Body's Healing reactions, Diagnosis, & Self-healing Effects

Everyone who self-heals with PaidaLajin inevitably experiences some healing reactions, including the most common sensations of pain, soreness and swelling. These reactions are good signs of recovery. The general law is: The stronger the healing reactions are, the more accurate the diagnosis is, and the better the self-healing effects are.

Normally, diseases and their symptoms will temporarily worsen during PaidaLajin  sessions, for instance, hypertensive patients may have higher blood pressure, diabetics may have higher blood glucose, patients with various pains may feel greater pain, etc. The more diseases you have, the more healing reactions you could experience during Paidalajin sessions. These are all good signs. There is no need to panic. Instead, you should feel lucky and be grateful. Your body is responding and detoxifying itself.

The healing reactions that each of us experiences is different, due to age, physical condition, lifestyle background and other factors. Even for people with the same disease signs and symptoms, they could have different healing reactions. This is because all diseases are complex ones, and behind a disease with a particular name are more known and unknown diseases. As a result, the healing reactions that different people experience are not comparable.
Whatever healing reactions a person has, the top priority is to protect the heart, for according to Chinese medicine, Heart is the King in charge of everything pertaining to our well-being. The first measure for dealing with most healing reactions is to slap on the inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint, for the Heart, Pericardium and Lung Meridians run through these areas and important acupoints along these meridians are located there.

Neiguan Point↓


Pericadium Meridian ↓


Lung Meridian ↓


(1) Common healing reactions include pain, chills, cramps, hunger, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, itchiness, etc. And the most severe ones are dizziness and coma. When these symptoms appear, slap on the inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint. In severe cases, slap heavily. If the symptoms are not yet relieved, slap all along the inner side of each arm. When someone is in a coma, two people can simultaneously slap on the patient’s inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint on both arms.


(2) Cramps: Slap on the inner elbows, the back of feet, at and around the affected areas.


(3) Stomach ache, tummy ache and nausea: Slap on Zusanli acupoint, inner elbows, Neiguan acupoint, and the back of hands.




(4) Headache: Slap on the affected area and the entire head, the back of hands, inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint.


(5) Gall bladder pain: Slap along the Gall Bladder Meridian on the outer side of each leg, inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint.

Acupressure - The Gallbladder meridian - rigid thought patterns, inability to decide, hormonal imbalances.... and lateral side of the head in addition to mental illness and fever. They are also recommended for symptoms along the meridian's pathway.


Gall-bladder-meridian-route ⇳




(6) Itchiness: Slap on the affected areas, inner side of each knee, inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint.


These Paida measures produce better effect when the patient also stretches on a Lajin bench.  

When you experience healing reactions during PaidaLajin practice, it is best to eat less or go fasting. This way, most of the self-healing energy activated by PaidaLajin can be used to burn wastes and toxins in the body and turn them into treasure, producing energy that the body needs. Otherwise, the energy will be used to digest the food. The result can be more loss than gain.

When you experience healing reactions, and feel weak and fatigued, you can drink some ginger and jujube tea (cut ginger into slices, add over a dozen red jujubes and boil them in water for 20-30 minutes. Add some brown sugar when the tea is ready) to nourish Qi (chi) and blood. Please remember, drink it when it is warm. Warm is yang energy.

Mr. Hongchi Xiao’s Comment:

You see, this article helps to explain why PaidaLajin is so effective. Isn’t it a sign of hope for Chinese medicine? If you practice PaidaLajin diligently, you are bound to experience healing crises, i.e. healing reactions. Why did the late TCM master Li Ke support the promotion of PaidaLajin? Mostly because of the healing crises and self-healing effects. When Dr. Li Ke himself used medicine to treat patients, they would soon feel healing crises.

During one of my seminars in Switzerland, I met with a number of Swiss TCM doctors who used medicinal herbs to boost Yang energy in patients. They loved PaidaLajin. And I told them, “Both Paida and Lajin help boost Yang energy. The only difference is, we are not using ginger, cassia twig or monkshood (medicinal herbs hot in nature), but the ‘medicine’ produced in the human body.”


What is the core function of PaidaLajin? To boost Yang energy.

I. Generally, a healing reaction goes through the following three stages:

(1) Looking for (potential) illnesses

When Qi flow is hindered by greater resistance from blockages in the body and cannot go through a problem area, it will find an alternative route to go around it. Such a process will repeatedly kick in when Qi encounters other blockages at the alternative routes. These continuous attempts can help remove minor problems, while revealing more severe ones which the body has yet to gather enough energy to expel.

