add the gindara slice. Simmer for 30 seconds per side without increasing the heat. This process takes the place of marinating the fish and precooking it. Set aside the simmered slice. Repeat for the remaining gindara slices.

Saute the chopped garlic using the remaining oil on the pan (this will include the oil extracted from the gindara while simmering), for about one minute, no need to brown, and retain the same low heat. Set aside the cooked garlic.

Without removing the oil left on the pan, pour one tsp. of oyster sauce on the pan and simmer each side of the gindara slice again for 30 to 45 seconds (spread 1 tsp of oyster sauce on the exposed side of the slice while cooking the other side). Turn over and while the other side is cooking, top the cooked exposed side with cooked garlic. Place on a platter and serve.

Note: The regular soy sauce is saltier than the light soy sauce so it is not advisable to use it as substitute. DP (Datu Puti) Premium Lite Soy Sauce is usually available in the Philippine supermarkets.

"Pinakbet" without meat

"Pinakbet" is a favorite dish of the Ilocanos of the Philippines, but is usually cooked with "bagnet" a deep-fried part of pork. For those who are health conscious however, they would omit the meat, but what an expensive omission because "bagnet" is expensive. So why not just omit the meat in the recipe? That's what I did, and here's my recipe, based on the photo shown:

1 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 small red onion
6 large or 10 medium ripe tomatoes
2 tbsps. mackerel sauce ("Bagoong Balayan")
1 cup of sliced squash, around 1/4 inch thick
1 medium sized eggpplant, sliced as big as the thumb
2 medium sized organic bitter gourd (like the smaller one in the photo or just one bigger size), sliced as big as the thumb



Slice the garlic, onion and tomatoes for sauteing. Use low heat (400 W) which will take a little longer to saute if you're using olive oil for a healthier option, and use the same heat throughout your cooking.

Saute the garlic, followed by onions and then the tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce of the tomatoes come out. Transfer to a pot with cover then add the "Bagoong Balayan". Add the squash, cook for a few minutes then add the bitter gourd (ampalaya). Simmer for a few minutes then shake the covered pot up and down with your thumbs pressing tightly on the cover to avoid spilling of the contents. Simmer for a few more minutes then add the eggplant and simmer for another few minutes. You may shake the pot again or if the bitter gourd is almost cooked, just mix with a spoon to at least half cook the eggplant. Remove from heat and leave the pot covered to completely cook the eggplant if preferred that way.

Anti-pyretic fruit juice

I am down with flu and this reminds me to make an anti-pyretic juice which is so simple using a juicer. Just with one whole apple and one whole pear and you have a juice that will vanish your fever. Always drink the juice right after preparing it. Refrigeration will only reduce the nutrients of the juice due to oxidation. Using a slow juicer will also prevent oxidation of nutrients.

Versatile Vege-wash

I've wanted to talk about this versatile product a long time ago, but doing it now could be the best time since we've been using this product for a long time already. I'm talking about the Natura Vege-wash of Tiens. We have recommended this product to friends and relatives because it does more than just washing vegetables.

We also use this mild Natura Vege-wash to shampoo our hair, and I highly recommend this to people who are prohibited to use products with chemicals, or those afflicted with cancer. For the bottles of infants that are made of plastic, washing with this Natura Vege-wash can be done instead of sterilizing in boiling water which can only destroy the plastic.

With the lifestyle change I have just started, this Natura Vege-wash will be an indispensible part of the change. I have to ensure that the vegetables I am juicing are free from pesticides so I soak fruits and vegetables for 15 minutes before juicing. The used water with vege-wash may be used as fertilizer for the plants, but don't include plants that are already flowering or you might create a mutant like I accidentally did last year with my morgana plant, though its blooming flower became a very beautiful mutant flower! (The second photo shows the mutant flower, its flowerets were doubled!).

Convincing people to eat the right foods

Convincing people especially your loved ones to eat the right kinds of food to be healthy is not an easy task. They are amused with the warnings or information you provide them as if they are serious to change their choice of foods. But they just couldn't forget their favorite snacks, sweets and anything that is appetizing.

