Are TCM docs missing some important aspect of Western diet ?

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

What has interested me quite recently is a patient's response to a subtle change in diet, namely changing his beer !

 

The chappie concerned had a 'geographic tongue' and evidence of Yin deficiency until changing from a European light lager-beer to the well known Irish beer Guinness.

 

These beers are brewed at different temperatures with different types of yeast ('top-fermenting' for ale and 'bottom-fermenting' for lager) http://www.beer-brewing.com/brewers-yeast/ale-yeast.htm

 

Several possibilities may exist:

 

1. The 'bottom' versus 'top' yeast may have a differential effect in the Jiao heating / cooling :: upper - middle - lower , which may aggravate or ameliorate an existing condition depending on usage.

 

2. The esters in the top brewed ales may have a herbal effect depending on what specific ingredients are used. Hops and barley malt are the main ingredients, but different ales add other herbs.

 

3. Guinness for example contains liquorice, a favourite in many TCM recipes and a tonic in its own right. Could it be the old saying "Guinness is good for you" has an element of truth going beyond advertising ? [ In times gone by UK hospital patients were actually prescribed Guinness or stout ale to speed their recovery ].

 

So, I wonder if the TCM doctor, whose training originates in a culture that hasn't an awful lot of contact with brewing beers, is missing out on both diagnostic pointers and therapeutic strategies, by ignoring this important component in the diet of many western men (and perhaps women too). I haven't even started on the wines and spirits ..

 

Cheers (if you know what I mean ;-)

 

Sammy.