Practical Use of Five Element Qigong

This Autumn was our first in Oregon after moving here last March from California and I have to admit, the weather (or tianqi “Heavenly Qi) is causing me some truly annoying problems. No, it’s not the rain, we like rain. It’s not the cold; it’s great to be in a place that has four seasons. It’s not even the snow; bring it on. No, what’s been bothering me is the heat. Wait, what? Heat? In Oregon? In the Autumn? Let me explain.

As soon as we started using the heater in our apartment on a daily basis, I began to have problems. I developed a dry cough. Because there was no phlegm to expectorate, the cough was non-productive. It came in series of racking, convulsive explosions that made my stomach muscles contract painfully. After an attack, I was often dizzy and developed an immediate headache that lasted for fifteen minutes or more.  The coughing fits would start whenever I changed positions, such as when I bent over to tie my shoes. (There has been a positive side to things; all the violent contractions of my abdominal muscles are really strengthening my core!). My sleep was affected as well. I couldn’t sleep on my back and every time I changed position, I experienced another coughing fit. I eventually had to try and sleep sitting up in bed. You can imagine how uncomfortable and non-restful this was. I was only able to sleep for a couple hours a night Needless to say, this got old fast.

I did my due diligence by checking with my doctor to make sure it was not something serious like strep. She could find nothing wrong with my lungs and her only advice was “patience”.Western medical cough suppressants and expectorants proved to be useless. I had the heater checked but there was no filter so the likelihood of mold or something similar was minimal. I bought a humidifier to help moisten the air; in fact, I bought three, two cool and one hot. They had almost no effect.

Chinese medicine, of course, provided a better answer. My self diagnosis was lung dryness over a root cause of Lung Qi deficiency. Lung Dryness, evidenced by the lack of phlegm, was pretty obvious. In Chinese medicine it is said that “the lungs fear dryness” and the electric heating unit caused the apartment to be very dry. I had also noticed that the minute I left the house and stepped  into a moist environment, the symptoms rapidly diminished.  Lung Qi deficiency is very similar to dryness and is often the root cause since one of the functions of Qi is to moisten. The big giveaway here was pressure. Deficient conditions like pressure. For example, if you have a deficient condition in your stomach and you press on it, it feels better. So, while sleeping on my back would cause coughing fits, if I slept on my stomach it didn’t. I also found that filling my lungs with air before changing position would often prevent the onset of a coughing jag. Finally, I found that, once the coughing began, pressing on my chest with my palms would cause it too stop.

So now that I had figured out what was going on, how to treat it? I used a Chinese cough syrup for immediate relief. It is available in most Asian grocery stores under the name “Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa (Madarin pinyin: Pipa Gao) and is a good thing to have on hand at home. Acupuncture is very effective but is a little difficult to do on yourself. Chinese herbal formulas, whether in raw herb or “tea pill” form also work extremely well. I ordered both Bu Fei Tang and Ling Zhi Lung Tonic tea pills since their indications were quite similar. Still, I had to do something while waiting for the formulas to arrive.  The obvious answer was Qigong. This is where Five Element Qigong came into effect.

Of course, a Medical Qigong treatment by a qualified practitioner would be the most effective remedy. However, if there is no practitioner available (and we are very rare) there are things you can do with the Five Element Qigong knowledge that you already have. The very first movement of the Five Element exercise is for the Lung/Metal Element. This Daoyin movement is regulatory in action and can be very effective in moving the Qi in the lungs to help moisten them and alleviate dryness. The Lung/Metal Tu Na meditation can help tonify the Lung Qi and eliminate the deficiency.

While on a day trip to the Oregon Coast, I took a few minutes to practice on the beach where the air was fresh and the Qi was strong. Facing West, the direction associated with the Metal element, I placed my tongue in the Metal position and spent about twenty minutes doing both the Tu Na and Daoyin exercises. The fresh salt air and the powerful Qi of the ocean made me feel great and the symptoms were greatly reduced for the next two days. Back home, daily practice, either indoors or out, began to make a huge difference.

So what is the best way to use Five Element Qigong in the prevention and treatment of disease. First of all, of course, is to practice the entire exercise year round. This benefits each of the major Yin organs, regulating their flow of Qi to avoid any deficiencies or excesses. Doing the movements in sequence has the added benefit of encouraging each organ system to support the following one in the cycle, which the Chinese call “Mother supporting the son”.  For special needs, of course, you can practice a single movement for a period of time to the exclusion of the others. For example, someone who had just undergone a heart procedure might want to concentrate on the Heart/Fire element exercise and skip the others while they are recovering.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage to prepare for each season. For example, Autumn is the season associated with the Lung/Metal element and has the quality of dryness. This means the lungs are especially vulnerable to dryness during the fall. During Autumn as the days start to get darker and colder, practice the Five Element movement associated with that season; in this case the Lung/Metal movement.  Forget about the other movements for a week or two and just concentrate on Lung/Metal. If you know the Tu Na tonifying meditation, this is a good time to practice it as well. Concentrating on the element associated with the season will help prepare your energetic body for the changes in the “Heavenly Qi” that occur during each season. By regulating and tonifying your lung Qi you will be better prepared to deal with the dryness associated with Autumn. This is just one example how an in-depth knowledge of Five Element theory can affect your life in a positive manner and allow you to tailor your practice to your individual and immediate needs.

Remember, in Chinese medicine coughs can have a variety of causes so you need to be properly diagnosed by a professional before using an over the counter herbal formula. However, practicing Five Element Daoyin exercises can be used for all types of cough. Just remember not to do the Tu Na tonifying meditations for any externally contracted diseases in order to avoid “trapping the robber in the house”.

I still have the cough though it is getting better.  Thanks to Five Element Qigong, I have the tools to cure the condition and so do you. It is now just up to us to make use of them.