Transcript: EP 337 – Medicine, Movement, and Meditation: Ancient Secrets for Optimal Health, Vitality, and Longevity with Dr. Jenelle Kim

-

Transcript: EP 337 – Medicine, Movement, and Meditation: Ancient Secrets for Optimal Health, Vitality, and Longevity with Dr. Jenelle Kim

Return to Podcast Post: Click here

Download PDF

Read Transcript Below!

Dr. Jenelle Kim: True wellness, true health, beauty, all of it. True longevity comes not just when we wait for something to be off balance, but to constantly watch ourselves. That is the foundation of everything that is living meditation, which is a lifestyle, it’s a way of being that is health, that is medicine, that we’re constantly aware of ourselves.

Dr. Taz: Hi everyone, and welcome to Super Woman Wellness. I’m Dr. Taz. I’ve made it my mission throughout my career in integrative medicine to support women in restoring their health using a blend of eastern medical wisdom with modern science. In this show, I will guide you through different practices to find your power type and fully embody the healthiest and most passionate version of you. I’m here for you, and I can’t wait to get started. This is a soul fire production.

Dr. Taz: Welcome back, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Super Woman Wellness, where we’re determined to bring you back to your super-powered self. And those of you that have been listening or watching the show for a period of time, know that I am so passionate about merging eastern and western medicine together. It’s a big part of my healing story. So I, as you can imagine, am super excited to introduce our next guest, Dr. Janelle Kim is a licensed acupuncturist, a ninth generation master ologist, a doctor of traditional oriental medicine, and a prolifically cited wellness expert that has appeared in multiple publications, including Forbes Alert Meditation Magazine, time G M A amongst others. She’s also passionate about combining the ancient wisdom and expertise of East Asia with the modern advancements of Western medicine to positively impact people’s lives. In January of 22, she published her debut book, and I’m gonna say this wrong, myON, is that right? Myon song

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Myon Sung.

Dr. Taz: All right. The Korean Art of Living Meditation. The book has since become available globally in many different languages. It really shares her unique principles of approaching meditation, combining movement, and natural medicine learned from a lifetime of studying eastern philosophy, eastern medicine, and the natural environment. Welcome to the show, Dr. Kim. I’m thrilled to here.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: I’m so happy to be here.

Dr. Taz: Oh my goodness. So a ninth generation or ologist merging eastern and western medicine together. Talk to us about your journey, your personal journey of, it sounds like carrying the torch forward, and then kind of how you see the landscape of health and wellness today. And I’m asking you that mm-hmm. <Affirmative> for a very specific reason, because, you know, I’ve been in this field for 15, 16 years, about 15 years of practice. Probably added two or three more of just study. And it’s been interesting, it’s been interesting to hear people be like, what’s acupuncture right? Or what’s a Chinese orb? To now being like, well, do I need acupuncture? Yes. Do I need herbs? You know, so we’ve got this arc of discovery that is incredible, but it’s also sometimes a little bit confusing. So tell us a little bit about you and how you’re seeing the health landscape evolve today from your perspective.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: I very much appreciate this question. I am so happy to share Yeah. <Laugh>, and it’s so amazing to speak to someone who you know together, but not necessarily physically, but in this process of this journey, I have a feeling we’ve seen a lot of the same things. So for myself, yes, I was born into this, you know, my father was Korean, my mother’s American. That still to this day, in full transparency and honesty is not the most common thing to see. You know, and so I really take that very seriously. I always have in that I think I, I I, I wish to be a walking example of that integration of east and west, certainly opened new, the tradition. It’s very important to me. And I’m certain that part of why it is so important to me is because I was born into this.

I am ninth generation herbologists, doctor of acupuncture, Chinese medicine practitioner of Qigong, or what I call young sung moving meditation for my lineage. And I say practitioner of the Dao. And so that is what I have been born into, and it has been a part of my life. But exactly what living meditation, what I, what I preach and practice is exactly how my life has unfolded in that. Although I have been surrounded by all of this, we always have a choice in this life. And I did as well. So it was not until my early, well, early twenties when I was going away, I was studying on my path to studying western medicine. Again, certain similarities here, <laugh>. And it was just like a flip of a switch where the light bulb goes off. And then one day, you know, maybe a short period of time, but I realized I really wish to share all that I have seen my whole life and all. Although it was, you know, I do come from a different place than, than maybe most, and that it is something my whole life I was surrounded by. But it still took me a moment to realize, yeah, this is really helping people. And not many people have any idea what this medicine does, what this philosophy does, what this movement does. I call it the three

