Summer Mindful Eating Through Chinese Medicine Wisdom

In Chinese medicine, summer is associated with the Fire element, vibrant energy, and the Heart and Small Intestine meridians. It's a time for expansion, lightness, warmth, and outdoor activities. To support your body during this season, consider incorporating the following principles and foods into your diet:

1. Embrace Foods with cool nature

Enjoy fruits and vegetables that have cooling properties to combat the summer heat. Watermelon, cucumber, leafy greens, and mung beans are excellent choices. These foods can help clear heat, promote hydration, and support overall well-being.

2. Balance with Bitterness

Incorporate bitter foods like bitter melon, kale, arugula, and dandelion greens into your meals. Bitter flavors can help cool the body, aid digestion, and detoxify, promoting a balanced internal environment.

3. Herbal Tea for Hydration

During the hot summer months, it's crucial to stay hydrated. Opt for herbal teas like chrysanthemum or mint tea, coconut water, or infused water with cucumber and lemon. Hydration is key to maintaining energy levels, supporting organ function, and promoting glowing skin.

4. Enjoy Light and Refreshing Meals

Choose light, easy-to-digest meals during summer. Salads, raw foods, and steamed dishes are ideal options. Avoid heavy, greasy foods that can weigh you down and lead to sluggishness.

5. Share therapeutic soup with family and friends

Winter Melon and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

• 300g winter melon, peeled and cut into chunks

• 50g barley

• 10 red dates

• 1 small piece of dried tangerine peel (optional)

• 1-2 slices of ginger

• 1 liter of water

• Salt to taste

  
  

Preparation:

• Rinse the barley and soak it in water for about 30 minutes.

• Rinse the red dates and remove the pits.

• If using dried tangerine peel, soak it in water until soft, then scrape off the white pith to reduce bitterness.

• Peel and cut the winter melon into chunks.

  
  

Cook:

• In a pot, bring the water to a boil.

• Add the soaked barley, ginger slices, and tangerine peel (if using). Boil for about 10 minutes.

• Add the winter melon chunks and red dates.

• Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 40-50 minutes until all the ingredients are tender.

  
  

Season and Serve:

• Add salt to taste.

• Serve the soup warm or at room temperature. It can be enjoyed as a light meal or a refreshing beverage during hot summer days.

  
  

Benefits:

• Winter Melon: Cooling and hydrating, helps clear heat and promotes urination.

• Barley: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, promotes digestion, and has a cooling effect.

• Red Dates: Nourish the blood and calm the mind.

• Ginger: Helps balance the cooling ingredients, supports digestion, and prevents dampness.

Lotus Root and Pork Soup

Ingredients:

• 300g lotus root, peeled and sliced

• 200g lean pork, cut into chunks

• 10 red dates

• 2 dried figs (optional)

• 1 small piece of dried tangerine peel (optional)

• 1 liter of water

• Salt to taste

  
  

Preparation:

• Rinse the lotus root slices.

• Rinse the pork chunks and blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes to remove impurities, then drain.

• Rinse the red dates and remove the pits.

• If using dried tangerine peel, soak it in water until soft, then scrape off the white pith to reduce bitterness.

  
  

Cook :

• In a pot, bring the water to a boil.

• Add the blanched pork chunks, red dates, dried figs (if using), and tangerine peel (if using).

• Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 1 hour.

• Add the lotus root slices and continue to simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the lotus root is tender.

  
  

Season and Serve:

• Add salt to taste.

• Serve warm.

  
  

Benefits:

• Lotus Root: Cooling, helps invigorate the blood, and promote digestion.

• Pork: Nourishing and helps strengthen the body.

6. Practice Mindful Eating

Slow down and savor your meals. Mindful eating enhances digestion, allows you to appreciate the flavors and textures of your food, and fosters a deeper connection with your body's nutritional needs.

By incorporating these seasonal health tips informed by Chinese medicine wisdom, you can optimize your well-being and vitality during the summer months. Embrace the unique qualities of each season and adjust your lifestyle to harmonize with nature's rhythms. Let this summer be a time of nourishment, balance, and flourishing wellness.

Moxibustion for the “dog days of summer”

Traced back thousands of years to the days of the Roman Empire, the “dog days of summer” refer to the dates from July 3 through August 11. The 20 days prior and 20 days after the star Sirius rises, and falls in conjunction with the sun. Because it is the brightest star in the constellation Sirius is known as the “Dog Star,” Canis Major (Large Dog). ‘Dog days’ are the hottest and the most humid days of summer. In Chinese Medicine, this time period is divided into three phases, as “Yi Fu” “Er Fu” and “San Fu”. “Fu 伏” means “force to hide”. Yi, Er, San, means “first” “second “and “third”. As the numbers increase, the hotter the weather should become.

