Spleen and Lung Qi 101 – Eating for a healthy Gut and immunity in Chinese medicine

Eating for a healthy Gut and Immunity in Chinese medicine:

Spleen and Lung Qi 101

While we’re transitioning from the late summer to fall (Earth to Metal Phases according to the TCM – Traditional Chinese Medical language), there are a few things to consider.

Earth/Spleen is the mother element of Metal/Lungs (see the star diagram), so before the ‘child’ element gets sniffles, let’s take care of the mother.

In this article, we look at the Spleen system in Chinese medicine and five great ways to promote digestion and improve immunity according to Chinese medical wisdom.

  • The Food choices
  • The way we eat
  • The way we cook
  • Other lifestyle choices
  • Noticing our habits

In biomedicine, the Spleen is largely undervalued as an organ responsible for the lymphatic system drainage. It pumps and collects all the interstitial fluid via lymph nodes and empties it into the GI tract. Not very exciting at all..

How does TCM view the Spleen?

In Chinese Medicine, digestion is a main function of the Earth Element and is represented by The Spleen/Stomach circuits. Most of you are familiar with the function of the Spleen circuit but for those who are not, here is a list of the main characteristics:
  • Responsible for the transformation & transportation of fluids
  • Controls the muscles and the four limbs
  • Controls mental faculties
  • Responsible for falling asleep
  • Affected by worry and overthinking

The most common symptoms of Spleen weakness include fatigue/malaise, shortness of breath, poor appetite or strong appetite, weight gain, sweet cravings, abdominal bloating, soft bowel movements, or constipation.

Because the Spleen is involved with making Blood, women tend to be more susceptible to developing Spleen weakness. Each month, during the blood loss, the Spleen system is forced to work harder, and without proper TLC practices (i.e. acupuncture, yoga, and proper nutrition) will become deficient.

For more in-depth functions please visit Fall 2023 newsletter.

5 Ways to Promote the Health of your Digestion and improve Immunity

  1. The food Choices

Spleen and Lung functions are especially affected (both positively and negatively) by diet.
Food can be a great healing tool but also a dangerous culprit.

To support the Spleen, increase the following:

  • Choosing the correct type of foods to eat to keep the Spleen “warm” (for the Spleen warm is health-promoting) and Lungs dry (both are affected by Dampness).
  • Use a rice cooker and learn to make congee (recipe below). Rice is a low-inflammatory food for the gut; white rice is easier than brown if your gut function is not strong. Basmati rice is ideal when extra mucus is present.

Spleen CPR – Ginger congee (single serving)

  1. Wash and drain ½ cup of rice,
  2. In a medium pot, pour 6 cups of filtered water. Add rice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Periodically check and stir the congee. It’s important to stir from the bottom to prevent sticking.
  3. Clean ½ inch of ginger and slice thin.
  4. After 20 minutes add the ginger to the pot. Stir and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or so until rice is of oatmeal consistency. Finally, stir in the white pepper and salt to taste.
  5. When ready, turn the heat off and add ½ a teaspoon of Ghee.
  • Add some mild spices to your meals, spices warm the digestion/spleen and make a lot of difficult-to-digest foods easier on the gut. Traditionally all cultures used the aid of spices in cooking for the digestibility of food. Good Spleen supporting spices include – turmeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, chili, paprika, basil, oregano, star anise, cumin, coriander, mixed spice, clove, mustard, sage, nutmeg, fennel. If you tend to run hot (you can chat to your Chinese medicine practitioners about the symptoms of body Heat) or find tolerating spicy food difficult, trust this and only take the spices that are milder from the list to add to meals as digestive aids.
  • Adding ginger to black tea, or making homemade turmeric latte or spiced chai are all great for the Spleen Qi.

Here are some foods that support the Spleen and can be incorporated alongside your general diet.

Carrot, pumpkin, squash, almond, cherry, liver, chickpea, coconut, date, eel, egg, fig, ginseng, grapes, lentils, licorice, mackerel, millet, buckwheat, oats, millet, potato, quinoa, rice, sage, sardine, sweet potato, shiitake mushroom, trout, yam, leek, onion, pine nut, cabbage, fennel, bone broths, sesame seeds, walnuts, raw honey, ginger.

