Like western porridge, Chinese congee has its function as an everyday meal. Besides, congee is considered as food therapy for the unwell, including babies, ladies after giving birth, older people and people with digestive problems.
Chinese congee recipes are as varied as the many Chinese regions.  Its basic ingredients are liquid (water) and different types of rice. The simple plain Chinese congee recipe can be made very easily:

Chinese Congee simple Ingredients:

1/2 cup Chinese rice
8 cups water
Put rice and water together into a large pot and boil. Once boiled, turn heat down to medium low. Leave the pot lid semi-covered as it allows steam and air out. Stir a few times during the simmering, until the rice has a sticky, creamy texture. Well done.
When you eat congee, Chinese people usually eat it with some souse vegetables/sea food, salted duck/chicken/pigeon eggs, smoked meat or sausages, even some stir fried food as desired.
In fact, congee ingredients are various. People add eggs, sausages, herbs, vegetables, meat, red beans and mung beans into it. The rice can vary: sticky rice, brown rice, black rice etc. Congee can also be made from other grains, like cornmeal, millet, barley, and sorghum. Multigrain congee mixes are popularly cooked with sweet potato, red date and goqi berries.
Water is normally used as congee cooking liquid, but people like to pour some chicken, or pork stock into congee.
In China, congee is also used to feed young infants. The cooking time is much longer than normal. This congee is not seasoned or at most seasoned with a little vegetable juice, or mixed with pre-steamed and de-boned fish.
Ingredients can also be determined by their supposed therapeutic value as well as flavour.
Here are some sample recipes for various purposes:
Chinese congee recipes for the post-natal care:
1.Sweet potato, diced, cleaned chicken – boil together with ginger in the water for 2 hours. Separating the chicken and the juice, keep the chicken stock in the fridge when it has cooled down, and use it as cooking stock or for boiling vegetables or in rice soup. Eat sweet potato mash while hot – chicken can be served with a dip or sauce (while it is still warm).
2. Soak sticky rice in water for 3 hours and boil to soften, add dark brown sugar and eat as it while still hot. No more than two bowls a day.
3. Pour maize or millet into boiling water until boiled again then simmer it until it softens, break an egg into boiled millet soup, stirring it up, then add dark brown sugar to serve.

London is a very stressful and stressed city. We have all suffered from back pain at one time or another in our life time. Acupuncture, Chinese Tuina massage, cupping detox seem to be growing rapidly in popularity in recent years. Especially in the City of London area, treatments for back pain, shoulder pain, lower back aches, headaches, and neck pain all those aches, soreness, pain, are in very high demand. Yoga, Taiji, swimming, gymnasium exercise is also very popular. There are so many reasons for back pain. We talk about back pain here in a angle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). So

What are the main reasons for back pain, neck pain, and lower back pain?

There are 3 reasons for back pain or lower back pain in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Chinese medicine sees back pain and lower back pain quite differently from modern medicine. It can be diagnosed to be of the following various types.
1. External–Qi (chi/energy) stagnation. An external invasion of damp-cold or damp-heat to our body meridian lines can possibly block those channels along the spinal area, causing stiffness, tension and pain to parts of our body. When the body’s energy level is low, or when the immune system is weak, Qi is on the defensive. Once dampness conquers, Qi cannot flow freely. Arthritis is a typical form – the back and lower back is the most sensitive area for this kind of blockage and hence to the pain and stiffness which can go with it.
2. Trauma–Blood stasis causes back aches and pains. Blood stasis is from local trauma, for instance, heavy lifting, repetitive strain over time, a sporting injury, an accident or similar sprain, which leads to local inflammation, bruising, and thick purple blood that are found at the site of the trauma.
3. Internal—Kidney Yin or Yang deficiency can cause a very long period lower back pain. The lower back is very much influenced by the kidney – Qi, rather than wind-Cold. This internal cause or weakness can be associated with poor diet, insufficient rest, too much activity, overwork, excessive sex, multiple pregnancy and childbirth, standing for long periods of time, overuse of drugs, chronic illness, genetic weakness, being over-emotional, fear, anxiety, upset, obesity, sleeping disorders or general ageing, as our Qi is naturally declining.
Many intra-abdominal disorders – such as appendicitis, aneurysms, kidney diseases, bladder infections, pelvic infections, and ovarian disorders, can cause pain to the back area. Pain arising from various other organs may be felt in the back. This is called referred pain.  Check with your GP doctor before contacting us if you suspect your back pain might be a referred pain.
Why does blocked chi/Qi harm our body gives us pain, soreness, aches?

