The New Chinese Medicine Handbook: An Innovative Guide to Integrating Eastern Wisdom with Western Practice for Modern Healing

SUPPORTING THE CENTER

A Digestive Disorders Management Program

For thousands of years, Chinese medicine doctors have had a profound understanding of how important a nutritious diet and good digestion are in preventing disharmony in the mind/body/spirit. Recently, Western science has made breakthroughs in research confirming exactly how powerful diet is in preventing and/or causing a whole range of illnesses—from colon and breast cancer to fatty liver to allergies and irritable bowel syndrome. Yet millions of us suffer daily digestive upset and chronic digestive illnesses. Antacids, laxatives, proton pump inhibitors—we down millions of over-the-counter stomach remedies in a futile attempt to make our bellies feel better. Millions of dollars’ worth of prescription drugs, from steroids to Tagamet, are taken to ease problems that stubbornly resist Western treatments.

PART ONE: A SIX-STEP SELF-CARE PLAN FOR PREVENTION AND THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT

Whether you have a chronic digestive disorder or an acute attack, the following comprehensive program offers a way for you to use self-care and assemble a team of practitioners to support your healing efforts.

Step One: Keeping a Daily Journal

When starting a comprehensive digestive program, the first step is to keep a one- to two-week journal, paying special attention to your diet in relationship to daily activities, your sleep patterns, and your physical and emotional responses throughout the day. Over time, possible correlations among diet, emotion, and symptoms of digestive problems should emerge. These will then give you clues as to wise self-care and will help your practitioner(s) prescribe effective treatment. (For information on how to establish and interpret your journal see page 223.) In your journal, note the following:

• Your diet: When considering your diet in relation to digestive disorders, note foods that obviously make you feel sleepy, tired, or gassy; foods that increase nervousness, change stools, or trigger sneezing or congestion within an hour of eating or the next day; and foods that cause stomach or intestinal pain.

• Your emotions: When considering diet in relation to emotions, compare your journal of times when you eat certain foods with your journal of times when you notice an increase in worry, agitation, or tension. Also, write down if becoming emotional causes pain or tension in the area beneath your breastbone. Note if you become more gassy when you eat while you are upset or if your appetite increases or decreases with a particular emotion.

• Overall energy levels: Track the daily ebb and flow of your energy: Do you have morning grogginess or an afternoon slump? Do you get tired after eating certain foods or eating in general? What time of day is your energy at the lowest? Compare your findings with your journal for diet and emotions. Can you see a pattern between low energy, eating certain foods and experiencing certain emotions?

• Physical symptoms: Make a note of your general aches and pains; stiff joints; headaches; stuffy or runny nose; itchy eyes; grumbly, gassy, or upset stomach; and cravings for sugar, chocolate, or caffeine. Again, you want to see if there is a relationship between emotions, diet, and physical symptoms.

Step Two: Implementing a Diet Program

For preventive self-care, it’s a good idea to increase your intake of high-quality protein, legumes, grains, and vegetables. At the same time, decrease sugars, cut down on red meats and trans-fats, and follow a varied diet that includes many foods. (See the dietary guidelines in chapter 6, page 91.)

For self-care treatment of digestive disorders, it is vital that you eat a diet of cooked, warm foods and limit raw and uncooked foods. That will help strengthen your Spleen/Stomach Organ Systems, which are generally weak when digestive disharmony occurs.

In addition, eat as simply as possible to give your body time to heal. Do not overeat or skip any meals. Too much or too little food can create additional digestive problems.

Generally, you should have your largest meal at midday. Eating large meals in the evening or eating before going to bed puts a strain on the Spleen and Stomach Systems. If you already have a weakened Spleen, however, you may find that you feel best if you eat small meals frequently throughout the day.

Follow the First-Step Dietary Therapy Program to break the cycle of digestive upset (see page 113).

Identify the foods that you suspect may aggravate the condition by evaluating your self-monitoring journal. Eliminate those foods from your diet. After four days, introduce one back into your diet. Observe the results. If all goes well, you may continue eating that food, but no more than once every four days. You may introduce each eliminated food back into your diet on a four-day rotation. If one produces a symptomatic reaction, it should be taken out of your diet, at least for the next several months.

Take Lactobacillus acidophilus for both prevention and treatment of digestive upset and parasites. Yogurt doesn’t pack enough live cultures into one serving to provide as much help as the pill or powder form.

Step Three: Implementing an Exercise and Meditation Plan

The methods of exercise you’ll choose to help digestive disharmony depend on your Chinese diagnosis. If the Qi is weak and you experience fatigue, lack of appetite, and a feeling of fullness after eating very little, try mild Qi Gong exercises, such as exercise one and two on page 182 and breathing exercises on page 185. Done three to four times a week, they will help strengthen the Qi and ease your symptoms.

