Summer Newsletter 2021: Acupuncture, Recipes and More

“Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” ~Van Morrison

Welcome to the expanse of summer which opens its arms wide for a full spectrum of opportunities that bring outdoor activities and lazy days; succulent foods and healthy desserts; physical connection and meditative walks. Summer is a time to engage the senses, encouraging them to open to the full potential available. That means absorbing all the outdoors has to offer while cultivating deep sleep, shedding negativity, and embracing the abundance of joy that comes with this shimmering time of year. Now is the moment to travel outside comfort zones and explore the many prospects waiting to be discovered. It is an occasion to incorporate that inner child that has long been waiting to play into the throes of summer for a carefree season long deserved to thrive.

Summer Association Checklist

Staying familiar with seasonal constitutions, as followed by Classical Chinese Medicine, can help navigate the healing and rebalancing influence of the life force, Qi (“chee”). Try this ‘summer association checklist’ which is a fast way to self-assess current constitutional status and then re-adjust any imbalance by utilizing acupuncture and naturopathic medicine, if need be.

Summer Organ – Heart is the related organ of summer. The Heart is the emperor of the human body, it governs blood and is responsible for the Shen (Mind).

Imbalances of the heart include:

• Dull eyes
• Talking incessantly
• Speaking rapidly
• Inappropriate laughing
• Red tip tongue
• Compromised taste buds
• Sleep problems
• Red complexion
• Excessive grief or worry
• Chronic stress
• Anxiety

The above symptoms might be experienced but rarely linked to a heart constitution imbalance. Being aware of these as a regular occurrence could give clues to a naturopathic doctor for the most beneficial treatment. If any of these imbalances are ignored, the subsequent associations below will also be affected.

Summer Element – Fire. Fire deficiency symptoms include:

• Pale face
• Flushed face
• Cold limbs
• Excessive sweating
• Muscle weakness
• Anemia (low iron – which can lead to easy bruising)
• Anxiety, agitation, or disturbed sleep

Summer Emotion: Joy

Sumer Taste: Bitter

Summer Color: Red

Keep summer constitutions in balance with a naturopathic medicine and acupuncture protocol.

Acupuncture Relieves Summer Dampness

Avoid being bogged down by a humidity storm inside the body. “In the heat of summer” means to experience an atmosphere that some equate to trying to breathe under water. Outside humidity can slow us down, make us feel heavy, weighted, sluggish, and lacking energy. The same can happen internally when the body presents symptoms such as:

• Bloating
• Swollen joints
• Weight gain
• Dizziness
• Heavy legs
• Unmotivated

These symptoms show a dampness imbalance. Over time, such an imbalance might expand and lead to allergies, sinus congestion, headaches, skin conditions such as eczema, obesity, respiratory problems such as asthma, urinary tract and/or yeast infections.

Acupuncture for summer dampness is a good tune up protocol to lessen internal humidity and help the body glide through oppressing heat. Three acupuncture points that can be significantly effective in mitigating internal dampness are:

• Stomach (ST36) – Located below the lower outside knee between the fibula and tibia bones. This point addresses dampness caused by the weather. It particularly increases energy and stamina.
• Gall Bladder (GB14) – Just above the eyebrow is GB14. Here, dampness in the body due to sinus pressure and congestion from summer allergies can be alleviated.
• ST8 – Stomach 8 is another stomach point often used to treat headaches caused by summer dampness. It is located 5 finger widths above the eyebrow just before the hairline. The National Library of Medicine posts a study titled, ’Clinical research on using acupuncture to treat female adult abdominal obesity with spleen deficiency and exuberant dampness’ which found that, “Because it was superior in reducing waistline and body weight of female adult patients suffering from abdominal obesity with spleen deficiency and exuberant dampness, acupuncture at hour-prescriptive points, a method of midnight-noon ebb-flow, is an effective method to treat obesity.”

Ease Summer Allergies with CCM

As summer encourages outdoor activities, it also poses the risk of summer allergies. For those that are sensitive to pollen, mold, ragweed, ryegrass, and other outdoor allergens, enjoying a carefree summer day could be a challenge. Even for those not so sensitive to allergens, on a particularly effective day there can be unexpected allergy symptoms as well.

Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) treats allergies with specific remedies that can be simple applications or more involved, rarely known botanical medicine. Some specific, ancient, CCM herbal formulas include:

• Bi Yan Pian – Treats sinusitis, rhinitis, and nasal allergies, helps stop a runny nose and opens stuffy sinuses. Clears heat and reduces toxicity. Best for nasal allergies that present with inflammation, infection, yellow phlegm, and heat in the face.
• Yu Ping Feng San – Tonifies the Lung and Spleen Qi and resolves dampness. Protects the exterior from “wind invasions”, meaning things that we can catch: colds, flus, and viruses.
• Ju hua (chrysanthemum) – Clears heat, disperses wind, and clears the liver and eyes. This cooling herb enters the Lung channel, which opens into the nose, and Liver channel, which goes to the head and opens into the eyes. May reduce sneezing, headaches, and dry, itchy eyes.

