It's that time of year again! Break out the pool, crank up the A/C and pour a cool drink.
Summer is here, Yay! .....No, Not Yay....!!!
I am actually not looking forward to the heat of the summer. Over time I have observed that summer heat zaps all of my energy away. Plus, I have seen that my patients experience the same fatigue, or get headaches, severe thirst despite lots of drinking.
I turned to my colleagues for some advice as to how to handle summer heat, especially for those whose constitutions are not meant for this (Israeli) type of climate.
It's a matter of balance
The summer time belongs to the fire element.
"Yin & Yang" symbolizes balance between opposing forces. A common analogy to explain yin and yang is to look at a pot of boiling rice.
The water in the pot which is boiling is the "Yin",
The water vapor rising out of the pot is the "Yang".
Both are needed to cook the rice properly. Think of a scenario where there is plenty of yin, water, in the pot, but no steam, no yang...the rice isn't really cooking, nothing is happening. And the opposite scenario would be if there is so much vapor, but no more water left to cook, the rice and pot become burned. In both scenarios, you're not getting the rice. A balance between the two is necessary. Turn up the flame to get the water to boil, Add more water to make sure the food won't burn. Looking at our problem of summer heat through the concept of yin and yang, it's clear that there is some yin deficiency going on.
In hot summers our aim will be to Reduce the Yang and Protect and Increase the Yin in order to maintain balance.
Stay in an air conditioned environment
Schedule your day to be more active in the morning and evening hours and avoid work in the direct sunlight.
Wear lightweight clothing
Stay hydrated
Eat “cool” foods
Avoid warm or damp foods
Protect and Increase the Yin
Acupuncture
If you are chronically dehydrated, experience headaches and fatigue, a course of Acupuncture treatments is a good option to improve your summer tolerance.
Among the hundreds of acupuncture points there are locations that clear heat, and build yin. Acupuncture works in many ways, and can also take into account specific organ disharmony that are prone during the summer, the"fire" time of year. A seasonal treatment can help you cope with the weather.
Herbal formulas to support the yin, Specific herbs will balance the yin and yang of your body:
Esther Hornstein LAc. Licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner will prescribe and dispense ready-made pills.
Dr David Rose R.Ac. expert Chinese herbalist will prescribe and design a custom made Chinese herbal formula according to each one individual’s presentation.
Suggested Diet:
Top “cooling” foods according to Traditional Chinese Medicine :
Watermelon, lemon, apple, pineapple, strawberries
Pears, Bananas, Peaches, Plums
Asparagus, Corn, Cucumbers, Tomatoes
Jasmine Green tea,
Mint tea
Chrysanthemum tea
Celery Congee:
A porridge recipe to clear heat and extinguish fire, and soothes emotional irritation, promotes the production of body fluid
For Celery Congee take several stalks of celery, remove the leaves, clean and cut into small pieces. Take 1 cup of white rice and cook in 8 cups of water to make a porridge (i.e., congee), add celery keep cooking for 10-15 minutes. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
Celery Congee can be taken daily in the morning as a warm breakfast. This recipe originally comes from the Ben Cao Gang Mu.
What to Avoid: Avoid overeating, especially of heavy, greasy and sweet foods. These foods overwhelm the spleen and over consumption can cause more heat in the body.
Exercise...Deep Breathing!!!
Breathing (yes, breathing is exercise):
When you start to feel overwhelmed by the heat, take a deep breathe, Be sure to fill up your belly with air.
Being thirsty and sweaty could throw you into a state of stress.
Calm down your body by
inhaling for 2 seconds and
exhaling for 4 seconds.
This is called the "Two - Four breathing technique".
The longer exhale stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system and takes you out of stress mode. Once calm, you can make a plan to get you cooler (put on sunglasses, sit in front of the fan, get to some shade, take a drink etc).
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further queries
Too hot to go out to get your self-care? Esther Hornstein can treat you through zoom! The virtual treatment consists of a 40 minute balancing meditation tailored to you, along with an acupressure demonstration and recommendations. Call 054-719-9600 or email E0547199600@gmail.com.
Esther Hornstein L.Ac. is a New York State licensed acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine with continuous professional development.
In her Therapeutic Holistic approach, she addresses Pediatric ailments, Men & Women’s health, Pain management and overall Wellness.
Esther Hornstein and her Team at 2nd nature Healing Center,
34 Nachal Hakishon, Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph, Israel
Quality Holistic Therapy by Qualified and Experienced Practitioners
Acupuncture - For Men, Women and Children by Esther Hornstein and Dr David Rose Chinese Herbal Medicine - For Men, Women and Children by Dr David Rose
Chiropractic - For Men, Women and Children by Dr Zach Weiser
Massage - For Men By Moshe Lepon or Avi Dzik
Massage - For Women By Rochel Rubinoff
Reflexology - For Women and Children by Rochel Rubinoff
Diagnostic Reflexology -For Women and Children by Rochel Rubinoff
To make an appointment you may:
call or WhatsApp : 054-719-9600
e-mail : e0547199600@gmail.com
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