How Acupuncture can Improve Your Digestion Today
Digestive issues are a top reason people seek acupuncture and natural medicine. Unfortunately, our Western medical system is not designed to be able to address the root cause of digestive issues most of the time, and interventions are typically gallbladder surgery, antacids, or suggestions to lose weight. These options usually leave the patient feeling less than hopeful about their situation.
Chinese medicine excels at treating digestive issues, and I want to assure you that there is hope for your symptoms to improve. Approaching digestion from many angles will often yield the best results. The insertion of acupuncture needles directly impacts the central nervous system, and a regulated nervous system is required to be able to digest. The parasympathetic nervous system is nicknamed the “rest and digest” state. Other approaches include dietary changes, supplementation with herbs, and lifestyle changes. Considering how all aspects of our lives impact our body often leads to healing on a deeper level. Holistic approaches to wellness also improve our resiliency against future illness, stress, or injury.
The Spleen and Stomach in Chinese medicine are responsible for most digestive functions, but balance and harmony throughout the body are always essential. In my last post, we covered how the Liver’s function can aid digestion and how anger and frustration can impair its ability to detox and metabolize hormones. Excess anger and frustration impairing the Liver causes additional stress on the Spleen and Stomach, leading to acid reflux, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation.
Try these tips for improving digestion and see if they work for you.
Don’t eat stressed or distracted: Our environment significantly affects the efficiency and capability of our digestive system to break down and metabolize food. If we are only eating in the car while we sit in traffic or while we doom scroll on social media, our digestive system is both digesting our environment and our food. That additional stress will cause digestive issues. Our digestive system is driven by our parasympathetic nervous system and therefore we can not digest when we are stressed and on the “go go go".
I understand we all get busy and need to eat on the go, but being conscious about our emotions while we eat can make a big difference. I recently read a study done at Ohio State where they discovered that bunnies that were pet, cuddled, and played with right before eating high-cholesterol food created additional enzymes to block their body from absorbing the cholesterol, whereas the bunnies not cuddled or pet ended up with significantly higher cholesterol levels. Eating in a calm, loving environment literally changes the chemistry of our digestive system.
Reduce Ice-Cold Drinks: The Spleen and Stomach like warm temperatures. Putting ice-cold liquid or food into the system adds additional work for the digestive system which is going to have to warm up the food before it can break it down. Cold in the digestive system is one of the most common causes of cramping, fluctuations between constipation and diarrhea, and bloating. The Spleen and Stomach can be thought of as a hot pot of soup on a fire, and cold can dampen the fire needed to break down food in the system.
Eat with the Seasons: Our diet should shift and change with the seasons. You can probably already think of foods you naturally crave more during the cold winter months and less in the heat of the summer. As we move into Winter, try eating more dense, warm foods like stews and soups. Minimize cold, raw foods like salads and smoothies which are more appropriate in the summer. We want harmony in the body, and when its cold outside and we are eating salads with 16oz of ice water, our body is getting too much cold and not enough heat. Eating with the seasons also means trying to add in more vegetables and fruits that are naturally harvested in the winter months. Late October is great for apples, avocados, broccoli, carrots, corn, potatoes, and pecans.
Try Ginger Tea: Ginger is a great digestive aid, and a nice warm ginger tea after you eat can improve digestion, reduce cramping, bloating, and constipation. It also soothes nausea, reduces inflammation, and boosts the immune system.
There are many more ways to naturally reduce your gastrointestinal symptoms. Working one-on-one with a Chinese medicine professional can streamline your health journey, and help you get individualized support. Schedule a 15-minute free consultation call with me to see if acupuncture and Chinese medicine is a good fit for you!
