1. Diet

“Those who take medicine and neglect their diet waste the skill of the physician.” - Chinese Proverb

In order to maximize the impact of acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment, you must make sure that you are making good choices when it comes to the foods you eat and your other habits. Chinese medicine doctors refer to diet, exercise, and relaxation as “The Three Free Therapies”. If you are concerned about the expense of your acupuncture and herbal treatment, you can stretch your health care dollar by implementing the strategies below. If you build a good foundation at home, your acupuncturist’s treatment will be more effective over a shorter period of time.

The Chinese view digestion and absorption as a process that takes place in a pot (the Stomach) sitting over a flame (the Spleen yang). The contents of the pot (your meals) have to be warmed to 100 degrees in order for the “clear Qi” to distilled off and transformed into Qi and Blood and the “turbid Qi” sent down to the intestine and eventually excreted. If you are constantly consuming cold foods and drinks, the Spleen has to work very hard to warm the contents of your Stomach to the point that nutrients can be extracted. Eventually, this leads to Spleen Qi and yang deficiency, and then Spleen Qi and yang deficiency eventually leads to dampness. A weak Spleen does not hold the Liver in check and Liver Qi stagnation is the result. Pathology of the Spleen and the Liver are at the root of most American’s health concerns, so proper diet is critical for preventing and/or treating these issues.

To read more about the dietary recommendations that are specific to your particular diagnosis, please click here.

General Diet Guidelines for Everyone

You should enjoy your meals, should feel satisfied after eating, and should look forward to your next meal. Your meals should leave you feeling satisfied for at least 2-3 hours.
Resolve to eat only when you are hungry and only those foods that you find truly delicious and satisfying. Being consistently mindful of this guideline solves long-term weight problems and emotional eating issues for many people.
Meals should be prepared deliberately and thoughtfully, and should be eaten in an environment that is relaxed. You should avoid eating when you are feeling strong emotions or when you are rushed. It is best not to eat while performing other activities such as reading, watching TV, holding an intense conversation, etc. Your focus should be on enjoying your food.
Meals should be balanced in the sense that they should contain a variety of textures, temperatures, and flavors. Try to select ingredients that are fresh and in season.
Chew your food thoroughly. Appropriate mastication of your food ensures that nutrient absorption will take place more readily and makes it less likely that you will experience digestive disturbances. A good rule of thumb is this: if you can recognize the food in your mouth by texture alone, then you haven’t chewed enough.
Choose whole, minimally processed foods as often as possible. Organically grown and minimally processed foods have more Qi and are more nourishing than conventional foods.
Avoid caffeine, especially coffee. Did you ever wonder where the energy burst that you get after consuming caffeine comes from? Because coffee and tea do not contain calories, they do not provide energy themselves. Instead, they stimulate your body to call upon its deep energy reserves (Kidney Qi & Essence) to create a false sense of well-being and alertness. Caffeine depletes a finite supply of energy that your body needs during times of stress, illness, and reproduction. Evidence indicates that women who consume large amounts of caffeine take longer to get pregnant and often suffer from menstrual problems such as premenstrual breast tenderness and painful periods.
Increase your consumption of vegetables and fruits, but try to avoid eating them raw (cold, raw foods deplete the Spleen and the Kidney yang). Dark-colored fruits and vegetables are more nourishing and less cold (e.g. cherries, plums, blueberries, raspberries, apricots, spinach, kale, collard greens).
Avoid hydrogenated fats and choose appropriate fats for direct-heat cooking, baking and salad dressings. Hydrogenated fats (found in margarine; shortening; and most commercially-prepared crackers, cookies, and baked goods) are substances that are entirely foreign to the human body. You should always favor butter over margarine, and should avoid processed foods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats (check the label). The best fats to use for direct-heat cooking (sautéing and stir-frying) are saturated or monounsaturated fats such as butter or olive oil. (Polyunsaturated oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, etc. are subject to damage during high-heat cooking.) Always be careful to avoid burning oil or butter. Use olive oil whenever possible in baked goods (this won’t work for cakes and cookies, though). Always substitute butter for margarine, and use canola oil when the recipe calls for vegetable oil. For salad dressings, use olive oil with a small amount of flax oil added. (Never heat flax oil.)
Ensure an adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Most American diets are woefully deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and are heavy on animal fats (from sources such as beef and eggs) and omega-6 vegetable fats (from sources such as corn, sunflower and safflower oil). This imbalance sets up a metabolic environment that favors the development of conditions such as depression, mood alternation, cognitive deficit, immune compromise, arthritis, asthma, PMS, menstrual cramps, and disruption of the reproductive cycle. It is especially important for women who are trying to conceive to consume adequate omega-3 fats, because they are critical for the development of the baby’s nervous system. Omega-3 fats are found primarily in grass-fed meat and dairy products, cold-water fish, flax seed oil, some vegetables, walnuts and special high-DHA eggs. Increasing your consumption of fish is one way of increasing your omega-3 consumption, but many experts express concern that most fish that is available today is contaminated with various heavy metals and toxic chemicals. A safer way of increasing omega-3 fats is to take a fish oil supplement (be sure that the supplement has been appropriately tested for contaminants) Fish oil supplements may cause unpleasant “fish burps”. To avoid this problem, take your supplement with your largest meal of the day, or last thing before bed at night.
Avoid artificial sweeteners. Aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) are especially bad.
Increase your consumption of dietary fiber to at least 35 grams per day. (This change should be implemented gradually so as to avoid digestive upset.) This is especially important for women who are estrogen dominant. Try substituting brown rice for white rice and whole grains for refined carbohydrates, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, eating a high-fiber cereal for breakfast, and replacing meats with dishes containing beans and lentils a few times per week. Adequate dietary fiber ensures regularity of bowel function, appropriate hormone balance, and efficient operation of your body’s detoxification systems.
Avoid iced drinks and cold foods. Drink a small cup of warm water with meals – this promotes the formation of the 100-degree soup in the Stomach.

