In balance in the summer heat

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23/06/2023 

How wonderful, this beautiful weather and we've only just begun summer. The coming days will be very warm. How do you stay balanced?

According to Chinese medicine, summer is the most yang season of the year, filled with abundant energy, long days, and plenty of sunshine. Summer is about expansion, growth, activity, and creativity. Sounds wonderfully positive, you might say. But not everyone is feeling so great at the moment, right? People complain about the extreme heat, feel incapable of doing anything, sleep poorly, are tired, and so on. It would be wonderful to still have that positive feeling.

Fire Element
The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches us that summer belongs to the Fire element. Fire is symbolic of maximum activity of yang aspects, meaning it is a time of heat, of going outward, both in nature and within ourselves. The fire element regulates the heart, the mind (memory and thinking ability), emotions, and our consciousness. So, to stay balanced and healthy in this hot summer, top priority should be given to the heart, the mind, and our consciousness. But how do you do that, how do we stay in balance?

Balance
When the fire element is in balance, our heart is calm, our mind is peaceful, and we sleep well. If the fire element is out of balance, you may experience feelings of depression or, conversely, an excited (manic) feeling. Indications of an imbalance of the fire element include nervousness, palpitations, or poor sleep. Summer heat can give us a similar feeling.

Tips to Stay Balanced in the Summer
To stay balanced and in harmony with this extreme weather, the wise Chinese recommended the following:

• Wake up early, go to bed later, take an afternoon nap, avoid anger, stay calm and steady
• Put pieces of lime or cucumber in your water bottle
• Eat small amounts at a time
• Consume cooling and moisturizing 'yin' foods (see tips below)
• Spend time with your friends and loved ones. The fire element also involves joy and communication with others.
  
• ENJOY everything this season brings!

Yin Food
In the summer, digestive problems can easily arise. That's why it's wise to eat light and less fatty. Summer is the perfect season to add cool YIN food to your diet. Chinese nutritional theory categorizes food based on energetic qualities of temperature, nature, taste, and its ability to moisten or strengthen the body. Food with a cool and cold nature can dispel heat and maintain moisture in the body. A cool nature doesn't mean the food has to be chilled or frozen.

Generally, cooling foods are green, such as lettuce, cucumbers, watercress. Fish and seafood are also cooling, while most meats are warming. It's advisable to add pungent flavors to your food, like cayenne pepper. These flavors have the power to make us sweat and bring heat out of the body.

Grocery List
Finally, a few tips for your grocery list. These products help your body adapt and protect itself during these hot summer days:

Apricots, watermelon, lime, peach, orange, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, bamboo, bok choy, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, radish, corn, cucumber, white mushrooms, snow peas, spinach, pumpkin, watercress, seaweed, cilantro, mint, and dill.
Bon appétit!

With thanks to Madelèn Vernooij, acupuncturist in De Meern and IJsselstein
www.acupunctuur-demeern.nl

Acupuncture and a Disrupted Fire Element
If you naturally struggle to maintain balance in the fire element, experiencing symptoms as described above, it is beneficial to consult an acupuncturist. Through the correct selection of acupuncture points, the body is restored or maintained in balance. The acupuncturist will also discuss what is specifically important for your diet and lifestyle. This way, you can keep your cool, whether it's summer or not.