The Wellness Inspired Podcast

Understanding Jing: The Essence of Vitality in Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Sheri Davidson • Episode 48

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Speaker 1:

Hello friends, welcome back to the Wellness Inspired Podcast, a place where you can find inspiration, motivation and empowerment in the pursuit of a wellness lifestyle. I'm your host, sherri Davidson. I'm a wellness coach and acupuncturist in Houston, texas, and I am deeply passionate about health and well-being. And, as always, I'm here with my co-host, finn. And if you're new to the podcast, finn is my Terrier, mix Rescue dog, trail runner and loyal companion. He is also a therapy dog and greeter at Element 5, acupuncture and wellness, and he does his job very well.

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I have an exciting episode for you. Today we're going to dive into the essence of Jing. So you might be wondering what is Jing? Well, it is a concept in TCM that represents the foundation of life force, the essence of our existence, and it is the hidden key to lasting health, balance and longevity. And today I'm going to unveil its secrets. Join me in exploring the origins of Jing, its crucial role in TCM philosophy and its impact on our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. I'll uncover the practical ways to nurture and preserve this precious treasure and, sharing you harness the full potential of your vitality. So if you're curious about the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine, fascinated by the concept of vital essence I know I am or simply seeking a path to greater well-being, then this episode is your tonic of knowledge and insight. Before we get started, I want to share something with you.

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I am planning a European riverboat cruise in 2024, probably in October, I'm thinking. My friend, tammy Haroka, is a travel concierge and she's a friend. She's also been on the podcast. We talked about wellness travel and she will come back on the podcast once we get this all set up and we'll talk about the European wellness riverboat cruise. But she's helping me plan this adventure. I have yet to commit to a river. I know I keep saying that I'm pretty sure I know what we're doing. I'm thinking of a seven-night cruise on the Danube River. We would cruise through Austria, germany, hungary and Slovakia. There will be active sightseeing, so hiking, biking and maybe some running. There will also be yoga, wellness talks, relaxing and locally sourced cuisine. So stay tuned for more details. I've already had many people interested, so get ready to grab your spot. Okay, let's do this.

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In traditional Chinese medicine theory, or sometimes we call it TCM, there are three treasures. These three treasures are Jing, qi and Shen. Now we're going to focus on Jing today, so I'm not going to say much about that here, but I'd like to say a little bit about Qi and Shen. Qi is often translated as vital energy or life force. It is the energy that flows throughout the body, supporting its various functions. Qi is derived from the food we eat, the air we breathe and the transformation of Jing. There are different types of Qi, such as defensive Qi, which is we call it our Wei Qi, or nutritive Qi, which we call Ying Qi. These play a specific role in maintaining health and defending against illness. Last, the third one is Shen.

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Now, I've already talked about Shen in a previous episode, and I believe it was episode 41, the Path to Inner Harmony, exploring the Shen in Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you missed that episode, the Shen is often translated as spirit or mind. It refers to the consciousness, mental activity and emotional well-being of an individual. A healthy Shen is associated with mental clarity, emotional balance and a sense of purpose, while disorders of the Shen can manifest as mental and emotional disturbances. Now, why are these three treasures important? Because they are interconnected and their balance is essential to sustaining human life. Each one contributes to the overall health and well-being of the body. So TCM practitioners or Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners aim to diagnose and treat imbalances in Jing, qi and Shen, to promote health and address various elements. Balancing these elements through acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary recommendations and lifestyle modifications is fundamental to Traditional Chinese Medicine, and that's why we are talking about the three treasures. It's to empower you with the knowledge and insight to take action.

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So let's get into the concept of Jing. Jing translates to essence, or vital essence. It represents the fundamental energy or life force, the origins of Jing. It both has a prenatal and postnatal aspect. Prenatal Jing, also known as congenital Jing, is inherited from our parents at the moment of conception. It represents our genetic inheritance and determines our basic constitution. And then there is postnatal Jing, or they call it acquired Jing, and this is cultivated and replenished throughout our lifetime through the foods we eat, the air we breathe and our lifestyle choices. Now, the congenital Jing is something that we have no control over. Now we have control over through epigenetics, where they say a lot of your lifestyle choices or environment can turn on and off genes, but what you're born with is what you're born with and that's your congenital Jing. There is also the storage of Jing and NTCM. The kidneys are the primary organ responsible for storing Jing. Now, this is all Chinese medicine. Western medicine does not recognize any of this. The state of the kidneys and the Jing reserves are critical for overall health, and healthy Jing supports growth, development and reproduction in Chinese medicine.

