How to Feel your Best in Spring According to an Acupuncturist

What Spring means to your body according to Chinese Medicine

As we emerge from winter months, we must adapt with the changes of the season to maintain a healthy body for the months to come. Nature is starting to expand, grow and transform itself and we must do the same. In winter, there was a tendency for more yin-focused movement, staying still, sleeping in later, and enjoying a rich and hardy diet. In spring, there’s a natural yang energy focused towards eating lighter, less and staying active. Now is the time to reawaken your body and mind to see things with a new gained perspective and self-awareness and opening the eyes towards taking action.

The Inner Classic:

“The supernatural forces of spring create wind in Heaven and wood upon the Earth. Within the body they create the liver and the tendons; they create the green color...and give the voice the ability to make a shouting sound...they create the eyes, the sour flavor, and the emotion of anger.”

WOOD: THE ELEMENT OF SPRING

In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with an element and each element is associated with specific organs in the body. Spring’s element is wood which represents the liver and gallbladder. The taste of the wood element is sour, the sound is shouting and the color is green. One of the livers main function in TCM is to “store blood” which means it plays a large role in the health of women’s menstrual cycles. It also controls the flexibility and health of the tendons and ligaments. Someone who faces a lot of rigidity in their joints might want to look into the state of their liver. Taking care of your liver doesn’t just mean avoiding alcohol, it can also be tied to emotions. Anger is the emotion of the liver and it's also greatly affected by any emotions related to anger. Follow these guidelines below to keep your liver and gallbladder healthy, strong and vibrant during spring.

Guidelines for Spring Health

1.   CLEANSE

If you had to pick a season to do a cleanse, this is it. A cleanse doesn’t have to mean a week of only drinking juice. It can mean eating more fresh fruits and veggies to help give your body a chance to filter out all the heavy foods from winter. This will in turn help your body function more efficiently and with more energy. Liver Stagnation, a common condition in Chinese medicine, can be caused by the liver being sluggish from excess food and alcohol, among other things. Eating in moderation and avoiding overeating before bed can also help your liver detox more easily, which allows for a free flow of Qi. To further liver detox support, you can try adding in supplements or herbs.

2. RELEASE

According to Chinese medicine, the primary emotion associated with the liver and gallbladder is anger. Anger can take many forms when it comes to human emotions. Suppressed emotions can lead to feelings of depression, frustration, irritability, resentment, lack of drive, procrastination, rage, bad habits and even indecisiveness. Spring is the time to help resolve these buried emotionally tendencies by taking care of your liver and gallbladder. Keeping in mind the healthy emotional signs of liver and gallbladder health like an attitude of forgiveness, an even temperament, being decisive and assertive, expressing joy and happiness and a willingness to let-go of negative thoughts.

3. CONNECT

• Nature is calling for you to explore and enjoy the beauty that is emerging everywhere you look. The weather is starting to become warmer, the flowers are blooming, now is the time to get outdoors and get your Qi circulating! In winter we craved slower, “yin” movements. Now that spring has arrived we can start doing more “yang”, heart-pumping, invigorating workouts to release pent up energy.

• Rise early with the sun.

• Connecting with nature can also mean tending to a garden or house plants.

• Incorporating “Earthing” or “Grounding” into your daily routine can help improve energy levels, reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep. This form of skin-to-earth contact can be walking barefoot, or simply laying on a lawn.

4.  BALANCE

Acupuncture is one of the best ways to help guide your body into the right direction. Ask your Acupuncturist to pay special attention to the liver and gallbladder meridians if you tend towards symptoms related to those organs like suppressed emotions, ligament and muscle issues, PMS, addictions, visual problems, headaches and any other related issues.

5.  NOURISH

When cooking in spring, keep it light and easy. Cooking things for a shorter amount of time at a higher temperature can help your overall energy. Spring has a yang type of energy so eating more yang type of foods during this time of year helps us keep up with natures flow. This can mean fresh greens and sprouts, and combining sweet and pungent flavors. For example, pungent herbs like basil, fennel and rosemary along side sweet veggies like carrots, beets or peas. Increasing the amount of raw and sprouted foods in spring can be beneficial, depending on the state of ones digestion. For weaker digestive systems, raw food should be limited.