(2) Revealing illnesses

Most of the meridian blockages will have been cleared in the first stage. The energy level is enhanced through persistent practice. The stronger energy will focus on the identified blockages and charge at them with a greater force. As a result, various symptoms will worsen, followed by revelation of all sorts of illnesses. 

This is the stage when the body is fighting against illnesses and experiencing agonies, and it is also the most critical one. During this process, there will be obvious “discomforts”, and the symptoms will aggravate. If you were to do a medical check-up then, the test results would most likely indicate a temporary state of abnormalities. That is why this stage is always dubbed as the “dà sǐ dà huó” (大死大活, death and revival) stage—indeed, to some extent, this is the darkness before dawn breaks. Unfortunately, many fail to understand this healing cycle and stop their practice half way through. Without going through this dire state of suffering, it is impossible to embrace new lease of life, let alone the effects of “body overhaul” and “rejuvenation”.

(3) Fighting off illnesses

After Qi’s repeated attempts to go through the problem areas, the body’s energy is continually boosted with continuous practice. Under the constant pressure of stronger Qi flow, the problems (i.e. major areas of Qi and blood stagnation) will gradually recede and eventually disappear. And you will feel the symptoms subsiding and eventually going away.

II . Three types of illnesses discovered and cured during healing reactions

The process of looking for and revealing illnesses does not go according to a person’s will or perception. The Qi flow follows a law of its own. It reveals both known and unknown illnesses. This may cause confusion and even anxiety in those who do not understand how it works. Some people may even think that their practice has gone wrong—the existing illnesses are still there, and more “new” diseases are produced through the practice. In actual fact, these are natural, desired effects of the practice. And you cannot just resolve the existing problems, but need to have the body go through a thorough, comprehensive healing process. Only then can such a process be considered complete overhaul of the body.

This process targets the following three types of illnesses:

(1) Past injuries and illnesses

This type refers to past injuries and illnesses, some of which may have been cured years ago. However, during the healing process, relevant tissues underwent certain changes (tissue adhesion, scars, etc.), and there existed meridian blockages. When Qi is trying to go through these blockages, the person feels pain, soreness, swelling and other sensations. It appears to be the “relapse” of past injuries and illnesses, but they are uncovered for thorough healing.

(2) Existing illnesses

This type refers to existing illnesses that you are aware of. When Qi hits right at the problem areas, you may suffer more severe symptoms.

(3) Future illnesses

Future illnesses fall into three sub-categories:

a. Existing illnesses that you are unaware of and are left undetected due to lack of obvious symptoms;

b. Illnesses that do not manifest symptoms at the early stage (e.g. deficiency of Kidney energy, stagnation of Liver energy, excess of Heart fire, etc.);

c. Latent illnesses that could break out in future.

Despite the fact that we might be unaware of these problems in the body or that they even cannot be detected in medical check-ups, you will be able to feel their presence when healing reactions occur.


To conclude, persistence is essential for those who want to self-heal through the practice. Experiencing healing reactions is an important and necessary step towards recovery. Only when you go through this stage, can you get healed from all past, existing, and latent health problems and be more assured of future health.

Healing crisis: A sign of recovery from a major illness 

This is an excerpt from an article by Mr. Liu Xiyan, a researcher of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). To have a grave, chronic illness cured, the patient could feel worse symptoms and other discomforts after taking Chinese medicine, i.e. he/she will experience healing crises before full recovery.

If you are very sick or have been sick for long, and have never experienced a healing crisis after taking much Chinese medicine, then most likely your illness will not be cured, for you are not treated by a genuine TCM doctor; if you are a TCM doctor and have given countless prescriptions to your patients, but none of them have felt any healing reactions, then you will most likely think that Chinese medicine indeed works slowly, for you are not a genuine TCM doctor.


The concept of healing crisis first appeared in ancient Chinese classic Shangshu over two millennia ago. In the section On Life, it says, “A grave, chronic illness will not be cured if no healing crisis is felt after medication.” Later Chinese texts explained that healing crises refer to discomforts felt during treatment.

In his book Shang Han Lun (also known as Discussion of Cold-Induced Disorders), Zhang Zhongjing, revered as Sage of Chinese Medicine, included several entries on healing crisis. 

For instance:
“After medication, the symptoms will be slightly relieved, and the patient will feel dizzy and restless. In severe cases, the nose will bleed. After nose-bleeding, the illness will be cured.”


“After taking three prescriptions of Chinese medicine, the patient will feel dizzy and listless. Do not panic. White atractylodes rhizome and monkshood (Chinese medicinal herbs) are taking effect beneath the skin and haven’t fully driven out dampness.” 

