Whoa there, wanderer! Please allow a lowly vagabond, such as myself, a word of introduction...
A whirring top - a gyroscope - whose cycle drives the year,
Appears to gain momentum from a still point in the sky.
Our hearts, in kind, remain as constant, pivotal, and clear,
While e'erything else rotates about until the day we die.
(original work, 2016)
My name Michael - or Tianji, depending on where I'm traveling. I work as an acupuncture doctor 中醫醫生 and translator of Classical Chinese in Massachusetts, USA. While Chinese medicine takes up most of my time - whether in the clinic or in the study - I also have interests in classical philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, symbolism, martial arts, and religion.
I'll be posting a mix of things, but predominately short passages from classical Chinese works of philosophy and medicine, accompanied by my own translations and commentaries. The goal isn't so much to present "definitive" translations or interpretations, but rather to provide a good starting point for further thought. Other content will include riffs on modern healthcare and discussions of technology from a classical point of view (e.g., SimpleCoin and the Uncarved Block 樸: Cryptocurrency Along the Way 道 - forthcoming).
While I do have academic and professional credentials in these fields, I certainly have much to learn, and welcome whatever criticism or insight that might be had. In particular, I should mention that I did not grow up in a Chinese community, and so do not enjoy a cultural background native to most of the texts I'll be discussing.
Thanks for reading! Hope to see you in the comments.
-Tianji
Hi and welcome to Steemit. Looking forward to reading your posts on Chinese medicine and philosophy.
Thanks, @findthegap!
Glad to find so much interest in Chinese medicine on the platform :)
Yeah, it's still rather a niche field, despite increasing popularity. And the number of people within the field who read source material in the original language... well that's a niche within a niche.
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STOPWelcome! It's exciting to see people become so dedicated to other cultures. I delved into the world of Japan, and sometimes wish I'd dedicated myself to it further and gone deeper.
I'm looking forward to reading your passages!
Thanks, Reos! I've always been interested in Japan, too. Unfortunately, I have no exposure to the language, so I have to rely on what others tell me something says...not my favorite situation. Then again, it might be for the best that I can't read manga in the original language ;)
I can't imagine how much time I'd lose reading Manga in the original language - all of Attack On Titan! :-D Bad enough watching hours of Anime with subtitles.
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STOPHello and Welcome to Steemit! I dabble in herbalism and am always looking to learn more about untraditional (traditional being to profit from keeping people sick) medicine. For that reason alone I'm curious to see your future content!
There are a ton of other webpages to help you with Steemit. Here are some of the best for beginners:
https://steemd.com/ (This site is used to keep track of your voting power and other stats. You do not want to run out of voting power, and you only get so much per day. I keep my voting power around 80% for example.)
https://steem.makerwannabe.com/ (This site will tell you who follows you, who unfollows you, and who mutes you. It is great for meeting new people too. I regularly check it to see who has followed me to see if I should follow them back.)
https://steemit.chat/ (This site is the official chat webpage for Steemit. There are Discord channels too, but I usually stick to the official site. Come in to network and meet new friends. You can directly message people there too, so it makes it easier to communicate with your closest friends.)
Oh yeah, there are a lot of bots on here. If you see a cookie cutter reply, especially to your intro post, it is almost certainly a bot. Check the account's reputation. If it is low, I would recommend just ignoring them. Everything is public on Steemit, so you can go look at an account's comments and replies. Are they all the same? It's a bot.
Adding photos to your account as a new Steemian may be confusing at first too. The easiest way it to click to "Submit a Story." Once in there, use the built in Steemit tool to upload an image from your computer. Below the posting window, you will see "Insert images by dragging & dropping, pasting from the clipboard, or by selecting them." Click on the blue text. Once the image is uploaded, you can copy and paste the link into your account settings.
Verifying your identity is very important because it will get you more support and people will trust you more. The best way to verify is to link back to your Steemit account by using another public social media account. For example, I posted my Steemit articles from here through my Twitter account. Another person posted their Steemit information on their Facebook account. Some people will even post a video of themselves writing out their account information since that cannot be Photoshopped. The more famous a person is or the more valuable their content is, the more important it is that they verify. If a new account falls within those two categories and fails to verify, it may get blacklisted.
