When might you think of doing this?
At the beginning of any and every session.
Why?
They need their Yang Qi to be able function.
You need it to work so when you put needles in – something useful will happen.
Please sign up with eLotus and watch all I have done there – at least see and for here credit points Treating the blockages to healing is what all my work has evolved around.
The introduction here will lead you into a solid weekend of what I have been doing all my career – asking odd questions when what apparently should be working is not seeming to.
Navel cupping was what all did at home, according to the late Dr John Shen (pulse master and teacher of Dr Leon Hammer). It is not appearing in anyone’s texts or manuscripts as it is ‘old people’s medicine’. Much like ‘old wives’ tales’. It works. Anecdotal – except when you do this respecting the process – magic happens!
I have added to it over the past 30+ years I have been studying this work in clinic – on eventually all who walk in the door.
All have Qi issues and when not flowing, especially now all are in drafts, not paying attention to what their elders (in any culture) told then and generally icing all injuries, putting out their digestive fires with chilly drinks and cold,raw smoothies and food of course nothing is as it could be in health.
Perhaps also watch this presentation on Vimeo.
Causes of Disease from Heather Bruce on Vimeo.
Please watch the presentations Moving Blockages 1 and 2 and watch before preceding – at least the Rescue the Yang as this will make things vert clear. They need to be as people are forever thinking that they can enhance this very ancient and profoundly simple highly effective boost to all.
In clinic, anyone with a cool belly has this happen first – I check for it every time anyone comes in. It is the first priority. My cases are too numerable to pop on here. This work precedes ANYTHING else you will do as the Yang has to move – and s much of what we have is inactivated as it is holding back the cold that is in the way – and no amount of moxa (don’t kid yourself – I tried to – get real and do what the old people all did prior to looking for herbs or paying anyone to ‘help’ – undo what is not supposed to be there.
We know Gua Sha helps – this is even before that!!
If the person has poor circulation – especially cold hands and feet, or if they tell me their partner complains of their ‘cold bum’ at night, or of they have a low BBT and I am helping them to conceive, or if it is just too low and they have low metabolism issues (if you check yourself you will possibly find, like me, most of the menopausal women, and those with general ‘health’ issues fall into this category) and it is not even very cool, I may put the cup on, just in case. Never doe any harm – forget abut their belly is warm – see how that changes when the cup goes on. Watch the tongue massively shift and shift again. Feel the sore spots disappear. Free (“Rescue the Root”) presentation here.
Please follow the instructions as I mean this intervention to be the most profound thing (except possibly the microbleeding I have developed) that you will ever see.
1 – LOW BBT/RESULTANT INFERTILITY – POOR LUTEAL PHASE AND IVF FAILURES
Recently SAMANTHA come in who has still a BBT half a degree lower than it should be at that time of her cycle. She has improved greatly in the few months she has been taking all the supplements and herbs and has few of the problems she arrived with, and is still not pregnant. I felt her belly, and it was just a little cool. I put the cup on and she could not tolerate at all. This sometimes happens – I suspect the current crop of under 40’s are extremely precious, and are used to complete comfort and ordering what they want and getting it. She was inconsolable about the pain – I kept releasing it and she just couldn’t cope. After the cup was off, I felt her belly, and in the middle heater was very very frigid. She could feel the difference between this section and the rest of her abdomen, so I explained that moxa and needles could not do what this would.
I pointed out that it was working extremely well – and that the cold had indicated that it was ready to go – as the stomach region really was outrageously frigid and hadn’t been before. Sometimes I suspect ANY sensation upsets people . . .
Eventually she agreed to let me do it again and she was less precious about it – eventually it stayed on for nearly half an hour. In that time, the temperature of her belly gradually normalised. She became wondrous – as she felt so warm all over. When I finally released it, I popped needles in her back and used moxa on her – the usual GV 3,4 and bilateral Bl 23. This was the first time EVER she felt it.
She could not believe how warm she felt. She felt as though she had a fire in her Dan Tien and wandered out of the clinic vastly more relaxed. I would expect that next time I see her BBT will be up.
2 – EXCESSIVE BLEEDING AND PAIN ALL THROUGH BACK
CAROLINE
Came in about flooding with periods all her life, great back/leg pain and early onset of arthritis like pains in her fingers. Sometime into the consultation she chose to tell me of the sexual abuse she and her younger sister had suffered at the hands of a family friend and his friends who ‘babysat’ all her early life.
