10 Ways Chinese Medicine Changed My Life
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
I feel very fortunate that I discovered Chinese medicine early in my life. Well, early-ish. I was 15 and had been suffering with terrible cramps for a couple of years and was unable to find anything that could help me other than drugs or the prospect of surgery that might have left me unable to have children. Going to that first appointment was a profound experience and, although I didn't realize it at the time, started me on a journey that would last me the rest of my life. Chinese medicine has improved my life in so many ways, it was like poking a hole in my consciousness that has been stretched out and gotten ever bigger the deeper into the medicine that I get. And that's just it, it is not just a medicine, but a way of life, and my goal with Chinese Medicine Living is to share that ancient wisdom with you, so you can learn to live it too. Below are some of the ways that Chinese medicine has changed my life.
1. Looking at Things Holistically
One of the most wonderful things about Chinese medicine is the way it looks at things holistically. In Western medicine there is a trend towards specializations, breaking the body into smaller and smaller parts, but the very core of Chinese medicine is to see not only the body as a whole and complete unit, but all aspects of a human being as pertinent to health and wellbeing. Our culture is very aligned with this Western view, so one thing I am very grateful to Chinese medicine for, is this new (or old, it is very very old) perspective. I find that it has bled into the rest of my life, and I am always trying to look at the big picture, step back and look at any situation in a complete way, rather than focussing on specific details which has been of great benefit to me in all aspects of my life.
2. Creating Empathy
One of the biggest things that I have learned since I started practicing, and something that I wasn't expecting, is that I have a new appreciation of how much pain and suffering people go through on a daily basis. Because of the in depth process of the initial consultation that I have with patients, I learn about all the things that are going on in their lives. I have been really humbled to learn the kinds of difficult things that so many people are dealing with every day. A lot of these things never get discussed, and they can and often do lead to illnesses. I noticed that this new awareness allowed me to have a new kind of empathy when I was taking a crowded subway to work and someone slammed the door in my face, or didn't smile or say thank you when someone opened a door for them. I realized that we have no idea the kinds of difficult things people are dealing with in their lives, and I try to remember this when someone is rude or unpleasant out in the world, which helps me treat them with more kindness and compassion.
3. Helping Me to Heal Myself
I think it is pretty common that people get into a profession like the healing arts and go through the sometimes difficult process of having to heal themselves. This was definitely the case for me, but was also part of what fascinated me about Chinese medicine. In school you begin to learn how multi-dimensional it really is, and that you could literally practice and study it for the rest of your life and never know it all. For me, this is the appeal. I love that it is something that I can practice and be constantly learning forever.
We all acquire wounds through experiences we have in our lives. It is impossible to avoid, and those wounds are often difficult to recognize and even more difficult to resolve. Learning Chinese medicine with its many tools helped me to heal a lot of my own broken places and gave me ability to apply what I was learning practically to my life - a skill which I could later bring to my patients. The ability of Chinese medicine to heal on a variety of different levels is to me, part of the reason why it has consistently been able, for thousands of years, to heal such a wide range of conditions with such effectiveness.
4. Realizing Sensitivity is a Gift
I have written about this one in detail previously in the post called - How my curse became my gift, but this was a big one for me. I was an extremely sensitive child, and, until I discovered Chinese medicine I was taught that that sensitivity was a weakness and something I should work hard to overcome. When I was in school studying Chinese medicine and acupuncture I slowly began to realize that this sensitivity I had, this "curse" was actually helping me connect, diagnose and treat patients. I could feel what was wrong with someone without them saying a word, and could read subtle cues and create connections that others missed. The realization that something I had been taught was a weakness and an undesirable trait was allowing me to be a better healer and help more people to feel better was an incredibly healing experience (see number 3 above), and helped to heal a wound that I had had ever since I could remember. It also made space for self acceptance and some self love which I am sure we could all use a little more of.
5. Reverence for Tradition & the Past
One of the things that I think we have lost as a culture, is our respect for the ancient wisdom of times past. Chinese medicine is a system that has been around for almost 5000 years. There is an enormous amount of information that has been gathered, documented and applied in those thousands of years. Much of that information is still in use today and is still being used to treat modern diseases with impressive efficacy. In the present, we tend to revere technology and all the ways that it can help make our lives easier. In many ways technology does make life easier, but at what cost? We are living with more people and closer together than at any time in history, and yet, despite our technology, we are so alone. Many people think that the old ways are simple, out of date and not useful but I think that the pendulum has swung so far the other way that our reliance on technology is hurting us in some ways. I believe that there is a need to get back to that "simpler" way of life. Where family, your tribe, and nature were the most important things in your life, and it was about the "we" instead of the "I". Chinese medicine teaches many of these principles as they are ways that a person and a community can stay healthy and balanced which is good for the people and the planet.
6. Looking to Nature for Healing
One of the things I love about Chinese medicine (and yes, there are so many things I love about Chinese medicine), is that it was developed out of a complete reverence and respect for nature. Nature is integral to the medicine because human beings are designed to live in harmony with it. In my opinion, it has been the disconnect between people and their natural environment that has lead to the drastic rise in the incidents of disease in our population. Chinese medicine also teaches that the earth with all her wisdom and gifts such as plants and animals offers the remedies to all of the ailments that afflict human beings. Eating our medicine, living in harmony with our environment and with the seasons and using herbs are only a few of the ways in which Chinese medicine relies on nature to help to heal us. In a culture that has tried to dominate and control nature, the ancient Chinese understood that it is only when we live in harmony with nature that we can thrive and live our lives to their fullest potential.
7. Using Food as Medicine
Using food as medicine is one of the fundamental principles of Chinese medicine. And, in a perfect world, we would be able to get everything we need for optimum health and longevity from the foods we eat. Thousands of years ago, there was no need for synthetic medications, people ate their medicine. There was also a common knowledge of what the healing properties of the foods that grew locally were so that they could be chosen according to any presenting illness. This is built into Chinese medicine and is one of the ways that a practitioner helps to advise their patient. Nutritional therapy is part of most treatment plans, as food is something we all need every day, and everything we eat has healing properties that can help both prevent and fight disease.
The foods we eat have enormous healing energies and eating for me has always been one of my favourite things, but it now helps me to stay healthy so I don't get sick. I see food in a completely different way, not just a feast for my taste buds, but a delicious type of healing that I do for myself every time I put something in my mouth. Also, it is not just the food itself that is healing, it is also the way it is prepared, the more love and good intention you put into it, the more healing (and more delicious) it is for whomever is eating it. :)
8. Improving My People Skills
This was an unexpected benefit of practicing Chinese medicine. I remember the day that, while I was still in school, it was announced that we would begin student clinic where we had to do all the hours necessary to graduate. This immediately set of a chain reaction that started with the realization that I would have to start putting what I was learning into practice, but more importantly, I would have to be talking to PEOPLE. I was terrified. I have always been a shy person and struggled with my ability to speak with people, especially ones I didn't know. And now, speaking with people I didn't know was going to be my profession. Wow. It was going to be quite an education. Those first few months of student clinic were tough, but as I did it more and more I found that my ability to connect with people beyond words was the way I was able to retrieve the most important and useful information about their condition, and observing the way they spoke, moved and looked was just as important as the words coming out of their mouths. I began to create a balance and a way to take in information about a person while we were speaking in their treatment. This was a huge learning curve for me, and once I got over the shyness, I came to really enjoy working with people which definitely helped me outside of my practice and made it easier to connect and speak to people outside of work. I am now able to speak quite comfortably with people I don't know because of the skills I developed practicing Chinese medicine.
9. Prevention is the Best Medicine
In the West, and I have seen this over and over again in my practice, people tend to wait until they get sick before they seek out help to try to get well. In some cases, people wait until things are catastrophic to get medical help, at which point it is always more difficult to fix the problem. Chinese medicine, at its foundation is a medicine of prevention. This is not to say that it is not capable of treating illness and disease because it most certainly is. But, the way that it has been designed is as a preventative medicine. It is a way of life that is conducive to health with the objective of never getting sick. I have tried my best to institute it's principles into my life so that I do many small things every day to keep myself healthy rather than not paying attention to my health and waiting until I get sick to attempt to get better. My medicine is my way of life. It is the way I conduct myself in the world, the way I treat others, the food I eat, the emotions I process, my state of mind and my attitude - all of which have a bearing on my overall health and wellbeing. And I learned this from Chinese medicine.
