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En ik duw met al m’n kracht tegen de wijzers van de klok
Maar het lukt me niet ze af te remmen
En ‘t zand glijdt zonder moeite tussen al mijn vingers, doorā¦
– Marco BorsatoĀ
With a big elongated stretch accompanied by a Wooooooooef he comes off his stretcher. “Good morning Jazz, happy birthday!” A happy face looks at me and instantly my light morning mood is replaced by a smile on my face.
A few hours later we enjoy a relaxed snuffari together. Despite the wet period, it is dry for a moment and there is even a watery sun shining through the clouds. Wonderful! We fill the rest of the day with another walk, games and at the end of the day the big bone I bought for his birthday.
While enjoying a fresh cup of tea, I look at a satisfied gnawing dog. He turned ten this year. Time flies so fast. Despite the fact that he is ten, he still behaves like a puppy. His eyes are as bright and intelligent as ever, his fur shines like a mirror, and he has energy for ten. On his face I can see the first few gray hairs appearing.
I think back to everything we’ve been through together and how grateful I am to be able to share my life with him. While I know it’s important to live in the moment and enjoy the now, I can’t help but occasionally let my thoughts drift into the future. And then I realize that I can’t stop time either. That in spite of everything, he will grow older and that there will come a time when we part ways. The very idea makes a tear roll down.
Who ever decided that animals should only live for such a short time?
Fortunately, there is my knowledge and expertise of Chinese medicine and nutritional therapy. There is so much I can do to increase the chances of living a long, happy and healthy life.
Every animal (and man) has its own oil lamp of life that is filled with a certain amount of oil (the Jing). The flame (life) is lit at birth and only lasts as long as there is still oil in the lamp. As the oil slowly burns down, that animal or person will slowly age and die. If there is less oil in the lamp, the lamp is more susceptible to diseases.
You have no influence on the amount of oil in your buddy’s lamp, that comes from the parents. But you can influence the speed at which the oil burns and you can also help to replenish the oil. And that is perhaps one of the most important lessons of TCM! Don’t wait for problems to occur, but do everything you can from an early age to keep the amount of oil optimal and the combustion as slow as possible. That’s the secret to a long and healthy life.
You can avoid factors that accelerate the burning of the oil as much as possible. Some of these factors are stress, overwork, a suboptimal diet and diseases.
When you produce offspring, you give each offspring a piece of your oil. Breeding too much with an animal therefore results in a faster decline.
Any inflammation, small or large, causes a decrease in Jing. It costs the body a lot of energy to maintain an inflammatory response. Subtle chronic inflammations such as an unbalanced gastrointestinal tract, obesity, cystitis, gum disease, etc., cause a significant decrease in the amount of oil in the lamp. Animals (and humans) with chronic inflammation will live less long than animals that do not have chronic inflammation. For example, we know that overweight animals live on average two years shorter than animals without overweight.
Replenishing the Jing (oil) mainly comes from food. This requires food that contains a lot of Qi (life energy): fresh, well-balanced and varied food.
The key word is balance. By optimising your buddy’s diet and lifestyle, you can ensure that the oil burns more slowly and can be (partially) replenished. This reduces the risk of diseases and increases the chance of a long, healthy and happy life.
Acupuncture and nutritional therapy can help to bring the body back into balance, so that Jing decreases more slowly and we give the body the chance to replenish the Jing.
Do you want tips or help keeping or restoring the balance of your buddy? Feel free to contact me, I’ll be happy to help you!
