Shiatsu Holiday Event

Our donation-based Shiatsu Holiday Event for people who would like to experience Shiatsu at a lowest cost on Dec 29 and Sunday, Dec 30 2018. We provide a wonderful opportunity to have a deep relaxation, releasing the daily stress and recovering the physical and mental resilience by taking our shiatsu session. All appointments are available for booking or take a chance and just drop in. Bookings are available by text or phone call to 347-678-0092, Tomo.

Detox for Lungs

Detox for Lungs

There are various chemical substances are contained in the air that is invisible, those chemicals are absorbed in mucosa of nose, mouth, throat, wind pipe, bronchus and lungs.                                               It is said that oral and dermal absorption of toxic are only about 20%, but the rest of 80% is from airway, because the surface area of Lungs to absorb the air intake is so large like about 1 tennis court size. 

Air and the other materials entered through the mouth or nose is carried to the lungs, passes through the heart and spreads through the whole blood vessels.

                                                   Because it runs through the whole body without the detoxification process of the liver and it’s easy to accumulate in the body.

---  Toxics of Airway absorption  ---

PM 2.5 (air pollutant, exhaust gas), virus, mold, bacterium, pesticide, photochemical oxidant (OX = photochemical smog), building material (asbestos), dioxin, fragrance (synthetic perfume, environmental hormone = endocrine disrupting chemicals), insecticides, tobacco etc. It is absorbed by breathing the air contaminated with chemical substances outside and indoor air generated from residential building materials.

Also the brain has a gateway ( blood brain barrier ) that any harmful substances cannot get through there, but the fragrance is absorbed directly from the nose to the brain by mucosal absorption. 

We’ll get used to the smell when you keep to use it and tend to prefer a stronger fragrance that the amount of harmful chemicals increases even though it is invisible, but there are certain impacts on the brain, that decreases neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin ( that sometimes induces depression… )

--- How to Detox the Lungs ! ---                                                                                                             (= Keep to have the adequate immune function of respiratory organs in a daily life ) 

lung detoxification can be said to remove foreign matter attached 

to mucous membranes of the immunity of nose, 

mouth, throat, wind pipe, bronchus and lungs.

 Nose-Breathing                                                                                                                            

Because of the structure, mouth breathing is easier 

for foreign matter to reach the deep inside of the lung, 

so keep in mind to do “ Nose-Breathing “  

that conducts the foreign matter is attached 

on the mucosa to prevent   

go deep into the lung more 

than mouth breathing...

Reducing to take milk and dairy products: Due to the use of chemicals and antibiotics in large-scale animal farming, dairy products are not as healthy as ever before, while dairy products are proteins that produce mucous more in the body and solidify It causes the increase of phlegm. 

The immune system will be weaken when the phlegm is increased.

Steam Sauna : Taking moisture in deep breathing produces flexibility of mucus that the immunity keeps to be                   normal especially in Fall and Winter time.                                                                   The immunity will be weaken when the respiratory organs are dried.                                                                           There is also a relaxing effect that activates parasympathetic nerve that increases immune function as well.

 Linden green tea: This tea has an effect to regulate the lung function and strengthen it, and to prevent disease of the lungs. 

    - Recipe - 1 tablespoon of green tea leaves, 1 tablespoon of linden, 1 cup of hot water, 1 tablespoon of honey. This recipe is considered based on the research results conducted at Maryland Medical Center University several years ago. In the study, it is known that green tea seamed to prevent the onset of lung cancer, and its excellent antioxidant effect. Linden's flower language is "couple love “.

Homemade “ VapoRub™ “                       Reduces mucus, cough, stress, stuffed nose for improve the respiratory function by make it ourself by natural ingredients and rub our chest area.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
* Ingredients *                                                   1/4 cups : Coconuts oil or Olive oil                      2 Table spoons : Beeswax                                    
* Essential Oils *                                                 10 drops : Rosemary                                            35 drops : Peppermint                                        15 drops : Eucalyptus

     

 * Direction *

1.Put Coconuts oil and Beeswax in a bowl in hot wate

2.Take out the bowl after ingredients are well dissolved and add essential oils

3.Put in a grass jar before it gets solidified 

       

It’s about 5 minutes for cooking and lasts about 10 months 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this.

Tomohiko Yokoyama

Lungs

Lungs

The Mechanism and Functions 

The Lungs, one of quite a large organs in the body that occupy the majority of the thoracic area and place on the Diaphragm. These are surrounded by the Intercostal Muscles and are divided into right and left. The left one is smaller than the right, because the Heart is placed on the left chest. The weight is about 2.5lb.

