Digestive Problems: TCM Tells You

 

Excessive burping, belching, acid reflux, abdominal bloating and embarrassing wind are all signs that not all is well with your digestive system. Drugs to treat indigestion and acid reflux are amongst the largest money spinners for drug companies.

If the body is under high stress, the body will shift energy from yang energy pathways to yin for a more effective response to the need for survival. This prepares the body to run further, fight harder and survive. The yang or hollow organs can wait for their share of energy until the perceived danger has passed. In the cave days, we would have outrun or fought off the danger (like an attacking animal), and everything would have come back to normal back in our cave. In today¡¯s world we may stay in stress day after day without our digestive organs getting enough energy to do their job fully. Here is the key-the higher your stress levels, the lower the energy to digest food properly. This has many consequences, and can become a vicious cycle. If you are not digesting your food, your body doesn't get the protein building blocks to create digestive juices and digestive enzymes.


It is useful to understand what interferes with healthy digestion. In Chinese medicine all organs and energy pathways (meridians) are linked to one of 5 Elements, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each element has a yin and a yang component. The yin organs are solid, work all the time, and are essential for immediate survival. They include the Heart, Kidneys, Lungs and Liver. The yang organs are hollow and do not work all the time. They include the Stomach, Large and Small Intestines and Gall Bladder.

Without proper digestion, you will become deficient in Vitamins, Minerals, Essential Fatty Acids and Amino Acids, the nutrients that are essential to feed, protect and renew your trillion cells, keeping you healthy.

When you are under stress, food choices may be compromised with"comfort foods"(usually sugar and fat laden treats) and takeaways. Food will sit in the stomach too long, creating gas which leads to the burping and belching digestive problems. The body is busy surviving the stress, while the secretion of digestive juices has to wait. Begin by reducing the stress levels to assist you to digest food well.