10. Loving My Work
One of the ways that I think I am very lucky is that I love what I do. Deeply. I know that many people get up every day and go to a job that they do not love. I get to go to work and do what I love, which feeds me physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is an incredibly rewarding profession and something I love more and more every day. I feel honoured that I get to spend my days in service to my fellow human beings, and that I can in some small way help them to feel better, one person at a time.
10 Ways Chinese Medicine Changed My Life : Chinese Medicine Living
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How to Get Healthy in 2016 with Chinese Medicine
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
Eat Your Medicine
There is a huge emphasis in Chinese medicine that the food we eat is our best medicine. Food, after all, is the medicine we take into our bodies many times a day. This philosophy makes sense, especially when you are talking about Chinese medicine, which is a medicine of prevention. Why not eat to stay healthy so that you never get sick? So how, you might ask, can I eat in the healthiest way according to Chinese medicine? Well, eating with the seasons is one of the fundamentals. This used to be the way that not only the Chinese ate, but the way all of our ancestors ate as well. What was eaten was what was grown in that particular season - which is what our bodies, and especially our digestive systems were designed for. Part of the reason that we have so many digestive problems in our present culture is because we are able to eat foods that grow in all seasons (because of the miracle of mass transportation and refrigeration): strawberries in winter, root vegetables in summer, etc... Although it is wonderful to have this kind of variety all year around, it is not what our digestive systems were designed for, and they are still catching up as far as evolution is concerned. In Chinese medicine there are also many foods and recipes that are used when we come down with something like a cold or flu. Congee is a good example - and there are a few excellent recipes here - Winter Congee for Colds & Flu, Chicken & Corn Congee, Ginseng Congee for Health & Longevity. Part of the job of the Chinese medicine practitioner is not only to administer acupuncture and herbs, but also to consult their patient about nutritional therapy to help the body to rebalance and heal, because, food is some of the most powerful medicine. :)
Reconnect With Nature
This image from sheknows.com
There is nothing more healing that walking on the beach by the ocean, or strolling through an old growth forest. And nothing reconnects you better than lying in the grass, or taking your shoes off and walking directly on the earth. As a species, we are presently more connected to each other than at any other time in our history, which is amazing and makes out lives better in many ways. Access to information, sharing of knowledge and being connected to people who are far away has never been easier. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost our connection to nature. Children, instead of playing outside as they once did, often sit inside, in front of the TV instead of exploring the natural world, running and playing outdoors. As we grow into adults we spend years in schools sitting at desks, until we venture out into the working world where we sit indoors for many hours a day until we can go home to rest. Our bodies were designed to MOVE, and our lives used to be completely connected to the outdoors, where we were in constant contact with the incredible healing energy of nature. So make some time to go outside every day. Smell a flower. Hug a tree. Walk barefoot in some grass or gaze at the sky. Your body (as well as your mind) will love you for it.
Live With the Seasons
Chinese medicine tells us that to be in harmony with our bodies and in good health, we must also be in harmony with nature. This means living with the seasons. Every season has its own unique energy - winter contracts, spring is expansive, summer radiates and fall begins to withdraw. Each of the seasons has its own unique energy, and Chinese medicine teaches us the ways in which we can aspire to live in harmony with those energies. For example, in winter we go to bed earlier and sleep later, we pay close attention to the kidneys (the organ associated with winter) and eat foods that grow slowly and deep in the ground - like root vegetables - that are warming in nature. We look inward and nourish our inner selves in this season. Our lifestyles should reflect the season we are in, and Chinese medicine gives us many ways in which to do this. You can learn how in the following posts...
Winter
• Living According to the Winter Season with Chinese Medicine
Spring
• Loving Your Liver with Chinese Medicine
• Loving Your Liver with Nutrition
• The Liver & Anger
Summer
• Living With the Seasons - Summer
• Summer Foods & Preparation According to Chinese Medicine
Autumn / Fall
• Living With the Seasons - Autumn / Fall
Be Grateful
This pretty image from fastcompany.com
This is one that I have learned from experience both in my own life and from many years of treating patients. For me, I have noticed that when I am having a difficult time, down in the dumps and struggling, one of the best things that I can do to pull myself out of it is to take time on a regular basis to go through a mental list of all the things that I am grateful for. When it comes to my patients, I noticed after a few years that the patients that I had with the most problems, chronic imbalances, pain and recurring illnesses were generally the ones who were the most unhappy, the most negative and the least optimistic. I am a firm believer that we attract what we think about, and I have experienced the benefits of a positive attitude, especially when things in our lives are difficult. I know that I have worked this into my morning routine, taking time every day when I get up to go through all the things that I am grateful for. This is a really good way to remind yourself of what is awesome in your life and by doing this, you are more likely to attract positive things, people and experiences into your life as well.
Meditate
We are now starting to understand scientifically the benefits of meditation on the mind and body, but many cultures around the world have been aware of the enormous benefits of meditation for thousands of years. Places like India and much of Asia have a long history of meditation. A lot of people are intimidated at the thought of meditating, especially if they are doing it for the first time. Of course, there are many techniques when it comes to meditation, but I believe that even a few minutes a day of sitting quietly, allowing your mind to just "relax" is of huge benefit on many levels. If you want to get really hard core, there are many, many meditation techniques out there, you just need to find the one that feels right to you. I have done a couple of Vipassana meditation retreats which were amazing experiences (you can read about them here - My Ten Day Vipassana Meditation & Vipassana 2.0). Meditation helps us to decompress in a world that leaves us overstimulated and exhausted, without enough time to relax. Its benefits include alleviating stress, improving sleep and boosting the immune system. I know most people cannot dedicate an hour or more to meditation every day, but even just ten to twenty minutes will make a huge difference, just try it out and see.
Get Enough Sleep
This image from psychologies.co.uk
When we sleep our body gets a chance to heal and repair. Problems with sleep, either problems falling or staying asleep, are common. As a culture, we tend to not get enough sleep and the quality of our sleep is compromised, which means more stress on our immune systems which can lead to illnesses. There is no magic number when it comes to optimum number of hours a person should sleep at night, but that feeling of exhaustion should not be present when we wake up (and it so often is). Think of sleep like you think about the food you eat, that it is medicine for the body. Another good thing to remember is that melatonin - the hormone produced by the pineal gland that regulates sleep - is released according to cycles of light and darkness. We were designed to be awake when it is light and to sleep when it is dark. This has largely changed with the invention of electric lights, so a good way to improve sleep is to keep your bedroom as dark as possible with as few electronic devices as possible in the room, especially close to your head. Being in complete darkness will ensure a better, deeper sleep which will allow your body the rest it needs as well as to repair and heal which will ensure that you stay healthy.
Breathe Deep
It seems simple, but the breath is a big part of health. Taking long, deep breaths increases the amount of oxygen that the body, all of its tissues and especially the brain, is getting. There is a theory out there that this is the function of yawning- to increase the amount of oxygen that is taken into the body. Because we spend so much time sitting, we tend to breathe more shallowly, getting less oxygen and making things like thinking, concentrating and remembering more difficult. Taking some time every day to sit up straight, or even better stand and walk around and breathe deep into your belly (like children do naturally) will help you stay awake and think more clearly. This is extra awesome because it is so easy, so breathe deep!
Express Yourself
This lovely image from penmastersonline.wordpress.com
As you may know, Chinese medicine is a holistic medicine, meaning it is not just about the physical body, but about all aspects of a person. This includes the emotions, and Chinese medicine places special importance on the emotions and expressing them freely. Keeping things in, suppressing your feelings or expressing them in an inappropriate way can lead to imbalances in the body and its organ systems and lead to illness. Yes, that's right. Not expressing how you feel can make you sick, and I see this all the time. I am not telling you the next time someone cuts you off in traffic that you should follow them, wait until they get out of the car and scream at them, I mean to be aware of your feelings, and that they are appropriate to what is happening, and if not, think through where they might be coming from. If you are feeling particularly irritated by that person who cut you off, try to sort out where that frustration might be coming from (it is probably the liver). This is particularly important in our personal relationships. Holding on to things like anger, guilt, shame and other negative emotions can be detrimental to health. Journal, go for a walk to clear your head or sit and talk to a friend, or better yet, speak to the person who may have made you upset in the first place. If you get your feelings off your chest (in a kind, respectful way) you will be amazed at how much better you feel, and you will be keeping all the energy or qi flowing smoothly, which is the key to health and happiness.