She has always a headache – it is never relived (I suspected low thyroid function, as the heaviness is also a factor). She had a coolish belly, and as I had done a seemingly miraculous job on a recent woman with uncontrollable flooding for the fibroid that is the size of a five month pregnancy, (Angie see later) I thought to repeat the trick.
The Spleen Qi may be able to hold the blood – as there is too much cold in there. Both women looked completely waif like. Basically haemorrhaging for most of their lives, being a person was secondary to staying upright and being a mother.
(See Angie below)
Caroline thus was another one – and after cupping her navel, I calmed her down – as we had walked through an immense story of parental denial and a life shattered through the horrendous periods (starting at ten – always an indicator to me of trouble) and emotional distress. I sent her off with Ginseng and Longan. She also has a long history of very poor gut function, parasitic activity and food sensitivities. Next visit she was also highly delighted – as she had lost about a third of normal and no pain and she was in awe of what finally someone had been able to do (much therapeutic intervention including a number of different acupuncturists over the decades).
What made the difference? The cold – the causative factor as far as the over bleeding and pain was concerned – at the level of TCM – had never been addressed. Granted there are substantial issues with the rest of her Shen and body, but holding it all together is the blood a woman is able to access and in her case, it was a huge struggle. The medical doctor had suggested the insertion of a progesterone loaded IUD and that had triggered her to look further afield to find me.
The third visit – she was a mess again – she had felt nauseated in the morning so had eaten nothing since breakfast and as a physical therapist had eaten nothing all day (now being late afternoon) and arrived with the headache as usual and falling over with blood sugar lows that she was keeping at bay with a bottle of green juices. What to do?
Expectant of a stunning treatment again and refusing to take any nourishment I had on offer, I wondered what I COULD do to assist. Moxa has many properties (see moxa article) so I sent her downstairs (where I use moxa) and did the sacral fan (available elsewhere). After using moxa on bilateral Bl 23 and Gv 4, the sacral fan grounded her sufficiently. We went back inside and as she looked better – so as the belly was still not warm, but nowhere near as cool as it had been, I chose to cup her again.
The lack of food and the heavy work demands placed on the body regardless, is a foolish and common mistake all, and especially mothers/women workers make – sacrifice all for the higher good as perceived through the eyes of the martyr . . . .
The cup was yet again a powerful experience – and she left with no headache feeling revitalised – no needles – just the moxa and the further cold withdrawal.
Why does this work?
If we think of the role of Yang in the body – metabolism, protection/immune function, holding everything including babes in place, keeping us warm and allowing transformation and circulation – there are a number of these are compromised when someone consults us.
The key is to sometimes go global and ponder why the body has not sorted itself out. In the case of those with lower BBT, it would seem that they also have lowered immune systems- in the case of men – who are not fathers it is often I find the chronic, low grade hay fever, sinusitis or alleges. It is also often h women complain of cold extremities particularly the cool bottom and often nose also. The fastest way I have found is to remove the cold.
As in the initial article, Dr John Shen said that cold lurks – and stays especially in the intestines, the uterus and the stomach. Here in Australia, offering iced water and keeping all fruits in the fridge is considered an essential. The vegetable juices they may have when in a ‘heath kick’ and the office water cooler all add to the effects of lack of appropriate clothing and general lack of attention paid throughout especially one’s early adult life. All alcohol consumed – especially when binging –which a vast number do regularly – at least weekly – is on an empty stomach and always very cold.
The accumulation of small amounts of cold may not be noticed in an active young thing but come the middle years of office work and no time for self – it starts showing itself as lower metabolism/fertility and general health hiccups. In my practice, very few – across the board in all categories – have a normal awakening temperature. I will write more on sub clinical hypothyroid later. I would doubt it is just in my practice.
The cold consumes yang. What does this mean? I explain to patients that we have a certain amount of this yang qi – which is far more than needed for the daily running of the body. The reserve may be there just in case of emergencies, but it may also be engaged in keeping cold that has entered at bay. Dr van Buren explained that the Eight Extras were reservoirs of perverse qi that were held elsewhere so it did not interfere with normal functioning.
