Digestive Health
In Indigenous styles of medicine how we eat is often seen as being as important as what. Digestive issues may show up in different ways and like most things stress may be a culprit. It’s not always that there’s something off about your diet, in Chinese Medicine we want you to enjoy your food and indulge your cravings at least in moderation. We also get it if you eat clean and take great pains to go beyond convenience to nourish yourself well, but still might have bothersome digestive complains ranging from nausea to constipation.
One of the basic questions in Chinese Medicine is about your bowel movements, it’s super important and as anyone knows constipation can ruin your day! There are simple solutions perhaps like Metamucil, psyllium, prunes, and okra. Your acupuncturist will evaluate energetic reasons you may be getting stopped up, it’s not out there for an acupuncturist to link a clue in your bowel to you emotions. It may be you have a hard time letting go, or the opposite that you have a hard time letting new experiences in. There may be a link with the Large Intestines paired organ the Lungs. The idea is that prunes or fiber will help and we hope you have an adequate amount of fiber from veggies and all the good stuff in your diet, but that those are great for symptom relief, there may be an underlying issue.
It depends on whether you’re bothered by constipation, acid reflux, gas pain, or something else to determine which herbs or if any herbs will be the main course of treatment. It also depends on you’re specific presentation and also your preferences. Taking herbs is optional, so is getting acupuncture! The beauty is it all comes down to the basics your lifestyle and the state of your energetic body AND physical body that will determine your overall health. The belly is very telling in some systems of Asian medicine.
In forms of Korean and Japanese acupuncture specifically, the belly or ‘hara’ as it’s known is the center of your body. It’s looked at as the hearth that contains the fire of digestion that the rest of you huddles around like you would a campfire on a cool night. The state of the belly contains clues to the history of your nurturing in early life and how well you nourish yourself. It also is a microcosm of the entire body, but so can be the feet, hands, ear, and face! There may be tension from emotional disruption in the abdomen causing problems. One thing acupuncture is awesome at is calming the central nervous system, in a way that doesn’t depress or sedate too far when done skillfully.
Like most aspects of care at Sitting Swan abdominal, belly, or intestinal troubles will be looked at holistically and solutions will be offered through acupuncture, diet, stress management, and possibly herbal medicine. Please call to inquire more or to book an appointment