Secret cure

The Spleen loves touch. Anything we can do to feed ourselves at this most fundamental level will strengthen the Spleen. Deprived of touch, the human being shrivels up, behaves crazily and sinks into depression. Touch is as fundamental a need as food, so supporting the Spleen also means entering a deeply sensual relationship with the body. To receive bodywork, to cuddle friends and family, to touch oneself lovingly: all these are ways to strengthen the Spleen. Often we focus on food when in fact this other fundamental need, the need for contact, is the secret cure.

Spleen happiness

Just as the Earth is the centre of the cosmos from the viewpoint of a human being, 'Earth's Organ', the Spleen, is seen as holding a central place in the human body. Our well-being can be seen as dependent on our ability to absorb and process nourishment. This is the realm of the Spleen in Chinese medicine. The Spleen is responsible for providing the nourishment which supports all aspects of healthy functioning. It is an Organ of transformation and nourishment.

Through the transforming action of the Spleen food becomes nutritional substances, information is digested and transformed into knowledge and sensual experience is received and transformed into a core sense of well-being. It is also through the Spleen that healing energy is received into the body . The Spleen is responsible for nourishment. A strong Spleen ensures that a person is well nourished. A weak Spleen may result in being undernourished. At the physical level it is possible to eat a good diet yet not be strong enough to convert the food into proper nourishment. At the emotional level one may be in an apparently nourishing situation yet still be unable to receive the available nourishment.
In the history of Chinese medicine whole schools have grown up around the idea that in the treatment of all illness we must first address the Spleen and its paired Organ, the Stomach. Without this central ability to transform food and experiences into nourishment, life lacks its central support. So let us look a little more closely at the realm of the Spleen and how we can support and strengthen Spleen energy.

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Cephalic phase of digestion

The process of chewing also activates signaling messages to the rest of the gastrointestinal system that triggers it to begin the entire digestive process. This is because when chewing is a well-paced, thorough process, it can actually be said to belong to the "cephalic stage of digestion", the phase in which you first see, smell and taste your food. The length of time spent chewing the food is related to the length of the cephalic stage of digestion since with more extensive chewing the longer the food gets to be seen, tasted and smelled.

Cephalic phase responses have been extensively analyzed in the research literature. The release of small messaging molecules that is critical for digestion, such as cholecystokinin, somatostatin and neurotensin, have been found to increase by over 50% just by the mere sight and smell of food. Additionally, research has shown how chewing, as well as the activation of taste receptors in the mouth, can prompt the nervous system to relay information to the gastrointestinal system to expedite the process of digestion. For example, stimulation of the taste receptors can signal the stomach lining to produce hydrochloric acid that helps in the breakdown of protein. Additionally, chewing signals the pancreas to prepare to secrete enzymes and bicarbonate into the lumen of the small intestines.
From WHFoods

Mastication

Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned between the teeth for grinding by the cheek and tongue. As chewing continues, the food is made softer and warmer, and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food. After chewing, the food (now called a bolus) is swallowed. It enters the esophagus and via peristalsis continues on to the stomach, where the next step of digestion occurs.
Cattle and some other animals, called ruminants, chew food more than once to extract more nutrients. After the first round of chewing, this food is called cud.
The chewing cycle

Mastication is a repetitive sequence of jaw opening and closing with a profile in the vertical plane called the chewing cycle. Mastication consists of a number of chewing cycles. The human chewing cycle consists of three phases:
Opening phase: the mouth is opened and the mandible is depressed
Closing phase: the mandible is raised towards the maxilla
Occlusal or intercuspal phase: the mandible is stationary and the teeth from both upper and lower arches approximate

Mastication motor program
Mastication is primarily an unconscious act, but can be mediated by higher conscious input. The motor program for mastication is a hypothesized central nervous system function by which the complex patterns governing mastication are created and controlled.
It is thought that feedback from proprioceptive nerves in teeth and the temporomandibular joints govern the creation of neural pathways, which in turn determine duration and force of individual muscle activation (and in some cases muscle fiber groups as in the masseter and temporalis).
The motor program continuously adapts to changes in food type or occlusion.[1]
It is thought that conscious mediation is important in the limitation of parafunctional habits as most commonly, the motor program can be excessively engaged during periods of sleep and times of stress. It is also theorized that excessive input to the motor program from myofascial pain or occlusal imbalance can contribute to parafunctional habits.
From Wiki-pedia