This is a very complicated condition not only psychological but also physical in origin and manifestation, both of which need investigation and treatment. The physical side can be dealt with using TCM.
The digestive system in such cases is usually weak and deficient. The intestines (small and large), stomach, and spleen organ systems are involved, needing strengthening and tonification using acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
The digestive system in many ways is similar to the muscular-skeletal system, if a muscle has been unused for some time, to increase tone and function regular (preferably supervised) exercise is used to restore shape, balance and function of the muscle. Anyone who has visited Body doctor fitness will have first hand experience of this and the benefits of the before and after effect. The same analogy can be seen with the digestive system. When the body has been without adequate food and nourishment for some time (due to irregular meals, poor quality food that is processed and not organic or fresh, poorly prepared i.e. overcooked thereby destroying available vitamins and minerals to name a few) the digestive system suffers in the same way as an unused muscle.
TCM is highly effective in restoring digestive function to aid the processing of food Transforming and transporting the products of digestion so the body can absorb the beneficial nutrients from food and excrete the unwanted by-products. It does not bear thinking about if the body starts to absorb what it wants to excrete and excretes some of what it wants to absorb, but to some degree that is what is happening in most of us. No wonder we don't feel as good as we could.
Treatment is designed to restore digestive balance thereby bloated feelings which accompany eating is reduced, appetite is regulated with the ability to process efficiently thereby turning food into energy (Qi) and not fat. The saying "more is less" applies to this, you can eat more and weigh less. Acupuncture is used to access the organs of digestion (stomach, spleen, small and large intestines) directing the body's own energy (Qi) to invigorate and stimulate tired and deficient food processors. Regular treatments have an accumulative effect increasing the transforming and transporting process helping to release the energy locked within food. So, it is not only what you eat that matters but also how the body is able to digest it. That includes even the simplest daily function we all perform hundreds of times a day chewing. Poor chewing presents the digestive system with a nightmare workload, which more often than not does not accomplish and results in bloating, burping and flatulence. This again connects the digestive system to the muscular-skeletal system.
Herbs can be prescribed to regulate appetite would include, rice and wheat sprouts, radish seeds and loganberry fruit. The many remedies that can be used to influence the digestive system often contain ginseng root (of which there are many different varieties) and simple foods such as yam and pumpkin. The important thing to remember is that each person is different and therefore correct diagnosis is essential in forming a treatment plan. Self -diagnosis resulting in taking remedies without supervision could lead to weakening and overloading the digestive system more, causing more harm than good.
Please bear in mind acupuncture, herbal remedies and exercise can and do help restore digestive health but it can be a long process and therefore constant support both physically and psychologically is needed from both friends and professionals.
David's are the only exercises I've ever been able to stick to. Rachel Weisz
