Diarrhea, Constipation, Diet and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Posted: Tuesday, April 07, 2009
by Richard Heft
Richard Heft
The following is an excerpt from Hot and Cold Health based on traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic and Western medicines and the questioning and counseling of 30,000+ people. Western medical authority does not scientifically recognize either medicine. It considers them more opinion than fact despite the fact that two billion plus people practices them.
Diarrhea (cold and hot)
Diarrhea is frequent and or loose stools. It has many causes: poor diet, indigestion, contaminated water, bacterial infection, drugs, spoiled foods, caffeine, magnesium supplements, laxatives, antibiotics, excessive alcohol, etc. Diarrhea can also be a symptom of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, Crohn's Disease, etc. depending on additional symptoms. Diarrhea, loose stools is generally treated with diet, herbs and or drugs, depending on the severity.
The body digests, transforms food, nutrients into blood, into structure into function. Whatever food, nutrients, non-nutrients not digested, absorbed becomes waste that is sent down to the large intestine for temporary storage and eventual elimination. The stools are made from food, nutrients and non-nutrients (includes fiber). There are only two kinds of nutrients: building and cleansing. Building nutrients (protein and fat) build, thicken, fuel, heat, etc. Cleansing nutrients (water, sugar, minerals, etc.) reduce, cleanse, cool and moisten.
Protein and fat are thick, sticky nutrients. They hold together the stools, giving them form. Water, sugar, minerals, fruit, vegetables and grains (bread, pasta, cookies, pretzels, etc.) contain water, sugar, minerals, etc. that dilute and loosen the stools. They also contain fiber that naturally absorbs, swells with water, fluids giving the stools bulk.
The correct combination of building and cleansing foods, drinks produces the correct amount, quantity and quality of stool. Normal, healthy stools are banana shaped, firm, buoyant and relatively odorless. Unhealthy stools are loose, dry, frequent, infrequent, constipated and or stinky.
Too many cleansing foods, cold drinks, fluids (water, fruit, vegetables, juices, milk, ice cream, etc) dilute and weaken digestion, acid and enzymes, which in turn, dilutes, weakens and loosens the stools, causing diarrhea and or constipation in addition bloating, gas, burping, etc. Raw, uncooked foods (salads, fruits, juices, etc.) tend to loosen the stools more so than cooked foods.
The middle diet, daily meal plan, adjusted accordingly is recommended. Spices (cardamom, coriander, cumin, cayenne, ginger, fennel, turmeric, cinnamon, etc.) increase digestion, eliminate excess water: mucous, phlegm, diarrhea, etc. and counter; kill obnoxious bacteria, fungi, etc.
In Ayurvedic medicine, many spices, 7+ are used in cooking. Each spice has similar and different healing properties: turmeric (anti inflammatory, digestive aid); fennel (liver, digestion), cardamom (aids in digestion of dairy), cinnamon and ginger (prevention and treatment of common cold, earaches), etc. Spices are contraindicated when there is dryness. See Chapter 3, for more information.
Peppermint tea helps counter, dry diarrhea. The best advice, when suffering from diarrhea, is to eat light (vegetable broth, little spice) until it ends. If chronic, consult a doctor. Milk is difficult to digest, which is why it is often drunk alone. With other foods (cereal), it tends to cause indigestion, abdominal bloating, gas, loose stools, etc.
Constipation (hot and cold)
Constipation is infrequent and or dry stools that are difficult to pass. The stools are made from food and bacteria. Food contains nutrients and non-nutrients (includes fiber). There are only two kinds of nutrients: building (protein and fat) and cleansing (water, minerals, sugar, etc.) Protein and fat build thicken and dry. Water, minerals, etc. moisten and loosen. The correct combination produces the correct elimination, stools. The incorrect produces constipation, loose stools, diarrhea, etc.
Too much protein and fat (includes cholesterol) and or too little carbohydrates (grains, vegetables and fruits) tend to dry, thin and harden the stools. Too many carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables) tend to loosen the stools. Too little fiber tends to loosen the stools. Too many spices in addition to smoking, coffee and alcohol, in the extreme, also tend to dry the stools.
The frequency and movement of stools are controlled largely by digestion and respiration Digestion transforms (reduces the size of food into its smallest component parts: nutrients and non-nutrients) and transports, moves food down via peristaltic wave-like contractions of muscles located the small intestine. The diaphragm is muscular partition that divides the chest from the abdomen. It moves up and down as the lungs expand and contract, massaging the intestines, increasing peristaltic action, movement of food from the small intestine to the large intestine. Exercise and deep breathing increase peristalsis.
Protein and fat build and fuel all function. Long-term low protein and low fat diets, in the extreme, tend to weaken all function, including digestion and elimination. Weak digestion increases waste product as all foods, nutrients not digested, absorbed become waste (sent to the large intestine). It also tends to loosen the stools, as there is less protein and fat to harden, form.
Water, sugar, minerals, fruits, vegetables, and grains reduce cleanse, cool and moisten. In excess, especially when eaten at the beginning of the meal, tend to dilute, weaken and slow digestion, elimination making the stools loose, watery and or infrequent, dry, constipated, painful. Diverticulitis (pockets) may also occur.
The middle diet, meal plan (Chapter 2), adjusted accordingly is recommended. Always eat from hot (building) to cold (cleansing), with a little fruit at the end of the meal. Try black or white fungus, and or mushrooms, which are moistening, mucilaginous, slide easily through the body. Use oil, 1 TB of olive or sesame oil in cooking. Snack on fruit: apples, pineapple, etc. especially at night (as long as the stools are not loose, watery). Eat a light, early dinner. A heavy dinner or late night eating tends to cause constipation. Reduce pasta, bread, cookies, doughnuts, pretzels, coffee, alcohol and smoking which are all drying, constipating. Check with your doctor first before making any changes.
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