The earthquake in Japan has made me realize what my feng shui master keeps reiterating: man cannot control nature, instead we must learn to work with nature. Also, it has become evident how we are so reliant on electrical power and oil. Our lifestyles take so much for granted, that it’s really a wake up call.
I have been in contact with my friends in Japan through email and they are still experiencing daily aftershocks. Due to the concern not knowing when their power will be cut off or the effects of radiation from the nuclear plants in Fukushima, many are buying food for any emergency. Those that work during the day and who normally shop after work, find that the shelves are bare. Staples such as bread and milk seem to be limited. Because many are now working from home and everyone is trying to conserve energy, the streets of Tokyo are empty. My girlfriend said, the air seems to be cleaner and she actually saw a “blue” sky. There is always a yin to a yang. Right now, they are all patiently waiting for things to return to normal, but their main concern now is the exposure to radiation.
Last week my qi gong teacher, Dr. Wang, gave us a lecture on foods we should consume to boost our resistance to radiation exposure. He said that when we are healthy and strong, our bodies will be less affected with radiation. Dr. Wang is an acupuncturist and prescribes Chinese herbs for medication, everything from nature. He comes from a family of physicians and his ancestors were doctors to the Emperor. All of us students have great respect and trust in his knowledge, so I am confident he knows what he is talking about. Dr. Wang kindly prepared a bag of all sorts of dried ingredients that we cooked in water for forty minutes to create a kind of herbal brew. I must admit, it was pretty hard to swallow, but since it was difficult to identify what each one was, here is a list of five foods that he recommended to help our immune system when exposed to radiation.
- tomatoes
- potatoes
- seaweed/kelp
- green tea
- ginseng
Please include these in your diet with your loved ones: The hardest to obtain is the ginseng, but they do sell ginseng tea and sweets. You can try those. Also, seaweed and kelp contain iodine, which is recommended when exposed to radiation. Remember to consume these in moderation.
The image above is something I designed: Stay Strong Japan, Ganbatte Nippon (in Japanese) which means “Do your best, Japan” or “Try Hard, Japan”. The translation is difficult because there is nothing that matches it perfectly. In Asia, symbolism plays a large role in our culture. So, I used the symbol of the red sun from the Japanese flag and placed a white heart in the center to signify the love we want to send. To those in Japan, Ganbare!