In Chinese medicine each of the seasons relates to a different element. Winter to water, Spring to wood, Summer to fire, and Autumn to metal. Each of these elements relates to a yin and a yang organ and their corresponding meridian systems within the body.
This is useful to note as during any particular season it can be good to bring attention and nourishment to the corresponding organs. We can achieve this with foods and an understanding of the seasons and elements and how they affect our bodies. Interestingly the earth element does not have its own season but instead belongs to the change of each seasons. This is the time in which we are now.
On Saturday March 20th, 2021 is the Autumn equinox. This means the day and night will be equal in length. This is the point that yang turns to yin. It is said that this is the true beginning of Autumn.
A week either side of both the equinox and solstice is the energy of the earth element. The earth element corresponds to the spleen and stomach and their meridian systems. As you can imagine the earth element relates to our sense of groundedness. Our place in the world.
It is good to spend time in nature during the change of seasons. Maybe take your shoes off and feel the earth beneath your feet. Acknowledge the change from longer days to longer nights. The crisper evenings. The later sunrise.
The spleen and stomach love foods that grow within the earth like potatoes and beetroots. The colour of the earth element is yellow and the spleen and stomach benefit especially from vegetables that are yellow, orange, and red like sweet potato and pumpkin.
The spleen and stomach are responsible for digestion of food and thoughts. When eating it is beneficial to focus on the food you are eating and the nourishment that it is providing for your body.
Being busy and eating on the run can hinder the digestive process. Too many raw and greasy foods can injure the spleen and stomach as well as eating at sporadic times and late at night.
The emotion related to the earth element is worry. When the earth element within the body is out of balance, we may find ourselves overly pensive. In balance, thoughts are clear and easily let go of.
So, in the next two weeks feel free to get dirty and out in amongst the earth. Revel in both the day and the night. Enjoy some delicious nourishing food, allowing yourself the time to really take it in. And get ready, because Autumn is on its way, with all its harvest and its release.
According to
healthdirect.gov.au, 30% of Australians experience insomnia
at some point in their lives, although only 5% require professional treatment.
Insomnia can last for a short time, or months, even years. Women and elderly
people are more likely to suffer from it.
In
clinic, we do see and hear about bad sleeping habits more often these days. The
challenges of life and existence are not always easy to manage. Often problems
with sleeping comes up in the conversation in combination with something else.
According
to a Professor Matthew Walker, a Neuroscientist with a special interest in the
science of sleep says: “Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations
fail to obtain the recommended the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep”. Eight hours of sleep for adults are recommended
by both the WHO (World Health Organisation) as well as the National Sleep
Foundation.
An
article in Psychology Today debates if sleep deprivation is considered torture
or not and further states: “The
first signs of sleep deprivation are unpleasant feelings of fatigue,
irritability, and difficulties concentrating. Then come problems with
reading and speaking clearly, poor judgment, lower body temperature, and a
considerable increase in appetite. If the deprivation continues, the
worsening effects include disorientation, visual misperceptions, apathy, severe
lethargy, and social withdrawal.” Individuals will die if sleep continues to be
deprived.
In
Chinese medicine, we believe that the importance of sleep is under rated simply
based on the balance of Yin and Yang. Yin being the inactive, quiet part. The
phase where we internalise and consciousness withdraws into the ‘centre of the
blood’, the most Yin part of our body. Our sensory organs are ‘shut’ to avoid
stimulation and the blood replenishes.
The foundation of sleep
Our biology bases
our entire health and wellbeing on sleep. And yes, based on eight hours of
sleep per night, we will sleep away 30% of our existence, but if we don’t, we
may experience impaired health. Thousands of studies have established the
importance of sleep for any organism on this planet that lives past several
days. It’s essential to our existence (and survival), no matter how foolish it
seems.
Nature helps us
in establishing a good rhythm which is called the circadian circle. It responds
to the changes of light in our environment. It’s important to know, that we all form our
own rhythm and hence some people prefer to rise early, and others stay up late.
The cycle also controls our preferred times for eating, the fluctuation of body
temperature, moods and emotions, the amount of urine that we produce, the metabolic
rate and the release of hormones. Once we have discovered and established our
cycle, it’s best to honour it.
The structure of sleep
NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep
It includes
all of the stages of sleep other than REM (Rapid Eye Movement). These stages of
sleep vary in depth from stage 1 (lightest) to stage 4 (deepest). Stages 3 and
4 are considered deep sleep and this is where most of the physical restoration
occurs. At this stage, growth hormone is produced, and cellular repair begins
in NREM.
