The Stomach Pathway - Part I

Cancer Archetype, Empathy, Worry, Digestive Upset, Breast Health The stomach is the primary organ for the digestion of food.  According to Chinese Medicine If we aren't absorbing our food well, the spleen-stomach isn't able to transform what we eat and build blood sufficiently (and thus we tend to experience deficient digestion, among other things), which can be correlated to what is considered to be Spleen Chi Deficiency.

I am not an acupuncturist, but have studied Chinese Nutrition and Chinese Theory in graduate school, and had many many years of personal experience with acupuncture and herbal therapy, plus two decades of healing from deficient mothering, digestive issues, and mega-4th house challenges.

The rebellious chi pattern is also significant.  Rebellious chi (which I've had my whole life, along with undiagnosed gene mutations) means the flow of the meridian pathway is going backwards.  The stomach meridian flows downward.  When the chi flow is upward, we have stomach upset (sometimes for good reason like food poisoning), feel like we may vomit, or actually do. This can be a chronic pattern.

We eat, the stomach digests, then the spleen takes the nutrients and forms it into blood, then the blood is dispersed into various avenues. When there is deficient digestion, the spleen cannot build the blood properly and the tendency for the stomach meridian to stagnant flow backwards is quite probable.  From an energy medicine chakra perspective, it is correlated to the first three chakras--grounding, relationship/sexuality, and power issues.

Today though, I'm more focused on the stomach and the power of emotions, thoughts, feelings. We are entering the Season of Late Summer (late August-September, Virgo time), which specifically relates to the Earth organs. It is an important time to nourish the stomach and spleen.  Depending on the individual's specific challenges eating foods that support the Earth organs is very helpful in creating a happy stomach.  Chinese Nutrition is based in eating balanced with all the organs in mind, to create harmony and balance in the body.

Sweet foods support the spleen, pancreas and stomach. Not refined sugar, but root vegetables, grains and slow roasted vegetables. Carrots, rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, garbanzo beans, black beans, pungent vegetables like onion and leeks. Animal products should be consumed in very small quantity. Butter is the only recommended dairy product.

With so much happening on planet earth, those with earth and water planets in challenging aspect, or those with digestive and kidney challenges like adrenal fatigue need to take extra care of themselves.

This all may be a bit confusing, because in 5-Element Theory the stomach is an Earth organ, while in astrology stomach is associated with the element of Water. One way to make a connection between the two is both Earth and Water elements are Yin in nature. Thus they are related to the fluids of the body (blood, urine, water). They are feminine and give our bodies and our souls nourishment and sooth the tissues.

If one has chronic illness with digestive issues, I highly recommend working with an integrative functional medicine doctor or an acupuncturist who is trained in herbs to determine if you have a gene mutation, which can lead to numerous health issues.