Jeffry Yuen, at the 1993 San Francisco AIDS/HIV and Chinese Medicine conference did a wonderful presentation on this and how his family Qi Gong lineage had enabled him to devise a system of passive exercises that could be done to releases this gently out of the system to allow the healing necessary from very debilitating diseases – especially cancers and AIDS. The key point here is that cold stays within and wastes what we have.
The cupping of the navel is the only way we can do this in clinic. Dr Shen also gave a ginger bath recipe (found at the end of this) and also how to make a heated salt compress to take cold out prior to menstruation (also found below).
These simple and highly effective tools can be incorporated into our clinical tool box very easily. I have found them to have a profound effect on patients and to cut down substantially the amount of work I have to do in clinic.
I have not found another way to permanently move stored cold on. Extensive use of moxa does not have the same effect and this is a lot easier on the practitioner’s nose and lungs.
OTHER CASES FROM THE LAST DAY IN CLINIC
As I am writing this, I am trailing cupping on most – as an experiment to see what else can happen . .. .
3 – HYPOTHYROIDISM
JENNY – a life time of diagnosed low thyroid function. Regardless of all the supplements and dietary changes and alternative hormone drugs and all the latest research her mother can find to help both her daughters (KATHYRN below also), Jenny was still very overweight and lethargic. The periods had returned and she felt as though she could think better, but essentially I am looking at the same person who started seeing me a year ago.
As we have long conversations about what she can and can’t take as the naturopathically minded doctor has them on a lot of stuff that I am not sure is helping – I decided to just see what navel cupping would do. She had a coolish belly, and after the cup was on, I lefty her almost the while hour with it on, in a heated room and with magazines to read. Checking every five minutes or so, it kept on drawing and from different parts of her body, so there was no need (or time) to attend to anything else in the treatment. She left a lot warmer – she couldn’t believe also how relaxed and calm she felt.
4 – HYPOTHYROIDISM
KATHRYN
Jenny’s sister is more portly and has now her hair is frankly falling out. Her mother has been listening to the alternative doctor, and we seem to be having a medical shopping experience – who says what and what will we do today . . . I am sure everyone gets these people – they are rather resistant to change an hence getting better is more about shifting the head space than anything else.
She told me she was fighting something off and had ear ache and was more tired than usual as was doing assignments for university so was sleeping a lot less. She was also a bit cool on the belly, so on went a cup. After settling her down, it stayed on for the entire hour also. She left looking a lot brighter with no ear ache and feeling a lot warmer. She then told me she had been cold for several days and had even taken her very heavy coat with her everywhere in the last few days.
I suspect that we could listen and observe and forget about the texts and use the body rather than the written word as our guide . . .
5 – INFERTILITY/LOW BBT
TRACY
Has been trying to get pregnant for several years. On questioning, I doubt it is her age (42) as much as inferior sperm (he is 45 and men’s increased age lends itself to higher incidence of autism and recently been shown that children of older dads live less long – wouldn’t be a Jing thing???), as his count doubled just in taking a multivitamin. He is also apparently overweight and stressed in a new job, and they both have been drinking two glasses of wine nightly. I suspect changing the amount of sex (every second day) and avoiding all contaminants and taking all the supplements and Chinese herbs will make them more fruitful. They got naturally pregnant after their wedding when on honeymoon, although miscarried and she did concede there was a lot more rest and sex then . ..
However – she has had a cool belly and always wondered about this as it is very noticeable – a previous acupuncturist told her also – and all through the session – she told me of her always cold hands and feet and particularly bottom in bed at night that husband complains of. I pointed out that a cool oven doesn’t cook the goods as well.
The cup on navel warmed up her feet and she left feeling a lot warmer. The normal amount of treatment happened as this is day 8 of the cycle and the IVF group she is with get them all to be n the pill a month between stimulation cycles- which I suspect it is for scheduling purposes as they only work a rigid five day week. This is not helpful to couples who are running out of time and they have only alternate months to try to become pregnant – and in her case – I strongly suspect it is a simple matter of increasing nutrient load and sexual frequency with a few treatments to boost blood and Jing. Putting her on the pill the ‘off’ months of IVF means she definitely will not being getting pregnant naturally . . ..
