Coming Soon To Fat Turtle: Yincare!

Fat Turtle Herb Company will soon be carrying Yincare, an extremely useful TCM product. Yincare is China’s most widely used topical/intravaginal wash for gynecological as well as general bacterial, fungal and viral skin complaints. The formula is comprised of both the water-extracted and essential oil materials of the herbs listed below and can be quite effective in small concentrations (5-10%). It can be effectively applied as a wash, rub, sitz bath or compress.

蛇床子 Cnidium - She Chuang Zi
薄荷 Mentha - Bo He
金银花 Lonicera - Jin Yin Hua
栀子 Gardenia - Zhi Zi
黄柏 Phellodendron - Huang Bai
黄芩 Scutellaria - Huang Qin
苦参 Sophora - Ku Shen
地夫子 Kochia - Di Fu Zi
茵陈蒿 Artemisia - Yin Chen Hao
独活 Angelica - Du Huo
苍术 Atractylodes - Cang Zhu
石菖蒲 Acorus - Shi Chang Pu
艾叶 Artemisia - Ai Ye
土荆皮 Pseudolarix - Tu Jing Pi

Yincare retails for $19.95, with a substantial discount for licensed acupuncturists and students at TCM colleges.

The Origin of This Picture is Unknown

Take a look at the first two characters of the third line. 阴 is romanized as "yin", as in yin and yang. Yin and Yang are a set of opposites that underlie all creation. In general, yin relates to the moon and things that are cold, dark, contracting, downward moving and female. In general, yang relates to the sun and things that are warm, bright, expansive, upward moving and male.

Everything (absolutely everything) in the universe has yin and yang within it. Although yin generally relates to the "female principle" and yang generally relates to the "male principle", it is an elementary mistake to equate everything female with yin and male with yang (see Charlotte Furth, "Blood, Body and Gender: Medical Images of the Female Condition in China, 1600-1850", 1986. Chinese Science 7: 43-66 and "Concepts of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infancy in Ch'ing Dynasty China", 1987, Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 46, No. 1 for an example of this mistaken thinking).

The next character is 道, which is romanized as "dao". This is the Dao or (Tao) or Daoism, and can mean the Way, a road, a path. If your mind works a certain way, your next question is, path to where? Way of what? In regular Chinese grammar, 道 is usually preceded by another character - 武道 meaning the Way of martial arts or war, 茶道 meaning the Way of tea. Taken by itself, 道 becomes a subject for philosophical inquiry, meditation, contemplation.

In the case of our unfortunately translated picture above, the 阴道 is the pathway of yin - the vagina. The vagina can be thought of as a pathway to the ultimate physical expression of yin in the world of humans - the interior world of a woman. It should therefore be treated with respect and care by those fortunate enough to have one and by everyone who is fortunate enough to come in contact with one.

Let It Flow!

D'oh! In yet another example of the unintended consequences of modern medicine, new research has found that birth control pills may interfere with a woman's selection of a mate.

We all know the scent is a powerful factor in sexual attraction and breeding throughout the animal kingdom. Normally, women prefer the smell of men who have immune systems that differ substantially from theirs, thus giving their potential children the best mix of genes. When they start taking the pill, they prefer the smell of men who have immune systems that are similar to theirs. When they go off the pill, their preference returns to normal.

Here is a good article from the Times of London, and here's a much snarkier version from the L.A. Times. (This woman may or may not be on the pill - she seems somewhat indiscriminate when it comes to scent.)

Seriously though, the birth control pill is powerful medicine. Sometimes it is the best option, but keep in mind that if you're taking "the pill", you are voluntarily medicating yourself every day. That goes for both men and women - yes, there are male birth control pills in the works. (Beware of articles like this, which uncritically parrot the pharmaceutical industry's line that birth control pills are "safe, effective and reversible.")

Classical Daoist energy practices enable men and women to control their sexual energy in such a way that pregnancy can be avoided if desired. But this takes a lot of dedicated practice and study with an accomplished master. Please don't assume you can just read a book by Mantak Chia and use that as your contraception! Condoms are still an essential ingredient in safer sex - even if you're in a monogamous relationship, they may be the healthiest option.

(Thanks to DJ Lady Sha for the tip on this one)

Pre-Menstrual Syndrome aka Hostage to The Rages

I am fortunate enough to say that I have been largely unaffected by the scourge known as PMS. On a month to month basis, I rarely feel the hormonal changes that turn some of my friends into beasts, nor do I experience the cycle of cramps that can knock a girl out and render her debilitated for the day or week. HOWEVER, every now and again, some kind of ugly rears its head in my direction, and I have to lock myself away to avoid the potential of carrying out the homicidal urges that overcome me.

Why, I ask? WHY???

One of my best friends would have fits of vomiting right before her periods, another would have to take two to three days off to do nothing but lie down in fetal position with a hot pad, and yet another one of my friends would have the overwhelming urge to cry about anything and everything only during the week before. I always thought that PMS must be a fluke of poor design. Why would nature program into our bodies this pseudo-self-destruct mode? I don't buy into the whole "it reminds us that we are women" bit, because there are plenty of reminders in our day to day that don't require bringing on the pain.

I'm guessing that 70% of our readers understand what I'm talking about, and the other 30% have been and will remain clueless for eternity. Anyway, what I'm saying is, how can we work with this in order to benefit all of humanity?

Like almost any other state of dis-ease, the best way to alleviate the symptoms of PMS is through diet and exercise. If you find yourself already in the thick of it, meditation and stress management will help to relax all the muscles in your body, including the ones that are cramping, and will increase the proper flow of qi and blood throughout the body. If you are too debilitated to do anything yourself, enlist the help of a friend and try this:

• Massage SP6 三阴交 San Yin Jiao, on the inside of the lower leg about 3 inches above the ankle
• Massage SP10 血海 Xue Hai, at the meatiest part of the thigh, right above the kneecap on the inside of the leg
• You can also massage anywhere along the lower leg, pinching both sides of the shin bone as you go up and down

If you have an acupuncturist handy, s/he can provide a more complete treatment for your particular needs. S/he can also provide you with moxa, which is a processed form of the herb Ai Ye 艾叶 used to regulate the blood. A moxa stick is burned like incense and held a few inches above the skin. Treatment with a moxa stick over the abdomen for at least 15 minutes can alleviate some of the most monster of cramps. You can get a moxa stick from your acupuncturist and, with easy instructions, do this yourself at home when needed!

Of course, sometimes nothing works, and you just have to resort to telling your loved ones to take cover.