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Greetings!
As winter energy transforms into the upward, growing energy of spring, our Wood energy, controlled by our Liver, is waking up and trying to move and stretch.
Think about plants reaching up out of the earth and stretching toward the sun. That is what our Liver energy is trying to do. Those of us with imbalances in our Wood element may see a flare up of related symptoms this time of year, including headaches, migraines, vertigo, allergies, tight neck and shoulders, depression, anger, and PMS. If any of those tend to be chronic or reoccurring problems for you, now would be a great time to get in for some balancing, preventative acupuncture treatments.
Special note to spring allergy sufferers: NOW IS THE TIME. Not that we can't help you once spring is in full bloom, but coming now can help your body prepare and prevent the worst of your symptoms! Email me today to set up an appointment.
In the meantime, use some of the strategies in the main article below to help you get your Liver qi moving. Enjoy the issue.
Happy spring!
Robin |
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Get Your Liver Qi Moving On Up
As the days start to get longer and lighter and we begin to feel more frequent tastes of spring, those with SAD or mild seasonal depression feel a sense of relief as their mood begins to lift. Others who struggle with different forms of depression and anxiety, however, may be feeling worse, especially as they see those around them rejoicing in the spring weather. Many types of depression are related to Liver imbalances.
Our Liver needs to be strong and free moving in order to smoothly progress through the transition into spring. If our Liver blood is weak, or our Liver energy is blocked, depression (and other symptoms mentioned above) can intensify as this struggle takes place within our bodies. Another consequence of blocked Liver energy can be rising heat. "Stuck" energy that's feeling spring's upward push can also flare up in bursts of anger and impatience.
Note: there are many types and causes of depression. Please do not use this advice as a replacement for medical treatment.
Here are five tips to help your Liver energy transition smoothly into spring:
1. Exercise. Many of us hate to hear it, but one of the best ways to keep our energy moving is to move ourselves. Different types of exercise are best for different people, depending on their particular imbalances. Some of us of thrive on good aerobic exercise. Others need gentler movement, such as yoga or Tai Chi.
Listen to your body and your mood. If you feel better after exercising and it energizes you, you are on the right track. If it exhausts you, stop pushing yourself. You are probably further depleting yourself and you need something gentler.
Walking is a great exercise for this time of year. We all need fresh air, sunshine, and movement. You can moderate your pace and length of time based on what feels best for your body. And don't forget to support your joints and your back by getting good walking shoes.
Remember, consistency is best. Try and do at least a little bit four to five times a week, if you can. Don't throw in the towel if you only have a few minutes. Even a 5- to 10-minute walk will get your qi moving. Even if that's all you can do and you do it several times/week, you will still see improvements.
2. Diet, of course. You all know I like to talk about food. Liver energy is well supported in springtime by upward growing, green foods and sprouts and by mildly pungent and mildly sweet flavors and spices. Good pungent spices for this time of year are basil, fennel, rosemary and dill. Particularly heavy, greasy, and salty foods that are more appropriate in winter will impede the movement of the Liver qi this time of year. Cooking foods at high temperatures for shorter periods of time is helpful. For example, quick vegetable sautees at high temperatures so the veggies are still bright and crispy. Small amounts of raw foods can be beneficial as well this time of year.
Must haves for spring: Upward growing green veggies, lightly cooked, such as asparagus, and all types of leafy greens.
Must avoid for spring: too much heavy, greasy food (think anything deep fried); excess dairy food (opt for veggies on your pizza instead of extra cheese, and get one scoop of ice cream instead of a sundae) or meat; and too much salt.
Good combo of spring flavors: Both sweet and pungent tastes are helpful for opening and moving energy this time of year. Try a light sautee of fresh grated ginger root (a pungent spice) with some mildly sweet veggies such as cabbage and carrots. If you can get leafy Chinese cabbage and young carrots, even better.