Decrease…

  • Reduce or illuminate the main spleen-damaging foods:
    Salads, bread, pasta, milk, cheese, sugary foods, ice cream, greasy/fatty foods, processed food, alcohol and iced smoothies
    An easy substitute for pasta is thick rice pasta or noodles.
  • Avoid green tea (or add ginger since it’s cooling), iced drinks, beer, and fermented drinks such as kefir and sour milk products.
  • Don’t eat fruit at night (most are acidic). Fruit is best eaten in the season or during the day. Fruit is also cooling for digestion; hence, eating too much gives the symptoms of a weak spleen, such as an upset stomach. Berries are okay. Dried dates and raisins are ok, also in moderation. The citrus and melons are the most cooling, and bananas are the “damp” forming, so if used, allow plenty of time for those foods to digest (i.e. eat during the day).
  1. The way we eat
  • Eat regular meals. If intermittent fasting is your thing, it is better to fast in the afternoon (after lunch) and start eating again in the morning, when the Spleen is the strongest.
  • For people not fasting, eating more food toward the beginning of the day than at the end can improve Spleen function for the same reasons while completely avoiding eating after 7 pm is ideal.
  • Eating in a relaxed environment and making some time after eating to stay in ‘rest and digest’ to adequately support digestion (15 mins).
  • Eating food slowly and chewing well. The saying here is to “Eat your drinks and drink your food”. In addition, bringing mindfulness to eating promotes satiation and digestive stimulation.
  • Eat to 80%, that is stop eating just before you start to feel noticeably full. And if you can’t do this, definitely try and not to eat after you feel full.
  • Avoid drinking water with the meal and avoid drinking chilled or cold drinks in general. All liquids must be consumed before your meals.
  1. The way we cook
  • Cooking food is very important in Chinese medicine for promoting health within the Spleen.
  • Avoid raw foods (As I keep reminding all patients: Only eat Raw Foods during the months without R in them).
  • Regular cooking of slow cooks, soups, or broths.
  • Increasing steaming/boiling, light stir-frying, and baking in winter, while avoiding deep frying or shallow frying.
  1. Other lifestyle choices
  • The Spleen can be negatively affected by prolonged study, intense thinking as well as worry or anxiety, while meditation and deep relaxation, qi gong, tai qi, and yoga are useful to improve spleen function. A good friend and the owner of Dew Yoga – Jen Irwin, offers a host of restorative, yin, and gentle classes for all Spleen Deficient yogis. Check their schedule and try a class.
  • Taking regular light exercise, acupuncture, and naps (15-21 min)
  • Cultivating daily gratitude practice
  1. Noticing our habits
  • Avoid grocery shopping when hungry. This is the time we have the most control over what we eat because it’s the time we choose what’s available to us later on at home when we feel hungry. If you have trouble making time to shop properly, look into your priorities or use online shopping.
  • Learn 3-5 recipes that you can cook well (that you actually like eating), that support your spleen. Then when you are in a rush or have little time and energy you have good go-to’s.
  • Identify what meals you have trouble with. Whatever that meal or snack time is, give some careful consideration to how you might deal with the problem.
  • If it’s a poor appetite at breakfast you can take a walk around the block before eating to increase cortisol and drop blood sugars so that your appetite improves, or eat the evening meal, the day before, much earlier so you wake with some hunger.
  • At lunch, if you know you’re going to grab something on the go research five food places that offer healthy Spleen-supportive options (again, that you actually like!) to drop into or order from.
  • For dinner, If you are busy or too tired in the evening to cook, get handy with slow cooks and soups. They are easy to prepare and extremely supportive to the Spleen; all the goodness Is readily available with very little strain on digestion. Also, these meals generally are made with a lot of veggies, which we know are the most supportive foods for a healthy micro-biome. You may also like to meal prep on the weekend.
  • It has been found that if you eat breakfast you can eat more during the day and weigh less than someone who skips breakfast and eats fewer calories during the day.
  • Ensure you eat enough! Calories-in vs. calories-out is a somewhat outdated understanding of weight management. We now understand gut hormones and enzymes, women’s hormones, microbiome health, inflammation, stress hormones, blood sugar levels, sleep quality, and nutrient levels are involved in the metabolic functions of our bodies. In the end, It’s NOT what you eat. It’s what you ABSORB.

