Acupuncture Ally: Food Therapy

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Every food, liquid, spice and condiment has properties that the East recognizes, including temperature of food, taste (sour, sweet, bitter, astringent, pungent), acidity, channels affects and the effect of the food. This shows us that food is more than just food; food is actually the simplest form of medicine. What we eat really does make up what our body has to fuel itself on.

Rules to Eating:

  • Eat slowly and only when you are hungry.
  • Be in a calm environment, don’t eat when you are upset or angry.
  • Stop eating when you are about 75% full. A piece of helpful advice from a previous teacher of mine: the moment you stop tasting what you’re eating and/or the moment you could ‘take it or leave it’ you should stop.
  • Be aware of how you feel before you eat and after you eat. Your body is really smart and will tell you if it doesn’t like something, although it may be difficult to pick up on these clues initially. Sensitivities may be in the form of abdominal upset and bowel movements, or things such as skin rashes or headaches.

Eat:

  • Warm foods: either cooked, steamed, baked, etc. Warm foods are easier for your spleen and stomach to digest.
  • Easily digestible foods such as soups and congee. These foods are easy on your spleen and stomach, and can actually help them work better, leading to better digestion and health.
  • For the season, in the summer it is okay to eat cooler foods, such as watermelon, to cool your body. However, if you are in the air conditioning all day long, you will want to take that into account. In the winter, it is better to eat hot and warm foods to nourish and warm your body.
  • Include protein and healthy fats in your breakfast to properly fuel your body and to reduce the amount of cravings later in the day.

Avoid:

  • Fried food, sugar, alcohol. These foods have properties that cause stagnation. When stagnation occurs, it can eventually turn to heat. Stagnation, heat and cold can damage your stomach’s ability to “rotten and ripen” the food and inpair the function of the spleen to “transform and transport” the nutrients.
  • Cold, raw foods are hard on your stomach and spleen and may cause bloating, gas and loose stools. In The Tao of Healthy Eating, Flaws explains how our body is able to absorb more of the nutrients in cooked foods opposed to raw foods.
  • Processed food. The ultimate goal should be to be eating whole, real foods. Our body doesn’t know what to do with processed food, even taking into account the artificial sweeteners. In that case, it’s better to have real sugar; at least our body knows what to do with it.
  • Speaking of sugar, we can’t stress enough how important it is to reduce our sugar consumption altogether. Sugar causes stagnation and phlegm, and therefore may cause pain, along with many other symptoms.
  • Dairy… yes dairy. It can also cause phlegm and stagnation. A little dairy is ok, if your body tells you it is ok. But be aware of how it makes you feel.
  • Eating close to bedtime. If you eat too close to when you go to sleep, your body will be trying to digest the food when it should be focusing on other body systems. Eating close to bedtime may result in poor sleep. Refrain from eating two hours before bed.

Recommended Reading:

The Tao of Healthy Eating by Bob Flaws: Summarizes the theory behind Traditional Chinese Medicine and digestion and how the body works.
Helping Ourselves: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Food Energetics by David Leggett: “a beginners guide to nutrition according to the principles of Chinese medicine.”

My Journey to Traditional Chinese Medicine

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Ever since I was a young child I have always been interested in medicine, health and the human body.  How the body works is so fascinating! When I was in high school I had set my sights on becoming a doctor, specifically a pediatrician. I had, and still have, a special interest in helping children become healthier to help prevent illnesses and diseases. Then some of my family members started going to see an acupuncturist at the Iowa Acupuncture Clinic for various ailments. Like most people, I had no idea what acupuncture was or what it could do, but when my family members saw improvements it piqued my interest.
 
As I was talking to my mom about wanting to be a doctor, she said she could see me being an acupuncturist. The thought intrigued me, so I decided to get my first acupuncture treatment. My main goal was to get a better understanding of acupuncture, and my initial experience was relaxing and enjoyable. I was very curious because the acupuncturist asked me questions based on what she observed by looking at my tongue and feeling my pulse. It was extremely interesting to learn that our bodies tell us things every day; we just need to be aware of it and listen.
 
After that, I began working at the Iowa Acupuncture Clinic and the medicine continued to amaze me. I really enjoyed being a part of the clinic and observing patient interactions. I saw improvements in my health in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible from tiny needles being strategically placed all over my body. At the time I truly did not understand how much theory went into a treatment.
 
I graduated from Johnston High School in 2007 and started my undergraduate experience at Grand View University in the fall of 2007. Throughout my time at Grand View, I continued to work part-time at the clinic and it only confirmed my passion for Chinese Medicine. I earned my Bachelors Degree in Health Promotion: Wellness and Fitness and went on to pursue my Masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Northwestern Health Sciences University. After my education in health and Traditional Chinese Medicine, I’m even mIMG_9394ore amazed with the body and all of the miracles that happen every second.

I now work for Acupuncture Wellness Center & Allergy Clinic of Iowa, and every day I’m thankful for all of the steps that lead me down this path towards my calling of being an acupuncturist. I have dedicated myself to helping people feel their best.  After all, we only have one body for this one amazing life; we better take the best care of it we can.

My Bookshelf: The Only Little Prayer You Need

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Reading has been a constant passion of mine throughout the years. Whether it’s taking me to another land or educating and informing me on something new, there is just something about reading. This book I’ve most recently read has influenced my daily outlook and includes one simple prayer, which has improved the quality of my life.

IMG_0186The book is The Only Little Prayer You Need by Debra Landwehr Engle.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! It empowers you to take charge of the way you think; you have the power and the capacity to improve your attitude about life.

You deserve this. You deserve to live a life in peace and love. Even with this idealistic theme, this book is realistic; it acknowledges bad things happen, but through the prayer it helps the way you respond to the situation. It’s about having faith in a higher power and knowing you’re not alone.

As I was reading the book, I realized it’s a lot like Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture. It’s not a one-time fix. It takes time. You need to be consistent in saying the prayer, as in getting treatments. It addresses the root cause of the issue, which is fear, which TCM also does.