Summer
and Chinese Medicine
According
to Chinese medicine's five element theory, summer is ruled by the
fire element. The fire element corresponds to the heart and small
intestine, the southerly direction, the climatic condition of heat,
the color red, the emotion of happiness or joy, the sound of
laughter, the taste of bitterness, and the odor of burning. Fire
controls the blood vessels and is reflected in the face and
complexion.
Element: Fire
Nature:
Yang
Organs: Heart, Small Intestine, Tongue and
Complexion
Emotion: Joy
Fire is symbolic of
maximum activity or greatest yang, which means that it is a time of
heat, outgoingness, and moving outward in nature and in our lives.
This is the season to nourish and pacify our spirits while
maximizing our potential as we find joy in the hot summer days and
warm summer nights.
Signs that the fire element is
in balance include a strong and healthy heart, a calm mind and the
ability to sleep soundly. When the fire element is imbalanced, we
may either lack joy (depression) or have an excess of joy (mania).
Indicators of an imbalance in the fire element also include
agitation, nervousness, heartburn, and insomnia.
This is a
great time to schedule your acupuncture seasonal tune up! Call us
for more information.
Tongue
Diagnosis
Tongue diagnosis is an important part of
the Chinese medical assessment. During an examination, the overall
tongue coating, shape, and color is taken into account.
The
tongue reflects the health of the internal organs and blood
circulation. Changes in the tongue color usually reflect chronic
illness. As your health changes, the condition of your tongue
changes as well.
A normal tongue is pink in color, medium
thickness, has no cracks, ulcers, or teeth marks and has a light
white coat on it.
A Red Tipped Tongue
Different
areas of the tongue are believed to reflect the health of the
different organ systems. If there is an unusual color, coating,
and/or shape in a certain area, special attention is paid to the
corresponding organ system.
The tip of the tongue is related
to the heart and fire element. When the tip of the tongue is red, it
is an indication that emotional distress is causing an imbalance.
Today’s fast paced lifestyle has created an epidemic of stress and
anxiety. It is very common to see red tipped tongues in our
culture.
In addition to a red tipped tongue, other symptoms
of a heart imbalance can include insomnia or frequent nightmares,
restlessness, agitation, mouth ulcers, heat sensation in the chest,
palpitations with anxiety, dry mouth and a rapid pulse.
As
with any assessment method, acupuncturists never rely on tongue
diagnosis alone, but use it to provide a complete picture of a
person's health.
Tongue diagnosis can be a subtle art. To
try it yourself, observe the variations of your tongue's shape,
color, size, and coating and compare it to that of friends or family
members. After you have looked at a few tongues, you will see that
they differ widely, and with a little study can tell you a lot about
the overall health of a person.
Study:
Blood Pressure Lowered by Acupuncture
A German study published in the June
2007 issue of Circulation found that acupuncture
significantly lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The
extent of the blood pressure reductions by acupuncture treatments
was comparable to those seen with antihypertensive medication or
aggressive lifestyle changes, including radical salt
restrictions.
For the study, 160 outpatients with
uncomplicated, mild to moderate hypertension were randomized to six
weeks of acupuncture performed by Chinese medicine practitioners or
to a sham procedure. Patients underwent 22 sessions, each 30 minutes
in length. By the end of the six weeks, 24-hour ambulatory systolic
and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced from
baseline in the acupuncture-treated patients (5.4 mm Hg and 3.0 mm
Hg, respectively). No significant changes were seen in the sham
acupuncture group.
After six months the blood-pressure
reductions disappeared, leading investigators to conclude that
ongoing acupuncture treatments would be required to maintain the
blood-pressure reductions.
Source: Circulation, June
2007
Words
of Wisdom
Do not race your heart like a horse,
or you will exhaust its energy. Do not fly your heart like a bird,
or you will injure its wings. Never frantically move things around
just for the sake of seeing what will happen. If you move things
around you dislocate them from their proper place. If you will be
calm and patient, everything will come to you by itself. -
Guanzi (Writings of Master Guan) circa 26 BCE
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In
This Issue
- Summer and Chinese Medicine
- Tongue Diagnosis
- Study: Blood Pressure Lowered by Acupuncture
- Words of Wisdom
- Watermelon (Xi Gua)
- Watermelon Gazpacho
Watermelon
(Xi Gua)
In ancient
Egypt, watermelon juice and its seeds were traditionally offered to
quench the thirst of travelers. If you are looking for a healthy
choice to quench your thirst this summer, make it a delicious and
refreshing watermelon! Chinese Medicine uses the fruit (Xi
Gua) and the seeds (Xi Gua Ren) for dehydration and summer heat
symptoms, which include thirst without desire to drink, a band-like
headache, nausea, irritability, low appetite, heavy, weighted body
sensation, low motivation, sluggish digestion, increased body
temperature and sticky sweat. Because of watermelon’s
cooling nature it is often recommended to reduce your body’s
inflammatory response. Research indicated that the effects of
chronic, low-grade inflammation can contribute to conditions such as
arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes and certain forms of
cancer. Watermelon is also an excellent source of vitamins
C, A, B6, B1, magnesium, thiamine and potassium.
Watermelon
Gazpacho
The delicate flavors of cucumber and watermelon go hand in
hand to create this sweet-and-savory chilled soup, perfect as a
first course or as an appetizer on a hot summer
night.
INGREDIENTS
8 cups 1/4-inch-diced
watermelon
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely
diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup
chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2
tablespoons minced shallot
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
3
tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
Black
pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients in a
large bowl. Puree about half of the mixture in a blender or food
processor to the desired smoothness. Stir in the remaining diced
mixture.
Chill for at least one hour, to allow flavors to
combine, and stir well before serving.
Serve chilled and
enjoy! |
