too strenuous and may lead to injury of the back in weak people.
The Western-type exercises which are more beneficial for prevention of Painful Obstruction
Syndrome are walking, tennis and cycling.
Diet
The subject of Chinese principles of diet in health and disease is of course very vast and could
fill a volume by itself. I shall limit myself here to a brief discussion about Chinese dietary
principles in the prevention and treatment of Painful Obstruction Syndrome. I shall also limit the
discussion to traditional chinese principles of diet.
Dietary principles for Painful Obstruction Syndrome vary according to the type.
In Cold Painful Obstruction Syndrome, it is essential not to eat too much of the cold-energy
foods such as raw vegetables and fruit. It is also imperative not to drink iced drinks. This is
because cold-energy foods and cold drinks produce internal Cold which will cause more pain in
the joints. Beneficial foods are the warm-energy ones such as meat (in moderation), ginger, eggs,
garlic, and spices (in moderation). Ginger, in particular, is beneficial as it is warm in energy,
stimulates the circulation and expels Cold. It can be taken as a decoction made by boiling three
slices of the fresh root for about 10 minutes and mixed with a small teaspoonful of brown sugar
(which also has a warm energy).
A very small amount of alcohol (in the form of wine, brandy, cognac or rice-wine) may be
beneficial to those suffering from Cold Painful Obstruction Syndrome. Of course, this does not
apply to those who regularly drink substantial quantities of alcohol on a daily basis. According
to Chinese dietary principles, alcohol can warm the Stomach, expel Cold, expel poisons,
stimulate the descending of Qi, prevent epidemic diseases and dispel worry (!). A very small
amount of alcohol (say, 5-15 ml a day) can therefore be beneficial to old people suffering from
Cold Painful Obstruction Syndrome. Of particular benefit, would be tinctures (i.e. alcoholic cold
macerations) of herbs which simultaneously expel Wind-Damp and nourish tendons and bones,
such as Wu Jia Pi Cortex Acanthopanacis radicis, Ji Xue Teng Caulis Millettiae seu Caulis
Spatholobi and Sang Ji Sheng Ramus Loranthi. Such medicinal wines for Painful Obstruction
Syndrome are produced in China and are readily available at Chinese supermarkets in the West.
Patients suffering from Damp Painful Obstruction Syndrome, should not eat Damp-producing
foods, such as milk, cheese, butter, cream, ice-cream, peanuts, bananas and any greasy-fried
foods.
Those suffering from Wind Painful Obstruction Syndrome should not eat "irritant" foods such as
prawns, shrimps, crab, lobster, spinach, rhubarb and mushrooms. They should make a point of
eating mild, Blood-nourishing foods such as chicken, hen-soup, rice and carrots.