Achieving Body Balance

Nourishing All Organs for Optimal Health

A truly balanced body signifies a comprehensive fitness and health across all aspects. A physically fit individual with a weak heart, or perhaps an energetic person who suddenly succumbs to a heart attack, doesn't exhibit a well-balanced physique. Similarly, an individual with healthy internal organs but afflicted with hepatitis can't be considered well-balanced.

The interplay between our internal organs is fascinating. Sometimes, when one organ is overly robust, it can weaken or harm another. Ideal health would involve equal nourishment of all organs. With such balance, our bodies could potentially become stronger, leading to a longer, happier life.

However, even in our affluent societies, this balance remains elusive. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers have become more prevalent, suggesting an imbalance in our bodily nourishment. More often than not, our digestive system is over-nourished at the expense of other organs, leading to increased instances of heart, kidney, and liver diseases.

As per Chinese organ theory, over-nourishing one organ pair can weaken another. For instance, over-nourishing the stomach and spleen may weaken the kidneys and bladder, and vice versa. We typically eat according to our taste buds' preferences, representing the stomach's needs, neglecting the needs of other organs like the liver, heart, or lungs.

Ideally, all our internal organs should have equal representation when it comes to choosing foods, much like in a democratic political system where all regions should have representation in the central government. Unfortunately, we often eat primarily for enjoyment, favoring foods that please our taste buds and stomach, leading to weight gain. Sweet foods, pleasing to the mouth, are consumed most frequently and in large quantities. Bitter foods beneficial for the heart, pungent foods for the lungs, salty foods for the kidneys and gall bladder, and sour foods for the liver and gall bladder, are often ignored as they're less pleasing to the taste buds.

Previously, when food scarcity was common, our stomach-focused eating habits were acceptable. However, in today's society of abundance, it's important we rethink our dietary approach for a truly balanced body.

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