“After taking Chai Hu Tang (a Chinese medicinal soup with Radix Bupleuri as the main ingredient), the patient will tremble and then have warm sweats. After that comes recovery.”

Dr. Hu Xishu (1898-1984, a renowned TCM doctor in contemporary China) repeatedly stressed that a patient could easily experience healing crises after taking Chai Hu Tang. Specifically, the patient could shiver with chills and then sweat a lot.

Dr. Hu said, “If a patient is not weak, there won’t be healing reactions. And after these reactions, the disease will soon be cured.” 

Dr. Hu cautioned doctors and patients to be aware of this healing cycle. He himself had been woken up at midnight because of a patient’s healing crisis. The diarrhea patient was a child, and after drinking Dr. Hu’s prescribed medicine, the diarrhea became even worse. His family members knocked on Dr. Hu’s door at midnight, insisting that he should go and see the child. When Dr. Hu arrived there, the child’s condition was already much improved.

Then Dr. Hu said, “Give the child the medicinal soup again.”

Initially, the child’s mother was afraid to do so. But after drinking the soup, the child got fully recovered the next day. 

In case of healing crises, the doctor needs to stand firm and should not easily change the prescription. And the doctor needs to explain it clearly to the patient; otherwise, if the patient is scared at the healing reactions and go for emergency treatment, all the efforts will be wasted. 

Healing crises are detox reactions or recovery responses during disease treatment. When the medicine is fighting off a disease, positive and negative energies in the body are engaged in the fight. Various discomforts can appear. When the positive energy is winning the battle, the negative energy will gradually recede. For patients with a grave, chronic illness, it is very likely for them to experience healing crises, which are signs of improvement leading to recovery. 

Healing crises can last for a while or several days. Some healing reactions are mild, and some are very severe. The forms and severity of healing crises vary from person to person. The sicker and weaker a patient is, and the longer the disease has been, the more likely the patient is to experience strong healing reactions after taking the right medicine. 

In my clinical practice, I have encountered such healing crises as rashes, sweating, dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhea, dry mouth, stomach ache, stomach bloating, etc. Sometimes, soon after a patient with stomach ache takes Da Chai Hu Tang or Danggui Shaoyao San (whose main ingredients are Angelica sinensis and Chinese herbaceous peony), the stomach can hurt more. Other patients could cough harder after taking medicine, but will feel better afterwards. It is another healing crisis.

Antibiotics are mostly cold in nature. When they enter a patient’s body along with much fluid (water itself is cold in nature), it could make the patient even colder. People who have had infusions should know it from their personal experience: Whether fever, coughing or inflammation of the tonsils, you will feel much better when you have infusion. But after a few days’ treatment, your body can be too weak and cold. Genuine TCM doctors treat such diseases by resuming the Yang energy in the patient’s body. This is the only way to change the very nature of the cold-induced diseases.

I believe that the real hope for Chinese medicine does not depend on more and more drugs or prescriptions. These have never been lacking in the history of Chinese medicine. Nor does it rely on more and more TCM doctors and clinics. In a sense, the real sign of hope for Chinese medicine is this: More and more patients experience healing crises after taking Chinese medicine; and more and more TCM doctors have patients who feel healing reactions.

Following Sequence of Paida for health preservation

For health preservation, Paida (tapping or slapping) is generally practiced in the following top-down order:

1. Paida the head (see Figures 1-4): First Paida the top, then left and right sides, followed by the front and back sides of the head. You may use one hand or both hands. Slapping the back of the head with one hand is more convenient. Then move on to slap on the back of the neck, eyes (closed), cheeks, mouth, and ears. You may feel warmth and/or numbness at the perineum and the soles of the feet when slapping on the head and the neck.



↑Figure 1      ↑Figure 2     ↗Figure 3      ↱Figure 4

2. Paida the shoulders (see Figure 5): Use the left hand to slap on the right shoulder, and vice versa. Areas all around the shoulders (front, back, top and outer sides) are to be slapped.




↑Figure 5             ↗Figure 6         ↱Figure 7

3. Paida both arms, armpits and the inner side of the rib areas (see Figure 6).

4. Paida the elbow joints (see Figure 7): Slap on the inner side of each elbow, which covers the Heart, Pericardium, and Lung Meridians. Then slap on the outer side, which includes the Large Intestine, San Jiao (Triple Warmer), and Small Intestine Meridians.