From the view of 5 Elements, Spleen belongs to Earth Element, which is the Mother Element to Metal (Lungs). It also creates dampness and mucus when weak. Lungs, however, store phlegm that can become turbid. This is one of the views of TCM defense mechanism weaknesses that translate into colds or upper respiratory ailments. As the air cools and we enter the Metal Phase, the immune system must be regularly maintained to avoid the side effects of the ‘flu’ season. To keep the Lungs and Spleen strong book your well-check and well-kept visit today.

Fall 2023 – The functions of Spleen and Signs of Deficiency

Happy Fall. 

While we’re transitioning from the late summer to fall or (Earth to Metal according to the Chinese Medical language), there are a few things to consider.

Spleen/Earth is the mother element of Metal/Lungs so before the ‘child’ element gets sniffles let’s take care of the mother.

 

 

The functions of the Spleen

The Spleen has an arguably much bigger role in Chinese Medicine than in Western medicine.

Below is an expanded view of its functions and signs/symptoms of deficiency.

 

  • 1. It rules the transformation and transportation of food Essences (nutrition) and Qi

The partially digested food from the Stomach is transformed into Grain Qi (Gu Qi) by the Spleen. It then gets transported upwards to the Lungs where it is mixed with inhaled Air Qi (Da Qi). The mixture is called Gathering Qi (Zong Qi), which then gets transported to the Heart to make Blood.

The refined parts of food, called ‘Food Essences’ or nutrition in Western terms, are transported by the Spleen to various parts of the body so that all the Organs, limbs, bones, hair, and tendons are nourished. Therefore, Spleen is considered to provide the material basis for the whole body. It functions as the root of Qi and Blood making. Therefore, to tonify Blood and Qi, we tonify the Spleen.

If the Spleen transforms and transports food Essences and Qi properly, then digestion, appetite, absorption, and elimination are normal. Otherwise, there may be poor appetite, indigestion, abdominal distention or pain, anorexia, lassitude, and loose stools.

  • It rules the transformation and transportation of Body Fluids

Another function of the Spleen is to separate, transport, and transform fluids in the body. The fluids ingested are divided into usable (the pure) and unusable (the dirty) groups. The usable ones are ‘raised’ and distributed to the Lungs. The unusable ones are sent to the Small Intestines to be separated further.

This process happens at the same time as the Spleen transforms, transports, and distributes food Essences and Qi. They have an impact on each other. An imbalance in one will influence the other. If the Spleen’s transforming function is poor, the Body Fluids can congeal to create Phlegm or cause edema. Therefore, whenever the body has Dampness or Phlegm, the Spleen may be one of the causes.

  • It controls (and creates) Blood

This is one of the most important functions. The Spleen is the root of Blood in the body. The Spleen Qi is also said to keep the Blood flowing in vessels. When the Spleen Qi is weak, Blood can flee its pathways and this results in easy bruising, heavy periods, abnormal uterine bleeding, and potential Blood Deficiency.

  • It controls the muscles, flesh, and limbs

If the food Essences (nutrition) are properly transported by the Spleen throughout the body, the muscle tone and strength are good. If the Spleen doesn’t function smoothly, the muscles become weak, and the person feels tired.

  • It houses the Intellect / Thought ( Yi )”

Yi is translated as Thought or Idea. It is the intellectual function of the body which includes absorbing and remembering information, focusing, studying, thinking, and organizing ideas. If Spleen Qi is strong, it is easy to study, to think, and to concentrate. If not, thinking can be fuzzy, memorization can be weak, and concentration poor.

  • It is affected by worry

The Spleen is affected by worry, obsession, sympathy, and nostalgia. Indulgence in or prolonged experience of any of the above emotions causes deficiency in the circuit of Spleen resulting in poor digestion, gas, bloating, ulcers, decreased appetite, and Stagnation of Qi in the abdomen.

  • It controls the raising of Qi”

The Spleen Qi tends to ascend (Stomach descends). Not only does it transport Grain Qi up to the Lungs, but it also raises and holds the Organs in their places. If Spleen Qi is Deficient, chronic diarrhea can happen, together with prolapse of different Organs such as the Bladder, Uterus, and Anus.

If the Spleen is in excessive Dampness, it stagnates the ascending quality of energy (we call Clear Yang Qi) and it can lead to fuzzy thinking and heaviness of the head.

What Is Spleen Qi Deficiency?

