CHINESE FOOD THERAPY

The very first and most profound medicine for any treatment is the choice we make when we eat. If the food choices we make are correct, there may be little or no need for acupuncture or herbs.

Incorrect food choices over time allow the build up of imbalances in the body, ie: excesses in heat, cold, damp, which over time can manifest as disease. Therefore, the best treatments are not going to affect a lasting change if food choices that contribute to the disease persist. You are truly what you eat or over-eat!

Cooked home made diets can definitely allow for more flexible ingredient choices and can incorporate raw Chinese herbs, reducing the need for herbal formulas. Food choices are guided by any food sensitivities of the patient and also by Chinese food charts, which assign different values to individual foods. These values include temperatures and qualities such as : blood, qi and yang tonics.

For example, we can all appreciate that lamb is a warm food choice and that if you eat lamb, it is usually in the winter months. We can also appreciate that in the hot summer months we eat lighter meals such as fish, which is a common choice for the summer and is a cooling food by Chinese medical standards. Unfortunately, while we subconsciously vary our diets to suit the weather, we do not do the same for our pets. Perhaps based on this information, you can appreciate that if you feed only a dry lamb and rice kibble to your dog, that after 10 years, they may experience heat problems such as panting, seeking the shade, avoiding exercise in the summer and lying on cool tiles in the house.

We provide organic and premium grade Chinese herbs for use in food therapy and can offer advice on cooked home made diets.