Enjoy the summer heat, without becoming too hot!
Enjoy the summer and stay cool!
The sun had been blazing down on the whole Island of Ireland with an intensity that had scorched the green fields, turning them yellow. In 2018 the country was officially in a drought, back in May this year it looked the same! Who would have guessed that this summer would initially bring such heat! Maybe we will get an Indian summer to make up for July & August.
Summer Heat is one of the strongest climatic factors in Chinese medicine, its effects on health can be wide and varied (the organs that it tends to affect most are the Heart and Small Intestine). In this part of the world, we are used to a lot of humidity and so many inflammatory damp conditions can be aggravated during this searing heat.
The main symptoms that occur in a hot summer include, Insomnia, restlessness, Joint pain with inflammatory arthritis and eczema and other skin eruptions such as Urticaria with itchy irritating rashes that can come and go in a matter of hours. Respiratory problems such as asthma can be more pronounced as the heat leads to hyperventilation and inflammation leading to more wheezing and a phlegmy cough. Those who suffer with allergies like Hay Fever can find their eyes and nose streaming and their heads muzzy and blocked, ideally we should minimise these symptoms in order to limit potential exposure to the Co-Vid19 virus! Acupuncture and Buteyko breathing techniques are really powerful at relieving all of these flare ups, and aid clearing phlegm to help you have a symptom free summer. As an asthmatic myself I can attest to the power of both acupuncture and Buteyko breathing at maintaining a symptom free life, once you practice Buteyko breathing techniques you will reap the benefits and should be able to reduce or completely stop all asthma medication as I did.
I have also had the unfortunate experience of getting severe bouts of Urticaria, which in my case presented as a rapid onset very itchy raised red rash, which was so aggressive I ended up in A & E in New York, having to get intro venous steroids to reduce the immune response, a very expensive treatment! This gave me temporary relief in the sweltering heat and debilitating humidity on New York City in June! I only found solace after attending an acupuncturist there and after the first session, my symptoms disappeared! Once the acupuncture expelled the wind and damp heat that was causing this horrible rash I took some herbs to allow me to continue to survive this “Hell’s Kitchen” climate. If only I had known about the incredible heat-clearing properties of mung bean soup then! While this Urticaria experience was unpleasant at the time it was another great opportunity for me to experience first hand the power of Chinese medicine, eight months later I was immersed in acupuncture college in Nanjing China!
Helpful Foods
There are lots of locally grown foods with great cooling properties, there are natural anti – inflammatory’s and these should be included in your diet to help reduce the tendency to suffer any of the above symptoms. Salads with Lettuce, peppers and cucumber are cooling, include some raw onion and lemon juice to help reduce inflammation. Watermelon is also cooling and plums have an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect. Coriander is great for clearing heat and when it is made into a drink it is particularly good for menopausal heat symptoms such as Hot flushes.
Many people suffer with digestive problems during the intense heat including constipation and diarrhea, these can be effectively corrected simply using abdominal acupuncture. There are lots of foods that can act as laxatives including Rhubarb, prunes and Tamarind can be soaked into boiling water with a little sugar to give a powerful laxative drink. Diarrhea can result in the loss of essential minerals and vitamins and coconut water will help to re-hydrate and restore lost minerals and vitamins. Excessive sweating often results in a loss of electrolytes such as Magnesium and Potassium which can be replenished with a little apple cider vinegar. An ice cold drink, while it might give momentary relief is actually damaging to your system as your body actively tries to warm the liquid to you ambient temperature, over indulgence in ice cold drinks can lead to lots of digestive problems also.
The heart is a fire element in Chinese Medicine and so is very prone to the negative affects of excess heat which can lead to insomnia, disturbed mind excess dreaming clouded thinking and irritability, here is a simple exercise to help you keep a calm heart and cool your body in the extreme temperature of this glorious summer!
Be cool & cool down!
Try to remain level headed and deal with the situation by assisting your body to cool down. If you have water or a drink containing essential electrolytes (such as diaorlyte or Gatorade) drink it, not too fast, to relieve dehydration and cool you down. If you can remove clothes to assist cooling do this and immerse yourself in water, this will aid the body to regain thermal–regulation. If you only have small amounts of water you can use this simple Tui-na Chinese massage technique to cool down faster;
- With your left palm face up pour a small amount of water on your wrist and with your right hand spread the water up the center of your forearm as far as the elbow, as you do this blow on the water to cool the area even more, repeat the process always gliding the water in an wrist to elbow direction moving about 1 stroke per second! This method cools you rapidly due to the fact that it is cooling the pericardium channel which tends to get hot easily, also there is a large blood supply in the area which helps cool the blood and thus the whole body.
- If you have a wet cloth place it on the back of your neck, and / or under your arm pits.
- If you can get ice cubes these can be placed on acupuncture points such as LI11 and St44 (view image below)
LI points are displayed on this image as above- Herbs such as Sheng Mai San will clear heat and nourish qi and replenish the yin.
There are always natural solutions to ease the effects of excessive summer heat on the body. If you are suffering with any of the above conditions please feel free to contact me about a consultation on 087-9618344. Enjoy the beautiful weather. Dave
