Is there a way to heal the gut, to alleviate the symptoms of autism, depression and other m
ental illnesses?
First of all, the brain isn’t separate from the rest of our bodies. Of course this is obvious when we look at the human body. But somehow, we have been led to believe in our culture that our stomachs and the food we eat don’t really affect our brains and how we think.
In Five Element Acupuncture, the body is viewed as an intricate whole. There are separate systems but each one of these systems or elements affects and relies on one another. It is also said that the Earth element, which is connected to the stomach and the spleen, is the most important element, or the Mother of all elements. If out of balance, this can lead to many other imbalances within the body, mind and spirit of a person.
To understand this, you only have to imagine the Earth. When the Earth is diseased – unhealthy plants, too many toxins, pesticides, etc. – this has a detrimental affect on the living organisms on the planet. We have seen the result of pollution on the Earth over the past several years and can attest that an unhealthy planet leads to diseases in plant, animal and human life.
Another example: Imagine a bicycle wheel and the spokes that come out from the center. The stability of the center is vital for the bicycle wheel to function properly. Now imagine a broken center, where the spokes don’t connect properly or there isn’t any real substance of the center to hold the spokes. So what happens? The wheel falls apart.
Now return to the human being. The stomach or Earth element is our center. It is the place where the nourishment and food we eat becomes digested and transformed into energy in order for our bodies to be healthy and happy (hopefully!). It feeds every cell in our bodies, especially our brains. So in essence, the food we eat fuels the way we think, how we feel, and how well we are able to accomplish a task at hand.