Blog & Columns
Useful information about health and Korean medicine.
Total 21 posts
If Sound and Light Grate on You Especially, and People Wear You Out
Being grated on by sound and light is not a personality problem. It is not that the senses have grown sharper, but that the power to filter has grown weak. A state of alertness does not come down by resolve; it comes down only when the conditions to come down are met.
When Heat Rises to Your Face and Your Chest Feels Tight, but the Tests Are Normal
There are people whose face burns while their hands and feet are cold. It is not that there is too much heat — the heat has lost its way. Put out only the heat above, and below grows colder still. I look at reconnecting the circulation that has been cut off.
When the Gut Tenses, the Mind Tenses Too
When you get nervous your stomach hurts, and when your stomach is uneasy your mind grows anxious. The gut and the brain are a two-way road connected by the vagus nerve. I look at which end to loosen first so the whole road opens up.
When Your Eyes and Mouth Are Dry and Gritty but the Tests Are Normal
Many people have dry, gritty eyes and a frequently dry mouth, yet their tests are normal. I don't look at the dry eyes and dry mouth separately; I first look at a state in which the secretion switch by which the body puts out moisture has weakened.
When no amount of sleep feels refreshing and your days are heavy
Many people clearly slept, yet feel unrefreshed and heavy during the day. Rather than the length of time asleep, I first look at whether sleep is properly doing its job of restoring the body.
When Your Eyelid Keeps Twitching and Fluttering
Many people worry when an eyelid has been fluttering for days. It is usually not dangerous, but I read this common twitch as an early signal the body is sending to say it is worn out.
When You're Often Dizzy and Foggy-Headed but the Tests Are Normal
You're often dizzy and your head feels foggy, as if in a mist. The brain scan and the ear tests are normal. In these cases, before the brain itself, I first look at the body's environment that regulates blood flow to the brain.
If You Sigh and Yawn Often and Feel Short of Air
You sigh without realizing it, yawn often, and now and then have to take a big breath before your breath feels filled. I see this not as a sign of lacking oxygen, but as a sign that a breathing habit has gone astray.
When you can't catch your breath but the tests are normal
You're short of breath, but your oxygen saturation is normal. For these people, what's lacking is often not oxygen but carbon dioxide. It means the symptoms come from breathing too much.
When Seemingly Unrelated Symptoms Come Together
Leg swelling, headache, indigestion, insomnia, shoulder stiffness. Each gets a different medicine from a different department. I look for the one place that threads these symptoms together on a single line.
When Bigger Mood Swings Mean Your Body Sways Too
It is because the autonomic nervous system processes emotions and the body along the same path.
When Your Throat Feels Tight and Swallowing Is Uncomfortable but Tests Are Normal
Your thyroid tests are normal, yet your throat feels stifled and your voice grows hoarse. In cases like this, I look not at hormones but at the nerves and pressure that pass through that spot.