An article intended for practitioners of Chinese medicine:

April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month and I want to talk a little about this syndrome from a different perspective - specifically from a place of alleviating the patient's fear of food and avoidance of eating.

In recent years, the gastroenterology field has been talking about a condition called ARFID - avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, meaning avoidance or restriction of food.

People with sensitive bowels (irritable bowel syndrome) associate their symptoms with food and gradually begin to avoid it, just to avoid digestive problems.

It's unpleasant to say, but we as therapists don't always make it easy for them. We eliminate dairy products, gluten, cruciferous vegetables, legumes, fatty foods, "cold" food (both from the refrigerator and uncooked/sautéed/steamed), sweet food, coffee, alcohol, processed food, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few other things.

That's why when I receive a person for treatment, it's important for me to see what can be added to their diet.

For example, I would ask a patient with dehydration to avoid dairy products, sweet, cold, and fatty foods, but I would allow him to eat everything else.

Sometimes it's just important to me to create a regular routine and eat relatively good food, even if it's not perfect.

I will also examine the patient's needs and desires and try to adapt his diet to these desires.

If the patient tells me that it is important for him to drink a cup of coffee a day/alcohol with friends once a week/a salad for dinner, I think it is important for him to do it.

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