The following is an excerpt from Hot and Cold Health by R. G. Heft (Acupuncture Physician FL 1992- 2002) based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the questioning and counseling of 10,000 . TCM is based on the theory, observation that everything, including the body is an ongoing balance of opposites, many of which we control through diet, herbs, exercise, thought, etc.
Learn the whole before attempting to diagnose and or treat the part (structure, function) as all the parts work together and many times share similar symptoms, diseases. Misdiagnosis and mistreatment are common in all medicines.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the spleen (includes stomach and pancreas) is the major organ that controls digestion. Digestion, digestive fire (Agni in Ayurveda) transforms and transports food, nutrients into blood. Blood (nutrients) build, thicken, fuel, heat, cleanse, cool and moisten. Weak digestion transforms and transports less, decreasing nutrient absorption, blood, while increasing waste, as whatever food not digested, absorbed becomes waste sent directly to the large intestine for temporary storage and eventual elimination. Long-term low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate diets, in addition to drugs, surgery, chronic disease, etc. weaken the spleen, digestion, blood (deficiency), structure and function.
The spleen provides the fire (chi, yang) that cooks food and fluids inside the stomach and small intestine, separating the pure essences (nutrients) from the impure (non-nutrients, including fiber). The pure essences, nutrients mist, rise up (spleen chi, yang rises) into the lungs, combine with the pure essences of air (oxygen) before moving down into the heart for the final transformation into blood. The impure essences, foods and fluids not digested absorbed are waste and moved down to the large intestine
The first stage of digestion occurs in the stomach. The stomach produces hydrochloric acid (HCl) and other enzymes specifically designed to digest animal food, protein and fat. The second stage occurs in the small intestine, which receives enzymes and bile from the pancreas and liver via the pancreatic bile duct, which also connects to the bile duct. The bile duct carries bile from the gall bladder produced by the liver. The first stage of digestion in the stomach is more important, as protein and fat digestion is more difficult, requiring greater, stronger acid and enzymes.
All structure, function is built, fueled, heated, cleansed and mositened by blood, nutrients, foods. There are only two kinds of nutrients, foods, herbs, etc: building and cleansing.
Building nutrients, protein and fat build, thicken, fuel and heat. Too little, in the extreme, tends to weaken and cool digestion, reducing nutrient absorption, blood, structure and function, producing deficiency, thin, weak and cold symptoms: anemia, fatigue, thin skin, haie, nails, pallor, coldness, etc.
Water, minerals, sugar, vegetables (raw, salads) and fruits (tropical, juices) reduce, cleanse, cool and moisten. Too much, in addition to soft dairy and cold drinks dilute, weaken and slow digestion (abdominal bloating, gas), and elimination (looses stools, diarrhea, and or constipation).
Digestion, three meals a day, produces excess energy, heat that is used to heat and dry (regulate water) the body. Weak digestion tends to cool and moisten the body with excess fluids (dampness, kapha). The best example is the cold temperatures of winter that cool harden water in the air into rain, ice and snow. In the body, colder temperatures via weak digestion, too many cold, cleansing foods and or environmental extremes (winter cold) slow, harden water in the body, lungs, vagina, etc. into mucous, phlegm, cysts, white vaginal discharges, etc.
The lungs, nose, sinuses and throat are located above the digestive organs. Heat rises. Weak digestion fails to heat and dry, but instead cools and moistens the lungs with excess fluids, dampness: mucous, phlegm, causing coughing, shortness of breath, snoring, etc. In TCM, the spleen is the origin of dampness, and the lungs its receptacle. Weak digestion, dampness can also adversely affect the ears (childhood inner ear infection, loss of hearing), breasts (lumps, cysts), reproductive organs (cysts, white vaginal discharges (leucorrhea), yeast infections, etc.).
Excess water weight (edema, cellulite, mucous, phlegm, cysts, etc.) is generally a symptom of weak digestion, cold, damp diet and is more common in women than in men. Women, in general, tend to eat low protein, low fat (milk, yogurt) and high carbohydrate (salads, tropical fruits juices, smoothies) diets. Men are the opposite, have a higher metabolism, better digestion, due in large part to testosterone (hot, energetic, fiery hormone) and the tendency to eat high protein, high fat diets. Testosterone is the ultimate fat burner.
Water weight, in general, reverses (drains, burns) with a change in diet, from cold to hotter middle diet, meal plan:. Increase chicken, turkey or fish. Decrease milk, yogurt and soft cheeses Increase whole, cracked grains (white rice, noodles, etc.). Decrease bread, flour (cookies, pastries, pretzels). Increase cooked vegetables (3- 5 per meal). Decrease salads, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, tropical fruits, juices, cold drinks, sodas, etc Increase spices (cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, etc, use several at a time)) and herbs (Siberian ginseng). Spices increase digestive fire and dry damp.
In TCM, the pancreas is part of the spleen. It not only produces digestive enzymes but also regulates blood sugar via the production of insulin and glucagon. Insulin lowers the level of blood sugar (glucose) by converting it into glycogen (storage form of glucose) that is stored in the liver and muscles. When blood sugar gets too low, the pancreas secretes glucagon, which stimulates and converts glycogen in the liver back into glucose, which is then released back into the bloodstream, raising blood sugar.
The pancreas and liver control the level of blood sugar. Any amounts greater or less, in the extreme, tend to cause too much (hyperglycemia) or too little blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which in turn, weakens, sickens the body mind through a variety of blood sugar related diseases, including diabetes. Adult onset diabetes, depending upon severity (operations, medication, etc.) is generally curable through diet, discipline, etc. Juvenile diabetes is more difficult to treat, cure, as it tends to be genetically predisposed.
Sugar, protein and fat stimulate digestion, liver and pancreas function. Too much protein, fat and or sugar over stimulate the pancreas and liver, weakening, reducing all their functions: blood sugar, digestion, cholesterol, etc. Once an organ becomes weak, all of its functions weaken. Poor diet (high protein, high fat, alcohol sugar, overeating, or low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate) tend to cause most disease, including high and low blood sugar.
web: http://www.wordpress.com/richardheft, acupuncture physician (fl 1992- 2002), owner, operator, food and thought health food store, hollywood, fl (1984- 2001), author, hot and cold health (c) 2003
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