Download esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, kidneys

Digestions, Absorption & Elimination Homework and
Questions
 What is the basic function of the process of Digestion / Absorption / Elimination in
the Whole Human?
To assimilate Qi, energy & nutrients from foods
 Draw a simple diagram (it can be just a flowchart, if you’d like) of the digestive /
eliminative tract, labeling the following parts: esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large
intestine, rectum, kidneys and bladder.
 What is chyme?
The mashed up food puree as such that passes from the stomach into the small
intestine where nutrients will be absorbed
 What is bile? What is one purpose it serves?
Bile is fluid that is secreted from the liver, gallbladder & pancreas that aids
digestion of chime to further absorb nutrients into the body
 What is the name of the basic filters inside the kidneys?
Nephrons
 What are the villi? What purpose do they serve?
Villi are microscopic finger like projections lining the small intestine to
dramatically increase the surface area which allows for maximum possible
absorption of nutrients in the small intestine.
 Describe three places in the digestive system where Vital Force can be absorbed.
Stomach, small intestine, large intestine
In the following, evaluate the system(s) involved, and whether they manifest deficiency, excess, or
congestion. Why? How would you begin to address the imbalances, if they exist? What would you
recommend as additional treatment?
CASE STUDY 1
A male, age 47, presents with a complaint of sluggishness and ‘bloating’ in the
abdominal area. His diet consists primarily of refined starches, white bread, potatoes, pasta,
and red meats, with very little vegetables. He complains that, when he does eat vegetables,
he gets horrible gas and often finds ‘pieces of corn and carrots’ in his stool. Bowel
movements are fairly regular, although there can be some constipation. Respiration seems
adequate. Reserves / Distribution are good, although there are some signs of depletion. He
mentions that, in his stressful job, he is finding it ‘harder to cope these days’. He does very
little exercise. His processes of Perception / Analysis display some signs of nervousness or
anxiety. His desire: remove the feelings of ‘sluggishness and bloating’ that have gotten
worse lately.
Systems involved & where deficiency manifests:
Mouth – deficient as he is not chewing his vegetables enough to break it down as they are
passing through his system. Nervous so not eating mindfully
Stomach – his mental nervousness & anxiety affect the stomach through the solar plexus are
affecting his stomach through deficiency of not breaking food down properly.
Gas & Bloating – occurs as deficiency throughout the digestive system mostly due to poor
food choices, low fiber diet, not enough fruits & vegetables, too much refined carbs, sugars,
proteins which are heavy & take longer to pass through system therefore causing excess &
build up. Not enough water & exercise causing congestion through the digestive system.
Nervousness can cause us to swallow more air. In some people eating carbs & proteins
together can cause excess gas as they break down together.
Constipation – congestion within the digestive system from not consuming enough water,
eating refined foods which become very “sticky” within our system, not eating enough fiber
& not exercising
Depletion & lack of energy – not assimilating the good food he is eating & not eating enough
nutrient dense food has caused him to become depleted in vital nutrients & energy. He has
some toxic build from congestion & constipation which can be very depleting to our vital
energy . Not exercising enough so stagnation within the body is building up to cause
sluggishness, bloating.
Nervousness & anxiety – not exercising will not help the body – exercise releases
endorphins which help us to feel “happy & calm” along with burning off excess negative
energy
Recommendations:
Diet – drinking 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar in a glass of water upon waking will help to
cleanse his system & build up good gut bacteria.
Increase vegetable & fruit consumption to 70% of daily diet. Reduce refined carbs to 15%
& cut out gluten products as part of an elimination test. Eat rice, beans, pulses, lentils, oats,
quinoa as the choice carbs & to further boost dietary fiber intake.
Reduce red meat consumption to 1 day a week initially & avoid eating red meat & carbs
together – instead choose meat & vegetables OR vegetables & carbs
IE steak w’ roasted vegetables (avoid white potatoes), sautéed mushrooms & spinach
Bean tacos w’ salad & guacamole OR vegetable GF pasta OR chickpea & vegetable curry
Increase fish consumption 2 meals per week – omega 3’s will help with depletion.
Cut down on & try to Avoid refined sugars & replace w’ honey, dates, maple syrup, stevia,
no fake sweetners. Snack on fruits when you need a sweet fix & consider using bitters to
help curve the sugar cravings
Water – try to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, add lemon or lime juice to water to help
cleanse & revitalize system.