Spleen qi deficiency is a very common condition in the United States and is often due to the Standard American Diet – SAD (pun intended) and poor eating habits. The spleen, in traditional Chinese medicine, is considered the main digestive circuit (we don’t look at physical organs only the energy of such) and is closely tied to the function of the stomach and pancreas. The spleen’s qi (chee), or energetic function, can decline for several reasons:

  • Diet:
    • Excessive consumption of foods and beverages that are
      • cold in temperature and properties
      • damp in nature
      • raw
      • sugary and consist of refined carbohydrates (white flour, soft drinks, alcohol, and artificial food additives)
  • Poor Eating Habits:
    • Eating at irregular times
    • Overeating
    • Undereating
    • Lack of dietary protein
    • Late meals
  • Psychological Excess:
    • Long-term overthinking
    • Overworking
    • over studying
    • chronic worry
  • Climate:
    • Living in damp conditions either due to weather or environment (especially where mold is persistent)
  • Chronic Illness:
    • Any long-term illness, especially those where phlegm production is a prominent symptom.
  • Constitution (heredity):
    • When one or both parents also have digestion issues or chronic illness.

In Chinese medicine, the spleen, and stomach are responsible for heating up chewed food particles, breaking them apart, pulling out and transforming glucose, proteins, fats, and nutrients into usable energy, and finally, separating waste products for elimination.

When this process loses efficiency, food passes through the body partially or fully undigested. A by-product of this faulty metabolism, known as dampness, is then created. Dampness manifests as phlegm or mucus that can be seen, felt, or expelled. Dampness also presents as excess body fat or as unseen phlegm that slows down and blocks energetic functions in the organs and acupuncture channels. Extreme cases of spleen qi deficiency with dampness are often found in overweight, obese, and inactive individuals.

Common Symptoms of Spleen Qi Deficiency

Abdominal bloating after eating Muscle aches (often inside the calves)
Fatigue/Foggy-headedness (especially in the mornings) Sugar cravings
Bloating/Loose stool/ Undigested food in stool Choosing damp-producing (high-caloric) foods

The Health Consequences of Spleen Qi Deficiency

If left untreated, spleen qi deficiency can eventually result in blood deficiency (not anemia but rather low blood volume) and/or a spleen yang deficiency (the loss of the warming function of the spleen) eventually leading to Kidney deficiency. When blood is not properly nourished or there is not enough being generated by the spleen, the heart, and lungs are easily affected, leading to fatigue, heart palpitations, and lightheadedness.

Blood is very important to all the systems of the body, and such a deficiency can lead to numerous complications and additional circuit deficiencies as well (i.e. liver). To warm the digestive fires, the yang-deficient spleen will pull yang (warming) energy away from the kidneys, until they too become yang-deficient (cold).

How to Avoid Spleen Qi Deficiency in Your Diet

  • Don’t eat late at night: Any food consumed after 8:00 pm will not be digested well or at all because the body’s metabolism slows down when night-time. Undigested food leads to bowel problems and weight gain (damp formation) the following day.
  • Don’t overeat: Overeating overwhelms the spleen and stomach so that food passes through without being fully digested, again leading to indigestion, bowel problems, and weight gain (damp formation).
  • Avoid undereating: Undereating deprives the body of qi, and blood, and also weakens it systemically. It can also cause whatever food is eaten to be stored more easily as fat because the body is in starvation mode and responds by lowering/slowing its metabolism—a common reason for persistent weight gain in people who claim to be eating less and less. In Chinese medicine, this is seen as the process of damp formation due to spleen qi deficiency. If the appetite is low, or your schedule doesn’t allow for enough eating throughout the day, try to find ways to eat small snacks every couple of hours.

What to do to improve Spleen function: 

Hint: Imagine that your grandma is joining you at every meal

Try to incorporate the following suggestions into your daily routine. Start slowly and add new pointers only when the previous ones become a habit.

  • Eat at regular times/intervals each day: Digestion works most efficiently when we eat three distinct meals each day: 7:00-9:00 a.m. for breakfast, 12:00-1:00 p.m. for lunch, and 5:00-7:00 p.m. for dinner. Small snacks throughout the day are also fine, as long as they are mostly healthy (unprocessed) foods.
  • Eat a big breakfast, moderate lunch, and light dinner: This is a great model for decreasing fatigue throughout the day. A big breakfast with lots of protein gives the body its first dose of energy for the day. An all-carb or carb-heavy breakfast (i.e., cereal, pancakes, bagels, toast, pastries, fruit, etc.) causes the blood sugar to spike and then crash, leading to mid-morning or afternoon fatigue.