During the “San Fu”, Yin energy is suppressed and hidden underground by Yang energy.  The hottest period of the year is also the time when the human body's yang energy is at its strongest.

Yellow Empire Inner Medicine suggests,  "Treatment of winter diseases in summer" , since Yin/Yang energy flow is synchronized to the flow in the nature, Yang should be nourished during seasons with ascending energy, like spring and summer.  So a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor would advise to conduct moxibustion in “San Fu”, the hottest days in summer, to boost Yang energy to prevent or treat certain diseases occuring or aggravated by cold in winter.

In winter, Yang energy in nature is restored, just as Yang energy in our body is inactive. If we encounter severe yin or cold evils at this time, some acute or chronic cold syndromes will easily be triggered, such as bronchitis, bronchial asthma, allergic cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rhinitis, chronic diarrhea, rheumatoid arthritis, frozen shoulder, etc.

"Sanfu moxibustion" is performed when the Yang qi is at its strongest, which can cause dual yang qi to penetrate into the meridians. Promote the body's qi and blood, warm the meridians and unblock collaterals, activate organ functions, maximize the use of heat to treat cold, thereby improving immunity.

In addition to moxibustion, applying other self care technique during summer is also very important. We suggest acupressure, meridian tapping, or foot bath for home health care.

Acupuncture points such as: ST 36 Zusanli, CV 4 Guanyuan, and CV 6 Qihai can supplement Yang Qi; ginger and mugwort can be added into water when soaking your feet. Please note that the water temperature should not be too hot; as long as you can soak until feeling a light sweat, that would be good enough.

Maybe you are wonder, it is already so hot in summer, will it be too much to soak in hot water? Actually, during the dog days when the temperature is the highest and it’s humid and stuffy, the pores are open, and the sweat increases, which often leads to excessive release of Yang Qi, or excessive internal cold due to excessive eating of raw and cold food to prevent heatstroke, resulting in the deficiency of Yang Qi in the body. Therefore, soaking feet can make the body's Yang Qi grow, which is in line with the theory of "nourishing Yang in spring and summer" in traditional Chinese medicine, so as to achieve the effect of preventing and curing diseases.

You can also replenish Yang by sunbathing your back in the summer, but avoid the noon in case heatstroke occurs.

Let’s take advantage of the “dog days of summer” to regulate your body, get boosted for a happy winter.

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"Tech Neck": How to Combat the Negative Effects of Staring at Screens

Hey, have you been in front of your screens already for hours? Is your body posture slouching now? 

Maybe you have noticed that, when you are operating your electronic devices, especially laptops and smartphones, you tend to hunch your thoracic spine and forward your neck after a while. Once the work has finished by the end of the day, your neck starts to ache and pinchy. Do you know this situation is called forward head posture (FHP)? It triggers repetitive muscle restrain after prolonged screen time. FHP is also referred to as “Tech Neck” .

If you have the symptoms like: constant ache pain in neck, shoulder discomfort radiating into shoulder and upper back, tension in the skull, reduced mobility around neck, you might be affected by “Tech Neck”. Our neck supports the head upward and connects the shoulders, upper arms, and entire back downward, once it is pulled, the surrounding muscles will be affected. Sometimes, it may also cause lower back pain.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the neck is one of the most vital, but also vulnerable, parts of our body; it has to hold 10% of our entire weight, the head. There are five Yang meridians that pass through the back of the neck and shoulders.They are the Governor Meridian, the Small Intestine Meridian, the Bladder Meridian, and the Gallbladder Meridian, and the Triple Burner Meridian. Whereas, the stomach Meridian passes through the front of the neck. Among those, except Small Intestine and Triple Burner Meridian, the rest of the Meridians all pass through the hip, waist and knee areas. However, When you feel pain on your lower part of the body, normally a TCM doctor or an acupuncturist will exam your upper body as well, especially the neck and shoulder to see if there are any blockages. If the meridians are blocked, not only the qi and blood flow in the channels are affected, but also the related organ function will be disturbed as well.

How to manage  “Tech Neck”?

1. Design an user-friendly environment when using electronic devices. Ensure your computer screen is at eye level. This reduces the need to bend your neck. Use a chair that supports your lower back and allows you to sit with your feet flat on the floor.

2. Frequent taking breaks: get up, move around, and stretch your neck and shoulders. Try 20/20 rules. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away. This helps to reset your posture and reduce eye strain.

3. Choose the right pillow and mattress for sleep: make sure you head, shoulder and back are aligned.

4. Mindful movement: be aware of your posture throughout the day, adjust your posture if it does not feel right.

5. Visit us for a long-term treatment plan: regular massages and acupuncture can reduce muscle tension.

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