The Stomach and Dryness
The stomach’s function in Chinese medicine is to receive food and liquids and to decompose, cook or ripen them (Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, p.185). The stomach is likened to a cauldron of fire. This ripening or cooking of food is referring to what hydrochloric acid does to food and the breakdown of protein. Well known Chinese physician, Yu Jia Yan (1585-1664) said, “If Stomach-Qi (energy or function) is strong the five Yin organs (liver, heart, spleen, lung, kidney) are healthy. if Stomach-Qi is weak they will decline.” Another well known Chinese physician, Zhang De Bin said, “Stomach-Qi is the nourishment of life itself if the Stomach is strong life will be healthy, if the Stomach is weak, life will be unhealthy.” He also said: “The doctor who wants to nourish life has to strengthen Stomach and Spleen.” The most telltale sign of dysfunction in the stomach and spleen today is seen in the symptom of fatigue. It is perhaps the common symptom that is seen in the clinic. Everyone is tired to some degree, which is a testament to the poor state of our digestive health. What both of these physicians are saying is that life and death is in the power of the stomach and our digestion.
In Chinese medicine they used various terms for pathology. The pathological factor that affects the stomach is called dryness. When Chinese medicine refers to dryness, it principally means that you do not have enough hydrochloric acid (wetness). Without it, things dry up and start causing problems. Dryness occurs when the production of hydrochloric acid and stomach enzymes decline. Enzymes are catalysts that help to break food down. This decline in stomach acid is very common in those over the age of 50. Additionally, due to many of the foods that are consumed that are so hot and inflammatory in nature, it dries up production of this precious resource.
I can confidently say that when the production of hydrochloric acid declines, a cascade occurs, which can lead to the beginning of many health problems. In Chinese medicine, the treatment principle to treat dryness is straightforward. If something is dry, you need to get it wet. Very specific foods and herbs makes this happen. A group of foods exist that I call The Nasty Nine, which are foods that creates inflammation in the body and greatly contribute to dryness in the stomach, destroying digestion. Those foods include GMO refined sugar, GMO wheat, GMO soy, GMO corn, GMO canola oil (fried food), alcohol, dairy products, pork and artificial sweeteners. These foods destroy the digestive system and contribute the absolute most to all the chronic degenerative diseases we have today including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. This is why for many with symptoms of constipation, fatigue, loose stools, cold hand and feet, poor appitite and muscle weakness, it is critical to have an adequate supply of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. I suggest taking Pure Encapsulations Hydrochloric Acid (#ad)(2-4 per day). 16 ounces of organic celery juice made fresh every day with a juicer (#daily is wonderful to replenish levels naturally.
The Spleen and Dampness
The spleen and the pancreas are effectively seen as one organ because they share the same blood and nerve supply and both play pivotal roles in digestion. The main job of the spleen/pancreas in Chinese medicine is referred to as transformation and transportation. This transformation is what we now know happens with digestive enzymes. When food leaves the stomach, the pancreas creates digestive enzymes to transform food to usable energy in the small intestine. The enzymes the pancreas produces are associated with what is called “spleen yang.” Spleen yang deficiency is a pattern that consists of one or more symptoms: poor circulation, feeling of heaviness in body or head, cold hands and feet, poor appetite, muscle weakness, fatigue, prone to inactivity, needing to rest and lie down, loose stools, gaining weight, and edema (swelling or accumulation of water). Tens of millions of Americans have one or more of these symptoms. Much of this pattern is related to thyroid dysfunction in Western medicine. Hypothyroidism is largely a reflection of digestive dysfunction, which is mostly due to The Nasty Nine foods.
The spleen/pancreas can have trouble transforming food into usable energy when a few factors are present. Whereas the pathological factor that is associated with the stomach is dryness, the pathological factor most affecting the spleen/pancreas is dampness. Dampness is a factor that essentially slows everything down. Dairy products, GMO wheat, excess fat, excess sugar, alcohol, and processed foods are what produce dampness. When the spleen/pancreas is so tired from trying to transform all of the garbage in the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet today, it gets tired, doesn’t produce enzymes like it once did or is just overloaded and then dampness begins to form. The average American in the past never had the kind of access to such foods as we have access to now, which is why we have so much dampness and digestive dysfunction.
The transportation aspect of the pancreas comes into play when insulin, which is a hormone, is able to transport sugar (glucose) around the body to be used by every cell for fuel. Eating too much dietary fat and the wrong kinds of fat can really affect insulin receptivity or how well cells intake sugar for energy. When things slow down in the body due to dampness, stagnation occurs. Dampness can lead to another pathological factor, which is phlegm. When things are too damp and slow down too much, phlegm can form. Phlegm eventually can solidify producing nodules (fibroids, cysts, and tumors). Very powerful herbs exist in Chinese medicine that can break up accumulations of phlegm. But should we wait until this happens? Simple symptoms such as fatigue, burning (acid reflux), and constipation are the canaries in the coal mine. If left unchecked they lead to chronic degenerative health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Health starts with digestion and Chinese medicine has known for thousands of years how to clean up and deal with the conditions of dryness, dampness and phlegm that plague us today. It is critical to avoid these foods, but in the meantime a digestive enzyme (#ad)(2-4 per day) can help tremendously to help us feel better.
Every health problem has its root in the health of your gut. If you want to massively increase your energy, sleep better, raise your libido, lose weight and eliminate your pain and inflammation, I created an online course called Total Gut Transformation. This course is full of lessons online, videos, a free breakfast guide, a detoxification program and so much more. In as little as 30 days, you can totally heal your digestion. Click HERE for more information on Total Gut Transformation.
