Dietary 4 long standing wood imbalance?

Comment by Archived User

Oh, also, I almost forgot I am a lacto-vegetarian.

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

What type of symptoms do you have overall. Two things immediately standout to me (something I counsel people on all the time) - not being able to tolerate cold foods and being a vegetarian. Because of that I&#39m more interested in what actual symptoms are concerning you instead of a theoretical discussion on diet for a wood imbalance which is already discussed to some detail in our tcm dietary therapy section.

Comment by Archived User

Hi Chad and thanks for your response. I would like to point out that I am an educated and long time vegetarian in that I do not eat too much processed soy foods, tofu or raw vegetables and I rather enjoy a variety of foods. I eat things like sea kelp, goji berries, black sesame seeds etc. to have amino acids and keep blood up. I have had issues in the past with Blood Def although it has been resolved.

My most prominent symptoms are deep seated repressed hurt and heartache. I would say that there is still some anger too. I have managed anxiety which includes a fear of certain people and situations for many years. Physically, I feel that I carry a lot of around in my chest. I also seem to have chronic issues with planning and carrying things out.

I also have gastrointestinal issues particularly around the first three days of my period where I have loose and very urgent bowel movements. I am pretty much housebound for the first 20 hours. I experience intense cramps as well. I used to have very long periods, although acupunctire sessions has resolved this for me. For the remainder of the month/cycle, stools are more often very difficult to pass.

I have ongoing pain in my left shoulder and left side of my torso around the ribcage and under the arm.

Am told that my pulse is constantly "wiry" although I do not know what this is indicative of at all.

.....thought I would add if it&#39s relevant at all that my skin is hyper sensitive to just about everything. Right now it has been super itcy.

Comment by Archived User

sea kelp is kind of cold food, all kind of seeds are oil food, these kinds of food are help loose stool. That is why you urgent bowel movement of gastrointestinal. pulse wiry means Qi stagnation, now most of people pulse more like this, it is very popular pulse. heartache may need detail diagnosis, wood imbalance, do you mean your liver Qi imbalance? so you need detail diagnosis. eat Indian corn or Dioscorea opposita Thunb or wheat may help your gastrointestinal.

Comment by Archived User

Hi again and thanks for your advice and knowledge. I have posted in the &#39herbs&#39 section, but was also wondering if you might have some suggestions of whole foods that may help with phelgm?

Comment by Archived User

Clear phlegm food are include: pear, orange, apple, radish, persimmon, almond, duck egg, jellyfish, ginger, garlic, tofu etc., and to clear phlegm should not eat too much sweet food, spicy food and fat food.

Comment by Archived User

Hi there.....just would like to request your knowledge and guidance once again.

So, lately (about 5 weeks now) I have been experiencing insomnia which is uncommon for me, I generally sleep soundly. I cannot get to sleep before 4:30 pm no matter what time I am waking in the morning. I also feel a lot of heat in my face and soles of my feet around 1 am. I does not seem to be effecting my physical level of energy in the day, but mentally it does. I cannot seem to focus for very long and have problems with memory. Emotionally, I feel sadness and the inability to be assertive. In the mornings, I very often experience pain down my arm along the pericardium meridian (I have had this for awhile but it is worst when I have slept less than 5 hours).

Thanks for taking the time to read this again. : )

Comment by Archived User

That is Liver fire & Heart fire symdrones on your body. Try sleep early, not too tired on daytime, drink more water to clear body heat poison. not eat spicy and fat food, you can eat thin meat, fish, shrimp, milk products to tonify liver, drink green tea, Ju Hua with Honey Tea, GouJiZi tea, Jue Ming Zi Tea, LianZi soup to clear heart fire.

Comment by Archived User

Much gratitude, : )

I do not know how to make lotus seed soup, can I just eat the seeds as is or just add them to a soup??

Also, I am vegetarian, so which non-animals could I eat to tone liver? Beets? Plums maybe?

Comment by Archived User

Lotus seeds with green heart is best, put them into water with some sugar boil to soft soup, it is very easy to cook. For vegetarian, you can eat some Tofu, mushroom, spinach etc.

Comment by Archived User

Thanks.

I am having some Ju Hua/Chrysanthemum flower & Rosehips tea with honey.....hopefully I will get to sleep before too long.

Zzzzzzz. Will drop the Korean market tomorrow in my neighbourgood for lotus seeds.

Comment by Archived User

I agree that tofu is a good source of protein for I have vegetarian friends that strongly recommend it for me to eat so that I have energy.

Comment by Archived User

Thanks Amira. Yeah, tofu is great and pretty cheap! Be sure to eat non-GMO of course.

The thing with tofu and women though, at least I have found, is that it is energetically cold. Women lose blood every month, i.e. warmth. So, it is best for us to not to overdue it with the tofu and of course, especially from Oct to March to eat it cooked to warm it a bit. There are some excellent recipes for broiled tofu! Addings onions etc. also warms it.

Of course, this probably isn&#39t true of all women. I know women who have hot blooded constitutions, but I think most of us are vulnerable to cold conditions as well as loss of yin.

Comment by Archived User

My understanding is unless soy is fermented it can block mineral uptake and be goitragenic. My chinese friend tells me her family in China make soymilk then ferment then make tofu. Not one tofu mfr I have contacted does this. I stick with fermented soy products. I have talked with 50+ year old women who started period after eating tofu.

Not that she wanted to start period.