Both Lungs are covered in the Pleura, and the Pleural cavity is filled with Serum Pleural Fluid to reduce the friction during respiration.

(Serum): Generally, light yellow transparent various body fluids, the interlayer serum is creamy that reduces the friction due to the muscle movement

The air inhaled through the nose and mouth that passes through the Larynx and enters the Trachea, the organ is divided into left and right and becomes Bronchi, then those enter the Lungs, 
Bronchi are further divided finely in Lungs, a small bag of about 0.2 mm with air in it called Alveoli that like a bunch of Grapes, the Pulmonary vein and the artery are stretched like a mesh around the Aveoli. Emits the carbon dioxide is from the blood vessel and the oxygen can be taken in inside the Grapes ( It’s called  Gas exchange  or  External respiration )

Oxygen taken into the body by external respiration travels through the body in the blood and is transported to each cell. Mitochondria of inside the cell burn the nutrients of the food by taking the oxygen in the blood to produce * ATP * . This is called Internal respiration that is for human beings generate energy for their life activity.

What is ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate)

It is essential energy source for the life activity of living things, it is used for muscle contraction, body temperature maintenance, emission of light (like firefly), electronic power generation, protein synthesis, cell division, sodium pump (neurotransmission, absorption in the small intestine, reabsorption of each nutrient in kidney tubules). Mitochondria of inside the cell produce ATP by using oxygen for decomposing glucose, fatty acid…

Human’s Lung respiration delivers oxygen to the cells through the blood for the Aerobic respiration (to produce ATP by using oxygen) in the cell. "Gill breathing" of fish is also for an Aerobic respiration in the cell. Plants also take oxygen by breathing and the respiration is the Aerobic respiration which are mainly carried out at night. (Photosynthesis performed during the day is to produce sugar, it is balanced by breathing at night as carbon dioxide is increased too much in the plant), 
Breathing of human, fish’s and plant’s are done to produce ATP.

*** Aerobic respiration and Anaerobic respiration ***
While Aerobic respiration uses oxygen, Anaerobic respiration is carried out by bacteria, 
methanogen, etc. which acquires energy by taking in nutrients without requiring oxygen. 

Anaerobic respiration	1 molecule of glucose can produces	2  ATPs
Aerobic respiration	1 molecule of glucose can produces	38 ATPs
Aerobic respiration	1 molecule of saturated fatty acid can produces	129 ATPs

*  Basically, any creature that has more ATP is active and healthy, and creatures capable of Aerobic respiration can continue to produce energy efficiently  *


Lungs is the organ without a muscle that does not stretch itself during breathing,  relaxation and contraction of the Intercostal muscle and the Diaphragm makes air in and out, and the movement of these respiratory muscles are automatically controlled by the respiratory center in the Medulla oblongata in the Cerebral cortex

Spontaneous breathing takes place by stimulation of carbon dioxide to the Medulla oblongata, so that the respiration will stop when carbon dioxide completely disappears from the body.
Although the Intercostal muscles and the Diaphragm can move even with instructions of the Cerebral hemisphere with consciousness so some breathing can be consciously controlled.

❢ ❢ ❢ Birth cry of the new born Baby ❢ ❢ ❢

  Fetus doesn’t breath in Mommy's tummy and exchanges gas in the mother’s grapes through the placenta, so new-born baby is temporarily unable to breathes and falls in a state of suspended animation when she/he births. But then, the respiratory center of the Medulla oblongata is stimulated by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood, and the first inspiration occurs in the Lungs. At the next exhalation, the air passes through the vocal cords makes the cry sound “ Waaaa, Waaa “, so the breathing begins in the Lungs regularly. 