5. Paida the back of each hand (see Figure 8): Put one hand on a knee with the back of the hand facing up, slap hard with the other hand. Switch hands afterwards.

6. Paida both buttocks (including the hip joints and surrounding areas), then slap the inner and outer sides of one thigh with both hands, and move on to slap the other thigh.

7. Paida the abdomen and the groins (root of the thighs), which may be slapped with hands, chopped with the sides of the hands, or beaten with fists.



↑Figure 8         ↗Figures 9             ↱Figures 10

8. Paida the knees (see Figure 9): Paida the front of the knees with both hands, covering an entire kneecap with a palm. Next, slap the inner and outer sides of a knee with both hands, and then move on to slap the other knee. Lastly, Paida the back of the knees, which may be done by opening the legs while being seated, or by bending down at the waist while standing and Paida them with both hands. You can also Paida each other in a group. For knee and leg problems, regardless of the many disease names, as long as there is sore, numb, painful, swelling or other sensations in the legs, this method is applicable. Those about to go for a surgery may get recovered through Paida, sparing them the need for a surgery. For better healing effect, combine Paida with Lajin.

9. Paida all parts of the feet (see Figure 10): This includes the tops and soles of the feet, the inner and outer sides of the ankles, as well as surrounding areas.

Note: For better healing effect, combine these Paida exercises with Lajin.

Body parts for Paida

Paida universal regions.

Theoretically, all parts of the body can be slapped. Normally, Paida follows a top-down sequence.

When sick, a person will want to know which meridians are blocked. There are 14 meridians in the body—12 standard meridians, and the Ren and Du Meridians along the central front and back of the torso. All illnesses originate from blockade of the 14 meridians, whether mosquito bites or tumors, insomnia or constipation. Normally, multiple meridians are blocked in a sick person. Unblocking these 14 meridians cures it all, doesn’t it?

However, many people do not have enough time to slap all over the body. They tend to look for key areas related to their illnesses for Paida. To make it simple and improve efficacy, we recommend slapping the head and four “universal regions”, which basically cover all 14 meridians in the body. 



The four universal regions are as follows: elbows (front and back sides), knees (front, back, left and right sides), hands (front and back sides) and feet (top, bottom, left and right sides), eight in total. 

When slapping elbows or knees, all areas including front, back, left and right sides are to be slapped thoroughly; The best way to Paida the back of a hand is to place one hand on a knee, and Paida the back of that hand and fingers with the palm of the other hand; When Paida the feet, it is necessary to slap thoroughly the inner and outer sides of the ankles, and the tops and soles of the feet. To heal faster, slap each area for 15 minutes or more. Make it a habit and slap at least one universal region each day.

Paida the head.

After slapping the universal regions thoroughly, go on to Paida the entire head, including the top, left, right, front and back sides of the head, neck, eyes (closed), cheeks, nose, mouth, and ears. Slapping the entire head helps to relieve all chronic diseases, particularly effective for healing headache, insomnia, diseases with the five-sense organs, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. This is because all Yang meridians corresponding to internal organs go up to the head. For instance, Liver opens into the eyes; Kidney opens into the ears; Lung opens into the nose; Spleen opens into the mouth; Heart opens into the tongue. Thus slapping the entire head also heals disorders of the internal organs.

Paida “weak corners” and the entire body
The armpits, the groins, the inner elbows and the popliteal fossa (the back of knees) are dubbed as “eight weak corners” in Huang Di Nei Jing. They are mostly likely to accumulate cold-dampness, toxins and wastes. Clearing these areas is a “shortcut” in self-healing pains and diseases. But the armpits and the groins are not included in the “universal regions for Paida”, for they are less convenient to slap and it hurts more. People may reject Paida altogether if they feel too much pain during their initial taste of Paida. However, at our workshops, these are key targets of Paida.


After thoroughly slapping the head and universal regions, it’s best to also slap the armpits and the groins. Then go on to slap the entire four limbs, chest, back, abdomen, buttocks, i.e., “carpet bomb” the entire body.

Lajin : StretchingTendons; Paida, Sha, Self-Healing Practice.

1.Lajin in reclining posture : best posture for the overall  12 body meridians self-healing activation





↑shift-able vertical plank leg-rest lajin bench
or 
↓fixed vertical plank leg-rest lajin bench


⇧ Doing Lajin with a lajin bench . 


↗ Home D.I.Y Lajin with two chairs against a wall corner. ↙


2. Lajin in squatting posture⇩



3. Lajin in standing posture ⇩


(a) ↑ front view. (b) ↗side view.