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep
It’s the deepest of all
the stages of sleep. It usually takes up about 25 percent of our sleep time.
REM comes in short bursts at first and lasts for only a few minutes but then it
gradually stretches into longer time segments. REM is great for building memory
as during this phase, the brain moves information from short term to long term memory.
As the body
seems to be in a paralyzed stage and doesn’t move, the eyes move quickly from
side to side. They remain closed whilst doing so. Heavy dreaming accompanies
the REM phase of our sleep. As we age, the sleep architecture changes and we spend
less time in deep sleep and tend to wake easier after the REM (Rapid Eye
Movement) phase.
What’s detrimental to good sleep
According to
Professor Matthew Walker there are five key factors that have powerfully
changed the quality of our sleep:
Constant
electric and LED lights
At dusk, when
natural light fades, the part of our brain that is in charge of our internal
clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) floods our system with melatonin that
signals our body that darkness is near and it’s time to prepare for bed and
sleep.
With constant
lights around us (especially when we live in the city), this natural process is
inhibited and the prepared of the body for sleep is delayed or impaired. The
invention of LED (Light Emitting Diodes) made the situation worse, as the light
receptors in our eyes that communicate with the brain are sensitive to the
short-wavelengths light that LED’s emit and thus the release of melatonin is
suppressed more strongly.
We might not look
at LED powered light sources all night, but we might stare at LED-powered
screens: smart phones, tablets, laptops, TV’s. Those devices emanate a blue
light that has harmful effects on our bodies preparing for sleep.
Regulated
temperatures
Body temperature
has to drop by about one-degree Celsius to be conducive to sleep. Our body temperature
is regulated by the hypothalamus Those cells in that particular endocrine gland
live close to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the part of the brain that regulates
the release of melatonin.
Core temperature
can drop if we cool parts of the body’s surface like the hands, feet and the
face. If you are feeling hot, give your extremities and your face some cooling
down with a cold compress and your core temperature is able to drop that one
degree to prepare our bodies for sleep.
Now living in air-conditioned
homes, we have severed the natural relationship with our environment that
signals the body the onset of night with cooler temperatures hanging around.
This is one more reason why air conditioners seem appealing but are not supportive
of our health, except in some circumstances.
Professor Matthew
Walker recommends a bedroom temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius assuming that
the standard bedding and clothing made from natural fibres is used as well. There
are slight varieties based on gender, age and unique physiology but you will
know what’s right for you.
Caffeine
Adenosine is the
chemical that builds in our brains when our body requires sleep. With every
waking minute, the build up grows and the desire to sleep increases. There is
one chemical that counteracts this process and its called caffeine. Caffeine is
the most used psychoactive stimulant in the world and apparently the second
highest commodity traded after oil.
Caffeine fights
for the adenosine receptors. In this way, caffeine blocks the sleep signal and
that’s how we feel more awake and alert. In pharmacological terms, caffeine has
a half-life (which means that build up of it in the body halves) in five to
seven hours. For instance, if you have a cup of brewed coffee at 7.30am in the
morning, (which contains an average of 95mg of caffeine), six hours later, at
1.30pm, there is still 44.5mg of caffeine in the system.
This amount
halves again in the next five to seven hours, which means that at 7.30pm, an amount
of 22.25mg of caffeine is still in the system. Most people do not realise how
long it takes the body to clear caffeine out of the system. This certainly
explains why drinking coffee (eating chocolate or ice-cream that may contain
caffeine) is not the best idea if you find it hard to sleep at night.
By the way, de-caffeinated
coffee still contains caffeine: about 15-30% of the amount of regular
coffee.
Alcohol
In contrast to
our expectation for alcohol to relax us, it actually sedates us which doesn’t
mean that our sleep improves. Alcohol is a powerful sedative and suppressor of
the important REM phase of sleep. Alcohol also fragments sleep, which you might
not remember, because you have been sedated by its effects.
As a result, sleep
is broken, and its restorative effects are lost. Over time, this will build up
and lack of continuous sleep (during the night) will have harmful effects. The
body will go to the extent of disrupting the REM phase into waking
consciousness as hallucinations, delusions and disorientation. Just to show how
important the REM phase is for our health and wellbeing.
Women are more
susceptible to the effects of alcohol due to delayed metabolism of alcohol in
the system. Alcohol is literally flowing around the body for longer because the
update is inhibited by a larger content of fatty tissue.
Waking
with alarm clocks
How do you feel
about living in an industrialised world, where most of us start and finish work
at the same time? Nine to Five? Being rattled out of our slumber and worse, repeatedly
shocking the cardiovascular system with the snooze button, over and over again?
