Digestive Issues
Chinese medicine looks at digestion differently than does Western medicine. Our digestive functions are managed by both the Stomach and the Spleen. The Chinese Medicine Spleen is very different from the Western Spleen. The Chinese medicine spleen is basically the “2nd half” of the digestive process. It’s where the assessment of the body’s systems happens, and then the Spleen sends the needed nutrients to the rest of the body. Some say it’s a mistranslation and more closely relates to the function of the pancreas.
The Spleen is responsible for absorbing nutrients and then sending them to the rest of the body. So, if we’re anemic, we question whether the Spleen is involved. Or if a patient is consistently exhausted, I often suspect the Spleen might be the culprit.
The Spleen can be weakened by unhealthy food or even not enough food. So diet and nutrition are essential according to Chinese Medicine. Of course, it’s a lot more involved than this – whole textbooks are written on this topic of Chinese Medicine Nutrition!
In a nutshell, when there are digestive issues – the Spleen is the first place we look.