Yin and Yang in spina bifida

BBC Radio 4 news reports that there has been an increased incidence in spina bifida in babies born in Scotland. This is a deformity in which the spinal cord fails to form properly in the embryo resulting in paralysis of the lower half of the body. I have my own theory about the cause of this. This is based on our old friends Yin and Yang. I won’t get into a detailed explanation here but the concept of Yin and Yang is the basis of much of Traditional Oriental philosophy. Yin and Yang are two opposite energy forces. Yin energy is the centrifugal, expansive force which causes separation, upward movement and so on. Examples of the manifestation of Yin are lightness in weight, increase in size. Obesity is a good example of excess Yin Yang energy is its opposite – the centripetal force which causes contraction, compactness, small size. Every physical phenomenon is a manifestation of the interaction of these two tendencies. If only Yin were present, an object, for example, the body, would expand infinitely and disappear; if only Yang were present, the body would contract infinitely and disappear. Coming back to the embryo, the spinal cord starts off as a flat plate of neural cells which folds and fuses to form a tube. This needs a Yang (contracting) force. Spina bifida occurs if yang is lacking (or Yin is in excess) at that crucial stage when the neural tube is forming. Some strongly Yin effects in daily life are: overeating, excess liquid intake, sugar, alcohol, drugs (including most medicines), spices, exotic/tropical fruits, chemicals. Too much of any of these could predispose to spina bifida. The advice to women of child bearing age to take folic acid is on the right track because this is a B vitamin which is classed as Yang. Better advice would be to moderate the intake of some of these Yin foods. The Western Mail has a story about a man in Anglesey who has been fined £1200 as a result of a prosecution by the RSPCA because his Labrador was too fat. The owner admitted causing his pet unnecessary suffering. The dog weighed 70 kg but is now down to 41 kg. As you may know, I am not a lover of obese pets but I do wonder what will be next. Are we going to see a rash of prosecutions of owners of obese pets? What about obese children? Or, and this is a pet hate of mine, what about parents who smoke in the presence of their children? Isn’t that causing unnecessary suffering? The Independent highlights the story of Nicholas Winton who organised the safe transport of hundreds of children from Czechoslovakia to asylum in Britain in 1938-9 just before the war. The Czech Government has just erected a statue of him in Prague. Yesterday The Guardian reported that the British Government has been taken to task for locking up hundreds of children who are asylum seekers. Our latest recruit has come down from Scotland for an induction session with Burns. Sandra who used to work for a very large pet food company was reading my Guide to Natural Health Care. “Everything in here is the complete opposite of what other companies say” said she in amazement. That’s just one of the things that makes Burns different.

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