Dr. Taz: Times I’ve gotta, I’ve gotta ask like nine generations. Yes. So how far back, what, what year are we talking about? How far back does this go?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yeah, yeah. I mean, we’re talking, so if we say generations, let’s say centuries, not all of us live till about a hundred, you know, but we’re talking almost a thousand years, you know, so, my gosh, you think that way. And the truth is, Dr. Taz, like we all like numbers, and I totally understand that. As much as I’m connected to the Dow, I’m also can be very logical and linear in thinking. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, I appreciate that. And so we put this number on it, but I am the first to say that while I am rooted and it is my everything to be connected to this lineage, this has existed for who knows how long. I know

Dr. Taz: No

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Daoism the study of all of our ancient medicines. I mean, it goes back in China and India we’re talking 10,000 years ago plus, you know, and so I always, I, I always like to kind of just remind us of that. And, and, but I’m very grateful and I’m the first woman in this lineage.

Dr. Taz: Well, that’s clear. That’s impressive. And so within your family, how was it handed down? Was it oral tradition, like passed down? Yes. First person. And then did anyone record it? Are you the first to record? I’m

Dr. Jenelle Kim: The first to record it. I’m the first to put it out into the world in this way. I take that again very seriously. I obviously cannot even stop saying that. Yeah. and, and putting it out into the world in this manner, I’m sure we’ll touch on it, but this is not exactly how I thought my life path would go, doing all the things that I, I, I now do and, you know, will continue to do. And so yeah. So kind of how that was passed on, it comes from, honestly, both sides. My, my, the Korean side of my family, my mom had a huge influence on me, of course. But this does come from the Korean side of my family, both on my grandmother’s side, actually, the lab where we contract manufacture products at this point, both custom and private label is named after my great-grandfather on that side.

Gin Bo Kim. So it’s J B K wellness labs. And people often think it’s me, but it’s not me. It’s my great grandfather <laugh>. He has an amazing ologist and practitioner in Korea. And then from the other side of my lineage, which is actually not even blood. That’s the truth. And that’s a very important thing that I don’t always share. So I really appreciate this moment. I speak of it in my book, which is where a lot of the philosophy and principles medicine movement came from was actually my father’s, one of his greatest teachers, which is Master Bodian. And it was a master that he learned from in the mountains of East Asia. This is my father when he was seven years old, he began his studies. So a little different <laugh>.

Dr. Taz: Wow. You know? So impressive. So what are some of the fundamental concepts going back to the landscape of health and wellness today? Yes. That you’ve learned, and you’re doing a lot of merging like me, but what has been handed down to you, or what have you absorbed, or what have you learned that were missing when it comes to medicine today, or wellness today, or whatever, however we wanna refer to it?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes, I appreciate that. And, and sometimes that the answer can, can vary based on the day. But today, I feel like it’s really important that we really does come down to that understanding of holistic. Right. I was pondering today and, and sharing a bit today that, you know, the word heal literally means wholeness. And so what a beautiful thing when we think about that. So that is what this medicine means to me. That is what I share when it comes to herbal medicine, when it comes to acupuncture, even when it comes to any form of medicine, I would say that it really, really means connecting. And that’s a new thing that we’re seeing, especially in our society right now, mind, body and spirit. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So it is so important for us. And when we think of medicine, I think usually, and now things are changing a lot, especially in the last couple of years, but usually we’ll think of our physical health then usually in the western society.

And correct me if you feel maybe a little bit different, I’m super open, but it’s oftentimes, we’ll think of medicine as a way to heal ourselves when something is wrong. Right? Okay. Totally. And so I know we would both agree that true wellness, true health, beauty, all of it, true longevity comes not just when we wait for something to be off balance, but to constantly watch ourselves. That is the foundation of everything that is living meditation, which is a lifestyle, it’s a way of being that is health, that is medicine, that we’re constantly aware of ourselves, first of all, enough to be able to know when imbalances are happening, use the tools that we can incorporate that, that resonate with us, but that have been in, in existence for thousands of years, combined with some of them. Very interesting and so powerful modern medicines, if you will. But knowing what is wrong with us, knowing that we have tools to constantly harmonize and rebalance ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually, in such a way that we can live a life of longevity that we are, like you say, and I love this, we are completely in control of our own health, you know? And that’s very much.

