As we head into summer, the warm weather is providing more energy. Summer is the season of yang, a time when the body undergoes vigorous metabolic processes. Over the next three months, it’s normal to feel an extra pep in your step. You should feel a bit happier, freer, more spontaneous, energetic and connected. Summer is fire and the organ associated with fire is a heart and small intestine. In human anatomy, the heart, mind, and spirit are ruled by the fire element. We should give the greatest focus on our heart, mind, and spirit for staying healthy in summer. In the warmer, longer, lazier days of summer, the living may not be easy, but your life probably feels less chaotic. Improve your heart health: take advantage of summer’s slower schedule by using your vacation time to unwind. Vacations have multiple benefits: They can help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones such as cortisol, which contributes to a widening waist and an increased risk of heart disease.
With summer season comes hay fever and seasonal allergy attacks. Our own reactive immune system is responsible for all the telltale signs of seasonal allergies. A reactive immune system would falsely identify a normally harmless substance into a threat. A combination of environmental and internal factors could lead to the onset of symptoms: watery, itchy eyes, sneezing, hives, and runny nose. A lot of people experience breathing problems in summer as the sun reacts with air pollutants to form smog, which irritates the lungs. Regular acupuncture can boost lung function to improve asthma, allergies, or any other lung-related condition. Summer is a time when many people also experience headaches. These could be related to the heat, squinting in the sun, heat exhaustion, or other things. Gastroenteritis is common in summer as the warmer temperatures are great for bacteria to grow in. Usually, you will get over this in a day or two but if symptoms persist make an appointment with us and we will help you kick it. Skin rashes, psoriasis, and eczema can flare up in warmer humid environments. There’s really no reason to suffer from either one of these things.
Did you know there are many known acupuncture points that strengthen the immune system, clear the lungs, calm a cough, drive out phlegm and calm the immune over-response we call allergies? Regular treatments can prevent, lessen symptoms or shorten the duration of an outbreak. First of all, it’s advisable to take action before symptoms pop up, especially if you know you are a regular sufferer. Even if you don’t have a complaint each change in season is a good time to receive acupuncture to help the body’s energy assimilate to the change of the energy in the season.