Hazel Tree Holistic Health

Let Food Be Your Medicine and Medicine Be Your Food - Hippocrates

The importance of what we eat cannot be ignored, in Traditional Chinese Medicine or any other medicine.  A famous 14th century Chinese Physician informs us:

Doctors first have to find a cause for an illness and determine which disharmony prevails [thru the use of tongue and pulse diagnosis].  To balance this disharmony, the first and foremost measure is appropriate diet.  It is not until this measure bears no results that one should use medicines.

The basis of dietary counseling in Traditional Chinese Medicine is, like everything else, related to the organ system.  As said above, once the disharmony is located, the first step is to restructure the diet.  In TCM, the disharmony is located in one or more of the following organ pairs:

• Spleen / Stomach
• Liver / Gall Bladder
• Kidney / Bladder
• Heart / Small Intestine
• Lung / Large Intestine

For each of these organ systems there exist foods that can either harm or help said system.  For example:

The Spleen likes to be warm.  Therefore, cold foods such as iced drinks, salads and raw vegetables are harmful to the Spleen.  In order to support the Spleen we should eat such foods as:  cooked rice, steamed vegetables and various teas.  During your visit to Hazel Tree Holistic, a diagnosis will be made and a list of suggested dietary improvements will be given.  At this point, it is up to the patient to implement these changes.  Please see my list of recommended books if you would like to learn more about diets and recipes that support your optimal health.