Traditional Chinese medicine is different from that of traditional Western medicine insofar that Chinese medicine looks at the body as a whole when assessing a singular medical complaint, and then utilizing remedies of ancient Eastern origin to heal the overall health of the patient.
An herbalist’s repertoire of herbs top out with as many as 250 different herbs and tonics (sometimes also in powder, lotion, or pill form), many of which have evidence of usage dating back thousands of years. These herbs are recommended for any number of ailments in order to restore the body’s ‘good’ humors as well as that of the patient’s overall ‘Qi’.
What Falls Under the Category of ‘Digestive Disorders’?
In this day and age, digestive disorders are becoming more and more prevalent, with ailments ranging from heartburn, reflux, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohns Disease, and Celiac Disease, just to name a handful. Essentially, anything that has an individual experiencing anything from stomach pain to frequently visiting the bathroom can be categorized under the umbrella of a digestive disorder.
How Can the Former Treat the Latter?
Chinese Herbal Medicine can be extremely effective in treating digestive disorders. First, a Chinese herbalist will assess a patient holistically, allowing for a full body examination, as opposed to just the stomach; indeed, in Chinese medicine, many digestive disorders can be directly linked back to issues with the spleen! Furthermore, a Chinese herbalist may examine the patient’s tongue as it is the thought in Chinese medicine and mal-absorption or indigestion (really digestive disorders as a whole) can be identified in one’s tongue: the undulations, colors, size, etc. of one’s tongue can be a window into the stomach!
After this assessment, the proper herbs can be prescribed to the patient; however, what is unique about Chinese Herbal Medicine in treating digestive disorders is that as the treatment and time progresses (and inevitably the patient’s condition improves), adjustments are made in the herbs and doses given. Again, each time the entire body is assessed and each piece taken into account in the treatment and herbs provided. Paying attention to the body as a whole entity can provide a window into holistically treating an imbalance in digestive disorders and indigestion.