How the Wisdom of Chinese Medicine Can Help Our Modern Diets
By Jessica Peck-Lindsey, DAIH and Kerry Chamberlain, FMCHC
are hungry, when something that we put in our mouth is distasteful and possibly dangerous, and whether the temperature of the food is too hot or too cold. However, our modern diet plays tricks on us with the endless variety of artificial seasonings to tempt our taste buds and instead of eating for nutrition, meal time has become more like entertainment. When we consider the impact preparing healthy food has on our mental health while many of us struggle to simply understand what is healthy, it is no wonder why some of us experience stress around eating.
F Keeping the Spleen Happy Chinese Medicine can offer a unique
perspective to maintaining a healthy diet while addressing everyday stress. In acu- puncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each of the organs are assigned a role to play. The biggest player in the digestive system is the Spleen. According to acupuncture and TCM theory, the Spleen transforms and transports the food we eat and the fluids we consume and turns it into energy that our body uses. The flavor
ueling our bodies with proper nutri- tion should be easy. We have mecha- nisms in place that tell us when we
When the Spleen is really struggling,
Our modern diet plays tricks on us with the endless vari- ety of artificial seasonings to tempt our taste buds and instead of eating for nutrition, meal time has become more like entertainment.
we may find ourselves singing show tunes and acting silly. Some ways in which we habitually tax our Spleen is eating while engaging in mindless activities such as while watching TV or surfing the internet. The Spleen really likes to be given plenty of time to assist in the digestion process and this means creating a mindful space in which to eat. Another way we challenge the Spleen is by eating cold and raw foods. It is appropriate to eat raw fruits and vegetables when they are abundant in the Summer months, but as the months get cooler, con- sider roasting your vegetables, preparing soups, and drinking hot or warm beverages.
associated with the Spleen is sweet and the sound associated with Spleen is singing. What this means is that if the Spleen is not doing its job of properly transforming and transporting food and fluids, our bodies will not have the energy it needs to perform and therefore we start to feel sluggish. We may begin to crave sweet foods like simple carbohydrates because the Spleen is telling us that it needs the sweet flavor. (The better choice would be to eat fully cooked root vegetables, but we sometimes have a hard time interpreting what our bodies tell us, so we grab a cookie instead.)
Mind the Root Cause
Functional Medicine is, in its most basic terms, root cause medicine. We dig deep to discover what has caused the ill- ness, rather than to label it and medicate it. There is a time and place for medications, but we must first work through all lifestyle modifications. Weight loss is a very com- plex arrangement of issues stemming from body, mind, and lifestyle habits developed over time. There are many contributing factors that will not be solved by a one size fits all approach. Each person is incredibly
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