Autumn 2012 Newsletter
I am friends with a woman who, years ago, practiced acupuncture for a while in Mount Shasta (she has since moved away). When I told her that I would be setting up shop in Mount Shasta she shook her head and confessed that she found it a difficult place in which to practice. “All those diets!” she groaned.
Well, I personally love practicing in Mount Shasta, but I think I know what she means. In the course of a week, the diets followed by my clients might include: vegan (no animal products of any kind), ovo-lacto vegetarian, raw food only, paleo (lots of meat, no grains), Mediterranean (lots of grains and vegetables, little meat), Atkins, South Beach, the blood-type diet – just to name a few! I treat sugar addicts, supplement addicts, fasting addicts and colonics addicts.
I have treated healthy people on just about every one of those diets. And I have treated unhealthy people on every of those diets.
Moreover, I have learned that people take their diets very seriously and personally. Although people ask me for dietary advice on a daily basis, I also notice a lot of resistance to changing eating patterns.
So let me say, right up front, that I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT TO EAT IN THIS NEWSLETTER. But hopefully I can give some suggestions to help you figure out what might work best for you.
The question I like to ask is: IS YOUR DIET WORKING FOR YOU?
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A DIET THAT IS NOT SUPPORTING YOU:
- Gas and bloating: This is your digestive system saying that it cannot handle what you’re putting into it. The cause is often simply overeating – you don’t have enough digestive fire to handle it. Smaller, more frequent meals may be part of the answer. If you are overweight, smaller portions is a no-brainer. You may also need to change what you’re putting into the system. Vegetarians often suffer from gas because their diet is so high in fiber. I strongly advise long-term vegetarians to study Indian cuisine at least a little. The Hindus of India are the one culture on the planet that has been vegetarian for hundreds of years and their use of spices and cooking methods to alter the digestibility of foods is simply brilliant. Warming spices like ginger, cumin, cardamom are welcome additions to vegetarian foods, making them more digestible and supportive of digestive fire.
- Overweight: Let me just say that I have never met a seriously overweight person whose digestive system was working optimally. If you are overweight you need to make dietary changes. I don’t say that lightly; I know that weight loss can be challenging on many levels. Food allergies can also give rise to gas and bloating. The biggies are wheat, cow’s milk products and soy products. Experiment with eliminating them and see what happens for you.
- Loose stool: is a red flag that indicates your digestive fire is low. Food is going through the system only partially processed. You may need herbal support to bring the fire back up. You may need to eat less. If you’re not vegetarian, you may need a little meat which has more yang (warmth) in it. Really start using those warming spices. Eat more cooked and less raw food (which is very cold in nature and thus puts out digestive fire).
- Chronic constipation: From the perspective of Chinese medicine, there can be a number of causes here including fatigue (not enough qi to support peristalsis), tension (the colon is muscle and it can be tight just like any muscle in the body), lack of fiber (meat lovers need to be careful with this one), lack of fluid (in Chinese medicine we say, “Float the boat!”). Diet can help all those conditions to some extent. If the problem is severe, you will probably need herbal support for a while.
- Acid reflux: Often has its root in overeating although there can be other causes such as a hiatal hernia and stress.
- Fatigue: An axiom in Chinese medicine says that when we begin to get run down, the first place it shows up is in the digestion – and thus it is the first system we want to support with healthy changes and choices. If you feel more tired than you used to, it may be time to take an honest look at your diet – what you’re eating and how much. Too much food will always tire us out (nobody feels frisky after Thanksgiving dinner). Sugar and alcohol are hard on the body, and excess consumption will tire it over the long run. Foods you’re allergic to will take a toll. Junk food made with additives and preservatives that the body does not recognize as food will take energy to digest without giving anything in return. Toxins (herbicides, pesticides, preservatives, petroleum products) stress the body.
We have all been bombarded with diet fads and information. It can be confusing and frustrating. We all want radiant health and vitality – and a functional digestive system is part of the picture. Let me know if I can help you with your personal journey.