We are actively
working against our unique circadian rhythm unless, our own rhythm reflects the
nine to five cycle. A study showed that participants being woken from sleep
prematurely with an alarm clock, suffer a spike in blood pressure and an
acceleration of the heart rate triggered by the fight and flight response of
the nervous system.
What’s great for better sleep
With all the
information provided, it’s easy to work out which activities promote quality
sleep and why:
Use candlelight or turn off LED lights at night, particularly leading up
to bedtime
Switch off screens such as smart phones, tablets and TV’s and read a
book to avoid the harmful effects of blue light on sleep
Turn off air conditioner so your body can naturally adjust to
environmental temperatures and pick up the cool breeze at dusk, signaling the
end of the day and sleep ahead
Stop drinking alcohol if you want to catch a good night sleep,
particularly if you are a woman
Don’t drink excessive amounts of coffee particularly after midday or
make coffee an exception rather than a necessity
When treating
sleeplessness with Chinese medicine, we determine the pattern causing insomnia.
Secondly, we treat the imbalance with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines
and discuss sleep hygiene.
Following
are the 10 most common Chinese medicine patterns for insomnia:
Chinese
medicine pattern
Chinese name
Subjects with insomnia (N
= 9499)
Number of subjects (%)
Deficiency
of both the heart and spleen
心脾兩虛
2378 (25.0)
Hyperactivity
of fire due to yin deficiency
陰虛火旺
1622 (17.1)
Liver-qi
stagnation transforming into fire
肝鬱化火
921 (9.7)
Heart-kidney
noninteraction
心腎不交
767 (8.1)
Qi deficiency
of the heart and gallbladder
心膽氣虛
544 (5.7)
Internal
disturbance of phlegm-heat
痰熱內擾
466 (4.9)
Liver fire
flaming upward
肝火上擾
285 (3.0)
Heart
deficiency with timidity
心虛膽怯
202 (2.1)
Stomach
disharmony
胃腑不和
120 (1.3)
Stomach qi
disharmony
胃氣不和
44 (0.5)
The pattern of
insomnia is most likely connected to other signs and symptoms. The application
of tongue and pulse diagnosis and well as looking at your circumstances, enables
us to suggest a treatment strategy.
Make an
appointment today, if you suffer from insomnia and would like to tap into
natural treatment modalities to help you catch a good and restful night of
sleep (full of dreams), call us today 03 5956 7011 or book online now.
Children are full of yang (the energy that
makes them grow and develop). We consider them fully physically developed by
the age of 7 (girls) and 8 (boys). But as parents we know how easily they bring
home sniffles and snotty noses and generously pass them on to us as well,
especially in those early years. As annoying as that might be, it’s important
for them to be exposed to ‘bugs’ in the environment and ‘run’ fevers to fine
tune their immune system. It’s only when they are really weakened – perhaps to
unrelenting exposure and ‘infection’ – that there is need for intervention.
As us adults, everything starts with their
diet, they are what they eat. If they eat a lot of sugary foods, the endocrine
system is in overdrive, flooding the entire system with hormones and the result
is, that they become hyperactive.
So here it is, it’s ok to give kids a bland
diet of freshly prepared vegetables, some grains and a small amount of
proteins, preferably all food that you give your child is not coming out of a
packet and is cooked. Chinese medicine doesn’t believe in raw food diets as it
puts too much pressure on the digestive system.
In recent years the gut-brain connection
has been well established. According to Chinese medicine, the gut also
stabilises and nurtures the immune system (via the spleen and the lungs). We
never have too much immunity, we always lack it and hence become more
susceptible to disease. If your child experience issues with digestion, it’s
best to address it early as it’s easier to fix. We treat children as early as
six months old. And yes, we also use acupuncture with real needles, but don’t
worry, all children love it once they find out how painless it is.
If your child has issues with low immunity
or reoccurring gut issues, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines are great
modalities to assist. We use simple point combinations or liquid herbal
formulas to correct the body’s imbalance, no matter what the disease is called.
Ideally, we only give herbs for a short
period of time, simply to correct the disharmony by a combination of flavours
and once the imbalance is addressed and corrected, herbs can be stopped. Kids
being more ‘pure’ and ‘unburdened’ usually don’t take very long to bounce back,
remember, they are full of yang (which is the energy that drives all processes
in the body).
If you have any concerns with your
children’s development in any way, please make an appointment with one of our
practitioners today.
