Chinese Medicine has long recognised the importance of the Digestive system<\/p>\n
In ancient China there was even a medical college called \u201cThe Stomach School!\u201d<\/p>\n
Modern lifestyles cause many problems for the digestive system, and part of your treatment will involve following advice on what you eat, and just as importantly how you eat it.<\/p>\n
How does the modern lifestyle affect the digestive system? But the cycle can be broken with Chinese Medicine: Chinese Medicine has long recognised the importance of the Digestive system In ancient China there was even a medical college called \u201cThe Stomach School!\u201d Modern lifestyles cause many problems for the digestive system, and part of your treatment will involve…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.henrymcgrath.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>\u2022 Overeating causes \u201cfood stagnation\u201d: the digestive juices can\u2019t break the food down properly, so it just sits there.
\n\u2022 We eat too much of what the Chinese call \u201cdamp\u201d food (which is food that is not always easily digestible, such as dairy products and wheat). This creates \u201cdamp\u201d and \u201cphlegm\u201d in the body.
\n\u2022 The digestive system doesn\u2019t like the irregularity of modern lifestyles: it works better if you allow your body to develop habit of producing digestive juices (enzymes) at certain fixed times in the day.
\n\u2022 Toxins in food & drink cause problems. These include additives (check the label!); too much sugar; too much salt; antibiotics & hormones in meat & dairy; too much caffeine; pesticides in non \u2013 organic vegetables.
\n\u2022 Eating too quickly, while on the move, or while stressed, is bad for the digestion. When we are stressed, our bodies are geared up for action (the \u201cfight or flight response\u201d), and not for digestion. We produce adrenaline rather than digestive enzymes, and our blood flows to the muscles, rather than to the digestive system.
\nThe possible effects of a weak digestive system
\n<\/strong>\u2022 \u201cI.B.S.\u201d
\n\u2022 Colonic spasms and pain
\n\u2022 Bloating
\n\u2022 Nausea
\n\u2022 Weight gain
\n\u2022 Feeling heavy & sluggish
\n\u2022 Diarrhoea or constipation
\n\u2022 \u201cPhlegm\u201d (undigested food), which is known as the \u201ccause of 1000 diseases\u201d in Chinese Medicine, such as sinusitis, glue ear and poor concentration.
\n\u2022 Weakened muscles, leading to prolapsed organs or \u201cpiles\u201d.
\n\u2022 Weakened body tissue, so that one bleeds or bruises easily.
\n\u2022 Fatigue (because not enough energy is drawn from food): this leads to the digestion getting even weaker, so even less energy is drawn from food, and so on in a vicious cycle, which can result in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as C.F.S. or M.E.)<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>\u2022 Certain herbs clear food stagnation by breaking down food.
\n\u2022 Acupuncture promotes the production of digestive enzymes.
\n\u2022 Acupuncture stimulates \u201cperistalsis\u201d, the contractions of the gut wall that moves the food along.
\n\u2022 Acupuncture improves the functioning of the digestive system by allowing the body to produce less adrenaline and more endorphins (natural relaxants). This causes the blood to flow into the digestive system, rather than to the muscles.
\n\u2022 Herbs and acupuncture drain \u201cdamp\u201d and \u201cphlegm\u201d: many herbs are diuretics so will get rid of excess \u201cdamp\u201d in the body.
\n\u2022 Acupuncture and herbs stimulate the Liver to break down toxins.
\n\u2022 Acupuncture is great at moving stuck \u201cqi\u201d (energy), which can be blocked by negative emotions.
\n\u2022 There are special categories of herbs for each particular type of digestive disorder.
\n\u2022 Unlike Western medicine, Chinese Medicine recognises that everyone\u2019s illness is unique: you will therefore be given your own unique herbal formula and acupuncture points prescription.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"