熱鬧過年，胃要清醒：中醫年節養胃指南

Mingyi Lake Cultural Hotline Hello listeners welcome to the Mingyi Hunei Literary Hotline on Hope Radio I'm Tang Yue Our guest is the renowned Chinese physician Dr Hu Naiwen The hotline is now open for our listeners—welcome everyone feel free to ask your questions Call our hotline or send a text to 8882751628 Now please welcome Dr Hu Good evening Dr Hello so welcome everyone I think Dr Hu we can ask everyone about their New Year plans by the end of the show since Chinese New Year is just around the corner after this weekend That sounds great Chinese New Year seems to fly by so quickly—another year has passed already I barely remember tearing off the first page of the calendar and now it's already February Yes it's so fast—every time the New Year comes around of course Chinese people always talk about reunion and you must have a good meal No need to mention the big fish and meat—there are also all sorts of yuanxiao and New Year rice cakes year after year each with its own variety So Dr Hu at this critical juncture please give everyone a heads-up in advance and let them take a look How can we keep our little stomachs and guts calm and prevent them from causing trouble Then if you happen to eat a bit more than usual what other ways can help us make up for it Okay let's see You know I often find myself constantly mentioning this: look at all the medical schools today Handing this over to the student is about learning how to actually heal someone—for example if you're already full I'll help with digestion and so on But in reality I believe the true purpose of medicine should be to prevent people from ever getting sick in the first place rather than just teaching them how to stay healthy That's right—we're now in medical school where they teach you how to treat illness but they don't teach doctors how to help people stay healthy right Oh come on everyone's got this issue—it's that they don't each have a clear sense of their own boundaries He didn’t know for instance that when I eat young people can eat a lot without any problem—they might feel a bit uncomfortable or full but that’s it But it's different with older people—then you might actually cause problems That's exactly right the older you get the more conservative you tend to become Whether or not you should eat depends on this: don't overdo it but you know when you see something that looks delicious you just can't help but want to eat a little more or it feels like something's missing Especially when you consider how often we go out to eat these days you know like that place we always go to—uh not the one that’s too fatty—hey Don't say that the usual moderate you that pirate that place—maybe you'd end up eating more right That's absolutely true—I have a personal lesson I've learned firsthand and I want to share it with you here Share with everyone how I went to the orchard in summer—can I eat as much as I want Just help yourself no limits Then I thought wow this is so delicious—those raspberries I just gobble down apples peaches and nectarines all at once and after finishing them My stomach was really bad—I think I’ve been recovering for about a month now and I finally feel better Even though I thought I had a pretty strong stomach and felt pretty confident I was actually completely worn down by it So when it comes to eating fish and meat during the Lunar New Year they might actually be harder to digest than fruit aren't they Dr Ho Yeah right and also during the New Year the food we eat isn't just fruit anymore at this time Most of the food is sticky like rice cakes or this kind of zongzi isn't it If you eat too much problems are bound to arise—that's truly troublesome So besides controlling yourself is there anything else A practical way to mend the fence after the sheep are lost for example after I finish eating something at exactly one o'clock like the meals we often used to have in the past Things like yeast tablets or digestive enzymes—can they really help ease some of your burden Is that a fair way to put it Yeah you could put it that way—I still remember when I was much younger back then my digestive system was really terrible That poor condition wasn't because of It's not just a physical issue with the digestive system—it's fundamentally influenced by emotions so emotional well-being must still be the top priority and addressed first Emotions are tense so digestion is bound to suffer And if you're also prone to overeating it's even worse I still remember that time there was once After seeing the doctor they usually prescribed some digestive medication back then there weren't any of the so-called digestive enzymes or similar things that people talk about today At the time I only knew there were certain medicines such as one made from the lining of a cow's stomach or extracts derived from a cow's stomach The digestive enzyme that helps extract contents from the stomach—of course that also helps but at the time we thought "Oh this thing is now present " Then I'd have food without a hole to eat it—this is even worse you must absolutely not eat just because there's food with no hole So sometimes I just say to my patients jokingly "I say" Oh don't think because I can help you heal that you can just do whatever you want without restraint—please for heaven's sake don't ever do that Alright then could you give everyone an example of that memory Once There was once a time when you overate and damaged your digestive system what kind of long-term consequences might that lead to Well the long-term effects would be Uh weren't even talking about short-term effects—just at that moment I already felt completely unsettled inside I was in that era you know— I don't even know what stomach pain is—I just know I had a tummy ache and I still remember calling it that when I was a kid As soon as I mentioned it to Dad he rushed off to the bathroom and had a good bowel movement right away Um I used to