Dr. Taz: Yeah. And I talk a lot about the five bodies and how they’re all connected and Yes. How holism is really the integration of those five different bodies. Your physical, social, spiritual, emotional. Yes. Your mental, putting them all together. You know, it’s, it’s fascinating. You talk about, you know, the integration and you talk about living meditation. Yes. I don’t think I heard anyone really refer to the internal awareness of ourselves as a living meditation.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes. So

Dr. Taz: How does one practice a living meditation, you know? Absolutely. We’re busy. We got kids, we got business pressures, you know, we’ve got million things going on, on at any given moment. Yes. How do we turn back in and really practice this art of meditating in every moment?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes. I really appreciate what, how you just described it as exactly how it felt deep down inside of me. You know, the, I’ll start here. That it is, it is moment to moment. And, and it is, we are such busy, myself included. I am a mother of two young children. I am completely immersed in what I do for a living. I’m very close to my family. It is of utmost important traditions, community. And it can be very overwhelming. And I noticed that that’s a lot of how amazing that now, 20 years ago, I did not see this at all, you know, in the medicine and the philosophy in any of it, you know, meditation still was kind of out there and different, you know. But now we’re at a place where many, many people are aware of this, but they, it’s, it became stressful. There’s so much information.

Now I have to meditate now I have to do this, and I have to understand this whole new medical system. Right. We just feel it in those words. And so that’s what living meditation is not necessarily a term, if you will, that’s been passed down in my lineage. The philosophies are, and so I came up with the word living meditation based on all that has been passed down. I call it the eight keys of living meditation. That’s actually what’s written in the book. And it’s, and, and those tools are what on a every moment of our day, we can call upon. We can literally use them as tools, such as the key number one is knowing yourself. Everything comes from within exactly what we were talking about. Key number three, for example, is don’t be drunk on your own thoughts. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> really interesting when one of my favorites, I think is very applicable right now, which is so often we forget that if we don’t open our mind, put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, be more clear, and knowing who we are and what might be affecting us, you know, emotionally might be clouding us that we cannot see clearly.

And it can be very dangerous when we are stuck based on our own thoughts and can’t get out. You know, we see a lot of that in our society today, be like, bamboo is key number eight. So they have beautiful titles, in my humble opinion, hopefully to help us visualize. Yeah. But very important, you know, how important it’s be. What

Dr. Taz: Does, what does be like bamboo mean? What does that

Dr. Jenelle Kim: I have a feeling you’re gonna like this one doctor. Okay, gotcha. And it has a lot to do with, you know, yes. How I’ve kind of seen my own personal life unfold and what has been the most importance. And so oftentimes I would go so far as to maybe make a, I don’t usually make generalized statements per se, but I think it is a fairly common thing, especially in our part of this world, our western society, that to ever achieve what we wish we have to bulldoze through. Right? We have to constantly keep growing. We have to be tough. That word even. Yeah. You know, just as we can imagine in martial arts, which is obviously part of what I teach and part of it all, that if we think of a stiff board, you know, in the typical karate demonstration, you hit that board.

Well, that think of ourselves that way. If we think we have to be so strong, so tough, so hard, unbreakable, well, guess what? If it’s hit too many times, if it’s hit exactly the right way, that board can break much different than being flexible and rooted, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So it’s the idea of going with the flow, but you also have to be very rooted and anchored in who we are, mind, body, spirit, and in what is something greater than us. But just like bamboo, in conclusion, you know, the greatest winds of life can come and that bamboo will bend all the way to the ground because of its flexibility, because of that softness. But as soon as the winds blow over, it bounces right back up. It is much harder to break bamboo. And that’s a known thing than just to be so, so when to do, when not to do.

It’s the principles of yin and yang, right? That duality. Feminine, masculine, hard. Soft. We can’t know happiness unless we know sadness. Yeah. We don’t know success unless we know failure. And so it’s just always that openness. And that doesn’t mean you’re just always soft and flexible. We’re both strong women. <Laugh>, for example, there’s a time that we have to be hard, you know, and that’s okay. But knowing when to do so, when it can be just as powerful, if not more powerful, to be flexible, to be more yin, to be more receptive, and then to move forward. So tools such as that,

Dr. Taz: I love those tools. I love those analogies.

