UFC fighter Brock Lesnar
A couple of days ago, I was saddened to hear that Brock Lesnar was retiring from the UFC. I’ve enjoyed watching Brock for several years, starting back in his WWE days. He is an amazing athlete. But what I didn’t know was that he had been suffering from diverticulitis. Several months ago he even underwent surgery to remove a large part of his colon because of the disease. In his book, “Death Clutch,” Lesnar described how the diverticulitis had affected him:
“I have a high threshold for pain, higher than most guys, and I couldn’t deal with it. It felt like I had taken a shotgun blast to the stomach, and then someone poured in some salt and Tabasco and stirred it all up with a nasty pitchfork.”
Needless to say, diverticulitis isn’t for sissies.
But what exactly is diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis is an inflammatory disease of the large intestine. Small pouches inside the intestine that bulge outward, called diverticula, can get irritated, inflamed, or infected. When this happens severe abdominal pain and cramping occur. There may also be fever, chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, and bloody stools. An illustration of diverticula can be found here. The cause of diverticulitis is unclear. It could be caused by pressure on the intestinal walls, trapping fecal matter within the diverticula and creating infection, or it could be a lack of circulation in the diverticula that creates inflammation.
What I do know is that in TCM we see this situation as having come mainly from Qi Stagnation, Blood Stagnation and Spleen Deficiency. These three main issues are usually exacerbated by Yin Deficiency, Yang Deficiency, or Damp Heat.
A principle statement in Traditional Chinese Medicine says “If there is pain, there is no free flow.” Fixed stabbing pain can be indicative of both the Qi and the Blood not being able to circulate and flow properly. If the circulation is poor, then illness sets in. When Spleen Qi becomes deficient and weak due to unhealthy or irregular eating habits, it can fail in it’s function to separate good, clean, clear Qi from the murky, turbid, junky Qi. Both the clear and the turbid Qi then descend into the lower abdomen and jam up the works. This causes Qi Stagnation, Blood Stagnation, and a eventually build up of Damp Heat toxins in the Large Intestine. It is the Damp Heat that really ramps up inflammation and irritation in the intestinal tissue.
Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, and changes to the diet and lifestyle, can really be helpful to a person suffering from diverticulitis. Acupuncture is fabulous in alleviating Qi and Blood stagnation and restoring proper circulation. There are also some very effective TCM herb formulas out there that help improve the Spleen function, clear Damp Heat and relieve inflammation. Eating a diet that is high in fiber at regular established times can also be helpful. However, avoiding raw, uncooked and hard-to-digest foods is a must. These kinds of foods will deplete Spleen Qi and engender more Internal Dampness. Also overly sweet and sugary foods should be avoided as they will create more Dampness as well. Chronic emotional upset, worry, stress and fear will also hamper the proper flow of Qi and Blood. So finding a way to keep one’s self calm and content is important.
It is my hope that Brock has found himself a good Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, as well as utilizing the skilled care of his regular MDs. Between the two medicines, it is my belief that he would see vast improvement in his condition.
Thank you, Brock, for entertaining me over the years. I wish you the best of health and happiness in this next stage of your life.
P.S. If you do need a TCM practitioner, you know where to find me.
