How Outdoor Activities Affects Your Mental Health and Well-Being

By Luke Douglas

To say that our mental health took a downward spiral during the pandemic would be an
understatement. Even those people with enviously well-established family relations and spacious
apartments began to feel their well-being taking a turn for the worst. In large part, our mental health
took such a memorable blow because everything that happened to us happened in the same place
with the same people. In other words, before the pandemic, people had a way to diffuse their day-
to-day stress, not allowing it to pile up and eat away at their mental well-being. However, during the
past two years, going out and into nature became a commodity rather than common practice. Thus,
to help you feel comfortable being in nature once again, this article looks at just some of the
benefits that the great outdoors may have on your mental health and well-being!

Back to basics – living off the grid

During a normal workday, most people are usually on the go and available 24/7. As a result, they
often feel overwhelmed by both objects and information that surround them. To reduce this
immense amount of input, sometimes it's necessary to have an off-the-grid weekend in nature. In
short, this means packing a bag, a tent, and the essentials. Once we step away from the busyness of
the world, we'll be able to reconnect not just with our surroundings but with ourselves as well. In
the depths of the forest, there is no connection and, thus, no irritation creeping in. During their late
nights by the fire or early mornings by the lake, people have the unique chance to put things into
perspective and re-evaluate their life journey.

Building stamina – an exercise in self-reliance

In 2022, most of us are fairly comfortable. We have our schedules, location, and meals all available
on a whip. Returning to nature should force a person out of their comfort zone – it should be
challenging. When camping, we’re forced to rely on ourselves and our abilities. There’s no GPS or
frozen TV dinner to bail us out. While it may sound daunting at first, building our stamina is
rewarding in the end. Thus, when preparing for a trip, pack only the essentials – a tent, sleeping
bag, compass, and a change of clothes. Of course, dependable OTF knives are always great to have
on hand as they can be used in just about any scenario, be it hiking or preparing dinner by the fire.

Combating illness – new and old

It’s no secret that fresh air will do you a world of good. However, during the past couple of years,
more than a few scientists have begun to shed light on the complex relationship between nature and
mental health. Namely, a considerable number of people today suffer from what is known as a
nature-deficit disorder – the problem of spending too much time couped up in front of the screen
and not enough in nature. While it may sound a bit new-age at first, the nature-deficit disorder has
been linked to anxiety, obesity, lack of focus, and even depression – problems that cannot be solved
overnight. In light of these findings, a simple nature walk will not suffice. People suffering from
nature deficiency will need to change their routine as well as their habits, and while it may sound
unimaginable, any little change is a solid place to start.

Seeking healthier exercise – camping and hiking

The gym craze has consumed everyone at one point or another. While any form of exercise is both
welcome and appreciated, gym goers often turn into gym rats, disregarding the fact that all those
exercises are possible outside as well. Take a simple exercise such as a morning run, for example.
Instead of finding a mountain trail or neighbourhood route, people often opt for the treadmill in the
gym. Running or even walking in nature has tremendous benefits. While you'll still burn calories,
you'll also be breathing in the morning breeze and releasing toxins. In addition, the gym will never
come close to a mountain view or a seaside sunrise.

While this article covered several benefits that nature may have on our mental health, there is only
one pivotal point to take away – we need to return to nature. Be it a morning jog or a weekend
camping trip, people unconsciously crave the tranquillity that the natural world provides – and hey,
if we spend more time in nature, maybe we'll all learn to appreciate it more!

Photo by Dmitrii Vaccinium on Unsplash


Featured image Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash 


Winter Tea – An Add On To The Festive Season

Tea is a wonderful beverage that fills the heart with love and our homes with smiles. The warmth of a steaming, aromatic and delicious cup of tea can make your day! Tea is an evergreen drink and can be enjoyed by everyone irrespective of their culture, place, occasions or seasons. Thus, it isn't wrong to say that a hot mug of tasty tea can be a cosy friend in the misty winter season!

The tea that we consume in the winter season is normally referred to as Winter tea. Winter tea is filled with dozens of flavours that will add an extra layer of warmth to your cold, dull and dark winters. Tea for the winter season enhances the festive mood and spreads all over happiness. As this tea is consumed hot, it balances the low temperature of the winter season and makes you feel homely. During the winter, our body is set at a lower temperature but drinking winter tea increases our immune system and makes us fit as well as healthy. Indian Chai is loaded with lots of health benefits and is a prime tea for winter.

Best Winter Tea

The list of teas for winter contains main types, although you can choose the one which brings you heavenly happiness. Teas for winter are numerous but the best winter teas are as follows.

1. Normal Tea

This tea can also be called Indian Chai. This tea is made out of Camellia Sinensis, a plant cultivated in regions of Assam. This Winter tea has strong and unique flavors and contains lots of antioxidants. It has plenty of nutrients and is also used as a remedy for fever, cough and is considered a top winter immunity tea.

