Copyright (c) 2010 Stephen Lau
Chinese medicine is based on the concept of balance and harmony between “yin” and “yang.” Chinese medicine has a different approach to digestive wellness.
In Chinese medicine, the liver stores the blood, that is, it regulates the amount of blood in circulation. Hence, the wellness of the liver is dependent on the sufficiency of blood for nourishment.
Additionally, the spleen, in contrast to Western medicine, also plays a pivotal part within the circulation of “qi” and blood. “Qi” is the internal life energy that courses through the body through the meridians to different organs and parts of the body, thereby instrumental in bringing oxygen and nutrients for nourishment and maintenance of digestive well being. Blood is responsible for the circulation of body fluids within the body.
Because Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is about movement and transportation of food and drink inside the digestive system, the spleen for that reason has a critical role inside the digestive well being with respect to digestion and digestive disorders.
In addition, sufficient spleen produces constructive spleen for nourishing the muscles and flesh, especially in the four limbs, and as a result conducive to mobility and body movement, which facilitate digestion.
In Chinese medicine, pensiveness or overthinking affects the general well being of the spleen, resulting in loss of appetitie, abdominal bloating after meals, and indigestion in general.
In Chinese medicine, “dampness” (both internal and external) may damage the spleen and weaken its functions. For example, foods, such as sugars and dairy items, generate internal “dampness” within the spleen.
According to Chinese medical theory, the spleen’s main function within the digestive system is to separate the pure from the impure part of the food and drink. Specifically. on the 1 hand, it transports the pure part of the food and drink upwards to both the lungs as “qi” and to the heart as blood; on the other hand, it also transports the impure part of the food and drink downwards to the stomach as well as the small intestine for elimination to optimize digestive health.
When the spleen and also the stomach are healthy, the spleen “qi” moves upwards, while the stomach “qi” moves downwards in a balanced and coordinated manner. Chinese medicine places much emphasis on the importance of balance — the balance of “yin” and “yang,” which is the basis of Chinese medicine.
However, if there is imbalance within the upward movement, belching, constipation, epigastric distention, and nausea may result. Concurrently, the imbalance may also affect the downward movement, leading to abdominal distention and diarrhea.
The liver may play an indirect but, nonetheless, critical role in digestive health. The liver is affected by our emotions. In life, we cannot do everything we wish to do and when we wish to do. Delaying gratification is tantamount to emotional distress: when we cannot have what we wish to have, our liver becomes unduly stressed. An obvious sign of dysfunctional liver is anger or irritability.
Overwork and improper diet, too much thinking or worrying, inadequate physical activity (sedentary work) may weaken the spleen.
According to Chinese medicine, the root cause of IBS is disharmony between the liver along with the spleen. Accordingly, the liver controls the spleen because the efficient functioning of the body’s “qi” mechanism is dependent on the free flow of liver “qi.” As a result, if the liver becomes depressed, the spleen is adversely affected; conversely, if the spleen is weakened, it may cause the liver to become depressed too. In other words, they are inter-dependent in terms of digestive well being and overall wellness. In conclusion, it is essential to optimize the well being of the liver and the spleen to maintain excellent digestive wellness.
Cooking is predigestion of food outside the body. In Chinese medicine, the majority of all food should be cooked. This is the reason why you don’t find salad bars in Chinese restaurants. Although cooking may destroy some vital nutrients, cooking facilitates the absorption of the rest of the nutrients. Frozen foods and drinks impair the health of the spleen, and hence detrimental to digestive well being.
Sugars and sweets directly damage the spleen, because “dampness” is damaging to the spleen, and sugars are dampening agents. They do harm to digestive wellness.
Flour merchandise, such as bread, noodles and pasta, are dampening, because wheat (as opposed to brown rice) is dampening by nature.
All oils and fats are also dampening by nature, and hence spleen-damaging. By exactly the same token, all milk items are dampening. They don’t benefit digestive wellness.
Avoid dampening foods that damage the spleen. The best diet for the spleen is a clear, bland diet of unrefined grains, such as brown rice and heans, and low-fat meat, with lightly cooked vegetables. Excellent digestive health is optimum overall wellness.