The Shift Doctors (Tracy Latz, M.D. and Marion Ross, Ph.D.) are thrilled to present Alex Tan, who is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and educator,  practicing TCM in Beijing. Alex believes the true treasures of Chinese medicine lie in its greater focus on holistic health combined with western natural health concepts, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, body work, counseling and lifestyle practices. The key focus of his approach is not only to assist the healing process through TCM treatment, but also in learning how we can live in accordance with nature to avoid illness and disease. The wisdom of the ancient Chinese can greatly assist this understanding of ourselves and our environment, so that we can use this knowledge in a practical way to adapt our lifestyles to be happier, more fulfilled and more productive. For more information about Alex go to: http://www.straightbamboo.com

Cooked vs Raw Foods
A TCM Perspective on Cooked vs Raw Foods by Alex Tan

Ever wonder why Chinese people prefer to eat cooked food, drink warm water, and talk about how raw salad, fruit and juice are too ‘cold’ and not good for digestion?

The answer lies with better understanding how digestion works from a Chinese medicine perspective. Chinese Medicine sees life as a series of warm transformations—the underlying philosophy of Taoism where change and transformation are natural processes which, given the proper environment, will happen on their own (ziran means ‘nature’—zi: ‘oneself’ and ran: ‘correct’). The process of digestion is viewed in the same light. Give the body proper food and liquid, a proper environment, and there will be abundant qi and blood. The stomach is viewed as a pot that needs to Read More→