Drink tea’s with calminitive herbs like peppermint, mint, lemon balm, chamomile, tulsi
Eat more bitters – take a dropper of bitters on tongue 20mins before meals & add a few
drops of bitters into glass of water anytime. Add bitter greens like radicchio, chicory,
endive, arugula, dandelion etc to stirfries & salads to aid digestion.
Eat mindfully – eat a meal sitting at a table or on a park bench or in a chair looking out the
window, avoid eating in the car, on the run, in front of a computer. Chew your food &
practice gratitude – both will aid digestions & reduce stress
Exercise – go for a walk outside at least once a day, twice if possible, find something
physical you enjoy doing & bring that into your weekly routine at least x3 per week consider
a meditative practice like yoga or tai chi to help manage stress & bring movement &
exercise.
CASE STUDY 2
A female, age 33, presents with a complaint of ‘bloating’. She has some symptoms of
edema and swelling, mostly in her ankles, and bloating in her abdominal area. Her diet is
good, with plenty of vegetables and salad, although she does ‘like to indulge in salty snacks’
like chips and pretzels when she is pressed for time. Her digestive tract seems healthy, with
regular bowel movements and adequate urination. She drinks plenty of water. Her
respiration is good. Her Reserves / Distribution are good. She mentions a slight increase in
blood pressure at her last doctor’s visit, but nothing outside the normal range. She exercises
often, especially on her lunch hour, and is quite pleased with herself because she ‘never gets
sweaty’ and can therefore exercise harder and longer than her co-workers. Her Processes of
Perception / Analysis seem a bit ‘tight’; you notice her clenching and unclenching her jaw
often. Her desire: help address this ‘bloating’, which isn’t too big a deal but never used to
happen.
Edema & swelling in ankles = excess fluid trapped in body tissue a result of congestion in the Kidney’s,
water retention can be caused from too much sodium in the system which causes imbalance with the
process of elimination. Congestion of lymphatic system. Congestion from sitting or standing in the one
place for too long.
High blood pressure – from congestion in the Kidneys & excess water retention Edema & ankle swelling
Lack of sweating – whole body congestion & possible damage & congestion within the lymphatic system
Bloating – deficiency in digestive tract, exercising during lunch hour may mean to much action &
movement after eating & not chewing, eating & beginning the digestive process in a calm manner.
Excess air may be from stress which shows up as jaw clenching. Stress can also be showing up within
the hard exercise longer than co-workers so competitive & driven nature may be adding to the bloating
& deficiencies. Foods maybe contributing to bloating.
Recommendations:Herbal regime to reduce blood pressure & strengthen the kidneys – especially teas with herbs that have
a diaphoretic action to help with sweating & elimination.
Herbal regime to boost circulation & move the lymph & stagnation
Diet – Be sure not to eat lunch before exercising.
For the kidneys & heart – reduce salt, sugar & alcohol intake & foods high in potassium & add kidney &
heart strengthening foods to diet like foods high in anti-oxidants, flavonoids, vitamin C, B vitamins, zinc
& magnesium such as all the berries & bell peppers, oats, pumpkin seeds, sweet potato. Increase
omega 3’s foods & decrease omega 6 foods, increase cruciferous family & allium family foods – broc,
cauliflower, dark green leafy, onions, garlic, chives etc
As bloating is an issue I would recommend a diet of more cooked warm foods than salads, often some
raw veg & salads can contribute to bloating with gas espec cruciferous family.
Gluten is protein found in wheat that can also contribute to bloating, I would suggest eliminating gluten
for a few weeks to see if this made a noticeable difference.
I would suggest adding more pungent, warming, circulating, stimulating foods to the diet like ginger,
cayenne, chili to stimulation circulation & have a diaphoretic action. Culinary herbs with carminative
actions like mints, basils, rosemary, savory, oregano, parsley, ginger, chamomile, black pepper, fennel,
anise, dill, caraway seeds, cardamom, cumin,
Drinks – I would suggest drinking water that is not cold or iced but room temp or warmer as it will be
much easier on the kidneys & digestive system. Drinking herbal teas that are carminative & diaphoretic
Exercise – I would suggest adding a less aggressive more stress reducing activity like yoga, pilates, tai chi,
walking