(Digesting Life is Part 3 of Garbage In-Garbage Out, first published on July 18, 2009)
In Chinese medicine digesting your life experience is akin to digesting food. The same processes take place. The experience that you “take in” should be digested and transformed into something useful for your life. To take in without transforming it into something useful is a recipe for unnecessary accumulation. (You’ve met people who know a lot but can’t do anything with it!)
On the non-food front, the following will help you “digest” your life experiences:
1. Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking may make you think you are important, but it often leads to lack of focus, inattention to detail, forgetting and other mental lapses, more fatigue, feelings of worry that you forgot something important, and other symptoms of “under-digestion” of your thought processes.
2. Think of others as well as yourself. Being stingy and being overly-giving are two sides of the same coin. The goal is balance. Remember the airline’s advice: If the masks fall from the ceiling, put yours on first and then attend to your seat partner. If we don’t care for the soil, then the soil won’t grow our food. It’s a simple equation that works in many ways. If you have an important job, children, pets, or you take care of other things that you value, then taking care of yourself becomes even more important.
3. Appreciate what others try to do for you. Even though it may not be the perfect thing, try to say thank you---genuinely and from the heart. People do the very best they can, even if it’s not exactly right for you.
4. Savor life. Whether the life experience is going to the grocery store, or filling the car with gas, appreciate the sights, smells, feelings that go with the event. (My dog taught me this when I realized that a trip to the county dump was as exciting as going to the park.) Life should “taste great”.
5. Take care of your own needs. If the restaurant seats you at the table under the vent, and you don’t like the draft on your neck, ask to be moved. If you are going to an all-day meeting, will a pillow make those hard chairs more bearable? Ask for a break in the action if your butt falls asleep. Taking a snack might help you if you tend to get ravenous by mid-afternoon. Acknowledge what it takes for life to be comfortable for you, and provide your own self-care. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will, and you will then end up resenting it. One of my clients speaks about being treated as a child by his wife, when she tells him what to do. Then, he complains that she didn’t remind him to take his medicine. This is a no win situation for this man. Accept the responsibility that is yours.
6. Do a “gratitude journal.” I won’t take credit for this. I heard about it from Oprah, and she requested that, daily, we fill out one page listing the things we are grateful for. There HAS to be something listed every day. This was an eye opener for me and for my clients who are surrounded with blessings but don’t take the time or energy to absorb, or even notice them. It is revealing when you are feeling empty, bereft, or otherwise “malnourished by life” that you can be walking past a full buffet of life’s nourishment and complaining about hunger simply because you don’t see what’s in front of you.
7. In the balance between giving and receiving, know when you are doing too much of either one, and not enough of the other. If you give too much and end up resenting it, you become an angry doormat. If you take too much and don’t give back, you risk alienating others, and being seen as needy (and worse!). Balancing giving and receiving is an art that takes consciousness and some work.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Phlegm and Dampness
(This is Part 2 of Garbage In-Garbage Out, first published on July 18.)
Many of us have trouble with conditions Chinese medicine calls “phlegm” and “dampness.” (These two conditions are related. Essentially, phlegm is a heavy, thick, mucous-y substance that collects in “empty” places like joints, sinuses, and other spaces in the body. Dampness is excess fluid that tends to settle in the lower reaches, such as puffy ankles, bloating, swellings, etc.) Symptoms of both of these conditions include but are not limited to: sinus trouble, headaches, swollen joints, overweight, cysts, arthritis and neuropathy. If you are having trouble with phlegm or dampness, you might want to reduce or eliminate foods that contribute to the problem. Foods most often linked with dampness and phlegm are dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, ice cream, butter, sour cream, cheese), wheat, and eggs. (Note: the percentage of fat in the dairy products is not the issue, but rather the “milk solids.”) Substituting soy or rice products is simple and often you may not notice the difference. If you must eat bread, consider toasting it rather than eating it un-toasted, or consider eating breads made from spelt, or other non-gluten starters. Another contributor to phlegm and dampness is concentrated foods (foods which are cooked down and made into sauces, jams, purees, etc., such as tomato sauces, apple sauce, pumpkin butter, etc.) It takes about 5 oranges to make a 4 oz glass of orange juice, and 4-5 tomatoes to make a ladle of tomato sauce. Think about eating the “whole food” rather than the concentrated forms.
