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The Tao of Health
Conscious Connections
Being Consistent—Being Healthy
When it comes to healthy living, consistency is an important habit to cultivate.
Your body requires consistency just to stay alive:
And then there are illness-preventing habits you can develop through consistency that help you thrive—a few of them are:
(Traditionally, in the West we have not had a specific way of keeping the body’s energy strong and flowing, but we do now that acupuncture, Five Element diet & nutrition, Chinese medicinal herbs and Chi Kung are readily available in many places.)
Consistency is the Way
Practicing consistency is what the Japanese call ‘Do’ and the Chinese call ‘Tao’; both meaning “The Way.” And from an Oriental Medicine point of view, practicing consistency is “The Way of Health.”
Healthy Consistency Prevents Illness
When you treat your body with healthy consistency you’re putting yourself in a position where you can better prevent illness. This is the opposite of the mindset that says—implicitly or explicitly—”I’ll just deal with whatever comes up when it happens.”—a health plan fraught with potential surprises.
Once we establish a consistent rhythm of healthy habits and attitudes we set a momentum in motion which carries us into a healthier, happier life.
Summer Solstice: Being in Rhythm With the Season
Summer Solstice marks the time of year when the sun is closest to the earth, when days are long and temperatures rising.
From our Western, astronomical point-of-view, June 21st marks the first day of Summer. And since we’re cultivating an understanding of ‘seasonal energy’ or ‘Chi,’ now is a good time to point out that ‘energetically’ — as Eastern thinking goes — the Summer Solstice marks the mid-point of Summer rather than its beginning.
Whether or not this idea seems a bit unusual, just for the sake of exploration let’s consider what it might mean if Summer Solstice does mark the midpoint of Summer rather than its beginning.
What difference would it make in your life: besides being just a day on the calendar reminding us to wash the deck furniture and get ready for vacation?
Seasons Affect Your Organ-ization
We all know that each season of the year has its own unique characteristics and requirements.
In our minds, we know we need to change our wardrobes; that different kinds of events find their way onto our schedules; and (to some extent) we change our diet and the food we eat. At the same time, your body is making its own adjustments.
According to the 5 Element Theory used in Oriental Medicine, the major organ systems in your body also change with the seasons. Each season a specific organ system goes into ‘energetic overdrive”: Heart in Summer; Spleen/Pancreas in late-Summer; Lungs in Autumn; Kidneys in Winter; and Liver in Spring.
Getting Organ-ized
If you’re trying to manage your health in accordance with these natural rhythms, then finding out that Summer Solstice marks the midpoint of Summer, rather than its beginning, could be a problem.
It means that right now we’re way further into the ‘Fire’ energy of Summer then you thought, and you probably have not been making the necessary ‘lifestyle’ adjustments your body needs to stay ‘balanced in Summer. These adjustments are needed to offset the stresses Summer places on the Heart, and by association, the Kidneys.
And when we add another consideration to the equation — the unfolding effects of climate change and how that seems to be associated with the seasonal energy changing even earlier than in previous years — this information takes on a ‘Darwinian’ dimension. It shows you how you can ‘adapt’ to global changes in a healthy way.
Knowing Is Technology
Did the ancient Chinese think and act ‘seasonally’? Of course they did; they had to. They didn’t have any choice. They had no on-demand electrical lighting, no refrigeration for their food, or air-conditioning to keep cool in Summer. When it was dark, it was dark; when it was cold, it was cold. Knowing how to be in synch with the energetics of the season was their technology.
In the 21st century we have astounding technologies which enable us to disregard natural cycles and their rhythms. And to the extent we’ve lost that rhythm, to that extent we’re out of balance. And when you’re out of balance you stumble, and too much stumbling leads to falling down.
Increasingly that’s what’s happening to the general level of health these days; it’s falling down.
Uplifting Health
The message I want to end on is an uplifting one. Today we can enjoy the benefits of both Western and Eastern technology: the technical accomplishments of Western science and the intuitive ‘knowing’ of Oriental Medicine.
As we see it at BIOM, the goal of healthy living is reached when we balance both approaches and thereby live a balanced life.
Happy Summer.
Staying Healthy in Summer
Seasons change, and your body and mental outlook change with them. And because human beings are a part of nature, our bodies react to the season in predictable ways. Oriental medicine combines knowledge of seasonal characteristics with your unique health situation to balance your energy (chi) to help you adapt and thrive during this season of luxurious growth. Here are some things to consider for staying healthy as you enjoy summertime.
In this episode of ‘Seasonal Health Tips,’ Kitty talks about the Fire element of summer, and what to do to stay healthy during this season of ‘luxurious growth.’
(To get the most out of what Kitty has to say, refer to the Five Element Theory Chart while listening.)
Length 04:15, Size 4.9 MB
The Fire Element
Every season is associated with one of the Five Elements, and for summer, the element is ‘Fire.’ Summer weather is typically hot, and relatively damp. For example, the muggy feeling you experience during summer comes from heat causing dampness to condense and rise as it gets hotter. As on the outside, so on your inside: in summertime, there is a tendency for dampness to accumulate within your body.
Summer Health Problems
During summer, some typical heat-related problems are: rashes, headaches and feelings of irritation. For example: Blood pressure may rise from too much heat trapped in the body; damp-induced blister rashes, or boils can erupt on the skin; and if you have eczema, you may experience more occurrences of it in the summer.
Summer Health Tips
It’s important to drink enough water and eat the right foods to ensure you’re meeting your body’s summertime needs.
- Drink more water. Because it’s hot and you perspire a lot during the summer, the average amount of water you should drink in a 24-hour period is 48 ounces — this includes all fluids, such as, juice, soda, and other beverages. (Note: 48 ounces is the equivalent of 6 eight ounce glasses.) When you are sweating more than usual — as on some days in the summer — drinking more is advisable. It’s important to pay attention to how you feel, and drink more when you’re thirsty.
- Monitor your intake of salt. An imbalance of salt in your body — too much, or too little — can readily occur when temperatures are hot. You will know you’re getting too much salt if you find that rings you wear get tighter, and socks or shoes that fit you comfortably during cooler weather, leave lines or wrinkles on your feet or ankles because of too much fluid in those areas.
- Eat cooling foods. Cucumbers, mung beans, and watermelon are particularly good foods to eat in the summer. They help to keep your body cool, and because of their diuretic properties, they also help to offset excess salt intake.
Stay Healthy
So enjoy your summer and help ensure your health by being conscious of a few simple things you can do for yourself and your family:
- Drink enough water.
- Monitor your salt intake.
- Eat cooling foods.