Universal

I used to drinkable few cups of coffee a day. Now I only drink one cup, first thing in the morning. I'd like to quit though, as I think it does more harm than good. I seems like I channels all of my energy into the first few hours of the day. I'd rather be more even keel. I hope this thread continues, its good motivation.

Very good topic, thanks for posting. I worked long hours in a cubicle coming out of college and I was miserable. I really thought life was over as I knew it. I eventually resigned and ended up taking a job in the public sector. I like it much better, more freedom, etc. There is still stress, but its much more manageable. I know I'll never become rich, but that's ok. They say time is money, but I value time much more than money. At some point I'd like to be able to work less with less stess, maybe part time. Then I could better focus my energy on the way/path, learning, helping others and doing more creative things. I think this would be possible if I saved enough to buy a humble place to live so I wouldn't have a rent/mortgage payment.

I work in finance where a lot of the people only care about money, not the work they do. They're a bunch of miserable assholes.

I don't have a problem with working, but I can't stand being around a bunch of miserable assholes all day.

Just keep learning. It's take time and there's always more to learn. And that's a good thing.

Thanks for the video, I definitely needed that.

Hello Everyone, I'm 33 years old and had maybe two or three nocturnal emissions over the course of my live. Then, around late January of this year I started to have them every two or three weeks. Does anyone know what could be causing this? I want it to stop more than anything. I normally like to retain for spiritual/mental/physical reasons and this has been very frustrating. Has anyone had a succession of nocturnal emissions happen in their 30's like this? Does anyone know any techniques for preventing this? I know the topic has been touched on here before and there was even a dedicated thread at one point. I thought I'd renew the focus since it has been such a problem for me recently and to see if there are any new perspectives/solutions. Thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks for the Dear Exercise info George. Definitely looks like it could help. Could you recommend a specific book from Stephen Chang where I could continue reading about this? Harmonious Emptiness, do you know where I can find a good Chinese herbalist? Dmattwads, good question. I have no lower back pain, but my upper back seems like it’s coming apart. I definitely think it’s caused by the loss of jing. Knees are fine, but I have always had one somewhat bad knee. Had night sweats last night. They’ve increased since all this started. Prior to this they were rare. Just to clarify, NE has not been normal for me. I’ve gone six months without masturbation/intercourse with no NE more on several occasions. I never had them and now all of the sudden at age 33 they hitting me like the plague. I don’t drink alcohol (sober for almost 9 years). I slip up and look at porn every few months or so. I started to reduce my meat consumption, but I think a lack of protein has lead to weakness in the back muscles so I’m increasing my consumption now. I was working out daily before all this started. Because of my back all I’m doing is one-hour walks every day. I think western science/medicine and eastern science/medicine both have something to offer. As far as ejaculation goes, I prefer the benefits of keeping it in unless I’m in a committed relationship. Then, in moderation perhaps. This feels like I’m being attacked by a succubus. I’m baffled. Dmattwads (again), you’re providing great information in general. Keep it coming my friend. Could you recommend a book where I could learn more about the kidney yin imbalance, etc.? BTW, I always used to wake up too!

Hi ChiDragon, I would say I have a normal level of arousal mentally. I think retaining heightens it a bit, but I've been doing that off and on for years without this problem. As far as physically, I'm able to control my digit without a problem. I would say my sexual urges have decreased since this started. I always dream about the opposite sex in my sleep when this happens. Edited to say "Hi ChiDragon"*

Hi Fellow Bums, I've been reading forum posts here for a few years. Never contributed much because I don't know much. Does anyone have any TCM related knowledge on upper back pain? A little background: I've been practicing retention (most of the time) for the past few years. I've been exercising daily (except for the past month) for years as well. Every so often (once or twice per year) I get a mild upper back/shoulder injury that keeps me out of the gym for a few weeks. This injury happened to me a couple of months ago, and now it keeps coming back. Due to a confluence of factors 1) A couple months back, completely out of the blue, I started to have a nocturnal emissions every two weeks or so. Had about four in total. In response I stopped taking zinc supplements and am pretty much blocking out anything that will arouse me sexually. The emissions appear to have stopped. 2) I recently got promoted which has resulted in an increased level of stress 3) About a month ago I had prolonged intercourse with a woman and did not ejaculate. She also sent me lots of sexual text messages causing heighten arousal. After doing this once before we planned on having intercourse and then abruptly canceling at the last minute, I discontinued relationship (there were other reason as well...), because I wanted to avoid arousal that could lead to a nocturnal emission. Here is where I am now: some days my work out injury feels like it completely healed, but then returns a day later. I have severe tension in my upper back, mostly while sitting and reading from my ipad - which is what I do most of the time. I believe this tension is preventing my injury from healing fully and my inability to exercise is preventing me from releasing the tension. A viscous cirlce... The other day I spent a good amount of money on an office chair for home which has helped somewhat. Although as I type this the tension is pretty bad again. I'm also working on getting an appointment with an orthopedic MD. Last night I masturbated for the first time in 4 months. The ejaculation came quickly, but seemed to be restrained. Should I continue to do this to release jing/tension? What about acupuncture? Are there any qigong movements I could do? My goal is to heal so I can get back to my exercise routine. When I have that going I am very balanced. I'm going to go for a walk soon. Oh, one other thing. I cut down on meat over the last several months too. I'm thinking the lack of protein has also made my back more prone to injury. I read at a TCM site that beef strengthens the back too. I am now eating more meat. What else can I do?

