Principles for Weight Loss

These principles aim to expel excessive imbalances contributing to obesity.

Several principles are usually combined in real practice.

However, if individuals are under-functioning in the spleen and kidneys, then tonifying

 ( fortification, strengthening) treatments should be considered.

They help to build up the qi (vital energy) inside the body as well as facilitate restoring balance to the body’s humours.

1. Harmonize the digestion and stomach to promote fat digestion

• excess amount of greasy foods such as sweet cakes and fried meats.
• The stomach will have trouble digesting these foods, and thus they will be detained in it.
•  Symptoms such as distention in the gastric and abdominal areas, backward flow of stomach contents into the mouth, foul breath and a greasy coating on the tongue may be present.

2. Activate the blood to remove the stasis

• High levels of lipids (fats) in the blood that lead to sclerosis of blood vessels are regarded as a phenomenon of blood stasis
• Methods of activating the blood flow and removing blood stasis not only promote the blood flow, they can also help to lower the lipid content in the blood and decelerate the sclerosis process.

3. Remove the stagnation of the liver and gall bladder

• The liver plays an important role in qi (vital energy) circulation, as well as the enhancement of food digestion and blood flow.
• The gall bladder secretes bile and aids in the digestive process.
• Proper functioning of the liver and the gall bladder assists the break down of fat.

4. Induce diuresis (excretion of urine) and eliminate dampness

• Obesity involves the disorder of fluid metabolism.
• When there is dysfunction of distribution or excretion of body fluids
• symptoms can present such as swollen eyelids, edema (retention of fluid in the tissues), obesity or other conditions.
• Inducing diuresis (excretion of urine) is a direct way to promote the elimination of excessive dampness (sluggishness, tiredness, heavy limbs and heaviness in the forehead. Any bodily discharges will tend to be sticky and turbid and the tongue will have a sticky coat.)

5. Induce purgation by promoting bowel movements

• An obese body gathers too much turbid waste and fatty tissues.
• The large intestine is usually under-functioning and constipation can also add to the problem.
• Promoting regular bowel movements reinforce excretion and eliminate body wastes.

Food Therapy for Weight Loss

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Daily food consumption is the first line of treatment.

It is common for the ancients to treat a minor ailment with a specially prepared meal or by including a particular ingredient in a dish.

Based on the classification of patterns suggested, there are two main ways of treating obesity by food therapy.

1. Transform phlegm and eliminate dampness by drying the body and

2. Fortify the spleen and invigorate the kidneys.

A.    Promote Urination

The first method is to promote urination, which may be compared with diuretics in Western medicine.

B.    Ridding the body of excess water

This method involves absorbing tissue fluids in the body. Absorbing water in the body can be compared to that of a sponge soaking up spilled water; promoting urination removes water from the body through excretion. The majority of foods and herbs that can absorb water inside the body are aromatic, The aromatic foods not only can absorb water inside the body, but also can stop diarrhea.

C.   Cool the body to facilitate water removal

-       A dry-hot physical constitution is not prone to obesity as is a damp-hot physical constitution.
     For example, if you set fire to damp firewood, it will not burn quickly but produce a lot of smoke, which is not good.
      Similarly when water and heat mix in the body, neither will go away.
      The result is difficulty when urinating or discharge of reddish urine in small quantities.
      The strategy, therefore, is to cool the body, allowing water to flow.
       Food and herbs with a cold energy and a bitter flavor are used for this purpose, because cold energy  can cool the body and the bitter flavor can dry it.
D.Warm the body
     This is suitable for people with a cold-damp physical constitution.
      The strategy is to warm the body so that the water can flow out of the body, either through urination or perspiration. 
      Foods producing best results should have a warm or hot energy and a pungent-sweet flavor.
      Hot or warm energy increases body heat, pungent flavor increases perspiration, and a sweet or light flavor promotes urination. 
      Fresh ginger - is used frequently to counteract cold, particularly in winter and when it is used along with dry orange peel to make tea, its effects are significantly reinforce.
      Cinnamon satisfies these three conditions

      

Happy and Healthy Lunar New Year!

Wishing you and your loved ones

 A Very Happy, Blessed and Healthy New Year!

TCM and weight loss

Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint on the causes of obesity and weight loss:

Deals with the underlying body condition that may have led to the excess weight.

Once the body's balance is restored, the metabolism will process food properly and excess weight should no longer be a problem provided correct foods are eaten in moderate quantities.

Causes:

1. Dyspepsia, also known as indigestion or upset stomach, is a term that describes discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen. 

• It is not a disease. 
• Dyspepsia is a group of symptoms which often include bloating, nausea and burping.
• Over consumption of heavy, greasy and spicy foods or alcohol facilitate production of unhealthy heat in the stomach.
• Meanwhile, inadequate exercise after eating these types of foods damages the spleen function.
• The over-heated stomach will ripen an excessive amount of food. 
• Therefore, the stomach will digest food easier and make an individual feel hungry, but the spleen cannot handle an excessive food load causing it to under function and be unable to carry out its transformation and transportation functions properly. 
• As a result, the spare metabolic products turn into turbid fluid and phlegm which intermix with blood and qi (vital energy) filling up the organs, bones and muscles. 

 

2.  External/environmental pathogens giving rise to obesity



•     Invasion of external causes or over consumption of greasy foods leads to poor transformation and transportation functions of the spleen.

  3. Qi (vital energy) stagnation causes turbid phlegm accumulation



• For those who are emotionally disturbed, experience trauma, have menstruation problems or are elderly, the liver can fail to regulate qi (vital energy) flow which in turn affects digestion and blood flow.
• The resulting sluggish qi (vital energy) and blood flow tend to impair circulation of blood and energy
• Over time, this will congeal into phlegm and result in obesity.
•  

4. Kidney essence exhaustion leads to disharmony


• Lifestyles, which consume kidney essence ( vital life force) such as being over active.
• This affects the digestion, leading to a malfunction of the stomach and spleen.
• When this persists over a long period, the vaporization and elimination of wastes accumulates and will worsen the obesity condition, causing fluid and waste retention