New Year, New You!

So everyone has survived the Christmas season and has eaten their own weight in rich foods and goodies.  January is always a good month to start as you mean to go on for the rest of 2015 so here are some Traditional Chinese Medicine tips to help you through January and set yourself up for the rest of 2015. The post-Christmas/New Year bloat If you are like many others and feeling it in your tummy, bloating, indigestion and generally feeling sluggish, rest assured you are not alone. 
During the Christmas season we tend to eat lots more food than we would normally, both in portion size and eating types of food we would not normally eat. Our poor digestion starts feeling the strain and begins to feel the strain.  Waste accumulates in our intestines, our spleens sag under the pressure and before we know it we are feeling tired, gassy, poor appetite, bad breath, maybe nauseous and of course belly bloat. The slightest bit of food that we eat immediately ends up in a disturbed stomach leaving us feeling very off indeed.

Here are some tips to help your digestive system:

Avoid cold and raw foods such as citrus fruits and salads

Cut down on dairy products

Cut down or out on the sweet and fatty foods (such as Christmas pudding and brandy butter!)

Spread your meals over three to five times a day with smaller portions

Eat most of your food earlier in the day and slow down your eating and chew your food more

Try to eat at the dinner table away from any little distractions such as the television.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine eating in front of the TV can block the flow of qi and exacerbate food stagnation


Try not to eat when you are emotional, as this disrupts the smooth flow of the food through your system. Allow your emotions to settle first, by doing this you may not even want to eat that cookie.

Foods that really help your digestive system:

Barley, carrots, coriander, fennel, vinegar, white cabbage, millet, chili, ginger, aniseed, and caraway seeds.

Acupuncture to help your digestive system:

Specific acupuncture points on the body are well known for reducing abdominal pain, bloating and also for reducing inflammation, increasing gastrointestinal strength, regulating stomach acid, can stop chronic diarrhoea or resolve constipation.  It regulates the whole digestive system with no side effects.  Acupuncture is highly effective in treating most digestive disorders such as IBS, Chron’s disease, chronic constipation or loose stools, ulcers, heartburn and food allergies/sensitivities/Lactose intolerance symptoms.

The WHO (World Health Organisation) recognises acupuncture as being effective for treating over 56 common health complaints!

Acupuncture provides an extremely safe, highly effective and completely natural approach to regaining and maintaining optimum digestive health while restoring strength and balance to your body so go on give it a try!  For more information please contact Niamh at Anam Mai Acupuncture