Moderation
Moderation is both a concept important in Chinese medicine and I believe, in any happy, balanced person's life. In my practice I try not to tell my patients not to do this and not to do that, instead I try to communicate the importance of moderation. When I am asking about a person's diet, they inevitably will give me a sheepish look and tell me about the 2 pieces of chocolate cake they ate the night before, or the quart of ice cream or glasses of red wine they had at a party expecting looks of disapproval from me. Not at all. I try to express the importance of enjoying your life for one - if you are really desiring that piece of cake, or that glass of wine and it will give you extreme pleasure to give it to yourself, then by all means DO IT. The worst thing you can do is to have it and then feel horrible about it. That is negating any positive benefits that thing has given you. So if you do it, OWN IT. Enjoy that piece of cake or glass of wine. Allow yourself to have it if it makes you happy. Just don't do it every day perhaps, keep it balanced. Make sure that you are doing things, the good and the not so good, with moderation. Everyone needs chocolate cake sometimes. ;)
Laugh
This image from livescience.com
Joy is the emotion of the heart in Chinese medicine. Makes sense, right? When we feel joy, happiness, laugh, all of these emotions we tend to feel in the heart. The heart is the benevolent ruler of all the other organs, and to feed it, we need an ample amount of joy in our lives. You can think of this also as medicine; something you must seek out to keep yourself healthy. Think about how you feel when you laugh. You feel amazing. When you hear a story about something good happening to someone, you feel happy. Notice how your body feels the next time you are feeling joy. It feels delicious. Conversely, the heart is injured if there is not enough joy in our lives, and there is certainly plenty of that. What is it like to be around someone who is deeply unhappy? Someone unable to feel joy? Their energy is dark and it is difficult to be around. Sometimes it is easy to get bogged down by all the stresses in our lives, and there are a lot of them, so this is a reminder to go out and find some joy. Seek it out. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Smile. It's good for you.
Get an Acupuncture Treatment
Acupuncture is one of the best ways I know to stay healthy and to heal if you are sick. Obviously I have a bit of a bias, but I also have a lot of experience both having acupuncture, and seeing its beneficial effects in my patients. Because Chinese medicine was designed as a preventative medicine, having regular "tune ups" with acupuncture is a great way to keep your immune system strong so that you never get sick. In our culture, we tend to wait until things become catastrophic (like getting a disease) before we seek out medical advice, but in many cultures, like Chinese culture, they understand that prevention is the best medicine. Acupuncture is a powerful tool to help rebalance the body, boost the immune system and keep you strong so that you never get sick. It is the thing I have used since I was a teenager, and the gift that I try to bring to my patients every day when I go to work. I am deeply in love with it, because I know it works.
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Featured image from huffingtonpost.com
How to Get Healthy in 2016 with Chinese Medicine : Chinese Medicine Living
Living According to the Winter Season with Chinese Medicine
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
The ancient Chinese created a system of medicine that has evolved over thousands of years and is still used today to effectively treat modern diseases. Chinese medicine is only a part of a greater concept the ancient Chinese used to live their everyday lives. It is a branch that springs from a larger tree that encompasses all aspects of life. This is why the doctor of Chinese medicine does not only deal with the body or physical aspects of one's health, they are teachers educating patients on how to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle, because this is how we attain health, and the Chinese knew it. It is deeply entrenched in their medicine.
Chinese medicine teaches to live in harmony with the seasons, and according to Chinese medicine theory, there are five seasons - winter, spring, summer, late summer, and fall. Each season has many associations which help us to change our habits as the season's change so that we may create more balance between our bodies and the external environment.
When Chinese medicine was being developed thousands of years ago, people were living in a state of complete harmony with nature. They rose with the sun, ate what grew in each season and were acutely aware of their natural environment as it had a direct effect on every aspect of their lives. The lives of the people had a flow that changed depending on the time of year. Things like what foods were eaten were dependent on what happened to be growing at that particular time and what was available. When to get up, how to dress and what kinds of activities we're engaged in were dependent on the important connection that people had to their environment. Because these simple steps were taken people were able to stay healthy throughout the year and had the tools to keep their immune systems and their organs strong so that they could ward off disease.
This fancy chart was made by Chinese Medicine Living
Winter in Chinese Medicine
Winter represents the most Yin aspect in Chinese medicine. Yin is the dark, cold, slow, inward energy. This is compared to the Yang of summer whose energy represents light, hot, quick, expansive qualities. The summer weather is warm, the days are longer and people are out being active. In Chinese medicine, we believe that the diet and activities in winter should be adapted to enriching yin and subduing yang.
Winter, in Chinese medicine, is associated with the Kidneys which hold our body's most basic and fundamental energy. It is believed that by harmonizing oneself with the seasons you can stay healthier and prevent disease, so winter is a good time to strengthen the kidneys. Rest is important for revitalizing the kidneys, which is why some animals hibernate in winter. It is also a good time to look inward, reflecting on ourselves with meditation, writing, or other inward practices such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong. These practices help us to connect to our inner selves and help to support kidney energy. They are very helpful to relax the mind, calm our emotions and raise the spirit.
The sense organ associated with the kidneys is the ears, and our ability to hear clearly is related to kidney health. The quiet and stillness of winter allow us to hear more of the world than the buzzing activities of summer. This forces us to slow down, rest and relax.
The body part associated with the kidneys are the bones, so it is important to pay close attention to the bones in the winter months making sure to tonify and heal any problems in this area. This is also why winter is a time when Chinese medicine prescribes bone broths as nutritional therapy, as they are warming, nourishing and especially good for the bones. Bone broths are also powerful Jing tonics, as Jing is produced by the bones. Jing is depleted by activities such as extreme and prolonged stress, lack of sufficient sleep, working long hours, and excessive behaviours like too much drinking and drugs. Winter is the best time to supplement the body's Jing supply and bone broths are just what the doctor ordered.
Activities in Winter
Activities should represent the season with a turn inwards, with more self-reflection, quiet time writing, meditating, reading and other soul-nourishing activities. Winter is a time to slow down and feed ourselves both physically and spiritually. Internal martial arts and meditative practices are particularly helpful at this time of year. One should go to bed earlier and sleep later to receive the full healing effects that sleep has to offer.
Many people love winter. They feel energized with the coming cold and love to be out snowboarding, skiing and going for walks in the snow. For others, winter causes them to retract, stay inside and can cause some to feel sad or even depressed because of the lack of light and reduced physical activity. The good news is that winter can be enjoyed by everyone if we live, eat and exercise according to the season and pay attention to our bodies preferences.
Winter Foods
There are many foods that are beneficial for us to eat during the winter season. These foods are the ones that naturally grow in this season - squashes, potatoes, root vegetables, winter greens, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, apples, and pears. In winter, our bodies need warming foods like soups made with hearty vegetables, and rich stocks cooked with animal bones are best. Foods that specifically nourish and warm the kidneys are:
- black beans
- kidney beans
- broths cooked with bones
- lamb
- chicken
- walnuts
- chestnuts
- black sesame seeds
- dark leafy greens
A small amount of unrefined sea salt is also helpful as the taste associated with the kidneys organ is salty, but remember, moderation in all things is important. For more on the subject, you can read this - Black Foods for Kidney Health.
Cooking should be for longer periods using low heat and less water. This infuses foods with heat that helps to keep the body warm in the cold winter months. Hearty soups, whole grains, and roasted nuts are good on cold days and offer nourishment to feed the body and tonify the kidneys in cold winter months.
The principle of harmony between what we eat and the season is based on hundreds of years of practical experience. Chinese nutritional therapy is an important component of Chinese medicine and truly believes that you are what you eat. The food that we consume has a profound effect on the body, affecting our health and wellbeing. Foods become part of the body after being consumed (internal) and the weather and environment have an effect on us externally. Chinese dietary philosophy suggests that you embrace native foods along with eating locally grown, organic and chemical-free foods that grow in season. According to TCM the thing about the modern diet which is the most unhealthy is that we are able to eat foods all year round that may be grown unnaturally with the use of pesticides rather than ones grown naturally for only part of the year. This is the way nature intended us to eat. Eating natural foods that grow in the present season is what our bodies are designed for and prefer. This is one of the main ways that Chinese Medicine guides us on how to remain healthy all year long.