All right, Super Woman, I know the drill, right? We all live the same lifestyle. We’re running around, we’re juggling. We don’t have time for 20 different products, 20 different bottles, trying to find information and put it all together. We want solutions and we want answers. That’s why I developed the East-West Way. It’s my product and lifestyle line full of formulas that I personally curated to really get us the answers we need. I couldn’t find anything on the market that adequately merged Eastern and Western medicine together and formulas that work and gave us the answers that we were also desperate for. I’m right there with you guys, losing hair, having acne hormones all over the place. I needed something that worked, but also worked efficiently. I didn’t have time to take an herb over here and a supplement over there, and a medication maybe somewhere else. The east-west way is the answer for all of us, and I couldn’t be prouder of the formulas that I’ve developed.

If you aren’t familiar with some of the products, I wanna share some of them with you. I’ve been super excited about them and have taken a lot of time and energy to put them all together. Coli Glow is one of the newer products as Coli Glow C. It has collagen, amla, and goji berry. So now we’re merging together Ayurvedic and Eastern medicine concepts there for beautiful skin and hair, getting that glow and that circulation we need. And also a massive antioxidant burst and maybe repairing the gut a little bit along the way with the collagen. The defender was born outta my anger around the pandemic. It’s a combination of astragalus, vitamin C and zinc. And I use that every single day, especially when I’m traveling or worried that I might be exposed to more germs. Boost is the hero, the hero product that started it all.

The line started because I couldn’t find a methylated formula that really answered all our needs around hormones, mood, memory, and so much more. Today, boost continues to be the product that so many people say they can’t live without belly fix. Again, so much around gut health, I know my patients and even I, we were tired of having a bottle here, a bottle there, mixing things together, remembering to take four or five different things. Belly fix is the gut kitchen sink has collagen, spirulina, prebiotics, probiotics, and so much more. I love this formula. It has been a game changer for so many people. Hormone helper, again, hits close to home. I’m someone who has P C O S, as many of you know, a combination of Maca, inositol saw palmetto and choline supporting the liver lowering androgens. It’s our answer for really balancing hormones. Sleep. Savior, another favorite has magnesium melatonin and magnolia bark, cuz oftentimes falling asleep or staying asleep or both.

So we needed something to answer all of that. That combination is a triple punch, works beautifully. Lush locks I take every day. Lush Locks has Ayurvedic and Chinese herbs that are known for regrowth and regeneration of hair and improving blood flow to the scalp, along with micronutrients. That research tells us we should be focused on. This month I’m offering an exclusive discount for Super Woman Wellness listeners. Just go to the EastWest way.com and enter s ww 30 to get 30% off at checkout. Don’t forget, if you rate and review any of my episodes, you’ll get a free bottle of boost. Just email me, it’s hello@drtas.com and I’ll make sure it gets to you. All right. I can’t wait for you guys to try these products. Let me know which one’s your favorite and take advantage of the code s WW thirty@theeastwestway.com. All right, we’ve gotta talk about, yes, you know, your Korean, Korean beauty Yes. Course, Korean skincare, legendary. What’s going on? Why do you guys have such a great reputation when it comes to skincare and beauty? What’s happening there?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: That’s a wonderful way of, of putting that question out there. I would say, and maybe not everyone would agree because I’m sure there’s many different answers to this, but we are very rooted in our culture, which is something I really wish to bring and share with people of the ancient ways, the ancient medicines, the ancient philosophies. It’s the ancient way of, and whether you don’t walk around Korean, and everyone keeps talking about this way, I certainly don’t in my family necessarily. I, I might actually, but you know, there are that our herbal medicine, our ways of understanding our body, which we’ve kind of already touched on mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, you know, from skincare and the balance of everything. Something I speak around the world about when it comes specifically to medicine, herbs, and formulation, right. The way we create formulas for some of the brands carried, you know, the big brands carry it all around, is that, you know, while ingredients are so important, you know, a true herbologists, a doctor of herbal medicine can spend their entire life on one herbal ingredient.

Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Wow. Like that is how we were taught. Yeah. And that’s how I feel too. That is unbelievable. And furthermore, though, now to understand the, the power and effectiveness of so many of our plant medicines and herbal ingredients out there, but one step further is to understand how you synergistically combine them. That is herbal medicine, right? Right. And that is what’s what from my, the medicine of Cho that’s been handed down, that Korean beauty, knowing these very special ingredients that have existed for so long for a reason, you know, and now that’s just coming out and people are starting to see, you know, in, in, it’s often not just Korea, but East Asian, kind of that beauty secret is, while it’s important sometimes to put some makeup on and all the things, the ultimate goal for women, for example, is to not ever even have to wear makeup because Right.

