Rheumatic diseases, whether caused by drugs or diseases, often tend to damage the spleen and stomach. The spleen and stomach are said to be the essence of the latter in Chinese medicine. The ancient treatment of rheumatism needs to regulate the spleen and stomach at the same time. People with a poor spleen and stomach can be seen from their appearance. I often encounter such patients in the clinic: some pale, mouth and lips without a little luster; some too thin, as if a gust of wind can blow down; some very fat, seemingly large body, but not at all solid; and some talk breathless, mental weakness, young but not old before the decline …… is mostly due to their spleen and stomach function The damage is caused by their spleen and stomach function. Therefore, to know whether the spleen and stomach are good or not, I often look at the following parts: mouth and lips. Generally speaking, the lips of people with good spleen and stomach are red and moist, moderately dry and lubricated with light; while the lips of those with bad spleen and stomach are white and bloodless, appearing very dry and prone to bursting skin and cracking mouth. Most of the symptoms such as bad breath and swollen gums are related to the lack of digestive ability of the spleen and stomach. In addition, drooling when sleeping is also a sign of insufficient spleen qi. Nose. The meridians of the spleen and stomach are connected to the human nose. Dry nasal cavity, loss of sense of smell, runny nose and nose bleeding are mostly caused by weakness of the spleen and stomach. A person with a red nose mostly has stomach heat; a green nose with abdominal pain also indicates poor spleen and stomach function. Eyes. Poor spleen and stomach tend to have insufficient qi and blood, which in turn affects the liver, which is open to the eyes, so the eyes are easily fatigued and cannot see well. In addition, the spleen has a great relationship with the absorption of human body fluids. If there is often redness in the eyes and swelling of the face, it may also be a problem of the spleen. Ears. A weak spleen and stomach can cause a person’s kidney energy to be insufficient, often manifesting as tinnitus or even deafness. In addition, many people have a poor spleen and stomach, caused by overwork or emotions. Especially in spring, when liver fire is strong, people tend to be irritable. People with spleen and stomach disorders often feel weak, cold hands and feet, and sometimes diarrhea in spring. The spleen and stomach are injured, the five organs are suffering spleen and stomach problems, it is likely to involve the five organs. There is a saying in Chinese medicine that “nourishing the spleen and stomach is nourishing the vital energy, nourishing the vital energy is nourishing life”, and the health of the spleen and stomach is an important factor in determining the length of a person’s life. The heart and spleen are like a mother and child, and heart disease should be treated from the spleen and stomach. The spleen is responsible for coordinating the human qi and blood to feed the heart. Once the spleen is out of order and fails to benefit the qi and blood, it will cause the heart and blood to become dysregulated, leading to heart disease. The liver and the spleen and stomach affect each other. Patients often tell me that they still feel hungry after eating, but their stomachs are bulging, and gastrointestinal medication does not work. In fact, this is often related to liver depression and stagnation caused by too much work stress or bad emotions, and the liver must be nourished before the spleen and stomach can be solved. In turn, the spleen and stomach can also affect the liver, for example, the root cause of fatty liver is that the spleen and stomach can not digest food well, making it difficult to process waste and accumulate in the liver, thus affecting the liver’s blood supply and other functions. A weak spleen and stomach first affects the lungs. The lungs act as a “prime minister”, supporting the “monarch”, the heart. By managing the Qi in the body, the lungs assist the heart in governing the whole body. However, the strength or weakness of the lungs depends on the strength of the spleen and stomach. People with a weak spleen and stomach tend to have a deficiency of lung qi and are prone to colds and other respiratory diseases. A deficient spleen often leads to a deficient kidney as well. A person’s kidney energy is sufficient when he or she has plenty of energy. The strength of the kidney’s essence is also related to whether the person’s spleen and stomach are healthy and can provide sufficient nutrition to nourish the kidneys. Long-term spleen deficiency can lead to kidney deficiency, which manifests itself as irritable heat in the heart, easy night sweats, or fear of cold and cold hands and feet. Laughing is the best gift for the spleen and stomach Stomach illnesses are mostly related to a person’s uncontrolled diet, while spleen illnesses are related to overwork. Although the causes of spleen and stomach illnesses are different, they must be raised together. The spleen and stomach have three fears. One is afraid of raw, the other is afraid of cold, and the third is afraid of support. Raw and cold foods, such as all kinds of cold drinks, raw vegetables and fruits, will carry cold into the body and are most likely to hurt the spleen and stomach. In addition, the spleen and stomach are most afraid of support, hungry meal, full meal is the most harmful to it. Some medicines hurt the spleen and stomach the most. Many western medicines can stimulate the stomach and intestines, such as ferrous sulfate, aminophylline, etc. will make people nauseous, vomiting; guanethidine, insulin, etc. will cause diarrhea; aspirin, sodium salicylate, anti-inflammatory pain, etc. will induce stomach and duodenal ulcers leading to bleeding. Some bitter-cold Chinese medicines, such as Banlangen and Liushen Pill, should not be taken for a long time by people with a weak cold body and frequent diarrhea. Laughter is the best gift to the spleen and stomach. When a person is angry, resentful or anxious, the stomach is as congested and red as the face; when a person is sad, depressed or melancholy, the stomach becomes pale, with insufficient secretion of gastric juices and reduced activity. Chinese medicine also believes that bad emotions can affect the regulatory function of the liver, which in turn can affect the spleen and stomach. As you can see, learning to laugh is the best gift for the spleen and stomach. Move your toes more to nourish your spleen and stomach. I often ask patients with poor spleen and stomach to move their toes more often, which is equivalent to massaging the two meridians of the spleen and stomach. When you go to work, you can use your toes to scratch the ground and the soles of your shoes while you work, for 5 minutes each time. Or put some oval, medium-sized pebbles in the footwash basin and soak your feet while grabbing the stones with your toes. The spleen and stomach like finely ground food. The spleen and stomach like finely chopped food as much as the grandmother. A foreign study proved that if you can do repeated chewing of each mouthful of food and stick to it for decades, your health will be significantly better than that of your peers. Spring, summer, autumn and winter have their own way of nourishing. Eat less acid in spring and more sweet foods, such as yams, bananas, dates, etc., to nourish the spleen’s qi. In summer, when dampness is heavy, eat more beans to strengthen the spleen and facilitate dampness, while less rain and less cold. Drink more porridge from the beginning of autumn, porridge is most healthy for the spleen. Winter is cold, easy to stimulate stomach acid secretion increase, usually best to sleep early and get up late, more sunshine, let the body warm, is the best way to protect the spleen and stomach.