Are there any TCM remedies, or just general suggestions, to assist the healing of a muscle and/or tendon in the upper back? I think it might be the rhomboid muscle.

Which kidney herbs do you suggest?

I practice retention because I find I have more energy, vitality, strength and creativity when i do. Of course, this often comes with heightened anxiety, etc. However, after I ejaculate, I feel more susceptible to fear. It's hard to find the right balance. I seem to be in a consistently good mood when i retain. Its seems harder for life to get me down. I feel more spiritual as well. Sometimes I think there maybe a placebo effect though. It can be very frustrating sexually. Thanks for all the advice and information. Very helpful. Any advice on how to find a good acupuncturist? EDIT: Just to be clear, when I say I'm retaining, I'm abstaining from sex/masturbation completely; not holding it in.

The injury came from using the machine press during a time of heightened stress and less than optimal sleep. Being short on rest, I must have strained part of my back to compensate for my diminished strength while pushing the weight. I think the added stress compounded the issue because of the related back tension. I believe the continued back tension is the reason why its taking so long to heal.

Thanks for the links and info. The book and cane are definitely things I'm willing to try. I'll see if I can get it at the library first. I've never been to an acupuncturist. I used to smoke, but gave it up almost 5 years ago. I try to breath properly and have good posture. I've been sitting on a really cheap futon from Ikea for that last few years; no lumbar support, very awkward sitting position, etc. I think slouching on that really made things worse too. I've been going to this store called Healthy Back, trying different products. Just bought a task chair for working at home and a bedlounge that I'm using with the futon for added support. I'm still in need of a good armchair/sofa, something that will allow for good, relaxed sitting posture. I'm pretty much open to anything here. Any ideas?

Sex is my last concern right now. Just want a healthy back, nothing more. My hands were in the conventional location lol.

Hi ChiDragon, The injury has not fully recovered. I can feel that it is still there, especially when my back tension flares up. If I try to work out now, it will get worse. The problem is that due to the back tension, its taking longer than normal to heal. I was taking zinc for general health reasons, not for any sexual problems. My lack of ejaculation was mostly intentional. I was trying to conserve my essence so that I could heal my back. I think I may have created some kind of blockage instead. I know little of these matters, so this is pure speculation. The stress from work has only made matters worse, and is one of the main reasons its taking so long to recover. I just want to get back to my normal exercise routine. Get my balance, sense of well being, and daily stress reliever back. Very frustrating.

Very good point. The exercise that is getting me is the machine (or chest) press. Not sure if that's what its called. It's like a bench press motion, but you're sitting upright. It's all the gym at my apartment has for using a good amount of weight for a compound chest exercise. I read that it can lead to the kind of problem I'm experiencing. My plan it to start back up with push ups. Then see about dumbbell presses. Its a similar motion, but doesn't lock you into a rigid motion like the machine press which is what causes the injury. However, and i should have been more clear about this in my original post, I don't think I'll be able to heal and do any exercises until I relieve the tension. I started to massage it earlier (thanks joeblast), and that helped a lot. I'm a little worried about seeing a massage therapist though, because they might rub the injured area the wrong way - making things worse. That's one of the reasons I'm going to check with a doctor first, to make sure massage won't do more harm than good. Some massage therapists require a doctors note if you have any injuries, issues, etc.

Well, I generally have more energy and stamina when I refrain from ejaculating. But it seems to bring about other issues as well; anxiety. I would characterize it more as trying not to focus on sex. Very hard to do though of course. Yes, I generally tend to avoid human contact. How did you know?

Very interesting discussion: Curious to hear what the bums have to say...

Excellent topic. How does brocoli help?

Found this video today, though I'd share it: Is anyone familiar with his material?

Does anyone know of any Taoist Masters or accomplished practitioners in Maryland? Preferably those who are willing to teach? Feel free to send a PM.

Hi All, I've recently begun to explore Taoism and have been reading the post here for a while. It looks like there is a lot of good discussion.