Digestive and GastroIntestinal Health

According to Classical Chinese Medicine, the body's reserves of physiological energy are produced from two sources : air inhaled during breathing, and nutrients extracted through proper digestion. Chinese Medicine was initially heavily influenced by Daoist philosophy, which considers digestion to be a function of the "Earth element," as the Earth element corresponds to the "Spleen" (which, in western terms includes pancreatic function) and "Stomach" meridian systems. Because of the cultural importance of digestive health, ancient doctors and scholars were very focused on researching and treating digestive function, and consequently many Gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic disturbances are diagnosed and treated successfully with acupuncture.

The Spleen and Stomach, as imagined by Chinese Medicine, function like a cauldron in the center of the body. The food we eat and the beverages we drink collect in this cauldron, where if there is a sufficient amount of "Yin" and "Yang," they are processed and transformed into energetic potential and the building blocks of our blood, fluids, and tissues. Yang is the metabolic energy required to digest what we eat, which we can imagine as a fire lit under the cauldron. Yin, in this case, corresponds to the digestive juices secreted by the pancreas, stomach, and gallbladder, which we can imagine as the water in the cauldron that our food is cooked in.

In order to keep the fire stoked and the digestive juices flowing, Chinese medicine encourages a diet individualized to a person's unique health needs, meals at appropriate times, and good stress management practices. When more intervention is necessary, acupuncture and herbal medicine can supplement digestive function, redirecting the body back to health and reducing uncomfortable symptoms.