This lovely image from TCM007
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Pregnancy - The Ultimate Exercise in Letting Go
By Emma Suttie D.Ac, AP
Pregnancy, until recently, had been a bit of an abstract concept for me. I have always thought of it as a wonderful, magical and beautiful experience, and one that is probably one of the most important and profound in any woman's life, I just hadn't ever done it before. So far, it has been an amazing education, and it is only going to get more intense in the next couple of months, especially when I get to the birth part. I have always found that going through things is the best way that I can learn and bring those experiences to my patients. And what I have learned so far, is that pregnancy is the ultimate exercise in letting go.
In my experience, how you are pregnant (and give birth) has a lot to do with how you live your life. It has been interesting to see all of the pregnant ladies coming and going from the birth centre over the past many months. Most seem relaxed, and that meshes well with the general atmosphere of the birth centre, as it is quiet and very comfortable, looking more like a little house - with comfy couches with lots of pillows - than a medical facility with bright lights and people rushing around in scrubs.
My experience with people outside of the birth centre environment has been a little bit different. There are always a lot of questions and anxiety surrounding pregnancy and birth. Inside my circle of friends, there is support and calm about the whole situation. We are all on the same page when it comes to this subject. Many of us are healers. Hippies. Trust in the universe, nature and our bodies. There is no anxiety, only love and support. But from the outside, the reaction is noticeably different. For one, pregnancy seems to be the ultimate conversation starter. Complete strangers will come up to you and ask about how far along you are, if it is your first baby and if it is a boy or a girl. It is sweet to see how seeing a pregnant girl really brings out feelings of joy in complete strangers. People in the grocery store see your belly and smile. Random strangers will come up to you and congratulate you, or tell you that you look beautiful and radiant which has been really lovely. Everyone seems to be really excited and happy about impending babies. And they are pretty cute, so who can blame them?
From what I can tell from past patients and many mothers that I have spoken to, is that I have been really lucky with my pregnancy so far. I have not had any morning sickness or any problems whatsoever. There were periods of intense eating (which was alarming to anyone around me who had the pleasure of witnessing me eating for eight or nine people), and a few weeks, after a large growth spurt, some intense sciatic pain accompanied with pain in my back. But thankfully the pain resolved itself and the insane eating has slowed down a little and now it seems I am only eating for five or six. It is still impressive to watch and my mother almost cries with joy to see me eat that much as I have always been thin, *too* thin as far as she is concerned.
Pregnancy and Letting Go
One of the most profound things I have experienced being pregnant is the overwhelming feeling of having to let go. Perhaps this is difficult to explain, but I will try. The first thing that went, although I did have to willingly let it go, was all sense of dignity. Granted, after med school and learning about all the things that can happen to human bodies, your sense of dignity is significantly altered. But going through something like pregnancy takes it to a whole new level. First of all, your body is doing things that you never thought were possible. There are the things that you learn about pregnancy in your textbooks, and then there are the "other" things that happen when you are pregnant that are new and surprising. Not everyone experiences all of these things of course, and there is a wide array, but without getting into details let me just say that this has been humbling.
This image from www.thespiritscience.net
We have a lot of body issues in our culture. Women are taught to not only be wildly successful in their careers and at home, but they are taught that being beautiful, fit and thin are virtues as well. It is a lot of pressure, and I know from the ladies I see in my practice, that it takes a toll. Many women come with feelings of inadequacy, who are constantly fighting their bodies and who give way more to the people in their lives than they give to themselves. And it still amazes me how these women - beautiful, successful women with amazing talents, who have incredible children and great relationships can still feel that they are not enough and should be doing better. We could all, in my opinion, use a little more self-love.
When you are pregnant everyone wants to give you advice, and the number of books and blogs out there about pregnancy are overwhelming. I actually found some articles about how to lose weight when you are pregnant. Yes. Why in gods name would you want to lose weight while you were pregnant? The answer is that you wouldn’t. And there are lots and lots and LOTS of articles about how to lose weight after pregnancy, how to tighten up belly skin (and other things), get rid of stretch marks and so forth. I see a lot of information about how to get your post-baby body back and I know it is a concern for a lot of ladies. The thing is, that when you have a baby growing inside you, you are supposed to gain weight. Granted, you should be eating well and getting everything you need to help your baby grow and develop but that is going to cause your body to change. And that is ok. It is marvelous actually. You are making a human being, and that is awesome.
I know that this whole process, the process of pregnancy and birth, is a lot easier if you can relax and let go. Easy to say I know but for some, so much harder to do. One of the reasons that I chose to have a baby not with a doctor or OBGYN and instead with a midwife, is that midwives respect this process. Their job is not to intervene, but to support you and your body because they believe (and I also believe) that your body at least, knows EXACTLY what it is doing. It was designed to do it. If you can really accept that this is true, then pregnancy and birth will be a lot easier for you.
There are a lot of things that women fear about childbirth, which is understandable. For instance, pain is one of the biggest. It is completely normal that when you actually think through what is going to happen, that you would have some feelings of anxiety about it. Of course. But there are many ways in which we can cope with that pain. Women, especially, are very good at this. Many meditative practices are excellent for pain management. Deep breathing. Internal martial arts. And being in control of your state of mind are some. Fear, as an emotion, contracts. It tightens and makes things small. And many women go through pregnancy and labour with these feelings which actually intensifies pain. The hospital environment also, with all the chaos, bright lights and doctors taking control away from the mother, all feed this fear and can intensify pain. Creating a relaxed and calm atmosphere can decrease feelings of discomfort and pain enormously. Because everyone has a different idea of what a comfortable environment is, it is good to think about it so that you can consciously create it for yourself. Not just with things like pregnancy and childbirth, but with any situation that you know scares you or makes you uncomfortable. Do things for yourself that calm and soothe you and help yourself get through the experience with positivity, expansiveness and joy instead of fear and trepidation.
Another thing that I have noticed that I have really had to let go of, is my ideas about how I want this whole thing to go. Not only my pregnancy but giving birth as well. I am a strong willed and extremely stubborn person, so this whole letting go thing has not come easy. I have been working on it my whole life. A lot of it came from the discipline of many years of martial arts (bless them). A lot of it has come from some serious work on myself, self-reflection, writing and working through demons, and some more has come from my meditation practice which has helped me more than I can express to get through difficult times and put things in perspective. These things have helped in every aspect of my life, and I know are helping me now with my pregnancy and will help with the birth process.
When thinking about it I realized that I had some fears when it came to the birth. I had to be honest with myself and realize that what scared me was what I didn’t want, which was to have a baby at the hospital. I didn’t want to deal with doctors who might try to force me to have drugs or a cesarean which might inevitably lead to me putting said doctor into a headlock or worse and us both ending up on the evening news. So I had to face this fear and really come to terms with the fact that if for whatever reason I do have to go to the hospital to have a baby, I will have to accept it and not fight. I will have to let go and accept it or the entire process will be unpleasant for me, and for my baby.
In conclusion, I have tried to keep my ideas about pregnancy and birth pretty loose as far as how I would like everything to go. I keep my desires about things general like - I would like to have a healthy baby, rather than I must have a water birth with a midwife with no drugs on or after my due date. Of course, I have an idea of how I would like things to go, but I am not married to it and if it changes I have worked through my feelings so that I will not be devastated or disappointed. A lot of this is the excellent keeping things in perspective skills I have acquired over the years. So, what is amazing about this experience. I have had an amazing, practically symptom-free, healthy pregnancy. At the ultra sound (which was a mind blowing experience, wow!!) I learned and saw that I had a fully formed beautiful baby who has all fingers, toes, organs and is super healthy. I am having this baby with a person that I love madly and who is an amazing partner and will be an incredible father. Every one of those things is a blessing and I am grateful for every single one of them, and I make sure to be thankful for them every day. I am grateful and I want to make sure my baby can feel that too. In the end, the most important thing is that whatever happens, a healthy baby is the result. How he or she decides to come into the world is largely up to him or her. I for my part, will do my best to be calm and relaxed and make the journey as easy and lovely as possible. And I am thankful for all these lessons in letting go and look forward to applying them to the rest of my life - and I am sure that they will be useful when raising a tiny human too. :)
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Pregnancy - The Ultimate Exercise in Letting Go : Chinese Medicine Living
Birth Without Fear
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
I would like to preface this by saying that I believe that everyone has the right to choose how they live their lives and how they choose to give birth. If there is anything that travel has taught me, is that I am very lucky to live in a place where we are able to have choices over a great many things. What I wish to present here is how I have chosen to travel this path, and to give information. I have seen through many years of clinical practice that many people are unaware of how medicalized the process of pregnancy and especially birth has become in this country. I only wish to educate so that people may make the most informed choices possible and fully understand all possible outcomes for the choices they are making.