Now the cold is gone – and we will recheck the next treatment schedule as this will be leading up to ovulation.
6 – INFECTED BREAST IMPLANT
SHARON
Had an infected breast implant – called mastitis – and had a very angry red strip from a previous breast lumpectomy scar to the nipple. She is on antibiotics and due to get an IV also tomorrow. As she was deeply distressed and had a great headache, the first treatment was aimed at keeping the implant in – as the doctor was thinking perhaps the whole area needed a rest and of taking it out and she would be three months at least with a very lopsided look.
After this treatment and taking herbs and the IV antibiotic, she was a lot better. Still a problem and in the next treatment, as her belly and whole abdominal area was SO very cold (not the first time) I cupped her navel. This was very unsettling for her – but as she has known me professionally for decades, trusts what I do.
The migraine that she had disappeared – but or importantly, she left feeling clearer and cleaner – although is she said to validate this – ‘if that makes any sense .. .’. She has works full time with her very logical husband and she either learnt, or always has been a very concrete thinker. Asking her about feelings doesn’t usually net an answer, but often just a puzzled look. No needles – she left feeling much warmer and calmer. Whilst the cup was on, she felt a ‘popping’ sensation in the back of her throat, in her damaged breast and then as a drawing/ pulling in the left side of lower abdomen.
I usually get women to read a manual I put together to explain what I am doing and how cold arrives etc so they can make their own connections – she related how at her son’s birth 18 years ago , she had an iced pack on her perineum after birth. The cold does stay there and the yang does need to keep it out of circulation – so although AT THE TIME these apparently therapeutic interventions may seem helpful, I suspect if we paid more attention to the ‘causes of disease’ in our own model we would find our voice and work preventatively.
Two days later she was back again – the belly was still a little cool, so a repeat cup was done – the pulling this time came from her fingers – where she was starting to get aching in the cooler weather and also again in the breast region. She had pondered aloud on how there were many layers and that she felt better and more relaxed again.
I am not sure needles are capable of this. I use cups WHENEVER there is a cool abdomen. Not in frank pregnancy, although as in ?? case with a huge fibroid, I cupped to rescue the blood as the Spleen yang would have had no show against the cold showing in the really cool belly she had the first day of her cycle.
This issue – does the cold arrive first or as a result of the blood/general deficiency due to whatever other causes is not when we have a woman about to bleed massively again. The standard medical response can be a little baffling.
7 – OVER BLEEDING (ANOTHER PRACTITIONER’S CASE)
Young girl (15) who has now a Depo Provera implant (not at all safe and CAUSES bleeding problems) as the ‘cure’ for massive bleeding that would not stop. The Depo has continued the flood, She is very cold and yellow and not able to look after herself.
Mum and daughter have not gotten around to moxaing the points suggested to rescue the Yang. Daughter is not eating as directed and still eating tubs of cold yoghurt for breakfast. Mum wants to know if there is a pill she can buy at the chemist to sort this out. Clinician points out that food needs to be supporting life and she can’t live on pills . . .. What do we do? Our best is sometimes just not good enough.
What is worse is that as she broke her worst two years ago and this is causing chronic pain (where is the blood to nourish when it is needed) she has been put on some very strong medication (separate to the anti depressants she is on) by a pain management clinic that has a 46% likelihood of causing suicidal thoughts. She now also has the gut problems that most experience on this medication – and the major issue – a fifteen year old quietly leaking away and getting substantial blood loss side effects BEFORE we look at the iatrogenic S & S is still not being assisted.
What would you do?
In this case probably not cupping – it may be too severe – as where is the qi to meet you?
Moxa is very important – but so at this stage is rescue – stopping the drugs that have been prescribed is undiplomatic. Stopping the loss of blood – the Depo injection may take months to release. At least were it an implant or the Mirena IUD it could be removed.
Unfortunately any research on the Depo will uncover that it is not safe. What do we do when we are nay saying on the patients’ behalf?
8 – FIBROIDS AND FLOODING
ANGIE
Came in for me to rescue her being as for many years the fibroid (size of a five month fetus) has been causing massive blood loss. At least ten days of solid bleeding every month. No pain, just wasting away. Thinking of possibly getting uterus taken out but hopeful I can shrink the fibroid . . . . I thought possibly I might be able to help with stemming the flow, but the fibroids?? Perhaps also get Plan B organised – in case it was needed a few months later . ..
