Traditional Chinese Medicine Teaches You to Assess Health Through Appetite
Introduction: Appetite is a human instinct and also a mirror of health. Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches you to assess health through appetite and determine the condition of the five zang and six fu organs. For example, a lack of appetite is often a sign of a weak spleen and stomach, while a significant increase in appetite may indicate "fire" in the stomach. Furthermore, the condition of the mouth and taste preferences can also reveal the health of the five organs. Let's explore how to detect diseases through appetite.
1. Lack of Appetite or Anorexia May Be a Sign of a Weak Spleen and Stomach
Normal eating should be an enjoyable experience, but when it becomes a burden, it is considered anorexia. In daily life, it's common to hear people say, "I have no appetite" or "I don't want to eat." So, what do these signs of anorexia indicate?
Occasional loss of appetite is often a sign of a weak spleen and stomach. Intractable anorexia, however, can be a sign of atrophic gastritis and may even indicate stomach cancer or pancreatic cancer. It can also be a sign of liver depression, psychiatric disorders, or depression. If anorexia is accompanied by nausea, it may be a sign of renal failure uremia, late-stage diabetic acidosis, or ketosis. Hypothyroidism can also lead to varying degrees of loss of appetite.
2. A Greatly Increased Appetite May Indicate "Fire" in the Stomach
The opposite of no appetite is a greatly increased appetite. If you suddenly find your appetite is significantly heightened, it is often a sign of "fire" in the stomach. Hyperthyroidism and mania can also manifest with a marked increase in appetite. If one develops a craving to eat inedible things, such as candles, coal, soil, or raw rice, it is often a precursor to infantile malnutrition or psychiatric illness.
3. What Your Mouth Feel and Taste Preferences Tell You About Disease
A healthy person's mouth is neither dry nor thirsty, and they can taste their food. This is called a "balanced mouth," indicating normal stomach qi and sufficient body fluids. Conversely, when the body's yin and yang are imbalanced and the organs are diseased, this sense of "balance" is lost, and certain signals are reflected in the condition of the mouth and taste preferences:
Bitter taste: Suggests liver heat or gallbladder disease. Sweet taste: Suggests spleen heat. Salty taste: Often suggests kidney deficiency, due to the upward flow of kidney fluids. Sour taste: Is a sign of overflowing liver qi, often indicating liver deficiency. Fishy taste: Is an early sign of lung heat. A sudden loss of taste in the elderly is often a precursor to a cerebral infarction. For a long-term bedridden patient with a long-term lack of appetite, if they suddenly have a strong craving for a specific food, it could be a sign of a final rally before death ("return of the light").