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So let's dive in a little deeper to some of these functions of Jing. Like I mentioned, one of the function is growth and development. Jing is intimately involved in growth and development of the body during childhood and adolescence. It determines factors such as height, bone structure, hair color and the maturation of sexual organs. And this leads us into the second one, which is reproduction. Jing is closely tied to fertility and reproductive health. It influences the quality of sperm and eggs, thus affecting fertility and health of future generations.

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Another one, another function of Jing is aging and longevity. This is one that we're all concerned about. The rate at which one consumes their Jing is associated with the aging process. So you would churnal and junkies, you are depleting your Jing. But this also goes with stress. If you have chronic stress for an extended period of time, like years and years and years and years, you are also depleting your Jing. You know, tcm practitioners believe that preserving and conserving Jing one can potentially extend their lifespan and age more gracefully.

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And one more function of Jing is vitality and resistance. Um gene provides the foundational energy necessary for the body's daily function or for resisting illness. So your immune system. A strong gene is thought to enhance the body's resilience and ability to recover from illness, and we all want that. So now that you know what gene is and you know the function, functions of gene, I want to get into some practical applications on what you can do to nurture and preserve your gene. So, okay, number one balanced lifestyle practices.

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This includes exercises and activities that promote overall well-being and energy conservation. So here's some exercises and activities that support gene. The first one is Qigong. Some of you may have heard of Qigong and others may have not heard of Qigong, but it is very traditional in Chinese medicine. It is a mind-body practice that combines slow flowing movements with deep breathing and meditation. It promotes the flow of qi, or energy, throughout the body, helping to balance and preserve the gene. Uh, there are various forms of Qigong, so if you're interested you'll just have to see what style suits you best. Um, when I was in school, I practiced um, golden Shild, I think, was the name of it. Uh, I no longer practice that, but um, I do incorporate some of the concepts I think it just kind of got into my subconscious. So some of the breathing I still do. Um, another thing that you can do is very traditional Chinese medicine is Tai Chi. Now, many more people have probably heard of Tai Chi. Um, this is a gentle, low impact martial art that emphasizes slow, deliberate movements and deep breathing. So, like Qigong, is designed to promote the flow of qi and cultivate balance and vitality. Uh, regular Tai Chi practice is considered a way to support Jing and overall health. Now this is getting into more familiar territory Yoga. It's another activity and it's not traditional. It's not a traditional Chinese practice, but yoga shares similarities with TCM principles, particularly in terms of promoting flexibility, balance and mindfulness. So certain yoga practices, such as Yan Yoga, one of my favorites, or they might, you might know of it as restorative yoga can be beneficial for conserving energy and promoting a sense of calm. And that's one of the reasons why I love Yan Yoga so much, because you will lay in these poses for anywhere from three to five minutes. Uh, it sounds really easy. But once you start getting to the three to five minutes, uh, some of the poses can become very, very difficult. But the idea is you're just relaxing in these poses and I really get a deep sense of stretching, um, because sometimes when I do yoga like a flow class, I still feel like I'm engaging all of my muscles and I'm really looking for something, the opposite of all my running. So restorative yoga or Yan Yoga is very, very nice for this. So there's also meditation. Many of you are very familiar with meditation. I think in the past five or 10 years meditation has just exploded. So, um, the the meditation that is most beneficial. Well, it's all beneficial, but mindful meditation. This can help reduce stress, improve mental clarity and support emotional well-being. So by reducing mental and emotional strain, meditation can indirectly help preserve the gene. There are also breathing exercises, so deep breathing, such as diophramic breathing or abdominal breathing, can help calm the central nervous system. It reduces stress and conserves energy. So again, it's all about that conservation of energy. So practicing deep, mindful breathing regularly can be an excellent way to support your gene. So here's some. Another one we've talked about a lot before, but walking in nature, so taking a leisure walk for me it's a trail run Um, in a natural setting such as parks or forests, can be rejuvenating and grounding, if you guys are familiar with the grounding technique, but just putting your feet in the ground and connecting with nature and enjoying the fresh air can help restore and replenish the gene. And this one is my number one. If you do nothing else, do this.

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Rest and sleep. Ensure you get adequate and quality sleep. It's essential for preserving gene. Sleep is when the body repairs and replenishes its vital essence. So establishing healthy sleep patterns and prior prioritizing rest is crucial, and I talk about this a lot in my clinic. In fact, it's one of the first things I always ask is how is your sleep?

