Kitchen Medicine Blog

Here is a very simple massage that can be used daily to tonify the Spleen, boost the digestion, detoxify the intestines, benefit bloating, and burn belly fat: clockwise circles around the navel with one or both hands. There are essential acupuncture points on the abdomen that belong to the Spleen, Stomach and Ren meridians which explicitly benefit the metabolism. These are the ones we want to activate through the massage in talk.

The massage can be applied with different types of pressure. If the Spleen is imbalanced there will be discomfort by pressing onto the belly so one may start with a very light pressure or without pressure at all – just caressing the belly clockwise. It can be done at any time – while watching TV, in front of the computer, before falling asleep...for a week or two to get used to the feeling and prepare the area for the real work. After a week more pressure can be added and the massage can be done a little faster until the area is nicely warmed up. The created warmth and the clockwise movement will add energy benefiting the organs in the area and the overall digestion. With more pressure the massage can be done twice a day now. I like to additionally apply homemade massage oil - 5-6 drops lavender essential oil in half cup almond oil. Lavender’s invigorating and moving quality helps the movement of Qi, thus invigorates the organs and promotes the metabolism. It also has detoxifying effect and sometimes I see mild outbreak on the skin of the abdomen signifying that toxins from the intestines are being released. Combined with the warmth and the movement created by the massage lavender also slowly dissolves belly fat. After couple of weeks there are visible differences – the bloating has decreased, belly fat lessened, the digestion has improved and the energy level is significantly higher. It is recommended to do this massage at least 6 weeks.