Seasonal Body Support: Summer

"A time of joy, celebration, expansiveness, connectedness, and reaching outward and we thrive on the sun’s light and increase in energy. It’s time to take advantage of the weather with outdoor exercise, sun bathing, visits to the beach, nature hikes, outdoor festivals and travel. As gardens mature and fresh produce is readily available, our palates prefer watery foods (fresh ripe fruit and leafy green salads) to balance the yang of the summer months." -Sat Dharam Kaur

Living according to the seasons is an ancient Chinese principle for health and wellness. When we align our diet and physical activity with the “energy” of the season, we quite naturally fall into balance.

Summer is here! It’s the season for supporting the heart, blood vessels, blood, small intestine and....gums! Heart disease is the primary cause of death in our society and intestinal dysbiosis is becoming increasingly common. Here are a few simple ways to support the cardiovascular system and small intestine, improving digestion and assimilation and preventing chronic disease.



1. Start Taking a Probiotic
Intestinal dysbiosis is when the healthy beneficial bacteria in the intestines are imbalanced and not-so-healthy bacteria are able to take over, causing poor digestion and absorption: diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, fatigue, headaches, poor immune function, chronic allergies and more.
A good quality probiotic, taken as directed, can help to restore balance in the small intestine.

2. Eliminate Allergies
Often, the result of intestinal dysbiosis is what we call "leaky gut". Inflammation leads to increased permeability in the small intestine. When this happens, large, undigested molecules are able to pass through the lining of the small intestine and into the blood. This leads to increased white blood cell activity and allergies!

What to do?
If you can afford it, IgG Food Sensitivity Testing is amazing. If not, try eliminating the major allergens (Wheat, dairy, citrus, eggs, soy, and corn) for three weeks and rotate your foods. That means, trying not to eat the same foods everyday!

3. Blood Cleansing Tea

Combine any of the following dried herbs:
•Red clover
•Chaparral
•Burdock root
•Poke root
•Yellow dock root
•Sheep sorrel

Steep 2 Tbsp of the dried mixture in boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and drink throughout the day for 2-3 weeks.

4. Gum Care


I won't say too much about this because I am BRUTAL when it comes to gum care. Every year my New Year's resolution is to floss. Period. Usually by January 5th I have failed miserably. In this instance, do as I say, not as I do. Someday I'll get there.....someday.

Floss!
Supplement with CoQ-10 (100mg/day) which is also amazing for your heart!, and Vitamin C (2,000-4,000mg/day)
You can also mix a few drops of tea tree oil in to your toothpaste and rub it on your gums.
Wait 5 minutes before brushing. Tea tree helps to kill infection

Summer Foods: Leafy greens, Mung beans, sprouts, soybeans, tofu, legumes, rye, oats, spinach, mint, dandelion greens, kale, broccoli, asparagus, bell pepper, tomato, citrus, celery, cucumber, almonds, wild salmon, raw honey



Foods to Avoid: Anything really heavy - meat, nuts, seeds, eggs, excess amounts of grains.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the long days of summer are perfect for nourishing the “fire” element. How can you honor the fire element? Well, "fire" tends to be all outta wack in this society. Excess fire = individuals who are highly stressed and high strung. In terms of the environment, excess fire is evident in global warming, increased forest fires and drought. Conversely, when an individual has lost their fire they end up feeling "burnt-out".



To balance your fire, make sure to find ways to fuel your passion, whatever it might be, daily. Work on avoiding and productively managing your stress: exercise, meditate, take a media break, bike to work, drink water, laugh, spend time at the beach.

Managing stress and fueling your passion for life will help balance your "fire" element....leading to a healthier environment and a healthy heart, in more ways than one!

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