Bloating and difficult digestion: the Chinese medicine view in Grenoble
A swollen belly, heaviness after meals, gas, a feeling of not digesting… Functional digestive troubles weigh on daily life. In **Grenoble**, **traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)** reads them through the Stomach and the Spleen, the pillars of digestion.
Stomach and Spleen: the two engines of digestion
In TCM, the **Stomach** receives and breaks down food — it is 'the mother of drinks and food, of Qi and blood' — while the **Spleen** extracts and transports nutrients. Their movements are opposite and complementary: **the Spleen raises, the Stomach lowers**; the Stomach Qi governs transit and descent. The Stomach likes moisture and fears dryness.
Why does bloating occur?
When the **Spleen is deficient**, it no longer transforms properly: water and Dampness **overflow and accumulate**, causing distension, loose stools, lassitude and a heavy-limbed feeling. When **Stomach Qi is lacking**, food stagnates: that is fullness, heaviness, belching. **Liver Qi stagnation** adds tension and flank pain, often linked to stress.
A 'strong' stomach does not always digest well
Tradition describes people who have **appetite, a big hunger, but poor digestion and loose stools**: the problem is not reception but **assimilation**. The Stomach is 'excessive' while the Spleen fails to keep up. Conversely, a **Stomach Yin deficiency** dries and causes hunger without a real desire to eat.
Cold, dampness and diet
Chronic **Spleen weakness** eventually allows Dampness to accumulate, with signs of **Cold**: chilliness, abdominal pain **relieved by warmth**, and a marked preference for warm drinks. Dietary excesses — rich food, alcohol, cold raw foods — injure the Spleen and Stomach.
How does TCM support the person?
**Acupuncture** tonifies the Spleen, harmonises the Stomach and descends the Qi. **ST36 Zusanli** (Spleen-Stomach) and **LR3 Taichong** (stagnation) are classics. **Chinese dietetics** is central here: regular meals, warm cooked foods, moderation of fats and sugars. **Moxibustion** warms Cold patterns.
Meal rhythm and simple gestures
Taking time to eat, avoiding overly heavy evening meals and favouring warm cooked foods all support the Spleen. Gentle **acupressure** on the abdomen and Stomach-meridian points, along with calm abdominal breathing, can help relax the area and encourage the descent of Qi.
Does TCM help functional digestion?
Yes, by working on the Spleen and Stomach, meal rhythm and diet. TCM does not replace medical investigations when an organic cause is suspected; it supports the functional terrain.
In short
Chronic bloating often signals a **Spleen and Stomach out of step**, with accumulated Dampness or Qi stagnation. TCM aims to **restore the rising/descending movement, tonify the Spleen and warm the Cold**.
Intense abdominal pain, weight loss or worsening symptoms require medical advice. TCM is a **complementary** approach.
Ghislaine Morin's website in Grenoble : www.sophrologue-grenoble.fr/medecine-chinoise-a-grenoble-38000-38100
- Author:Ghislaine Morin
- URL:https://accu-grenoble.com/en/article/bloating-poor-digestion-grenoble
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