I am guilty about that too because there is one favorite of the Filipinos that I swore not to snub forever, and that's the "lechon", though I get to taste some only once within 6 months to one year. So I guess I can be forgiven.

Let's try to use this statement since there is truth to it anyway: there are foods that can make you age easily, and one of them is wheat! Therefore, if you want to take away 10 years or more from your looks, stop eating wheat bread or anything made of wheat. Food made of refined flour is also a no-no since they convert easily to sugar. That seems easy to follow because people are more curios to know if there is truth to that than to complain. You can replace your breakfast made of wheat or refined flour with soft boiled eggs and apples. Oatmeal may also be eaten once in a while but not everyday.

If you were convinced, I will be posting more tips in this blog about the right kinds of food to eat to look young and remain healthy.

Plan Ahead

I've wanted to post tips about business from a research I am still about to start, until I accidentally saw one of my favorite pocket books by John Maxwell. One of the topics in this book is about planning and I thought this is very relevant to business since the first thing that should be done to start or sustain a business is to plan, and planning ahead is a best practice. Here are John Maxwell's tips in planning ahead:

1. Predetermine a course of action. You'll never reach your goals until you discover the vehicle and direction needed to get you there. Just as road signs and mileage markers are indicators of progress made toward a geographical goal, so is the need for preplanned activity to help each person arrive successfully in all areas of life.

2. Lay out your goals.

3. Adjust your priorities. Once your goals are set, there will be some rearranging of your priorities. Well-defined goals very quickly expose activities that are hindering progress toward certain objectives. Too often people tend to major on minors and to minor on majors.

4. Notify your personnel. Any great endeavor will take energy. People will supply energy. It's very important to communicate and receive positive feedback from those who are needed to help you reach the goal. Those who are informed and have positive feedback will help carry the ball toward the goal.

5. Allow time for acceptance. Any new idea takes time before it can be fully endorsed. Proper presentation of ideas allows time for questions and considerations.

6. Head into action. After sufficient time is given to adopt new ideas, get going! Remember - nothing will ever be accomplished if you wait for everyone's approval or for the plan to be perfect.

7. Expect problems. No plan eliminates problems. Excellent planning will remove some obstacles, but not all of them.

8. Always point to the success of an endeavor. This is a great motivational tool when building for tomorrow. Sure, there will be mistakes and fumbles, but don't worry - someone will always be around.

9. Daily review your planning. The longer the projection, the greater the variation. Check daily to make sure you're still on target. If not, make the needed adjustments, and continue on toward success. A quick review is important to help us plan ahead.

After typing on this post what I thought are important details to share from John Maxwell's book, I don't feel like pursuing my research because it seems everything I need at the moment are already here. This is the second time this book, "Think On These Things" has helped me unexpectedly. The first time was even one of those events in my life I've considered miracles. Who knows, what this post can do or the outcome of my task later based on this, can be another miracle!

Acupoint to quit smoking

As long as you know what acupoint to use to stop smoking, you can use several tools or gadgets to stimulate it, so a smoker will soon quit smoking.

Aside from acupuncture needles, there are needleless acupuncture gadgets now available like the "Acupoint Treasure or Tong Bao" of Tiens.

The acupoint is called "Tim Mee" and is approximately one inch on top of the base of the "hole" formed near your wrist in line with the thumb, when you spread your thumb away from the other fingers. To those who are familiar with acupoints, "Tim Mee" is between the "hole" mentioned earlier and LU7 acupoint which is at the tip of the index finger of the other hand when base of two thumbs are crossed against each other in between the thumb and index finger.


Please watch the video to help you locate it and use any available tool including your thumb, just rotate on the point counterclockwise or clockwise then the opposite direction, with equal number of rotations done. Do this every time there is a craving to smoke.

Anti-aging Meals

Anti-aging meals can be very basic because we can get them simply by just cooking with water! Why is that?