Chi or Qi (energy) flows through the meridians, like water flows through a stream, and can be blocked off by an obstruction – a dam across the meridian line or stream. The blockage in our body meridian lines could be caused by the influence of bad weather, or ingestion of improper foods or an emotional wound. A stream is blocked, it floods above the blockage, and it dries up below the blockage. Likewise, if our body Qi is blocked, toxin, negative Qi, tension, stiffness occurs just like the flooding and dryness in the stream; if the blockage is removed within a meridian, the natural flow will push negative Qi or toxin and tension away from our body.
Creating a small hole or crevice in the blockage will often clear the entire stream path. In our body, inserting a small needle into the blocked meridian will have a similar effect. Many acupuncture points are named after geological structures: mountains, streams, ponds and oceans.
Acupuncture, Acupressure, Tui Na Massage, Cupping and Guasha all release pain by unblocking blocked Qi/Chi and are the best choices for treating pain tension.
Acupuncture, Tui Na, Cupping and Guasha etc. are the most major therapeutic treatments among Traditional Chinese Medicine, and are extremely effective in treating either acute or chronic back pain/lower back pain. Many cases of chronic back-ache of many years duration can be cleared in just a few sessions. Acute back-ache from sprains or invasion of Damp-Cold Qi can be released in a few treatments, or even in only one. If, however, the acute attack is a return of a chronic problem, the treatment will take much longer: usually a course of around 10-15 sessions.
In Chisense Health Beauty Clinic, we specialise in treating various pains, tension, muscle tender soreness, muscle aches with traditional Chinese Medicine therapies – acupuncture and Tuina massage are very popular treatments in our clinic. Guasha is most effective for some acute muscle tension stiffness.  Cupping is more pleasant de-toxing treatment.
In traditional Chinese medicine, back pain can be identified by 4 kinds of symptoms, as you are reading this article, I assume that you or someone you know has or has had back pain, and you are looking for a treatment or a solution to the pain/tension/aches. Please check out these typical symptoms below to see which one you are familiar with:
4 typical symptoms, which one is closer to your back pain?
Back pain 1. Pain is constant and heavy, dull, travelling to the hips, it’s hard to turn around and worsens during rainy and cloudy days. The tongue has a white and greasy coating, and the pulse slows down.
Back Pain 2. Back pain area has a burning sensation, worsening during the hot weather or a rainy day. Pain/soreness/aches can be reduced after some movements. Urine is reduced and urine colour is darkish. Tongue coating is yellow and greasy.
Back pain 3. Back had an injury previously, pain is a sharp pain and the position is stable, painful when touching. The pain area feels better during the day but is worse at night. It is hard to turn over. Tongue is dark with patches.
Back Pain 4. Lumbar area and legs feel lassitude. Patient feels lack of interest, vitality or energy. Areas feel better when massaged or touched.
If none of above 4 types of symptoms is like yours, please contact Wen via the Chisense Health Beauty Clinic contact form for a consultation. Alternatively, try to Skype her at: ChisenseClinic or telephone her on 020 7377 1386 / 07853 984 877

Do you know how many types of common cold can be caught?

Traditional Chinese medicine tells us there are mainly four types of common cold classified as Wind Cold, Wind Heat, Damp Cold and Damp Heat. —Wind Cold, Wind Heat are the two main kinds.

So, what are the symptoms of these?

Wind Cold—blocked nose, sneezing, cough, headaches, chill, slight temperature, no-sweat, aching body, liquidised runny nose, sore or swollen throat, no thirst, prefer hot drinks. If you feel this is like your symptoms, then you should do the following:

• Wear more layers of clothes and cover with warm duvet aiming to get more sweat out of your pained body;
• Go for a sauna, hot water soaking your feet, it is better to add a bit of alcohol in the water;
• Drink dark brown sugar and ginger boiled tea, drink some soup with ginger in it.

