Being bloated all the time doesn't really sound like a big deal, but if you're dealing with it you know how much it messes with your day and quality of life. Finding clothes to cover your belly, undoing your pants in the car, avoiding suspect foods, trying the latest diet that's supposed to give you a flat tummy. Not to mention, bloating often comes with extreme discomfort, pain, acid reflux and loud rumbling noises that seem to come at the worst moments.
In Chinese Medicine, we do not attempt to make a sweeping diagnosis for anyone with bloating or stomach discomfort as there are many possible aetiologies and individual circumstances that should be investigated. But if you've seen your doctor, had blood tests, maybe even scans, and they haven't been able to offer anything helpful to address the root of the problem, Chinese Medicine may be a useful path to take.
Understanding the Digestive System in Chinese Medicine
Implementing Chinese Medicine theory into addressing bloating and stomach discomfort is actually very simple once you understand how the digestive system works in this framework.
We see the Spleen and Stomach (capital letters to differentiate Chinese Medicine organ networks from the biomedical organs specifically) as the first place that food and drink enters. This is in the middle of three "burner's" in our body and it is here that food is broken down into a usable form. The Spleen and Stomach break down food by warming it up and cooking it so that it is easy to break down. Then the usable energy is extracted to make "Qi" and Blood, which essentially is the building blocks of our tissues. Anything that is not usable is sent to be eliminated through the intestines. All good right?
Well sometimes the Spleen and Stomach don't work properly due to damage from factors that damage their function, which we will go over shortly. When the middle burner isn't functioning properly then food isn't broken down all the way and isn't eliminated properly, and things start to get stuck, forming something we call "Damp".
When Dampness forms, the middle burner doesn't empty and we can get bloating and pain. When the middle burner is backed up, it forces our Qi upward where it would normally descend, so we can get acid reflux, nausea, belching etc. If we aren't extracting Qi and Blood properly, we can nourish our muscles or produce energy so we get heavy limbs and we feel fatigued. Bowel movements may slow down as things get more stuck, or they may become loose and watery if food and fluids aren't being transformed and separated adequately.
Tips to eat for a happy "middle burner":
So now that you know how the digestive system operates in Chinese Medicine, how can you eat in a way that supports proper transformation and transportation of food and drink? Here are a few great things to incorporate into your routine:
Avoid cold and raw
"Cold" food in Chinese Medicine means anything that is cold temperature such as food straight from the fridge, smoothies, ice cream etc. It also means anything that's raw, even if it's at room temperature. Think of what happens when you go out into very cold weather. You contract. You tuck your arms around your body and huddle yourself in close. When water becomes increasingly cold, it eventually freezes, it slows down. Cooling down the digestive system makes it slow down its function so it's much harder to cook and break down food.
You don't have to totally overhaul your whole diet, but if you're having smoothies from frozen fruit, try to have it at room temperature instead. Have it with a cup of ginger tea. Or maybe swap to a cooked breakfast for a while and see if you notice a difference. If you just love your raw foods, try to have them alongside warm meals.
Eat warm, easily digested meals
In the same line of thinking, if you're avoiding the cold and raw, you want to opt for the cooked and easy to digest meals, especially if your middle burner is really struggling. Warm food in general is better than cold in this case, but the easiest food to digest is actually "pre-digested" a little bit. Slow-cooked soups and stews have already had a chance to warm up and break down so your Spleen and Stomach can have an easier time separating things.
Look up some recipes for rice congee or simply cook rice (or your favourite grain) in an 8:1 ratio of water to grain until it is a soupy consistency.
Add some spices as your own herbal medicine at home
If your digestion is really feeling sluggish and your stools are quite loose and your limbs are feeling heavy and tired, you may want to add some spices to warm up your food and increase the transformation power. Cooking with ginger is one of the best ways to ease belly pain and calm digestive symptoms. You can also dry some citrus peel at home and throw it into your congee or stews. Spices like cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper will also warm things up and cut through some of the dampness.
Craving sweets? Choose some Spleen friendly sweets
In Chinese Medicine, the flavour that pertains to the middle burner is sweet! If you're craving sugar after a meal, it could be your Spleen asking for a little help in digestion. This doesn't mean to go right for the sugar or cake though as those are heavily concentrated amounts of sugar that may actually overdo it. But many foods are considered to be sweet flavoured and also make the Spleen very happy. These are things like cooked sweet potato, rice congee, pumpkin/squash, and warm-cooked fruits like stewed apple.
Eat regularly
One thing that the Spleen finds particularly stressful is irregular eating patterns. If it's overburdened with too much food, rushed eating, or skipped meals, it cannot rely on appropriate nourishment or adequate space and time to do it's job. If you're eating on the run, your body needs to use its energy to power your mind and muscles to do the task at hand, and little is left for digestion. The same goes if you eat standing up or while scrolling on your phone or answering emails. If you can manage, eat meals sitting down, relaxed, and chew your food. Your Spleen will thank you.
Worry injures the Spleen
In Chinese Medicine, all of the organ systems have a psycho-emotional counterpart. The Spleen is particularly influenced by worry and stress. Of course, there may be sources of worry that are very valid in your life, or circumstances that are difficult to change. In those cases, it's even more important to mitigate your worry so your Spleen can do its just and provide you with important nourishment to support you during tough times. If you're able to take anything off your plate, incorporate therapy, or ask loved ones for help, it could have a profound effect on your digestive symptoms.
And of course, try some Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Changing your eating habits is actually one of the first things your Chinese Medicine practitioner will help you with if you're having digestive complaints, but sometimes your body needs a bit of extra assistance to get things feeling better faster. Acupuncture can help redirect the way qi is flowing, bring down nausea and acid reflux, promote peristalsis and healthy bowel movements, and generally regulate Qi in the middle burner to ease bloating and pain. Herbs can also do all of these things as well as warming the middle if it's cold, and transforming dampness and undigested matter. Your practitioner can pick the appropriate formula for you and change it along the way if necessary.
Digestive symptoms are one of the most common issues that we see with patients in the clinic, so if you're struggling and want some extra help, book in with an Acupuncturist in your area. If you're looking for Acupuncture in Melbourne and you're close to Fairfield, Fitzroy, North Fitzroy, Thornbury, Ivanhoe or surrounding suburbs, I am happy to have a consult with you. Just get in touch :)
Comments