Chinese Food Health gives you the basic approaches on how to nourish and preserve health in the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food abstained always is an essential part during treatment with herbal medicine. TCM Practitioners commonly will ask the patient to abstain from, or to limit the intake of some sorts of food that are incompatible with the condition of the patient or are contra-indicative to some medicines. Or else the other way around—consume more some types of food.

In fact, in combination with proper diet, not only the side effects of medicine can be reduced, but the efficacy of medicine will also increase. In some cases, even the need for doses of medicine lessens with an appropriate diet.

For instance, suggested by TCM Practitioners, when taking iron-containing medicine, patients should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits that are rich in Vitamin C, or drink orange juice to boost the absorption of iron as foundation understands that Vitamin C favors iron absorption.

And for people who are taking medicine that destroys or expels parasites, they should consume more fiber-rich vegetables like potato, sweet potato, radish, cucumber, celery, bean sprouts, and seaweeds to facilitate peristaltic movement of gastro-intestine helping parasites excreted through bowel movement.

While taking fat-soluble such as Vitamin A-containing medicine, one should consume more fatty foods to assist the absorption of medicine and overall improve the curative effect.

Also, since potassium ions in the body will be easily excreted through urination, for patient who is taking diuretic, he/she should eat more potassium-rich foods like potato, tomato, and banana to compensate the loss of these vital mineral macronutrients in human nutrition.

Tips:

When talking about medication, always, less is more! After all, who doesn’t want the curative effect of the medicine being enhanced (or thus doses of medicine can be reduced)? Below are some Dos and Don’ts provided by Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners. Check them out:

• Drink more water when taking antipyretic, saline laxative, or sulfanilamide medicine.
• Don’t drink sugary liquid when taking medicine for stomach function that is bitter in flavor.
• Don’t eat soybeans, radish, almonds, or peanuts that may inhibit thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme necessary for thyroid hormone production, when taking thyroid hormone preparation.
• Don’t drink water right after taking throat lozenge or cough syrup.

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