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So in the other direction, on the other end of the spectrum, is avoiding overexertion. So striking a balance between activities and rest is the key to conserving Jing. You have to be active, right, but you need to not be too active. So avoiding excessive physical or sexual activity and periods of chronic stress this can all deplete the gene. So moderation is key here. It's not that we don't have these moments of stress, right, like those moments of high stress can be, um, you, you grow in those moments of high stress. The key is to come out of that high stress and rest and recover. Um. Another one is mindful practices, so kind of going back to meditation, uh, if you engage in mindful practices such as journaling, it can help you gain insight into your daily life and habits and allow you to make adjustments to conserve energy and promote overall wellbeing. Um. And then the last but not least um is massage and body work. I love this one too. Regular body work uh sessions can help relax the body, release intention and promote the flow of tea, contributing to the preservation of Jing. So those are some ideas or suggestions for more balanced lifestyle practices to conserve your gene. Um.

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We're going to move on to number two, which is dietary choices. So it's really important to consume nutrient dense foods and especially those rich in vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients. This helps nourish your gene. So also keep in mind that TCM dietary recommendations are based on a holistic approach to health and individual dietary needs may vary. But here are some foods that are often recommended, uh, to nourish the Jing and clinics. I know in my clinic I do, and a lot of these are, unfortunately, if you're vegetarian or vegan, a lot of these are meats and some of them are organ meats. That's just the way Chinese medicine rolls, that's, that's just what they believe.

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But there are some um non meat suggestions here, but I'm going to start with bone broth. So, bone broth, make sure that it is made from high quality bones such as chicken, beef or fish. It's rich in nutrients that support the Jing, like collagen, minerals and amino acids, and I think you can go to your grocery store and you can ask for the bones, or you can go to your local meat market. Also, seafood like oysters, clams and muscles are considered excellent sources of gene due to their high mineral content, Um, and and mainly zinc. So, and then there are organ meats like liver, and kidneys are also uh Jing tonics and TCM, because they're rich, again, in essential nutrients, including iron and vitamin B. Um, the Chinese are very much kind of like an eye for an eye. If you're trying to treat your kidneys, then you eat the kidneys. If you're trying to treat your liver, you eat your liver are not yours, but not your liver, but but maybe chicken liver or beef liver, um, they, they're very much this kind of eye for an eye, um.

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Another suggestion is eggs. Eggs are and especially the yolks we're talking about here are highly regarded for their nourishing properties. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and proteins. Now the next are seeds and nuts, such as black sesame seeds, walnuts, pine nuts are often recommended for their gene nourishing qualities and they are rich in healthy fats, minerals and proteins. Next on the list are leafy greens, so dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale, swiss chard. They're all good sources of nutrients, including iron, calcium, and it all helps support your genes.

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So let's move on to berries. Berries like goji berries are considered gene tonics and TCM and actually that is one of our herbs that we use and a lot of our formulas. They are rich in antioxidants and they also have other beneficial compounds. There are a lot of other herbs as well that we use. We use Hushawu, we use ShuD. We use a lot of herbs that can toneify the gene. There's also deer antlers that are used. I don't use them a lot in my clinic, although some of my formulas might have them in it, but I always make sure somebody's not vegetarian before I give it to them. So, yes, we have a lot of herbs that we can use to support the vitality of the gene.

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Also, logan fruit are longyan roe. We use this in Chinese medicine. It is one of the herbs in the pharmacy and this herb tonifies the chi and the blood and directly supporting the gene. We talked about the four treasures right, and that blood was one of them. Well, logan fruit or longyan roe can help support the blood, which can help support the gene. They often use this a lot in Chinese cuisine. The Chinese yam is another one. It nourishes the kidneys and supports the gene, and it is also in many culinary dishes and herbal preparations. And last but not least, is gelatin. So gelatin rich foods, such as gelatin dessert. They are considered nourishing for the bones and connective tissues, which are all associated with gene and Chinese medicine. Okay, so those were some food suggestions to help preserve and nourish your gene.

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Let's move on to the last key principle that I want to talk about here, and that is TCM treatments, and that's traditional Chinese medicine offers therapy, such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion and tweenah and tweenah is a Chinese bodywork and these all can help balance and restore the gene in cases of deficiency or imbalance. Well, there you have it, friends. I hope I was able to give you the knowledge and insight you need to live a more vital life. I want to wrap this episode up by saying that gene represents the very essence of life and vitality. Understanding and caring for gene is central to TCM's holistic approach to health and wellness. The key takeaways here are by adapting a balanced lifestyle, making mindful dietary choices and seeking guidance from TCM practitioners when needed, you can work towards preserving and nurturing your gene, thereby promoting longevity and well-being in body and mind. Just as gene is a precious treasure, so is the wisdom of this ancient healing system and our quest for a healthier and more balanced life.

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