Roughnready,

Look at many karate teachers and you rarely see people in their 70's, 80's or 90's compared to the Chinese martial arts. The beating of your hands without using any medicine is something you do at a great risk to your health. There are many acupuncture meridians which run through your hand. The knuckles used in karate(the first two on the hands) also have the large intestine and heart meridians occupying the same territory.

Many karate people die of degenerative heart problems among other problems. I wonder why when they are beating their hands against hard objects and neither doing the internal exercises to increases energy flow to the hands and using the medicine which is the key to help eliminate the blood clots which can form and then break off and go to your heart,lungs, brain and kill you.

Also no karate master I have ever seen on this continent or in Japan had the power capabilities of some of the Kung fu masters I have witnessed demonstrate.

A good jow used for Iron Palm has more resins in it and will always be more sticky than one used for injuries. Unfortunately for all us students, no odor usually means no power. The best jow I have used made my friends gag, you get used to it as your olefactory senses kick in after the first two times you use it.

You need to get the medicine from your Sifu or from someone who knows Iron Palm training. Do not use any old jow as they are designed for different purposes.

In Boston,

Dale Dugas