Next Post will by Part 3 of Garbage In-Garbage Out
Many of us have trouble with conditions Chinese medicine calls “phlegm” and “dampness.” (These two conditions are related. Essentially, phlegm is a heavy, thick, mucous-y substance that collects in “empty” places like joints, sinuses, and other spaces in the body. Dampness is excess fluid that tends to settle in the lower reaches, such as puffy ankles, bloating, swellings, etc.) Symptoms of both of these conditions include but are not limited to: sinus trouble, headaches, swollen joints, overweight, cysts, arthritis and neuropathy. If you are having trouble with phlegm or dampness, you might want to reduce or eliminate foods that contribute to the problem. Foods most often linked with dampness and phlegm are dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, ice cream, butter, sour cream, cheese), wheat, and eggs. (Note: the percentage of fat in the dairy products is not the issue, but rather the “milk solids.”) Substituting soy or rice products is simple and often you may not notice the difference. If you must eat bread, consider toasting it rather than eating it un-toasted, or consider eating breads made from spelt, or other non-gluten starters. Another contributor to phlegm and dampness is concentrated foods (foods which are cooked down and made into sauces, jams, purees, etc., such as tomato sauces, apple sauce, pumpkin butter, etc.) It takes about 5 oranges to make a 4 oz glass of orange juice, and 4-5 tomatoes to make a ladle of tomato sauce. Think about eating the “whole food” rather than the concentrated forms.
Next Post will by Part 3 of Garbage In-Garbage Out
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Garbage In-Garbage Out: Food, Digestion, Pooping and Savoring Life
Garbage In--- Garbage Out: Food, Digestion and Pooping
“Garbage in-Garbage Out” is the modern day shorthand for “you only get out what you put in.” This chapter is for those people who eat. I thought about addressing it to those with digestive disturbances, but many folks who have those don’t know who they are because symptoms haven’t gotten so bad yet, or the symptoms don’t directly appear to be digestively related. It’s also about consciously doing what is good for your digestion, anyway. This and the next couple of posts are going to be about how to think about eating and improving your digestion, as well as how the digestive process is affected by (and effects) your life.
The body is a “transformer”: it transforms your food and drink into flesh, blood, enough energy to make your heart beat and your other organs perform their daily tasks. If the food you take in is not right for you (even if it is “good food” by all other standards) and if the food is not consumed in the correct circumstances or is the wrong temperature, then the “output” will be flawed.
As your acupuncturist, I can honestly say that without your help in this arena I don’t have a shot at getting or keeping you well, especially if what ails you is chronic. I need your partnership to tend yourself between treatments, so that treatment isn’t always starting at zero, trying to pull you out of the muck. What you do between treatments is much more important that what needles you get.
One of my first clients was a patient of a retired acupuncturist. This patient had been having treatment weekly for about 4 years, with little to no improvement in her condition. Puzzled, I questioned her about her diet, and she told me that she consumed Twinkies and a Coke while driving to work in the morning, and then ate nothing again until dinner. This is where we started. After a prolonged struggle that included denial, anger, and other stages of loss, she finally decided to “try” to eat better. We just picked a few simple things to get her started, rather than overwhelming her with dietary rules that would scare anyone away.
So this equation (of production equaling input) can start with food, and then be carried over to the other dimensions of your life.
What you eat:
All food has an energetic character. Lettuce, for example, is light and airy. Beef is heavy. Chicken is lighter than beef, but heavier than lettuce. When we want to achieve certain results, it follows that we should eat the things that create the results we want. Want to lose weight? Eat lighter food. Want to have enough substance to make a baby? Eat red meat. Your acupuncturist should be able to give you some guidance for your specific goals. However, below I have outlined some suggestions that will help you make some decisions on tending yourself in a way that supports your digestive processes.
Some Guidelines to assist your digestive organs:
1. Eat regular meals. Eating at the same time of day helps your body anticipate nourishment, and keeps you from getting very hungry.
2. Establish regular times for elimination. Get to know when your body wants to eliminate. It will help you schedule your day. The best time of day to have a bowel movement is between 5 and 7 am. All of our organs have a two-hour window of peak operating efficiency, and this is the time of the colon’s peak efficiency. This gets rid of yesterday and makes room for today. Your stool should have no evidence of undigested food and should not be overly watery, liquid mush or too hard to pass easily.
3. Eat breakfast between 7 am and 9 am. (Yes, eat breakfast even if you are not hungry!) Between 7 and 9 am is the time of the Stomach. Calories taken in at this time are burned most efficiently. Eat a hearty breakfast. Your entire day depends on the nourishment that fuels it in the morning.
4. Eat smaller meals as the day progresses. While the stomach is most efficient at between 7 and 9 am, it is LEAST efficient between 7 and 9 pm, when most of us are sitting down to dinner. Culturally, we eat rather large dinners and then go to bed, leaving the stomach to hold and process all that food when we are supposed to be resting. This is a recipe for indigestion and incomplete use of food (ie: weight gain, indigestion, constipation, etc.). Eating much more lightly at night will help you use your food much more efficiently. And try not to eat anything at all after 7 pm., giving yourself time to digest BEFORE you lay down.
