{"id":4616,"date":"2012-04-09T14:23:22","date_gmt":"2012-04-09T19:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/?p=4616"},"modified":"2022-03-21T14:58:46","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T19:58:46","slug":"chinese-medicine-tackles-your-weight-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/09\/chinese-medicine-tackles-your-weight-concerns","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Medicine Tackles Your Weight Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite all the hoopla about the \u201cbest\u201d way to determine if we\u2019re overweight–getting on a scale, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, pants won\u2019t button, body fat percentage–we ultimately rely on our intuition to let us know we feel fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, if you think you\u2019re overweight or obese you probably are. Two-thirds of Americans are one or the other, split 50\/50 between the two, with the remaining third either normal weight or underweight. In surveys, people tend to underestimate their weight classification, admitting to \u201coverweight,\u201d but chewing their cheeks rather than acknowledge that stick-in-your-craw word \u201cobese.\u201d Before moving on with this health tip, the best way to determine your official weight status is either by measuring your waist-to-hip ratio or body fat percentage (as an aside, we offer this at WholeHealth Chicago).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a fresh take on dropping the extra pounds, Dr. Larry Stoler at WholeHealth Chicago conducts a weight loss, stress management, and general wellness program called The Dragon\u2019s Way that\u2019s based on the healing principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). If you\u2019ve experienced TCM, you know its core principles are \u00a0very holistic–addressing body, mind, emotions, and spirit, each of which have an impact on the others and on our overall sense of well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Chinese medicine<\/a>, being unwell in any way–including being overweight–involves imbalances, stagnations, and depletions of qi<\/em>, your body\u2019s subtle energetic life force. Whether you\u2019re performing qigong <\/em>or t\u2019ai chi<\/em> exercises, undergoing acupuncture or Reiki, you\u2019re increasing the flow of qi. <\/em>A strong and balanced qi allows your body to self-heal and your weight to adjust to a healthy level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dragon\u2019s Way Program <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Dragon\u2019s Way Program addresses the deeper internal and energetic causes for excess weight.\u00a0 It\u2019s offered in six weekly, hour-long classes. Unlike most weight-loss programs, the Dragon\u2019s Way is not a diet and is not based on food restriction or excessive exercise.\u00a0 Rather, it focuses on improving your body\u2019s function from the inside out.\u00a0 You are free to eat whatever you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In TCM, high-quality qigong practice is one of the tried and true ways to increase qi and activate internal healing.  The Dragon\u2019s Way Program is based on qigong. In this class, Dr. Stoler will teach you Wu Ming Qigong, <\/em>an ancient and unique self-healing energy system developed by Master Nan Lu that has its origin in Taoist masters Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to note that this from of qigong is easy to learn and produces rapid healing results. You\u2019ll be encouraged to do the Wu Ming Qigong exercises at least once a day, though many of our participants practice more often to get maximum benefit from the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dragon\u2019s Way program also helps you identify and reduce sources of stress in your life.  Regular readers know that I view stress as one of the major contributors to health problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foods for healing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To support internal healing, you\u2019ll be introduced to a TCM-based foods-for-healing program.\u00a0 Eating these foods cleanses and detoxifies your body, giving it a rest from foods in the typical Western diet that require a lot of energy to digest.\u00a0 Participants are often surprised to discover how good they feel doing a daily qigong practice and eating the healing foods. You\u2019ll also learn other tips to promote healing, like drinking only when thirsty and eating until you\u2019re just 70% full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most Dragon\u2019s Way participants, you\u2019ll discover that you can eat much less and not feel hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll mainly be eating cooked fresh foods available in most grocery stores, and you\u2019ll be given a recommended list of nuts, juices, fruits, vegetables, and some grains to work with, along with suggested ways to prepare them.  You can select freely from these, giving your body what it might want for a particular meal. In class, you\u2019ll receive guidance on how best to adapt the foods to meet your lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, again, it\u2019s not about the food. The Wu Ming Qigong practice is at the heart of the Dragon\u2019s Way program.  The food options simply complement Wu Ming Qigong to support your internal healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the six-week program, many participants discover that their \u201csin\u201d foods no longer interest them and that they no longer struggle with the usual cravings.  They\u2019ve developed a taste for foods they never used to enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifelong wellness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Dragon\u2019s Way program gives you an approach to lifelong wellness and offers new ways to understand your body and yourself.\u00a0 Having experienced the benefits of doing a daily qigong practice, many participants choose to continue their practice and go on to experience additional health benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testimonials from graduates of The Dragon\u2019s Way show excellent results. People comment not only on their weight loss, but also on feeling more energetic, focused, calm, and aware of their bodies. In addition, many discover that other health conditions (like headaches, sleep problems, chronic pains, bloating, constipation, and emotional distress) improve over the course of the program.  And they develop an intuitive sense of the foods their bodies want while learning to curb cravings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dragon\u2019s Way sessions are ongoing. They\u2019re very reasonably priced and we ask that you commit to the full six-week program to attain maximum benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Chinese Medicine, spring is the season for starting new things, for renewal, and for growth.  That makes this season an excellent time to take action on your desire to improve your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be well,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite all the hoopla about the \u201cbest\u201d way to determine if we\u2019re overweight–getting on a scale, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, pants won\u2019t button, body fat percentage–we ultimately rely on our intuition to let us know we feel fat. In other words, if you think you\u2019re overweight or obese you probably are. Two-thirds of Americans are one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,2,14,2331,3,27],"tags":[1370,1371,32,144,1372,49,1373],"class_list":["post-4616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acupuncturetraditional-chinese-medicine","category-blog","category-c","category-internal-medicine","category-knowledge-base","category-weight-issues","tag-chinese-medicine","tag-food-for-healing","tag-qigong","tag-tcm","tag-the-dragons-way","tag-weight-loss","tag-wu-ming-qigong"],"yoast_head":"\r\nChinese Medicine Tackles Your Weight Concerns<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Chinese medicine, being unwell in any way--including being overweight--involves imbalances, stagnations, and depletions of qi, your body\u2019s subtle energetic life force.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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