Very good piece.

However Dit Da Jow isn't regulated even if it does have positive healing effects and does indeed work. From what I've experienced it doesn't even relieve injuries and no way as well as some regulated Western remedies for similar injuries.

Using it particularly with stuff like Iron Skills training can result in high medical bills if not now but in the longer term adding to your medical injury history. Even if your Sifu wasn't injured too much doing it, doesn't mean you won't.

Some of it even if quite impressive from people who know some of the ways to make breaking etc 'easier' is only good for demos and trying to impress people.

People can still use the same parts of the body to attack without having to do Iron Skills.

Ok you continually smack your body with whatever and make it really hard. All of your joints can still be easily manipulated no matter how much Iron Skills training you do.

Getting caught up in mostly mystical areas from certain cultures just doesn't seem to be the answer whatever it is you're into.

Dear anonymous,

Thank you for posting your opinion. However, it is apparent that you opinion is not based on personal experience and little if any knowledge on the subject. In general what you state is true, but you clearly do not understand Dit Da jow and its purpose.

There is nothing mystical about the use of herbs for healing, nor is there any question about the real effects and true healing results of authentic dit da jow. Dit Da Jow is not regulated because it falls under traditional healing, a category that is very broad and covers many items, supplements and remedies, some of which you probably use unknowingly.

Iron skills has nothing to do with breaking or any other type of public display. That is just how some people satisfy their egos, but you should not base your whole argument against dit da jow on one aspect that is not representative. I don't agree with breaking and such displays either.

You seem to be interested enough on the subject to have a strong opinion and express it openly, so you should spend more time truly learning what dit da jow is and what it is meant to do. For this you will have to open your mind and see things from another perspective. This entails embracing other cultures and being humble enough to believe in the grandness of all humanity, and not be under the illusion that your culture and modern society has all the answers.

If you can open your mind, you may yet gain some understanding, at least enough to identify yourself, instead of throwing pebbles and hiding in anonymity.

awesome mario! stay the course! as someone who teaches TCM and hit medicne and teaches kung fu keep hanging in there!! even though i make and sel alot of similiar things Im glad your out there maintaining kung fu integrity! sifu miles coleman RH AHG LMT

And to anonymous.. you have obviously a lot to learn about kung fu! If you havent gotten any benfit from jow you havent either used it or used anything any good! I make my living from tcm and hit medicne and if it didnt work I would be starving.. and IM NOT!!

Ok.

You're right I have little knowledge on Dit Da Jow, TCM and Iron Skills. I have tried a good few different Dit Da Jow formulas including more 'reputable' and ‘respected’ ones as well and more closer to home than you think. I also did some Iron Skills training and have known one or two others who have as well.

My opinion is actually based on the advice of another Sifu. He's good and funnily enough has been involved in TCMA for 45 years and trained under quite a few reputable teachers and Sifu. He also has many years of practical experience included in the 45.

Before I got his advice I was into Dit Da Jow and Iron Skills. I was trying to be open minded and I appreciate all cultures including Western ones have good as well as bad elements to them. I enjoyed making mixes and checking out the herbs and equipment and also doing some reading about both Iron Skills and Dit Da Jow. However I stopped it all from the advice I got and I saw no healing, even on minor injuries let alone anything major. Aren’t some herbs poisonous and even carcinogenic and you rub Dit Da Jow on your skin and it penetrates into your body…. Some of the TCM including some of the animal parts and how they are supposed to work is simply…well you can research that for yourself and draw your own conclusions. It only puts it all in a very poor light along with how the Chinese explain how the healing processes work.

I guess many healing methods can only relieve your injuries until your body can hopefully heal itself. There seems to be no miracle cures from any cultural perspective. When things are either doing nothing or even possibly dangerous and expensive as several Chinese herbs are, I draw the line. I found a much better solution was to go to a good Physio and get their advice and knowledge and regarding any healing solutions, most of which are based on Science. Science can be wrong and incorrect and has in the past shown this but at least it’s an attempt and not just philosophy which is based on any kind of evidence?

Chinese herbs could have some uses as many pharmaceutical medicines worldwide may use herbal ingredients or at least concentrations of them. I'm not trying to be too disrespectful here but part of the problem could be the way the Chinese try to explain things, healing etc which I think is from their cultural philosophy. Somethings to do with TCM maybe of benefit but could be spoilt by the Chinese philosopical and cultural way of trying to explain how the products aid the healing processes. Most Western people don’t understand the Chinese mind. I have more respect for those that make an attempt at explanations using Science. However I appreciate not everything can be explained even if it does happen to ‘work’ including in Western societies. I also understand that Science can also get it wrong.

However I appreciate you Sifu Mario have many years of experience and must have gone through a hell of a lot. I will respect you for that. I’m only saying from my view. If you want to delete my comments that’s ok as my intention is genuinely to not to try to effect your business. It probably won’t anyway and that is good and how I’d prefer it.

And to Sifu Miles Coleman, I do have a lot to learn about Kung Fu. However even those at the highest levels may still be learning things in one form or another and I take it that even includes you? Also you’re saying you need Dit Da Jow to do and learn Kung Fu? If any of what you’re saying is valid many other arts would use a similar / equivalent product. There are many arts that don’t. You must know all about this.

I’m glad you’re not starving but some of what you have said is more wrong and completely incorrect than you know. I won’t go into it out of respect for a few.

In conclusion I feel TCM may have some benefits and real healing elements to it but it needs proper research and regulation, preferably from Western Science. That will at least attempt to try to more confirm this. Until then, I won’t be taking a lot of it very seriously like many others in the West. That’s genuinely a shame in my view. Get it all regulated from the West and if it does have something or many things, it will prove many people wrong including myself and help more people. If so, you have my genuinely sincere appologies. Not until then though and if there is something.

I may seem biased towards the West but that’s where myself and many people are. Maybe some people in the East would have the same view of some things in the West which from this view is fair enough. I don’t know or understand the Chinese / many Eastern mentalities, minds and psychologies etc. I think only a handful of Western people from a TCMA background do really or at least mainly partly.

I'm sorry about the long rant, as I said above I’m not trying to troll or anything like that. I’m open to others proving me wrong if they have something.

This is the perfect way to break down this inofrmoatin.