90 Years Young...

by Warwick Poon

Ron Poon turned 90 years old this month. This is significant to the readers of this newsletter only because Ron is the father of Warwick, the father-in-law of Aine, and the grandfather of Therese.

The fact that he is active, plays golf twice a week, table tennis twice a week, and is the main housekeeper of his home for both himself and his wife, is a testament to his lifestyle and temperament. And is the result of the preceding 89 years of his life.

In Chinese Medical thinking, life is split into two sections: Xing and Ming. Ming is often translated as life force or life, but it's meaning is more about the physical life force. Xing is a description of the emotional, spiritual and cognitive part of life.

It is common to find that as people age they exhibit a marked decline in one or the other of these. For instance, some will have a sharp mind, but a fragile body, whereas some have a robust physique, but they suffer from dementia type thinking. The Xing and the Ming have declined at different rates, and having them decline at equivalent rates is a tricky business. The main method for balancing these two areas, is that you live a balanced life, so that when you get older, they remain balanced.

Of course genetics plays its part, and the fact that Ron has had acupuncture from his son, or granddaughter once a week for the last fifteen years may also have a small bearing on the current outcome! When one area seems to be declining a little stronger than the other, a slight nudge is all that is required, either from the practitioner or from the efforts of the patient themselves. I believe that it still returns to the issue of balance. One should cultivate balance in one's life, from an early age. If you spend your time digging for a living then your recreation should be slow and quiet, say chess. But, if you are one that works in an office, and sit and thinks all day, then you need to play a sport on the weekends. This is the essence of balance, from a Xing/Ming point of view.