food

       Food choices are important day-to-day adjunct to your treatments with Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM.  Food and drink along with the air we breathe form the basis of our acquired constitution formed by our food choices, eating and lifestyle choices, and have a large impact on our health.   Following the basis of Chinese Medicine, making food choices is about balance and moderation as well as following nature, by improving diet a patient can improve their body's ability to defend against disease and recover function.  
      A basic healthy diet will include a variety of vegetables that closely match what is in season, cooked in a variety of ways, some meat, grass-fed and free range, and wild meats are preferable, as well as wild caught fish, whole grains, and beans.   Consider the quality and health of your food when choosing the food you are going to eat.  Besides quality, variety and balance are key to a healthy diet.
      General guidelines for eating are: eat mostly cooked food in moderate amounts when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty.  From a TCM perspective eating too much quantity of food, and drinking or eating too much cold food or beverages, can impair the quality of your digestion and assimilation of nutrients.  Instead try to eat until you feel satisfied and drink when you feel thirsty, recent research shows that there is no evidence that you must drink eight 8 oz glasses of water a day to be healthy, and from a TCM perspective it is better to listen to your body's own guidance on how much you should eat or drink. 
      A food diary can be a helpful tool to get a better sense of what you are currently eating and allow you to look at if your diet could use some change or added variety. You may also receive specific food related guidance for the specific TCM pattern you are currently working to address, such as foods to consume to help support your body's health, as well as foods to avoid during your recovery.

The first step in diet therapy is to strengthen your Spleen system.  A weak Spleen very commonly leads to a build up of 'Dampness' and/ or Phlegm, easily recognized by any mucus discharge, a heavy feeling in your body or head, any swelling not caused by injury or excessive adipose tissue.