Questions about Chi Kung training
Greetings Woliveri,
You’re right I am in Oakland however, I have never trained with the person that you mention. Tien Tao involves both standing and moving meditation, its origin is Chinese. If you are genuinely interested, you have my contact information. I won’t get into its historywhich is rather lengthy because I’m not sure that this forum is the proper place. I’m assuming that we’re pretty much expected to stick to the point?
TR Joiner
Liver yin xu?
T R Joiner said:
"…night sweats are a common symptom of Yin deficiency, to be exact Liver Yin deficiency…
“Therefore, the most prudent course of action would be to use a formula that contains Suan Zao Ren as the “Emperor” herb (or main ingredients) along with several other herbs that act synergistically with the main ingredient to nourish the Liver Yin deficiency which is the underlying cause.”
Honorable Sir, while I agree with your use of SZR as the emperor herb in the formula, it is not for the same reasons you have stated. My understanding is the night sweats are more typical of Kidney Yin deficiency (aka steaming bones or rob sweating) - in my studies thus far, I have not seen night sweats associated with Liver Yin deficiency. However, the sour aspect of SZR does effectively “retain the qi to stop sweating”. Furthermore, it also moistens and calms the liver to nourish yin, ultimately quenching the empty heat that may be causing insomnia.
If I am missing something regarding the Liver Yin Xu night sweats, please correct me 
respectfully,
herb ox
Liver yin xu
You didn’t miss a thing herbox, you’re right in regards to T.C.M. attributing night sweats to “steaming bone” which is as you stated, associated with def. Kidney yin. It appears I have unintentionally mis-spoken! Although the rising heat associated with Liv. yin def. could possibly cause irritability along with the restlessness and shen related stuff associated with the Heart that is often seen in insomnia, as you have pointed out, according to T.C.M. it is the Ki. def rather than the Liv. def. that is the cause of the night sweating. As I sit here slowly wiping the egg from my face, I am reviewing some of the traditional formulas for treating night sweats and notice that quite often they contain ingredients for nourishing both Ki. and Liv. yin def. which in spite of my error regarding T.C.M. theory makes me somewhat relieved by the fact that my reccomendation of Suan Zao Ren as the emperor in a formula supported by herbs such as Shan Zhu Yu, Mu Li, and Wu Wei Zi would likely have been of benefit none the less.
T.R. Joiner
I have tried everything - nothing works for me but cannabis
There are over 80 recognized sleep disorders and 15 or so not yet fully accepted by the medical community. Largely insomnia, idiopathic hypersomnalence and sleep disordered breathing are the 3 top ranking disorders affecting millions of people in the US alone. It is estimated that 30% of the population remains undiagnosed. Sleep disordered breathing which is composed of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome, Cheynne-Stokes Respiration’s, Central Sleep Apnea, Nocturnal Hypoventillation Syndrome and Complex Sleep Apnea, is by far the most prevalent. Severe cases of sleep apnea (30+ events an hour) can wreck havoc on your metabolism by interfering with leptin and grelin levels, this can lead to diabetes because the pancreas will stop producing insulin your liver will then try to compensate, it can also contribute to hyperlipidemia and high cholesterol. Because of the hypoxemia, your blood can become polluted, since your liver is working overtime it cannot filter as it should and free radicals build up, the spleen, lymphatic system and kidneys will try to compensate. When they no longer can, cancer develops. The strain caused by the upper airway closing off, whether by nasal or throat polyps, naturally small occurring airway, mass in airway, weak soft palate, cleft palate, overbite, underbite, crossbite, enlarged tongue, enlarged adenoids/tonsils etc. can lead to extra strain on the heart causing hypertension, arrhythmia, stroke and infarction. It can also exacerbate/create acid reflux. Without a diagnosis the wrong approach is medication. Many medications can actually do more harm than good by either exacerbating the apnea or interfering with consolidation and transition of sleep staging. Sleep staging is extremely important, fragmented sleep caused by a sleep disorder such as apnea can lead to insomnia, which can lead to mental disorders or aggravate existing ones. Sleep disorders are too deep a rabbit hole to accurately discuss in-depth on a forum, there are many factors ranging from diet, exercise, work patterns, stress, drug use, amount of sunlight etc. to be taken into consideration. A full evaluation from a board certified sleep specialist is recommended. Sleep disturbed breathing affects without prejudice, your ethnicity, weight, age, fitness level are irrelevant. Some sleep disorders only affect women, some different ethnic groups. Without a full evaluation and proper diagnosis from a credible institution, your simply wasting your time and possibly doing more harm than good.