September
2001
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EAST
MEETS WEST
Oriental Medicine
for Stomach Pain, Digestive Distress
STEVEN SONMORE
WHEN MARIE CAME to see me, she was a recent law student graduate ambitiously studying
for her bar exam. She was 27, a single mother, and on first glance appeared in good
health. But she had a history of severe stomach pain for many years. Plus, she had
been taking some very heavy duty prescription drugs for the pain, which were not
always effective.
Like other demanding professions such as plastic surgery and acupuncture, you must
first pass a very rigorous and expensive test that lasts for several days to practice
law. Marie had been maintaining quite an intense study schedule for a few years.
This had involved staying up late at night to dutifully learn her craft and miss
some sleep. From an Oriental medical perspective, excessive concentration can weaken
the spleen, which according to the Chinese is connected to the digestive system and
how we are able to convert our food into Qi or energy.
Her pain was especially intense when she was hungry which was accompanied by irritability.
She was very thirsty and drank iced beverages, lots of coffee, and had a fondness
for lattes. I found her pulse to be wiry, which indicated in this case that she had
Heat in the Stomach and Liver. Oriental medicine diagnoses the body climatically.
So, heat, cold, wind, dampness, and dryness are viewed as possible pathogenic factors.
She also suffered from Liver attacking Stomach, or in Five-Element terms, “Wood
attacking Earth.” The job of the Liver is to smoothly spread Qi to the other organs
like a distributor. When it is out of balance it can become “hot,” sending energy
upwards. The heat affects the mind to create irritability and anger and dries up
fluids to cause thirst. Excess Liver energy can overact on the stomach, causing pain
in that area.
I administered acupuncture to smooth out her excess liver energy, nourish fluids,
strengthen her spleen, and calm the mind. The first treatment had amazing results.
Marie felt very clam and refreshed. Her stomach pain was completely gone. But we
weren’t out of the woods yet. Now we needed to work on lifestyle.
More than acupuncture
Many people think that Oriental medicine merely consists of acupuncture therapy.
But acupuncture is just one of many tools of this ancient system of healthcare. I
prescribed Chinese herbal combination based on her tongue and pulse diagnoses. This
combination invigorated her liver energy, sedated the rising heat, strengthened her
spleen, and calmed her Shen (Chinese for Mind/Spirit).
We talked about diet. I said that it might be a good idea to think about drinking
green tea instead of coffee. Green tea strengthens the spleen and enlivens the mind.
It has natural caffeine in it that does not make you jittery like coffee. Coffee
is an energetically cold substance. This does not go over big with the spleen, which
likes warming foods. Coffee also depletes the kidney yin and yang. This is like continually
dipping into your savings account. Eventually you are bankrupt. Although coffee gives
you a temporary boost in energy, you are eventually depleting your energetic resources.
Women in particular would do well to avoid coffee. Oriental medicine teaches that
it can cause accumulations in their breasts above and in their pelvises below. We
also talked about avoiding iced beverages because they also weaken the spleen.
Ultimately, excess liver energy is due to mental/emotional causes. The stress of
studying and preparing for a very demanding and expensive exam was a major stressor
for Marie. It reminded me of when I was preparing for the national acupuncture exam.
So, to address this part of the puzzle, I taught Marie qigong meditation. This empowered
Marie to personally work with own internal organs and enjoy serenity. The liver enjoys
periods of activity balanced with periods of introspection.
We needed to complete a series of acupuncture treatments. Not only did Marie’s stomach
pain disappear, but so did her irritability. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine work
on all levels simultaneously–physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. She no longer
had to depend on prescription drugs to kill the pain. I am happy to say that Marie
passed her bar exam with flying colors and now is a very successful lawyer. And her
stomach is much better.
Steven Sonmore, LAc, Dipl Ac, OBT (NCCAOM) is owner of Complete Oriental Medical
Care in south Minneapolis, offering acupuncture, Chinese herbology, nutrition, and
Oriental massage. Contact him at 612-866-4000 or visit his website.
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2001 Twin Cities WELLNESS newspaper.
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