One of the things I always tell patients is that if someone has a stomach problem a Chinese medical doctor will ask the patient about their mood. If they have a problem with their mood then we ask about their stomach. This article does a pretty good job of explaining why in Western medical terms.

 

Here is a small quote from it: “You needn’t be a gastroenterologist to be aware of these gut reactions – or indeed the more subtle feelings in your stomach that accompany emotions such as excitement, fear and stress. For hundreds of years, people have believed that the gut interacts with the brain to influence health and disease. Yet this connection has only been studied over the last century. Two pioneers in this field were American physician Byron Robinson, who in 1907 published The Abdominal and Pelvic Brain, and his contemporary, British physiologist Johannis Langley, who coined the term “enteric nervous system”.”

Meanwhile take a look at Chai Hu Shu Gan Wan. One of my favorite mind – stomach herbal formulas.

Stay tuned and I’ll post some of other favorite formulas we often use for mind- stomach issues.

 

Doug Eisenstark L.Ac.