"Above all else, me"

It sounds ridiculous to say it out loud, but it's a core value in our culture and a critical determinant of our health.

Pioneer of cross-cultural psychology Harry Triandis helped define ideas of individualism (a cultural doctrine that prioritizes the interests of the individual over those of the group) and collectivism (vice versa) in research.

He and his colleagues linked individualism - especially U.S. individualism - to high levels of emotional stress, physical and mental illness, and several forms of social pathology including crime, suicide, divorce, and child abuse.

In collectivist cultures, conversely, Triandis et. al. observed that more and better-quality social support made it easier for individuals to cope with unpleasant life events and avoid stress.

Since stress is widely considered to be a precursor of disease, these findings have been used to explain relatively-low levels of chronic disease that have been found in many collectivist cultures. For example, heart attack rates are significantly lower in Japan compared to the U.S., a gap that has narrowed rapidly as Japan has become more individualistic.

"Above all else, me" is a system. Before one decides to either work with, avoid, work around, or change any system, one must first see it and its effects.

Apr. 20, 2025 - Grain Rain

This Sunday is the start of a new Seasonal Node. Each of the four seasons can be broken down into six smaller segments, called "Seasonal Nodes" (or "Solar Terms"), which come with specific instructions about what to do (and what not to do) to stay healthy, happy, and harmonized with the natural world.

---

The next solar term, which starts this Sunday, is a transitional one.

In ancient Chinese philosophy, the yearly cycle is seen as a rhythmic expansion and contraction of life, from winter storage to the great expression of summer and back again. Spring is the gradual movement outward (germination) and autumn the gradual movement back inward (gathering).

All natural cycles follow this blueprint, including the diurnal cycle and the life cycle.

This universal process is represented in ancient Chinese philosophy by the system of the Five Phases.

The five phases* (or five movements) are Water, Wood, Fire, Metal, and Earth.

Water represents storage. Wood represents germination. Fire represents expression. And Metal represents gathering inward.

The fifth phase, Earth, represents the transitions between the others. It conveys the idea that there is a generative force behind natural events - that which keeps the wheel turning. On a macro level, that force is the Dao, Universal Qi, Heaven, the divine. On a slightly less macro level, it is the Earth herself and all her gifts. Within the microcosm of the human body, that force emanates from the digestive system, which supports physiological change everywhere.

Earth is made manifest during transitions.

The upcoming solar term is a grand transition. Spring becomes summer.

It is called "Grain Rain."

There's the obvious meaning of the name: late spring and early summer rains make the grasses grow. The grasses' seeds become grain.

But the word "grain" has a larger symbolic meaning: it represents Earth, governor of transitions.

During this dynamic time, it is important to protect and nurture Earth in all its forms - macro and micro - as Earth is both a catalyst for change and our vehicle for safe passage through it.

---

*"Five phases" is often mistranslated as "five elements." The system represents movement and change not anything material. It is dynamic, not static.

Responsible antibiotic use

Antibiotics prevent serious illness and save lives.

I was glad to take them for a stubborn bacterial ear infection I had early this year and give them to our daughter when she had strep.

But it's important to understand how they affect the body.

Much has been written from a Biomedical perspective about damage to gut microbiome.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, antibiotics are cold in nature. They harm the Qi, which is a warm material. They especially harm the digestive fire when given orally.

What often happens, especially in kids, is this:

An individual gets an upper respiratory infection and is given antibiotics.

The antibiotics don't completely clear the infection, but they harm the Qi (whose job it is to fight infections), so the body can't finish the job on its own, and the lingering infection goes deeper.

This especially happens when antibiotics are given for a viral infection - which they won't clear at all - or when a new viral or bacterial exposure occurs during the course of antibiotics.

Once an infection goes deep, it can lurk there for quite some time and cause recurring flares and longterm dysfunction. This is the etiology of many autoimmune, allergic, and asthmatic conditions.

We have antibiotic herbs in Chinese Medicine, and I never prescribe them alone - they're too cold. I always combine them with warming herbs and herbs that protect the GI tract.

Physicians don't typically consider any of this when prescribing antibiotic medications. So, it's a good idea to do your own balancing: eat ​warming foods​ and foods that are well-cooked, bland, and brothy during and after a course of antibiotics (for a month or two).