< Adjust pH with kidneys >
Blood tends to be acidic due to a large amount of acid produced by metabolism, but if acid becomes excessive, pH regulation mechanism provided in Lungs’s and Kidneys’s function. In cases where it is too inclined to alkalinity to discard a volatile acid (carbon dioxide) from the Lungs, an excessive developing acid (lactic acid, phosphoric acid, ketone bodies, etc.) from the Kidney and bring the pH in the blood close to a normal level. The Lungs and Kidneys try to bring the pH back to normal by pH regulation mechanism





Function of Lungs in Oriental Medicine

* It’s in Metal element of Five element, Lungs are Yin, Large Intestine is Yang
* It is thought that it includes not only “ anatomical Lungs ” but also contains some functions of the respiratory organ, Autonomic Nervous System, Hypothalamus of the Brain
* Prevent invasion of foreign matter
* Lungs take Inspiration in, Lack of inspiration when the lungs weaken, that causes to depression,  * Physiologically, Inspiration means Intaking Air *
* “ Benevolence " to love all people equally
* Sadness often hurt Lungs

< Involved with the outside at the forefront and the immunity >
Along with the large intestine, this immunity that can be said the mucous membranes. It’s in the nose, the larynx, the bronchus and the lung. The ingredient "Mucin" prevents invasion of viruses and bacteria in the air, and the Macrophages phagocytize them.


< Assist the heart and control the circulation of blood and Ki to the whole body >
the relationship between the Heart and the Lungs that sends the blood upward to against the gravity as a function of Upper Heater of the Triple Heater, the Heart works by itself as a pump and the movement of the Diaphragm and the Intercostal muscle around the Lungs have the role,
* In 16th century, the early descriptions of the lungs emphasized their importance as cooling agents that maintained the balance of the human body by counteracting the hot temperament of the heart.*

< Adjust moisture regulation and perspiration, body temperature adjustment in the body >
moisture permeates continuously from subcutaneously and evaporates in order to keep moisturizing the surface of the skin, moisture of the lungs and airways is included in the breath in respiration It is said that it is vaporized, this is called desensitized steam Its amount is said to be 1,000ml/day in adults, the amount of insensible steam varies with the body temperature and the air temperature
The liver, muscle and brain account for over 70% of the basic metabolism of the body, but the excessive increase in body temperature is suppressed by the perspiration
Sweat is made from blood, sweating means lowering body temperature by utilizing the action of "heat of vaporization" which deprives the surrounding heat when water evaporates, but it is done by the direction of the hypothalamus of the brain. Other functions include the effect of preventing the skin from drying out, and the supporting  of the liver function by sweat gland filtration function (reabsorption of various minerals)
The reason why the human body tries to keep the body temperature constant is to make the enzyme as the medium works well in order to stabilize the physical activity such as metabolism and decomposition within that temperature,  the body temperature can be adjusted by this system


< Lungs and Skin relationship >
Oxygen taken from the lungs and nutrients absorbed from the intestine are converted into nutrients in the liver and are transported to the whole body by the blood, oxygen and nutrients which have seeped out from the blood into the tissue fluid are taken into the cells It is converted to energy by the chemical change, instead it discharges carbon dioxide, ammonia, water as waste of tissue as an unwanted substance, Oriental medicine is said to cause drying of skin and other organs when the lung weakens . This is due to the lack of oxygen and due to the lack of smooth breathing of the cells, the circulation of the water in the cells is stagnant, the cell's energy conversion efficiency decreases and the metabolism of the cell deteriorates

< Other Functions of Lungs >

Hering–Breuer reflex : Respiratory movement performed unconsciously, 
extension of the lung -> stimulation of the vagus nerve -> stimulation to the cerebral hemisphere center -> information goes to the respiratory center of the medulla oblongata -> trigger brain response -> switch inhale to exhale on reflex

Irregular change of respiration: emotions, surprises, worries, hiccups (rapid contraction of the diaphragm)
* These functions control not only the body functions but also some emotions *

Skin perception: temperature rise (breath acceleration), chilled water (temporary stop of breathing)

Elimination of foreign matter in airway mucosa : cough (trachea), sneeze (upper respiratory tract: nasal mucosa) Immunity

After Notes : It is said that the lungs is an organ handling air ( = Ki ). While preventing intrusion of foreign matter from outside air, taking oxygen in to convert it into energy, raising blood along with the heart function, regulating body temperature with skin while acting on autonomic nervous by respiratory activity is not something that can be visualized. The photosynthesis of the earth breathing with the circulation around the ancient time that started I feel something in common with it. Its invisible circulatory action is the "Ki" that the lungs treats.

Small Intestine is the Second Brain

Origin of Small Intestine

 Small Intestine is the organ that is formed in the beginning when the Embryo develops in the mother’s tummy, it emerges before the bone marrow, the brain or the heart. Then the mouth and the anus are came at both ends, on day 22 (see the figure, " Gut " is Small Intestine)

Animals which only have intestines, mouths and tactile sense, like sea anemones 
is called “ Coelenterata “

They have a simple body structure that
“ Body = Intestine “ 
There is a mouth to intake food and that functions as a poophole, however its intestine is very smart.
There are " sensor cells "
in the intestine that check
what kind of food entered and chemically recognize the contents, then react. 
They also release the hormone and tell the information that “ what kind of food they got " to the cells and the nerves nearby.
The neuron sends a signal to another cells which decompose (digest) and absorb each contents in there.