If Stagnant Qi is your diagnosis with symptoms such as gas, irritability, and bloating, the digestive disorder will respond to more vigorous exercise five to seven days a week. Recommended exercises such as jogging, cycling, fast walking, and other aerobics should not be done to the point of exhaustion because that can deplete Qi, instead of building it. Too much exercise can also deplete Xue. Women who overdo aerobic exercise may have light or no periods because of Xue Deficiency related to Qi Deficiency.

Weight-lifting on machines or using free weights should only be done every other day, because the process of tearing down the muscles to build them up can cause a Deficient Spleen, which would worsen any digestive problems.

You can, however, engage in Yoga, Qi Gong exercises, and Tai Chi without worry about detrimental effects.

Step Four: Using Compresses and Soaks for Digestive Problems

In general, warming compresses and brief soaks ease some of the discomfort of digestive disorders. However, don’t use them directly after eating. And if you are feeling weak, use warm, not hot, water.

Use ginger compresses to warm and strengthen the abdominal area. To make a ginger compress, grate one-third of a large ginger root. Place the grated ginger in an unbleached square of cheesecloth and tie it securely. Place in 1 to 2 quarts (1 to 2 L) of boiling water for ten minutes. Remove the bag of ginger from the water and set aside. Take 1 cup (235 ml) of tea from the pot. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried ginger before drinking. Soak a washcloth in the remaining ginger brew in the pot. Wring it out. Apply it to your abdomen. Repeat applications until you feel very warm and comfortable. Drink the ginger tea.

Other compress alternatives include hydrocollator packs that you heat in a boiling pot of water and microwaveable herbal heat packs that become damp when heated.

For a soak, draw a chamomile bath using the recipe for Sleep Ease on page 213.

Step Five: Using Massage for Self-Healing

Many massage techniques can ease discomfort and restore balance in digestive disorders.

Self-acupressure can ease the discomfort of digestive disorders. Concentrate on Stomach 36, Spleen 6, and Stomach 34 (for stomach pain) (see pages 163 through 167). Follow the acupressure techniques described for these points on page 197. Repeat at least once a day.

Moxibustion is a powerful self-care tool. Focus your moxa treatment on these points for Deficiency and Cold conditions: Stomach 36, Spleen 6, Ren 6, Ren 12, and Stomach 25. Du 20 strengthens the Xue and brings up Qi. It is particularly effective for Qi Deficient diarrhea and organ prolapse. Almost anyone can moxa Stomach 36 to tonify Qi unless you have a high fever. Don’t moxa when there is a sign of heat problems—such as fever, bloody stools, or burning diarrhea—without a practitioner’s prescription. (See pages 40 and 206 for the locations of these points.)

Try ear massage. See the illustration of the ear on page 203 with the points for massage: Ear-Shen Men, Ear-Stomach, Ear-Spleen, and Ear-Large Intestine. Follow the massage techniques for these points explained on page 202.

Use reflexology. See the illustration of the foot with points highlighted on page 211.

Hara massage, a Japanese abdominal massage, is especially soothing to people with digestive disorders.

Qi-Xue abdominal self-massage instructions are on page 194.

Step Six: Additional Nutritional Supplements

Nutritional supplements may be difficult for a person with severe digestive disorders to absorb. That’s why the program begins with dietary changes, acupuncture, mild herbal formulas, and exercise. Once digestive stability has been established, you can add supplements, although several of them require the supervision of a doctor or practitioner. General recommendations include the following:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus: Take 1/2 teaspoon of this probiotic as a refrigerated powder once or twice a day in unchilled water thirty to sixty minutes before a meal.

• Sublingual vitamin B12/folic acid/B6: Trader Joe’s carries one we use in the clinic. The sublingual version avoids the digestive tract and is easily absorbed.

• Vitamin D3: There is evidence that taking vitamin D3 helps chronic inflammatory bowel problems, improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, and may reduce the incidence of intestinal cancer in persons with intestinal problems. Dosage can range from 2000 IU to 8000 IU per day, depending on the level of deficiency.

• Ground flaxseed: For both constipation and loose stools, sprinkle ground organic flaxseed over your food. Buy it in vacuum-sealed packages, not in bulk, to avoid rancidity. Some people prefer psyllium seed and husk. However, flaxseed has the advantage of having omega-3 fatty acids.

• Lactase pills or milk digestant pills, for lactose intolerance, can help when it’s difficult to avoid all dairy products. Better yet, avoid dairy altogether because dairy products tend to promote Dampness. People with chronic digestive problems tend to be Spleen Deficient and Damp, and eating dairy can be a stress on the digestive system.

• Additional forms of probiotics may be prescribed, depending on the Western diagnosis of your digestive problem. For example, if you are having trouble in your upper small intestine, then Bifidus may be recommended.

• Digestive enzymes are generally good for people who have trouble digesting specific types of food, who are diagnosed as having decreased hydrochloric acid, or who can’t digest any meat. (This is especially a problem for people who have been vegetarians for many years and begin to eat meat again.) Some people with wheat or gluten sensitivity may also use special enzymes to counteract the effects if those products are eaten inadvertently. Many Chinese herbal formulas are enzymatic, and the need for enzymes decreases or is eliminated when receiving Chinese herbal medicines from your practitioner. To determine if you need digestive enzymes, consult a naturopathic physician or Western nutritionist for recommended therapy.

