Everyday Chinese Medicine: Healing Remedies for Immunity, Vitality, and Optimal Health

by Mindi K. Counts, Kristen Hatgi Sink (Photographer)

Overview

Achieve vibrant health in every season with the holistic techniques of traditional Chinese medicine.

This friendly guide to a 2,000-year-old lineage of healing wisdom integrates both the Five Element theory and the practices of traditional Chinese medicine to uncover what your body needs for balance and optimal health. Everyday Chinese Medicine demystifies, simplifies, and reveals patterns to help you take control of your own well-being from the comfort of your own home and kitchen. Mindi Counts—a holistic medical practitioner, acupuncturist, and herbalist—walks you through the seasons, elements, and organ systems to help you understand your unique constitution and how to achieve energetic and physical balance. With simple recipes, self-care practices, and time-tested herbal remedies, Everyday Chinese Medicine is the perfect companion on your path to complete wellness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611806502
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	03/24/2020
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

MINDI K. COUNTS, MA, LAc, is an integrative medical practitioner and five-element acupuncturist. Cofounder of the Inner Ocean Center for Healing, Mindi is a keynote speaker, retreat leader, and teacher. She is a contributing author to the Trauma Toolkit and Singing Our Heart’s Song. She is the founder of the international nonprofit Inner Ocean Empowerment Project, providing holistic health care and education through volunteer service missions to underserved populations around the world and in the United States. She was featured in Dr. Oz’s The Good Life magazine for her work in Indian slum communities, Burmese refugee clinics, and earthquake-ravaged areas of Nepal. Mindi is a graduate of Naropa University’s contemplative psychology program and holds a master’s degree in classical acupuncture from the Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture. She lives with her family and rescued dogs in the foothills of Colorado.

Table of Contents

Foreword Marlow Brooks 1

Preface 5

Introduction 9

Part 1 Understanding Chinese Medicine 14

1 Chinese Medicine 101: The Eight Branches 17

2 The Five Elements and Your Constitution 43

Part 2 Seasonal Recipes, Herbs, and Practices

3 Pantry Guidelines 73

4 Chinese Herbal Medicine and Nutritional Principles 87

5 Seasonal Practices 101

Winter and the Water Element 105

Spring and the Wood Element 137

Summer and the Fire Element 167

Late Summer and the Earth Element 193

Autumn and the Metal Element 221

Part 3 Addressing Everyday Imbalances 246

6 Emotional Imbalances 249

7 Digestive Imbalances 266

8 Immune System Imbalances 281

9 Pain and Inflammation Imbalances 297

10 Energy-Zapping Imbalances 305

11 Women's Health Imbalances 314

Conclusion 331

Appendix A Acupressure Points and Meridians 332

Appendix B Chinese Herbs (Single) 342

Appendix C Other Herbal Medicines 349

Appendix D Nutritional Supplements 354

Appendix E Yin and Yang Cleansing: The Four Phases 359

Notes 365

Resources for Delving Deeper 367

Index 372

About the Author 386

Editorial Reviews

This book covers all the basic tenets of Chinese medicine and gives the reader practical tools to evaluate their constitution and discover how to balance mind, body, and spirit. I will keep it as a handy reference and will refer to it throughout the year as my body and the seasons change.”—Elana Rosenbaum, author of Being Well (Even When You’re Sick)

“Everyday Chinese Medicine awakens the reader’s health awareness with teachings on nutrition, herbs, lifestyle suggestions, and other alternatives that can result in safer, more enduring healing experiences.”—Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods

“Mindi Counts offers us a timely gift from the ancients; a gift full of practical wisdom and knowledge that is tremendously relevant and important to modern-day health and well-being. She has created a comprehensive path to finding the balance and harmony we need to take more responsibility for our health before we fall into patterns of disease.”—from the foreword by Marlow Brooks, LAc, author of Singing Our Heart's Song: A Guide to the Five Elements 

“This nicely done book presents a clear and perfect introduction to basic principles of Chinese medicine and understanding unique constitution and physical balance. The information is aided by charts, photographs, and diagrams to explain individual constitutions, the five-element theory, and problems with deficiencies and stagnation. The book walks the reader through the seasons, cleverly addressing each one separately to note seasonal effects on the body and suggest nourishing practices and a half dozen healthy recipes for each season. The organs supported by each herb, along with its Chinese energetics and uses are described. Add simple herbal formulas, a few recipes, self-care practices, and the result is one of the best introductions to traditional Chinese medicine I have seen.”—American Herb Association

From the Publisher