There are many different factors that contribute to difficulty losing weight, such as lifestyle, nutrition, hormones, sleep patterns, and possibly genetics.  For many, maintaining a healthy weight is a daily task.  It is important to note that a person's healthy weight and "ideal" weight may be worlds apart.  Traditional Chinese medicine can help steer you towards your healthy weight, and I'm here to talk with you a little bit about what might be standing between you and your healthy weight.

Introducing the traditional Chinese medicine term Phlegm.

Traditional Chinese medicine views weight gain and weight loss resistance differently than how biomedicine looks at it.  At the root level, weight gain is excess Phlegm which comes from the Spleen, aka the gut.  Quite simply, if you can't assimilate your food and drink properly, this can cause many issues such as weak digestion, nutrient deficiencies, and stagnation in the body.

With this in mind, you could have the cleanest diet on the planet but your body isn't getting what it needs because you are not able to digest well.  This can cause issues like weight gain because we need to overeat in order supply our body with adequate nutrients to survive.  This begins a vicious cycle: If we don't eat to nourish ourselves, our systems become imbalanced because our bodies don't have the building blocks to help us thrive.  As the digestive system (Spleen) continues to weaken, the body begins to produce and accumulate "phlegm," making it feel sluggish and heavy.

From a biomedical point of view, our metabolism slows down.

Your body likes a state of constant flow.  The accumulation of Phlegm doesn't stop with symptoms of weight gain or weight loss resistance.  It also shows up as feeling tired, sluggish, heavy, unhappy bowels, or emotional upset.  There's nothing to lose by addressing Phlegm.

​The idea of weight loss can seem overwhelming.  Mindset is oh so important for this.  Rather than focusing on "weight loss" and driving yourself crazy, try focusing on "health gain."  This means focusing on lowering insulin, lowering inflammation, healing your gut, and getting proper fuel so your body will have the ability to heal itself.  Weight loss will be a byproduct of protecting your health.

Nevertheless, traditional Chinese medicine has a few tips to address Phlegm that will have a big impact on your health:

• Keep your drinks warm: Cold constricts, heat moves.  Your body wants to be in a constant state of motion.  Try it!  It might make the difference.
• Ditch the greasy foods:  Any food that's difficult to digest will lead to Phlegm accumulation, but the worst is greasy or fried foods.  They offer little nutrition and are difficult to digest and assimilate into the body.  PS- the same is true of sugar.
• Eat like a queen in the morning and a pauper at night: Your digestive system is at its peak between 7-11 am.  This is a good time to eat your biggest meal- you will digest it well and have fuel for the day.
• Hold the raw foods: Just like cold drinks, raw and cold foods slow down the digestive system and metabolism.  Warm and cooked is always the best option.
• Build your muscles: It's really important to move your body daily.  Movement is a great way to make your digestive system happy and get rid of excess Phlegm.  If your digestive system is sluggish and you feel tired at the thought-- less is more.  Start with five minutes and build form there.  Just be consistent.

​These simple additions to your day can have a profound impact on your body and help you move towards a healthier you!

I have been seeing more infertility in clinic recently.  Most everyone questions, "What causes infertility?" and "What can I do to help myself?"  Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are excellent as a stand alone therapy, or as a complement to modern fertility treatments.  Acupuncture can help by regulating your body's systems, which aides in blood flow to the reproductive organs and stabilizes hormone levels.  This will increase ovarian function in women as well as sperm production in men.

The origins of infertility or difficulty conceiving, according to traditional Chinese medicine, are related to upbringing and lifestyle. These origins are:

• constitutional weakness (the woman's parents were in poor health at conception)
• overwork (long hours without adequate rest)
• excessive physical work (including strenuous exercise)
• sexual activity at too early an age (before age 18)
• invasion of Cold (prolonged exposure to cold and damp, such as weather)
• irregular diet (excessive consumption of cold foods, greasy foods, dairy products, or iced drinks)

In traditional Chinese medicine, infertility occurs when the body cannot produce an egg, the egg cannot be fertilized, or the fertilized egg cannot be nourished.  When diagnosing infertility, your acupuncturist is differentiating between deficiency or excess.  For example, we are trying to determine whether a woman cannot conceive because her body is failing to nourish the uterus since there is a lack of energy or because there is a pathogenic factor blocking the uterus and preventing fertilization. 

Luckily, once an appropriate diagnosis and differentiation is reached, acupuncture and Chinese herbs are excellent resources to balance out the body so an egg can be produced, fertilized, and nourished into a healthy baby!

If you have been diagnosed with infertility, here are some tips to help take care of yourself:

• If you're not seeing an acupuncturist, make an appointment now!
• Eat warm and cooked foods.  Include lots of spices!
• Increase amount of healthy fats in your diet.  Healthy fats come from plant sources, such as nuts, seeds, avocado, and plant based oils.
• Avoid iced drinks, dairy products, and greasy foods.
• In cold and damp weather, make an extra effort to stay warm and dry.  That means wearing a scarf, mittens, and warm socks!
• Build in stress management activities into daily life.  These can be yoga, acupuncture, meditation, coloring, hiking, reading, journaling, photography, praying...anything that you do that lowers your heart rate and breathing rate!
• If you feel like your job is emotionally and mentally draining, see if you can cut back on the amount of hours that you work.
• If you follow an intense physical training regimen, try taking a couple months off of training so hard.
• Try to get 8 hours of sleep per night.  The hours before midnight are better than those after midnight!

If you have more specific questions or would like to schedule a free consultation to learn more about how traditional Chinese medicine can help your specific condition, please reach out to me! I would love to chat with you! (303) 349-4575, hac.crdilli@gmail.com.

Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chinese Medicine, 2nd ed.; G. Maciocia

Neiguan is one of the most important points in traditional Chinese medicine due to its many different functions.

It opens the chest, and therefore, can be used for any chest problems causing pain, stuffiness, or tightness.

It helps to harmonize the stomach and subdue the upward rushing of energy manifesting as nausea or vomiting.  It also helps with acid regurgitation, belching, dizziness, and hiccuping.

Neiguan has a powerful calming action on the mind and can be used to help with anxiety or irritability.  It is excellent to promote restful sleep and help with pre-menstrual depression and moodiness.  Not only does it help you digest food but emotions as well.

Interestingly, this point is effective in alleviating neck aches originating from the back of the head, especially in women.

Lastly, an acupuncturist might choose this point to help regulate irregular or painful menses.

Use Neiguan for pain management, stress, and digestion.  Let me know if you've tried it and how it worked.

The body’s hormonal balance, and overall homeostasis, is thrown into disarray during menopause.  Most women assume that hot flashes are inevitable.  However, hot flashes are actually a symptom of an imbalance occurring between organ systems of the body.  And once the imbalance becomes balanced, the hot flashes will disappear.

Hot flashes usually get acupuncturists thinking about Kidney energy.  In TCM-style acupuncture, the most common approach is to address Kidney Yin deficiency with Heat.  Many symptoms of menopause can fall into this category: night sweats, emotional instability, insomnia, headache, and dryness. 

Acupuncture points and herbs that nourish Kidney Yin and clear Heat are a safe bet, but sometimes further analysis is required.  Kidney Yin deficiency often appears in conjunction with other organ energy deficiencies, such as Liver or Heart.

If you want to experience a more comfortable transition through menopause, try incorporating acupuncture and Chinese herbs into your lifestyle.