Over the past six months, we have become very aware of ways that health can affect mortality. A majority of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in those with compromised health, including the elderly. In this next series of blogs, we will take a look at some of the aspects of health, and how we can work together to improve these aspects, as well as overall health and therefore your ability to thrive through the pandemic. Afterall, it does not look like the pandemic is going away any time soon.
There are many ways to look at signs of your overall health. Today we will look at the health of your digestive system and your sleep. Other aspects of health that will be covered in future blogs are mental/emotional health, menstrual/reproductive health, immune system health, muscular skeletal system health, hormone system health, the health of other organ systems.
Digestive System Health
Why is digestive system health important? It is through the digestive system that we gain all of the nutrients to power all of the bodies functions, including immune function. Without a healthy digestive system, nothing else can function optimally. Most often if your digestive system is not healthy, you will not die immediately, but over time, health will deteriorate.
Signs of a healthy digestive system include: a normal appetite, smooth and easy digestion, and regular, smooth and easy elimination.
Let’s look at some signs of an unhealthy digestive system: low or excessive appetite, food cravings, burning in the esophagus or stomach, nausea, food intolerances, bloating, excessive gas (belching, or farting), abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, hemorrhoids, rectal bleeding.
If you are experiencing any of the above, you may go see a Gastroenterologist. They will likely run blood tests, and diagnostic tests such as a colonoscopy, and/or endoscopy. Fortunately, often these tests are negative, yet the problem remains. That is a great time to visit a Dr. of Chinese Medicine. We focus on diagnosing and treating conditions that are not immediately life threatening, but like the above are indicative of poor digestive health.
Sleep Problems
Sleep is so important. Did you know that sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, and that you can live longer from food deprivation than from sleep deprivation? During sleep, all of the organ systems repair and reset, muscle memory is formed, short- and long-term memory is set, and every system (including the immune system) is optimized.
Signs of sleep problems include difficulty falling asleep, waking in the night, wrestles sleep, sleepiness during the day, not feeling rested in the morning.
Sleeping pills and over the counter sleep aids may be ok for short term use, but they do not fix the cause of the problem. Your Dr. of Chinese Medicine will develop an individual plan to help improve your sleep long term, and thereby your health.
If you have any questions about how Chinese Medicine may help you improve your health, please make a free consultation appointment and let’s see if we can help you.
Dr’s Ann and Emily