This medicine, these formulas clean beauty at the core, it’s like the foundation of natural and clean, which 20 years ago people didn’t even talk about <laugh>. Right, right, right. I was like on the forefront trying to tell people it’s important. Yeah. And now it’s the greatest thing. But all these things matter and how our cells stay alive and vital and how longevity, and that we don’t just keep covering things up. You know, even when it comes to properly moisturizing and hydrating, you know, you can put tons of oils and different things on our face, but really that’s not exactly what, what the ultimate goal is. You want to waken them up. You wanna improve circulation and oxygen and chi and increase your cell rejuvenation. And, and that’s what these Korean medicine, the herbal medicine, the proper formulation, that’s what it all leads to internally and externally as as I know.

Dr. Taz: No, let’s talk about that then. Yes. So if there were a couple of things to rejuvenate cells internally Yes. From a Korean plant-based herbal medicine strategy, what are some of the, I know every, I mean, and again, I’m saying this understanding at the same time that we all have unique needs and we’re coming in with unique footprints, but what are some of the universal, you know, winners when it comes to internal rejuvenation? Yes. Cells, which increase cheek increase oxygenation, which translates to more vitality, more blood flow to the face. And then what works topically? Like what are, what are some of the, the big ones from Absolutely. Literature.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes. Well, I appreciate that. So actually, how about I do this, the ones that come to mind immediately, like my favorite, but it’s like, you know, what’s my favorite child? It doesn’t really always work that way, but <laugh>. But the ones I’m, that come to mind that I’m gonna share right now actually are good both internally and topically. Okay. You have to know what you’re doing when you do topically. You know, not everyone understands that it’s like the perfect recipe. And that’s what I mean by synergistically combined ingredients. So I do have to preface that.

Dr. Taz: Yeah. So if

Dr. Jenelle Kim: You have, no matter what ingredient there is, if it can’t get into your body, whether you take it internally or topically, then what good is it doing for you? You know, that absorption is a key part, but some of my favorite ingredients, I probably is no surprise to you as ginseng root, you know, gins and Korea and Korean and ginseng. That’s like an mm-hmm.

Dr. Taz: <Affirmative>,

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Absolute staple in Chinese medicine. It’s Reen and Ren is, I know, you know, it’s so fun with someone who knows this means, I mean, that’s the beauty of our ancient medicines. Even the Chinese characters from thousands upon thousands of years ago, they drew pictures to describe what the, the energies of these words, of what they were describing. Mm-Hmm. Certainly that, that exists in herbs. So ginseng is wrenchen, and it’s because when you look at a ginseng, we can all kind of visualize for a second if you really look with its roots and its core kind of part of that herbal ingredient, it looks like a human being. And it’s one of the most powerful ingredients since they called it Ren human, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And so, so Ginseng’s a huge ingredient topically internally, you do have to know what you’re doing. You have to know when it is appropriate.

Topically you can be a little bit more forgiving, but it can work much more powerfully when combined properly with other ingredients. Ginseng for internal can be very good for many of us, but again, for a lot of us with high blood pressure, for example, you don’t wanna just go eating tons of ginseng <laugh>. It can actually be harmful to you. Right. And now, isn’t it a beautiful thing you can take ginseng combined with other herbal ingredients, and now can help to balance high blood pressure. That’s how it works. Another incredible ingredient that I love putting in skincare formulations, definitely taking internally you can cook with it in some ways. You, you I’ll explain it in a second, but that’s Huang Chi or Ragus Root, that is like, oh, I love

Dr. Taz: Astragalus.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes. Right. Okay. I knew, I knew

Dr. Taz: It was, I haven’t thought about astragalus for beauty. I’ve, it’s in front of my product. Is it really?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yeah, it’s huge, huge. I put that in some of my most favorite formulas, serums moisturizers, usually more in the leave on treatments, if you will, because that’s an ingredient that really particularly works with, like I said, are ginseng or the other ingredients to a, achieve whatever result we’re looking for in that formulation. But for example, ragus is known to lift chi. Right? Right. So like internally, you can use it in the proper way for even organ prolapse for thousands of years. That was kind of written in our medical encyclopedias. So it has that understanding of strengthening and lifting chi, which is important because as we age, things tend to fall. And so the same idea is when we put it in our skincare, it has that ability to kind of lift chi in that its job, you know? And then another one I love is Angelica.