⇩ (a)The major Jin of human body. 
Feet-Legs-Waist-Neck.
(b) The major Jin of human body.
Hands- Arms-Chest.
↘ (c) The major Jin of human body. 
Inner side of both legs- Hui Yin acupuncture point.



4. Lajin in Y-shape posture  ⇩


↑ On the bed. 
↓ On the floor.



5. Lajin in L-shape posture ↓




6. Neck Lajin ⇩



7. Lajin sitting on sofa-chair



Things to note about Lajin.

1. When practicing Lajin outdoors, avoid wind and chills; when practicing it indoors, avoid direct wind from electric fans or air conditioners. Sweating during Lajin is beneficial, and it is NOT necessary to cool down deliberately. The waist and knees should never be exposed as the body is relaxed and pores are opened up during Lajin. It is best to wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers to stay warm, particularly when the air-con is on; otherwise, the cold may get in through the open pores, affect the joints and induce more diseases.


2. There is no fixed standard as to how long or how intense a Lajin session should be, which vary according to a person’s age and health condition. The overall principle is: for better and faster effect, stretch with more weights and for a longer time. For people who dance or practice yoga, or have a very flexible body, each leg may be stretched for 30-50 minutes or more.


3. If, in reclining posture, your sole cannot touch the ground, you can slightly move your lowered leg outward to ease the pain. But once it can touch the ground, move it inward until both legs are close together to avoid splay feet.


4. People with hypertension, heart disease, the frail, the elderly, and the critically ill should take it more slowly, as the pain induced in Lajin will increase the pulse and blood pressure. Even though these are normal reactions and signs of improvement, it is advisable to gradually increase duration and intensity. A small pillow may be used to prop up the head in order to avoid blood rushing to the brain.


5. If headache, dizziness, pale face, cold sweat, chest tightness, numb and cold limbs, rapid and irregular heartbeat, or other severe healing reactions appear during Lajin, stop for a while and slap heavily on the inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint near the wrists. The more pain is felt during this process, the more necessary it is to continue Paida. 


6. Women can practice Lajin at any point of the menstrual cycle. Those suffering from menstrual pain will feel better if Lajin is practiced during the period.



7. Stay attentive when doing Lajin. When pain is felt at different parts of the body during Lajin, do some Paida as well. It will be greater healing effect. In particular, for those having difficulty in Lajin, slapping the joints, hands and feet can help relieve the pain felt during Lajin.


Few things to note about Paida

1. Avoid wind and chills during Paida.

Avoid direct wind from an electric fan or an air conditioner during Paida, so as not to let the wind and chills enter the body through open pores, which could induce new illnesses. If air conditioning has to be used, turn the fan to “low”, and increase the temperature to no less than 26℃.


2. How best to drink water before, during and after Paida?

Before, during and after Paida, drink some warm water to replenish hydration, to prevent fatigue or dizziness, and to enhance metabolism. It is best to drink ginger and jujube tea, particularly for those weak in Qi and blood.

Many people drink water as a habit, even when they are not thirty. They even follow the “expert advice” and drink many gallons of water every day, which can induce a lot of illnesses. According to Chinese medicine, drink only when you are thirsty and drink when it is warm. Do not assume that drinking much water helps detoxification. Where there are blockages in the body, the excess water can get trapped inside, damage kidney and urinary bladder functions and cause other health problems. And do not drink cold water. It is a taboo to drink cold water in early morning when the body’s Yang energy is rising along with the sun-rise. Cold water extinguishes the Heart fire and induces heart disease.

3. Avoid bathing or showering after Paida.

In cold weather, when you have little or no sweat, it is better not to take a bath on the day of Paida. As the Qi and blood flow in the body is automatically enhanced after PaidaLajin, it is best not to interfere with this process. And, the skin pores are wide open after Paida, cold-dampness can easily enter the body. When it is hot and you have much sweat, shower two hours after Paida. Never shower with cold water. Shampoo and shower gel containing chemicals should be avoided.

4. When Sha appears, it is best to continue slapping until it comes out thoroughly and then disappears.
 

Sha around the elbows and chest after Paida.



This process can take a long time, sometimes for over an hour. Prolonged Paida helps the Sha fade away faster. The slapped area gathers more Qi and blood, and it facilitates their flow and detoxification. Even if you stop Paida, normally the Sha will disappear in a few hours or days. It only takes a longer time.


If Sha disappears fast, it is indicative of good health. Normally, the Sha on kids, young and healthy people disappears faster; it goes away more slowly in elderly people and gravely ill patients. Some Sha can take weeks to disappear. After Sha appears, you can move on to slap other body parts, and wait until the Sha disappears to start a second round of Paida on the same areas.