2. Spice tea

This is one of the healthy teas for winter as it is free from caffeine. This tea is packed with lots of medicinal properties. All spices used in tea have their own special characteristics, taste and aroma. Let's have a look at the list of spices.
·   Turmeric
·   Black Pepper
·   Cloves
·   Ginger
·   Mint

3. London Fog Tea

This is another best tea for winter which is filled with delicious chocolate flavors. The tea is made by combining earl grey tea powder with some steamed milk. For making tea sweet and chocolaty vanilla syrup and lavender extract is added. The fog on the tea is because of frothed milk. This tea is considered as luxurious also it relaxes your mood and makes you feel fresh.

4. Ashwagandha Tea

Ashwagandha is one of the ancient and medicinal herbs. It is used as a remedy for anxiety and male fertility. Having this tea in winter keeps our immune system balanced and helps with blood circulation. The tea is made from a small woody plant of yellow colour, and has a pungent and creamy taste.

5. Lemon Tea

This tea for winter is a low in sugar, low-calorie beverage and one of the finest winter immunity teas. Due to its medicinal qualities, it is also a herbal tea. This winter tea contains citric acid and is used as a recovery agent for kidney stones, and aids weight loss. It has a slightly pungent flavor and can be enjoyed with honey.


Photo by Anda Ambrosini on Unsplash

Winter Green Tea

Tea for Winter come in various types such as oolong tea, black tea, white tea, green tea, and ayurvedic tea. Green tea is a type of tea which is made out of Camellia Sinensis leaves but doesn't go under the process of oxidation. They are rich in nutrients, fiber, proteins and considered as one of the healthiest winter immunity teas. Some of the winter green teas are listed below.

1. Jasmine Tea

This is one of the winter green teas made with a combination of leaves and jasmine blossoms. This tea is rich in antioxidants and is used to cure severe illnesses and also is the best remedy for weight loss. It has a slightly sweet aroma and delicate flavors.

2. Mango Leaf Tea

This tea is used as a refreshing element as it enhances mood and makes us feel relaxed. It contains nutrients such as vitamin C, fiber, and iron. It is used as a recovery agent for diabetes and menstrual pains.

3. Tulsi Tea

Tulsi is stated as the ‘Queen of Herbs’ and has been a widely used herb since ancient times. The tea is made of tulsi leaves which have a peppery flavor. Also, this plant gives relief from tension, asthma,
cough, and fever.

4. Hibiscus Tea

The flower and other parts of the hibiscus plant contain medicinal properties and are used as a remedy in pregnancy, for menstrual pains, hair loss and skin problems. The fruity acid in the tea kills bacterias in the body. It has a slightly tart flavor.


Photo by Marisa Harris on Unsplash

Benefits of Winter Tea

·   Infuses our immune system and makes us fit
·   Improves concentration, focus and helps the brain to function properly
·   Generates heat and keeps us warm during winters
·   Reduces the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack
·   This tea improves mood and kills depression
·   Best remedy for weight loss
·   It fights against bacteria and protects the body from germs, and viruses
·   This tea can be easily included in our diet
·   It promotes good digestion

Recipe for making winter tea

The recipe for making winter tea is not rocket science and a very simple and easy process. All you need is make yourself comfortable and enjoy this delicious recipe of winter tea.

Ingredients
·   Water
·   Winter Tea Powder (you can switch to your favorite tea)
·   Milk (optional)
·   Sugar (optional)

Utensils
·   Teapot or Saucepan
·   Cup

Time Required – 10 minutes approx.

Procedure to prepare the tea
·   Put water and tea powder together in a pan
·   Start boiling the mixture
·   At boiling stage add milk and sugar (if required) and let it boil for few more minutes
·   Now turn the heat off and strain the tea into cups
·   Serve hot with delicious add ons

Chef notes
·   Add honey instead of sugar to make it sweet as well as healthy
·   You can also add cinnamon powder or maple syrup

Points to remember
· On a daily basis, only 2 to 3 cups can be consumed

What time should winter tea be consumed?

After reading the first half of the article all of you might be having a common question – what time should winter tea be consumed?
This question has a very simple answer, the best time for consuming winter tea is:
·       In the morning as soon as you wake up
·       After your breakfast
·       In the evening from around 4pm to 7pm
·       Before going to bed

Thus the best time for consuming winter tea is totally a subjective matter and can differ from person to person. The only thing common to all is that winter tea gives ultimate satisfaction and bliss to every person consuming it!


Photo by CandyChain on Unsplash

Add on snacks to winter tea

Even though tea is a complete beverage in itself, we sometimes require some additional snacks to make our tea time more delicious and amazing!! Here we present you some wonderful add on snacks to make our tea table look fabulous.
·   Tea can be complemented with namkeen snacks such as bakarwadi, pakora, chivda, sav, chips
·   Sweets such as jalebi, soan papdi, laddu, gulab jamun can be served
·   Diwali snacks can also be added to our tea table
·   Christmas and New Year cakes or pastries can be enjoyed with tea
·   Biscuits or milk toasts can also be consumed with tea

The Bottom Line

We conclude by stating that winter tea is not just tasty and delicious but it is also healthy. All you loving people out there make yourself feel happy with this cup of tea that ‘TeaSwan’ have specially created for this chilly season.