Eating a meal at breakfast time that is more like lunch or dinner (such as vegetables, protein, and grains) is common in Asian culture for a reason—it gives more sustained energy throughout the day. Eating a moderate-sized lunch of cooked (not raw foods) also prevents afternoon fatigue, as the spleen doesn’t have to work as hard to digest it. A light dinner helps the spleen to better digest the last intake of food for the day as the metabolism begins to slow down before bedtime.

  • Be present when eating: Don’t eat when in a hurry, while driving, standing up, doing computer work, watching television, reading, writing, experiencing strong emotions, or arguing. All of these activities either distract the body from being completely focused on digestion or are stressful and activate our “fight or flight” brain response, as opposed to our “feed and reproduce” brain response. This shifts the blood supply away from the digestive system and into our brains, eyes, and muscles (to fight or flee from a potential predator), which reduces our body’s ability to digest food properly. Try to keep mealtime conversations light and minimal.
  • Chew your food slowly and thoroughly: Carbohydrate digestion actually starts in the mouth through the act of chewing. Enzymes released in the mouth are responsible for pre-digesting our food, which takes some of the burden off of the spleen and stomach.
  • Avoid potential food allergies or sensitivities. If a food repeatedly gives you indigestion, heartburn, loose stools, flatulence, constipation, nausea, skin rash, mental fogginess, fatigue, or any other allergic response, avoid it. You can eliminate a food group (i.e. gluten or lactose) for two weeks and then “challenge” or reintroduce it to the diet to determine if the specific food was causing the sensitivity or not.

Foods to Avoid with Spleen Qi Deficiency

Cold drinks Sugar Hydrogenated or heat-treated (rancid) oils
Ice cream Refined carbohydrates (white flour) Raw, unsoaked nuts and seeds
Yogurt Milk and Dairy products Raw leafy greens (salads) and cooling vegetables
Undiluted fruit juice Sugary and rich desserts Pastries, cookies, sweet baked goods

Avoid Eating Cold Foods

Avoid cold, damp-producing, raw foods as much as possible and eat in accordance with the seasons. When we consume cold foods or drinks it takes energy and heat from the internal environment to bring it to the body-level temperature, making the spleen and stomach work harder to break it apart for digestion. Cold food and drinks also draw heat away from nearby organs through the process of heat transference, eventually causing yang (warming function) deficiency in other organs. Raw, cold, and damp-producing foods are simply more difficult to digest and require more effort from the spleen and stomach. Eating these foods repeatedly over time forces the spleen to work extra hard day in and day out, weakening its digestive function and leading to its deficiency.

In Chinese medicine, soups, stews, and steamed foods are preferential for people with digestive difficulties. Allow food or drinks to come to room temperature or heat them before consuming. Try rinsing cold fruit or vegetables in warm water before eating. Drink warm/hot water in the fall and winter, warm or room temperature water in the spring and summer, and reserve small amounts of cool (not cold!) water for directly after a strenuous workout.

Hint: Avoid anything Raw during the months that have the letter R in it.

Decrease Your Alcohol Consumption

Avoid excessive alcohol intake. Alcohol itself is damp and hot in nature. A small amount can warm and circulate the blood and the acupuncture channels, as is used in Chinese medicinal wines. In excess, alcohol slows down liver metabolism (creating liver qi stagnation) and, in turn, hinders the spleen’s function.

Exercise Regularly for Optimum Health

Get moderate amounts of exercise. In Chinese medicine, exercise warms and circulates the blood and qi, which has an overall strengthening effect on the organs and acupuncture channels. Exercise also strengthens the spleen by virtue of the muscles, its paired body structure. Using the muscles requires the conversion of ATP (or stored glucose) into physical energy. This encourages the spleen to function properly during digestion, which is needed to produce enough qi for regular exercise.

Consider Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

The best way to assist you with incorporating the above dietary changes and exercise suggestions is to use acupuncture and Chinese herbs in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.

In short, Spleen creates the energy necessary to sustain daily demands. As the air cools and we enter the Metal Phase, the immune system must be kept up to avoid the side effects of the ‘flu’ season.

Book your well-check or well-kept visit today.

