Japanese tea drinking (tju-nja-ju)
Posted: September 21st, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: none
Jacob Bogatin claims that tea has been delivered to Japan from China in the VII century. China has appreciated tea for many centuries as a herb that could help for weariness and the herb for refining pastime. But perhaps this is rather a overestimation as this kind of cult has been found not only in Japan.
Murat Sjuko (1423-1502) was the first who stated the essence of tja-no-no (tea arts). It is him who introduced tea utensils into the Japanese culture. But until this such an issue has been neglected and attributed only to the Chinese. But this way or another it was Sjuko who after long years of practising zen has seen the latent beauty of simple tea utensils comprehended by depths of soul. In the same year when Sjuko passed away the master Dzyoo was born and he continued the tea utensils tradition.
According to J.Bogatin if we turn to the history - the most well-known person who had introduced the way of tea utensils we know up till today was Sen-no Rikju - the pupil of Dzyoo. Vabi style has been introduced when Sen-no Rikju characterized it in the words of simplicity and naturalness. The Tea Master how others called him has reduced the size of a tea room from six to two tatams and has made the low entrance about 60cm in height and width. So the one who wanted to enter the tea room had to bend mentally “having left a sword behind a threshold”. Rikju has changed tokonoma and muffled the lightning. The niche a tea room is situated just opposite to an entrance, and a roll, the stone or a flower are visible at once, adjusting staying on a certain harmony. It was Rikju who has given to the tea utensils the style of simplicity and naturalness that external shine and an intricate pattern were not in the center of attention but a background necessity. Tea for gourmets was prepared carefully and the process of scalding took many hours.
According to J.Bogatin there are many tju-nja-ju schools in Japan. The character and style of a tea ceremony depend on a kind of a meeting as well as the season of the year. At the same time the idea of tea utensils has changed in our mind a lot. Nowadays we do not use these phrase in a broad sense but have limited its meaning to just tea gifts like cups, tea-spoons and etc. whereas five centuries ago it meant the whole surroundings of tea-drinking tradition, the necessary instruments and atmosphere.
Allergy. Allergy types (allergic reactions)
Posted: September 6th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: none
Allergy notion is derived from Greek Eallos - another + Aergon - action
Allergy – is a condition of a hypersensibility of a live organism, in relation to certain substance or the substances (allergens), developing at a repeated influence of these substances. The physiological mechanism of an allergy consists in formation of antibodies in a human body which leads to a fall or an increase of its sensitivity. The allergy is shown by strong irritation of mucous membranes, skin rashes, the general indisposition, etc.
Jacob Bogatin says that allergic diseases are organism hyperreactions in reply to influence of factors of an environment which are taken as potentially dangerous ones (even if in practice they are not those). It is natural that if there are “hyperreactions” then there are is normal reactions. Normal reaction is a development of a normal immune feedback.
According to Jacob Bogatin the mechanism of immune feedback is a very complex one. It includes development of the antibodies which are so called “defenders” of an organism. The necessity or better say determination of antibodies is to neutralise the substances which have intruded in an organism (so-called “antigenes”). Theoretically any immune reaction should be successful. But sometimes the immune system as though “exceeds the powers” and, having run away, starts to react to absolutely harmless substance as on the dangerous ones. Such a loss of management also leads destructive hyperreactions (allergy).
Allergy types
First three types of an allergy can be diagnosed easily and precisely.
At the core of the first type of an allergy (allergic reaction) is a reagent mechanism of damage of the fabrics, proceeding with participation usually IgE, is more rare than class IgG, on a surface of basophiles’ membranes and corpulent cages. A number of biologically active substances is liberated in the blood: histamine, serotonin, bradykinins, slowly reacting substance anaphylactic reactions, leukotrienes, etc. which lead to infringement of permeability of membranes of cages, to a hypostasis, a spasm of smooth muscles, secretion increase. Typical clinical examples of an allergy of the first type are an anaphylactic shock, a bronchial asthma, lesser tortoiseshell, a false croup and a rhinitis.
The second type of an allergy (allergic reaction) is called a cytotoxic one, proceeding with the assistance of antibodies of classes O and M, and also at the complemented system activation that may lead to a cellular membrane damage. This type of an allergy is observed at a medical allergy with development of leucopenia, a thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemias, and also at hemolysis during haemotransfusions, hemolytic illnesses of babies at a Rhesus factor the conflict.
The third type of an allergy (allergic reaction) is connected with fabrics’ damage by the immune complexes circulating in a blood channel, proceeds with participation of antibodies of classes C and M. Damaging action of immune complexes on a fabric occurs through complement activation of enzymes. This type of an allergy develops at ectogenous allergic alveolitises, Bright’s disease, allergic dermatitis, separate kinds medicinal and a food allergy, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
The fourth type of an allergy (allergic reaction) - tuberculin, slowed down - arises through 24-48h, proceeds with participation of sensibilitized lymphocytes. It is actual for an infectious-allergic bronchial asthma, a tuberculosis, Bang’s disease and some other diseases.
Bogatin Jacob considers that allergy (allergic reactions) can arise at any age; their intensity is various. The clinical picture of an allergy does not depend on chemical and pharmacological properties of allergen, its dose and injection ways. Bogatin states that more often the allergy arises at repeated injection of allergen in an organism, cases of anaphylactic reactions however are known at the first introduction of an antibiotic in an organism without a preliminary sensitisation, special care therefore is necessary at carrying out of intraskin tests.