Dietary 4 long standing wood imbalance?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.