• Additional supplements should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner. For example, a naturopathic doctor might recommend additional supplements such as d-limonene or deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) for chronic indigestion, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Always ask your practitioner to review your self-care plan as well.

PART TWO: ASSEMBLING THE TEAM

Often when people turn to Chinese medicine, they have been suffering with chronic problems that Western medicine has not been able to relieve. If you are suffering from severe gastrointestinal disorders, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome, or if you have bloody diarrhea, expanding the treatment to include a combination of acupuncture, moxibustion, dietary changes, herbal medicine, and exercise may create the breakthrough that’s needed. However, improvement doesn’t usually happen overnight. Because the disharmonies that trigger these disorders are deep-rooted, it can take a full year before the problem is completely resolved. However, people with digestive disorders frequently are able to cut back on interventions such as acupuncture and herbal medicine before the year is up. They slowly return to a more normal diet. Because they have been involved in all aspects of their healing, the person knows when to return to a stricter, more therapeutic diet before the problem recurs.

Step One: Obtaining a Western Baseline

It’s important to rule out cancer and other life-threatening problems, a genetic disorder such as celiac disease, or to identify an illness that can be treated quickly and effectively by Western medicine. Follow the general guidelines in the basic comprehensive program for working with a Western practitioner. Find an expert in digestive disorders who can outline your treatment options. This information and information about ongoing Western treatment should be presented to your Chinese medicine practitioner.

RENE’S STORY

Rene came into the clinic suffering from ulcerative colitis. She was afraid to go anywhere for fear that she couldn’t get to a bathroom. She was about to get fired, and she was running out of hope.

“At the clinic, I was diagnosed with Deficient Spleen, and told I needed to bolster my immune system, change my diet, and eliminate some stress from my life,” Rene said. “My Western doctors mentioned none of those things. They just said they had no idea how I got the disease or how to get rid of it.

“I was taking steroid enemas that made me gain sixteen pounds, then I had a bad reaction to the drug they gave me to compensate for the bloating. And I was taking oral medication that gave me severe headaches.

“I came for acupuncture and herbal therapy when it was clear that Western medications weren’t going to help—at least not enough and not by themselves. Misha gave me Source Qi, an herbal formula that she developed.

“I’m still on some Western medication, but now after ten months of Chinese medicine treatments, I’m feeling much better and taking far fewer drugs,” Rene said. “I still get acupuncture and moxibustion on my navel and legs once a week. I also get lots of other positive effects from it. If I have any other issues in my health—stress or allergies or painful periods—the acupuncture helps them, too.”

Step Two: Obtaining a Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment

When you go to a Chinese medicine practitioner, it’s important to establish communication between the Chinese medicine and the Western doctor. Both practitioners should be aware of what you are doing as director of your own healing process.

At the Chinese medicine practitioner, you can expect to be treated with herbs, acupuncture, and moxibustion.

HERBS

The following chart outlines some examples of Chinese herbal formulas that I’ve found are most effective and indicate the Chinese function and Western diagnosis they address. Under no circumstances should you self-administer these medicines unless they are also listed in the Medicine Cabinet (see page 230).

EXAMPLES OF CHINESE HERBAL FORMULAS FOR DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION

For severe bowel disorders such as Crohn’s disease and acute irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, the recommended therapy is acupuncture and moxibustion two or three times a week to begin with and once a week for an extended period—from twelve to fifty-two weeks.

Moxibustion may include additional points on the Stomach and Urinary Bladder Channels (Stomach 37, Stomach 25, and Urinary Bladder 20). (See pages 163 through 166 for the locations of the points.)

Step Three: Bringing in Other Modalities

The comprehensive program includes diverse therapeutic approaches, including nutritional supplements, massage, Western lab tests and medicines, psychotherapy, and Ayurvedic nutritional counseling.

Digestive disorders often demand comprehensive treatment plans. For example, Maggie came to the clinic with severe digestive complaints after having traveled through India. I sent her for Western lab tests for bacterial infections and parasites. The labs found bacterial infections, systemic candidiasis, and parasites.

Chinese medicine can treat yeast infections and many parasites, but I knew that unless Maggie took antibiotics for the bacterial infection, she could not benefit from the other therapies. Even though the antibiotics were going to aggravate her yeast infection, she needed to knock out the bacterial infection first. While she took the antibiotics, our clinic provided Lactobacillus acidophilus and treatments to tonify the Spleen and Stomach, remove Dampness, and combat the yeast overgrowth. Once Maggie was done with the course of antibiotics, we could treat the increased yeast infection and parasites. Over six months, Maggie’s digestive system regained harmony.

If Maggie’s treatment had not included both Western and Chinese modalities, her therapy would not have been as effective or her recovery as rapid.

AT A GLANCE: COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR DIGESTIVE DISORDERS