One study of the effects of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) applied to children’s allergies which was published in the Journal of International Medical Research concluded that,

“In this study, we systematically evaluated and analyzed previous literature on RCTs regarding the efficacy of CHM in clinical treatment of AR in children. We found that CHM could effectively improve the efficacy rate compared with loratadine. CHM may have advantages in terms of the recurrence rate and the scores of symptoms, such as sneezing, running nose, and nasal congestion, but not nasal itching. CHM may also reduce IgE levels compared with controls.”

CCM for summer allergies goes beyond the over-the-counter (OTC) suppressing medicines and, instead, works with the body’s natural immune system to gently allow an acclimation to outdoor allergens. Working with a naturopathic doctor trained in CCM could be the best remedy for reducing summer allergies.

Anti-Inflammatory Spicy Summer Smoothie

Inflammation is one of the major causes of systemic pain and during the summer it can be more prominent given extra physical activity.

Harvard Health reports that,

“…when inflammation gets turned up too high and lingers for a long time, and the immune system continues to pump out white blood cells and chemical messengers that prolong the process, that’s known as chronic inflammation…Research has shown that chronic inflammation is associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.”

This anti-inflammatory spicy summer smoothie combines sweet with the kick of spicy to cool off the body while calming down inflammation at the same time.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1 tsp ground turmeric or 1fresh turmeric, peeled

1.5 cups coconut milk

1 tsp coconut oil

Small pinch of vanilla powder or 1/2 tsp extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

Small fresh ginger, peeled, or 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp chia seeds

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
You can add a couple of ice cubes to make it cold or refrigerate before drinking.

*Recipe courtesy of Whole Roots Health

Seared Eggplant and Coconut Milk Curry

Ingredients:

1 pound Japanese eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion diced

1-inch knob fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1 Thai chili, sliced (optional)

Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Instructions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and after the oil is hot, stir in the eggplant. Cook for 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until the eggplant is seared.

Stir in the onions, ginger and garlic, and then cook for about 1 minute, or until soft. (If the pan is too dry from the eggplant absorbing all the oil, add a touch more olive oil when stirring in the onions.)

Reduce heat to low and stir in the coconut milk, fish or soy sauce, curry powder, brown sugar, black pepper and optional chilies. Simmer for about 2 minutes or until heated through and eggplant has absorbed some of the sauce.

Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro.

*Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine

News and Noteworthy

Tai Chi Compares to Regular Exercise

A randomized study of 543 participants showed some surprising new benefits of Tai Chi, the Chinese martial art and system of calisthenics consisting of sequences of very slow controlled movements.

As reported in Science Daily:

“A new study shows that tai chi mirrors the beneficial effects of conventional exercise by reducing waist circumference in middle-aged and older adults with central obesity. The findings suggest that tai chi is an effective approach for management of central obesity.”

Chinese Herbal Medicine Alleviates Inflammation and Nerve Pain

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is not only an excellent application for summer allergies but continuing research shows other, perpetual benefits including substantial anti-inflammatory and anti-nerve results.

News Medical reports that,

“Working with Chinese scientists, Olivier Civelli and his UC Irvine colleagues isolated a compound called dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) from the roots of the Corydalis yanhusuo plant. In tests on rodents, DHCB proved to diminish both inflammatory pain, which is associated with tissue damage and the infiltration of immune cells, and injury-induced neuropathic pain, which is caused by damage to the nervous system. This is important because there are no current adequate treatments for neuropathic pain.”

Colorectal Cancer Increase In Women Under 50 Linked To Sugary Drinks

Watch those sweaty drinks, especially during summer. The Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (NDNR) reported that,

“Colorectal cancer diagnoses have increased among people under age 50 in recent years and researchers are seeking reasons why. A new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found a link between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in women under age 50. The findings suggest that heavy consumption of sugary drinks during adolescence (ages 13 to 18) and adulthood can increase the disease risk…The researchers calculated a 16% increase in risk for each 8-ounce serving per day. And from ages 13 to 18, an important time for growth and development, each daily serving was linked to a 32% increased risk of eventually developing colorectal cancer before age 50.”

At Integrative Med Solutions, we will design a naturopathic and acupuncture summer season protocol that works for you. In many cases, insurance covers portions of the treatment. Allow us to support you to achieve optimal health. To make an appointment or find out more about how acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can benefit you, please call our office at 914-337-2980 or Click Here to schedule an online appointment.

*Please Click Here to see a current list of insurance companies that commonly carry acupuncture benefits for its members. For more info, please call 914-337-2980 or securely email us at info@intmedsolutions.com.

Best in health from Integrative Med Solutions.