I am underweight for my height. However, I am not able to put on weight, as I will feel like vomiting whenever I eat too much. This is the case for the last 3 years, even when I am very hungry. As a result, I do not dare to eat too much or put on any weight. Please advise if there is any treatment available. Will TCM be able to help me?
Ms Jin Jin Hua, Acupuncturist, Raffles Chinese Medicine
In TCM, vomiting is due to excessive upward surging of stomach energy. This could be attributed to a few factors:
- Irregular diet: such as excessive cold/hot foods and eating at irregular hours. This can upset the function of the spleen, resulting in phlegm that goes upward with the stomach energy.
- Emotional disruptions: such as anger, anxiety and depression. Emotional disruptions can affect the normal functioning of organs, especially of the stomach and liver. As these two organs are responsible for the internal distribution of energy flow, any disturbances can cause vomiting.
- Other conditions that affect the normal functioning of the stomach and spleen.
A visit to your TCM Physician will allow him/her to diagnose the problem and prescribe treatment accordingly. As TCM takes a holistic approach towards health, correcting the internal balance of your body will regain the organ’s normal functions, hence putting a stop to the vomiting and allowing you to eat normally again.