What spring means for your health!

Spring is here!

I don’t know about you but I have been long awaiting its arrival. Back in January I began my garden dreaming pretty hardcore and haven’t let up since. What am I going to plant? Where am I going to plant it this year? How will I keep the dog out of the plants? How will I amend the soil this year? Do I need a new shovel? I could keep you here forever, but along with those daydreams of the spring to come also came thoughts of what spring means to for my clients and their health.

You may be familiar with the five elements, fire, earth, metal, water and wood. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, each element has all kinds of correspondences both with regards to nature and medicine. Spring corresponds with the element of wood. We also associate spring with time of growth, reaching up and out for the sun, with rebirth, renewal, power and force. Sprouts must be so strong to break through the soil and find the light, roots can break concrete, spring snowmelt can wash clear debris of winter. Other associations that we can make with spring are suppleness and flexibility, like new saplings need to be able to bend and not break, new shoots must curve to find the light and our bodies likewise are very similar. The sinews, ie our tendons and ligaments, are the tissue associated with wood and we need them to be flexible and supple to promote the smooth flow of qi throughout our whole body and promote strength and maneuverability.

In TCM the liver and gallbladder are the paired organs associated with the wood element and thus the big duo during the spring. The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of our Qi and emotions. It is this daring duo that also helps us make decisions and follow through with plans. Anger and frustration are the emotions associated with the liver and when our liver is congested and our qi is not moving we find ourselves getting easily frustrated with ourselves, our partners, and children, I am sure we have all been there. Or we may find ourselves getting angry over little things and simply not following through with things.

So what should we be doing to prevent grumpy livers and happy sinews?

Now that spring has arrived you can begin to adjust your diets to a more springtime fare. Start including more leafy greens, sour foods like lemon, vinegars and sauerkraut. Also start adding fresh good oils into your diet, like olive and sesame. You can create your own salad dressings or drizzle fresh on pastas. Overall your foods can become “fresher,” and cooler in nature, meaning more raw foods (be careful with this one if you have weak digestion), and cooler nature like cucumber and tofu. Also consider using lighter cooking styles like steaming and stir frying vs baking and roasting.

This is also the time to start moving and stretching more. Remember we are coming out of our winter hibernation and wanting to encourage movement and flexibility. So getting outside more and doing more vigorous exercise routines are more appropriate for this time of the year. Really focusing on things like yoga, Pilates and mobility exercise to grease the wheels so to speak are also great. 

Also don’t forget that Spring is also a great time to start receiving acupuncture and body work to help facilitate this smooth transition between the seasons. 

So get outside and observe the changing seasons, touch the waking soil, nourish your body with vibrant foods, and notice if the grouch in you is taking over. Don’t let it take a hold and get some acupuncture love and walk out into the day with a balanced body!

If you would like to know more about TCM nutrition, the five elements and how it applies to your body give me a call or make an appointment. 

Take care of you

All the acu love I can give

Serena