5. The very fact that Sha disappears with continued Paida shows that it is not blood vessels being broken. Rather, the toxic substances in the blood are being decomposed, and removed through skin pores, other orifices and detoxification channels in the body. Sweat, tears, runny nose, urine, stool, smells from the skin and other excretions are all telling signs of detoxification.


6. Dark Sha, reddish and swelling skin that appear during Paida can look horrible. For instance, some people cannot put on their shoes, for their feet are so swollen after Paida. These are good healing reactions, and the self-healing mechanism is working to detoxify. Continue Paida. Do not panic even if the skin is broken and blood seeps out. Paida for a while to get rid of some toxic blood and bodily fluids. Then move on to slap on an adjacent area.


Sha and bleeding during Paida are part of the self-healing process. Some people regard the appearance of Sha as a sign of subcutaneous hemorrhage. This is a misunderstanding. When checked with medical equipment, the major blood vessels at the area with much Sha remain intact. And, if you slap on healthy parts of the body, no Sha or blood will come out.


7. It is normal that the skin sometimes breaks during Paida. You can stop slapping it and move on to slap on another part of the body. However, to heal certain illnesses, it is better effect to slap until the skin breaks, and toxic blood and fluids come out. For instance, this way people with psoriasis or eczema can get rid of more toxins at the affected areas; to relieve severe symptoms of heart disease, slap on the inner elbows until the skin breaks.



Prohibitions


Paida is prohibited in the following cases:


1. Those who tend to bleed easily or those with blood disorders, such as bleeder disease, Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP), etc.


2. Those with skin trauma, and/or festered skin with bodily fluid on it.


3. Those bleeding, having acute injuries, severe infections, or fresh bone fractures. 

It’s Okay to slap on regions with muscle and soft tissue damage and surrounding areas, it can hurt more, but the self-healing effect is great.



4. For patients with retinal detachment, avoid Paida the eyes.

Sha and self-healing

What is Sha? 
Sha (痧; pinyin: shā): Toxic waste in the blood and bodily fluids that appears beneath the skin during Paida. It comes in shades of pink, crimson, purple, purplish black, black, etc. When the amount of Sha reaches a peak, it will gradually fade away with continued Paida. Lumps, red swelling, and white powder on the skin are also different forms of Sha.


Sha is a word unique to the Chinese language. It literally means “toxic sands and little stones”. Ancient Chinese called them “blood stones”, i.e., pathogenic substances similar to gall bladder stones and kidney stones. Establishing its occurrence and coining the term “Sha”, as well as using it to diagnose and treat diseases, is a perfect case demonstrating the wisdom of ancient Chinese.


In the scientific language, Sha refers to tiny toxic particles that are processed and filtered from harmful substances in the blood and bodily fluids, when the Yang energy boosted through PaidaLajin scans the entire body and induces biochemical reactions with various substances in the body. Pushed by Qi, these particles are excreted through the orifices. Sha can be excreted through skin pores as tiny solid particles, or in the sweat, tears, nasal discharge, urine, stool, and so on.


Four types of toxins in Sha: 

1. Toxins from environmental forces such as wind, heat, cold, and dampness.


2. Toxins from diseases.


3. Toxins from prolonged medication and fabricated, processed foods. Chemical odors expelled during Paida are evidences of detoxification.


4. Toxins produced by negative mindset and emotions. These are far more toxic than the impact of drug toxins and external forces, and are the main causes of illness.


Paida the skin forces toxic waste in the blood to cling to and go through blood vessel walls, and colourful patches of Sha will appear beneath the skin. With the same intensity of Paida, Sha does not appear on healthy parts of the body, but will only surface on those parts or acupoints with existing and latent illnesses.




Self-diagnosis according to colours of Sha  


The general principles in self-diagnosis according to colours of Sha are as follows:


Sha appears only where diseases are present; the amount of Sha surfaced indicates the severity of diseases; the darker the Sha colours, the more severe the pathogenic elements (toxic waste, excessive cold, heat, dampness, etc.) are in the body.


Sometimes, lumps and red swelling may appear along with Sha. Regardless of the disease name, when pains are relieved and Sha is surfaced and decomposed through PaidaLajin, the self-healing method has taken effect. Sha does not appear the way and the amount we expect it. Heavy Paida on a healthy person does not force out much Sha; gentle Paida on a sick person easily gets Sha out. 

