A few years ago, during the Spring Festival, I returned to my hometown after a long absence. It was a lively and peaceful day, and the air was filled with the smell of the New Year. The family's pigs had grown fat, and my father decided to ask a butcher to slaughter the pig and prepare a hearty meal for the New Year.
In the early morning, several cauldrons were steaming in the yard, and it was the hot water that my mother boiled for the purpose of shaving the pig's hair. The butcher was an experienced middle-aged man who skillfully handled the knife in his hand and began to kill pigs according to the traditional steps. Bloodletting, shaving, disemboweling, ......Every movement seems so professional and powerful.
The mother, who was watching the butcher work on the side, kept nagging, "This pig grows so fast, it's different if you eat ammoniated feed!" Curious, I asked my father, "What is ammoniated feed?" The father patiently explained: "The nutritional value of straw feed is very low, under closed conditions, after ammoniation (ammonia or urea) treatment, some nutrients related to lignin, such as cellulose and hemicellulose are destroyed and decomposed through chemical reactions, and nitrogen is added to promote the proliferation of microorganisms in the stomach, thereby improving its nutritional value." However, at present, this technology is still in the research stage, and the process of ammoniation is also very particular, our rural area is mainly for the ammoniation of the straw eaten by cattle! ”
My father is a veterinarian and knows the concept of ammoniated feed and the current direction of its promotion. Mother said proudly on the side: "Listen to your dad say this, I secretly added some urea to the pig feed, the pig often sleeps after eating, and the weight gains quickly, last year's pig raised to this time is only about 220 catties, this year this head has more than 300 catties ......."”
While we were discussing the effects of ammoniated feed, the butcher had already finished dissecting the pigs. Opening the pig's abdominal cavity, the situation is not as we imagined. The fat of the pig is not thick, but a little thin, and it is covered with water bells on the net oil. Looking at the large and small water bells, the father reproached the mother, "Fool! Listening to the wind is rain, it grows fast, but it grows all water, what's the use? The mother was also very upset, regretting that she should not have added urea to the feed, because the original ammoniation of cattle feed got the pigs ......
When I returned to work after a year, I found that many middle-aged female patients complained of rapid weight gain, and even though they had strictly controlled their diet, they felt like their bodies were gaining weight every time they drank water. Through pulse cutting, I found that the patient's right ulnar pulse was thin and weak, and the guan was congested, which was obviously a sign of spleen and kidney yang deficiency.
I recall the "water bell" I saw when I killed the pig, and the pig's abdomen was swollen and full, which was similar to the patient's situation! I gradually understood the reasons for the patient's weight gain. Water in the human body accounts for about 65% of body weight, and water metabolism is closely related to the lungs, spleen, and kidneys. When the function of these three organs is abnormal, the metabolism of water in the body will cause problems, ranging from weight gain to swelling of the whole body. Many people gain weight not because of fat gain, but because of water retention.
In this type of patient, I adjust the prescription according to the patient's specific symptoms. For patients with a full upper abdomen, I would use Citrus aurantium, Atractylodes macrocephalus, and Muxiang; For patients with a full lower abdomen, I will add aconite, cumin, lotus leaf; For patients with heavy and edema of the lower limbs, I will be paired with astragalus, motherwort, and Chuanxiong. Soon after taking it, the patient will feel relaxed and lose weight.
In the case of obesity, in addition to considering lipid reduction, abnormal water metabolism is also a factor that cannot be ignored. Therefore, when acupuncture**, we will also choose some acupuncture points with water-diluting effect to carry out**.
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