In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Spleen Qi Deficiency is a frequently diagnosed imbalance that can lead to various health issues. It is crucial to understand that the TCM concept of the Spleen differs from the Western medical understanding of the physiological spleen. In TCM, the Spleen encompasses a broader range of functions related to digestion, energy metabolism, and overall vitality. It is believed that when the Qi of the Spleen becomes weak or compromised, it can result in symptoms such as fatigue, bloating, and weakened immunity.
What is Spleen Qi?
When discussing the Spleen in Chinese Medicine (CM), it's essential to note that the term doesn't have a direct correlation with the physiological spleen in Western medicine. In Chinese medicine, the concept of the Spleen encompasses a broader understanding, incorporating functions related to digestion, energy metabolism, and overall vitality, even associations with emotions, seasons, and flavors. The Spleen is not necessarily the physical organ, but a set of functions and relationships - physical, mental, spiritual. In TCM, the Spleen's main focus is to absorb food and nutrients and begin the process of moving them where they need to go.
Qi is often translated as energy, but it also involves functions and relationships. Spleen Qi can be understood as the Spleen's ability to perform its functions effectively. These functions involve transforming what we take in from the outside world into ourselves. The Stomach takes in and processes food, while the Spleen transforms it into the substance of your body. The senses take in information, and the Spleen transforms it into integrated understanding. The Spleen is also responsible for moving fluids and nutrition around the body, ensuring they reach where they are needed.
Symptoms of Spleen Qi Deficiency
Spleen Qi deficiency can manifest differently in individuals, but common signs and symptoms include:
- Fatigue and low energy
- Poor appetite or feeling full quickly
- Abdominal bloating or distension, especially after meals
- Loose stools or chronic diarrhea
- Pale complexion
- Weak limbs or muscle tone
- Tendency to bruise easily
- Craving sweets
- Mental fatigue/fogginess
- Bowel movements with undigested food
Causes of Spleen Qi Deficiency
Several factors can contribute to Spleen Qi Deficiency, including:
Read also: Nutrient Deficiencies on Carnivore
- Poor diet: Consuming excessive amounts of raw, cold-natured, fried, greasy, or excessively sweet foods.
- Overthinking or excessive mental work: Mental strain, such as computer work, studying, and chronic worry.
- Chronic illness or prolonged fatigue
- Lack of physical activity: A sedentary lifestyle.
- Irregular eating habits: Eating while hurried or stressed, skipping meals, not eating enough, or overeating.
The Spleen's Role in Digestion and Overall Health
The Spleen plays a crucial role in digestion, energy production, and overall vitality. It assists the Stomach in the "transformation and transportation" of food, which involves absorbing nutrients and separating waste matter. The Spleen is also the main organ in the production of Qi, deriving it from the food and drink we consume. This Qi is the foundation of our Blood, which nourishes the entire body.
In biomedicine, the Spleen might be understood as relating to organs such as the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, and pancreas. Some biomedical body functions comparable to the Spleen function include gut hormones and enzyme production (eg insulin, ghrelin, gastric acids) and microbiome health.
Dietary Recommendations for Spleen Qi Deficiency
Adjusting your diet is crucial for addressing Spleen Qi deficiency and supporting its vitality. The following dietary recommendations can help restore balance and strengthen the Spleen:
General Principles
- Eat warm, cooked foods: Avoid raw, cold, or iced foods and beverages, as these can weaken the Spleen. Think of cooking as a "pre-digestion" of your food. By cooking the majority of your food, you are significantly lightening the load on your Spleen.
- Avoid greasy, fried, and overly sweet foods: These can contribute to dampness and weaken the Spleen.
- Eat regular meals: Maintain a regular meal schedule and avoid constant snacking or grazing, as this can worsen Spleen Qi deficiency.
- Chew thoroughly: Inadequately chewed food imposes a heavy burden on the Spleen.
- Eat to 80%: Stop eating just before you start to feel noticeably full.
- Minimize pasteurized dairy products: If you suffer from Spleen Qi deficiency, dampness, or phlegm, try to minimize your consumption of pasteurized dairy products. Raw, grass-fed dairy products are more digestible.
Foods to Strengthen Spleen Qi
- Grains and complex carbohydrates: Brown rice, rice, oats, millet, quinoa, and sweet potatoes.
