The answer lies in your digestive system
If you’ve been on my treatment table, chances are we’ve had a conversation about the energetics of food. All food has an energetic quality that either augments or detracts from health. And, Chinese Medicine does not advise one diet for all people.
For example,
- If you’re dealing with bloat, heaviness, edema, foggy-headedness or depression, you’ll want to avoid foods that cause “dampness”: dairy, sugar and in some cases even grains, smoothies, juices or raw food (at least until your digestive fire has recovered)
- By comparison, a person who is dealing with anger, hypertension, red eyes and headaches might benefit from more cooling foods such as salads, smoothies or celery juice
- Or a person who is malnourished or qi deficient, for example after a long digestive illness, will be supported by eating grains cooked into a congee and even sugar is seen as medicine in extreme cases.
Even small shifts in your food choices can make a difference in symptom severity.
You might be wondering how does digestion relate to stress?
You might be surprised to hear, Chinese Medicine sees rumination and worry as related to the digestive system. The digestion of your thoughts is reflected in the digestion of your food. Treatment plans for excessive worry or uncomfortable rumination will always include an aspect of treating digestion. I also advise making mindful choices of what and how much you consume mentally.
How do you stop worry and rumination?
- If the content of your rumination is political – be mindful of your sources and frequency
- If the content of your rumination is work or academic – take periodic breaks and set limits, there IS a diminishing margin of return for work and study
- If the content of your rumination is generically anxious or fearful – avoid violence and cruelty in the themes of your shows, books or video games
As much as possible choose uplifting content (I recently restarted watching Ted Lasso for this exact reason). Hide or unsubscribe social media accounts that do not uplift or educate factually. Take occasional breaks from all media. If meditation is hard for you, get into nature without your earbuds in and tune into the sounds of birds, lizards, grasses and leaves.
If the content of your mind is not letting you sleep:
Is rumination a challenge for you? If the discomfort of your rumination or nighttime anxiety that interferes with sleep feels bigger than curating your social media feed, it could be time for an acupuncture tuneup. You can do that opens in a new window::HERE::
In service to your optimal “digestion”,
Marie
P.S. If you’re looking for something uplifting to consume, I was interviewed on a podcast that was recently released. We geek out on the five elements, seasonal wisdom and talk a little bit about the transition out of winter, water element and into spring, wood element. You can listen to this opens in a new window::HERE::
