Summer and the World Cup are in full bore. Staying inside in the relative cool of air conditioned homes, we often forget in the 21st century that this is the time when we should be working our fields, tending our flocks and benefiting from the long days by getting a lot of extra work done. Along with the heat, there is the additional problem of dampness, especially in soggy, marshy Washington DC. Are you waking groggy, headachy and slightly nauseous without having any good reason for it? Have you noticed swollen ankles, fingers or toes? Are your eyes itchier than normal? Is your nose running when you smell spicy food or when you lean over to pick up a sock from the floor? Is your stomach a little iffy? If yes, these are the hallmarks of 暑邪 shǔ xié, or "Summer Heat."
Not everybody can retreat to a spring-fed lake in New Hampshire to get away from the oppressive atmosphere, but you can clear the oppression from your body with teas, food, sleep therapy, and acupressure.
For breakfast, at this time of year eat porridge/congee made from pearl barley or coix, which drains fluid from swollen ankles or hands beautifully. Often, I remind my patients not to eat raw vegetables, because they slow the digestion, except at this time of year. Raw tomatoes are good for you when they are in season, grown in fields and exude liquid when cut. (Avoid eating hydroponic food period, unless you are stuck in space.) Wash and rinse well! Make a salad of fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh ripe yellow peaches, a leaf or two of mint or basil, and a pinch of Celtic sea salt. Another marvelous drainer of heat and all-around delicious field green is purslane, a humble weed eaten by almost every traditional culture in Asia and Europe. Purslane's succulent leaves are packed with omegas. They are slightly citrusy in taste, and you will find them currently playing in farmers’ markets near you.
Avoid animal proteins, which are heavy and will create heat in your body and laziness in your gut. Try to get your protein from beans: adzuki beans and mung beans will carry away heat (and cholesterol) with their fiber.
Drink chrysanthemum tea or mint leaf tea. Avoid iced coffee, which will make all your symptoms worse!
Lie down after lunch between 1 – 3 pm to get out of the direct sunlight. In Southeast Asia, people sleep on rattan mats on top of their mattress, which is very cooling. Rattan mats and small pillows in single and double sizes can be found online. Make sure they are made with organic products and that they smell sweet.
In Vietnam, they burn sandalwood incense to cut through the mugginess, and in Japan they burn hinoki incense to soothe the heart and purify the home.
Finally, if you have pain on the upper part of your shoulders next to your neck, step away from the cheese. Find a painful point about halfway down the outside of your thighs, right along the iliotibial band, and massage those points bilaterally. If you are being eaten alive by mosquitoes and can't stop itching, find a tender spot halfway down the inside of your lower leg, tucked up just behind the tibia, and massage that point. If you have indigestion, summer constipation, or nausea, make an appointment with one of our wonderful acupuncturists.
Happy 4th of July.