Dr. Taz: Yep. I love it.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Where actually there’s different parts of that herbal ingredient. You have the head and the tail, and they actually have different functions, the tail moves. So it can be more moving where the body of Angelica, the head is more nourishing, hydrating, but in general, that’s like one of the woman herbs, right. For balancing everything in our bodies. It’s a blood type of an herb. Right. And so, yeah, so that’s how we kinda look at another, a beautiful herb to use in any kind of skincare, body hair care formulations. Definitely good to take internally. And then the last one I’ll mention is kind of a group of ingredients that I really felt strongly about for a long time. I did a whole keynote speech on this during, you know, the last covid years. I don’t love calling it that, but and then it took a minute to get out because of that.

But it’s adaptogenic mushrooms. Yeah. So mushrooms are a huge topic for many reasons right now, but it’s something I’ve been talking about for so long. And so any, for example, reishi the, the herb of immortality Yes. They call it. Right? And so that’s another one that I love to discuss. And, and most of these with the exception that you do have to be careful taking tons of one particular ingredient when you don’t know, you know, exactly the dosages and what it should or should not be combined with. You have to be careful, but certainly ones that are very in general, very good for basically everybody. So,

Dr. Taz: Wow. So let’s think about the woman in peri-menopause, the woman in menopause, and then the adolescent.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes. You know,

Dr. Taz: What herbs would you recommend in those three scenarios with the adolescent? Most adolescents, by the way, nowadays in practice, seem to be having a lot of issues with estrogen dominance or high androgens and then as you approach peri-menopause, all the hormone fluctuations and then the depletion and menopause, what, where, how would Korean medicine, plant-based medicine handle some of those scenarios?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Absolutely. And as I know, you know, Dr. Taz, every person is very unique.

So that is a little bit harder to explain. But actually once again, it goes to kind of some of the core herbs I just mentioned. Those clearly are some of my favorite for exactly what I’m saying, that kind of group of herbs. I just said any kind of adaptogenic ingredients in general, let’s, let’s say that I think that’s actually a really good Okay. Nice way of putting it. Again, something I’ve talked about for, so, so long, 20 years ago I started discussing the, the understanding of adaptogenic herbal ingredients because it really, that’s existed in herbal medicine for so very long. And so actually that can apply to every single one of the categories you just discussed. You know, the adolescent to peri, Tori Peri to any of the categories and the transitions, if you will, that we have particularly as woman. But adaptogens, remember, they help to come into your body, and I don’t wanna say fix, but you can look at it that way, but balance whatever imbalances are incorrect within yourself.

And that’s a really important one, especially in general. Now, as a doctor, as an herbologists practitioner in clinic or one-on-one, then we can start to be that much more specific. But in general, we have to, women are yin, we’re blood beings. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, you know, obviously we’re also chi beings, but in general, yin is more blood, yang is more chi yang is more masculine energy, yin is more woman. So when you think of that in general, we wanna look at herbs that really concentrate on blood. Right? So, and it depends. Do we have a lot of symptoms that that look very deficient, right? Because then we wanna use blood boosting, strengthening, nourishing type herbs like our hashi polygonum, like qui angelica, like goji berry for example, right? That really focus on blood within our body and literally as well, right? So when we have our time of the month, our menstrual cycle, it’s also very important right?

Before we have, we start our menstrual cycle, it tends to be in general that you’re, everything’s collecting. So it can be a more time of a little bit more stagnation. Hence the pms symptoms, right? Whenever we’re stagnant, our liver chi becomes a little, it can get a little more, you know, testy if you will. Yeah. And so you have to move that chi such an interesting thing in general, after your menstrual cycle is finished, right, then you tend to be a little bit more deficient. Cuz now you’ve shed everything. And so it’s a good way of looking at that. But some people, you know, you have to see, for example, if you have discomfort during menstruation, is it because you’re deficient? Because that needs something much different. You have to have a lot of warmth, you have to have a lot of nourishment, you know, building blood versus you have discomfort because you’re more of a stagnant person.

Depends on body type, which I know you look into, which is amazing. So I’m kind of going, I hope this answers, but I, I often love to give a more general but very powerful understanding of you have to look at how you’re, and it can change, you know, it can even change for each one of us based on, you know, maybe if I had a very long, I’m traveling a lot, Dr. Taz, and you know, I always make sure to eat properly, do my movement, practice what I preach, it’s necessary in my life as I share, you know. But maybe there’s times where it’s been a really kind of a, a lot going on and overwhelming month and maybe I’m a little more deficient this month, so I will treat myself accordingly versus, you know, maybe that’s not the case some months. And then you have to disperse and make everything flow and regulate.

