Its Time For Your Seasonal Tune-Up

Its always about this time of year the fall tricks me into thinking the cooler weather is a good idea. These cool nights make for good sleeping weather and light sweaters and sandals  almost feel decadent. Then all of a sudden a winter coat is a necessity and sun shine until 9pm seems like a distant memory.

In Chinese Medicine this time of year is known as late summer. This is a transition point in the seasonal cycle and its when our spleen/stomach system is working its hardest to bridge the gap between the lightness of summer and the heaviness of autumn. Its also around this time that many people get sick because of the strong changes in our environment. Many people have commented that it feels like winter at 72 because we've become so accustomed to 100 days.

Now is the best time to get an acupuncture tune up treatment so that your body can better adapt to the changes in our environment. This will help boost the immune system and keep SAD at bay when the winter months set in. The lung and large intestine are most active in the fall. If you are prone to colds/flus and seasonal allergies during the fall months now is the perfect time for prevention.

It is also a good time to start slowly transitioning heavier foods and warming herbs and spices into your diet. The spleen and stomach do best with yellow root veggies and full sweet flavor foods like sweet potatoes, squashes etc. Starting your day with hot lemon water and/or warm cereals like steel cut oatmeal is also a good idea.

Schedule your tune up today! 

Sarah Canga-Arguelles

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Stay Healthy This Fall

The season of autumn is now in full swing have you been feeling it creeping in?

In Chinese Medicine Autumn corresponds to the Lung, the most delicate of organs. It is believed that colds and flu attack the body from wind blowing on the neck. Think about the progression of a cold: stiff and achy neck and shoulders, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, fever or chills. If you were struggling with colds in the spring and did not harmonize way back then your body may be at a greater disadvantage now that the weather is again changing.

Some simple things you can do to protect your body:

Wear a scarf or shirts/turtlenecks that do not expose the chest and neck, layers are a plus and all of these are the latest fashion anyway! Avoid direct contact from an open window or fan when you are sleeping. This is when the body is most susceptible to wind invasion.

Get an Acupuncture tune-up session acupuncture helps harmonize the body to adapt to its environment and has only positive side effects. Refer back to How Can Acupuncture Help My Cold?

Massage the space between your thumb and index finger on both hands as well as the space between your eye brows. LI4 and Yin Tang acupressure points are a great preventative for colds. Massage until the area you are rubbing feels achy and turns slightly pink/red. Don't wait to feel sick, start this now and do it everyday.

Adjust Your Internal Clock Bears hibernate for the winter and so should you! Go to bed early and use this time to slow down and rest after a hectic summer.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com 

Harmonize in the Fall

Harmonize in the Fall with Acupuncture

The season of autumn is now in full swing. In Chinese Medicine Autumn corresponds to the Lung, the most delicate of organs as well as the skin and nose. In the fall, dryness is what our bodies are most susceptible to invasion of. Autumn is also the time of harvest, reaping the benefits of the summer months when more energy is available to us so that we can prepare for the cold of winter. Grief is the emotion of the season as well. If you are in the process of transition in your life, lost a loved one or job and have not taken the time to acknowledge this life change or are hiding behind grief to move forward you can actually weaken the body's natural defenses.

It is believed that colds and flu attack the body from wind blowing on the neck. Think about the progression of a cold: stiff and achy neck and shoulders, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, fever or chills. It is thought that when the body is weak and allows "wind" in to the body the wind can bring in other pathogens as well including cold, heat, dampness, and dryness.

Take a look at your own body. Is your skin or hair starting to get dry as we close the windows and turn the heat on? Have you caught a "cold" or flu recently and are unable to get away from the grip of a dry, hacking cough? Perhaps you are someone who "always" gets a cold in the fall, dry skin etc. This is not something that you must endure. It is possible that at one point your body was weakened from a cold or constitutional deficiency and a pathogen such as dryness is lurking in your body manifesting during its season of power. You can change your "always" to "used to" by visiting your acupuncturist for a seasonal tune-up session and herbal tonic to moisten and strengthen the body.

Some simple things you can do to protect your body are:

>>Wear a scarf or shirts/turtlenecks that do not expose the chest and neck, layers are a plus.

>>Avoid direct contact from an open window or fan when you are sleeping. This is when the body is most susceptible to wind invasion.

>>If the Fall is the time of year when you usually get sick now is the time to harmonize. Talk to your acupuncturist about what treatment plan is right for you.

>>Many herbal formulas are preventative ask your acupuncturist which formula is best for your body.

(picture from)http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Maple_leaf_structure.jpg

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com