May 5th, 2012. "Beginning of Summer", the 1st small Summer season arrives

    In 2012, the season of "Beginning of Summer" arrives on May 5th. Celestial longitude: 45 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.

    Here are some additional information: 

    
    During fall and winter seasons we have talked about nourishing the YIN energy, when comes to spring and summer we will focus on how to nourish the YANG energy. The 3 summer months of the year have the strongest YANG energy, if we take advantage of these months we will receive stronger result, especially for those who suffer from cold and dampness related symptoms. Ancient wisdoms taught us that during summer we should NOT “loathe” the sun. No one really loathe the sun but today we do lots of thing to avoid it such as use air conditioner all the time, intensively usage of sun blocker, drink and eat cold, and sleep in the cold. Moderation is always the rule of thumb, enjoy the sun and heat doesn’t mean you have to be burned and have heat stroke. Simply try to use less air conditioner, especially in the car and bedroom (the 2 places where you have more control of). Also eat and drink less ice cold stuff. Sunlight is the ultimate source of YANG energy, and the best time to be in the sun is morning time around 9-10 o’clock when the temperature is mild and the oxygen level is high. So during this time go to the park or forest, facing the sun doing some aerobic exercise will be ideal.

    
    During noontime and midnight hours, our body’s YIN and YANG energy is doing the transition. The best thing we can do to NOT bother the transition is sleep. During summer time, as the heart being the main organ and its hour being 11am to 1 pm, a noontime nap becomes more important. Having a good noon nap not only will help us avoid the harmful noon heat, also recover us from the fatigue. Summer time the day is longer than night and people tends to go to bed much later and not have enough sleep. In order to increase the resting time for our body, a noon nap is necessary, especially for seniors who often have less deep sleep at night. On the other hand, 1pm to 3pm are usually the hottest time of the day. Too many activities during the hottest hours can cause harm on general body energy which can result in symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, heart-throb, dry mouth, nauseous and even fainting. Noon nap can pull us away from this heat and also ease the drossiness and fatigue caused by lunch. Here are some simple tips regarding noon nap: 

1. In general 30 minutes to 1 hour is the proper time for noon nap. A long nap can instead make people more tired and even increase the risk of stroke for some people. It can also affect our biological clock and lower the regular night sleep quality.
2. Do not lay down right after lunch. This will interfere with the digestion process and cause blood pressure drop or low blood supply in the brain. The correct way is to rest or slowly walk for 10 minutes after lunch then go take the nap. 
3. When we sweat more our blood becomes thicker and this is the predetermined condition for many symptoms. Make sure to hydrate your body well and avoid draught and damp cold area.

April 20th, 2012. "Corn Rain ", the 6th small Spring season arrives

    In 2012, the season of "Corn Rain " arrives on April 20th. Celestial longitude: 30 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.

    Here are some additional information:

    
    Again, as liver-gall bladder system being the organ system of the season, many symptoms are related to its condition. We have talked about the nature of the liver is “grow and express”, but the universal energy of this final spring season is usually very unstable. Caused by the quick switch between cold and heat or sun and rain, the liver system has to work hard to adjust itself in order to fit in. But due to many factors in life, especially emotional factors, our liver system often gets disturbed therefore interfered with its “grow and express” activates. When this happens, many liver system related symptoms will occur. Here we will just talk about more about depression. Like all the plants will grow with the spring energy, human energy shall be the same. However, when liver energy is “trapped” or “blocked” for whatever reason, it’s like a tree is being covered by a huge glass jar, many physical and mental symptoms will show. Depression is one the most common ones. TCM will treat depression through healing the liver’s “grow and express” function. Besides using herb or medications, here are some tips we can use in daily live to help ourselves with or at least prevent depression:

1. Look far. Literally, look into space or as far as possible. Sounds simple but as liver system opens at the eyes, adjust the eye can affect the liver system. We feel relaxed and refreshed when we do this, and this is the feeling when our liver energy is being “stretched” as well. 
2. Comb hair. Liver meridian energy ends at the very top of the head and all other Yang meridians also pass the head area. TCM call the head as “the meeting area of hundred Yangs”. Combing the hair often, using wooden comb or just your figures, is one of the oldest health preservation method in Chinese traditions. This simple activity can stimulate the meridians, increase the blood and energy flow, prevent common cold, brighten the eyes, improve sleeping quality and of course help the liver energy to function better. 
3. The figure tips. The very tips of all fingers are called “shi xuan” (ten dispersing points) in TCM. In acupuncture they are used in acute or emergency situations like restore consciousness (especially from heat stroke), epilepsy (excess wind type), coma and high fever. But by stimulating them often can also adjust our physical and mental energy flow, and release the “trapped” energy in our system 

    Back to the nature, in early spring seasons (Spring commences and Rain water) most of the health issues are often caused by wind and cold; In the middle spring (Insects awaken and Spring equinox) recurrence of old chronic is the main issue; Being the ending of the spring seasons, this is the season when people often catch cold that caused by heat and wind. Under warm and damp condition, many factors that can cause illness are being very active. Most diseases in this season are acute and heat-related, such as encephalitis and pneumonia. Everyone remembers SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which was related to high dampness and heat condition according to TCM) in the year of 2003, and this was the season when it was at its most severe stage. So during this season we need to be cautious about catching heat and wind related cold. Mint or chrysanthemum tea are the easiest food remedies and if possible, burdock root is one of the best vegetable we can take in this season.

April 4th, 2012. "Clear and Bright", the 5th small Spring season arrives

      In 2012, the season of "Clear and Bright" arrives on April 4th. Celestial longitude: 15 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.
    
      Here are some additional information:
      
     The name "clear and bright" is a description of the energy appearance of the universe in this season, as the "sky is clear" and the "earth is bright".To Human body, “Heaven is Clear” refers to the upper section of the body, or “upper Jiao” which includes Lungs and heart. “Earth is Bright” refers to the middle section of the body, or “middle Jiao” which includes stomach and spleen. So it tells us that during this season we need keep the lungs and heart “clear”, and the stomach and spleen “bright” to fit into the season. Here the word “bright” in Chinese it also indicates “balance”.
      
      In this “Balanced” season, to eat in balance is another key. There are many ways to be “balanced” in eating; here we will just talk about the different tastes. According to TCM theory, most food can be categorized into 5 major tastes: sour, bitter, sweet, spicy (hot), and salty. These 5 tastes are also connected with the 5 elements and 5 major organ systems in human. In general:

Taste:	Hot Spicy (tree)	Salty (fire)	Sweet (earth)	Sour (metal)	Bitter   (water)
Organ system:	Liver-Gall bladder	Heart-Small intestines	Stomach-Spleen	Lungs-Large intestines	Kidneys-Bladder
Nature:	Dispersing	Softening	Slacking	Contracting	Solidifying
Imbalance can cause:	Skin gets thick and wrinkled, peeling lips	Dry skin, skin hair loss	Bone pain, hair loss, loosened tooth	Cramp, dry skin, nail degeneration	Blood stagnation, chest pain, breathing hardness, bad face color

These tastes do not necessarily “add” or “reduce” anything from the system, they work more in an energetic balancing way. It is recommended to have all these 5 tastes in your daily diet, this way you really don’t need to worry about them as they will balance each other’s force and provide positive effects in your system. But depends on the individual’s condition, geographic location and time of the year, the balance of the 5 tastes need to be adjusted in order to fit into the condition better.
    
    As the weather starts to get better, people start to do more outdoor activities. Indeed this is right time to go out and enjoy what the nature is offering. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Avoid wind and cold. The increase of rain add more humidity to the air, and since the temperature is not high enough yet, without proper rest or protection, those who are low in energy level may still catch cold or get joints pain and arthritis symptoms.
2. Be aware of allergy symptoms. This is the high pollen season. Enjoying the blooming is nice, but some flowers do release some harmful material. So be aware of how you react to different area and weather, and avoid them. 
3. Pay attention to the weather changes. Spring weather is like baby’s face, it is unstable and it changes quickly. Before going out, check the weather and bring extra clothes or umbrella just in case. If you do get caught in the rain, take a hot shower and drink hot water as soon as possible.