It is Blood that ballasts the Soul
Blood Deficiency is a common pattern in modern life
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we practice by determining patterns of disharmony. Then, by treating the roots and branches (reasons and symptoms) of a pattern, we contribute to conditions for you to return to harmonious flow.
What is Blood Deficiency?
Blood Deficiency is a pattern that means the blood we have flowing through our arteries and capillaries are lacking substance. As a result Blood can not provide adequate nourishment for organs, body fluids, brain, spirit or body tissues. As you can imagine, this impacts our physical, mental and emotional well being.
Symptoms of Blood Deficiency include:
Pale, sallow, or yellowish complexion; pale lips, nails, and tongue.
Weakness, and low energy.
Dizziness, lightheaded, vertigo, blurry vision or floaters.
Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep), anxiety, restlessness, and poor memory.
Numbness or tingling in the hands/feet, muscle cramps, and tremors.
Dry skin, itchy skin, brittle nails, hair loss.
Confirmed anemia
Scanty, light, absent menstruation or overly heavy bleeding.
Do any of these sound familiar?
After all, so many of us have, or have dealt with, low Blood. Myself included!
Where does Blood come from?
Blood (Xue) forms from 2 sources, pre-heaven cycle and post-heaven Qi cycle.
The pre-heaven cycle is constitution, genetics and Essence from the sperm, egg, uterus and ancestors that form us before birth.
The post-heaven Qi cycle is comprised of the food we eat and the air we breathe.
We can not change what we are given, though we can significantly influence it, and we can 100% change what we take in, even with limited access.
What does Blood do?
Moistens and provides nourishment to the organs, bones, muscles, tendons and skin.
Along with Qi, Blood provides the foundation for mental activity.
Blood as Ballast
A ballast is a: "heavy material, such as gravel, sand, iron, or lead, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability."
Much like adding heavy material to a ship, nourishing Blood improves stability in our whole body vessel, the mind, blood vessels and Qi vessels (meridians).
Blood Deficiency ≠ Anemia but Anemia = Blood Deficiency
How can this be?
Anemia is a diagnosis of low iron and/or ferritin whereas Blood Deficiency is a pattern identified by one’s physical, mental and emotional experience of being alive. One who is Blood Deficient may or may not be anemic, whereas one who is anemic is most definitely Blood Deficient.
Why does this happen?
Causes of Blood Deficiency:
Heavy bleeding during cycle or from injury.
Lack of access to food, lack of appetite or not knowing what to eat and when.
Ongoing digestive conditions resulting in lack of absorption of nutrients
Overwork and too much stress causing Spleen Qi deficiency
Eating in response to diet culture, thus eating out of relationship with self.
Nourishing Blood is a ballast, an anchor deep inside us as we face what is.
Tips for Building Blood
By tonifying Organ function and Qi flow through Acupuncture, eating Blood Nourishing food and cultivating regard for the mind and mental activity we practice steadying the storm to face what is and decide what we are able and willing to do with this one wild and precious life.
Food, treatment and regard: 3 pillars of nourishing Blood
Food
Proteins
Tempeh, edamame, bone broth, chicken, beef, fish, lentils, beans.
Vegetables
Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli), spinach, kale, chard, parsley, beets, squash, sweet potato, carrots.
Fruits
Berries, red dates, goji berries, mulberries, longan.
Grains
Brown rice, quinoa, millet, oatmeal, wild rice.
Nuts/seeds
Black Sesame, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds.
Treatment
We identify patterns and create treatments to enhance Qi flow, build blood and tonify the organs responsible for creating and storing Blood, that of the Spleen and Liver. We also attend to the systems that nourish or move Blood, and harmonize the organs connected to reproduction, digestion and sleep.
Holistic treatment is medicines from many inputs.
Some examples of how:
by improving digestive function the body absorbs more nutrients, to build Blood.
by stabilizing someone's cycle we prevent blood loss from heavy periods
by reducing night sweats, helping the body to fall asleep earlier and/or sleep through the night we influence our pre-heaven and post-heaven cycles to nourish Blood.
by alleviating anxiety one can ground and make decisions from a solid centre.
by educating on food, life habits and referring to an herbalist we offer medicine to build blood from the inside out and outside in.
Regard for the mind and mental activity
We are being asked to do more than our mind & body can manage. Be it from a busy city street, the dire state of the climate, the direct or vicarious emotional toll of colonization, all the way to the to do list of groceries, laundry, go to work / write a grant / attend school / book appointments or all of the above!
Enter Regard...
According to dictionary.com regard is defined as: "to look upon or think of with a particular feeling. to regard a person with favour. to have or show respect or concern for. to think highly of; esteem. Synonyms: value, revere, honor, respect."
If, like me, you do not have an internal voice always chatting to me with radical compassion and love, you can cultivate internal well being you could check out Metta Practice by Ruth King.
10 minute Metta (loving kindness) practice with Ruth King
Practicing to turn towards ourselves with a wish of well being, regard and honesty, builds Blood by providing ballast to the mind and grounding the mental activity.
When we are harsh (which we will be again and again, thanks, in part, to the negativity bias) we deplete our Qi, it is net loss. When we regard what i, as it is we steady and maintain, and when we decide on carrying with reality a genuine wish of well being, we experience net gain.
Food or thought, real nourishment
supports Blood strength.
What now?
You got options:
Book an appointment to get a TCM based health assessment
Learn about your pattern of disharmony
Get bloodwork done
Start eating more blood nourishing foods (see above)
Practice Metta to literally rewire your brain towards love and regard
Whatever path you take, including doing none of the above, I want you to come away from this with clarity that you can heal, you can repair, restore and nourish your Blood, body and soul.
Our Blood, from ancestors to the red blood cells being made new every single day, there is hope and steadiness coursing through our veins.
Sources:
Image of a Red Blood Cell: Wiki info
Defining Ballast: encyclopedia.com
Functions of Blood: Yin Yang House
Negativity bias: Wikipedia
Rewire your Brain: PubMed
Red Blood Cell formation: anatomy videos
