Summer! The Fire time of the year!
Well we are finally here in the middle of the hottest and one of the extreme climates of the year! We become more energetic, start clinging to anything cool, and even watch things we thought were sturdy melt and warp. No wonder Chinese Medicine correlates the Fire element to Summer!
On a practical level, we need to be very careful this time of year with what we eat, drink, and do (especially if you were born during the Summer). Here are some tips and information which I find myself giving out to patients quite often to make this time of year more enjoyable (or at least bearable if you are like me and despise the heat):
Be the most active during the morning and evening
I can never stress this point enough. Even if you have to work during the hottest times of the day cut down on how much you do and take frequent breaks to hydrate and cool off! This is no secret and should be common sense. A trick to help you cool off and stay hydrated is to take some pieces of chopped watermelon and squeeze until the juice fills an 8 oz. cup. This little bit will cool you off and help your body create more fluids! But avoid taking too much or this can give you cramps or upset your stomach since watermelon is cold by nature.
Avoid cranking that Air conditioner
As much as I’d hate to admit this one, it is true. You only want the air conditioner to keep you cool and not make it to the point to where you have to wear long clothes around the house or a scarf at the office. Going from this cold environment into the naturally hot environment of Summer shocks your body and will make you prone to getting sick (Summer Colds are not as rare as one might think!). Also, make sure your air conditioner is clean since dust, mold, mildew, bugs, etc. can and will take up residence and cause many respiratory issues.
Why should people born during the Summer be more careful during this time?
This takes us in to Eastern Medical theory! Since the Fire element correlates to Summer, that means being born in the Summer makes the person have a Fire type of constitution! This can be a paper by itself but essentially a person with a Fire constitution tends to: run on the hot side, has a lot of energy, tends to be very smart, and brings warmth and joy when they enter a room full of people. Sounds like somebody you would describe as Fiery right? The downside is that the presence of hot temperatures and/or too much activity easily overheats them leading to a myriad of related issues. This predisposition is what makes Summer babies need to be mindful during this time of year (For example, I had one patient where they only got a hot, painful, itchy rash during the Summer if they worked out too vigorously. They never experienced this condition any other time!). So remember, Fire with Fire is something to be careful of!
What should I eat and drink during this time of the year?
Make sure you eat with the season! Try to incorporate foods that only grow during the summer into your diet such as cucumber, blueberries, strawberries, squash, peppers, etc. The real trick is to not eat too much of it and make sure the food is cooked! Just because you cooked that Eggplant does not take away the vegetable’s cooling properties! The same goes for drinking liquids at room temperature (unless it must be chilled like milk) and eating those delicious cherries. One certain type of food that does actually cool you off (albeit counter intuitively) are spicy foods! If you take a look at the food of cultures from tropical and hot regions, you will notice that they love their spice for good reason. The evaporation of sweat has a cooling effect on the body and that comes in handy during a time like this. However, when we say spicy, we mean mild in this context so put away the Habanero as too much sweat will make you dehydrated!
So, with all these little things in mind, enjoy your summer days while you still can and for more information give me a shout!