Experience the heavenly feel by having a hot mug of winter tea and enjoy the beautiful winter season!


Featured image photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash


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Emotional Healing In A Time of Crisis

By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP

We are living in unprecedented times in our world. We have just lived through a global pandemic of COVID-19 and the world we knew no longer exists. Anger and frustration are coming out in so many ways all over the world as people struggle with the new reality and many struggle to survive. 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

To me, it isn’t the physical challenges that the virus presents that worry me, it is the emotional state of our global population. In the US we see riots, campaigns to defund the police, racial tensions, destruction of property and businesses and unprecedented violence. No matter how many of us may want to politicize what is happening, I think it points to something much deeper that has been brewing for much longer than many people realize. People are angry. They are frustrated. Life is getting harder. People work more for less money. There is so much uncertainty about the future. Many have lost their businesses. Their jobs. Their abilities to support their families. People are exhausted and scared. And they see more and more corruption at every level of business and government - which only feeds the anger and frustration that a few profit at the expense of so many. 

 


Photo by Tito Texidor III on Unsplash

I can’t offer a solution to the problems we face as a global community, but I think that we need to be honest about what is happening and be able to express those feelings. We have a right to be angry, frustrated and afraid. And we need to give those feelings a place to go. There is so much “political correctness” that people these days feel that they can’t say anything for fear it will offend somebody. We need to be able to have honest discussions about what is REAL and TRUE. And yes, it might offend somebody. In the present climate, the truth seems to have become a dirty word. The truth might hurt someone’s feelings. The truth might not be what someone wants to hear. And this is part of the problem. Because the truth is what is going to save us. 

For most of my life and career, I have been very conscious of focussing on the good. The positive. Practising kindness. Being loving. Having compassion. But I don’t insulate my life and not let anything negative come in. That would be delusional. When you are healing, people come and they need those things. They are hurting so they need love, kindness, compassion and your positivity and light. Those are the things that start the healing process, and support it until the end. But now I see that we seem to be having a reality problem. Some people are unable or unwilling to accept what is happening in the world. I understand this, as often, the reality is dark. It’s hard. There are things that are difficult to accept. And they hurt. 

There have been a lot of difficult truths coming to the surface lately. And if you don’t know what I am talking about, then you aren’t paying attention. This has been causing a lot of pain and a lot of grief. The new reality, for many, is difficult to accept. 

Another theme I see that is contributing to a lot of pain is that there seems to be a conscious effort to divide us. Break us apart and make us fight with each other. This breeds fear, fear of the “other” and only compounds the feelings of grief, depression, anxiety and isolation that have exploded since this all began. They want you to feel that you are alone. But the truth is, that you are not alone. There are more than 7 billion of us on the planet. We are a global community, and we have the intelligence and creativity to solve any problem we may face. But we can’t solve problems when we are angry, sad and afraid. You cannot focus your energy on solving problems when you are fighting an enemy.

I have been thinking about how we might go about trying to heal from so many of the powerful emotions we are dealing with right now. Both ones that have been building up for years, and the ones that are a result of this new situation that we find ourselves in. Chinese Medicine is really unique in how it looks at our emotions and how important they are to our health and wellbeing. As many of you know, each of the emotions is associated with an organ or an organ pair and when that emotion is healthy and in balance, it is strengthening to the body and that organ in particular. But when that emotion is out of balance, in excess or unexpressed, it is depleting to the body and its respective organs, causing problems in all aspects of your life and health. Generally in our culture, we are not taught that emotions can make us sick, but I think that most of us instinctively know that this is true. How does your stomach feel when you worry? Or how about those headaches when you are angry and stressed? How does your heart feel when you are grieving?

The good news is that because emotions are built into the system of Chinese Medicine, it also offers solutions and practices we can use to keep emotionally healthy. Each of the seasons, for example, offer us an opportunity to really work to clear old emotions we’ve been holding on to and balance and strengthen the system. I have been thinking that this wisdom is so needed right now. 

The emotions - things that hurt us, cause us grief or stir up anger can be an opportunity to learn something about ourselves. Why are we having these reactions to things that are happening? Why does one person respond to a situation in anger when another might feel grief?

Treating Emotions in the Real World

Helping us to manage the tsunami of emotions we are all feeling right now is the understanding that we must first become aware of the emotions, and then work to change not WHAT we are feeling but how we REACT to those feelings. Read that again. It's so simple, but it will likely change the way you think about how you may be feeling.

In my work with patients, we often start with simple awareness. Let's use an example.

