Wednesday, June 20, 2012

June 21st, 2012. "Summer Solstice", the 4th small Summer season arrives


    In 2012, the season of "Summer Solstice" arrives on June 21st. Celestial longitude: 90 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.



    Here are some additional information:

    In TCM the Spleen-Stomach system is actually quite different from the Western medicine spleen-stomach system. Basically, the TCM spleen-stomach refers to the entire digestion system and spleen is related to body dampness the most. During the humid summer season, the spleen can be easily harmed. So during the rainy summer season we need to take extra care of the spleen system. The spleen-stomach system is considered as the “mother earth” for our energy system. After born, human’s life activities depends on how well does the spleen-stomach system process and transport the food and essence. Everyone was born differently, some are stronger than others. But if one takes care the spleen-stomach system well, one can still be as strong and lives a healthy life. For teenagers who are growing fast, eat more meat will help the system becomes stronger, but for seniors, massage the belly area (around navel area) works better. If you feel nauseous and have bad appetite in the hot days usually it’s because the spleen system is harmed by internal dampness. Mint and ginger root are the food remedies to go with, plus all kinds of beans. And again, spleen-stomach system likes to stay warm, but summer time most people would treat it in the opposite way. This is a common mistake we make. Try to stay on the warmer side, meaning if you have lots cold, you need to more heat to balance it.

    Since Yang energy reaches its highest level in this season, our body is affected in that way as well. Hypertension is one of the issues. There are too many information we can find about hypertension, here we will just share several simple tips from the TCM perspective: 

  1. Avoid heavy physical activates and do not drink alcohol at noon time. Take a short nap and meditate if possible. 
  2. Make sure to hydrate the body. We sweat more in the summer and this will make our blood thicker and flow slower. So make sure to drink good amount of water. 
  3. Adjust your medication accordingly. Since the external temperature is high, our blood vessels sometimes expand and lower the blood pressure somehow. Also, when sweat we will lose more electrolyte. Many factors may change your needs for the dosage. Make sure to consult with your physician if you sense any difference. 
  4. Sleep well. Try to follow a regular life schedule and make sure your mind and body rest enough. Remember noon and midnight is are the most important sleeping time.

Monday, June 4, 2012

June 5th, 2012. "Grain in Ear", the 3rd small Summer season arrives

    In 2012, the season of "Grain Fills" arrives on June 5th. Celestial longitude: 75 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.

    Here are some additional information: 


    As the temperature and humidity keeps increasing, chances of people getting infectious diseases increases as well. In Chinese traditions, starting from this small season into the next 30 days is called “the hundred-poison month”. Some insects, especially mosquito start to become more active, along with the humidity and heat, people gets infected much easier. Although it sounds serious, the ways to avoid get it is not hard. First, maintain good personal hygiene. Make sure to take shower in time, change clothes often and clean the living area well. Second, eat light food and sleep well. Eat light and fresh food to give your body a clean and active condition; sleep well to make sure our immune system is in good shape. 


    During this humid and hot season, many of us, either actively or passively, tend to use air conditioner quite often. Air conditioner no doubt was one of the greatest human inventions, but just like everything that exists, if there is one side, there must be another side. Many health problems are also directly or indirectly caused by using air conditioner. But the true cause of our health problem is actually the decline of some our body mechanisms. As we have mentioned, spring and summer are the seasons to nourish our Yang energy, which will “surface” to skin level during summer seasons. Air conditioner creates a unnatural cold environment that will suppress and harm our surfaced Yang energy thus cause many internal issues such as cold, skin diseases, joint pain and digestion issues. TCM sees “air conditioner syndrome” being the result of harmful cold invades the body system. Therefore the way of treating it is very clear and simple, that is to remove the cold from the skin level and dampness from the internal organ system. 

    Here we recommend a very simple and effective food remedy, fresh ginger root tea (drink). Ginger root is known for its functions of sweating, removing cold, warming the stomach and detoxing. If you use or have to use air conditioner very often, make this drink by simply slicing the ginger root into small pieces and steeping them with boiled hot water. You can also add a little bit of brown sugar or honey. With this drink you will feel heated and start to sweat, but this is the process of both the internal virus and cold being removed. When you have a cold or stomach issue you can also use this drink as the food remedy.But please remember, although it is a nice drink itself, the best time to drink it is morning or before noon time, drink much less or not at all in the afternoon and evening, especially before you go to bed. Also if you surfers from joint or muscle pain, you can make a bigger portion of this drink but use a warm towel to apply externally to the painful area. After all, the basic rule is to try to use less air conditioner possible.“A cool mind makes a cool body” is the ancient saying. Maintain a balance emotional condition is just as effective as a nice breeze of cool air.