Stomach Chi
Stomach Chi improves your ability to process nourishment on both physical and emotional levels.
People spend a lot of time considering what they put into their bodies. There are numerous places to put the blame for poor digestion and inadequate nutrient assimilation. Maintaining a high quality diet is often a juggling act as we try to balance our stressful, hurried lifestyles, too many fried foods, too many acid-producing foods, the demands of travel, and occasional overindulgence. Some try to add hydrochloric acids, pancreatic enzymes, and beneficial bacteria to their diets. The problem, however, may not come directly from food allergies, stress, poor food combining, or chemical additives. It may come from the lack of sufficient constitutional strength.
Constitution has different meanings depending on your point of view. Western medical thought sees constitution as being limited by genetic makeup. As such, it is invariable and carved in stone at birth. In Chinese thought, constitution is the sum of the prenatal jing (or essence) and the postnatal jing. Postnatal jing can be nourished and is thought to be directly related to the health of the Spleen and the Stomach (as these terms are used in Chinese medicine).
Teachings on this concept date back to 100 BC and The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic. This collection is considered by most students and scholars of Oriental philosophy as the first place where the idea that the Spleen (pi) and the Stomach (wei) are at the very root of many if not all diseases. Li Dong Yuan became a chief proponent of this philosophy.
Perhaps Dong Yuan's greatest achievement, and certainly a major reason for the current interest in his work, is his apparent insight into complex disease patterns which he called 'curious' disease manifestations. Many recognize that it is just these types of diseases which are giving Western medicine the most problems today. Hidden pathogenic stealth viruses may be the cause of many auto-immune diseases. The apparent confusion of normal immune function is believed to cause severely disabling and degenerative problems such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and perhaps even some forms of cancer.
Dong Yuan sees these types of manifestations as being rooted in a complex type of Yin Fire which is itself rooted in an emptiness in the functions of the Spleen and Stomach. When this fire upsurges, it causes a confusion of influences, a chaotic chi, which is at the root of a myriad of complex symptoms. Western medicine seems to be blind to this level of the disease. To Dong Yuan, a major part of working with insidious diseases is to consolidate the two organ systems - Stomach and Spleen. It might be clear by now that Dong Yuan viewed these organs, as including, but not limited to the Western medical digestive function.
Stomach Chi would then potentially have greater benefit than simply dealing with a tummy ache although it may be helpful in this area as well. To consolidate the Middle in the way Dong Yuan suggests would control potential Yin Fire upsurging and nourish the True Yang. Stomach Chi works to improve one's ability to take in and process nourishment on the physical, emotional, and mental levels.
The digestive function is particularly vulnerable to invasion by the stresses of modern life. As we are pressed by the demands of our jobs, relationships, and responsibilities, we tend to contract away from life. We close doors and put up walls for protection. In so doing we also close the doors to our nourishment and hinder our ability to assimilate our experiences. Stomach Chi helps to strengthen us enough to have a clear relationship with our existence. Once this root is established then we are able to allow free movement of our digestive process. It can act as a complimentary agent to a deeper sense of health and well being.
Herbs Included in Stomach Chi:
- Pinellia (root)
- Poria (fruiting body)
- Oriental ginseng (root)
- Atractylodes (root)
- Ginger (root)
- Magnolia (bark)
- Saussurea (root)
- Chinese cardamom (seed)
- Tangerine (aged peel)
- Perilla (leaf)
- Licorice (root)
About OHCO
OHCO's herbal products and the proprietary technology involved were researched and developed by acupuncturist Donn Hayes. His experience and training in classical Chinese herbology provided the foundation for Cold Snap, Stomach Chi, OHCO-Motion, OHCO-Flow, Eye-Ching and Chi'll Out. His initial study of Oriental Medicine began with an apprenticeship in the Oriental communities of Seattle and Vancouver and continues thirty years later through his private practice and research. He holds a Diplomate of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs through the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists.
Donn is a truly gifted practitioner who reached beyond the traditional and made a revolutionary contribution to health care reform. He will continue to be active in the development of several new formulas already in the works. He is eager to get his important message before the public about restoring and nourishing the chi. Donn is an experienced speaker and is available to talk to your group on Eastern philosophy, acupuncture, and herbs. He is an avid Macintosh user and spearheads the computer operations at OHCO.
Hannah Hayes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Hofstra University and attained a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from Antioch University. After ten years of teaching, she moved on to run her own vegetarian restaurant and to manage an extremely popular local health food store. In the mid-eighties, Hannah started working with Donn's clients to educate them about the principles of Oriental Medicine. During this time, Hannah observed that many patients began requesting that their custom formulas be made available to friends and families.
After studying the safety and efficacy of the formulas in the clinical setting, Hannah created OHCO to bring these wonderful products into the retail marketplace. Her vision and management style has made OHCO into a successful and well-respected company. In addition to being the CEO and President of OHCO, Hannah writes a syndicated bi-weekly opinion column and hopes to soon publish a layperson's guide to Oriental Medicine.