Diabetes Due to Improper Diet

There is a folk adage in China that "Eating is the people's heaven" which means the food is the first necessity of the people. In TCM, "Jing" or essence (5), "Qi" (6) and "Shen"(7) are micro essence material that are necessary for maintaining human life activities. Essence can be subdivided into two parts; one is congenital essence (8) inherited from parents, the other is acquired essence (9) that relied entirely on food and water.

According to TCM, the stomach and the spleen are important "Zang-fu" (10) organs with transporting and transformation functions. The stomach is an organ with the functions of digestion and receiving food and water, and the spleen is an organ with the function of engendering transformation for blood and vital-Qi (11). The refined nutritious substance (essence) (12) of food and water can only be efficiently transformed and transported to nourish the whole body and replenish the congenital essence when the functions of stomach and spleen are well coordinated. If the balance between Yin and Yang of the stomach and spleen is broken, then by unhealthy dietary habit, the functions of the stomach and the spleen will be obstructed and lead to serious consequences.

There is a saying that "diabetes is a disease of diet". Food and drink are necessities, but they are not to be taken without restrain. There are teachings in the "Huangdi's Internal Classic" that "eat and drink in a moderate way and lead a regular life, then a life span can exceed hundred years; drink wine as water and exhaust essence by desire (sexual), then life waned only half a hundred." It means food must be taken in an appropriate quantity with a balanced menu and on time. Both excessive hungry and glut are not desirable, nor does irregular timing and partiality for food. Long term partiality for a particular kind of food may result in undesirable effect. E.g., a person unrestrainedly takes greasy, sweet food and food that are high in fat will most likely suffer polyorexia and essence wearing, and cause the impairment of the stomach-Qi (13) and lead to internal stagnation of dryness (14) and heat (15), Yin deficiency, and Yang hyperactivity. The greasy, sweet and strong flavored foods are foods with fire (16), which is the source of internal stagnation of dryness and heat. The internal stagnation of dryness and heat burns and consumes the Yin fluid (17) of the stomach, so the digestive function of the stomach will be severely restricted. The resulting indigestion leads to the weary and wet state of the spleen and generates phlegm with heat; hence it causes deficiency of Yin with dryness and heat in stomach and spleen. Moreover, the impairment of the stomach-Qi will lead to dysfunctional spleen and stomach and that vital-Qi and blood will not be properly transformed and delivered, which will cause deficiency of essence. All these factors, the impairment of stomach-Qi, internal stagnation of dryness and heat, Ying deficiency, Yang hyperactivity, and essence deficiency, combined together and lead to the disease of diabetes. In addition, the impairment of stomach-Qi and dysfunctional stomach and spleen form a source-less state for Qi and blood, which are vital for the nourishment of the whole body, that need to be transformed and delivered. If this situation lasts, improper nourishment due to the shortage of Yin-fluid will cause multiple pathological changes in many parts of the organism. This is the reason that diabetes disease is more often associated with multiple complications. So there is a saying in TCM that "with the stomach-Qi there is life, without stomach-Qi there is death".