Can you feel it in the air? It’s a new season and school’s out! The energy is excited, fun, playful, joyful and expansive! It’s summertime! This is the time of year when the sudden burst of energy from spring expands into the full bloom of summer. It is during the next three months, June, July and August, that the flowers and trees and life all around us become more active and energetic. Just as we started our new beginnings in spring, now we can utilize the energy of summer to bring these plans to fruition and then harvested in the fall.
Appropriately so, the season of summer is associated with the element of “fire” in Chinese Medicine. The color is red, the sound is laughter and the emotion is joy. A person with a “fire element constitution” is outgoing, friendly, energetic and you often hear laughter in their voice. The fire element governs the heart, small intestine, pericardium, heart protector, and San Jiao. San, triple, Jiao, heater, is viewed in purely energetic terms and roughly corresponds to heart and lungs, stomach, liver and digestive system and the intestine, kidney and bladder. The balance of these areas is critical to good health and well-being. When the “fire” element is in balance, the heart is strong and healthy, the mind is calm and sleep is sound. When there is an imbalance, we may experience a lack of joy such as depression or have excess joy such as mania. Some other imbalances may include agitation, nervousness, heartburn, and insomnia. During the summer months the energy is more active or yang in nature, and therefore a perfect time to “fire up” your weight loss or exercise plan. The energy of the season will support your efforts with rapid results, so keep moving! Some suggestions to remain in harmony with the season of summer:
• Awaken early in the morning
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Add pungent flavors to your diet (cilantro, dill, mint)
• Eat foods that are cooler in nature and that have higher water content such as fresh fruits and veggies abound like watermelon, cucumber, salads, asparagus, juicy fruits, fish and shellfish.
• Stay away from dairy, hard cheese in particular, heavy, greasy and fried foods.
• Eat in moderation and often throughout the day because over consumption of any food can create an imbalance leading to indigestion and sluggishness.
The summer season energy is also very hot, so it is very important to be conscious of the daily use of sunscreen liberally and proper hydration. A 150-pound adult needs to drink approximately 75 ounces of water daily and more when exercising. So get out there and enjoy the beautiful energy of summer and make sure to stay cool and have fun!
For more information on how acupuncture and herbal medicine can help balance your life, please contact Kathleen Kenneally, at Kenneally Acupuncture & Healing Light Center, 661-252-4100, or visit the website for upcoming events at www.kenneallyacupuncture.com .