If you are struggling with a particular emotion, let's say grief. Usually (but not always), the person is aware of the grief. The cause is the death of someone close to them, their loss is causing the grief. The lungs in Chinese Medicine are associated with grief, so there might be lung symptoms as well- shortness of breath, asthma, dizziness (not enough oxygen), coughing, etc. Their grief can literally be causing the lung symptoms because intense or excessive grief weakens the lungs' Qi. The person is describing how they are feeling, saying they feel consumed by their grief, out of breath, have no energy and are anxious and stressed because the grief is making it difficult to function because they still need to go to work and look after their young children. And this is it. The grief is a completely natural result of someone important in your life passing away. But the reaction is an increasing feeling of anxiety and panic because there is no space for the grief in their life because they have to keep going to work and looking after children.

So, we look at those feelings first - the anxiety and panic - and we figure out a way to help to manage them. Are you able to take some time off? Could the children go to stay with a grandparent for a few days? Can you take some time to allow yourself the space to grieve? Do you have someone you can talk to about everything you are feeling? All of these things will help release some of the pressure that can make these emotions so overwhelming. Just the acknowledgement begins the healing process. We start with the reaction - the anxiety because of the pressure to keep going normally while you are suffering - and work backwards to the grief itself.

When we get to the grief, there are a few ways that we can help reduce its intensity. We work to strengthen the lungs and build up their Qi, which very often helps lessen the grief's potency. We create a space for the grief to be felt, fully allowing those feelings to be expressed. In Chinese Medicine, the way emotions can be causes of disease is if they are repressed or unexpressed, leading to a stagnation in the body and eventual toxicity. Anyone who has a secret or something in their past they have been holding on to for years can tell you. It has an effect. Holding on to emotions isn't good for you, so finding the proper avenue for their expression is an important part of the healing process.

We are living in challenging times that are unprecedented in our history. Our struggles are multi-faceted right now. People are struggling to find their way in the new reality we face as a global community. The good news is that human beings have incredible intelligence, adaptability and resiliency. If we are able to stay positive, stick together and express what we are all feeling honestly, we can come out the other side of these difficult times stronger and with a new appreciation for everything good that still exists in this world.

If you need help working through what you are feeling right now or healing in general, I am here for you. My information is below.


Featured image photo by Mitchell Griest on Unsplash - Thank you!



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Smashed Cucumber Salad - Summer Recipe

 Prep Time: 10 mins  | Cook Time: 5 mins  |  Total Time: 15 mins

Quick | Easy | Dairy-Free | Nut-Free | Vegetarian | Vegan |

This delicious, refreshing salad is the perfect summer recipe and only takes 5 minutes to prepare. The ingredients are simple, and yet this salad is packed with flavour and is full of health benefits. This Yin salad is perfect for summer - the most Yang season of the year. In Chinese Medicine, cucumbers are loaded with medicinal benefits - they build Yin, are hydrating and are beneficial for many health conditions.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 small bunch coriander - cut into 1-inch pieces, saving some for garnish
  • ¼ red bell pepper - shredded
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp chilli oil
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic - grated

DIRECTIONS

  1. Peel the cucumbers and cut the ends off. Cut the cucumbers down the center lengthwise into 3-4 pieces.
  2. Place cucumber pieces into a ziplock bag and smash (gently) with a rolling pin or another heavy object. Remove from bag and cut into bite-sized pieces. Put all into a large bowl.
  3. Sprinkle cucumber with salt, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. Then discard the liquid.
  4. Add coriander, shredded bell pepper and the rest of the ingredients. Still well, garnish with a bit of coriander and enjoy!

TIP

If you want to increase the fibre content of this salad, then leave the skins on the cucumbers. Just be sure to wash them well first. Depending on where they come from, cucumber skins can be covered in wax or have harmful pesticides, so be sure to wash them thoroughly if you are going to leave the peels on.

CHINESE MEDICINE HEALTH BENEFITS

In Chinese Medicine cucumbers have a huge number of healing properties. They are particularly good for soothing any skin swellings or irritations because of their high content of silica, vitamin C and caffeic acid which are important components of connective tissue. Cucumbers also quench thirst, calm irritability, combat oedema as well as treat jaundice, diarrhoea and even epilepsy. A slice of cucumber is able to take the sting out of a bug bite, and cucumber juice is an excellent prescription for glowing healthy skin because of its high water content, and its ability to hydrate the skin - the body’s largest organ. This is one of the reasons why in Chinese Medicine, food IS medicine. :)

 

Delicious featured image from The Splendid Table.org



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Living in Harmony with Spring According to Chinese Medicine

By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP

Chinese Medicine Theory

Chinese Medicine has such a beautiful way of looking at us - human beings, our place in nature and in the universe. We are part of a greater whole and are inseparable from it. In Chinese Medicine, we are healthy when we are in harmony with our surroundings, and for much of human history, we have honed the skills needed to be able to feel slight changes in our environments, so that we could change behaviours, to remain in balance. In our modern world, we seem to be losing this connectedness to both our natural environments and ultimately, ourselves. Chinese Medicine can teach us how to regain this connection by giving us some simple guidelines on how to live in harmony with the seasons.

