thaddeus

You're not going to get any answers you're happy with. Some people have strict definitions that work in their paradigm. For the most part it's just a general term like 'kung fu'. Loosely translated, it's internal work. There are people like Chu in NYC who makes a living out of teaching a 'nei kung' form, so for that purpose, he needs to make it different than chi gong. But rather than making people write essays for ya, why don't you start with your understanding of what it means? T

Good point. I just thought of something..i wonder if a quantum physicist can apply and say he's going to show 'paranormal' stuff like particles being in two places at one time or a particle affecting another..etc. etc. hmmm T

This is from his website: (8) But you're not a scientist. How can you speak on these matters with authority? Authority does not rest with scientists, when emotion, need, and desperation are involved. Scientists are human beings, too; they can be deceived and self-deceived. We at the JREF are skilled in two directions: we know how people are fooled by others, and we know how people fool themselves. We deal with hard, basic, facts, and we try our best to make them known. We try to protect people from influences that might obscure the true danger of uncritical thinking. We often succeed. And we have very substantial and eminent scientific authorities on hand to provide the advice and specialization we require. http://www.randi.org/research/faq.html#randi I took a look at the site and some of the applications..I wouldn't poo poo it so quickly. I think some of the taobums who have made some claims should pony up and then take us all out to dinner..what do y'all think? T

I've been watching this type of stuff. I got a little scared off from growth hormone stimulation because overdoing it will cause your facial features to change--acromeglia (sp?) or something like that.... something causing alot of interest right now related to rejuvenation is the combination of alpha lipoic acid and acetyl or propionyl-l-carnitine..some studies show it better than testosterone supplementation for libido and well being, but it's not raising testosterone levels per se.. T

Thanks smile..you're right, I actually do all those things--and better. I currently don't have any issues right now that I need Lin's help with. Probably because I've incorporated many of the things we've discussed already--and I'm beyond his supplement and dietary recommendations. The qigong 'technique' is not something he invented. I see it as a simplification of basic reverse breathing. But almost any cursory study of a gigong system like perhaps hunyuan will lead a person to that and even deeper things. But I'm preaching to the choir here so I'll stop. Plato, I would try to spend more time on Lin's site but it's a big turn off. Discussion of s*x acts with dogs and the value of dog penis and graphic pictures of phalluses aren't helpful to my work and home life. I can't spend much time on that site. I'm very interested in biochemistry, supplements, etc so I follow this stuff out of natural curiousity. For example, we've discussed tribulus here. Do you know I can't find one study that references it's effect on LH? It's all advertising material. The only real studies on pubmed say there is no effect at all from taking it, maybe possibly some not yet understood effect on mounting behavior in rats. But there are tons of studies supporting Long Jack...Lin throws out alot of gems about things that get depleted, but he doesn't back up anything and unfortunately it doesn't work for alot of people. Bodies are complicated and some of us like to make informed decisions about what supplements we are going to take. Taking DHEA is ok for some people, but for alot of men it's going to increase their estrogen levels and make them worse than before. I think you and I can have some really cool discussions about supplements and related material..I've spent alot of time on this.. T

Well, you can judge for yourself..does 'Dr' Lin's site make any sense at all? Are there any facts to back up anything he claims? I believe the site is purposefully impossible to follow logically and appeals to people looking for a quick fix for their problems. If you look at ray sahelian site, there's an example of someone who is also selling stuff, but at least he backs up what he say's with studies you can look up. T

I think this covers the gamut of techniques that I'm aware of, they pretty much fall into those categories. Probably another would be outside intervention, like someone whispering to you to remember or something like the lucid dreaming goggles. Which thread was talking about his? T

I've never been personally instructed in such a thing, only read the same things you probably did. I would say with any compression practice, don't let any pressure feelings go into your upper chest or the head and watch out for hemmorhoids (sp?). But, it's probably something you want someone experienced to show you in person. Too much room for error otherwise... I'm curious what your goal is with this anyway.. T

Sounds like you know him pretty well..how come you didn't pursue the training? T c'mon, you know we're going to ask who.. ? btw, any thoughts on what some of the better kickboxing gyms were? I was coincidentally considering it at the same time you made that post. T very cool...know anything about it? T

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not attacking you, just curious what you have experienced yourself, not second hand stories--that make you say these things. I'm curious if there is a natural way to generate electricity to burn a piece of paper. I'm thinking there must be something like standing on copper/etc that can enable the body to do this. I really find it hard to believe that the mind can somehow cause the body to generate enough power, but then again, I don't know how much electricity is needed to start the paper on fire like in the video clip. Maybe the electricity generated by the heart or in the intestines could do it...thoughts? T

Not only that..johnson's are bigger too. It permeates the culture. The jamaican stuff could cover another thread.. Yeah, us puerto rican's do eat alot of chicken! T

This is very interesting..the jamaican community makes 'goat head soup' as an aphrodisiac. Thinking about it, it makes alot of sense since the pituitary gland is in there..hmmm. I wonder if it makes a difference regarding the gender of the animal. For example you said chicken heads for girls..i wonder if rooster brains would have an effect on males. Anyway, probably not trying this anytime soon.. T