3. Manage stress. Emotional stress affects all organ systems. The Liver, however, is where it starts. In fact, stress and blocked emotions are the most common causes of "stuck Liver qi" in our society. Anger, frustration, sadness, and depression can all result from stuck Liver qi, and when not expressed or dealt with appropriately, can also cause our Liver qi to stagnate further and lead to other symptoms. All of those emotions are part of life. When we feel them in excess or we don't feel them at appropriate times, then that indicates an imbalance. If we push these feelings aside because we "don't have time to deal with them," we are adding another layer to the blockages in the free flow of our Liver qi.
Talking to a friend, journaling, and meditating are all ways to manage daily stresses so that they don't build up and create bigger problems. In order to keep our Liver energy healthy, we must confront chronic feelings of stress/anxiety and imbalances in our emotional wellbeing.
4. Beware of "false" Liver movers. Alcohol, for example, will temporarily free up your Liver energy. And a drink here and there, for most of us, feels good and is not a problem. But overuse of alcohol and other drugs is a common way for some people to feel relief from emotional symptoms of Liver stagnation. The relief, however, is temporary. Instead of strengthening the body's weaknesses so that the body learns to rebalance the energy on its own, these extreme substances cause further damage and leave the body feeling dependent on more of them to get the same feeling of relief. And remember, any extreme substance will set up further imbalance in the body, often covering up the original problem and leading eventually to more complicated physical and emotional health issues.
5. Get acupuncture. Acupuncture is quite successful at treating symptoms caused by stuck Liver qi because the very first thing it does is move the qi circulating in the channels of the body. Even a single acupuncture treatment will often start to relieve symptoms caused by pure Liver qi stagnation. Most chronic or reoccurring symptoms that have been around for a while have several layers of imbalances and may take a series of treatments to achieve lasting relief. Email me now to set up an appointment.
In the meantime, here are some points you can massage at home to help relax the body and mind and relieve stress:
Liver 3: Many of you acupuncture regulars know this point well! It is on the top of the foot, in the web between the 1st and 2nd toes. Just palpate that area until you find a sensitive spot and gently massage the point with just enough pressure to feel mild soreness. This point is great for built up stress, frustration, anger, and overwhelmed feelings.
Spleen 6: This is a crossing point of 3 major meridians in the body: Spleen, Liver, and Kidney. This point is great for relieving stress, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. It can also really help menstrual cramps. Start at the inner ankle bone and move up along your inner leg, just on the inner edge of the bone (tibia). This point is about the width of your four fingers together above the ankle bone. Find a sensitive spot and massage. If there are multiple sensitive spots up the leg along the inside of that tibia, massage those too for menstrual cramps or other abdominal bloating or cramping. | |
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Get Juiced Up!
Fresh vegetable juices are a great way to gently cleanse and nourish your liver in springtime. If you are someone who tends to be on the cold side or tends toward Spleen deficiency symptoms, it's important to be cautious about how much raw food you're eating.
But even for those people, small amounts of freshly juiced vegetables can be beneficial this time of year. The juicing process extracts most of the vitamins and gives it to the body in a form that is quick and easy to absorb. Using vegetables and flavors that nourish and open the Liver can make you feel cleansed and energized. Here is a delicious recipe for those of you with dusty old juicers sitting in the back of your closet. This should make about one large glass of juice.
5 carrots (if you buy fresh young carrots, go ahead and juice the green part too!)
1/8 inch chunk of fresh ginger root
1/4 apple
1 large leaf kale
2 leaves leafy cabbage or 1 small chunk round green cabbage
2 stalks celery
The apple, cabbage, and carrots give a mild sweet expansive flavor, great for opening up energy flow. The ginger gives that pungent flavor, and the kale and celery are nourishing for the Liver.
If you don't have a juicer and don't want to invest in one, Odwalla and Fresh Samantha make good juice as well. Caution: fruit smoothies are NOT fresh vegetable juice! And be sure to leave it out for a little while before drinking. Vegetable juices should be taken closer to room temperature.
Enjoy!
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I hope you found this issue of "The Healing Tree" to be helpful. I welcome your comments.
Best,
Robin Chapman
Holden Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine |
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