Wind Heat —blocked nose with thick viscous substance, heat and loss of sense of taste, headache, diarrhoea, sore tummy etc. high temperature, sore throat (even before cold occurs), phlegm usually is thick, yellow and slightly dark, constipation.

Damp Heat—most occurring in summer, symptoms are: hot, dizzy, body sore and tired, consequent symptoms are chest distress, digestive system problems such as nausea.

Dry Wind – means external body chilled, but internal body hot, symptoms are: strong chill and high temperature, cough, shortness of breath, yellowish and thick expectoration, irritation and headaches.

Of course, if the flu is involved, the symptoms can be vary: similar to Wind hot cold, sudden chill, high temperature, headaches, shivery, body pain, tired, weak, no energy, blocked nose, runny nose, dry cough, chest pain, nausea, no appetite, elderly or children can get complications such as pneumonia.

Treating your cold with a corresponding method, is vital. Please read our remedies to find out the most suitable remedies for your symptoms. Alternatively, you can leave a message with me or contact me for some advice. Of course, if you are in London, you are welcome to drop by Chisense health beauty clinic for treatment.
Acupuncture, Chinese Tuina massage, Acupressure, Cupping, Guasha, along with traditional Chinese medicine meridian theory, are organic alternative effective ways to treat the common cold. The principle is to release excessive body chill or heat (Chi) and unblock the tension built up due to cold or flu, helping your body expel cold viruses more quickly, and providing relief from congestion and muscle aches.
Prevention — Daily acupuncture on a couple of key points during the period when cold/influenza is rife, can prevent you from getting flu and cold in the first place.

Common cold and flu can be caught in any season but especially in winter. The flu virus loves cold and dry air.
“Flu season in northern latitudes is from November to March, the coldest months. In southern latitudes, it is from May until September. In the tropics, there is not much flu at all, and no real flu season.”  [ By Peter Palese - see more ] A weak body will lower immunity and increase risk of infection during times of seasonal climate change. Be warm, be fit, be healthy, be energetic.

Knowledge is power; but health is the foundation !

So, how can we stop ourselves getting flu and cold?
How can we protect ourselves from the flu and cold?
How to prevent the cold and flu?
In traditional Chinese medicine, there are so many ways to protect yourself from catching a cold or curing your cold if you already had one – acupuncture, herbal medicine remedy, cupping, tuina and massage… these are brilliant treatments for releasing the cold virus, calm our body, but when you are ill, you don’t want to go out, do you? I always remember that my granny put me in bed and brought me some hot spicy or vinegar drinks when I was ill, and then I went to sleep with twice as many layers of duvet as usual. I released a lot of sweat and I woke to find my symptoms had magically gone down.
Certainly good rest and liquefied meals are the best for recovery from light colds and are a good additional therapy for severe flu and cold.
What are those recipes for cold and flu?
Here you are – I have collected 40 easy home-made recipes from Chinese resources to share with everyone:

1. Garlic and ginger with Brown sugar: 15g sliced garlic and 15 sliced ginger, boiled in 250ml water, add dark brown sugar, drink it then go to bed for a rest.
2. Ginger Spring onion and brown sugar tea: 5 slices sliced ginger, 5 stalks of spring onion white, 30g dark brown sugar, 500ml water – boil all together and drink while hot.
3. Ginger and white turnip soup: 25g ginger shredded, 50g white turnip sliced 500ml water, bring them to boil for 15 minutes then add dark brown sugar. Drink the soup, at least 200ml , 1-2 times a day.
4. Cocoa ginger tea: 50g shredded fresh ginger, pour into 1000ml Cocoa and heat them together until boiling. Drink as hot as possible, at least 100ml each time, many times a day.
5. Ginger brown sugar tea: a cup of 10g sliced ginger and 15g dark brown sugar, pour boiling water into the cup and drink it as tea.
6. Ginger garlic spring onion soup: boiling 1 chopped garlic clove, 3 slices of ginger, 1 chopped spring onion, some basil and a pinch of cinnamon in 3 cups of water for 5 minutes. Drink it as hot as possible and go to bed, cover up and be ready for lots of sweat!
7. Ginger red date tea: boil some sliced ginger and 10 red dates together for 5 minutes and drink as hot as possible. Cover up to get sweat flowing.
8. Ginger coriander spring onion soup: 9g sliced ginger, 15 stalks chopped spring onion, 15g chopped coriander, put into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes then drink the juice, twice a day, continuing for 2-3 days.
9. Ginger onion rice soup: 15g mashed ginger, 5 mashed spring onion roots, 100g rice (ideally sticky rice). Put all into boiling water to boil for 20 minutes until porridge-like then eat it all.
10. Vinegar flavour spicy Chinese cabbage:
    400g sliced Chinese Cabbage
    some Zanthoxylum seeds (very common Chinese cuisine seasoning, skip this if you don’t have it)

    1 chopped spring onion
    2g thinly shredded ginger (add more if you love it)
    3 tsp cooking oil
    rice vinegar or favourite one—I use apple cider vinegar
    some sugar
    Heat up oil in a frying pan or a wok, add Zanthoxylum seeds, once oil becomes dark,   pour spring onion and ginger in and stir for a few seconds then put Chinese cabbage in, stir again, add vinegar, put sugar in, stir evenly until cabbage looks soft enough for your preference.