Spring - The Season of the Liver

Spring is the season associated with the Liver and the emotion of Anger. Its energies are expansive - moving upward and outward like newly budding plants, flowers and trees. It is a time for growth and renewal. Spring is the best time to strengthen the Liver, and to deal with any unresolved feelings of Anger or frustration as they can build up and cause stagnant Qi or energy in the Liver and elsewhere. The colour associated with Spring and the Liver is green. Eating green foods in the Spring strengthens the Liver. To keep your Liver healthy, be sure to be in bed and asleep before 11pm.

The Liver is the organ associated with Spring. In Chinese Medicine the Liver has the following responsibilities:

  • Opens Into the Eyes
  • Controls Planning
  • The Flavour that Supports the Liver is Sour
  • Houses the Hun (Spirit) The Liver is the organ associated with Spring.
  • Stores Blood
  • Responsible for the Smooth Flow of Qi & Blood
  • Controls the Sinews / Tendons
  • Manifests in the Nails

Behaviours in Spring

  • Engaging in uplifting and creative activities that expand our energies and consciousness (journaling, meditation)
  • Seek personal development and growth
  • Cooking should be of shorter duration and at higher temperatures
  • Sautéing with high-quality oil over high heat, or light steaming with water is best in Spring
  • Manage Anger (and frustration) - excess, intense and unexpressed anger congests Qi in the Liver
  • Liver time is between 1am-3am - this is the best time to strengthen the Liver
  • For optimum Liver health, go to bed before 11pm (the Gallbladder time - it is the Liver’s Yin/Yang partner organ)
  • Eat green foods to strengthen Liver

Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash

Activities in Spring

  • Engage in activities that feed your creativity - drawing/painting/writing/photography/making music/dancing
  • Making plans for the future
  • Spring cleaning of your internal environment - physical, emotional, spiritual
  • Acknowledging, processing and releasing any unresolved emotions, especially Anger & frustration
  • Any activities that push our self-imposed boundaries
  • Gentle exercises on a daily basis, especially stretching as the Liver controls the smooth flow of Qi as well as the tendons
  • Walking meditation in nature (gentle exercise, feeding the spirit and taking in the green of new Spring plants through the eyes)
  • Avoid stimulants like caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs

Beneficial Foods in Spring

  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Grapefruit
  • Sprouted Grains, Beans, Seeds
  • Many Green Foods Nourish the Liver
  • Radish
  • Daikon Radish
  • Tofu
  • Fermented Food
  • Legumes
  • Seeds
  • Dandelion Root
  • Milk Thistle
  • Mung Bean
  • Lettuce
  • Quinoa
  • Cucumber
  • Watercress
  • Celery
  • Millet
  • Seaweed
  • Mushroom
  • Beet
  • Carrot
  • Onion
  • Mustard Green
  • Rye
  • Romaine Lettuce
  • Asparagus
  • Alfalfa
  • Amaranth


Photo by Scott Eckersley on Unsplash

The Liver and Anger

Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash

We've all seen that impressive display of anger. Someone losing it in the lineup at the bank, an exasperated parent yelling at a child having a tantrum, or someone, after being on a plane for a bazillion hours being told that they have missed their connecting flight and that the airline has lost their luggage. Yeah, we've all seen that. And it is most of our instincts' to back away a few steps because of how powerful that anger can be. That, my friends, is your Liver talking.

Now in the West, this doesn't make much sense. The liver, we are taught, is the body's filter, making sure that we stay clean and toxin-free. But in Chinese Medicine, each of the organs has an emotional component, which is just as important as its physical functions in the body - and the emotion of the liver is anger.

When the liver is balanced and healthy we are able to move freely because of the liver's responsibilities of governing the smooth flow of Qi in the appropriate directions. You may wonder what happens when Qi flows in the wrong direction? Well, each of the organs has a natural direction in which its Qi flows. For example, the Qi of the stomach flows downward, helping to move food and drink through the digestive system, but when the flow of that Qi is reversed due to pathogenic factors it causes belching, hiccups, nausea and vomiting. A healthy liver means a strong immune system because the liver is responsible for the body's resistance to exterior pathogens. Because the liver opens into the eyes, if you have a healthy liver your vision will be clear and your eyes moist. If your liver is in a state of balance you will have strong nails, recover quickly from physical activities, your movements will be smooth and your body flexible. Those with a healthy liver will also have great courage and resoluteness, and will easily be able to plan their lives wisely and effectively with a clear sense of direction.


Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

Some Symptoms of Liver Stagnation & Imbalance

  • Frustration, depression or repressed anger
  • Hypochondriac pain
  • A sensation of oppression in the chest
  • A feeling of a "lump" in the throat
  • Abdominal distension
  • Women - pre-menstrual tension, depression, irritability, distension of the breasts
  • Belching, sour regurgitation, nausea, vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Bitter taste in the mouth, belching, jaundice
  • Contraction and/or spasms in the muscles and sinews, impaired extension/flexion, numbness of the limbs, muscle cramps, tremors
  • Dark, dry or cracked nails
  • Blurred vision, myopia, floaters, colour blindness, a feeling of dryness or grit in the eyes
  • Bloodshot, painful or burning sensation in the eyes
  • Irritability, outbursts of anger, red face, dizziness, tinnitus, headaches
  • Lack of direction in life, feeling of being stuck

Chinese Medicine gives us many ways that we can help our bodies, mind and spirits stay balanced and healthy - in every season. Eating green foods, spending more time turning inward, processing our emotions and being in bed by 11pm are only some of the ways we can live in harmony with the spring season, and keep our energies flowing freely so we can be happy, healthy beings all year long.


Beautiful featured image photo by Sylwia Pietruszka on Unsplash



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Keeping Cool this Summer with Chinese Medicine

By John Voigt

Keeping Cool

Here are some techniques from Traditional Chinese medicine to help beat the summer heat.  (If you have a fever, or other health problems see a professional medical practitioner.)

First some common sense suggestions: drink a lot of water, keep cool.  Do your body a favor and stay in the shade. Nothing beats a pleasant stroll in a forest (just have the bug repellant on). If you must be in the sun cover yourself as much as you can. Watch non-human animals for cues on what you should be doing.


Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash

Food. 

Never put icy cold things in your mouth.  Avoid lamb, fatty red meat, alcohol, tobacco, garlic, onion, scallion, and coffee as these are warming in Chinese Medicine.  Eat less food and drink, drink lots of room temperature fluids--except never any sugared juice drinks, or sodas.   Replace any lost salt … lost from heavy sweating.

To reinforce yin, and clear heat: Watermelon,  Mung beans.


Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Also: Apple, Banana, Crab,  Mango, Pears, Pineapple, Tofu.

Try drinking mint, chamomile, chrysanthemum teas; and also a weak green tea with a touch of lemon and honey. These are cooling to the body and build yin.


Photo by Anda Ambrosini on Unsplash

Chinese Herbs

American Ginseng. 


This image from ernestherbal.com

Check with a health professional knowledgeable about Chinese herbs if you have health issues.  Dosage: Usually American Ginseng extract is about 200 mg per day containing at least 4 to 7% ginsenosides. 0.5 to 2 g of dry root per day on a short-term basis, with the ginseng taken in tea form or chewed. Capsule formulas are generally prescribed in a dosage of 100 to 600 mg per day, usually in divided doses.  [from] <http://www.online-health-care.com/herbal-medicines>.

Internal Qigong.   

In the cycle of Seasons, this is the time to prepare for winter.  Sit in meditation and visualize it is winter all around you. Take the hot yang energy on the surface of your body and with your mind and breath direct and guide this heat into the energy storage battery in your lower abdomen, the Dantian.  Do from five to fifteen minutes.

Self Acupressure.

  • Kidney 1 (Yong-quan)
  • Kidney 2 (Ran-gu)
  • Bladder 40 (Weizhong)

Kidney 1 is one of the most powerful points in the body and is located between the balls of the foot in the depression. It is a very strong point, so be gentle. It is excellent for building yin and cooling the body as well as being a powerful tonification point for the entire body.
Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash 

Kidney 2 is located on the inside (medial) aspect of the foot along the border of the red and white skin (where the skin transitions from the soft part on the top of your foot to the tougher type of skin you have on the bottom of your foot.)
Image from wanderingdawn.com

This point is located behind the knees at the midpoint of the crease. It is very sensitive, so always be gentle.

Gently press and massage the  Kidney 1, and 2 points, then the Bladder-40 points for about three to five minutes (or longer). 

Putting ice on the Bladder 40 wěizhōng points works to cool you down too.

External Qigong.

With fingers pointed down and knuckles facing each other almost touching, raise hands up center front -- go above head and open palms up to the heavens. With palms facing downward,  fingertips pointed at each other,  bring hands down the center line,. Repeat six times. Softly sound “Sheee.” (Or just hear it in your head.)  This harmonizes the body’s organ functions, the “Triple Burner".

John Voigt
john.voigt@comcast.net

 



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Summer Recipe to Clear Heat & Decrease Fire

By Unfamiliar China

Clear Heat and Decrease Fire

Pressure, insomnia, prolonged exposure to a blowing air conditioner, and eating out too frequently can all lead to excessive internal heat. Excessive internal heat can be alleviated by regulating one’s diet. One should eat an appropriate ratio of meat and vegetables, and eat more fruits and vegetables that clear heat and drain fire. Enriching the yin helps decrease fire and eradicate dryness-heat. This Pork and Lotus Seed Soup recipe helps with just that!