This beautiful image from http://www.hartshornportraiture.com/
It was years ago when a pregnant patient told me about a documentary that she had watched called The Business of Being Born. The doc discusses the history of prenatal and natal care and the increase in the use of doctors and hospitals as well as medical procedures during the birth process in the last century. It is also a film about midwives and the important role they play in pregnancy and birth. Here are some statistics taken from the film (which was released in 2008):
- Midwives attend more than 70% of births in Europe and Japan
- Midwives attend less than 8% of births in the US
- The US has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world
- The US has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among industrialized countries
- In 1900 95% of births took place at home
- In 1938 half of all births took place at home
- Since 1996 the cesarean rate in the US has risen 46%
- In 2005 cesarean sections were performed for one out of every three births
- A cesarean section is now an elective procedure
- The US spends two times as much per birth than any other country in the world
This lovely image from blog.vonbon.ca
Natural Pregnancy and Childbirth
I am presently pregnant with my first child. Ironic as I have treated many pregnant women in the past with the book knowledge but without the direct experience. I watched the film again and it was with a fresh, and perhaps more invested perspective.
I should say that for me, I always knew that when I had babies that I would have them with a midwife, preferably at home and in water. This has always been normal to me. Perhaps it is because my mother also had me with a midwife, in England, where apparently, that sort of thing is considered more "normal". Once I was born I remained in the same room as my mother, and my father was allowed to also stay in the room, and bring my mother any foods or drinks she liked. Anything to make her more comfortable. I have been pretty surprised by some of the reactions that I have gotten from people when I tell them I will not be having my baby in a hospital, but in a tub, at home, with a midwife. The eyes get very large and there is a pause, as if they are waiting for me to say that I am just kidding. This reaction surprises me, but after watching that film, I realize that it shouldn't. Among me and my close friends, this way of having a baby reflects the way in which we choose to live our lives. Naturally. Gently. Kindly. And with the reverence and respect for our bodies and that they know exactly what to do without intervention. Anyone outside that small circle seems to be a bit horrified and sometimes angry at the idea, saying that it is irresponsible and dangerous if anything were to go wrong. So let me tell you a few things about how having a baby with a midwife works, because many people simply don't know, and knowledge is the best antidote to fear.
One thing that really surprised me was that people in the US on the whole seemed to not know very much about midwifery in general. One person, when asked, likened it to having a baby in a barn which made me laugh out loud. And then I realized that they were serious. The other thing was that a bunch of women with small children were asked if they had ever considered having their baby with a midwife and none of them had and they seemed a little freaked out by the idea, like it had never ever crossed their mind.
Midwifery
In the film it states that in the 1900's began a bit of a smear campaign demonizing midwives as primitive, dangerous and unclean. Up until that time throughout the world, they had been the ones delivering all the babies. But modern medicine was being developed and techniques that were thought to make the birth process safer, cleaner (and certainly more profitable), began to be employed, and births moved from the home to the hospital.
I think because of this there is a lingering idea that if you decide to have a baby with a midwife she will somehow not be as qualified as a doctor or OBGYN if there are problems or complications with the birth. I believe that this is completely untrue.
First of all, midwives (at least in the US) only deal with low risk mothers. I am sure this is determined in different ways depending on where in the world you are, but here it is a point system. At your initial appointment, the midwife takes a detailed medical history about you and your partner. This is similar in scope and detail to an acupuncture initial appointment (without the spouse part ;) And there are certain criteria that are given points, like certain medical conditions, genetic history, age of parents, etc... In this system you are allowed 3 points. More than that and you will not be offered care because you are no longer considered low risk. At that point, you must have your baby with a doctor in a hospital as you are considered slightly higher risk.
The appointment continues with the midwife listening to your heart and taking a lot of blood for labs. They check for the same things a doctor would, making sure that you are free of disease, infection, STD's and to make sure that all your levels are within a normal range. You are also asked to do a series of urine tests to test for levels in your body and determine your general health. You are asked where you would like to have the baby, at the birthing centre, or at your home, and if you would like to have the baby in water (which is available in both places). You and your midwife have to know where you are planning to give birth and if it is at your home, then the midwife makes a trip to your house and makes sure everything is ok before the event. They also bring with them everything they need for you to give birth, everything they would have at the centre. You must also be within 15 minutes of a hospital in case of an emergency so that you can get there safely and quickly.
Although birth centres vary in design, the ones that I have seen have many of the following features. They are often in old houses and non commercial structures. The appointment rooms are designed like large, comfortable bedrooms, with normal beds, lots of pillows, a rocking chair and bathtub and shower. Like a lovely bedroom in a quaint bed and breakfast, a place you would want to be. They are not clinical environments, and the energy is relaxed. Although all the medical equipment needed for each appointment is in the room, it is put away in drawers and cupboards, to keep the environment comfortable and to keep the mothers and their spouses relaxed.
The rest of the centre also has a relaxed atmosphere, and people smile and say hello. You get to know your midwife (often several midwives, as they are all on call all the time) and the staff. When you arrive there are often mothers having their babies in the adjacent rooms, and children playing. There is often a lending library with books on a wide variety of subjects that can be borrowed. There are various classes offered for you and your partner from birthing, to breastfeeding to help prepare you for what is happening, and what is coming.
Meeting with your midwife for appointments, there is always a discussion and they are happy to answer any questions that you have. Midwives are there to answer questions and give you information, not to make decisions for you about your pregnancy or birth. The decisions are always up to you. They also have a great respect for the process of pregnancy and birth and are there to support it and help when they are needed.
What Have We Lost?
Ina May Gaskin is a pioneer in the field of midwifery and has been delivering babies at The Farm Midwifery Centre in Tennessee where she is founder and director since it opened in 1971. I have posted a TED talk she did below where she discusses the culture of fear surrounding birth in the US. It is a powerful talk.
Ms. Gaskin's talk really resonated with me for many reasons. The main one is that she states that women have become afraid of the act of childbirth and that the confidence in their own bodies and their innate knowledge has been lost. To take that thought even farther, I think that we have largely lost our connection to our own bodies. And, more importantly, I think that we have forgotten to trust that our bodies have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to do things like give birth. One of the reasons that I chose to study Chinese medicine, and the reason that I connected with it so strongly is that the entire system has not lost this connection. In fact, the medicine has been built with this at its foundation. We are not doing something to the body, we are supporting the body and giving what it needs to heal itself. And this is the way, the graceful dance of the midwife and childbirth, that the process can happen. Without fear, and with joy. They are not standing over you, calling the shots, telling you what to do because they know best. They are supporting you through the process and giving you what you need to do what you already know how to do.
I believe that the medical industry has exacerbated this problem and fed the fear that women now overwhelmingly feel about childbirth. Countless images of childbirth in the media have women screaming in pain and begging for painkillers. Medical interventions for women giving birth in hospitals are commonplace and seem to be based on the doctors convenience rather than concern for the wellbeing of the mother and baby. The rate of Cesarian section in the US is much higher than anywhere else and increasing every year.
For me, a hospital is where you go when you are sick. Having a baby is not a sickness. And doctors are not trained in health, they study and treat disease. They are experts in illness. Things aren't exciting for a doctor unless there is a pathology, something is going wrong. That is what they are trained for. Most doctors or OBGYN's haven't even experienced a natural live birth. They are familiar with administering pitocin (a drug that induces or speeds up labour), episiotomies (a cut in the perineum which is the space between the vagina and the anus) and epidurals (an injection into the lower spine through which pain medications are administered). All of these procedures have their downsides, and those are the ones that they will likely not discuss with you. Sometimes, of course, these procedures are necessary, but unfortunately, many times they are not. I urge you if you are having a baby, or care about someone who is to arm yourself with all the information so that you can make the most informed decision possible.
