The younger generation of white-collar workers often work overtime and stay up late, leading to various health issues, especially among women. What are the symptoms of blood deficiency? What does TCM say about the causes of blood deficiency? Let’s explore this further.
Why Does Blood Deficiency Occur? TCM Methods for Regulating Blood Deficiency
Cause 1: Spleen and Stomach Weakness
According to TCM, many factors can lead to spleen and stomach weakness, such as irregular eating habits, chronic diarrhea, and overeating leading to indigestion. Additionally, some may pick at food or diet excessively to maintain a slim figure, which over time results in insufficient nutrients to sustain the body’s normal supply and demand. The nutrients from food are the source of blood production; if there are issues with these, the raw materials for blood production are compromised, leading to blood deficiency in a short time.
Regulation Methods
1. Incorporate foods that aid digestion and reduce the burden on the spleen and stomach, such as hawthorn (Shan Zha), aged vinegar (Lao Chen Cu), and pomelo (You Zi).
2. Drink more congee. Congee is a soft, gentle, and easily digestible food that is best for nourishing the spleen and stomach. Those with spleen and stomach weakness can have congee for one meal daily, and adding ingredients like Chinese yam (Shan Yao) and red dates (Da Zao) enhances its nourishing effect.
3. Avoid picky eating. If certain foods’ taste or color makes you uncomfortable, try different preparations, such as making dumpling fillings. Each food contains unique nutrients that cannot be replaced by others. Frequent picky eating can lead to deficiencies of certain nutrients in your body.
4. Avoid or reduce foods that can cause discomfort to the spleen and stomach, which vary from person to person but generally include sweets, greasy, cold, and fried foods. If discomfort arises, it indicates damage to your spleen and stomach.
5. It is best to prepare a dietary list. After consulting a nutritionist, carry a personal food chart to eat more healthful foods and limit “restrictive” foods. It is advisable to avoid foods detrimental to your health. Although it may seem like more rules, a strong spleen and stomach are developed through such “regulation.”
Cause 2: Excessive Consumption
TCM Viewpoint 1: Prolonged Eye Use
The eyes, though small, are significant consumers of blood in the body. They effectively take thousands of pictures daily, especially in today’s fast-paced information age, where we look at computers at work, phones on the go, and televisions at home. The energy consumption of the eyes from these screens far exceeds that from reading books or enjoying nature. TCM believes that the eyes require sufficient blood to stay moist, and excessive use leads to excessive blood consumption.
Regulation Methods
1. Perform eye exercises. Stimulating acupoints can help clear meridians, harmonize qi and blood, and eliminate obstructions, promoting blood circulation and relieving eye fatigue. Start doing eye exercises for 5 minutes every afternoon to give your eyes and brain a break.
2. Close your eyes and mentally write the character “米” (rice) as a good exercise for your eyes. The method is to close your eyes and trace the strokes of the character with your eyeballs; you can also write it backward after finishing.
TCM Viewpoint 2: Prolonged Thinking
Thinking is a process that consumes a lot of blood. Overworking and excessive worrying can lead to excessive blood loss, resulting in blood deficiency. Some individuals who once had healthy hair may experience hair loss or graying due to overthinking, which is an example of blood deficiency caused by excessive mental strain.
Regulation Methods
1. While mental work is unavoidable, prepare convenient blood-nourishing foods in your diet, such as Codonopsis pilosula (Dang Shen) and goji berries (Gou Qi Zi). Codonopsis has a mild taste and is one of the least heating tonics, making it safe for long-term use without causing heat, while also replenishing qi and blood; goji berries are excellent for nourishing essence and blood.
2. Keep some of these two foods handy for easy snacking, but do not exceed 30 grams daily.
3. Dynamic rest. This means that even during rest, maintain a certain level of acceptable physical activity, such as walking, to promote blood circulation and metabolism, helping the body stay active. This avoids the drawbacks of static rest, which can harm the body.
Why Does Blood Deficiency Occur? TCM Methods for Regulating Blood Deficiency
Cause 3: Improper Weight Loss
TCM Viewpoint: The primary reasons for obesity are often overeating or lack of exercise. If one does not control their diet or increase physical activity but instead relies on medications or stimulation of certain acupoints to force elimination, weight loss may occur, but much of it is water rather than fat. These bodily fluids are also crucial components of blood; when they decrease, blood volume diminishes as well.
In summary: The above causes of blood deficiency have been identified. It is essential to adjust accordingly, avoid excessive fatigue, and replenish nutrition to strengthen and maintain good health.