Again, welcome, and I've followed you! If you have any questions about getting started, look me up on the chat site.
Hey there, @finnian,
Thank you for the sage advice. Let me know if you have any requests for content on specific diseases or herbs. Also, I'd be curious to know your favorite non-traditional remedies.
Looking forward to following your content too!
Best regards,
Tianji
I consume saffron, turmeric, and garlic every day to stay healthy. I also eat a little honey. I let food by thy medicine in other words. ;-) My objective is to keep my body in balance to avoid disease in the first place.
Sounds like you're on top of things!
I frequently ask my clients to consume these three herbs - most frequently turmeric due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Saffron usually only comes up in cases of cerebral edema due to concussion; in other cases, I tend to prefer the blood invigorating properties of Hong Hua (safflower), both because the cost is a bit more reasonable and because it has a longer history of clinical usage in Chinese medicine (and so it is more practical to prescribe within the context of Chinese herbal formulas).
As for garlic, there is no need to comment. I especially like it fermented until black.
Best,
-Tianji
I brew mead too, and I do not filter out the herbs and spices I put into the bottle to start the process. Have you ever run across a mead recipe that included herbs? It's worth asking just in case you have, for I know mead was used for medicinal purpose in ancient times. I'm always on the look out for ancient recipes to try too!
The recipe my wife loves the most includes hibiscus flower as just one example.
I had it on my list today to research herbs for hearing loss due to nerve damage. Perhaps you have a suggestion in that regard?
Hi @finnian,
I like to think of mead as an opportunity to create a tincture. This is because the mead, just as with any other alcohol-based preparation, will extract more of the active medicinal components than a simple water-based preparation. This being the case, any herbs which are commonly prepared in tincture form can also be prepared as a mead. You'll have to tinker to get the proper flavor balance, but Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthrococcus, 五加皮) might be a good place to start. You might also try Goji Berries (枸杞子) or Shu Di Huang (熟地黃), as these would potentiate the ferment itself. In a forthcoming post (this coming week), I'll add a classical recipe for an alcoholic beverage made from a combination of the two.
In any case, I recommend you try a tea (decoction in water) of any herb before you take the time to prepare it as a mead. No point in putting the time in if you don't like the flavor ;)
Awesome, thanks and for that wonderful reply I'll give you a 100% upvote!
Chinese herbs for hearing loss typically involve formulas which address the underlying pattern rather than the specific condition. This being so, it's a bit hard to recommend one herb or another without knowing more about your particular case.
It is not my intention to use steemit as a sales platform. Nonetheless, I can prescribe and ship herbs (in the lower 48, USA) if you'd like to consult on a more formal basis. If you would, please follow the link to my website for contact info.
In any case, for generalized nerve damage, one of the best herbs is Ashitaba. It can be a bit expensive, so I suggest growing it yourself with seeds from https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/?specific=jrennrf0
(I have no affiliation with this company other than as a satisfied customer.) Lion's Mane Mushroom is also helpful in this regard.
Cheers!
Anthrax shots destroyed half my hearing. Half the normal hearing range is 90% destroyed. :( That's yet another quality and informative reply. Thank you!
Hi @finnian,
I've poked around a bit, but haven't been able to dig up the mechanism of toxicity for Biothrax. This being the case, I'm unable to recommend particular herbs. Nonetheless, it may be worth trying acupuncture - especially if you experience any tinnitus.
Best,
Tianji
Welcome to steemit.
Upvoted and Followed.
Best regards,
@robin-ho
Thanks, @robin-ho .
Very much, likewise.
@threefields
Welcome to Steemit! :)
Thanks, @heigovannik !
Welcome to steemit
Thanks :)
Nice to meet you, @threefields! Welcome to the Steemit Community, wish you good luck and a good start, ive send you a small tip and followed you, hope you have an amazing day! :)
Thanks so much! I'll have a look at your work. :)
cant wait to listen to those classics your are talking about !! and great introduction by the way :)
Thanks, @chapterclosed ! Do you have any requests in particular?
I am not familiar with ...chinese classics !! But I am sure whatever you will write it will be amazing