Pregnancy and childbirth are a wonderful, exciting time in a woman's life. It can certainly be an overwhelming time for a lot of reasons as well. There is a lot of information out there and we tend to be bombarded with advice, books and websites telling us the best way to do things. My advice would be to listen to your gut. Your instinct. You have it for a reason, and it has evolved over many thousands of years to serve you and keep you safe. It does not have to be a scary experience, in fact it can and should be a wonderful and edifying experience, one of the most powerful ones you are bound to have in this lifetime. To create life is one of the most profound and beautiful experiences that we can ever hope to have, and I wish for any of you who go down that path that it is incredibly joyous and empowering, and one you will never forget.
Reducing Fear of Birth in US Culture -
Ina May Gaskin at TEDx Sacramento
The Business of Being Born
Resources
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The Business of Being Born
Ina May Gaskin
The Farm Midwifery Center - The Farm Midwives
Books By Ina May Gaskin
Birth Matters: A Midwifes Manifesta
Ina May's Guide To Childbirth
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding
Spiritual Midwifery
Birth Without Fear : Chinese Medicine Living
Social Behaviour and Your Health
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
Chinese medicine is not just a physical medicine. Although it does treat the physical body, the body is only one small part of a much larger picture. It is a holistic medicine, taking into account all parts of a person, including the environment in which that person lives. Everything that person experiences has an effect on their health, and so all must be examined when diagnosing and treating disease.
Because Chinese medicine takes so much information into account when diagnosing and treating a patient, it makes the task of the TCM practitioner more difficult, and requires more skill. It also makes the medical system extremely effective and is why it has survived for almost 5000 years.
Social Behaviour
The way we spend our leisure time isn't something most people associate with poor health, but many of the ways that Westerners pass the time when they are relaxing, are actually detrimental to our health on many levels. I personally believe that at least some of the reasons why we choose to engage in activities like drinking, smoking and doing drugs are a way to escape the stresses that living in the modern world places upon us. So let's look at how some of these things affect health in the context of Chinese medicine.
Smoking
The act of smoking introduces a lot of heat into the body and creates dryness, especially in the lungs. The short term effects are the consumption of lung yin, but over the long term this yin deficiency can spread to the rest of the body and cause all manner of other disharmonies. Another factor with smoking is the effect on the body's qi. The heat from smoking actually acts to move any stagnant qi that may be in the lungs, which explains why many people find that the act of smoking relaxes them. The movement of stagnant qi is short lived though, as the reason for the qi stagnation to occur in the first place has not been addressed. So although there might be a temporary short term benefit, if the cause of the qi stagnation is not addressed, the qi stagnation will return and if left untreated, can lead to more serious disharmonies.
Alcohol
image courtesy www.lifeprinciples.com
Alcohol introduces both heat and dampness into the body. Although alcohol has been used medicinally for many years and can be beneficial in cold climates to help to warm the body, it is important, just as with everything in life, that we exercise moderation so that the energies of the body do not swing too far out of balance. Alcohol has a similar effect on qi as does cigarettes, acting to move any stagnant qi, but the stagnation soon returns if the cause is not determined and dealt with.
Drugs
Drugs are a hugs a complex subject, and acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been used for many years with great success to help people with addictions (to read more about Chinese medicine and addiction read - Acupuncture & Addiction). Different drugs have different negative effects on our bodies, its organ systems, relative yin and yang and the body's qi. In my experience I have found that the psychological component is as important as the physical one in dealing with the addiction and so is the desire of the patient to recover. Addiction is a complex issue, but Chinese medicine, thankfully, has many modalities to help people to recover from addictions from things to food to cigarettes to heroin, as long as there is a genuine desire to recover and the person is getting the support they need for a long and often difficult process.
Sexual Energy
Our sexual lives have a definite effect on our health, and in Chinese medicine too much sex, or not enough sex can actually contribute to disease (to learn more read - Can Too Much Sex Be Bad for Your Health?). Having a healthy sex life is part of being a happy, healthy human being, but in Chinese medicine, they have perhaps a different outlook on it than you may have heard before. You can read the article above for more detail, but essentially the Chinese view on sex and disease is not based on morals or social norms, but on its impact on the energies of the body. The kidneys, for example, are the source of the body's yin and yang energy and also a very important energy called Jing. Too much sex is said to deplete kidney Jing, especially in men who lose precious Jing when they ejaculate. The situation is not so serious for women who do not lose Jing during sex. A woman's eggs or ovum are seen to be the direct manifestation of Jing so they are not losing them the way a man does when he ejaculates. This is why, regardless of gender, it is important to practice moderation with sex and all things to maintain health. There are other ways that women can lose Jing like having too many children too close together. The effects of depletion of Jing for both men and women are symptoms like premature aging, prematurely greying hair, developmental and growth problems in children, cavities, sore knees, weak and sore lower back, blurred vision, frequent urination and extreme fatigue.
Don't worry, a healthy amount of sex is good for your health, it is only when we do not practice moderation (which is so common in our culture) that problems can arise. There is a handy chart in the above article if you are curious about how much sex is recommended for different ages, just remember these are only guidelines!
The other thing is that there are many Taoist practices that teach how to preserve the body's energies, including kidney Jing. One of the masters is Mantak Chia and his wife Maneewan Chia who have written several books on the subject. If you are curious, check them out. ;)
The great thing about Chinese medicine is that it is not just a medical system, it really teaches a way of life. It is not a pill you take, an herb you drink, or a few needles. It really teaches how to live in balance with yourself, and the world around you. I love that everything is relevant, because it all has an effect. It is such a beautiful system that I fall more in love with every day. I hope that learning a little bit more about it, you will fall in love with it too.
Social Behaviour and Your Health : Chinese Medicine Living
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Social Behaviour & Your Health : Chinese Medicine Living
What is Spleen Qi Deficiency?
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
The spleen is my favourite organ in the body. As an acupuncturist, I am not really supposed to play favourites, saying you love one organ more than the others is like a parent declaring that they love one of their children more, but I feel like I have a special connection with the spleen. I talk about it a lot and I seem to write about it even more. It is a hard-working and often under-appreciated little organ, so it is my duty, and my privilege to give it some much-needed love and attention.
The spleen is an organ that doesn’t really get discussed very much in relation to the other organs of the body. I think its role in Western medicine is perhaps seen as less ‘vital’ than the other organs, but the role of the spleen in Western medicine is very different than its role in Chinese medicine.
The Spleen In Western Medicine
In Western medicine, the spleen is part of the immune system and the largest organ in the lymphatic system. It is where red blood cells are recycled and where white blood cells, called lymphocytes, are stored. It is possible to live without a spleen. You can lacerate or rupture your spleen in a car accident or playing contact sports (or via any severe physical trauma) and the spleen may have to be repaired or removed completely (called a splenectomy). Although it is possible to live without a spleen because other organs overcompensate and take over many of its important functions, it makes a person more susceptible to infections and ultimately compromises their immune system.
The Spleen In Chinese Medicine
This lovely image from http://thespicedoc.com/content/glossary and designed by Patricia Callison
The spleen has a fundamental role in Chinese medicine. It, paired with the stomach, are the main organs of digestion and are responsible for digestion and distribution of food and nutrients throughout the body. The spleen extracts qi from the food we eat that is used by the body to build immunity (wei qi), keep things moving freely (stagnation leads to disease), the proper functioning of the other organs and helps to regulate mental functions and emotions.
Why Our Culture Is Hard On The Spleen
It is very common in our culture to have a deficiency of the spleen. Because the spleen is the main organ of not only digestion but processing, it is responsible for processing the food and drink that we consume, as well as all of the stimuli that comes in through our sense organs. We are a culture that values doing many things at once. The more productive we can be, the more we are praised at our jobs and in life. This philosophy is contrary to the health of the spleen. In Chinese medicine, to keep the spleen healthy, it is important to do one thing at a time, and as mindfully as possible. The idea is that the spleen is then able to use all of its energies to process one thing, rather than having to process many things at once, which wipes out its energy stores, or spleen qi. Examples of doing many things at once are eating (taking in food/drink) while watching TV (taking in stimulus). Or eating while sitting at your computer working. These are commonplace in a culture where everyone has too much to do and is always short on time. This is one of the biggest reasons that so many people suffer from a deficiency of their spleen qi. So, do one thing at a time. If you are going to eat, just eat. Really concentrate and be mindful about what you are doing. Enjoy and savour your food, this will not only help your spleen but lead you to be more relaxed and help you digest more efficiently too.