Best,

-Mark

 

Reference list:

The Spleen (Pi) According To Chinese Medicine. (n.d.). https://www.meandqi.com/
What Is Spleen Qi Deficiency? https://remedygrove.com/

Fall 2022 Newsletter – Long Covid (part 1)

As most of you know, Traditional Chineese Medicine (TCM) medicine is based on Patterns Diagnosis and I must admit that I’ve diagnosed and observed quite a rainbow. We’re now in the season of Summer, Element of Fire with the Circuit of Heart. You can also read here about how to make your own paystubs using this new blog post.

In TCM no element ever exists (or suffers) on its own. Fire element needs Water element (Circuit of Kidney) to ground and support the constant energy demand. Earth Element provides Gu Qi (Goo Chi) or “grain”, as it is called in the classics. Gu Qi enters the Spleen/Stomach and is transmitted to the Lungs (Metal Element) to produce the defense or “guard Qi” or Wei Qi which is essential for maintaining one’s immunity.

In simple terms, when a body is weakened by overworking and improper diet it affects the digestive, respiratory and immune systems, making a person susceptible to a wide range of illnesses, including Covid. Below I will share some practical insights for a new condition what has just been coined by the CDC.

Lately, I’ve had an influx of patients with a diagnosed syndrome: Long Covid. Having very limited exposure to the illness, for obvious reasons, this was an interesting challenge.

From the article in science direct: the Long COVID symptom terrain is complex and extensive. Multiple surveys report as many as 200 symptoms across 10 organ systems: systemic presentations such as fatigue and malaise; neuropsychiatric including anxiety and depression; the musculoskeletal system with soreness, aching and joint pain. Symptoms can also be divided into 2 main categories: respiratory (e.g., cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness) and neuropsychiatric (e.g., fatigue, brain fog, sleep disruption, depression, and anxiety).

After some research and cross-diagnostics, a common denominator became apparent: Kidney, Spleen and Lung Qi Deficiency. Most of you have heard me say this a lot: “your Kidneys, Spleen or Lung Circuits are weak”. Now, let me put a disclaimer: Kidney Deficiency has NOTHING to do with renal failure, neither does Lung deficiency with COPD or Spleen Deficiency with hyposplenism. We’re talking about weakened ENERGY of a specific Circuit (or a channel), not an organ.

In this newsletter, let me address the Kidney Circuit first, as it is the grounding force and has a higher cause for majority of the symptoms pertaining to Long Covid. In the next broadcast I’ll go over the Spleen and then Lungs respectively.

Why should this matter to you? 

Kidney is the source of life, or original Qi (energy). It is often called the “Root of Life” as it stores and controls the jing, the essence of our physical body.

The spirit of the Water Element is called Zhi . It is also known as one’s will, ambition, purpose, and destiny. Zhi is housed in the kidneys. Therefore, a person with strong Kidney strength has strong zhi, i.e. a drive to be alive. A person with less Kidney strength may have a lack of drive, low back and knee pain with weak ‘grounding’ abilities.

Other symptoms of Kidney deficiency may include: 
  • Fatigue and exhaustion or anxiety and panic attacks (when Fire Element is affected)
  • Body aches (especially of back and knees)
  • Insomnia (being able to fall asleep but waking up shortly after)
  • Lack of drive and/or lethargy
If you are experiencing and having trouble shaking any of these symptoms feel free to email or book an appointment using the button below.

Lifestyle Shift:
Take a break from the stimulation of media—newspapers, radio, tv, and movies by 8pm—to help you unplug, go deeper inside to restore. In his book, Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford says, “perhaps the most important factors for increasing vitality in old age are those practices which deepen spiritual awareness, along with an attitude that applies them consistently in daily life”. We will touch on spiritual aspect at the very end. No matter your age, if you experience some Kidney Deficiency signs, schedule a day for contemplation and renewal.

At least once a day include one of the following activities:

  • Upon arising: A glass of warm water
  • Restorative Activities: walking, tai qi, relaxed creative projects
  • More Restful Activities: Crafts, poetry, journal writing
  • Exercise: Gentle walk or a swim
  • Afternoon meditation and journal writing
  • Lying down and reading, or listening to a guided imagery tape for 15-20 min a day
Tips for Cooking and Eating—starting these habits this summer will support your energy and immune system year round: 
  • Cooking foods longer at lower temps, like stews and bone broths, are beneficial
  • Avoid ice drinks or ice water year-round
  • Avoid Raw and cold foods, like salads, during months with “R” in it. This may sound strange to say especially during summer – but your body will thank you.