Too Much Rich Food is Not Good

A wealthy middle-aged woman from Hong Kong often served her son rich food believing it would make him grow strong.  The son, however, often felt dizzy.  Through her friend’s referral, they came to see me for treatment.  After taking the pulse for him, I asked, “Do you feel dizzy?” Her boy answered, “Yes.”  I asked, “Does the middle part of your forehead feel uncomfortable?” The boy looked at me but gave no response.  I said, “Let me take a look at your tongue.”  He extended his tongue, which was white, and the coating was too thick.  I raised my voice: “Does your forehead not feel alright?”  He answered, “Maybe.”  I said, “If so, your dizziness is coming from your stomach.”  He asked, “How come?”  I said, “Your over-acting pulse and your coated tongue indicate your stomach is congested.”  He asked, “How come?”  Then I asked his mother about his diet. She told me that his nutrition is very good.  She cooks all kinds of good food for him and lets him eat however much he wants.  I continued: “Your son cannot absorb so much.” She replied, “But he is growing; he needs lots of nutrition.”  I said, “Enough is good, but too much is no good; you are giving more good food than your son can handle.”  Her manner indicated that she did not really believe this.  She was attached to the old thought, but not the ancient thought.
 

The boy came in for several treatments but he only improved a little.  His mother never really believed my opinions about her son’s diet, and each time I had to explain it until my mouth felt dry.  Sometimes we even debated.  I said: “These cases are not new to me; if you co-operate with me, your boy will be better soon.”  But she was still attached to the thought that nutrition is good for a growing boy.

After a few more treatments and continuous advice about her son’s condition, she began to accept my opinions. I also mentioned that in ancient times, people knew how to drink ordinary tea, and they did not ask for too fine tea; they ate light meals that were neither too salty nor too rich.  This practice is in accordance with modern science. We continued our talks during treatments, and the boy was the first to understand the situation.  He urged his mother to cook less rich food for him.  I also told him to do more exercise.

As time passed by, the boy’s dizziness decreased and the mother realized that I might be right.  But one day, the young boy called me and said, “Doctor, I feel dizzy and I am going to fall down!”  I said, “No!”  He said, “I really believe I am going to fall down now.”   I said, “Try to walk very fast around the house and you won’t fall.  Right now I am very busy, but call me back later.”  He did call back and reported that he did not fall down.  He asked, “Why?”  I told him that his dizziness was caused by his stomach congestion, but not energy deficiency.  The more they believed, the more they cut down on the rich foods, and the boy continued to get better and better until finally he did not need further treatment.

Treatment Principles:

Excessive energy