5. Don’t eat while reading, watching TV, or driving. Relax and enjoy your food, taking your time to eat, chew, and digest. Don’t eat mindlessly. Being social at a meal is fine, and probably good for your stomach.
6. Restrict your consumption of raw/uncooked foods. If you are having digestive problems, you should know that uncooked food is making your stomach work many times harder. If you are eating cold foods, the stomach has to first “cook” the food that you send it, before it can break it down and use it. If you are getting headaches, have bad breath, indigestion, diarrhea, stomachaches, flatulence, fatigue, feelings of heaviness, or odd bodily odors, for example, it could be that you are sensitive to particular foods OR that you are intolerant of the way they are prepared and eaten. You will actually get more nutrition (fuel) from steamed or slightly cooked foods than you will from raw foods, because the net result of eating raw foods is that so much energy goes to your body’s need to cook and digest rather than to performing life’s tasks. This is not to say that your shouldn’t enjoy a limited amount of seasonally correct cold foods (salads, raw fruits, etc.) But if you do eat a cold meal (sandwiches or salads) have a cup of hot tea with it, to help the stomach in its “cooking” process. However, if you do have chronic problems such as diarrhea, prolapses, hernias, hemorrhoids, easy bruising, undigested food in your feces, “heavy feeling” arms and legs, foggy thinking after eating, then eating hot food is likely going to help you. This brings me to another of my favorite recommendations to clients: crockpots (also known as slow cookers). These handy devices save energy, cook meals while you are busy doing other things, make the food very digestible to your system, and essentially are a “must have” for anyone with digestive problems.
7. Wean yourself off of iced beverages. Eating a hot meal is counter-acted by following it with a glass of ice water. Learn to drink water/other beverages hot or at room temperature. The stomach’s responsibility, remember, is to cook your food, and it can’t do it efficiently in ice cold water!
8. Make sure that you are hydrated. The stomach cannot efficiently operate if it is dry. This does not mean drinking with meals, however. You can try drinking water both with and away from meals, and see which your body prefers. Most of us are dehydrated. Use the following formula to roughly determine if you are drinking enough water:
Body weight in pounds = # of fluid oz. of water daily
Divide this number by 2
PLUS: Add 8z of water for each carbonated beverage
Add 8 oz of water for each caffeinated beverage
Add 8 oz of water for each alcoholic beverage
Are you drinking enough water?
8. Notice your cravings. Give in to some (with mindful limitations), because your body is telling you that you need something. However, when a craving becomes an addiction, it is time to find out what exactly is going on. You might need medical testing or some kind of input about how certain foods affects your body, mind and spirit.
9. Reduce caffeine. Caffeine is a drug. It has no calories, and so the “energy” that it produces in you comes from your vital stores of energy (qi). It robs your kidneys (in Chinese medicine; the adrenals in western medicine) to give you the “buzz” that you seek. After a prolonged period of caffeine use, it follows that you will age faster, become dehydrated and have more illness and weakness than you would otherwise.
Next Post: Phlegm and Dampness: what happens when the digestive process is compromised
“Garbage in-Garbage Out” is the modern day shorthand for “you only get out what you put in.” This chapter is for those people who eat. I thought about addressing it to those with digestive disturbances, but many folks who have those don’t know who they are because symptoms haven’t gotten so bad yet, or the symptoms don’t directly appear to be digestively related. It’s also about consciously doing what is good for your digestion, anyway. This and the next couple of posts are going to be about how to think about eating and improving your digestion, as well as how the digestive process is affected by (and effects) your life.
The body is a “transformer”: it transforms your food and drink into flesh, blood, enough energy to make your heart beat and your other organs perform their daily tasks. If the food you take in is not right for you (even if it is “good food” by all other standards) and if the food is not consumed in the correct circumstances or is the wrong temperature, then the “output” will be flawed.
As your acupuncturist, I can honestly say that without your help in this arena I don’t have a shot at getting or keeping you well, especially if what ails you is chronic. I need your partnership to tend yourself between treatments, so that treatment isn’t always starting at zero, trying to pull you out of the muck. What you do between treatments is much more important that what needles you get.
One of my first clients was a patient of a retired acupuncturist. This patient had been having treatment weekly for about 4 years, with little to no improvement in her condition. Puzzled, I questioned her about her diet, and she told me that she consumed Twinkies and a Coke while driving to work in the morning, and then ate nothing again until dinner. This is where we started. After a prolonged struggle that included denial, anger, and other stages of loss, she finally decided to “try” to eat better. We just picked a few simple things to get her started, rather than overwhelming her with dietary rules that would scare anyone away.
So this equation (of production equaling input) can start with food, and then be carried over to the other dimensions of your life.
