Keeping Cool in the Summer with Chinese Medicine

Summer is the season filled with abundant energy, long days and sunshine.  This is the most yang time of year.  Summer is about expansion, growth, activity and creativity. 

• Element: Fire.

• Color: Red.

• Nature: Yang.

• Organs: Heart, Small Intestine.

• Emotion: Joy.

Many people feel much, much better in the summer; everything from joint pain to depression to menstrual cramps eases in the warm weather. People with internal heat, however, often struggle with the hot season. One central aspect of Chinese medical diagnosis is the differentiation between illnesses caused by cold in the body, and those caused by heat.

Common conditions that may be aggravated by heat include hot flashes, skin rashes, irritability, and excess sweating. People with a warmer constitution may also notice an increase in other symptoms such as headaches, digestive issues, insomnia, body pain, or fatigue. And, many people simply feel yucky all over when it's too hot.

To cool down your system and restore balance, try these things:

1. Check out the list of cooling foods below, and incorporate them into your diet (watermelon is actually listed in ancient texts as a medicinal substance for a condition called "summer heat," which is similar to sunstroke or heat exhaustion)

2. Drink plenty of fluids.

3. An ice pack behind the knees can do wonders to cool the whole body; one of the main acupuncture points for clearing heat is located there.

4. Get up earlier, stay up later, and rest at midday if possible. Chinese medical texts suggest this as a way of living in harmony with the season.

5. Add pungent flavors to your diet.

    

6. Eat in moderation. Over consumption of any food, especially cooling foods, can lead to indigestion, sluggishness and possibly diarrhea.

    

7. Do not leave your food out for too long. The hot weather tends to increase food spoilage.

    

8. Stay away from dairy, heavy, greasy, and fried foods.

    

9. Refrain from anger; keep calm and even-tempered.