Spring and Chinese Medicine
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, each season can yield its own type of problems in the body.
Spring is the season that corresponds to the Wood element and the Liver is its related organ. After the cold, frozen winter, things warm up and the force of nature rises. Seeds begin to germinate and plants start to grow. Like the wood of a tree, the Qi of the Liver rises and spreads out freely. It is this particular characteristic that enables the Liver to accomplish one of its main functions: to ensure the smooth and free flow of Qi and blood through out the body.
In spring, when the energy naturally rises, difficulties with conditions of excess or energy rising too forcefully can create headaches, like vertex headache, headache around eyes, migraine headache. Dizziness and hypertension are more common at this time of year as are excessive emotional reactions and mood swings.
The Liver, responsible for regulating and smoothing the emotions in addition to Qi and blood, is especially vulnerable to excessive or chronically held emotions. Anger and related states such as rage, stress, frustration and resentment have a direct impact on the function of the Liver and can cause it to become unbalanced. Conversely, an imbalance in the function of the Liver can create an angry emotional state. That is why Chinese Medicine places such a strong emphasis on moderating the emotions and promoting a peaceful lifestyle.
The Liver plays an especially crucial role in women’s health. One of its primary tasks is to store and regulate blood, so healthy Liver function is essential to a regular, pain-free menstrual cycle. There are distinct signs from a woman’s body when this function is off. These include irregular or scant periods, PMS, cramps, breast tenderness and distension, and headaches. The health of the uterus depends on Liver Qi. Although the Liver meridian does not flow there, the uterus remains dependent on proper Liver function and the unimpeded flow of Qi and blood. Where there is stagnation of Qi and blood, lumps, masses and fibroids can develop over time. For women, this is true for the breasts as well as the uterus. If left unaddressed, these conditions can lay the ground for cancer to develop.
There are numerous associations with the Wood element in the body. The eyes, called the “opening” of the Liver, are completely dependent on the blood of the Liver to nourish them. Actually, an internal branch of the Liver meridian flows into the eyes. Dry, red, swollen eyes, are all signals that Liver Qi has become unbalanced. The tendons and ligaments are also related to the Wood element and the Liver. They, too, need blood as a source of nourishment. When there is a blood deficiency, an individual can experience spasms or sluggish movements of the joints. Likewise, sufficient blood is important to healthy nails – both fingernails and toenails. Signs that the nails are not getting adequate nourishment are brittle nails that easily chip or break, as well as nails that are pale in color or nails missing half-moons at their base.
Springtime Food Regeneration
In Chinese Medicine, green is associated with the Liver. Concentrating on eating more green food in the spring helps lose the extra weight of winter, because green foods are generally low in calories but highly nutritious. Green foods are good for us because they are loaded with the clear fuel out bodies run best on: minerals, enzymes, vitamins and phytonutrients.
Studies have suggested a strong link between populations with diets that are rich in green vegetables and low incidence of heart disease and cancer. Green foods can be broadly categorized into two groups. There are common garden foods with deep, dark color such as kale, collards and spinach. Which can be further categorized as cereal grasses )those that bear grains) and water greens, such as algae.
An important nutritional component of green foods is chlorophyll. Interestingly, cholorophyll has the same molecular structure as hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component in red blood cells, which suggests that this phytonutrient functions essentially as the blood of plants. While hemoglobin has iron at its center, chlorophyll has magnesium.
According to Chinese Medicine, chlorophyll and phytonutrients could be translated as a blood tonic. Chlorophyll has a long history of healing wounds topically, killing fungi and bacteria, activating enzymes, boosting immunity, preventing inflammation, deodorizing and detoxifying the body, and promoting healthy intestinal flora.
In Chinese Medicine, green foods in the form of leafy green vegetables are cooling, cleaning and calming to the body. They’re also rich sources of beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and magnesium.
The new USDA food pyramid suggests that we consume three to five servings of vegetables daily. Still, only twenty percent of the population actually does. So, go springtime. Go green. Science is going to keep doing the studies and naming things, but remember, your Mum was right when she told you to eat your spinach!
The following conditions are more pronounced during the spring season and can all be treated with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine:
Allergy
Headache
Dizziness
Stress
Anxiety
Insomnia
PMS
Irregulate Menstruation
Menopause
Dysmenorrhea
Muscle cramp
Tendon and muscle strain and pain
Anemia, Fatigue
Skin conditions……
