Living a stressful existence is not always the easiest. Whether you’re the corporate road warrior or crazed soccer mom trying to stay ahead of the curve trying to find balance in your life can seem an unreachable goal at times. The results too often end up as the binge eating of foods that are high in caffeine and loaded with sugar in an attempt to stay in the game. Frustrating as it may seem from a physiological point it is not surprising. The brain is a glucose hog, meaning it runs on sugar and when a person gets under stress it sends a message to the liver to produce more sugar from the body fat stores. This process also sends the signal to the hunger center in the brain to go out and get that Big Mac / Ding-Dong snack and before you know it, you’re up an extra 1000 calories on the day. Consequently, it’s the stress itself which is the important issue and a driving component behind Type-2 diabetes.
In Chinese medicine, this type of condition is seen as an imbalance of the Spleen and Kidneys. Exercise, sufficient sleep and a proper diet all help to break the cycle and getting the stress under control. A Chinese practitioner usually customizes a program for his patient using a number of Chinese herbs and proper diet selection. Sweet food involving complex carbohydrates such as parsnips, winter squash and sweet potatoes would all be recommended and actually support the spleen and digestive system. Chinese herbs such as cinnamon bark, wolf berries and walnuts are also useful. Herbs such as American Ginseng and Eleuthero help support the adrenals and kidneys and would also be a wise choice. Getting the sugar cravings under control is important. Sugar can affect not only your weight but plays an added role in fatigue, depression and the body’s inflammation.
Original Source: http://drsadlon.com/wellness-blog-holistic-medicine-rochester-ny/chinese-herbs-sweet-cravings/
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