Summer: A Chinese Medicine perspective

Ahhh, summertime! The days are longer and our schedules are often full of fun activities with friends and family, whether at home, out-and-about, or away on vacation.

In the three months of Summer, the Huang Di Nei Jing (a classical Chinese Medicine reference book) mentions that the heavenly energy descends and earthly energy rises.

Plants, animals, flowers, and fruit are abundant during summer because of the merging between heaven and earth.

Here are some insights & tips to help us live in harmony with the seasons according to Chinese Medicine.

Summer is a great time to do things that excite you and bring you joy!

In Chinese medicine, we are all about balance - even too much excitement and joy can tip us off balance, and over-excitement can manifest as mania. Keep cool and practice meditation and finding center to stay balanced!

It’s best not to push yourself and overstimulate the cardiovascular system, which is easier to do in the heat of summer. One sign of over-heating/over-exertion is a red flush to the face; find cool places and make sure to set some down time to avoid too much heat generating in the body.

I hope you gained some insight about living in tune with the Summer season from this post.

If you’d like to chat more about acupuncture, herbs, or Chinese medicine in general - please reach out! I offer free 15-minute virtual consultations or am happy to correspond via email.

Stay cool this summer and be well!

Sincerely,

Meghane Hernandez - Maui Acupuncturist & Herbalist