What you eat:
All food has an energetic character. Lettuce, for example, is light and airy. Beef is heavy. Chicken is lighter than beef, but heavier than lettuce. When we want to achieve certain results, it follows that we should eat the things that create the results we want. Want to lose weight? Eat lighter food. Want to have enough substance to make a baby? Eat red meat. Your acupuncturist should be able to give you some guidance for your specific goals. However, below I have outlined some suggestions that will help you make some decisions on tending yourself in a way that supports your digestive processes.
Some Guidelines to assist your digestive organs:
1. Eat regular meals. Eating at the same time of day helps your body anticipate nourishment, and keeps you from getting very hungry.
2. Establish regular times for elimination. Get to know when your body wants to eliminate. It will help you schedule your day. The best time of day to have a bowel movement is between 5 and 7 am. All of our organs have a two-hour window of peak operating efficiency, and this is the time of the colon’s peak efficiency. This gets rid of yesterday and makes room for today. Your stool should have no evidence of undigested food and should not be overly watery, liquid mush or too hard to pass easily.
3. Eat breakfast between 7 am and 9 am. (Yes, eat breakfast even if you are not hungry!) Between 7 and 9 am is the time of the Stomach. Calories taken in at this time are burned most efficiently. Eat a hearty breakfast. Your entire day depends on the nourishment that fuels it in the morning.
4. Eat smaller meals as the day progresses. While the stomach is most efficient at between 7 and 9 am, it is LEAST efficient between 7 and 9 pm, when most of us are sitting down to dinner. Culturally, we eat rather large dinners and then go to bed, leaving the stomach to hold and process all that food when we are supposed to be resting. This is a recipe for indigestion and incomplete use of food (ie: weight gain, indigestion, constipation, etc.). Eating much more lightly at night will help you use your food much more efficiently. And try not to eat anything at all after 7 pm., giving yourself time to digest BEFORE you lay down.
5. Don’t eat while reading, watching TV, or driving. Relax and enjoy your food, taking your time to eat, chew, and digest. Don’t eat mindlessly. Being social at a meal is fine, and probably good for your stomach.
6. Restrict your consumption of raw/uncooked foods. If you are having digestive problems, you should know that uncooked food is making your stomach work many times harder. If you are eating cold foods, the stomach has to first “cook” the food that you send it, before it can break it down and use it. If you are getting headaches, have bad breath, indigestion, diarrhea, stomachaches, flatulence, fatigue, feelings of heaviness, or odd bodily odors, for example, it could be that you are sensitive to particular foods OR that you are intolerant of the way they are prepared and eaten. You will actually get more nutrition (fuel) from steamed or slightly cooked foods than you will from raw foods, because the net result of eating raw foods is that so much energy goes to your body’s need to cook and digest rather than to performing life’s tasks. This is not to say that your shouldn’t enjoy a limited amount of seasonally correct cold foods (salads, raw fruits, etc.) But if you do eat a cold meal (sandwiches or salads) have a cup of hot tea with it, to help the stomach in its “cooking” process. However, if you do have chronic problems such as diarrhea, prolapses, hernias, hemorrhoids, easy bruising, undigested food in your feces, “heavy feeling” arms and legs, foggy thinking after eating, then eating hot food is likely going to help you. This brings me to another of my favorite recommendations to clients: crockpots (also known as slow cookers). These handy devices save energy, cook meals while you are busy doing other things, make the food very digestible to your system, and essentially are a “must have” for anyone with digestive problems.
7. Wean yourself off of iced beverages. Eating a hot meal is counter-acted by following it with a glass of ice water. Learn to drink water/other beverages hot or at room temperature. The stomach’s responsibility, remember, is to cook your food, and it can’t do it efficiently in ice cold water!
8. Make sure that you are hydrated. The stomach cannot efficiently operate if it is dry. This does not mean drinking with meals, however. You can try drinking water both with and away from meals, and see which your body prefers. Most of us are dehydrated. Use the following formula to roughly determine if you are drinking enough water:
Body weight in pounds = # of fluid oz. of water daily
Divide this number by 2
PLUS: Add 8z of water for each carbonated beverage
Add 8 oz of water for each caffeinated beverage
Add 8 oz of water for each alcoholic beverage
Are you drinking enough water?
8. Notice your cravings. Give in to some (with mindful limitations), because your body is telling you that you need something. However, when a craving becomes an addiction, it is time to find out what exactly is going on. You might need medical testing or some kind of input about how certain foods affects your body, mind and spirit.
9. Reduce caffeine. Caffeine is a drug. It has no calories, and so the “energy” that it produces in you comes from your vital stores of energy (qi). It robs your kidneys (in Chinese medicine; the adrenals in western medicine) to give you the “buzz” that you seek. After a prolonged period of caffeine use, it follows that you will age faster, become dehydrated and have more illness and weakness than you would otherwise.
Next Post: Phlegm and Dampness: what happens when the digestive process is compromised
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