Because "Advanced Glycation End products" or AGE's are formed when cooking food at high temperatures without water or liquids such as frying. These AGE's cause the sugars in the food to bind with the proteins or fats. AGE's promote aging in the body, and start many chronic diseases. They are one of the biggest factors leading to diabetes, heart disease and many others.

So cook in water, or cook with water! Though I've never poached an egg because I prefer to eat soft-boiled eggs, I never miss putting 1 teaspoon of water for every one egg whenever I cook omelets or plain scrambled eggs.

There is a long list of what AGE's can cause, but I guess anyone would prefer to cook in water from now on than have a wrinkly and sagging skin, or have damaged pancreas that causes diabetes, or damaged blood vessels that will lead to the buildup of plaque and cause heart disease.

Well, I can't help but list the other effects of AGE's like neurofibril tangles in the brain causing Alzeimer's disease, severe memory loss and dementia, and also cause damage to the nerves causing peripheral neuropathy and deafness, and attack the tiny blood vessels in the eyes which can lead to blindness.

When it comes to vegetables though, there is of course a better way than cooking in water: eat them raw!

Avoiding the Flu

It seems I’m having a flu so as I’ve usually done for 3 years now, I will try to make the virus weaker by using my “Tong Bao”, an acupoint healthcare apparatus I’ve ignorantly bought from Tiens, thinking I could sell it. But when I saw how effectively it works, I just tried to learn how to practice it. I learned from the lecture of my friend, Dr. Hector De la Cruz, that the acupoint that will address influenza is the "Wind Pool", also called "Feng Chi" or "GB20", and stimulating it really gets rid of flu that is about to start.

This time, I guess the influenza is strong already, but let me see, I might still be able to make it weaker. It started with colds, so what I did was just to address my colds using the "facial rejuvenation" points so I could address a lot more instead of just the colds , and also took Tiens Zinc capsule, organic Vitamin C from Tiens Beneficial and I’ve added Tiens Cordyceps. I need to include the brand so I can justify how effective they are and because Tiens Zinc is in the form of zinc lactate which cannot be found in the market.

The procedure in using the Tong Bao is just to press its magnetic beam on one side of GB20 for 5 seconds, then with enough pressure, rotate it counterclockwise for 10 seconds (about two rotations per second), press steadily again for 5 seconds then rotate clockwise for 10 seconds. The last step should be pressing steadily for 5 seconds and the whole process may last for 1 to 3 minutes, and may be repeated after 6 to 8 hours if not yet feeling well, using the other side of GB20.

Since I could feel the strength of this flu, I’ve added one more to take in, one tablespoon of Kefir probiotic which I mixed with my juice.

I just read from about.com , a very good site to search about acupuncture or acupoints where I got the photo of GB20, that "Wind Pool" was named as such because the "wind pathogens" causing the colds tend to collect here. So it is really a good idea to cover this part of your neck with something like a scarf when it’s cold or windy outside, so that wind pathogens don’t enter here.

How to live longer

I’ve just read there are 3 personality traits that will help a person live longer and I was so glad to have read the article because I believe I have those traits. These 3 traits are organized, prudent and persistent. Being organized especially at home keeps me from being stressed. There are only 3 colors of hangers in my closet: lavender for blazers or jackets, light green for pants and the rest are black, and all hangers have rounded molds because the flat ones would belong to my husband and son. My helpers were the ones stressed with my persistence about the hangers though some of them got used to it and liked the idea. I told them that if I won’t have enough hangers for all my clothes, that would mean I already have to give away some of them. I don’t have a helper now so it is easier for me to manage my own clothes.

I had also 3 kinds of cabinets built-in at home: one in the kitchen, another beside the toilet and another inside our bedroom all with louvered door. The one in the kitchen is for different kinds of cleaning tools, beside the toilet is for detergents and other cleaners, and inside the bedroom is for shoes. That means there will never be a mix up of canned foods and soaps or cleaners at home.

