Treating Digestion Problems with TCM
at Harmony Acupuncture Kanata

Good health, vitality and well-being starts with a good diet. The popular saying “you are what you eat” would be more accurately stated as “you are what you eat and what your body can absorb”. Energy levels, development, movement, repair of tissues, well-functioning sensory organs, clear thinking and memory all depend not only on food quality but also on the strength of the body’s ability to digest and absorb food. Despite what the media may have us believe, there is no one-size-fits-all diet conducive to good health. More importantly, chronic and more serious digestive problems often cannot be corrected with diet alone. Individualized treatment including diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other techniques tailored to individual needs can be an invaluable way to reach optimum health.

Bombarded with contradictory and anecdotal information about what is considered healthy eating, many of my clients ask me how much of what they read, hear and see is truly accurate. Lacking access to accurate and reliable information about good nutrition, many people resort to experimenting with different supplements as a means to improve their health or health condition(s). My clients being no exception, it does not come as a surprise when they initially resist herbal treatment as a result of not seeing any changes in their health after consuming supplements on a trial and error basis.

The 2013 award-winning Canadian television newsmagazine The Fifth Estate investigated the natural health industry. They discovered how few people are aware that the often-expensive supplements sold by health food stores can be harmful, contaminated, and ineffective. Studies led by Guelph University in 2013, show that 60% of products that were tested had ingredients that were not listed on the label and 1 in 3 were fake. Still, in Canada, all supplements labeled as “health food products” are considered food and are thus passively approved by Health Canada; furthermore, license-holders are able to get approval for new products in as little as 10 days.

According to Health Canada, it is estimated that 60% of people in Canada suffer from some kind of digestive problem including: indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, liver disease, parasites and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Yet, conventional medicine offers little help in the way of digestive conditions. There are a few medications on the market used to relieve symptoms of common digestive problems, although they are by no means a cure. Moreover, some of these can be harmful such as antacids commonly prescribed for heartburn. Typically, unless a more serious diagnosis is made, patients are otherwise sent home with a diagnosis of a mild digestive disorder such as IBS or indigestion and receive little more from their general practitioners than advice to eat well.

For a TCM practitioner, all the symptoms of an improperly-functioning digestive tract, including bloating, gas, heartburn, and other ailments, are taken very seriously and as always, the treatment is based on differential diagnosis. Only this way, the root of the problem is addressed and treated accordingly. For thousands of years, acupuncture and herbal formulas have proven to be very effective for digestive diseases. These ancient methods are created to correct the problem and bring back harmony to the digestive system.