 
In the West we tend to categorize food according
to calorific content, mineral and vitamin content. The Chinese medical
system categorises food according to the effect that it has on our
bodies. For example, salads are cooling and red meat is warming.
This is to say, when we ingest salads our body temperature drops,
and conversely eating red meat warms our bodies. This classification
of food using the scale 'hot-warm-neutral-cool-cold', is not based
on the temperature of the food, it is based on the energetic qualities
of food. To illustrate, if a red chilli and a cucumber are at room
temperature, one will have a warming effect and the other a cooling
effect when eaten.
This way of classifying food is very useful when
we look at medical imbalances in our bodies and ways of restoring
good health. I will illustrate with a case study.
Case Study - Vegan - Female 26 (1999 –Leeds,
West Yorkshire)
A patient came to see me who was diagnosed as suffering
from R.S.I. (repetitive strain injury). She had been working hard
using computers and developed a problem in her right wrist after
long hours of using the mouse. When I felt her hand and wrist it
was remarkably cold and it felt cold half way up her arm. In contrast,
her other hand and wrist felt fine. This patient had a diet consisting
of a lot of raw, cold food and lived in a cold, damp climate (Yorkshire).
As a consequence there was a lot of cold in her body.
Long hours using a mouse and keyboard had weakened
her hand and wrist. Since there was a lot of cold inside her body
she was vulnerable to external Cold (from the climate) invading
her joints. I treated her successfully by using a combination of
acupuncture and 'moxibustion'. This
warmed the acupuncture channels flowing in her wrist & hand
and her RSI symptoms disappeared.
This example illustrates the problems of eating
a diet that is not suitable to the climate we live in. Can you imagine
a native Eskimo living on salads!
Our climate is cold and damp and so we need food
that is warming and helps disperse Damp within our bodies.
Chinese dietary therapy is based on each individual’s
‘pattern of disharmony’. This is to say, a
diet that is suitable for one person, may not be suitable for another.
It is based on the general constitution of the individual and their
presenting symptoms when they come to the clinic.
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