So that’s the best thing. And when it comes to adolescent, you know exactly what age we’re speaking of. I’m a huge proponent and, and I, I’m pretty certain that you agree on this, is that food is the best medicine for all of us. But especially when you’re in your younger years, I think it’s really important to make sure that our body is functioning. So, you know, we don’t always just jump to the medicine, you know? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and if we do, for example, in herbal medicine, it’s very nurturing and foundational, if you will, you know, formulations or supplements that really help to boost our overall chi and function of our body. Not just kind of pinpointing all the time, especially in a younger age. Because in our body gets used to that and it doesn’t know how to, you know, do it on its own would be the fear. Right. So fascinating.

Dr. Taz: I mean, <laugh>, I can talk about herbs and plant-based I

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Know. Same forever.

Dr. Taz: The my own, I’m gonna say it wrong again, Sung Meditation.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes.

Dr. Taz: Tell us a little bit about that. Is that the same as the living meditation we referred to earlier? Yes. It’s, are there practices we can put in place on a regular basis?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And thank you for that. So yes, if we can’t remember Jung, remember living meditation because that’s, that’s how I describe it. Jung Sung is translated as meditation. It is a translation. Right. Ah, okay. And so, so there you have it. And my publisher thought it’d be beautiful to have a beautiful Korean word. I could not agree more, but it’s not always easy to pronounce. Yeah. the core of living meditation is everything we’re talking about, what I have now called the three s to help us kind of categorize it in our mind, cuz that is important. So it doesn’t become too overwhelming. The three m’s are the three pillars of all of life and everything that we wish to accomplish and achieve and attain, you know, longevity, beauty, wellness, mentally, physically, spiritually. And those three m’s are medicine, everything we talked about today, supplementing topical, internal, the food we eat.

The second one would be meditation, which is living meditation. That is the eight keys. That’s how I put it in the book that I launched, as you said. But those eight keys, we should look at them not just as chapters in a book, but those are the tools. And every moment that we come across that is the living meditation. What is meditation. We can have many different opinions or definitions, if you will, of what that is, but ultimately it’s being aware mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, being aware, calming ourselves, that when anything comes our way, we can see clearly in life. That is of course we can also reach and connect. But ultimately that is what I believe. If you really had to put down what meditation is, that’s the ultimate goal. And these tools help us to do that every single day as a parent, as a business owner in work, community, family, so on and so forth.

And then the third pillar very important is movement. You can look at movement as medicine and in fact, thousands of years ago, the ancient doctors would prescribe movement. Yeah, yeah. And that’s that. And when you, when, and I know you understand this, but when people start to understand more of how our meridian systems work, you know, herbs go into and onto our body to help our meridium, our channels, which connects to everything, our organs, our circulatory system, all the systems of our body. And so just as we can take herbal supplements or eat properly, movement can also very, very much affect the state of our balance and number bodies. And I would go so far as to say it can be one of the quickest ways to do so. So that’s something that I didn’t exactly expect to be putting out so soon in all, and to be completely honest with everyone.

Yeah. Yeah. But when the book came out, it naturally, because I shared that in the book, the three s more people wanted to do this. And so of course I started to move forward and now that’s moving so quickly. I’m opening, you know, wellness shows right now around the world. D V F just had Diane Van Frier, who’s who, one of my icons. Oh my gosh, I’m so grateful to open her her wellness day because movement, if we wanna talk about beauty, if we wanna talk about mental health, if we wanna talk about lifestyle parenting choices, you know, doing movement for five to 10 minutes a day. Certain, the techniques I teach sung moving meditation are based in Qigong, which is the original breathwork. <Laugh>. Yeah. It is meditation, you know, we love to categorize all of this, but it all kind of comes down to that same route.

And so how movement can really, is something I really feel very passionate about and I’m seeing it really change people’s lives. So remember five to 10 movements of specific techniques, for example, in my lineage that have been handed down to quickly calm ourselves, rebalance our body. Because when our body is more harmonized and balanced, we can connect that much better with our mind. Right? And when our mind and body start to balance, we can connect that much more with our spirit. And when all those are kind of harmonized, which is a constant, let it be clear you’re not just gonna do a movement and ta-da, we’re great forever. You’re not gonna take an herbal formula. It doesn’t work like that. So, so those three m’s come from the same route and that is the, the key, if you will Wow. In everything that we’re talking about. Right. So yeah, I

