Western Medicine has been telling people that moderate consumption of alcohol is good for the heart because it increases blood flow by opening up the arteries. It does do that. But it only lasts for a few hours. After that, the arteries go back to their original size. Repeated many times, this causes the blood vessels to lose their elasticity. The blood starts to pool, and it isn’t reaching the brain. This in turn makes the heart work harder, which means your blood pressure goes up. But that’s just the beginning.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), alcohol is not a good thing. We believe it has many negative, long term effects on the entire body. Over time, consuming alcohol can cause significant damage, even in moderate amounts. Here is why.
Apart from damaging the circulatory system, Alcohol also damages the liver and the kidneys. One glass per week is enough. The chemicals in alcohol kill the cells, hard fibres form and the liver eventually becomes hard and does not function very well As more and more liver cells die, it can’t do its job properly. The kidneys also have trouble to eliminate the alcohol from your body. Overall, your digestive system starts to deteriorate, and becomes less efficient in getting rid of toxins.
I’ll give you an example. I had a patient who had been drinking quite heavily. His wife wanted him to stop, but he wasn’t listening. When he came to see me, I looked at his ear and saw that there was a hard spot the size of my little fingernail where the liver meridian is. I made him feel that, and told him that was how his liver felt. He stopped drinking right away, and now his body is beginning to heal itself. And his wife is happy, too. |
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If you drink, your stomach reacts. It becomes swollen and you may lose your appetite. So now you are not eating properly. Some people develop heartburn. In addition, it kills the good bacteria in your small intestine and invites bad bacteria to grow. This in turn affects the large intestine and constipation often results.
Once the digestive system has been damaged, the blood is no longer able to deliver nutrients to the body. This in turn causes the bones to become brittle and the skin to thin out. Arthritis is the result of toxins not being eliminated from the body. The body is also not getting enough nutrients and starts to deteriorate. The natural regenerative processes are not working well any more, and the bones become brittle as a result. This also has emotional effects. When your body’s nutrition isn’t working properly, you may feel depressed and fatigued and even lose interest in sex. All of a sudden, you feel old and are always tired.
It’s not just the chemicals in alcohol that damage the body. Other chemicals are just as dangerous. When the body is overwhelmed with chemicals, it places great strain on the organs of elimination. That is why alcohol and strong medicines based on powerful chemicals always do some damage along with the good. In TCM, we always look at the whole body and how the different organs work together. The aim is always to help the body heal itself. If you want to help your body heal itself, stop drinking. Your liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines, not to mention your circulatory system, will thank you for it. |
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