#4.18.24

Alright! We've been learning the Bladder Channel in school, which is the longest meridian in TCM - 67 points! There is a lot to memorize. But here are some fun tidbits and facts!

-You can treat pretty much every organ in the body by treating the bladder channel on the back - each organ has its' own specific point on the bladder channel called a "Shu-Point"

-Fun fact about the Shu-Points! If you are having issues or pathology with a specific organ, oftentimes that is reflected in the Shu-Point. For example, that specific spot on the back could be feeling cold, heavy, achy, damp, etc.

-BL60 - a point on the ankle - is cautioned against use if the patient is pregnant, as using it could accidentally cause a miscarriage! Also related, it can also be used to promote labor if it is difficult, or to help with a retained placenta.

-Also related - BL67 - a point on the pinky-toe - can be used to help treat Breech Presentation Labor! If you don't know what that is, Breech Presentation is when the baby is turned the wrong way in the womb. If born Breech, it could cause damage or birth defects, or even death of the baby if the umbilical cord gets wrapped around the baby's neck.

Fun fact - the World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as a proven, effective way to treat Breech Presentation Birth. That blows my mind! That means that it has been studied and scientifically shown that acupuncture is effective at treating this. Isn't that wild? That like. Just regular needles. At places away from the uterus - like the wrists - could have such a profound and proven effect on the body - or even a body within another body. Crazy.

In other news, I started working at the school library this week. Honestly genuinely the easiest job that I've ever had. It's a really small library, and barely gets any traffic - so I will have most of the time that I spend working to myself to study or do whatever I want.

It will only be for a few hours a week, but that's enough time for me to study - or dig into some books. I was finding some really interesting books that I'm very curious and excited to dig into. Interestingly enough, there's like at least 6 or 7 Reiki books that I found that I'm interested in. There's also a lot of books related to energy medicine, which I'm interested in. There is also a book about Qigong Therapy with TCM and acupuncture. I am prolly going to look at that first - because I am interested in it, but mainly because the book is normally like $400 and I would prefer to not have to buy it myself lolol

I have been working on spending my time in more... intentional, ways. I feel like in the past I've spent just so much time on distractions or pleasure-seeking - mainly video games. I have decided to take a break from gaming and spend some time studying and meditating and some other stuff, and honestly I'm shocked at how much more mental clarity I have. I'm also more happy - I have more time to do things that I actually find fulfilling and not just pleasurable. And meditation has been going well, too. I have been doing mindfulness meditation, and I can already start to see the benefits and effects from it as I become more aware of my mind and thought processes.

I think that's it for now. I've been busy playing a bit of catch-up now that I'm feeling better and more recovered after the flu last week, but it's been... really, really good actually, and I'm very grateful.

Hope everyone has a wonderful night!

4! - (1 * 8) = 2^4

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4 * 1 = 8 * 2 / 4

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