- Cooked vegetables: Carrots, pumpkin, squash, turnips, leeks, and beets.
- Proteins: Lentils, adzuki beans, chickpeas, chicken, turkey, eggs, beef, and bone broth.
- Herbs and spices: Ginger, cinnamon, fennel, garlic (cooked), nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom, honey, basil, cloves, dill, and fennel seeds.
- Fruits (in moderation, cooked when possible): Apples (red), dates (especially red dates/jujube), figs, and pears (steamed or poached).
Foods to Avoid
- Ice-cold drinks and raw salads and veggies
- Dairy products: Can create dampness
- Fried or greasy foods
- Excessive refined sugar
- Processed foods in a box or a bag
- Overeating or snacking constantly
- Green tea, beer, and fermented drinks
- Too much fruit: Fruit is best eaten in season and in moderation. Berries are okay, while citrus and melons are the most cooling, and bananas are the "dampest" forming.
Specific Food Recommendations
- Rice: Use a rice cooker and learn to use rice as a staple. White rice is better than brown if your gut function is not strong.
- Root vegetables: Roasted root veggies are supportive and can be used as a side to dishes or kept in the fridge for snacks.
- Spices: Add spices to your meals to warm the digestion/spleen and make foods easier to digest.
Lifestyle Adjustments to Support Spleen Qi
In addition to dietary changes, lifestyle adjustments can significantly impact Spleen Qi and overall well-being.
Mindful Living
- Regulate your stress: Learning ways to help control stress and bring about more mindfulness can be very beneficial when trying to optimize gut health.
- Regular sleep schedule: Aim for consistent bed and wake times, preferably before 11 PM.
- Adequate rest: Avoid overworking or excessive mental strain.
- Moderate exercise: Walking, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi are ideal.
- Avoid overthinking: Chronic worry or over-intellectualizing can damage the Spleen.
- Take breaks during work: Especially if you're doing mental tasks.
- Eat in a relaxed environment: Make time after eating to stay in 'rest and digest' to adequately support digestion (15 mins).
- Practice gratitude: Cultivating gratitude for the food you eat is a method of nourishment and self-love.
- Eat with others: Eating with others where possible is another heart-cultivating Spleen supporting lifestyle method.
Daily Practices
- Gentle abdominal massage (clockwise): Supports digestion.
- Breathing exercises: Reduce stress with 5 count inhale, 5 count exhale, for 5 minutes total duration.
- Warm foot baths: Take warm foot baths in the evening to anchor energy.
- Acupressure: Use acupressure points like Stomach 36, and Spleen 6, Ren 12.
- Light exercise: Light exercise on a daily basis (especially stretching) is very important. A light walk after meals leads to better digestion and better health.
- Posture: Pay attention to your posture during and after eating. Sitting in a twisted or scrunched up way impairs the function of the digestive organs.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
- Avoid grocery shopping when hungry: This is the time we have the most control over what we eat.
- Learn 3-5 recipes: Learn recipes that you can cook well and that support your spleen.
- Identify problem meals: Give careful consideration to how you might deal with the problem.
Herbal Remedies for Spleen Qi Deficiency
Chinese herbal formulas can effectively tonify the Spleen and improve Qi. Some widely used formulas include:
Read also: Nutrition with IgA Deficiency
- Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Gentlemen Decoction): Tonifies Spleen Qi and supports digestion.
- Liu Jun Zi Tang (Six Gentlemen Decoction): Addresses Spleen Qi Deficiency with bloating, nausea, or excess phlegm.
- Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction): Tonifies Spleen and raises Yang Qi.
Always consult with a licensed TCM practitioner before taking herbal formulas.
The Importance of Gut Health
In Chinese medicine, gut health relates directly to the Spleen. It is the central aspect of the digestive process and, in many ways, the central aspect of our overall health and wellbeing. When the Spleen is healthy, other diseases are kept away.
Spleen Qi and Women's Health
Because the Spleen is involved with making Blood, women tend to be more susceptible to developing Spleen energy deficiencies. Each month, during menstruation, there is blood loss, causing the Spleen to work harder to substitute the deficiency. Working with the Spleen through diet can strongly support womenâs health concerns such as menstrual cycle complaints, PMS, period pain, endometriosis, and PCOS.
Read also: Comprehensive Keto Guide