The colours of Sha have the following implications:


1. Flushed skin: healthy, normal;


2. Red: “wind-heat”; common in people of “sub-health” condition;


3. Purplish red: “stagnant heat”, prone to soreness;


4. Blue: “phlegm-dampness”, prone to fatigue;


5. Purplish black: stagnation and inflammation, indicating that toxins have accumulated in the body and that the meridians are heavily blocked;


6. Black: appearing mostly in those with chronic or critical illnesses, or those under prolonged medication;


7. Colourful Sha and reddish swelling skin: severe blockages. The swelling, similar to the appearance of Sha, is a good detoxifying reaction.   


PaidaLajin is diagnosis and treatment at the same time. Whatever its colour, Sha signals health problems and indicates that detoxification and treatment are under way—excessive heat, cold, dampness, and toxic waste in related organs are being expelled.


1. Where there is Sha, there is a health problem. The more severely blocked the meridians are, the faster Sha appears (sometimes in less than one minute of Paida) and the darker its colours are. However, Sha is not the only self-diagnostic criterion; pain is a more accurate signal. Having pain but no Sha also reveals health problems, for “no pains, no blockages”.


2. Some Sha travels in the body. This indicates that Qi and blood flow is being regulated and that Paida produces a lasting effect in boosting Qi and blood circulation.


3. Some people may have red Sha at first, and with continued Paida, darker spots, lines or patches of Sha will appear, and in severe cases even dark, hard lumps will emerge; in some cases, especially among the seriously ill, Sha may not come out easily because the Qi is weak and fails to stimulate blood circulation; some people do not have sufficient Qi and blood, but they have rough skin and thick flesh where toxins are buried deep within, so it is quite hard to get Sha out. In such cases, Paida hard and long enough, and for multiple times before Sha can be gradually drawn out.


4. In some people, Sha may cease to emerge after a few Paida sessions, but can re-appear after some time. This indicates that the self-healing power has its own agenda and mechanism. When, where and how much Sha appears do not follow a person’s willpower. Sometimes, try as you may, no Sha will come out; at other times, Sha will surface unexpectedly. It also shows that a person’s health condition is constantly changing, and that in the tug-of-war with Qi, toxins are changing and moving around in the body.


5. If Sha appears only when you are receiving Paida by others, but not when you are slapping yourself, then self-help Paida is too gentle and the duration is too short for it to take effect.


6. When you fall sick, you will have Sha where it previously did not, and Paida hurts more. Where there is little Sha, intense Paida or Paida by others can get out more Sha. These are good healing reactions, where diseases and injuries are brought to the surface to be uprooted.



7. The colour of Sha can turn lighter, turn yellow, or have a paler wave-like shade soon after it appears or on the following day. It can also spread to surrounding areas. These are all normal reactions, indicating that the self-healing mechanism is regulating Qi and blood circulation at the affected body tissues. 

PaidaLajin should be continued even after diseases are cured. These exercises could be adopted as life-long habits, because, in our daily life, we may still have thoughts and behaviors that do harm to our health. Practicing PaidaLajin daily is just like having regular meals. It enables the body to produce in vivo the best organic nutrition and medicine. If, no matter how intense PaidaLajin is practiced, no sore, numb, painful, or swelling sensation is felt, and no other healing reactions occur, this indicates that the bones are in place and tendons are flexible, thus PaidaLajin need not be continued. However, even in yoga teachers with very flexible tendons, signs of detoxification reactions like numbness start to appear when a Lajin session is extended beyond 30 minutes.

Exercises for Glaucoma

 Sunning is one of the best eye exercises you can do for glaucoma because it temporarily reduces your pressure. it also contracts the pupils and creates better fluid flow within your eyes. So, for the time that you do it, your pressure is being reduced. And the reduction of pressure will last if you could also release the tension in your neck. This exercise will help you do that. 

  If you are a typical glaucoma patient, if such a thing exists, most likely you have a very tight neck. Tension of the neck, to a great extent, is a result of mental stress as well as physical stress, but not in all cases. Nevertheless, I have found that many people who have a tendency for glaucoma exacerbate that tendency with either injury or tension in the neck.

  It's important for you to know that you need to work on your neck, first spiritually, then mentally. It is good to write about your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Then meet with a good friend or maybe with a psychotherapist who can help you. Hopefully, with holistic inclinations, you will see your whole life and all phenomena as one one unified experience.
  