CHILDREN’S CONSULTS
At Safflower we offer children’s consults at a reduced rate of only $65 for initials and $45 for subsequent appointments. Speak to one of our qualified therapists today to see how we can help with your child’s heath and well being
As our female bodies prepare for the transition of perimenopause to menopause (when the periods have stopped for more than 12 months), it’s important to be aware of many physical changes taking place.
Before menopause when women are fertile, oestrogen is produced mainly in the ovaries. Ovaries are grape-sized glands located by the uterus and are part of the endocrine system. After the cessation of the menstrual cycle, the body still makes small amounts of oestrogen by changing hormones called androgens into oestrogen. Androgens are produced by the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys. A hormone called aromatase changes androgens into oestrogen. Aromatase is produced mainly by fatty tissue.
Oestrogen is no longer important for reproduction as we mature, but it still plays a key role in other bodily functions:
It maintains blood vessels and vascular health
Supports skin function, skin texture and hydration
Retains salt and water for hydration and fluid balance in the body
Increases bone strength and calcium for bone health
Decreases cortisol and stress responding mechanisms
Manages gastro-intestinal tract by:
Improving smooth muscle function of the intestines and the stomach
Reducing bowel motility
Increasing cholesterol in bile
Promotes lung function by supporting alveoli
Assists thyroid function
Regulates immune function
Increases platelet adhesion and coagulation
Supports brain health
Inflammation and oxidative levels increase with age, making us more susceptible to a variety of age-related conditions. The drop of oestrogen at midlife will increase oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines in the body. Cytokines are messengers in our bodies, creating certain reactions in our system and they play an important role in immunity. It’s
vital to support all bodily functions with a clean, fresh and versatile
diet. High acidity which promotes inflammation and vice versa can be targeted with an alkalizing diet, which means cutting out junk food or things that come out of a packet. It also means having fewer animal products, sugars, grains and alcohol.
Hot flushing
Hot flushes and night sweats are experienced by 70% of women undergoing menopause. Fluctuating amounts of oestrogen upset the body temperature thermostat and the brain signals that the body is too hot. It’s similar to a stress response that is activated and hence the dread and anxiety that sometimes accompanies hot flushes.
A stress response involves the release of adrenaline and cortisol and these key hormones prepare our body for fight or flight which causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and a boost in energy supplies.
This is important in a situation where there is threat but is unhealthy
when it becomes our normal state of being. High levels of adrenaline
and cortisol in the system will not only deplete the adrenals glands but
also have an adverse effect on our health.
High stress levels in menopause reduces the body’s ability to make androgens which convert into oestrogen. Ongoing stress situations will also deplete serotonin levels and hence create depression and mood disorders.
Body weight gain
As these
hormonal changes take place leading up to, during and after menopause,
women lose their waist because we gain more fatty tissue around our
abdomen. Its natural and acceptable to increase healthy body weight by
around 5kg post menopause. Too much abdominal fat, however, will
adversely affect our health and could result in a condition called
‘Metabolic syndrome’ which results from overweight and is associated
with abdominal obesity, blood fat disorders, inflammation, insulin
resistance, full-blown diabetes, and increased risk of developing
cardiovascular disease. During menopause where our bodies are switching from a childbearing to a non-reproductive phase, to be under- or overweight can be an additional complication.
Migraines with or without aura
Headaches are more common in females because of their highly sensitive hormonal balance. Due to stronger fluctuation of oestrogen in menopause and particularly related to the ratio of progesterone and oestrogen, headaches might become more predominant during the transition of perimenopause to menopause.
Sleep disturbances
Sleep disturbances are often a primary complaint in menopausal women. Staying asleep without waking is
a bigger problem than falling asleep. Sleep problems are not
necessarily a primary symptom of menopause but can be aggravated by:
High levels of stress
Poor health in general
Mental illness
Sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome
Hormonal changes
A
structured sleep routine is best to assist the chaos of perimenopause,
so the brain can easily release the hormones needed at the right time.
For instance, establishing a routine of going to bed and waking at the
same time assist your body in balancing the circadian cycle.
The
body must cool down for sleep so use layers of natural fibres in bed,
rather than one big doona that might overheat you. Tire your body before
going to bed, turn off the screens (TV, Phone, other electronic
devices) and calm your brain with meditation, light reading or any other
relaxation technique that works for you. If there are primary sleep
disorders such as sleep apnoea, you will need to address these too.
Bone health
One of oestrogen’s benefits is to protect your bones and help keep
them strong and healthy. When oestrogen levels drop, many women lose
bone density and a loss of bone strength and mineral density make women
susceptible to fractures.
