The holidays are over and as we emerge from our sugar-comas we instinctively want to “cleanse.” We want to get off the sugar roller coaster, fulfill our goal to be healthier this year, and of course shed a few pounds. We often associate cleansing with suffering. In fact, in an increasingly secular society, restricted eating has become the new penance.
If your goal is sustained health and balanced weight loss, however, I prefer a gentler approach that will not cost more than you are already spending on groceries. First I want to go over a key term in Chinese medicine; Phlegm-Damp. Phlegm-Damp is a pathological fluid accumulation that can cause such symptoms as lethargy, excess fat, high cholesterol, cellulite, nasal congestion, snoring, incomplete bowel movements, water retention, yeast overgrowth, and weepy skin conditions.
What Causes Phlegm-Damp
Excess consumption of: sugar, greasy foods, raw or cold foods. Eating less does not resolve the issue. Instead, it is more effective to eat foods that counteract Phlegm-Damp without starving yourself.
Daikon Radish
Cleansing Guidelines
1. Eat a high proportion of vegetables. Aim for 50%. Vegetables gently cleanse excess conditions in the body, regulate bowel movements, and aid in weight loss. Fruit also has a cleansing action but its high sugar content can trigger blood sugar imbalances. Limit fruit to 1- servings daily.
2. Unless you have a lot of Heat (feel hot, crave ice cold drinks, have hot flashes, etc.) limit raw food. Eat your vegetables in soups, casseroles, steamed, or sauteed. Exception: eat a little pungent or digestive vegetables with meals such as daikon radish, red radish, or fennel bulb.
3. Drink plenty of room temperature or warm water. Cold water suppresses digestion, which is a hot process, and can compound poor fluid metabolism issues.
4. Cut out sugar (wine, white bread and tortillas, cereal) and dairy for at 1-2 weeks. Then limit to 3-5 times per week.
5. Eat complex grains and organic protein to feel satiated and energized.
This is just a simple cleansing program but it is highly effective to balance your body after the holidays.
Ancient Daoists advocated limiting the frequency of ejaculation to increase vitality and longevity. They would often give a mathematical formula such as the famous one by Sun Simiao:
“A man may attain health and longevity if he practices an ejaculation frequency of twice monthly or 24 times a year. If at the same time he pays careful attention to proper diet and exercise he will have a long healthy life.”
This did not limit the frequency of intercourse or orgasm. Rather Daoists learned to control their ejaculation and were able to reach orgasm without ejaculating. As with everything, there is a too little and too much. Modern interpretations can get us into trouble, as our society seems to gravitate towards extremes. For example, men who are too zealous with limiting ejaculation will overheat and develop mental and emotional disturbances.
Ejaculation frequency becomes important when vitality (as seen in immunity, fertility, or energy levels) is low or after the age of 40, when men’s Jing starts to decline. Often this means limiting ejaculation to once every 7-14 days. Men will know they need to limit ejaculation when they do not feel revived or feel disconnected from their lover after sex.
Modern Research Appears to Support These Practices
Testosterone levels in men can be seen as a physical indicator of the health of Yang Qi, as the health of the sperm can be used to assess the state of the Jing. This gives us a way of translating ancient Daoist practices into modern scientific understanding, even though the concepts of Yang Qi and Jing encompass more than just testosterone levels and the health of the sperm respectively. Daoist (and TCM) theory states that aging occurs when the Jing declines. (Our Jing includes both our Yin and Yang Qi, however men usually require more Yang tonification and women more Yin tonification.)
A 2003 study recorded that abstinence for 7 days raised the subjects’ serum testosterone levels to 154.7% of baseline. The study also noted minimal fluctuations in serum testosterone levels from the 2nd to 5th day of abstinence. Studies support a direct correlation with testosterone levels in men and signs of vitality such a 2013 study suggesting a link between low testosterone levels and dementia in older men.
The Consciousness Part
This information is not new, and there are many resources on the mechanics of ejaculation control in both the Daoist and Tantric traditions. What is too often missing is the ethics part; how you increase your vitality and what you do with it. I believe that men not only have to develop themselves physically in regards to sex, but also need to work to raise the consciousness of their sexuality.
Much of male sexual conditioning is predatory and unconscious in nature. There is a consciousness raising process that must occur prior to developing sexual techniques whereby we become aware of our connection and social responsibility. When men are exposed to these principles without this awareness it is easy for them to develop sophisticated tools in the same old context; as a means to gaining power, only they now have the power to do more harm.
