Did you know that there are special Equinox and Solstice acupuncture treatments that you can receive at these times to harmonize with the Season! Each Season ‘opens’ with cosmological Solar events, such as the Spring Equinox!
Living in harmony with the Seasons is a key concept in Chinese Medicine, derived from it’s ancient roots in Taoist philosophy. Just as the Seasons change, our daily health habits should also shift and change to remain in harmony; and yet too often we humans adopt rigid patterns of eating and exercising that remain the same no matter the Season. Modern living shields us from Seasonal shifts, which overtime brings us out of harmony. You may be familiar with the concept of eating foods that are are local and in Season, this is an excellent example of a simple lifestyle change one can make to live more in harmony with the Season. The best way to eat more local and Seasonal foods is to shop at your local Farmer’s Market or take up gardening as a hobby. Chinese medicine offers more specific ways one can live in harmony with each changing Season.
In this article we’ll focus on the season of Spring. According to Chinese Medicine Spring is associated with the Element of Wood and what ‘wood’ does in the Spring - grow! In the Spring, trees form buds, flower and bloom and begin a tremendous push to grow after a long Winter of dormancy. Spring time is a period of immense activity in the natural world. Physically many of us feel prompted to begin a new exercise program in the Spring, or to do some Spring Cleaning, or Spring Cleansing and De-toxing.
On the psyco-spirtitual-emotional level many will feel motivated in the Spring to overcome inertia and try something new, start a new project, let go what’s holding you back. When the
urge to grow and change on any level, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually is restricted we will experience stress, frustration, anger, irritability, depression. When we rigidly hold onto habituated behaviors, despite Seasonal changes and the quiet whisper
s from your Inner Self that it’s time to let go and find new, healthier habits - we are resisting the natural ‘flow’ of Spring. If we are too ungrounded, lacking any discipline or regular health habits we lack the ‘grounded Earth connection’ from which to grow and change, there is less potential energy from which one can bud, blossom, and bloom.
Spring time is the best time to focus on healing one’s connective tissue (fascia, ligaments, tendons) and joints according to Chinese medicine as well as Liver and Gallbladder health as these are all associated with the Element of Wood and Spring. For example, if your IT band is often tight it might result in a deep ache in your hip joint or visa versa if your hip is chronically tight it might result in a sensation of tension running along your inner and/or outer thigh or the knee.
Spring time is a perfect time to focus on healing and balancing all your joints and releasing myo-fascial restrictions that cause tension and pain with Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Acupuncture. Acupuncture increase blood flow while reducing inflammation, blocking pain signals while inducing your own natural opioids and activating stem cells, prompting a cascade of self-healing mechanisms. Reap the benefits of a natural preventative medicine with a 3,000 years of success: book your next acupuncture treatment!
Many of us slip into habituated eating/drinking habits around the Holidays that continue throughout Winter which leave our Liver and Gallbladder feeling heavy and full, Spring time is a perfect time to go on a Spring
cleanse and focus on eating fresh veggies and fruits. A perfect example of eating with the Season and healing the Liver/Gallbladder and connective tissue is the seasonal appearance of Dandelions! Dandelion greens and root are well known for being great for the Liver and Gallbladder and it is also anti-inflammatory which decrease joint pain! You can find dandelion greens at your local Whole Foods this time of year. They are very bitter! The bitter flavor in Chinese medicine ‘drains heat’ which translates bio-medically into ‘reduces inflammation’. Since dandelion greens are very bitter I usually mix them into a salad with other less bitter greens such as arugula, spinach, and romaine. Dandelion greens can also be lightly sautéed, added to smoothies, or juiced. Just remember, a little goes a long way!
Another great way to harmonize and cleanse the Liver is drinking Enlighten Tea (Xiao Yao San). This tea will help you feel calm and focused as it soothes anxiety and stress, uplifts depression and 'decongests' irritability. It's good for chronic gastritis, ulcers, IBS/constipation alternating with diarrhea, chronic neck/back tension, PMS, tension headaches and migraine, fatty liver and more. Enlighten Tea is on sale now @ Yin Rising from March 20 - April 20, 2023! Normally $45 - on sale for only $30.
Come in for Acupuncture Tune up @ Yin Rising Acupuncture is a perfect way harmonize and align with the Spring Season too!
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine attribute the Liver (and Spring time) to the smooth flow of Qi (energy). When things are not flowing freely we experience Liver Qi stagnation. This may manifest in a broad spectrum of ways from psycho-spiritual-emotional to physical: pain along either the Gallbladder meridian (along the entire side of the body from the head, ribs, legs, foot) or pain along the Liver meridian (big toe, inner leg, groin, abdomen, ribs), one-sided headaches, pain that comes and goes, pain that changes location, PMS, insomnia (waking up either between 11-1 am or 1-3 am), anger, frustration, irritability, depression, and even being forgetful, unfocused, and/or feeling aimless! According to Chinese medicine the Liver gives us the power to plan and the Gallbladder gives us the courage to take action. If you feel like you are unable to plan, or forever making plans but never following through with action, or if you take lots of action, but its random and lacking a plan - now you know you need acupuncture to harmonize your Liver & Gallbladder! If you have one or more of these symptoms, come try acupuncture to balance your Wood element. Come in and try a special Acupuncture treatment to harmonize one's Wood element when received at the Spring Equinox!
During the Spring Equinox there are special Acupuncture points that help us harmonize with the Season and embrace the full potential of the Season. The first acupuncture point on the Liver meridian, Liver 1 will chill you out while bolstering your self-esteem & acting as a catalyst for manifesting the next phase of growth in your life. The Liver meridian is paired with the Gallbladder meridian. Gallbladder 41 allows one to acknowledge, release and express stagnant unresolved emotions: this cleanses the psyche and allows room for growth, stimulating both the courage, decisiveness and creative insight needed to overcome life challenges.
Book your next Acupuncture appointment today!