90% of obese people are physically weak. Physical weakness is a sign of sub-health. So how can we improve our physical condition, and how can we lose weight if we are overweight due to water retention? Let's take a look.
Physical weakness is caused by a decline in the function of the spleen and stomach. Physical weakness leads to a slowed metabolism and reduced vitality, resulting in a decreased ability to consume nutrients. As a result, the unused nutrients accumulate in the body, leading to a condition known as bloating or puffiness.
Bloating due to water retention is often caused by Yang deficiency and spleen and stomach dysfunction.
Clinically, obesity is often characterized by Yang deficiency, which is closely related to the spleen and stomach. While Yang deficiency doesn't necessarily cause obesity, the vast majority of obese individuals suffer from it. Yang deficiency leads to a significant problem—spleen and stomach dysfunction, weakened and declining bodily and organ functions. Obesity itself is just one of the problems caused by Yang deficiency.
There are four types of deficiency in the human body: Yin deficiency, blood deficiency, Yang deficiency, and Qi deficiency. Most obese people suffer from the third type—Yang deficiency.
Yang deficiency leading to Qi deficiency can cause various physical problems: cold limbs and body, fear of both cold and heat, loose stools (soft, unformed stools), yellow, loose, dull, oily, spotted, inelastic skin, slowed metabolism and consumption, decline in visceral function, insomnia and dreaminess, strong appetite, excessive sweating, easy fatigue, lethargy, edema, and Qi sinking (visceral prolapse), etc.
Strengthening the spleen and stomach and replenishing yang deficiency are essential to resolving obesity.
Under normal circumstances, food undergoes initial digestion in the stomach, and then the essential nutrients are carried away by the spleen and transported upwards to the lungs. The lungs, in turn, connect with all the blood vessels, nourishing the five internal organs through the blood. If the spleen malfunctions, it loses its ability to function properly, causing nutrients to accumulate in the body and leading to obesity.
To address obesity, it's essential to first strengthen the spleen and replenish qi, thus correcting yang deficiency. Commonly used Chinese medicinal herbs include kudzu root, red yeast rice, and bitter orange blossom (also known as Huiqing orange).
Lifestyle conditioning methods to strengthen the spleen and replenish deficiencies
In our daily diet, we should also eat more foods that nourish the spleen and stomach, such as yam, barley, lotus root, jujubes, and various beans. Of course, regular physical exercise is also a good method.
In addition to maintaining a regular lifestyle, eating and sleeping on time, and avoiding raw and cold foods, it's also important to eat more spleen-strengthening foods such as lotus seeds, barley, and yam, drink plenty of water, and eat plenty of water-rich fruits such as pears, apples, and watermelons. Additionally, drinking a bowl of clear soup before meals can dilute salt and help retain body fluids.
