4 Tips for an Energizing, Joyful Summer

 Acupuncture
Jun 172019
 
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In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with one of the elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Perhaps unsurprisingly, summertime is associated with the element fire. Fire represents maximum activity. In nature, everything is at its peak growth during the summer, so TCM sees our energy as its most active and exuberant. Summer is the time of year with the most yang energy, which is all about excitement and assertiveness.

Summertime is also associated with the heart and small intestine, according to TCM. When the fire element is in balance, the heart is effectively circulating blood and ensuring the beginning of the digestive process in the small intestine is working. From an emotional standpoint, a balanced fire element looks like confident self expression, gentle sensitivity and a strong heart and mind connection.

TCM suggests that summer is the time when our fire and yang energies are most likely to be in balance, because of what is happening in nature. However, it’s also really easy to get overextended, quite literally overheated and energetically burn out by September. Summer can be a very busy season, full of outdoor adventures, vacations and social commitments on top of our regular obligations.

Here are 4 tips to maintain balance in your fire element this summer.

Adjust your sleep schedule. TCM suggests realigning your sleep schedule as the season changes will help you have the most energy throughout your day. In the summer, take advantage of the long days by getting up early, going to sleep later and taking a rest in the middle, hottest part of the day.

Be conscious of your priorities. At the beginning of summer, write down your four top priorities for this summer, so you can come back to them all season long as you find yourself pulled in many directions. These might be reading, spending time with family, swimming and cooking. Or something totally different. Whatever they are for you, mindfully choosing four priorities is a great way to stay grounded through all the activity.

Balance your exercise with breath. Summer is the highest energy, highest movement time of year, including in terms of moving your body. TCM suggests getting a lot of exercise during the summertime. Along with running, biking, swimming, hiking or whatever your summer activity of choice is, incorporate some slower, more mindful movement to stay strong and healthy. Practicing yin or restorative yoga or choosing to meditate in stillness outside can be great for staying in tune with your bodies needs and cultivating mindfulness in all your activities.

Stay hydrated. The opposing element to fire is water, and addressing its implications is an important part of staying balanced during summer. Especially if you live somewhere very hot in the summer, it is very important to drink plenty of water each day. Whether the climate is humid or dry, drinking enough water is very important. Staying hydrated helps your energy levels and assists in digestion. TCM also recommends watermelon juice for cooling the body and cleansing the system.

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Healthy Eating from Early to Late Summer

 Acupuncture
Jun 032019
 
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Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM is all about balance. In this ancient system, the key to health is to move through the world in such a way that our bodies can remain in homeostasis, in balance. This idea connects to sleep patterns, what we eat and ultimately the flow of Qi, or energy, throughout the body. For that reason, healthy eating in summertime, according to TCM, is all about using cooling foods to balance out how hot it is outside. In other words, we can find homeostasis from the inside out.

With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for healthy foods to keep you cool and active all summer long.

Fresh fruits like watermelons, strawberries, tomatoes and pear are cooling and have strong yin energy. Summer meals should be predominately fresh fruits or vegetables, according to TCM. These food groups have the strongest yin energy, balancing out the fierce yang and fire energies of summer.

Fresh vegetables that are in season in your region are also a great choice, especially cooling vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, peppers, celery, radish, carrots and cauliflower. Vegetables have the second highest yin energy, according to TCM.

Summer herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley and mint are a great, healthy addition to most recipes. These herbs are also natural diuretics and heavy-metal detoxifiers, which flush excess waste from the body.

The best foods to eat vary with geography. If you live in a place where summer days are long, but not very hot and the nights get really cool, incorporate more neutral or even warming fruits and vegetables into your summer smorgasbord. These fruits and vegetables can include most varieties of squash, especially pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash, lentils and legumes, whole grains like brown rice and root vegetables like beets, potatoes and parsnips.