think it was really like that—back when I was little it was like that—but now that I've grown up I've realized Even though I had a stomachache and rushed to the restroom it didn't help—no matter what I did the pain just wouldn't go away and then well uh just as I stepped out the door— Hey I was thinking of catching a movie today but then I suddenly started feeling awful halfway there Then and only then do you actually go see a doctor After seeing the doctor he tells you that you're suffering from something that happens occasionally Eating too much and sometimes not even getting food until very late—no wonder it messes up your digestion Good news I uh I found out that it was actually Medications for indigestion should be used for indigestion treatments for excess stomach acid for those with acid overproduction and so on and so forth—just to resolve these gastrointestinal issues once and for all But over time it built up to the point where your stomach and intestines could rebel at any moment suddenly delivering that pain—back then you didn't even know what to do about it This is a problem of indigestion that one is due to excess stomach acid what about that one You don’t even know what’s going on so no matter how many pills you take all at once they won’t do anything So what should you do You just don’t know how to analyze the situation properly You should analyze whether your issue stems from consuming too much sugar leading to excessive stomach acid or if there are other factors contributing to the problem If you're unable to digest because you've eaten too much you should use digestive enzymes to help break it down You need to understand these things—so how do you know It's simple: if you experience bloating or stomach pain and the pain comes intermittent bursts now and then Pain before eating pain when hungry after eating pain even when full—whatever the case make sure you understand it clearly Only then can this issue truly be resolved so you must address your specific situation with the right approach to make the necessary adjustments Our hotline is 888-275-1628 if you're listening to us on the radio and have any health concerns feel free to reach out You're welcome to call our hotline or send a text message to 888-275-1628—we'll take a quick break and be right back Mingyi Lake Literary Hotline Hello dear listeners welcome back to the Mingyi Hunei Literary Hotline Our guest today is the renowned Chinese physician Dr Hunei Wen The hotline is 888-275-1628—feel free to call or send a text message if you have any health concerns Doctor Hu hello welcome back We have a lady named Ms Yang on the line with a question Let's take the call Hello Ms Yang Hello here's the situation—I'm 52 years old and I don't seem to have any noticeable symptoms during menopause but I'm having trouble sleeping Last time I asked Dr Hu mentioning that I wake up between 3 and 5 PM he said it might be related to lung issues and recommended taking Xie Bai San After taking two doses I've felt quite a bit better But I didn't wake up between 3 and 5 o'clock though I often check the time at 12:45 and suddenly realize it's already 12:45 Get some sleep go back to bed then glance at the clock again—oh no 2:45 Then back to sleep and before you know it it's 5:30 and time to get up I don't know how to stop waking up repeatedly— I need to ask Dr Hu what to do This persistent waking up Traditional Chinese medicine offers a few methods worth trying One herbal remedy is called Ye Jiao Teng I'm sure everyone has heard of Fo-ti and its vine is called Yejiao Teng Why is it called Yejiao It's because someone once observed that its leaves appear scorched This is when two plants with leaf scorch grow together he notices that oh when it's time to sleep at night just when we should be going to bed He noticed the two vines had grown together and were intertwined so he named them Yejiao—meaning that at night the heart and kidneys become fused in heat Now you can sleep well Yes with this leafy vine In fact we've discovered it can help treat insomnia at night But if you add goji berries as well When boiled and drunk together it helps you sleep better That's why goji berries nourish the kidneys and as for this scorched vine it's naturally scorched already Then comes the part about strengthening the kidneys—well to be precise this is the It's an organ that only becomes active in the afternoon and evening Our body's this organ is quite fascinating—it enters different meridians and organs at different times By late afternoon into evening the kidney must begin to harmonize with the heart and only through this mutual coordination can the kidney be properly strengthened So combine these two ingredients—goji berries and old vine stem—and simmer them into a decoction drinking it as a soup might just help you sleep well through the night Doctor Hu could you please provide the proper dosage For example how many seeds to use and how much water and for how long to cook Like this right Yèjiāoténg when we usually buy it it's already cut into small segments at the pharmacy It's not a whole piece of wutong root rather it's cut into small segments Take a piece of wutong root about one or two taels —this amount is already quite a large bunch Then about one or two tablespoons of goji berries just boil them together like this But if you find this amount too much you can simply use less If you say I just want to make a cup of tea to drink then the amount needed is very small—just about one or two chén will do— enough to brew a few times throughout the day That's also quite a large amount We usually boil it and drink it So the amount I just mentioned—half a liang to half a liang If you're brewing it like tea just use a qian or two at a time Drink it this way—try it for a day or two and you might find that you wake up less during the night Okay thank you Dr Hu So would this little prescription also be worth trying for someone who