A Strong And Balanced Spleen
People with strong and balanced spleen energy have the following characteristics:
- responsible
- practical
- hardworking
- strong
- like to nurture themselves and others
- active
- stable
- excellent endurance
- good appetites
- good, healthy digestions
- strong limbs
- are orderly and careful
- often very creative
- have fertile imaginations
A Spleen Imbalance
People with an imbalance of their spleen often display the following characteristics:
- chronically tired
- a feeling of being “stuck” in their lives
- physical and/or mental stagnation
- weak digestion (lots of digestive issues)
- poor appetite
- a diminished sense of taste
- loose stools
- abdominal bloating and tenderness
- masses in the abdomen
- weight problems (either overweight without overeating or underweight without the ability to gain)
Spleen Qi Deficiency
A deficiency of spleen qi can be caused by many things. Eating a poor diet of mostly refined, highly processed foods where the body is not receiving enough nourishment is certainly common, especially in industrialized nations where foods tend to be overly processed and many people make poor food choices. Another cause is simply our hectic lifestyles. As I mentioned above, we are a culture of multitasking, and this is particularly hard on the tiny organ that is responsible for doing all the processing. If it is constantly overloaded, then it will become exhausted, leading to spleen qi deficiency. Another cause and this is also extremely common, is the emotional aspect of the spleen. In Chinese medicine, every organ is associated with an emotion. An excess of that emotion can damage the related organ, and likewise, when the organ is out of balance, it can have a strong effect on the corresponding emotion. The emotion of the spleen in worry/overthinking. If there is one emotion that I see more than any other in clinic, it is WORRY. An excess of worry and overthinking, as well as having a hard time just shutting off your brain, is damaging to the spleen. And we do that so much in our society. The pressures on us are enormous, and people are simply overworked and overstressed. So, poor nutrition, multitasking and a propensity to worry are all part of our culture, and all are affecting our poor, overworked spleens. It's no wonder spleen qi deficiency is so common.
Here are some symptoms of spleen qi deficiency so you know what to look for:
- weakness of the whole body
- fatigue
- loose stools with undigested food
- a pale tongue with a thin white coat and teeth marks on the sides
- a weak pulse
- weakness of the arms and legs
- weak muscles
- prolapse of organs (such as haemorrhoids, uterus, bladder, intestines)
The symptoms above all point to a spleen imbalance. There is good news though. There is wonderful nutritional therapy for deficient spleen qi, and as many Chinese doctors have known for centuries, food is the best medicine.
The Thermal Nature Of Foods In Chinese Medicine
When we talk about nutritional therapy in Chinese medicine, which is an important modality, we talk about the thermal nature of foods. This can be a bit of a difficult concept to understand at first, but once it's explained, it actually starts to make a lot of sense. Thermal nature is not just how physically cold or hot a food is as a result of cooking. In Chinese medicine, all foods are seen to have a fundamentally thermal nature, either warming, cooling or neutral, and these are important to know as they have a direct effect on the body. In the context of Chinese medicine, it is also important to know the thermal nature of your body, which is measured by the relative yin and yang energies it encompasses. For example, if a person comes to you with a red face, bloodshot eyes, outbursts of anger and is shouting, it is pretty safe to determine that that person has an excess of yang energy and thus, should eat cooling foods and stay away from warming ones until the balance of yin and yang is reestablished. Every organ also has a temperature that it prefers, so it is good to know all these things when thinking about food therapy in terms of health and disease.
Beautiful Foods
Food Therapy For Spleen Qi Deficiency
With foods thermal nature in mind, the spleen likes to be warm and dry. So if you have spleen qi deficiency, you want to eat foods that are warming, or at least neutral to help build the spleens energy. Cold foods should be avoided as they weaken digestion. Also, foods that are cold in temperature take more energy for the spleen to digest and are seen to extinguish the digestive fire. The flavour associated with the spleen is sweet, so as a rule, sweet foods are prescribed to correct a deficiency.
One of the best foods to build spleen qi is cooked white rice, often eaten in the form of congee or jook. Congee is essentially a porridge made of overcooked rice and water. You may add other ingredients depending on your condition and taste. For spleen qi deficiency or any weakness of the spleen, warming ingredients would be appropriate. See the list below.
Beneficial Spleen Foods
Vegetables
- pumpkin
- yam
- black beans
- garbanzo beans
- carrot
- parsnip
- squash
- peas
- sweet potato
- onion
- leek
Spices
- black pepper
- ginger
- nutmeg
- cinnamon
- fennel
- garlic
Sweeteners (in small amounts)
- barley malt
- rice syrup
- molasses
- cherries
- dates
Animal Products (if the deficiency is severe)
- mackerel
- tuna
- halibut
- anchovy
- beef
- beef liver or kidney
- turkey
- chicken
- lamb
- butter
Chewing foods well is also important when spleen energy is weak. This helps to break down foods before they get to the spleen and means the spleen has less work to do and conserve its energy. Eating things like soups are beneficial because they are cooked until soft and are less work for the spleen to digest. And finally, the preparation of food is also a factor in helping to build up spleen qi. Eating on the run and eating out mean that you are not taking the time and intention to mindfully prepare the foods that you are eating. To prepare foods with care infuses them with healing energies that the whole body, and especially the spleen, needs. So take the time to prepare the foods that you are eating with love, your spleen will appreciate it. :)
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What is Spleen Qi Deficiency? : Chinese Medicine Living
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5 Morning Rituals for Health & Longevity
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
As an acupuncturist, it is important to live the healthy life that I try to encourage my patients to live. I also am well aware that I have to be healthy so that I can go to work every day and help my patients be healthy too. So, after many years and trying various things, this is my list of the five things I try to do every morning to keep myself healthy, balanced and sane. I hope they will be helpful to you too.
Meditation
Meditation is probably one of the most important things that I do for myself every day. I notice a huge difference in how I feel physically, emotionally and psychologically from my morning meditations. I feel more grounded, calmer and am more able to take on difficult situations without reacting. Meditation essentially, makes me a healthier, happier being. It helps me to see that the chaos of the world and my life is happening AROUND me instead of TO me. If you want to see what I mean and start reaping the enormous benefits of meditation you can start by doing just a few minutes a day. It might be difficult at first because your thoughts will probably be running wild, but the more you do it, the quieter your thoughts become and you will really start to feel the benefits in every aspect of your life.
For those of you who haven't read my previous posts on Vipassana meditation, you can do so here so get a little more information on Vipassana meditation and my experiences with doing 10 day Vipassana retreats in Georgia by reading My Ten Day Vipassana Meditation and Vipassana 2.0. There are many, many different meditation techniques, and you should find the one that feels right for you. Do some research and see which ones resonate with you, then try them out.
Some Benefits of Daily Meditation
• loosens neural pathways
• reduces the risk of heart disease
• improves memory
• boosts immunity
• improves sleep
• reduces blood pressure
• reduces stress, anxiety and depression
• increases wellbeing
• enhances self esteem and self acceptance
• increases optimism, relaxation and awareness
• regulates blood sugar levels
• creates a deepening capacity for love and compassion
These are just to name a few. Here is a fancy infographic that lists some of meditations amazing benefits.
Coconut Oil Pulling
For those of you who haven't heard of oil pulling, it is simply the act of taking a spoonful of coconut oil and putting it in your mouth to swish around for anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes. I try to keep it in there for as long as possible because I know all the good it is doing. :) Here are some of the amazing benefits of coconut oil pulling...
• cleans and whitens teeth
• reduces cavities
• prevents bad breath
• detoxifies the body
• clears the skin
• increases energy
• reduces headaches
• prevents heart disease
• reduces inflammation
• boosts the immune system
• strengthens gums
• soothes dry throat
• improves sleep
Water with Lemon
Benefits of drinking water with lemon every morning...
• boosts the immune system
• flushes toxins out of the body
• balances the body's PH (lemons are alkalizing and viruses and bacteria cannot survive in an alkaline environment)
• clears the skin
• boosts the brain and nervous system
• helps the digestion
• freshens breath
• reduces inflammation
• increases energy
• stabilizes blood sugar
• purifies and cleanses the blood
• reduces fevers
Smoothies
If you are a busy human like I am, eating properly is sometimes difficult. One easy way I have discovered to get some much needed nutrition and energy in the morning is my morning smoothie. The ingredients vary, but they are always smashed with fresh, organic fruit. I try to keep the ingredients seasonal too, as Chinese medicine teaches to try to eat as many seasonal foods as possible to keep our bodies in balance. I add supplements as needed and sometimes go green, but the fruit ones are my favourite because they are so delicious and a feast for the eyes too. So, be adventurous with your ingredients! A smoothie is a great way to start your day.
