TCM & Obesity

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I've posted on this before, but a lot of new people have joined the list

since then.

 

In TCM (Traditional ), obesity is regarded as a symptom of a

Root (cause) which is having a lot more manifestations than just obesity.

Some of these other manifestations of the underlying Root are far more

serious than just the fact that the person is gaining weight.

 

The main Roots which can trigger obesity are Qi Deficiency often combined

with Qi Stagnation, Phlegm, and some cases of Internal Wind (especially when

combined with Phlegm).

 

For those new to TCM, a very rough translation of Qi is " energy " . For now,

" energy " is a good enough of a translation. Very often people believe that

all obese people need to do to lose weight is to exercise. In some cases

this will work. In cases where a person is Qi Deficient, it won't work.

The person doesn't have the energy (Qi) to exercise. In many cases the Qi

Deficient don't even have the energy to properly digest food. The basic

treatment principle is to supplement Qi with Qi tonic herbs. The being more

active will follow naturally once the body has enough Qi and it's flowing

properly.

 

Qi travels throughout in the body in channels. When Qi flow is sluggish or

blocked, this is called Qi Stagnation. Herbs to move energy and acupoints

can assist with getting Qi moving properly. (There are some other Qi flow

problems having to do with direction of flow, but I'll be getting into those

later.)

 

Phlegm is Dampness that has hung around too long and congeled into Phlegm.

The word " Phlegm " when used in a TCM sense is capitalized because it has a

special meaning in TCM. The TCM meaning includes what is meant by the

Western definition or phlegm, but goes further. Accumulations of Phlegm can

be the Root of a bunch of serious manifestations - tumors, hard to diagnose

and hard to treat conditions, cancer (along with other factors), some cases

of paralysis, etc. The treatment principle is to identify the cause of the

Phlegm and remedy. The Spleen is the Organ system most likely to be

involved though the Kidneys and the Lungs can rank high on ability to

produce Phlegm. Any system can produce Phlegm, but the Spleen is the main

one. The Lungs have the greatest affinity for collecting Phlegm though

Phlegm can show up anywhere in the body, including meridians (pathways of

energy).

 

Internal Wind does not refer to gas. It's a potentially very serious

condition that underlies many cases of tremors, seizures, and stroke.

Internal Wind always is linked to the Liver in some way. It can be caused

by Extreme Heat, Liver Yang Rising, and/or Deficiency of Liver Blood.

 

Other factors to consider in treating obesity are appetite-related issues.

When appetitie is excessive that usually is Stomach Fire. Liver Invading

Stomach (one of those Qi flowing the wrong way problems) can also cause a

person to eat more. The person eats more in these cases as a way to dealing

with the symptoms caused by Liver Invading Stomach. This is a person who

starts to cramp, have nausea, perhaps vomit when the stomach is empty.

Eating something relieves the symptoms. (Note: Liver can invade Stomach

because of problems in the Liver or because the Stomach is weak.)

 

The first organ system to consider in cases of obesity is the Spleen. The

Spleen has two very important functions when it comes to issues of obsity,

poor appetite, energy, and Phlegm-production. One thing which the Spleen

does is it extracts Qi from food rotted in the Stomach and carries it to the

Lungs where it mixes with Qi the Lungs extract from the air. In short, if

the Spleen isn't working very well, a person becomes Qi Deficient. Most Qi

tonic herbs target the Spleen and the Lungs. (Note: The names of Organs in

TCM are capitalized because the organ systems include a lot more than the

Western anatomical organs. TCM systems are collections of functions, and

the Spleen includes not only the spleen but the pancreas and some other

things.) A weak Spleen not only is failing to extract Qi from food, it's

failing in its roles in extracting nutrients. In short, even though a

person may eat plenty, the person still is undernourished.

 

The second thing that the Spleen does is it transports and transforms water

in the body. If the Spleen is Deficient, this means that water and other

fluids aren't flowing as they should be. Dampness accumulates, and if this

Dampness hangs around long enough, Phlegm is generated. (The Kidneys and the

Lungs also play some vital roles in the transport and transformation of

water.) We aren't just looking at weight gain caused by edema here, it's

far more far-reaching than that. Phlegm problems can be serious problems.

I've mentioned the possiblity of tumors, paralysis, cancer, etc. Phlegm can

play a role in intractable cases of hyperthyroidism, some cases of epilepsy,

various heart problems, psychosis, viral encephalitis, demyelination of the

brain stem, etc. (For more information on Phlegm disorders see

Comprehensive Management: Phlegm Fluid (Tan Yin) by C.S. Cheung, MD. There

are different types of Phlegm and different strategies for treating it.)

 

Because of that role of transporting and transforming water, Spleen

Deficiency when coupled with other factors can be a factor in some cases of

Blood Deficiency. Blood Deficiency in turn can trigger Internal Wind.

 

Once again I'm sounding the alarm about Ma Huang, aka Herbal Ephedra. Even

though this herb often is included in weight loss formulas, stay away from

these formulas containing Ma Huang. It can produce short term weight loss

but will aggravate the underlying Root of obesity. Ma Huang dissipates Qi

so if a person who is Qi Deficient takes it, the person ends up more Qi

Deficient than before s/he took the Ma Huang. Ma Huang can produce quite a

few health problems because it is a powerful herb. When used for a

condition for which it actually is needed and in the correct dose, it can be

a godsend. But misused, especially in weight loss formulas or for a " buzz " ,

it can wreck havoc and kill.

 

Another word on obesity being just a symptom and the Root which is causing

the obesity is causing other, more serious problems: One of the other

possible manifestations of Qi Deficiency is lack of resistence to germs.

The TCM term in these cases is Deficiency of Protective (Wei) Qi. One of the

other possible manifestations of Internal Wind is stroke. The Western

viewpoint is to view the increased susceptibility to infections or to

strokes or to high blood pressure or to other things as a consequence of the

weight gain. In other words, the weight gain is causing the infections,

stroke, high blood pressure, etc. The TCM viewpoint is that the same thing

which is manifesting as obesity is also manifesting as increased

susceptibility to infection, stroke, etc. In other words, the obesity isn't

causing these things, the obesity and the other things have a common Root.

Even if the person somehow manages to lose weight, the person is still

susceptible to the other manifestations. Correct the underlying imbalance,

and the person not only loses weight, the tendency to the other problems

also clears up.

 

Poor diet - undereating, overeating, the wrong foods for the individual,

eating too many raw foods, eating foods that are too cold, eating on the

run, eating at irregular times, etc. - can damage the Spleen. So can

overwork, studying too much, being obsessive/ pensive, and some other things

like infection, toxins, and trauma to the spleen or pancreas. One of the

hardest foods on the Spleen is ice cream. Milk is a Phlegm-producer plus

ice cream is loaded with fat and it's cold. The Stomach and Spleen like

warmth. Foods which are physically cold can increase their work load plus

damage them in some cases. Fats can overwhelm the Spleen.

 

Wheat is a Phlegm-producing food. Rice is considered a much better grain in

cases where there's Spleen Deficiency.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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