wakes up easily due to other reasons It also helps generally I usually combine these two herbs with another ingredient sour jube seed and boil them together Or rather the entire formula is designed to calm the mind and spirit and when you add just two or three herbs—specifically these two plus sour jube seed—the person will be able to sleep soundly And she had fewer nighttime trips to the bathroom throughout the entire night Alright Doctor Hu could you please help analyze Ms Yang's case She mentioned she took the Xie Bai San you recommended Why does waking up between three and five o 'clock shift to midnight It's related to the flow of energy through the meridians— specifically the lung stomach and large intestine This cycle begins like this and continues in this manner endlessly twelve hours complete twelve meridians Between 11 p m and 1 a is the time of the gallbladder 1 to 3 a m is the liver's time 3 to 5 a is the lungs' time 5 to 7 a is the large intestine's time and this is roughly when nighttime sleep occurs So it's either a gallbladder issue or a liver issue or a lung issue or a large intestine issue therefore we proceed based on this line of thinking This kind of logical concept — so I think there must be something wrong with the lungs — if you address the lungs one by one it'll improve significantly Thank you very much for Dr Hu's explanation Thank you as well to our listeners for joining us If any of our other listeners are facing health concerns please feel free to continue calling our hotline 888-275-1628 Alright Doctor Hu when it comes to diagnosing patients one really concerning issue is misdiagnosing the condition which leads to improper treatment Do you often encounter this in your clinical practice The patient may have been misdiagnosed by another doctor which prevented his condition from being properly treated I was thinking that sometimes when you visit this doctor he doesn't pay close attention and just follows your previous medical record as is Then they didn’t ask for any further details So seeing a doctor is truly something very important to pay attention to And when talking to the doctor it's best to simply explain your current condition rather than going into excessive detail about past issues Let me first explain the current situation then go over the previous details afterward—this will be simpler Let me give you an example: this patient usually experiences bone and joint pain along with redness and swelling That way most doctors can immediately tell just by looking — this is gout right Gout is essentially a buildup of acidic substances like uric acid accumulating more in the joints That's when you feel soreness then every bone and joint aches and in Traditional Chinese Medicine this is called "li jie feng " meaning each bone and joint is screaming with soreness hence the name "exhaustion wind " And there's also a specific term for it when it occurs on the knees—things like "crane's knee wind " and so on But I'm talking about this patient—he constantly experiences joint pain swelling and similar symptoms so the diagnosis given to him at the hospital was gout Then one day he suddenly felt pain again in some spot on his foot so once again he went to see the same doctor who treated his gout and rheumatism The doctor followed the original prescription saw that you had gout and prescribed something like cortisone and so on and so forth but instead your pain worsened He decided that after all he'd better come see Dr Hu Once he found me I told him just a little bit I adjusted the leg of your pants by pulling the pant leg up a bit I glanced at it and thought oh no this isn't gout—what on earth is this It's called cellulitis or in traditional Chinese medicine it's known as erysipelas I'm telling you this is cellulitis—there's inflammation caused by bacteria pathogens or viruses that suddenly entered through that wound So your entire blood vessel is swollen and red—look at how long a stretch is red—this definitely needs to be treated as inflammation not gout So I gave him a simple straightforward prescription and he recovered quickly He was so happy exclaiming "Wow I didn 't know something like this could work " I just told him I told him Be careful when seeing a doctor in the future—not because you frequently have gout but because you need to assess for yourself whether this pain is something that requires a rheumatology or immunology specialist I'll first consult a family physician or see another dermatologist rather than going straight to a specialist for gout or rheumatology and immunology treatment—this requires careful self-assessment to ensure the right decision But if you misjudge your condition you've picked the wrong doctor of course the doctor will just follow the original prescription to treat you which means you'll end up wasting time Alright this is a case worth paying close attention to Dr Hu Now as Ms Yang mentioned earlier that she still has concerns and would like to ask further questions let's hear from her again Ms Yang are you still online Here's the situation: I'd like to ask about traditional Chinese medicine's perspective on hormone therapy for menopausal women—do you consider it feasible or not Here's how it is—how about this: when we get to our break time since this topic can't be fully covered in just one sentence let's take a moment to rest and regroup Please take a moment to give our audience and Ms Yang a more detailed introduction once again Let's take a short break and be right back Hello listeners welcome back for another session of Mingyi Hunan Hotline Dr Hu please address Ms Yang's question How do you view Western medicine's hormone therapy for menopause Well when a woman reaches menopause her female hormones gradually begin to decline Female hormones It is a hormone secreted by this ovary Aside from this female hormone there is also a part in the brain called the pituitary gland This pituitary gland