11. Vinegar flavour spicy potato shreds:
    Thinly shredded potato, left in a bowl of water for 10 minutes, soaking it to remove starch – this step is important for a crispy and silky potato taste. Take the shredded potato out of water and drain it. The rest of the steps are the same as the above recipe – use potato instead of Chinese cabbage.
12. Vinegar flavour spicy bean sprout, the same steps as Vinegar flavour spicy Chinese cabbage but quickly finish cooking once the bean sprouts are in.
13. Spring onion and garlic soup: 10 spring onions, cut to pieces, 3 garlic cloves, 50g rice, pour them into water and bring to boil. Each time eat 150ml, twice a day.
14. Spring onion milk drink: 1 spring onion cut into pieces, 250ml milk, boil them together then cool down, mix them before drinking. 100ml taken each time before sleep.
15. Garlic: 1 clove fresh garlic, chew it until tasteless and threw it away. You will feel better after 3-4 cloves garlic.
16. Garlic honey tea: mixing one unite mashed garlic and one unite honey, drink with warm water, 4-6 times a day.
17. Vinegar steam: heat up a pot in a very high temperature, then pour 10ml vinegar in it, you can get vinegar steam over all the room. A few minutes later, repeat it again and again. This can clear the virus in the air and smelling and breathing the vinegar steam can help clearing blocked nose and good for cough recovering.
18. Red wine steamed egg: boil 25ml red wine, once alcohol vapour has cleared from the boiled wine, break an egg into the wine and stir the mixture up. Pour hot water into mixture to dilute, then drink it while it is hot.
19. Cucumber and Tofu soup: 250g sliced cucumber, 500g sliced tofu, boil them with water, drink a cup each time, twice a day. Suitable for children’s wind cold flu.
20. Spring onion Chinese cabbage soup: 3 stalk roots of Chinese cabbage, 3 stalks spring onion, 500ml water, boil all together then add sugar to drink.
21. Whit turnip tea: 250g sliced white turnip, 3 cups of water, boil until 2 cups of water are left then add sugar for drinking.
22. White turnip and Chinese cabbage soup: 500g cabbage leaves, slice; 120g white turnip, slice; boil all together with 800ml water until half the water evaporates then add dark brown sugar. It is 200ml twice a day. Continue this remedy for 4 days. Alternatively, use other cooling, soothing fruits and vegetables such as: pear or sweet orange, water melon juice, burdock root, cilantro, dandelion, mint, chrysanthemum tea
23. Citrus zest and cube sugar: pour boiling water into a cup with 50g fresh orange zest and some crystal sugar in it, drink like a tea.
24. Apple honey drink: 5 apples, peel the skin, chop them into cubes, boil them together with 1 litre of water, simmering 5 minutes after boiled, then add a bit of lemon juice and honey, mix all the ingredients up.
25. Water melon tomato juice: get mixed juice from peeled tomato and water melon, twice a day drink as juice.
26. Chinese pear soup:  1 skin peel from Chinese crystal pear, chop it and boil it together with crystal sugar in water for 15 minutes. Drink it as tea. Suitable for wind heat flu with cough symptom.
27. Chrysanthemum Goqi tea: 60g chrysanthemum, 60g Goqi (Chinese wolf berry), marinate them with rice wine for 10-20 days, then add honey in. Drink it twice a day 20ml each time. Suitable for wind heat flu with headaches.
28. Mulberry leaf chrysanthemum tea: a cup of 15g mulberry leaf, 10g chrysanthemum, pour boiling water into the cup, drink as tea. Twice a day.
29. Mint rice soup: 100g rice (ideally sticky rice), 10g mint, put them into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then eat it all. Suits wind heat flu with red eyes, headaches, sore throat symptoms.
30. Olive reed root soup: 4 salted olives, 30g reed root, boil together with 1000ml water until 500ml left, drink it as hot.
31. Mungbean and Chinese cabbage root soup: 4 Chinese cabbage roots, some mungbeans, clean all thoroughly and boil them together with 50g crystal sugar in water. Suits wind heat flu with cough symptom.
32. Egg soup: 1 egg, 30g crystal sugar, mix them together and blend them evenly in a bowl. Pour boiling water into the bowl and eat it.
33. Egg and sesame oil soup: 50g sesame oil, 1 fresh egg, break egg into heated hot oil, pour boiled water into egg and oil mixture, eat it all, twice a day.
34. Honeysuckle hawthorn honey tea: 30g honeysuckle, 10g hawthorn, 250g honey, add water to boil them together for about 10 minutes. Then pour the juice out.  Add more water into the pot and boil the ingredients again, take juice out again and mix it with previous juice together, and separate them into 2 parts, drink one each time.
35. Coriander soya bean soup: 30g coriander, 50g soya bean, 1500ml water – boil all ingredients together until half the liquid has gone. Add a bit of salt before consuming.
36. Water spinach soup: 100g chopped water spinach, 50g red beans, 50g sticky rice, soak red beans in water for 2 hours and boil red beans and rice with plenty of water until ingredients are soft enough to eat, add water spinach to complete. Reduces fever, diminishes swelling, detoxifies and dispels excessive heat from blood.
37. Mungbean rice soup: 50g mung beans, 100g rice (ideally sticky rice), some crystal sugar, boil all ingredients with water until beans soften. Eat it as a meal.
38. Balsam pear and lotus leaf with pork lean meat soup: 30g sliced balsam pear, 1 sliced lotus leaf, 50g sliced pork lean meat, boil all ingredients together, simmer them for an hour once boiled.  Drink the soup and eat the meat. Good for releasing dampness and toxins. Best for flu and cold caused by weakened body.



39. Ginger duck egg soup:  50g shredded skinless ginger, 2 duck eggs, 20ml rice win, 200ml water, gently beat the duck eggs together with all other ingredients and pour the mixture into pot to cook, once it is boiled, then can start to serve. Once a day, eat it all. Continue for 3 days. Suitable for the cold and flu caused by weakened body.
40. Ginger onion rice vinegar soup: 30g sticky rice, 10g sliced ginger, 6g spring onion white, 20ml rice vinegar,  put rice and ginger into a earthenware pot and cover with water then boil until the rice softens, add spring onion white to the pot and carry on boiling until soup looks like porridge, then add rice vinegar to complete. Stir evenly and eat it while it is hot. Supplements Qi (body energy, Chi), releases tension and removes cold chi from body.

Note: wind cold and wind heat are not the same. Make sure which type of cold and flu you have before choosing a recipe.
Key:  1-19 for Wind Cold type;  20-36 for Wind Heat type; 37-40 for Damp Heat Cold.