3 Ways Chinese Medicine Can Help Digestive Problems

Many people have tummy troubles like bloating, irritable bowel syndrome or acid re-flux. These conditions can cause an extreme amount of discomfort to sufferers.

Chinese medicine has long been revered for it’s power to relieve people of many ailments with digestive issues being among them.

We’ve narrowed down 3 key points to make it easier to understand how traditional Chinese medicine has been used in the treatment of digestive conditions.

#1 Understand the role “Qi’ plays in your body.

Qi (pronounced “chee”) is best defined as energy or a body’s life force.

Obviously the human body runs on energy which is why it needs to be fueled with food. A lot of people don’t realise however that our organs, along with the different foods we eat also have their own Qi.

This means we need to provide our bodies with the right balance of food so our organs are provided with the right kind of energy they require. If we overload a specific organ with too much of one particular food (or energy) it may weaken and let energies flow into areas of the body that it normally wouldn’t which can cause digestive problems such as bloating or IBS.

#2 Eat Food That Aids Digestive Qi.

As a rule of thumb, orange and yellow foods are beneficial to digestive Qi thus aiding in many digestive problems.

Different foods have their own energetic qualities. Fruits are generally cooling while meats are mostly considered warming. Foods such as dairy and sugar have dampening energetic properties and can therefore generally be considered hard on the digestive Qi.

An example of how damp food can affect us is if we eat too much of it, the spleen will become drained of energy and may let some of that dampness into the body’s ecosystem.

Translated into western terms that would mean inflammation.

Once again it’s all about finding the right balance with your diet. In Chinese medical philosophy its all about eating a diet as balanced and clean as possible.

Clean means whole foods that are seasonal and organic in origin, that means staying away from processed foods. Minimizing damp foods such as dairy, wheat and sugar will help with digestive problems you may be suffering.

#3 Balancing the body’s Qi to fix digestive problems.

Some people have a clean diet and eat plenty of foods that are balanced for a healthy digestive system but still suffer digestive issues. This can be caused by a blockage stopping the flow of Qi.

Qi flows through our body via channels known as meridians. These meridians are connected to all major organs. When Qi gets stops flowing through certain meridians properly, symptoms such as bloating, acid reflux and dihorrea can occour. Balancing Qi with acupuncture or cupping is a great way to combat tummy troubles as it gets your energies flowing correctly again.

If you have other traditional chinese treatments that aren’t mentioned here feel free to mention them in the comments.