Acknowledging the Spring Within

Although it's hard to believe, given the fact that the Washington area is currently inundated with snow, spring will officially arrive in a few weeks with the spring equinox on March 21st. I thought you may want to know what spring means from a traditional Chinese medical perspective so that you may be aware of the subtle changes your body may experience in the weeks ahead.

In order to appreciate the correspondence of internal changes that our body may be undergoing, let’s first look at what’s going on in nature. From a yin and yang perspective, the world is transitioning from winter, the most yin season, into spring, the beginning of the yang cycle of the year. Tree sap that has stayed dormant in its roots during winter will soon begin to flow upwards and burst forth with new growth. As I go on my daily strolls with my dogs through the neighborhood I can already see daffodils and crocuses beginning to emerge. As the warmer weather approaches, nature will soon provide us with the vibrant colors of spring flowers. The qi of the earth or life force has started its ascent upward and outward reversing its flow of inward and downward during the autumn and winter months.

Internally, the qi of our bodies has also started its ascent upwards and outwards. How many of you are now more inclined to go out and take a walk with the warmer weather as compared to winter when you were glad to stay inside? Remember the giddiness of spring fever when you were a kid when it was just great to be alive? That’s how we’re supposed to feel with the upward ascent of qi. What can you do to encourage this feeling of joy and appreciate the spring within?

Perhaps one way is to examine the philosophy of Hippocrates who believed that food is your best medicine. As a health practitioner of oriental medicine, I strongly encourage patients to eat according to the seasons in order to maintain optimal health. Just as winter is the time to encourage the inward and downward flow of qi by eating stews and soups made up primarily of tubers and root vegetables, eating lightly during spring will encourage qi to flow upward and outward. Now is the time to consider shedding those extra pounds by consuming only fresh whole foods and staying away from all processed foods.

One of the best ways to encourage the upward raising of qi is to pursue a liver detoxifcation program for the next few weeks. It's an excellent way to cleanse the body of all the accumulated toxins. The easiest way to follow a liver detoxification is to purchase one from your local health food store and follow the suggested regimen for the next several weeks. It usually requires restricting the intake of alcohol, limiting fats and sugars and concentrating on whole foods. In addition, herbs in capsule form are taken both morning and evening to help flush the toxins out.