is located here There are also many hormones involved with the uterus and ovaries so which type of hormone is right for you This female hormone can be slightly reduced to alleviate the effects of menopause and over the past few decades people have been analyzing this phenomenon Japanese women tend to experience fewer issues related to menopause and researchers suggest this may because they consume more soy-based products which is why they've focused their analysis on soy-based foods I discovered there's something called daidzein in it which might also beneficial Actually if you're willing using traditional Chinese medicine or dietary therapies would be ideal The soy isoflavones just mentioned may offer some benefit Next traditional Chinese medicine—actually if you consult a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner— He wouldn't concern himself with your hormones or anything like that—he'd just regulate your qi and blood There's a simple herbal formula called Xiao Yao San It's meant to regulate the body's qi and blood once qi and blood are balanced many symptoms naturally improve So I suggest you see a doctor—consult a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner to analyze your condition You need Xiao Yao San or Modified Xiao Yao San or Black Xiao Yao San—whatever type can help regulate your qi and blood to achieve this therapeutic goal So in the end curing this illness completely is what truly matters I believe that's the most fundamental approach Think about it—there are over a hundred types of hormones throughout the body So once you introduce this hormone does it affect another hormone or potentially disrupt multiple hormones and the body's metabolism and if so So if you're not just pulling one thing and moving the whole body isn't that even worse Right Thanks for Dr Hu's response Oh by the way Dr Hu has another perspective Taking such Western medical hormones can lead to issues like potential uterine overgrowth in women increased risk of breast cancer and even blood clots according to some claims The patients you've encountered—yes indeed that's correct Not only have I personally dealt with such cases but I've also come across reports indicating that I believe the WHO or some other organization conducted a study on this matter The idea of using hormones to help people feel more comfortable after menopause isn't problematic— except that unexpectedly around the time it had been in effect for about six years it suddenly stopped He said what kind of breast cancer risk does it cause What kind of cancer risk does it cause That's really bad Actually if you don't go see a doctor to check it out just eat a bit more gelatin-rich food Actually they're all beneficial to you because in Traditional Chinese Medicine substances like gelatin from pork skin and similar gel-like foods as well as items such as sea cumber are rich in collagen Eating a little actually helps alter the overall concentration of your blood and other factors once this improvement takes place many of your issues disappear and these substances can also help replenish blood If possible give it a try Okay if feasible try to use these natural methods as much as possible Just give it a shot Including what you just mentioned like Xiao Yaosan I have a friend who just stir-fries it hot Then just take some Liuwei Dihuang Wan and that’ll take care of it After that there won’t be any more of this issue Exactly that’s right Now Dr Hu let’s get back to the main topic If you’re worried about overeating during the holiday and can’t digest it all I've listed several approaches here I'd like you to give us a targeted solution and clarify which situations each method is best suited for—for instance we could support digestion with a stomach acid supplement or by drinking vinegar We have that pure-fermented vinegar at our little shop and also this kind of enzyme supplement you should buy plus traditional Chinese remedies like hawthorn and tangerine peel boiled into tea Also I remember something called intramuscular fascia—seems to aid digestion too or perhaps blood flow massage things like that —what kinds of conditions do these address Helping us improve digestion after overeating Traditional Chinese Medicine features a remedy known as Shan Zha Shen Qu Mai Ya consisting of three herbs These three—hawthorn spirit fungus and malt— are known as the Three Fresh If stir-fried they become known as Fried Three Fresh Among these three hawthorn aids in digesting meaty foods Divine melody dissolves the muscle around the rice and the alcohol muscle malt dissolves this rib muscle so if you try all three they're all excellent As you just mentioned—hawthorn spirit fungus and tangerine peel—this is exactly what tangerine peel does to regulate qi as for the hawthorn you spoke of it helps digest excess meat consumption That's a wonderful natural remedy Of course you can also eat other things like the vinegar mentioned earlier depending on your condition If you have low stomach acid a small amount of vinegar can help If you have excessive气 it would beneficial to use remedies like tangerine peel or hawthorn mentioned earlier so long as you choose different approaches for treatment Alright I'll provide a traditional Chinese medicine formula called Baohe Pill—it's an over-the-counter remedy available at herbal medicine stores Treasure is the "treasure" in宝贝 so the lotus is the "peace" in 和 making it Baohé Wan You might as well give it a try—it's quite different helping digestion of various foods Thank you very much for Dr Hu's advice So before the Lunar New Year arrives I'm here on behalf of our audience friends to wish our Dr Hu a happy Lunar New Year You've been selflessly contributing to our program Spreading healthy knowledge for everyone Thank you wishing you a happy Lunar New Year Thank you all so much Wishing everyone a prosperous and fulfilling new year Wishing everyone a wonderful new year Thank you