Looks like this stuff is only in australia! I've tried similar stuff in the past and it didn't react well at all with my system. Thanks for the info! T

This is cool, have you related this action to your form yet? You just described 'store' and 'release' and it's fundamental to taiji movement. So what I'm saying is that it's not a separate chigung to practice, it's in your form. I also believe, without any studies to support it, that these practices help keep your testosterone levels up. It also keeps the nerve connections and blood flow active to this region. If you notice, as people age, they become more sedentary and this causes lots of stagnation in the torso and lower body especially. It's a maxim in chinese medicine that aging is caused by increased inactivity of the lower body. That's why there is so much attention to activating the legs, pelvic region and lower back with a de-emphasis of the upper body and head. anyway, my two cents worth, T

Wow..so the secrets really aren't just in china. This guy is from puerto rico. How could he have learned this secret gong on a tv repair man's salary and so far from mecca??? It's interesting that he's on the grounding mat, so that has something to do with it. lerner's comments about human body are very true. I just don't remember enough from school about batteries and electricity. Anyone knowledgeable care to elaborate on how this is done? Thanks, T Any info we can google on this?

Ahh, but which one did you have success with? Alot of that stuff doesn't work due to poor quality and misleading amounts of actual active ingredients.. Thanks, T

Very interesting..probably then be extrapolated to a battery somewhere on your body..and then perhaps something that can generate electricity..for example a wool shirt..i wonder why this didn't come up in the john chang discussions.. T

I think you're on to something. I started taking the pill form and began to feel pretty sick from it. What you say makes sense. I would bet the powdered extracts are not using the prepared Sho Wu (i think it's boiled with black beans). Plus they are in ridiculous concentrations. I think mine was 12:1 concentrated extract. The Shou Wu Chih that was pointed out earlier is awesome stuff, btw. There are several versions --one with wine, one with water and one with no sugar. The best seems to be the wine version--which was almost impossible to find in chinatown a few years ago. I think they got around it by saying it's 'cooking' wine. Use the one that lists the ingredients, there are some that don't list the ingredients and I found them to be inferior (careful cause the box looks the same). T

How did you take these as a stack? Did you purchase them separately? T

This is true. Guys should monitor the parameters of their erections because it's the one of the best barometers of their health condition. Problems with endothelial health usually show up here first. It's something to be taking seriously, so if its taking a long time to get hard, it means your arteries are not healthy. If it's not expanding to maximum potential, then you have a serious health condition in the works. Even something like flaccid size, which seems innocuous, is important. It reflects your stress levels and it reflects your hormone condition. Taking something like propecia can actually make it smaller, so does high levels of stress. Diet has an interesting effect on the erection. A steak will actually prevent the arteries expanding to their potential for 4 hours. Recently it was discovered that putting milk in your tea will kill the ability of your arteries to relax. Google it. So, agreed, based on our understanding at this point, everyone has genetic limits on size, however, if you are not expanding to your maximum potential (and this includes at night during sleep and waking up in the morning) you need to take it seriously. To fix your arteries, I believe Linus Pauling was on the right track. Take large doses of vitamin C, lysine and arginine and it may take a few months, but your arteries will bounce back like new in no time. T Good points..also pelvic floor exercises..which btw are all internal martial arts when done correctly.. T

Hello and happy new year! It would be great if you could expand on the diet/dopamine and free testosterone information..and of course sorcery is cool too! T

I've been thinking about what it means to strengthen an organ through exercise. Let's use kidneys, since it's a good place to start for overall well being. Some approaches are moving the limbs or torso that carry the meridian, theory being that chi builds up from the motion and spills into the organ system. Another strategy is to pull or lenghten that meridian to get the 'kinks out' so energy can flow better to and from that organ. There are strategies to apply pressure through breath or externally (by pushing against a solid object). Somehow the breath and pressure 'strengthens' the organ through not understood ways. One can also use the mind and various images of colors and vapors to mentally stimulate the organ. There are sounds, which I don't completely understand, but it exists.. Any I missed? Any explanations? T

How did you learn it? I'm very interested in it. I read something on the pulses and it was immediately apparant that you needed someone to teach you..on top of that, I feel like everything else, you have to pick it up by doing it *alot* and trial and error. But I would love to start somewhere... thanks! T

If one is practicing an internal art, it's a fundamental aspect of movement. Whenever you lift your arms and drop them, you are practicing the MCO, so it never leaves you. So, i'm constantly aware of it and looking for kinks and such. As a one off meditative deal, i'll do once in awhile to check in on things. Mostly I do it to recover lost jing, e.g. absorb energy from the outside and flow through the orbits and store it. Whether i'm deluding myself or not doesn't matter cause it seems to work for me to recover from stress or or jing depleting activities. T

Pulse reading would be cool, but I need to find an authentic TCM doctor who can show the ropes. However, from what i understand it can't really be taught. Which makes all the 'methods' taught in 3 year programs or books a bit suspect to me. I remember once I did taiji under the full moon for a bit one night and got my pulse read the next day. The doc said I had the power of a horse! T