Gratitude
This is a big one for me and it has probably been one of the most consistent things that I try to be aware of every morning before I start my day. One of the things that treating patients has taught me is that no matter how hard we try to live a simple life, free of stresses and problems, life will present them to you on a pretty regular basis. Instead of trying to avoid them, I have found that it is better to learn how to manage the stresses in life, and I have found no better way than to wake up every morning and spend a few minutes going through all of the things I am grateful for. Once you start doing this, you will find that it will attract more and more positive things, people and experiences into your life and problems, which will still happen, will be a lot easier to deal with because you will have an acute awareness of how amazing your life is and how lucky you are to be an inhabitant of this wonderful planet.
I hope that every morning leads into fulfilling days full of love and light for all of you.
5 Morning Rituals for Health & Longevity : Chinese Medicine Living
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The Desire to Get Better
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
There is something about medicine that I don't think gets talked about enough, and in my opinion, it is one of the most important aspects of the healing process. It is not the quality of the medicines or herbs, the severity of the disease or even the credentials of the doctor. It is simply, the desire to get better.
To some, this may seem strange. If people are seeking out treatment and showing up in your office, does this not imply a desire to get well? You would think so, but, in my experience, it is not always the case. Many times patients arrive and in the course of the initial interview it becomes obvious that they have become identified with their disease. For whatever reason, it has become such an integral part of their person, their physical body, their personality, that their entire identity is wrapped up in it. In some cases, the thought of curing their disease would be like the loss of an old friend, or worse, losing a limb.
This scenario generally plays out after someone has been suffering with some sort of physical or mental ailment for a long time. As an acupuncturist, you sometimes get patients who come to you after they have tried everything else. You are the last resort. For many of these people, acupuncture has never been on their radar, but after trying everything else they could think of, they have decided to try it out because they no longer have anything left to lose. This generally means that the disease is chronic, could have been complicated by various other types of treatments, the body can be exhausted and various organ systems affected, and the patient has lost hope. All these things make treatment more difficult and your job more complex.
In these cases I always try to address the emotional and psychological aspects of the disease. What was happening in your life when you got sick? How were you feeling? Were there any traumas in your life that preceded your diagnosis? These are all important questions, and help to make diagnosis and treatment more effective. These are also probably questions the patient has never been asked before in the context of their illness. This is why the Chinese medicine model is so effective and why I love it so much. The word cancer doesn't mean anything to me. I want to know WHY you have the cancer. What in your life caused the cancer. And why it is choosing to manifest where it has. What in your life led up to you getting the cancer, and so forth.
But ultimately, it is the desire to get better that trumps almost everything else. Many times I have had patients come into my office and ask me if there are points I can do to make the lose weight. My response to this is always no. I say to them that there are many points that I can do to support you in your weight loss, but we will have to work as a team with you eating a balanced diet and exercising. I sometimes get a look of deep disappointment, like they were hoping that I could do it for them. Of course I can't. If you don't want to lose the weight and are not willing to do the work, then you won't lose weight. This is simply logic. Others have come asking for acupuncture so they can quit smoking. I say "there are protocols that help with things like cravings and if you are ready to quit, then acupuncture and your acupuncturist can support you in the process". If they were hoping for a magical point that would do it for them I know it is the last time I will see them. At least for a while, until they are ready.
One of the other things I often see in clinic is that if the treatment prescribed is not the one the patients wants or is willing to deal with, then the necessary healing will not take place. It is one of the most frustrating and slightly heartbreaking parts of my job that I feel that I can, after a few minutes, tell what a person really needs to get over whatever illness has pushed itself uninvited into their lives, and know that not everyone is willing to do what it takes to deal with it and get better. Sometimes people just need to talk. They are frustrated and in pain, and I definitely see that a lot. Sometimes, people want some validation, that what they are experiencing is awful and painful and humiliating. I see that too. But one of the things that I see a lot more is that many people are living in a culture of sickness, and they simply do not know how to be well. I think that until we live in a culture that really cultivates health, the people that live in it will struggle to find their way there.
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Love, Support & Illness
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
Disease is not just about the body. It is literally an imbalance, a disruption of the flow, a loss in the state of equilibrium that keeps us healthy and balanced human beings.
One of the reasons that Chinese medicine is so effective and why I fell so deeply in love with it is the beautiful and poetic way in which it sees the body and the tools it gives us to bring it back to health when it is in a diseased state. It is a holistic system, everything working synergistically, nothing left out. Everything is important, and has an impact, so we must take care of not only the entire organism, but the environment in which it lives, the stimulus that comes in, the emotions that are felt and so forth. Everything that is experienced has an impact, so we strive for balance - which is no small task in an unbalanced world.
Looking at health in this schema, we must step back and look at things with a wider perspective. No longer is health about the physical processes of our bodies, the levels of our blood, or the food we ingest. We must consider the entire life experience and discern what is out of balance so we might attempt to regain that balance once again. In this way the practitioner of Chinese medicine acts as teacher, helping to instruct patients on how to live (the Tao) so that they are empowered and participants in their health and healing and can use that knowledge to prevent imbalances in the future. It is a preventative medicine.
Love
In my questioning one of the things I ask is about the relationships you have in your life. Your friends, your spouse, your children, your boss. Do you have love in your life? Where is it coming from? Love is an incredibly important part of life, and integral to health. I believe it to be an essential part of the healing process, not just physical, but on every level. Knowing that there are people (or pets) out there who want you to be well and have your best interests at heart is just as important as acupuncture, herbs, what you eat and if you meditate or go to yoga.
Support
Support takes it a step further. It is love with a little extra juice. Being in a loving relationship or having wonderful friends is important for all aspects of our lives, and has been proven to improve health and keep the immune system strong. Support is having people in your life that believe in what you are doing, and are helping to hold you up while you are doing it.
Let me give you a couple of examples...
A patient is struggling with a serious disease (the seriousness is directly proportional to the severity of the imbalance). Lets say cancer. Their Western MD is advocating chemotherapy, and so is their family. After several rounds, the patient is feeling terrible and would like to explore other options. They discontinue chemo and start doing reiki, acupuncture and herbs. The patient's oncologist thinks this is a terrible idea. The family also does not support their decision and every time they come home from a session, their husband and children tell them how foolish they are and how irresponsible it is of them to not do conventional treatment. There is no support system to help this person to heal, and the stress created depresses the immune system which is already working at beyond capacity. The lack of support from this persons family is making it more difficult for the patient to regain the balance she needs to get back to health and thus, will continue to be sick.
A patient struggles with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) which makes being at their incredibly stressful job difficult and uncomfortable. They go home at night to a spouse who is angry and depressed. This makes being at home, when the patient needs to rest and recharge, stressful as well. After a long day this patient often goes home to fights and discord due to his spouses unhappiness. In an attempt to avoid the situation, this patient throws himself into work which exacerbates his condition. It gets worse until he periodically has to go to the hospital for a few days to recover enough so that he can return to work.
And it is not just patients... we all need support...
image from www.lauradunn.com
One very powerful lesson that I have learned in my ten years of practice is that life is not easy. For anyone. People are struggling, and most are trying their best to live life with dignity, and a little grace. I have been amazed at the difficult things that people struggle with on a daily basis, from digestive problems, to pain to depression to abuse. There is a constant pressure on everyone to go to work, pay the bills and balance their personal and professional lives which seems to get harder with every passing year. Chinese medicine is all about balance in all things, but we are living more and more unbalanced lives which is why the wisdom of this medicine is so valuable and why I want to share it. We all need love. We need to let it out and allow it to come in. It helps keep us healthy and happy so that we have the energy to keep going. But we also need support. No one gets through life alone. Or illness. We are living in a world that has become increasingly connected through technology, but we only seem to be more isolated. Our connections to each other are vital to our health and well being. Loving and supporting each other through good and bad times is how we are all going to make it. Love and support is the difference between life living you and you living your life to its fullest potential, being a happy, healthy and balanced being, and that is what I wish for you. :)
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