(Traditional Chinese Medicine)
If you have ever heard about proteins being called “hot” or “cold,” this comes from the traditional Chinese medicine theory that everything, including food, has its own energy. This is based on the concept of QI (vital energy) and Yin and Yang (complementary forces). The belief that food can increase or decrease our QI depending on what we eat. Basically, it’s about finding balance with your pet and what they eat.
Think of QI (vital energy) = Quality of life, and Yin and Yang (complementary forces) = opposites attracting
Different issues have different proteins that will either increase or decrease our QI based on their energy. This also means that different issues, and even our pets, have their own energy. If you have an animal with a hot issue, you can feed them a cold protein to balance their energy and increase their quality of life. There’s more that goes into the traditional Chinese medicine theory, but you don’t have to get too deep into the specifics to apply this idea to your pet.
When it comes to finding out if your pet has hot or cold energy, it’s pretty simple! Most of the time, when you have a hot issue being presented, you can assume you have a pet with hot energy and vice versa!
Common signs you have a pet with hot energy…
- Panting without reason
- Drinks LOTS of water
- Restless (especially at night)
- Might get overheated easily/tends to seek cooler areas
Some common imbalance issues can look like…
- Hot spots, rashes, allergies
- Pancreatitis
- Arthritis
Common signs you have a pet with cold energy…
- Lethargy
- Poor appetite/weight loss
- Anxiety
- Might be a snuggler/tends to seek warmth
Some common imbalance issues can look like…
- Addison’s Disease
- Kidney/Urinary issues
- Anemia
Hot Proteins
- Salmon
- Beef
- Venison
- Lamb
- Trout
Neutral Proteins
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Goat
- Sardine
- Catfish
Cold Proteins
- Duck
- Pork
- Rabbit
- Whitefish
- Quail
Like I said, there is more that goes into Traditional Chinese Medicine than just hot vs cold. This chart shows you a little more about the 5 elements (fire, wood, water, earth, and metal) and how they are affected. This is a fundamental theory that connects nature and the body using the same idea as Yin and Yang. The whole idea is to help the body harmonize!
