Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning

I saw my first pair of robins this weekend. While spring has been in the air for a bit that was the sign I was looking for especially since Saturday marks the official first day of spring.

The liver/gall bladder system in chinese medicine is associated with the season of spring. As the world around us starts to turn greener and flowers start to blossom similar things are taking place with in our bodies.

The heavier energy of winter is lifting and lighter energies are now becoming available to us. The spring is a perfect time to cleanse the body of the heavy rich foods of winter and more sedentary lifestyle we've been living.

So what can you do?

Clean your house, reorganize your closet and open the windows even if just for a few minutes. Donate or free cycle anything that you no longer use or wear.

Get active outside. Spend more time outdoors breathing in fresh air moving your body. Make sure to keep your neck covered in the wind so you don't catch a cold. Resist the urge to peel away all of your layers...its not summer just yet. The liver controls the tendons in the body so make sure to stretch often as your cleanse your body.

Eat lighter foods. As the energy in the world becomes lighter in spring your body should also feel lighter and more energized. Eat smaller meals more often adding extra green leafy vegetables to cleanse your blood and liver. If you eat meat, replace warming foods like red meat with more seafood. (make sure to add cilantro as it helps detox heavy metals out of the body) Stay away from heavy foods like dairy and sweets.

Wake up with the sunshine and birds chirping and do your workout early so that your energy and metabolism are high throughout the day.

Emotions, memories, or feelings that have been buried can resurface when harmonizing the liver. The old rises up and out before it leaves the physical/emotional body. Practice meditation breathing in through the nose, tongue touching roof of mouth, exhaling out through mouth allowing tongue to drop. Exhale with an affirmation such as I trust, I am motivated, I believe.

Get your spring tune up acupuncture treatment to keep your immune system strong and allergies, hay fever, and asthma at bay as well as helping your body readjust after the time change.

Ask your acupuncturist for an herbal formula that will keep your body at its best for the spring.

The more you are able to harness the cleansing energy of spring the more energy you will be able to soak up in the summer time when the energy is lightest and most available to us. Not only is this great for your health in the present moment, it will also help you transition smoothly to next winter creating more reserves of energy later.

Garlic, Lime, Swiss Chard Soup

the perfect spring cleanse soup

sautee 9 cloves of garlic with ghee

add 6 cups of water

add the juice of 3 squeezed limes

use large can of white beans with water

(after mixing together you might blend beans to make soup creamier)

rinse swiss chard and chop

chop stems of chard (tastes just like celery and is rich in phytochemicals)

let simmer on low for 40-60 minutes

garnish with cilantro

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com