20 May Warmer Foods Help Seniors Regain Strength and Health

A client brought his 94-year old mother to me, asking for help with her 4 months of bowel incontinence. It was making her miserable and exhausted, not to mention the discouraging loss of dignity that goes with that sort of thing.

Her doctors had prescribed all sorts of medications, but nothing worked. She was getting weaker every day. In my office, she covered up with her winter coat, looking frail and pale, but I could see the feisty woman she’d once been, underneath the weariness.

I suggested that her nursing staff stop serving her fruit juices, cold fruit, iced tea, and cottage cheese, all of which are known to contribute to loose stools and digestive problems for those with the TCM pattern of Spleen Qi Deficiency.

It’s a clinical term that describes a pattern of disharmony in Traditional Chinese Medicine. People with this pattern have sometimes been weakened by a long period of stress, like an illness (my client had suffered a stroke), or excessive cold, damp foods, or both.

A week later, the client’s son called to say that even before starting the course of herbs I recommended, she was having 50% fewer episodes of incontinence, and felt stronger overall. The staff was surprised at how much warmer foods, soups, and hot teas, improved her quality of life.

Holistic healing isn’t always about taking an herb or supplement. It takes into account everything from lifestyle factors to diet, and even spiritual practices. A minor adjustment like the temperature of your food can make a big difference in the whole you.

Could there be one simple practice that needs a tiny little turn-of-the-dial in your life or the life of someone close to you?