intestinal flora

[Guest guest]

the chinese have long expressed concern about digestive health and the

potential damage done by bitter heat clearing herbs. in modern times, we

know that the overuse of antibiotics leads to disruption of intestinal

flora and candida overgrowth, food allergies and autoimmunity. candida

overgrowth presents as dampheat and is often treated with more bitter cold

herbs. However some sources recommend the use of spicy cool uplifting

formulas to treat the damage of bitter cold herbs or drugs. consider

heiner fruehauf's gu formulas and the use of formulas like bu zhong yi qi

tang to treat autoimmunity and allergies (which combine spicy cool and

warm sweet and can treat damage done by bitter cold).

 

It would seem to me that in order to fully treat theses iatrogenic

conditions, one will need to restore normal flora. I doubt the chinese

had a conception of beneficial symbiotes living in the human gut. all

literature seems focused on the harmful parasites known to be there. Yet

in order to successfully treat these conditions, normal flora would have

to be restored. this didn't have to be done directly or with knowledge of

microbiology, it just had to happen as an indirect effect of therapy.

 

The source of intestinal flora is fermentation. As long as the chinese

were eating fermented foods and providing a good growth medium for these

critters, all is good. In fact, healthy chinese diet probably included

some naturally fermented foods (miso). Water soluble fiber (from various

grains and veggies) and mucilage (as found in seaweeds and funguses;

typical of congees) also are now known to feed normal flora and inhibit

the bad ones. Digestive aids containing enzymes (like shen qu and mai ya)

also improve the implantation of flora. Add to this chinese herbs to

improve digestion, such as huang qi, bai zhu, etc. If strong qi prevents

leakages, I think this concept is easily extended to the microscopic level

to prevent leakage of poisons from the intestines into the bloodstream.

all this suggests that skillful chinese medicine could have treated this

condition without any knowledge of microbiology -- just good convalescent

diet and herbs for the spleen. But it also underscores a vital point;

these conditions DO NOT resolve well without addressing the diet and flora.

If a person is unwilling or unable to eat a convalesecent diet with

adequate flora, mucilage, enzymes, etc, then it is vital that one

supplement with these things in order to effect full recovery.

 

Mills also points out something very interesting. there is abundant

evidence that the activity of many herbs is based upon changes caused to

the active constituents of those herbs by the intestinal flora. the herbs

are not as active in deranged gut environments. thus, the importance

placed upon digestion by all herbal traditions worldwide and a reminder to

us that we cannot expect to successfully treat many chronic illnesses

without use of therapeutic diet or supplements to make up for dietary

deficiencies. this one of the main uses I make of my background in

naturopathy. I have found that most people will not eat a traditional

chinese diet and thus it is necessary to consider what is lost when eating

even a wholesome american diet. I suggest that many people do not get

adequate mucilage, fiber, enzymes, antioxidants, minerals and ferments in

even a low fat fish and veggies diet. Many of the important sources of

these substances are just not considered palatable (such as seaweed) and

whole grains are still hard to come by outside the home (I really wrestle

with this one --- I can eat freshly cooked refined grains when I am at

work or microwaved whole grains I bring from home). We can't overlook

this crucial component of our patient's healing process and we can't be so

stubborn to think that only adherence to chinese diet is the way to

address this. It is a reasonable use of naturopathy within the context of

TCM.

 

 

Chinese Herbs

 

 

" Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre

minds " -- Albert Einstein