Nutrition Adapted to the Onnetsu and Far-infrared Mattresses

The digestive system is considered one of the most important systems in traditional Chinese medicine. It is considered the physical and energetic center, from which and through which the body can draw the substances it needs to survive. When the digestive system is damaged, the other systems will be damaged. To treat various health problems, it is necessary to ensure that this system is balanced and functioning optimally.

Li Dongyuan (1180-1251 AD) was a very famous physician in China who developed a unique approach to healing and is considered one of the most famous physicians in the history of Chinese medicine. He is best known for his groundbreaking work regarding the digestive system as the central system that must be treated to restore the body and cure many diseases. His approach does not make sense in “killing” a disease, but rather in balancing the body and allowing it to heal naturally.

Even today, Li Dong Yuan’s teachings are widely used to treat a huge variety of diseases, from paralysis, neurological problems, pain, metabolic problems to cancer, diabetes, and more.

How the Digestive System Works – from a Chinese Medicine Perspective

The digestive system is considered a very central system in Chinese medicine. The function of the system is often described as “fire” that resides in the stomach and “cooks” the food we eat.

When we cook rice in a pot, it softens and breaks down, so we can eat it exactly as it happens in our bodies. The “digestive fire” breaks down the food that reaches the stomach and turns it into essences. These essences are distributed throughout the body for nourishment, and this system expels waste.

Imagine the digestive system as a campfire on which a pot of thick, filling soup is placed. The soup sits on the fire and cooks, its ingredients – vegetables, roots, and meat – heat up and soften, and at the end of the process, turn into a substance that can be absorbed and used for nourishment.

When the body is not a good cook, problems arise

When the heat is not right, some of the soup will cook and maybe even be edible. But a large part of it will not cook or it will take a long, long time to cook it all.

When the fire is not working properly, we get:

1.  Uncooked parts in the soup.
2.  These parts are not waste, so it would be a shame to throw them away, but maybe we can save them for later when we get more wood or gas.
3.  We spent a lot of time and resources cooking the soup over low heat.

In another situation, the fire is normal, there is a big and beautiful flame, but the soup pot is huge, a huge cauldron full and dense with roots and meat. Our body often reaches a similar situation – the fire does not match the size of the “pot” and will not be able to cook all the soup and therefore we may find ourselves with the same 3 problems again.

In the opposite situation, let’s say we have a small pot of soup that we place on a huge fire. The pot and the soup will burn very quickly, we will only be able to eat a small portion of the soup, and we will have to quickly put a new pot and hope that it doesn’t burn too.

Problems and Diseases caused by an Unbalanced Digestive System

Soup = the food we eat

Pot = the quantities

Hearth = function of our digestive system.

First case – When we eat good food in good quantities, but our digestive system is weak, we will not be able to digest the food properly and will not be able to use it properly to nourish the body. In this situation, we feel fatigue, bloating, feeling cold, loose stools, gas, frequent illnesses, body aches, poor appetite, difficulty losing weight and a need for sweets after eating or weakness. All of these can characterize a situation in which something in the body is not functioning properly and is unable to cope with the food that enters.

Second case – When the digestive system is healthy, but we load it with inappropriate food and improper quantities, even a person with a strong digestive system may find themselves with serious health problems. If we load ourselves with fast, greasy, fried, sweet food, in large quantities, eat irregularly, etc., we will damage and exhaust our digestive system and, over time, cause the development of different diseases and physical, energetic and mental imbalances.

Third case – When the quantity, type or quality of food is insufficient, such as in situations of poverty, diets, fasting, etc. Digestion may become too “aggressive.” In this situation, there is increased hunger, a desire to eat frequently, and physical sensations such as heartburn, reflux, diarrhea or constipation, stomach pain, and even chronic and acute illnesses. Just as the soup and the pot are burned by the strong fire, so too the digestive juices burn the body because there is no regular intake of food into it.

What is important to pay attention to?

The main thing that characterizes food in China, beyond the spices and the many colors of the food, is the temperature. The food is stir-fried, steamed, fried, boiled – everything is hot!

The “fire” that cooks the food in the stomach, we certainly would not want to extinguish it, but rather we would strive to nourish it so that it would cook the food for us in the most ideal way!

In traditional Chinese eating culture, one never puts cold or cold things into the body – this is strictly forbidden, even in the heat of July and August. The medical approach is that cold food and drink can damage the digestive system, so it is important to ensure that everything that goes into it is at a high temperature.

Important highlights according to the Chinese approach to a healthy digestive system

• Hot and cooked food – hot = temperature, cooked = liquids. The combination of water and fire figuratively gives everything the body needs – yin and yang. Hot food is good for the body, helps digestion and is the basis for multi-system strengthening.
• Orderly eating – You should maintain an organized daily nutritional structure of 3 meals a day + small snacks for those who need them.
• Stick to quality food – industrialized, genetically modified food, full of coloring and flavoring agents, etc. is not recommended. The body should receive basic, fresh, and high-quality food as much as possible.
• Avoiding “too heavy a pot of soup” – greasy, very sweet, fried foods, etc. are not recommended.
• It is recommended to avoid cow’s milk products.
• It is recommended to consume food with balanced flavors – it is advisable to avoid food that is too spicy, too hot, too sweet, too salty, etc. According to Chinese medicine, excessive consumption of a particular flavor weakens the systems associated with it.
• Drinking – It is important to drink sufficient amounts of water or tea (about 2 liters a day) and to make sure that the drink is at a lukewarm temperature or higher, in order to help the digestive system perform its function.
• Balance Balance Balance – Consuming a variety of different types of foods and flavors while maintaining balance will greatly contribute to our health and help treat diseases and physical, energetic, and mental imbalances.