Late Summer Chinese Medicine

Photo by Zé Eduardo.

The heat waves have passed throughout most of the Northwest, and the winds have started to pick up a little. The cooler nights already have me missing those long days of warm sunlight: Summer is almost over! But don’t mourn the radiant ball of light and heat getting farther away. Enjoy the bounty of harvest that Late Summer has to offer:

• Shop local. Check out your local farmers markets for an abundance of fresh and organic produce. Choose from a variety of colors and flavors to make your meals a rainbow of colors! Grill skewers of tomatoes, zucchinis, onions and fingerling potatoes for some end-of-Summer barbecuing.

• Take a walk. Notice the subtle changes that late summer brings to the earth and recognize that the bright and active “Yang” part of the year is passing into a quieter and slightly darker “Yin” part of the year. Seasonal change should bring about remembrance of summer activities and memories, and invite us to look ahead to what the next season will bring.

Late Summer is a short season compared to Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. This season represents the element of Earth, the organs of the Stomach and Spleen, and focuses on the digestive function of the body. For a more detailed explanation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine theory behind this short season, read the TCM World Foundation’s article.

In the meantime, check out these Portland-based bloggers for more information about acupuncture and preparing for a beautiful Fall season!

-Northwest Natural Medicine’s Blog has a great post about swine flu that includes what it really is (”the flu”) and how to keep healthy. It’s a great time to keep on top of this now that kids are back in school!

-Over at Tensegrity Health, Kim Knight, LAc wrote an interesting post called “5 myths about Acupuncture.” If you really want to try acupuncture out, but are having some hesitation due to questions like (”Does it hurt? Does it work?”), then read the post to find out the truth about our medicine.

-Dr. Igor Schwartzman of Whole Family Wellness Center wrote an article about the benefits a of ginger root for WellWire. This herb is used to soothe the stomach, which makes his recipe for ginger tea a great idea right now!

Warming Ginger Tea:

Cut 10-12 thin slices from a fresh ginger root and place in 2 cups of water and boil for 10 minutes. Strain and drink from your favorite cup. Additionally, you can add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon for extra flavor and have it after your dinner on cool night.