Digestive system problems and TCM

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http://beyondwellbeing.com/ibs/index.htm

 

This is an excellent website on digestive system problems. The articles cut

through the problems of Western-defined medical conditions that often are

confusing and poorly understood to go straight to the symptoms from a TCM

standpoint. The presentation is very orderly and logical.

 

Be sure to click on the original IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) article in

the menu box on the left. This article will give those new to TCM

(Traditional ) some fundamental insights into the basics of

digestive system problems.

 

The first thing covered in the IBS article is the Spleen. A weakened Spleen

can cause a lot of problems, and not just digestive system problems. The

food gets " rotted and ripened " in the Stomach, but it's the Spleen that

actually carries out digestion. In addition, the Spleen extracts the Qi

from the food ( " Grain Qi " ) and carries it to the Lungs where it mixes with

" Air Qi " the Lungs have extracted to become the Qi that powers the entire

body, including digestion. If the Spleen isn't up to par, a whole lot of

things can go wrong in the body.

 

Part of the Grain Qi that the Spleen extracts and sends up to the Lungs gets

transformed into Blood. If the Spleen is not working well, not only will Qi

Deficiency result, Blood Deficiency also can result. Very often, people

with IBS or other digestive system problems will have anxiety. The Western

explanation is that the anxiety is causing the IBS and other digestive

system problems. The TCM viewpoint is that the digestive system problems

(the Spleen Deficiency) is causing the Blood Deficiency which in turn is the

Root of the anxiety. In TCM, one of the recognized Roots of anxiety (and

some cases of insomnia, some cases of bad dreams, etc.) is Heart Blood

Deficiency.

 

Deficient Spleen triggering Blood Deficiency triggering anxiety is one

example in TCM of the physical manifesting as emotional symptoms. But TCM

also recognizes that the emotional can trigger the physical. The Organ most

vulnerable to emotional upset is the Liver, and there is a section on Liver

imbalances as Roots of physical problems.

 

Basicly, what blocked or inappropriately expressed emotions do from a TCM

standpoint is they wreck havoc with Qi flow in the body. They can block it

(Qi Stagnation), slow it down, or even cause it to flow in the wrong

direction ( " Sinking " or " Rebeling " ). There is a TCM syndrome called Liver

Invading Spleen, and Stone goes into detail about how this can create

digestive system problems.

 

In addition, certain Kidney problems also can impact strongly on digestion

by impacting on the Spleen.

 

After you've checked out the original IBS article, there is a section in the

menu on the left where you can click on specific symptoms to get the TCM

scoop. I didn't know that alternating constipation and diarrhea points very

strongly to Liver imbalance.

 

I want to emphasize one other point that the IBS article makes and which is

made by other writers as well. It doesn't matter if the Western-defined

medical condition is poorly understood from a Western standpoint. One thing

you're going to discover as you get more and more into TCM is that even

though the Western physiology of a Western-defined medical condition is

poorly understood, this does not mean that TCM does not offer help for

specific symptoms from a TCM standpoint. IBS is a prime example of this.

 

For many years Western doctors believed that IBS was due solely to emotional

problems. Some Western doctors still believe this. What gradually came out

in the West is that many cases of IBS have an underlying basis of problems

with dairy. These problems with dairy can include not just lactose

intolerance but problems with milk protein and milk fat. No amount of

lactase is going to help when there's a problem with milk protein and milk

fat. Some people are so sensitive to dairy that the least amount of dairy in

food or even the lactose in a pill or capsule can trigger intense cramping

and pain and visits to the ER. (For some reason, around 80% of pills and

capsules manufactured in the U.S. use lactose as a filler/ binder. Even the

medications manufactured for digestive system problems even though problems

with lactose (milk sugar) and dairy in general underlie many digestive

system problems.

 

So what does this have to do with TCM and the Spleen? The Spleen is the

major culprit in producing Dampness in the body, and dairy products are some

of the most Dampness-inducing and Phlegm-producing foods there are. This is

why it's a good idea to lay off dairy foods when one has a cold. It's also

why the consumption of dairy can produce allergy-like symptoms like

excessive muccus in the chest even though the allergy tests are negative for

dairy. Dairy is one of the most Dampness-inducing and Phlegm-producing

foods there is, and the Spleen hates Dampness. The Spleen is very

vulnerable to Dampness, and in turn, a damaged Spleen is very prone to

producing Dampness. (Has to do with the Spleen playing such a big role in

the production of Qi in the body, and Qi playing such a big role in

transforming and transporting Fluids.)

 

Anyway, long before Western medicine began to catch onto dairy being

implicated in some cases of IBS, a TCM healer would have recognized that

dairy is a no-no in these cases. The TCM healer would have noted the

various symptoms of Dampness, and part of the healing strategy mapped out by

the TCM healer would be warning the client not to eat dairy or other foods

like oranges which are notorious for producing Dampness and Phlegm. Wheat

also is one of these foods that can engender Dampness.

 

The articles also give recommended TCM herbal formulas for various TCM

conditions.

 

And, if a client comes in saying things like, " I'm bothered by milk and

wheat. I think I'm allergic to them. They interfere with my breathing. I

feel anxious after eating them (even if the breathing isn't being affected

which by itself can cause feelings of anxiety), " you can just about bet that

there are Spleen and Dampness problems which need to be addressed from a TCM

standpoint.

 

Victoria

 

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