She took Ginseng and Longan away and a moxa stick, feel somewhat better and returns the first day of the next cycle. She had a very cold belly. I cupped the navel (the fibroid was nearly in the way) and when the drawing sensations had stopped, I heated salt and used moxa on the warm salt in her navel, then used moxa on needles on Bilateral Bl 20 and needled bilateral Bl 17 (Shu of the blood). The bleeding is not as severe – but it is only the first day. Her Liver 13’s were very tender and her belly being cold – I cupped it. I doubt needles and moxa would have had the same effect. Removing the cold so the body has a chance seems like a good investment.
She came back a week later enraptured as she had only lost about a quarter of what she normally did and she felt alive and able to think and be herself – and a normal life was now hoped for. Usually she heavily bled for ten day and had been doing this for about five years. She had not felt this well after a period for years.
I am still not convinced the fibroid will shrink, but we will see – she is ecstatic over it being day 5 when she saw me last week and the period was ending.
9 – FEELING DISCONNECTED/SPACED OUT/LOSING IT
AMBER
Has moved to a very cold house in the forest that is causing her grief. She appeared to have a miscarriage last month and this month is still passing black clots and feeling is dreadful – worm out and cold to the bone. She has hematomachrosis and doesn’t want me to worry about the blood loss (although she has not been able to counteract the thinning that is happening – or the accelerated aging/greying of her hair that is worrying her). She feels as though she is separate to her body, is falling apart and went to apparently highly recommended acupuncturists who both took her pulse, told her, her kidneys were collapsing, her liver was a mess and that she was in trouble. Neither gave her herbs or life style /eating advice – just needles and she came home looking dreadful, her partner said’ perhaps you shouldn’t hear more of how sick you are’ . . .
The cup stayed on the very cool belly for an hour. The heater was on, she was left in a womb like room, with me checking all the time, and she felt so very different when she left. The navel was very chilly when the cup came off so I did moxa on salt and followed this up with moxa GV 2- 4 (up central line and then the sacral fan – see elsewhere . . .).
10 – FAILURE TO FULLY RECOVER FROM GETTING VERY COLD
AMELIA
Had recently returned from a trip to Scotland and had gotten herself pleurisy as a result. She arrived with her usual clutter of symptoms, but as her belly was slightly (not very cold) I chose to also cup her navel.
With it on, her general pallor resolved and she was, after the drawing sensations died down, a lot less tense in the back. After the rest of the treatment she looked a lot better with vastly more sparkle to her Shen.
I suspect the ‘causes of disease 101’ could be reviewed occasionally as we seem to have missed something in the current texts . . . and we may tend to think to do complicated and try to ‘fix’ things when all the body needs is for us to wise up and help it help itself . .
EXTRA THOUGHTS ON CUPPING NAVEL PROCEDURE
*Must use a coin. DR Shen carried a penny around with him – so I am not sure whether this is an energy thing – the bronze/darker colour or a size thing – the NZ new 50 cent pieces are useless. The larger the coin the better – as you want to cover the navel hole.
*Always use a warm cup – don’t do it if you can’t – you will just be putting more cold in.
*If the tissue is not burning well, and if it smoulders for ages once the cup is on, it will not be a good suction, but does give the patient a]less of a surprise when it goes on ‘for real’.
*Try to stay with the patient and joke them into acceptance – even a small amount of suction can be too strong for some. Usually they settle into it and then they start feeling the movement from wherever it is to be drawn form.
*Sometimes there is no sensation of pulling – it may just that the person is not too tuned in. When the skin surrounding the cup is as warm as the rest of them, it may then be time to take it off- if the drawing sensations are finished.
*Some do not feel anything besides the pulling under the cup – again this may mean nothing – look to their tongue/pulse, sore points – whatever you do as a form of checking . .
To see this in action – in real cases – go to my anti miscarriage/early labour presentation here http://www.prodseminars.net/product/bun-oven-chinese-medicines-approach-treating-infertility-and-miscarriage.
Learn more on my Moving Blockages style (common sense energy medicine) through watching all the presentations on Power Point that have been offered freely under conference proceedings.