digestive disorders
the lucky ones never experience a problem, and the sorely afflicted ones struggle every day to have a proper bowel movement. physical and mental-emotional well-being depends on it. it’s indeed not nice for those who are plagued chronically by either fullness, sour burping, flatulence, constipation, or diarrhea, in the worst case accompanied by cramps, burning or stabbing pain.
western medicine differentiates between irritable bowel syndrome, influenced by the autonomic nervous system, crohn's disease, which is a chronic inflammation of the bowels, or food intolerance, etc.
in traditional chinese medicine (tcm), digestion is the centre for the production of the life energy 'qi', the defensive energy 'wei qi' and the nourishing energy 'ying qi'. if this center is disturbed, the whole physical balance is disturbed. the causes can be external or internal.
«if the center is disturbed, the whole physical balance is disturbed»
externally, for example when you eat food that might be good for others, but not for you due to an intolerance. internally, when anger, stress or worries get on your nerves.
tcm can act with acupuncture and herbs both on the physical and on the mental-emotional level and provide balance. let's take the example of chronic constipation. the most frequent causes are either so-called stagnation of qi or inner dryness. in one case it is necessary to move the energy with acupuncture, in the other to moisten the dryness with herbs. in the example of irritable bowel syndrome it is advisable to calm the mind and to gently regulate the digestion with acupuncture and possibly with herbs. in all cases, however, the individual dietary recommendations are very important as like in a car, it is crucial for the engine whether you fill up with diesel or petrol.