On Thu, 17 Aug 2000 18:56:54 -0400, matesz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Rachel said:
>> What the Chinese refer to as
>>the Spleen is actually the Pancrease in western terms.

>  Spleen/pancreas disorders are
>and were very prevalent in China,. ..

> The need for spleen tonics in Asia has
>been widespread for centuries.  Some feel/think that the high grain, low
>protein intake causes the Spleen ( actually it is the pancreas if you look
>at the diagram of the organ the Chinese refer to as the spleen in Chinese
>medical texts.) to become enlarged.

Ok spleen and pancreas are considered together in TCM
(one of five organ "groups").

Nowadays in chinese restaurants and i've been told in china too, people eat
polished rice. This is nearly devoid of vitamins, particularly energy
vitamins and likely to *create* diabetes.
I can't see in which way this would tell us about a "high" rate of diabetic
in classic chinese times (times of unpolished rice).

If a nutrition where  80% of all food energy come from carbohydrates
would create diabetes, then it should have been the most prevalent
disease in all neolithic cultures, before industrialisation.

To the opposite: nowadays, as 40% of all food energy comes from fat and the
rest from protein and carbs, diabetes is really frequent.
Some 8 percent of all americans have diabetes, according to statistics.

It appears, that it's not the quantity, but the quality of carbohydrates
that makes the difference.
With doughnuts and candies beeing the lowest and fruit or any plant seed
(like brown rice too) beeing the highest quality.

Which chinese herbal medicine helps against diabetes, btw?

Amadeus