Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes the important relationship between physical health and digestive health. The body, and certain diseases, reflects the balance and health of your digestive system.
Besides digesting food, your gut plays a major role in your overall health. Recently, there’s been a lot of light shed on the connection between the gut and the immune system. The medical community now knows that 70—80% of your immune system is actually located in your digestive system. This is the battlefield for your immune system. The digestive system is a strong yet delicate ecosystem, finely balancing bad and good bacteria. The good bacteria are the “probiotics” you often hear of in the media. It is this balance and abundance of probiotic flora that allows for your immune system to stay strong and alert. Your gut also contains more nerve cells and neurotransmitters than the nervous system, giving it the nickname, “the second brain.” This highly sensitive, tuned machine is really an important component of not just your physical health but also your emotional, hence the saying, “follow your gut.” This is just one good reason to pay attention to what your gut is trying to tell you about your health.
Poor digestion can mean a myriad of unpleasant symptoms. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, digestive problems are a result of “digestive weakness”—a condition that can be inherent as part of our constitution, but more often acquired as part of our lifestyle and dietary habits. The weakness is described as reduced digestive “heat,” or in other words, your digestive system is too cold. In Western terms, this heat can be understood as pertaining to essential enzymatic activity and proper secretion of necessary digestive juices. As such, any actions that might further “cool down” the digestive system can contribute significantly to the problem of sluggish and impaired digestion. Some of the most common causes of this type of cooling include excessive eating, late meals, rushed eating, and stress. Simply taking the time to slow down and mindfully eat your meals (as hard as it can be when you’re busy) could make a big difference in your effort to stay healthy. But remember that the food that you eat is responsible for telling your digestive system what to do—and if it’s not receiving proper direction in the way of natural whole foods, it’s not going to function correctly. That’s why a fiber-rich, nutritious, and balanced diet can go a long way in helping you to achieve this goal.
Plenty of fresh, clean water is also key, as your body needs ample amounts of fluid to form saliva, as well as gastric and intestinal secretions that are crucial to digestion. You want to avoid putting your water on ice, as cold beverages will further reduce the “heat” you want to restore. Warm or room temperature beverages are best, since all ice cold drinks are hard on the stomach. Supplements are beneficial for digestive health, especially when probiotics and prebiotics are not enough.
Herbal and enzymatic support may be helpful for restoring digestive strength. EcoNugenics developed an integrative digestive formula based on ancient digestion tonics, which consists of beneficial herbs, digestive enzymes, medicinal mushrooms, and minerals as well as other components. This unique formula addresses the root causes of weak digestion, while simultaneously addressing common symptoms that result from a stressed digestive system.
The focus should be on support, not ignoring the signs. Our formula uses a blend of seven plant-based enzymes from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillis orzae in small quantities: alpha-galactosidase, protease, amylase, lipase, phytase, and invertase. The herbal component contains pomegranate seed, to strengthen bile flow and gastric secretions; lesser galangal, to facilitate digestion and relieve gas; black pepper, to help neutralize excess stomach acid; cardamom fruit, to strengthen bile flow and warm the stomach; and cassia bark, to reduce gas and diarrhea. Tangerine peel, licorice, ginger, henon bamboo, and sacred lotus seed extract are important ingredients from Traditional Chinese Medicine known to aid in digestion. The minerals chromium and zinc are also included to promote healthy responses to inflammation. More information can be found at www.econugenics.com.
As always, we encourage you to share this information with anyone seeking strong digestion, a healthy gut, and an immune system functioning at its best.