In the evolutional process, the nerve cells that surrounded the intestine for protection that has formed a spinal cord and its tip is swelled up to become a brain.
The basic structure of the intestine and the functions haven’t been changed so much in the process, the intestines of sea anemone is almost same as human being has, the sensor cells of antennae has became "taste buds" which feel the taste on the human tongue.

The sensor cells, and the nerve cells which make the network like a fishnet and those cells govern all functions of the Small Intestine of human body, so It is the organ that can conduct all functions by itself without receiving any brain command.
“ Our body is made of what we have or eat “
There is the "intestine" at the very beginning in the human evolution and even in the process of growth of a baby, which is indispensable for living organisms to live.


Functions of Small Intestine in Anatomy

The small intestine is a muscle tube of more than 20 feet in length, accounts for about 80% of the digestive tract. From the top it is divided into three parts: Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum
     
 Approximately 100 million Nerve cells (it's more than 15 billion in the brain, though) exist and govern the unique nervous system that maintains Digestive system, Immune system, Endocrine system and the blood flow.

* Nerve cells: Cells that can exchange information with 

electric signals and neurotransmitters *

• The final process of digestion and absorption of food ingested
Decompose Proteins into Amino acids, Fats into Fatty acids, Carbohydrates into Glucose, Absorb those nutrients from the Villus
• Govern about 60% of the Immune system of the body
Mucosal immunity: Prevent invasion of bacteria, viruses, etc.
Recognize which bacteria or virus is harmful or safe
Intentionally takes bacteria and virus from Peyer’s Patch into the lymph to investigate whether and where any infection occurs or not in the entire body, then get rid of it if it does
• Produce and secrete serotonin
Approximately 90% of the serotonin in the body is produced and secreted in Mucosa of the Small Intestine and with Intestinal Chromaffin Cells
When the brain feels stress, serotonin and its receptor bind together that leads
to hyperactivity of Peristalsis (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Promotes peristaltic motion, but also prevents Osteoporosis by suppressing its secretion

< < < What is Serotonin? > > >

One of the neurotransmitter, 90% of that exists in the small intestine, 8% in the blood vessels, 2% in the brain,It also works as a hormone for digestive system,

mood (anxiety and fear),  stress tolerance,  sleep-wake cycle,

hemostatic action to coagulate the blood of

the cardiovascular system,

cognition and control of pain,

controlling appetite, 

euphoria...

When it's produced in Small Intestine, Serotonin acts as a hormone and inhibits bone formation, in contrast when it's produced in the brain, serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, exerts a positive dominating effect on bone mass increase by promoting bone formation 
and limiting bone resorption
When we eat, the feeling calms down because most of it exists in the intestinal tract

• Secretion of various digestive hormones
Incretin: GIP, GLP-1, promote secretion of Insulin secreted from the pancreas 
Secretin: neutralizes acidic porridge of the food, which was sent from the stomach, suppresses secretion of Gastric Juice
Cholecystokinin: promotes the secretion of Pancreatic juice and Biliary excretion

< Helps and governs some of Gallbladder’s, Pancreas’s and 

Stomach’s functions in the digestive system >

Why is the Small Intestine called " the Second Brain " ?
   
 About 15 billion neurons send electric signals to exchange information with each other in the human brain that unconsciously affect emotion and behavior, these brain functions form as a “ Self “. It has been known that thinking, feeling, etc... are performed not only in the brain and the central nervous system but also in the recent research by the "Second Brain”. The neural circuit called Vagus Nerve where the Brain exchanges informations with parts of the body such as Vocal Cords, Heart, Lungs and Intestines when a “ Fight or Flight “ situation.

“ Fight or Flight " is a reaction to the fear of animals, when a person is very nervous the voice does not come out due to stress, the heart beating wildly, having butterflies in the stomach or gastrointestinal disorder. 
Such reactions had been thought to be sent from “ the Brain to each part ", but it turns out that 80-90% of the nerve fibers of the Intestinal Nervous System are conversely sending the signal     “ the Intestine to the Brain ".