2. Exercise

From the perspective of Chinese medicine, exercise has two major benefits – (1) it courses the Qi and Blood and relieves Liver Qi stagnation, and (2) it benefits the Spleen. Because Liver Qi stagnation and Spleen deficiency are involved in almost all American’s health concerns, exercise is a very important component of healing these conditions.

For most people, brisk walking is the best exercise option. Swimming is a good choice, as long as you don’t suffer from significant yang deficiency. Yoga is also very good – especially for those individuals suffering from significant stagnation. Yin deficient individuals should make a point to avoid activities that cause a lot of sweating (e.g. heavy aerobic exercise or Bikram yoga).

Focus on deep abdominal breathing while you exercise – the Lungs provide the motive force for moving Qi all over the body. Deep breathing will circulate Qi, will build Qi, and will resolve stagnation.

3. Relaxation

Daily deep relaxation is also key for optimal health. According to Chinese medicine, Liver Qi stagnation is caused by “unfulfilled desires”. Our desires are unfilled every time we don’t get what we want, every time we suppress an impulse, and every time we don’t say exactly what we think. Young children generally do not suffer adverse consequences of unfilled desires. Think of a two or three year old child — if he is frustrated or angry, he discharges the intensity of his emotion by shouting, screaming, or laying down on the floor and throwing a temper tantrum. In contrast, adults in civilized society are expected to suppress many strong emotions. Many of us become so good at this that we don’t even recognize that we are doing it dozens of times a day. This is the reason that almost all adults suffer from at least some degree of Liver Qi stagnation.

According to Chinese medicine, when our desires are unfulfilled, the Liver Qi becomes stagnant. As stagnated Qi collects in the Liver, it becomes hot like steam compressed in a pressure cooker. All that hot, stagnant Qi has to go somewhere, so when there is just a little more frustration or stress the Liver vents itself in the form of angry outbursts and nasty words, migraine headaches, muscle spasms, an increase in blood pressure, digestive discomfort, or many other symptoms or problems that modern medicine has come to associate with stress.

Under stress, many people hold tension in their neck and shoulder area and start breathing shallowly. In Chinese medicine, the Liver governs the sinews and small muscles (such as those in the neck and shoulders). Holding tension in these tissues further promotes Liver Qi stagnation. Also, when the Lungs are not fully oxygenated with deep breathing, they are less effective in their function of circulating Qi around the body, which further contributes to Liver Qi stagnation. For many Americans, this can become a self-perpetuating cycle of stress leading to tension, leading to more stress, leading to more tension, etc.

In addition to acupuncture, daily deep relaxation is one of the most effective and important treatments for Liver Qi stagnation. (Yin deficiency is another disharmony that benefits from relaxation.) In order to experience the health benefits of deep relaxation, you must consistently set aside time on a daily basis to do it. Guided progressive relaxation tapes and CDs are a good option. Another option is meditation, contemplative prayer, or using prayer beads (such as the rosary or Jesus Prayer beads). Prayer beads can be particularly helpful for relaxation if they are used in synchronization with the breath (for instance, using Jesus Prayer beads, inhale while saying: ”Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God.”. Rest slightly at ”Son of God” before breathing out and saying: ”Have mercy on me, a sinner.”) Click here or here to purchase beautiful, heirloom rosaries or Jesus Prayer beads (also called chotkis). Click here to learn more about the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of the Jesus Prayer. Click here to learn to pray the rosary. Deep relaxation and meditative prayer is a skill that must be learned. With consistent practice, you will gain the ability to relax, even under difficult or stressful circumstances.