The Chinese Approach to Irritable Bowel
Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is becoming
an epidemic in the United
States
IBS is a disorder of the intestines,
resulting in pain, bloating, gassiness, and changes in bowel movements.
The Chinese approach to IBS is based on the
concept of balance and harmony between yin and yang. In Chinese medicine, the
liver not only stores the blood but also regulates the amount of blood in
circulation. Hence, the health of the liver is dependent on the sufficiency of
blood for nourishment.
Chinese medicine is also about qi, which is internal life energy. The
good circulation of qi
contributes to optimum health; on the contrary, the stagnation of qi affects the normal functioning of the
spleen, which plays a pivotal role in the circulation of body fluids, as well
as oxygen and nutrients for nourishment and maintenance of body organs,
especially those of the digestive system. Given that IBS is about
movement and transportation of foods in the digestive system, the
spleen has a critical role in the digestive health with respect to
digestion processes and their related diseases.
In Chinese medicine, pensiveness or
over-thinking affects the general health of the spleen, resulting in loss of
appetite, abdominal bloating after meals, and indigestion in general.
In Chinese medicine, "dampness"
(both internal and external) may damage the spleen and weaken its functions.
For example, foods, such a sugars and dairy products, create “internal
dampness” in the spleen. Flour products, such as bread, noodles and pasta, are
dampening, because wheat (as opposed to rice) is dampening by nature. All oils
and fats are also dampening by nature, and hence spleen-damaging. By the same
token, all milk products are dampening.
Stephen Lau
Copyright © by Stephen Lau
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