And the late Herman Aihara of the macrobiotic movement in the U.S also believed this to be the case. He said that digested food is changed to plasma in the intestine wall. The plasma then acquires oxygen and transmutes into blood cells.The red blood cells lack DNA so they can enter body cells and supply them with oxygen and nutrients. Red blood cells that acquire DNA are changed into body cells.
How could one know if this is really the case ? Well, I injured myself in the area of the tanden (the abdomen, which can also refer more specifically to the area just below the navel) a long time ago. I lost weight and became physically weak and tired. A doctor in Japan gave me a full health check up, including a blood test, and said I was slightly anaemic. He said he wasn't sure why.
This leads us to another area of discussion which I wrote about in a previous post - manifestation.
We can start to see the abdominal area, the tanden, as a centre of manifestation of our beliefs and of our physical body :
1. The small intestine is the site of white and red blood cell production, and then body cells are formed from the red blood cells when they acquire DNA.
2. The respiratory muscles (the diaphragm etc.) manifest the continued existence of the body through carrying out the actions of breathing.
3. These same muscles are engaged any time we move in order to translate (manifest) a desire/intention into action.
4. When we know something to be true, i.e."I can feel it in my guts," and this belief becomes strong enough, then this it manifests as the circumstances and conditions of our lives.
As recognized by the Chinese internal organ massage system known as "Chi Nei Tsang," emotions are also held in the internal organs (as well as the muscles). Then we have the enteric nervous system, known as "the brain in the gut," which has around 100 million neurons - more than the spinal cord. With all this in mind, I guess it would be wise to pay attention to the gut, and show it appreciation by looking after it like it looks after us.