Let The Blood Flow! Red Energy Gives You Health

One of the most important concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is xue . We translate it as “blood”, but behind this concept hides a whole world to discover.

We can understand that the blood nourishes and hydrates the entire organism. Only this helps us to assess its breadth of functions, but also to understand health problems as diverse as difficulty falling asleep, muscle pain, dizziness or dizziness. All of them are the consequence of what would be considered an “energetically poor” blood.

Getting sick in TCM is energetically unbalanced. Our “blood” may be deficient, which is not to say anemic. It may not be able to properly nourish all of our tissues when encountering blockages, some as obvious as a varicose vein. Or it can get excessively hot: it can “boil my blood” when I get angry, although depending on what news I have “cold blood”.

The “blood” ( xue ) and health in Chinese medicine

When we wake up, the blood kicks in. The night has helped him to regenerate and now he is back in shape. The first pumps are given with the first steps. We have to bring more oxygen to the muscles, we start walking and it costs us a bit.

The function of the xue is clear: to nourish and hydrate; blood is water with nutrients. As soon as it has moistened the tissues, we feel agile and awake.

If we do things right for the rest of the day – we eat, drink and rest properly – it will not give any danger signals. If not, it is there to stop us and make us reflect on what is happening.

The three pathological states of xue give us clear symptoms:

• Deficiency: the blood warms us; if I have little blood, my skin is pale, I have no color and I may be cold.
• Stagnation: If it’s stagnant somewhere, the blood isn’t going to feed my tissues. I may have cramps or a tingling sensation.
• Heat: if something overheats it rises like steam to the head, we turn red, we light up and we take fire through our mouth with four screams. Emotions warm us, enrage us and, above all, move us.

The xue roots the mind

The brain needs a lot of food. If we lack blood, it does not work well. Typical signs are poor concentration or memory loss. Other symptoms that warn us are dizziness and dizziness. When we raise our heads abruptly, we are spinning. As we are fair of xue , this can not respond so fast. The malnourished brain complains and forces us to slow down.

The cause of these symptoms is not always a deficiency. To reach the head, the blood must overcome an often tense and contracted neck. Only by relaxing it will the stagnation disappear and also the problems.

Rule disturbances

If the relationship with blood is very clear in any aspect of the body, it is with menstruation. Every month a woman’s body expels a large amount of blood. If there is an important imbalance, the blood will tell us.

The most remarkable thing is the amount and color of the blood. A normal loss is 4 to 6 days, and the color must be vivid and without clots. If it is shorter, it tells us that there is a shortage, a deficiency. If it is dark and with masses, it tells us about the difficulty in being expelled.

Generally this type of blood is accompanied by sharp pain before menstruation, which also indicates difficulty in moving the blood. And if it is accompanied by a migraine attack, it tells us that it cannot cope with everything: either the period or nourish the head.

The terrain must be addressed, the basic imbalances: the lack of proper nutrition, excessive exercise or stress. If not, the deficiency will punish each cycle with a major pain crisis.

Blood influences digestion or muscles

We need blood in all functions. If we eat, it gives the stomach strength to work. Humidifies the intestines to make transit easier. Thus, a constipation can also be treated with more xue , more moisture in the tissues.

If our legs hurt and they say it is circulation, it means that there are no nutrients for the muscles to be well fed with so much going up and down. Or, if we spend hours on our feet, we don’t help move it. Another kind of stagnation.

You need to rest, watch your blood

But how is my blood so drained? Everything he does in one day seems little to you! It seems so, because when you leave work you go to the gym. And again the blood carrying food to the muscles and losing moisture through sweat.

Just when it was about to collect in the liver, we demanded a penultimate effort. The last one will be dinner: let’s hope it’s frugal, so you don’t work too hard.

After exhausting what little we have left with intense exercise, we suffer from insomnia. Blood roots the mind, that is, it appeases it. At night, blood is essential for a good sleep. Do not exhaust it!

As we have seen, the blood intervenes in all the processes of the organism. You have to take care of it with food and good hydration. Rest is basic, the hours of sleep as well. And with regard to physical activity, it must be adapted to age and other conditions.

The exercise that does not wear out

Physical activity is better in the morning than at the end of the day. If you have times of a lot of work or exams, adjust the volume. If you are a woman, slow down with your period. Intense cardiovascular work, with high heart rates and a lot of sweat, depletes the blood in nutrients and fluids.

We can move, which is essential, doing yoga, chikung or a walk. We will achieve the same good effects, but we will not wear out the xue as much. And we will gain quality of life.

How to feed your blood

Preparing the digestive system and choosing highly nutritious foods is essential so that it does not weaken.

• It warms the stomach: it must be prepared to assimilate food. A starter salad or gazpacho will demand an extra effort from the stomach and will not be ready to receive the food. Give him something hot, like soup. Millet and barley are good for energizing the digestive system.
• Take care of the intestines: substituting dairy for vegetable drinks such as almond milk improves the absorption of nutrients in the intestine. Fermented like sauerkraut, miso or tempeh are excellent complements for their probiotics. Also the split green olives.
• Legumes to nourish it: azuki beans, black soybeans or lentils, among others, take care of the kidney and nourish the blood. In winter add buckwheat, grain or noodles.
• Good complements: you cannot miss the well-crushed black sesame; algae, especially dulse; red vegetables like beets; and seasonal fruits, also red.
• Get oxygen: massage the skin with a horsehair glove to clean the pores and oxygenate; it will also help to receive better food.
• Hydrate better: something as simple and natural as drinking is basic. There is no standard, no quantity. To control our level of hydration, what better than to observe the color of our urine, which must be clear. Dark yellows indicate that we are short of water. And, if we lack it, the blood thickens, it is difficult for it to move and it tends more to blockage.

Three aids to regain balance

In addition to physical exercise and food, you can resort to natural therapies to balance the energy of the blood.

• Acupuncture: those who best know the functioning of the xue are the therapists in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the acupuncturists. Apart from the use of needles, it is essential, in case of deficiency, to change habits, especially diet, and supplement with herbal medicine, whether with Chinese or local formulation. For a few years now, Chinese herbal medicine has been found with European quality standards.
• Massages and suction cups: to move stagnant blood, nothing better than using your hands and also using suction cups. The typical pain in the upper back area is often related to a blood blockage. The suction cups will move deeply to remove that lock. With the hands the technique must be with force, to undo old obstructions.