How cold damages our body - Chinese Medicine perspective
How Cold affect the digestion
The intestines need to be kept warm for the digestive enzymes to function efficiently. The intestinal enzymes break the food down into invisible small particles for the body to use.
When cold food is eaten, the food travels to the stomach and cools the stomach down.
When cold refrigerated or icy drink is consumed, the fluid quickly travels through the stomach to the small intestine. When your intestines become cold the digestive enzymes become sluggish. Big pieces of nutrition get stuck in the body and absorb water. The body starts to hold fluid at the micro level.
In summary, when your intestines are cold your digestive system stops working properly, this affects your ability to process food and drinks directly affecting energy levels, bloated and intolerant to foods.
Cold in the Large intestine
When Large intestine becomes cold it tighten the circular smooth muscles that coordinate the wave like contraction relaxation movement in the colon. When muscle become stiff the food can either move to fast through the digestive tract causing loose stool or diarrhoea or the opposite where the stool become stuck from lack of movement leading to constipation.
Cold in the Uterus and Ovaries
The uterus neighbours the small intestine. So if the small intestine is cold it can make the Uterus cold.
When the uterus is cold the muscles in the uterus contract. Which causes period pain. The blood vessels inside the uterus become stiff losing control of bleeding. When the ovaries are cold they metabolise slowly, which can lead to late periods or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Cold in the Bladder
The bladder is like a balloon in its ability to expand and contract. When the bladder muscle loses it warmth, it loses its flexibility. Cold contracts the Bladder muscle reduces it capacity to hold to fluid and increase the frequency to urinate.
Cold Pelvis
When the pelvic muscles are cold they can cause tightening of the Lower back, hips and knee pain.
Cold in the Heart
When the muscles inside the blood vessels become cold the blood vessels become stiff and uncooperative. The Heart has to pump harder for the blood to reach the extremities. This may cause heart palpitations.