The Intestinal Nervous System controls the movement of the entire
digestive activity from the Esophagus to the Anus without being sent
instructions from the Brain, “ the Intestinal Nervous System = the Second Brain " is possible to function to respond to food even if the Vagus Nerve is broken. Since fat and sugar are energy sources for the body and the brain, the Brain releases dopamine by ingesting fat and sugar-rich foods that feels us "pleasant".
50% of the Dopamine is produced in the body, and 90% of the Serotonin is produced with Intestinal Chromaffin Cells and Intestinal Bacteria, those Hormones have major impacts
for the mood and emotions such as happiness and joy...


<Specific intestinal bacteria and neurotransmitter that produces> 

Lactobacillus species: Acetylcholine, Gamma Amino Butyrate Acid (GABA) 
Bifidobacterium species: GABA
Escherichia: , Serotonin, Dopamine
Streptococcus, Enterococcus: Serotonin
Bacillus species: Norepinephrine , Dopamine

I. Acetylcholine: mainly works on Autonomic Nervous System, Sweating, Peristalsis... 
II. GABA: it relieves stress and calms excited nerves down, suppressing excess
secretion of Dopamine
III. Norepinephrine : awakening, fight against the crisis of life, anger, stress, attention,
uncomfortableness, balanced with Serotonin
IV. Dopamine : pleasure, joy, motivation, balanced with Serotonin

Depending on our diet, Intestinal Bacteria are determined " which Bacteria will flourish ", the flourished Bacteria send an information to the Brain through the Vagus Nerve “ What kind of foods they prefer ". That’s why there are some scientists who recommend to take probiotics or transplant feces from others into the intestine to correct overeating by removing the bacteria from the Gastrointestinal tract which prefer sugar and fat, that will decreases the person’s appetite.
Intestinal bacteria also might affect the human behavior. The bacteria haven’t flourished in the intestine of the Mice that have been bred in a sterile environment. They behave like autism and there has been a big change in the level of specific proteins involved in memory, learning and the production rate of Serotonin. However after given certain probiotics to the mice, the symptoms have been getting better, so it has become known that intestinal bacteria were controlling the behavior of Mice.
Also Mice that ingest a specific bacterium have fewer stress hormones in the blood and the ability of learning and memory were improved, but when cutting the vagus nerve of that, this improvements disappeared.

In the study has reported that people who have kept to eat probiotics yogurt for 30 days have lower levels of anxiety and depression than others who have just had milk without bacteria.
In the another study, that was for the people with depression who have resisted for antidepressants were treated by embedding a small pacemaker in the body that stimulates the Vagus Nerve with many kinds of frequencies for emulate signals of the Intestines of healthy people. ( Vagus Nerve Stimulation )

Intestinal bacteria not only interact with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to form the normal structure of sleep, but there is a possibility that also have a role to counter negative emotions, to forgive others, and it may have a positive influence for giving birth and parenting.
~ references ~
http://www.wellnesswarrior.org/how_your_gut_microbes_may_be_communicating_with_your_brain 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Ftj5E90tY

Small Intestine in Oriental Medicine

It’s in Fire Element, Small Intestine is Yang, Heart is Yin

Whereas Small intestine works in unconsciously,

Heart is the organ we can feel most consciously with our own emotions 

Related parts of the body : Pinky fingers, Wrists, Elbows, Shoulder Blades, Neck (side)

Receive, Digestion and Absorption : The big difference of the function between the Stomach’s and the Small Intestine’s are that the stage of digestion of food. The stomach breaks the food down with the stomach acid roughly and sends it to Small Intestine, but the food needs to digest finely until it becomes organic compounds for absorption. It takes time much more than Stomach does.

Sort: The digested foods and drinks sort to nutrients and waste in Small Intestine. It absorbs the nutrients and send the waste to Large Intestine. About 80-90% of the liquid is absorbed there, too. Spleen won’t be able to work if the absorption isn’t well in Oriental medicine. (this is thought as Fire element controls Earth element).
Diarrhea may occurs if Small Intestine cannot absorbs the liquid well because the rest of the liquid goes to Large intestine so the waste becomes watery, even though Large Intestine absorbs some of the liquid. So Small Intestine controls the amounts of the urine and stool.


*** The role of the Small Intestine in Oriental medicine is not so much. It seems that the Heart functions and its concept had been more important in the era, the length of human life was much shorter than now and there were much less environmental pollutions, Not so many bacterial infections had been found, etc.. Maybe because that the people had lived with nature naturally in the ancient China.***