The pitfall is in increasing Yang in the body in an unbalanced way. Our Kidney Yang provides our determination and drive. Our Kidney Yin gives us our sense of oneness and spiritual connection to the world around us. When the two are balanced and strong, we naturally become instruments of great service. If our Kidney Yang becomes excessive it leads to tyranny. We become self-centered, arrogant, ruthless. We live by the motto “the strong eat the weak.” Ultimately this leads to self-destruction, but only after incurring a great deal of negative karma.
An example of misguided sexual cultivation is sexual vampirism, whereby individuals are not content to conserve their own energy and steal the sexual energy from others. This was acceptable, and still is in certain circles. Short-term this can increase energy, as well as ego. Long-term you get a heap of bad karma and a big step backwards in your spiritual evolution.
Conscious ejaculation greatly surpasses the benefits of ejaculation control. Limiting ejaculation increases short-term physical vitality. Conscious sexual cultivation has the ability to transform a man’s life and that of the people around him.
Ways to Infuse Consciousness into Sexual Cultivation:
Practice in the context of a spiritual goal.
Hold the intention of giving and receiving fully during sexual interactions.
Always honor your lover.
During ejaculation, imagine you are giving healing, empowering energy to your lover or to a particular goal.
When abstaining from ejaculation, imagine giving heart energy to your lover or to a particular goal. Use it as an opportunity to increase connection.
For those who were wondering, here are the men’s Jing (vitaliy) Cycles:
From the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
8 (1×8)- A man’s Kidney energy is prosperous, his hair develops and his teeth emerge at the age of eight.
丈夫八岁，肾气实，发长齿更；
16 (2×8)- His Kidney energy grows and is filled with vital energy, and he is able to let his sperm out at the age of 16.
二八，肾气盛，天癸至，精气溢写，阴阳和，故能有子；
24 (3×8)- His Kidney energy is developed, his extremities are strong, and all of his teeth are developed by the age of 24.
三八，肾气平均，筋骨劲强，故真牙生而长极；
32 (4×8)- His body has developed to its best condition, and his extremities and muscles are very strong at the age of 32.
四八，筋骨隆盛，肌肉满壮；
40 (5×8)- His Kidney energy begins to decline, his hair falls out and his teeth begin to whither at the age of 40.
五八，肾气衰，发堕齿槁；
48 (6×8)- His Kidney energy declines more, the yang energy of the entire body declines, his complexion becomes withered and his hair turns white at the age of 48.
六八，阳气衰竭于上，面焦，发鬓颁白；
56 (7×8)- His Liver energy declines as a result of Kidney deficiency; the tendons become rigid and fail to be nimble at the age of 56.
七八，肝气衰，筋不能动，天癸竭，精少，肾藏衰，形体皆极；
64 (8×8)- His essence and vital energy is weak, as are his bones and tendons. His teeth fall out and his body becomes decrepit at the age of 64.
八八，则齿发去。
What This Means in Practical Terms
The Jing Cycles serve as a guide for how we can care for ourselves to extend our vitality. They describe a general trend. Some individuals are born with a strong constitution and can get away with misbehaving longer, while others must always exercise caution with their health. The natural peak of vitality for most men is between the ages of 24-40. Before age 24 the body is vulnerable because it has not reached full maturity. Protective measures should be taken, particularly in early childhood, to strengthen digestion and immunity. After age 40, surplus vitality begins to wane, the sex hormones begin to drop, and rejuvenative measures should be employed.
The care of boys prior to age 8 is the same as for girls under age 7 that I describe in 7 Times a Woman. Into adulthood, the diet and lifestyle recommendations are similar to women, and vary more based on individual imbalances (disease pattern differentiation). Where maintaining vitality diverges from women is in the area of procreation.
Longterm Vitality Means Conserving Jing
We pass on the best of ourselves to our offspring through the genetic material via the egg and sperm. Our egg and sperm can be viewed as a physical manifestation of our Jing. Our bodies do not differentiate between when we actually want to produce a child or not, so there will be some Jing loss for every menstruation (or gestation) and ejaculation. For this reason women must take extra care of themselves during menses and during the first month postpartum, to recuperate the loss. Men must learn to limit ejaculation based on their levels of vitality. Both men and women need to practice rejuvenation and boost their hormone levels during menopause and andropause, when sex hormones decline.