  Sometimes, it is important for you to take a good  vacation or to do things that can improve your life. For example, let yourself be drawn into having a relationship if you do not have one now, or into finding a way to get out of your shell of loneliness if you are lonely. And, if you have a relationship, allow yourself to examine it and to find out if you really spend enough time with your partner; allow yourself to develop good communication skills with your partner in order to bring smoothness into your life. It is important to do the work that will help you to feel that you are doing well emotionally and that you are advancing yourself spiritually. Then, you just may find yourself in a whole new place of physical self-improvement with these exercises. Often, the exercises will bring back emotional phenomena, which you'll want to deal with whenever they come, in order to reach a place of neutrality and tranquility.

  These days, many people do not understand the value of neutrality. Somebody wrote me a postcard that said,"Meir, never tell me to relax. My tension is the only thing that holds me together." That is why many people function with tremendous amounts of tension and think it is good: because they always have it. Life is much happier with less tension. In a place of relaxation, you feel security and love in the universe. 

  Now, while facing the sun with your eyes closed, hold your head steady and stroke your cheekbones, massaging around your eyes and nose.  Massaging the areas around your eyes is very helpful for relaxation. Quite often, the tension of the eyes leads to squinting, as I've mentioned throughout this book. That is a tension that you want to undo. When you take away squinting, you take away pressure, and when you take away pressure, the eye becomes healthy.

   Move your head from side to side. Then move your head up and down while moving from side to side. Your chin points up toward the sky and down toward your chest. You should move your head up and down four times, from the edge of your shoulder to the middle, and four times from the middle of your shoulder to the  edge. This really helps to loosen up your neck and to create more space between the first vertebrae and the crown. After doing  this forty times, palm for thirty seconds. Then you should do it another forty times, if you can relax while performing the exercise. Do no  massage around the eyes here, because it's not safe to do this when you move the head up and down. Just move your head up and down as you're facing the sun with your eyes closed. Then palm again. Do this exercise a third time and then palm yet again for thirty seconds to a minute. Next, move your head from side to side and manage your eyebrows and cheekbones. 

  Now bend your knees and straighten them again. Try to bring your knees to the level of your abdomen or chest (this depends on how flexible your hips are) while moving your head from side to side. If balance is an issue, hold onto a wall or a chair as you do this exercise. Make sure that you don't fall while doing it.

  Now march  in place and move your head from side to side while 
 moving your legs from side to side in order to pump more blood into the head and loosen the neck. If you have good balance, as you move your legs up and down and move your head from side to side, massage your hands. Especially massage the place in the palm that   is between the thumb and the second finger. If it's hard for you to do three things at once (moving your head from side to side all the way gently and steadily, moving your legs up and down, and massaging your palm, all at the same time), then you can do two things. Massage your hand and move your head from side to side, or move your head from side to side and just move your legs up and down. Those are  things that can help you to bring more blood flow and to calm your nervous system; don't strain to do them. 

  After massaging your palm, and while moving your legs up and down, just simply move your head from side to side twenty or thirty times; then go indoors and palm for eight minutes. When you relax from the palming, you will have time to loosen up your neck. 

  Before doing neck exercises, determine how well your neck moves from side to side. Once you have an idea of the range of motion available to you, begin these exercises so that, at first, you stay within your comfortable range of motion. Gradually, this range of motion should increase over time. Also, with all these neck exercises, you should strive for fifteen to twenty repetitions on each side for each exercise. 

   Now lie on your back, bend your knees, stretch your arms, and look at one hand; let's say the right hand. Take the left hand and bring it all the way to the right and, in fact, surpass it. Stay there for one deep breath. Keep your head looking at the right while bringing the left hand all the way to the left. The shoulder will then stretch in two ways. For one, it will stretch in the back muscles, the trapezius and the rhomboids, in order to bring the arm forward. The second time, when you bring your arm back to where it was, the pectoral muscles of the chest will stretch, and the chest muscles as well as the back muscles are directly connected to neck muscles. 

  Then move your head to the opposite side and do exactly the same exercise with your right hand reaching to the left. You can let your legs move after your arm if that's what your body needs to do to complete .... (click here and scroll to page 168-171, to continue learning)

  Another thing that my clients like very much is the steam machine that my sister, who owns health spas, has donated to our school. Steam in a dark room can be very relaxing when you have your eyes closed.
  These exercises are essential for reduction of tension. After doing these every day for a period of time of around three months, measure your pressure and see if it has gone down. If so, you may be able to prevent the need to use eye drops, as long as your ophthalmologist does not oppose the idea; at the very least you may be able to reduce them gradually with supervision. Find a friendly ophthalmologist or optometrist who is willing to measure your pressure frequently, ideally twice a week, so you will know that you are on the right path. 



(For photos references click here)