As a practitioner of abdominal therapy, I always start a session by tuning into the temperature of different areas of the abdomen. One common theme I see with prolapsed organs, fibroids, thyroid dysfunction, low energy, and emotionally “stuck” clients is a cold belly.
“Kidney Yang deficiency indicates that the warming, energizing, and controlling function of the kidneys is inadequate. The kidney yang is often compared to a fire that enkindles the spirit and animates all other life processes. Typical symptoms: cold signs such as aversion to cold, cold extremities, pale complexion, weak knees and low back, mental lethargy and poor spirit, lack of sexual desire, irregular menses, clear vaginal discharge, sterility, frequent urination, clear urine, edema, asthma, lack of willpower and direction, and an enlarged pale tongue. The person has a tendency to be inactive, indecisive, and unproductive.” from Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition
Cold in the body is like ice, it’s hard, contracting and motionless. Fibroids are a sign of cold, blocked energy in the pelvis. Years ago I did my Chi Nei Tsang certification week with Master Mantak Chia. One of the fellow students was a young woman with a large fibroid. The fibroid was large enough that you could see it protruding from her lower abdomen. During a Chi Kung demonstration, Master Chia administered Cosmic Healing Chi Kung to her fibroid. To us, it just looked like he was moving his hand in a counterclockwise spiral over her belly. He then invited us to feel the cold that was streaming from her womb. The air above her belly felt very cold indeed. He then reversed his hand into a clockwise direction and we watched in awe as her belly softened and the fibroid shrunk much like ice melting away (seriously, it was incredible!) He then invited us to feel the space above her womb and to my surprise I felt the warmth radiating off her belly like heat radiating off of warm coals. I’ll never forget that experience! See my fibroid management post here.
There are several causes of cold in the body, for instance, excessive amounts of cold foods, cold external environment, weak constitution, and even stored emotions. Excessive fear and insecurity can make us feel frozen and rigid like ice. According to Chinese medicine, the kidneys hold the fear response. If you feel you have cold conditions, see your local acupuncturist /herbalist or Chi Nei Tsang practitioner. All the organs work in a controlling and nourishing manner, so if you have kidney yang deficiency, your practitioner may work with your spleen and pancreas since the spleen supplies the kidneys with yang (yang is warming).
Self-Care
- Avoid cold uncooked foods especially in the Winter. Add warming foods and teas like a cinnamon twig, ginger root, cloves, rosemary, garlic, caraway, and walnut. “Walnuts specifically improve the kidney yang and its capacity to “grasp the qi”.- Paul Pitchford.
- Wear a Haramaki belly warmer.
A Haramaki is like a sweater for your womb and kidneys. It covers your belly, kidneys, and pelvis. It’s also great for cycling, yoga, and breastfeeding. Jeans these days are so low cut that it’s hard to find shirts that are long enough to cover the “muffin top” while seated or cycling. The Haramaki is a great solution. I bought three, a black one, an angora one, and a red one.
Pregnant women in Central America wear red ones over their bellies to protect the baby from the “evil eye” (jealousy).
I love my new Haramaki! It sucks to be cold!
- Express and process your emotions. More on Kidney love here. See a good counselor and/or get a Chi Nei Tsang massage.
- Chi Nei Tsang (CNT) is a form of bodywork used thousands of years ago in China by Taoist monks to strengthen and purify their bodies on their journey to enlightenment. CNT encompasses massage, breath work and Chi Kung principles to cleanse and purify the internal organs of built up toxins and emotional stresses.
- Self Care Abdominal Massage. You can learn self-abdominal massage from a Chi Nei Tsang or an Arvigo® practitioner, or in one of my classes.
- Moxibustion: Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort herb to facilitate healing. It has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years. The burning of moxa over certain areas is believed to expel cold from the organs and meridians, which leads to an improved flow of blood and qi. Moxa is restorative to the uterus and is an astringent decongestant so it is great for pelvic congestion. It is used for infertility, irregular menstruation, painful periods, abdominal pain, diarrhea, amongst other cold disorders. It’s a comforting relaxing treatment.
- Use a BioMat. A BioMat is a bed of amethyst crystals and gives off far-infrared heat and negative ions. I have one on my massage table and use one at home to lie on like a cat basking on a sun-drenched surface.
- Walking and full body movements that keep the blood flowing!
Thank you for the tips this article. I have indeed a cold belly. And now I know what I can do about it.
Hello there, I’m happy to see so many things tha are non invasive and can be done DIY for fibroid removal….thanks for your work.
The thing that is confusing for me but may be not be for you ….is the seeming contradiction between medical healthcare treatments that limit blood supply to fibroids thus shrinking or stopping them – (sounds logical)… and the multitude of natural homeopathic or energetical ways suggesting INcreasing circulation. Also sounds logical ….so aren’t the two contradictory and mutually exclusive ? How to make sense of this, what are your thoughts. I can easily do excercises for increased womb circulation but isn’t that increasing the blood supply and feeding the fibroid?
I’m guessing methods of detoxing, increasing and unblocking energy must be helpful! even if increasing blood supply itself- is unpredictable…..
All Best wishes for your health & work,
~elena
This is such a great question! I’m going to bed now but will try to answer this week.
Hi Elena, I think of it in terms of circulation to the whole uterus. When arterial, venous, lymph, nerve, and chi are flowing optimally, the cells are getting fed, and pathological debris is removed. The body has the best chance of maintaining homeostasis when the five systems of flow are unimpeded. In fact, if there is an issue with flow, that may have been the cause of the fibroid in the first place. I don’t think anyone is claiming that a good blood supply is causing fibroids. In Chinese medicine, they view the fibroid as a cold damp condition and qi and blood stagnation. In Chinese medicine, they treat the underlying imbalance, not the fibroid. The same goes for Maya medicine. As Dr. Rosita Arvigo once said, “We do not cure disease. We work in the realm of divine science, removing the obstructions and deterrents to Nature’s Healing Force.”
Now, there are herbal protocols that cut off the blood supply to fibroids, but these are not appropriate for large fibroids because it can lead to sepsis. The same risk applies to uterine artery embolization. So it’s not so simple.