One main reason for sticking to Feng Shui in my case, is to have ready general rules to follow. It has made my life a lot easier especially in deciding about the layout of pieces of furniture which I am so particular with to the point of becoming obsessed. The nice thing about letting people know I am following some Feng Shui rules is I have all the reasons to be prudent and persistent.

Those 3 traits, organized, prudent and persistent, when practiced, can become encompassing so that it would also apply to the kind of foods we eat, and the lifestyle. It would be easy to instill discipline in these areas too, and maintain the balance required for healthy living. I’m lucky to also learn about TCM which also practices the horary clock that dictates the best time to rest and eat certain foods, depending on the health status of a person.

Along with those 3 traits, not mentioned was you have to be inspired to live longer. I was ready to die due to my ovarian cyst, but I found a reason to live, and make it longer as much as I can, and that is the presence of a special child who needed someone to care for her. But because I don't want to outlive everybody, I also become persistent in reminding people to take care of their health too. Who knows, that could be a mission shared by me and Lyca, the special child.

The Horary Clock

To promote health by following the body's natural rhythm, one has the follow the Horary clock showing the peak hours each organ functions. It is also at this time that a specific organ is best treated:

11AM to 1PM - Heart

1PM to 3PM - Small Intestine

3PM to 5PM - Urinary Bladder

5PM to 7PM - Kidney

7PM to 9PM - Pericardium

9PM to 11PM - Triple Burner

11PM to 1AM - Gallbladder

1AM to 3AM - Liver

3AM to 5AM - Lung

5AM to 7AM - Large intestine

7AM to 9AM - Stomach

9AM to 11AM - Spleen

The Horary clock above shows that the Gallbladder meridian is most active from 11PM to 1AM. In addition to that, according to the law of transformation of Yin and Yang where extreme Yin produces Yang and extreme Yang produces Yin, the gallbladder is responsible for giving birth to the first Yang energy of the 24 hour cycle. This Yang energy in its infantile state is highly vulnerable. Therefore, we must protect and allow it to grow through proper sleep.

4-in-1 Person

The title of this post was the topic of my speech during my daughter's wedding reception yesterday, August 25. "Each of you got married to a 4-in-1 person. Incidentally, the nicest among those 4 persons is the one you just got married to." That was how I started my speech which I tried to make it short so I wasn't able to elaborate about the 3 other persons. In this post, I hope to give a clearer explanation about those three persons.

The second person pertains to the masculine side of the female spouse, or the feminine side of the male spouse, which manifests during certain situations. When a man cries for example, he is manifesting a feminine trait. On the other hand, a strong willed woman who makes a decision final is in her masculine state. That only means that occasional "exchange of roles" in marriage is perfectly normal.

The third person comes somewhat later and it is the scariest of the 4 persons because your spouse will show the traits of the person he or she hated most in the past. That person had shown the same undesirable traits your spouse will show at times in the future. I couldn't explain this phenomenon so we'll need a psychologist to do that.

The fourth person will be the last to manifest, showing traits or strong wants a person failed to do or have in the past because of constraints. In my case, I've always wanted to study interior design but was not financially able to take up such course earlier, so when I got my retirement pay at the age of more than 50, I enrolled in Philippine School of Interior Design. I just had a "taste" of the course though, because I realized later that going through a totally new career from scratch is not practical for my age, so just a background of it was enough.

Another example of the fourth person is a person who had wanted to follow the boldest trends in dressing up but was rather shy when he or she was younger, then overcame the shyness as time went by, so pursued that strong desire when already much older.

There will come a point any of the other 3 persons will be hard to tolerate so I told the newly-wed couple when that happens, "Listen to God. He has a special purpose why you were married to each other. His reason is quite different from yours."

That last statement was based on my personal experience. My union with my husband created two better humans than the two of us, and then the unexpected came much much later because we were blessed with the presence of an angelic special child and we were destined to become her parents. Most people would say the child is lucky to have us as her parents, but in reality it is us who were lucky to have her, because she has transformed us to gradually become better persons.