Beat The Bloat - Tips from Yoga, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Travelling. Parties. Big Meals. 'Friends / Family Obligations'. We love the holidays season or vacation time in general, don't we? However, hopping between time zones, boozy brunches and feasting get-togethers can at times make your gut less than happy.

We speak to our expert, Dr. Lim Xiang Jun – a Fully Registered Licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (“TCM”) Practitioner in Singapore. Dr. Lim spent over 6 years in Beijing pursuing her Doctorate (PhD) and with her Bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences, certification in Yoga, Reiki and Ayurveda, she is able to hold a Western medical point of view, while incorporating meditative & breathing techniques to her consultations.

Indeed, "one of the most common complaints that I have come across in my clinical experiences as a TCM physician treating women is bloating in the stomach, occurring mostly after eating."

To understand why this occurs, Dr. Lim explains to us a simple way of understanding the digestive system physiology according to TCM theories. The Spleen and Stomach are the two primary organs for digestion. The Stomach is like the woodman who chops up firewood - accepting the food (which in this case is the firewood) as it comes in, chopping it, organizing it and making it ready for the fire (which is the Spleen) to burn up. As the Spleen begins to burn the firewood sent over by the Stomach, heat and steam arises from the fireplace. The heat and steam is the Qi, or vital energy, that is required for all other organs to function properly and for one to be energized. It is thus important to maintain a strong and healthy fire (also known as 'the digestive fire').

When this digestive fire is low or weak, any firewood introduced from the Stomach will not be able to be combusted entirely. As a result, food stagnation occurs with the partially digested food stuck in the digestive tract, fermenting and producing gases, causing bloatedness.

In this case, bloatedness is but one of the many symptoms of poor digestive health. What we are more concerned about is that with this poor digestive health comes a whole chain of other related health issues such as lethargy, chronic fatigue syndrome (as little vital energy is being transformed from the food for distribution to the rest of the body) and weight gain problems.

Introducing some remedies from the TCM, Ayurveda and Yoga perspectives to deal with bloatedness and poor digestive health faced by modern women today.

1. Take Fennel Seed-Infused Teas

According to TCM, fennel seed is warming in property and this property enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians. Hence, it harmonizes the Stomach of any coldness and tonifies the Spleen qi, thereby increasing the digestive fire required for digestion.

According to Ayurveda, fennel seeds act as a general toner for the digestive system, and is particularly good for enhancing Agni,the digestive fire, without aggravating Pitta. In India, eating a few toasted fennel seeds after a meal is a common practice, both to aid digestion and to freshen breath.

Fennel seed teas are available online, as well as in most supermarkets (Teekanne brand widely available in Singapore).

2. Be Conscious of the Food You Consume

According to both TCM and Ayurveda, raw and cold food extinguishes the digestive fire even further. Hence, eating cooked food means the food is “pre-digested” before it enters the body. With that, the digestive fire does not have to work as hard to process and break the food down, lowering the chances of any undigested food and gases produced from the indigestion.

3. Self Massage Acupoint Zu San Li

The acupoint Zu San Li controls the work of the organs that are located in the lower half of the body. It controls the functions of the spinal cord in the parts that are responsible for proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, digestive tract, sexual organs, kidneys, adrenal glands. Therefore, frequent self massage of this point can clear bloatedness and improve the functioning of the Spleen and Stomach.

Location of this point: located about 3 inches or 4 finger widths down from the bottom of the knee cap, along the outer boundary of the shin bone. If located correctly, a muscle should pop out as the foot is moved up and down.

4. Acupuncture and Cupping

TCM uses cupping to remove gases due to poor digestion from within the system by stimulating certain points along the meridians of the stomach and large intestine. This causes bloating symptoms to dissipate. At the same time, acupuncture techniques can be used to strengthen the body's digestive fire and functioning of the Spleen and Stomach.

5. Practise Wind-Releasing Poses

As its name implies, Pawanmuktasana, or wind-releasing pose, helps to push out trapped air in the Stomach.

To practice, lie on your back. Hug your right knee into your chest. Inhale deeply, then exhale and reach your knee toward your nose. Hold this position for a few seconds, then inhale and release.

The order is very important here — do the exercise 3 times on the right side first, and then 3 times on the left. This follows the natural movement of the colon so that you’re literally pushing the gas out.

Lastly, hug both knees into the chest and hold for a few seconds. Repeat three times.

Ultimately, try to tune in and listen to what your body is trying to tell you - learn to be more mindful when you're eating and if you’re reacting poorly to a food, you probably shouldn’t be eating it!

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

What other tips do you have to beat the bloat? Share them with us and any other questions you may have for Dr. Lim: ladies@thebusywomanproject.com