Pork and Lotus Seed Soup

Preparation Time: 32 min.
Serves: 2

Ingredients

7.05 oz. (200 grams) lean pork
1.41 oz. (40 grams) lotus seed
1.76 oz. (50 grams) carrots
0.52 oz. (15 grams) dang shen (Codonopsis pilosula)

Seasoning

½ tsp. (2 grams) salt
½ tsp. (2 grams) chicken bouillon
a dash of ground pepper

Preparation

  • Cut washed carrot into small chunks. Cut washed pork into slices.
  • Add water to casserole dish. Add prepared lotus seeds, dang shen (Codonopsis pilosula), carrots, and pork. Cook over low heat for 30 min.
  • Mix in salt, chicken bouillon, and ground pepper to taste.
  • Turn off heat. Scoop out into bowls and serve.

Reminder

If the lotus seeds are very white, they may have been artificially bleached. It is best not to buy this kind of lotus seed.


Photo by Justin Lim on Unsplash

**Beautiful featured image photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash


Mustard Greens & Pork Soup Recipe

By NourishU

Chinese Medicine Nutrition & The Summer Season

The excessive heat and humidity in summer can affect our health in many ways. It can cause the loss of body fluid and energy with profuse perspiration and can weaken our appetite. Drinking too much fluid to fight summer heat can dilute digestive enzymes which can lead to indigestion.

Extreme heat can lead to heat stroke with symptoms such as fainting, spasm, and fatigue. It is important not to over-expose oneself to the immense heat. Drinking excessive ice cold drinks can further damage the spleen system and cause food and energy stagnation. Eating seasonal vegetables such as winter melon and citrus fruits to quench thirst, to promote digestion and to expel heat and dampness is most beneficial to health. It is also important to eat food that can improve appetite, promote digestion and benefit spleen functions. Oily and heavy meat dishes should be avoided because they will cause indigestion.

Potassium

Potassium is the most important mineral of all which is necessary for good health. Potassium's main function is to promote cell tissue and growth. Our body needs to replace dead cells and tissue every day. There is no better source of potassium than vinegar---particularly natural apple cider vinegar. It is probably the best and cheapest agent to detoxify our body. As such, it should be considered as a critical component to the fountain of youth!

In summer months: add 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to a quart of water. Drink this on a hot summer day, especially before working out. Your body will feel very clean. In winter months: 2 TBLS of apple cider vinegar in a mug filled with hot water 3 times a day.

Pear

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

Eating pear after a meal/BBQ.

The Seoul National University of Medicine Division of Preventive Medicine research team led by Professor Yang Meixi in September 2010 released a report saying that eating a pear after a meal can discharge a lot of carcinogenic substances accumulated in the human body.

The survey results indicate that smoking or eating grilled & roasted meat, the carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the body will be significantly lower after eating a pear. The result of the findings indicated that heated pear juice contains a lot more anti-cancer substances - Polyphenol.

Mustard Greens & Pork Soup Recipe

 

This delicious image by INRTracker.com

SYMPTOMS:

Slight internal heat syndrome with symptoms such as slight constipation, red eyes, and bad breath.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS:

Clears internal heat and relieves constipation.

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Mustard Greens  芥菜 -  300 gm
  • Lean Pork -  180gm
  • Ginger – 2 slices

1.   Wash mustard greens and cut into pieces.

2.   Rinse pork and cut into thin pieces, season (a little sugar, salt, pepper, cornstarch and sesame oil) and set aside.

3.   Boil about 8 cups of water in a soup pot and put in mustard greens and ginger to cook for about 30 minutes over medium heat. Add pork and cook for another 6 or 7 minutes and serve.

USAGE:

No restrictions.


Beautiful featured image photo by Masaaki Komori on Unsplash



Spring Recipe - Stir Fried Chicken and Goji Berries

By Vicky Chan of NourishU

Spring Recipes

Spring is the season of new growth, the season of wood and the season of the liver. It is the season of wind and rain and very unstable weather. It marks the beginning of a new growing season including bacteria and viruses. People can easily catch cold/flu and infectious diseases in spring. Wind-injuries can be characterized by rapidly changing and moving symptoms such as a stuffy and runny nose, coughs, fever, body pain, sneezing, and dizziness.

Our livers are most vulnerable to wind-injury in spring. It is important to invigorate the liver by eating warming and pungent food to defend and expel wind evil. Foods that are sweet in nature such as dates, goji-berries, animal's liver and leek can benefit liver health and help to promote liver qi. Sour can nourish liver and promote blood. Salty taste can promote sour.

Spring tonics emphasize on light and healthful foods such as spinach, celery, onion, lettuce, leaf mustard, Chinese yam, wheat, dates, peanuts, onions, cilantro, bamboo shoot and mushrooms. Soybean, bean sprout, egg, and tofu are rich in protein and can promote liver health and healthy growth of tendons.

Chrysanthemum Flower

Chrysanthemum flowers are very effective in lowering liver heat and calming the liver. They can be used as a tea or cook with other ingredients to make soup or entree dishes.

Dandelion

Dandelion is everywhere in spring. It is bitter and sweet in taste, cold in nature, and attributive to liver and stomach channels.