Dr. Taz: Love that so much. Great information. Any parting tips you would share with people listening or watching today when it comes to Korean medicine, plant-based medicine merging eastern and western medicine together?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes, I, I love everything that we just spoke about, but I love, you know, reminding us all that we, number one, have to understand ourselves because it always comes from inside everything. And so while we can always reach outside to find proper and correct direction, which makes sure it is correct and does come from someone, something that, you know, <laugh> is rooted, let’s just say. Yeah. Then you have to open your mind, right? You have to be aware, you have to know that you are the one at the end of the day who makes your choices. You have to be aware of any imbalances that are being created. So many people don’t even notice when something’s wrong. And that is very, very dangerous. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. You said it beautifully, Dr. Taz, the five, right? And so be aware of yourself, educate yourself all the time.

Remain open-minded. There’s never any extreme I will never agree with. You know, there’s a lot to know about modern medicine that is amazing for us. There’s so much to know about our ancient medicines. And so just know when to use them when not to, and start to educate yourself and, and then truly know that these three M’s really are, if you look at it, are the basis and the foundation of all of life. And if we incorporate that every day, we will feel better ev we will be okay. You know, even in the most challenging moments. So I think it’s important. I love

Dr. Taz: That. I love that. Well, and I’m so thrilled to meet a fellow sister on this journey of ing eastern and west medicine together. So thank you so much for taking time out today to join us. If thank you, doctor, if people want to find you, what’s the best way to find you, consult with you, follow you? What’s the best way to do that?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Thank you. So you can definitely go to my website, janellekim.com. I’m sure you all can see my name somewhere, how to spell it. Just look me up. I’m definitely on social media. Instagram is probably the platform where I really try to be very engaged in so I can see everyone and speak to everyone. And then my book, the Korean Art of Living Meditation Ong song is through Penguin Random House. So you can go to their website or Amazon or any of the good bookstores, as my publisher says. <Laugh>.

Dr. Taz: I love that. Do you, you teach those moves, the myong song Meditation moves?

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Yes. Yes. Dr. T has read my mind because it’s very it’s actually something, like I said, that kind of came when the book launched. I did not expect this yet. Yeah. And it has been amazing. And here in San Diego actually, because it’s my community, I’m here in the summer, I’m usually around a little more, we’re doing certain events and we’re calling it actually the summer shift series where there’s certain Qigong, young sung movements. And I’m going to start doing a lot more digital. I have one on my website right now, but as you know, we have to prioritize <laugh>, you know, we have to find time for all

Dr. Taz: This. You may invite you. So my community, I have a, I don’t know if I’ve told my listeners this or not, but we have a community called the Super Woman’s Circle. We meet monthly, take questions. There’s lots of great content and guides and all that other stuff there. But we do, I wanna start bringing on guests to teach modalities. I like that. We cannot just talk about the theory. We can actually actionable. So I might have my team reach back out to you.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: I love that Dr. Taz

Dr. Taz: In the circle and teach us my son meditation. I would

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Love it. You’d love it. It’s, you know, know, grounding, calming, and you feel like a warrior, you know, <laugh>.

Dr. Taz: Cool. Well, thank you so much today for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Super Woman Wellness. And for everybody else watching and listening, I hope you have learned a little bit about herbs and Korean beauty and all the literature and tools available to us to heal ourselves. I will catch you guys next time. Thank you again for joining.

Dr. Jenelle Kim: Mm, thank you so much.

-


Join The Superwoman Circle! 

Use code SUPERWOMANRX10 for 10% off any EastWest Way products!

Welcome to your wellness home...

Starting out on your personal growth journey is filled with ups and downs. It seems like everyone around you is still preaching impractical ‘self-care’ advice that no one actually follows.

It’s no wonder you feel like you’re stuck, while at the same time jumping from one shiny thing to another and never really feeling satisfied.

But I’m here to remind you that having the right support can change your life.

I designed this Circle to be your wellness home to support each other as we put healing methods to work. This is where we meet you where you are on the journey to the best version of you. Inside, we focus on personal growth, wellness, and understanding yourself in the deepest ways.

This Circle is where desires meet actions. We are a community that supports one another to experience better, healthier, happier lives.

Each month, we share enlightening workshops and insightful wisdom from myself, and experts in their field. We set goals together, and make this wisdom actionable in your life—no longer will you be a passive participant in your journey. If you have dreams you’re chasing—this community is for you.

To learn more about The Superwoman Circle and sign up to join this amazing community, click here!