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Meal Requirements for Treating Xiao-ke In Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medical treatment of xiao-ke makes specific recommendations concerning meals:
- The body should be kept upright during meals, and for at least an hour after each meal.
- Liquids should be drunk sparingly with meals. Green tea is the preferred drink.
- Foods should be eaten when in season.
- A wide variety of foods should be consumed.
- Three to four light meals should be eaten every day, at regular hours; the largest meal should be eaten at mid-day, and the evening meal should be eaten at least two hours before bedtime.
- Light exercise should be taken in the fresh air after each meal, following the Chinese proverb, “100 paces after each meal will allow one to live a healthy 100 years.”
Salad: the ideal meal for a patient with "wasting and thirsting" disease. Image by Gila Brand
The TCM Approach to Diabetes
The attitude of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that diabetes can be kept under control, and the patient can lead a normal life style, with little need for inconvenient routines. This reflects the cultural heritage of TCM. Rooted in a culture that is devoted to harmony and balance, Chinese medical theory is based on the belief that health is largely a matter of restoring balance between the internal organs, as well as between the individual and his or her total environment.
Resources:
Torssell, P.
CTRL + Click to follow link” target=”_blank”>How to Regulate Yin and Yang Through Diet. (2012). Journal of Chinese Medicine. Accessed February 21, 2012.
Cho, W. C., Yue, K. K. & Leung, A. W. An Outline of Diabetes Mellitus and its Treatment by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. (2005). Journal of Chinese Medicine. JCM 78-29. Accessed February 21, 2012.
Choate, C. J. Click to Return to Page One: Wasting and Thirsting Disease and TCM
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