Pick dandelion leaves from your garden or from a wild field where there is no chemical pollution to make a detoxification tea for yourself and your family in spring. It is diuretic, clears damp-heat and toxic material, and benefits liver health. You can repeat this once again in late summer when you see them bloom again. It is the most inexpensive and effect detoxification tea that you can give to your body.

Stir Fried Chicken & Goji Berries

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

Benefits the liver and eyes.

INGREDIENTS

  • Astragalus (huang qi) 黃耆 - 30 gm
  • Goji-berry / Chinese Wolfberry (gou ji zi) 枸杞子 - 15 gm
  • Chicken breast - one piece
  • Cucumber - one
  • Cooking wine - 2 spoonfuls
  1. Rinse astragalus and put with 2 cups of water in a pot and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then bring water to a boil and lower heat to medium-low to cook down to 1/2 cup of water left. Strain and keep aside.
  2. Wash and shred chicken and cucumber.
  3. Season chicken with salt, pepper, cornstarch and 2 to 3 spoons of astragalus water.
  4. Soak goji-berries for 20 minutes and rinse. Season goji-berries with some astragalus water.
  5. Warm one spoonful of oil in a wok and stir-fry chicken for a few minutes. Then sprinkle in cooking wine and the rest of the astragalus water, and stir.
  6. Add cucumber and stir for a few more minutes, then add wolfberry and stir for a couple of minutes more and is done.

USAGE

No restrictions.

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Photo by Tim Chow on Unsplash


Winter Recipe for Kidneys - Fox Nut Rice Pudding

By NourishU

Kidney/Bladder Disease

Kidney deficiency is the cause of many illnesses and over 80% of people have a certain degree of kidney deficiency. Cold hands and feet, lack of energy, ringing in the ears, sexual dysfunction, joint pain, menstrual disorder, prostate problems, back pain, hearing impairment, premature aging, incontinent are some typical examples.

Winter time is the best season to preserve and promote kidney health. Eating black color food such as black beans is good for kidney. Salty taste can benefit kidney but too much can damage kidney too. Kidney stones are formed by the buildup of substances which crystallized into stone-like deposits. Diets high in protein and lack of exercise will result in severe overall net calcium loss and increase calcium presented to the kidneys. Western doctors’ advice in reducing the burden and workload of the kidney is by eating a diet low in meat, high in carbohydrate, restricted salt and drink plenty of water to dissolve smaller stones. And by avoiding peanut, chestnut, soy, asparagus, spinach, corn and egg and eating more celery, apple, pear, and beans.

The symptoms of a kidney infection are a sore throat, fever, lower back pain, tiredness, fatigue, thirst and loss of appetite. When there is edema, the volume of urine decreases and so is the blood pressure. Infections of the urinary tract are more common in females than males. It could be due to poor hygiene or food allergy. Bacteria grow more easily in alkaline than in acid urine and vitamin C can promote acid urine and also improve immunity.

The food treatment for kidney infection should include a low-sodium and high protein diets such as fish, meat, egg and soy products. Water intake should be increased. Diuretic foods such as watermelon, winter melon, black bean, broad bean, see qua, and small red bean are effective in expelling dampness. Corn silk and corn kernel cook with water to make tea can alleviate urinary tract or bladder infection. Grape juice can treat female urinary tract infection. Avoid spicy foods, garlic, and chive.

The other kidney dysfunctions include frequent urination, nephritis, leukorrhea in women, and nocturnal emission and spermatorrhea in men.

According to Chinese medicine, kidney problems are caused by yang deficiency, spleen, and heart deficiency. Emission is induced by excessive fire due to yin deficiency, weakness of kidney qi or the descent of heat-dampness. Treatments include nourishing kidney yin, removing fire, clearing heat and dissipating dampness.

Fox Nut Rice Pudding


Dried Fox Nut Seeds

Symptoms

  • Frequent urination especially at night
  • enuresis
  • whitish and turbid urine
  • nocturnal emission
  • leukorrhea

Therapeutic Effects

Tonify kidney and spleen, preserve essence, strengthen the muscles that control urination, relieve diarrhea.

Ingredients (2 Servings)

  • Fox nut (qian shi) 芡實 - 120gm
  • Sticky rice powder - 6gm

1.   Wash fox nut and soak with 2 cups of water for 4 hours.

2.   Pour fox nut and water into a grinder and grind it into a fine paste. Add sticky rice powder and mix well.

3.   Pour mixture into a small pan and cook over medium-low heat to become a thick soup (about 10 minutes). Stir frequently and add water if necessary.

4.   Add a little salt to serve.

Usage

Eat half before dinner and the other half one hour before bedtime. Continue for 10 days as one course of treatment. If necessary, continue up to one month or two to see a complete recovery.

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If you would like a downloadable information sheet that will tell you all about how to live in harmony with the Winter Season in Chinese Medicine, you can find it here - The Winter Season in Chinese Medicine.

Beautiful featured image photo by Julien Pianetti on Unsplash