In places with cooler summers, or during late summer, the fifth season according to TCM, diet is about prioritizing self-nourishment so it can be utilized as energy. Late summer is the time to choose smart sugars that won’t clog up the spleen pathway, including apples, carrots, dates, figs, grapes, peaches, pears, sweet potatoes and squash. These smart sugars also regulate the body’s blood sugar, which decreases the strain on the pancreas.

For those whose summer climate is hot, here is a recipe for a cooling, detoxifying water you can drink all summer long to keep yourself in balance.

Cooling detox water:

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • ½ cucumber
  • 16oz. Water
  • Bunch of fresh mint

Slice the lemon, lime and cucumber and add to the water. Stir in the mint. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and enjoy chilled.

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Summer Health Maintenance

 Acupuncture
Jul 112018
 

Summer Health Maintenance
by Justine Myers, Lic. Ac.

Come in for some acupuncture tune-ups and enjoy a more comfortable, active life this summer! If you are limiting the activities you love due to nagging aches and pains and limited range of motion, acupuncture can help alleviate your discomforts and loosen up your muscles and joints so you can be more active. Have travel plans including long car or plane rides? Prevent, reduce and manage low back pain that comes from prolonged sitting. Struggling with jet lag or insomnia? Acupuncture can help get your sleep back in order. Feeling stressed and anxious? Acupuncture is great for calming down the nervous system so you can feel more relaxed and walk through difficult situations more serenely. For chronic digestive disorders that get in the way of daily life and make traveling more difficult, acupuncture can smooth it out. A series of acupuncture treatments can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches and migraines so you can enjoy life with less pain and prevent debilitating episodes. There are many more conditions that can be helped by acupuncture. Wondering how much acupuncture would be helpful? Ask your acupuncturist at your next visit. Here’s a chart with some helpful guidelines for various health conditions. Take good care of yourself this summer – your body and mind will thank you and reward you by feeling better!

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SUMMER COLDS AND THE FLU

 Homeopathic
Jul 042018
 

summertime colds

Summertime colds and the flu

Why do we have summertime colds and the flu? In general, colds and the flu are more common in Winter, when the cold weather and closed spaces makes us more susceptible to getting ill.

However, even in the Summertime the viruses are in the environment (generally different those common in Winter), and respiratory diseases at this time may be even worse.

Virus transmission

Transmission can be done by saliva and contact with objects touched by someone who is contaminated. For example: putting your hands in a contaminated place and scratching the eyes can cause conjunctivitis. Thus, a little care can help prevent this type of problem, such as  avoiding touching mouth and eyes, and washing your hands as soon as you get home. Abusing the use of air conditioning and cold water, especially when the body is hot, can quickly cause symptoms like sore throat, sneezing and heavy head.

The role of the immune system

The degree of susceptibility to catch a disease varies greatly from one person to another. Two friends may be around someone coughing, and one of them gets the virus while the other does not. Why does this happen? There is no doubt that the person who caught the virus has low immunity. In fact, viruses are all around us all the time, and usually if we are vigorous we have good defenses and do not get sick easily.

Low immunity is linked to chronic diseases, poor diet, lack of exercise, and emotional problems. Feelings of anger, fear, hatred or any other negative emotion don’t happen on an abstract level. All our internal chemistry changes – some hormones accelerate production, others stop, the blood becomes more acidic. A physical illness is very common after some kind of suffering or negative emotion.

Emotional health to prevent disease

Surely we all have some negative feelings at some point, but it’s important to learn how not to identify very closely to them. Take a walk, do a few minutes of meditation and trust that if you did the best you could, the result is not in your hands. If you didn’t do the best, do it again if it is possible, or take advantage of the lesson and do it better the next time.

Do not spread your viruses

To finish, it is good to remember to take extra care when we are sick so we don’t spread our viruses to others. Hot ginger tea, resting, light foods and plenty of liquid help the body to regain balance. Homeopathic remedies help you recover faster or even prevent a cold from going forward, if taken as soon as you feel the first symptoms.

This post is for educational purposes only, and it is not intended to replace medical treatment.

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