The Importance of Nourishing Your Blood – Especially for Women!

Blood is the life force of the body. It is the body’s mechanism for healing. It is essential for vitality, and sustainability, and so many people in the modern day are blood deficient.

What is blood deficiency? The closest thing to describe this in western medicine would be low iron.

But blood is more than just iron.

In Chinese Medicine blood is the yin fluid that nourishes all of the tissues of the body, provides warmth to the extremities, helps the mind to settle into deep sleep, keeps the heart calm and steady, and nourishes the uterus, nails, hair, eyes and sinews.

If you inverse all of that, some of the signs of blood deficiency can include:

• Dry skin, lips, scalp, and stools
• Pale complexion
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Heart palpitations
• Fatigue
• A heavy feeling all over the body
• Very heavy periods, and or, very light periods
• Easily startled by sounds and movements
• Cold hands and feet

The temptation straight away when you read a list of signs and symptoms is to self-diagnose. And you may be right!

I would highly encourage you to get a second opinion with someone who can direct you towards some blood tests, (preferably someone who looks at optimal ranges of blood tests not just the wide pathology lab ranges), to help you navigate what is needed to replenish the resources of your body.

This is especially relevant for new mums, or mums of young children who may not be getting the sleep they crave, or all the nutrients they need from their diet.

Some of the best food sources to nourish blood include:

• Animal sources of Vitamin A; organ meats, organic beef liver etc
• Bone broth
• Leafy green vegetables: kale, silver beet, spinach etc
• Chicken, lamb, pork
• Root vegetables: beetroot and sweet potato

Making sure the blood of the body is well nourished is a super important step in making sure you feel vibrant and healthy.

By Dr. Karina Smith