Many lifestyle factors are important to good bone health: Stop smoking (if you still are), lose weight (if you are too heavy), clean up your diet, get moving and have your prescription medication regularly assessed by your medical professional as some medication will affect bone density.
Vitamin D is a hormone and assists the absorption of calcium and is important for bone health and
15 minutes of sunshine on arm and legs can go a long way when it comes
to good health. Eggs, tuna and salmon also contain a healthy dose of
Vitamin D.
Exercise is important for our cardiovascular health as well as for bone density and weight bearing and resistance training is best for stronger bones. Walking, skipping or tennis and other forms of exercise improve our metabolism and help maintain good physical range and function.
Breasts
In
Australia, breast cancer rates are high but thankfully most women
affected by breast cancer will not die from it. Breasts are loaded with
oestrogen receptors and when oestrogen is in the blood stream, the
receptors will soak it up. This will generate cell growth which is how
our breasts grow initially during puberty but if there are excessive
amounts of oestrogen, it can stimulate cancer growth. Excessive
oestrogen levels may result from HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) or
many years of taking the contraceptive pill. Another cause could also be starting periods at a younger age or finishing at an older age because the system would have a longer exposure to extra oestrogen.
HRT can be derived
from bioidentical hormones (they are identical chemically to those our
bodies produce naturally and are made from plant oestrogens) and these are different to the traditional HRT, which is composed of the urine of pregnant horses and other synthetic hormones.
Breasts are still important for post-menopausal hormone production.
As women age, the fat cells in their breasts tend to produce greater
amounts of an enzyme called aromatase. Aromatase promotes the production of oestrogen by changing androgens to oestrogen. We require a good balance of aromatase in breast tissue, so we have the right amount of oestrogen.
Heart Health
Oestrogen plays an important role in cardiovascular health:
It dilates blood vessels to lower blood pressure
It increases good cholesterol (HDL)
It decreases platelet clotting
It lowers fat deposits in arterial walls
It triggers chemicals to keep the blood flowing
It regulates insulin
Its assumed that overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system resulting from lower levels of oestrogen after menopause can cause irregular heartbeats and palpitations.
Cardiovascular risk factors are higher post menopause and must be addressed early.
Many cardiovascular factors are related to our body weight and the way
we eat. The better you monitor your weight and ensure that it’s within
the accepted dimensions, the better you will feel overall. It’s almost
as simple as that.
Brain health
Haziness, forgetfulness, brain fog, losing words are all part of the process of change when the body stops producing oestrogen in the ovaries and instead adopts to the post-fertile phase of womanhood.
Oestrogen,
as you may have guessed already is an important ‘brain player’. It
regulates neuronal biochemistry. The structure and function related to
cognitive and emotional processes. Research is not quite able yet to
pinpoint exactly to what extent
oestrogen is involved. Oestrogen is so important to brain function that
it has its own endocrine gland – the hypothalamus – to produce
oestradiol which is a type of oestrogen to support brain function. This
production buffers the supply of oestrogen in times of great female
hormone fluctuations like puberty, pregnancy and menopause.
Oestrogen also impacts our cognitive function and hence the ‘symptoms’ that sometimes accompany the peri-
menopausal and post-menopausal phase. Oestrogen is involved in memory,
problem solving, information processing, reaction time, language and
emotional regulation, so you start to see why we experience brain fog, forgetfulness, memory loss and similar cognitive functions. The good news is it doesn’t last!
Change
of life means that our bodies are making changes to our chemistry that
are no longer relying on oestrogen production in the ovaries. Oestrogen is such an important hormone and messenger and supports many functions, so it’s important that those ‘system changes’ are done properly and over time.
The
onset of menopause is truly the start of a new era and there is nothing
wrong with celebrating it with a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Having
the right amount of oestrogen floating in our system is the key to a happy, healthy and vital life beyond menopause.
In Chinese medicine theory
From
a Chinese medicine perspective, menopause is the onset of Yin
deficiency. Yin embodies the principles of passivity, female, earth,
dark, cold and more.
So, when Yin is deficient it allows the rise of Yang which causes some
symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, irritability etc. So, for instance to address a Yin deficiency situation, we supplement the body with Yin-type nourishing herbs
and acupuncture protocols to ultimately boost the potential lack of
oestrogen in our bodies. Frequently there is a variety of patterns in
menopausal women as everyone presents differently. Nevertheless, the
changes that our bodies undergo with peri-menopause,
menopause and post-menopause can be similar. It’s important to
understand also that it’s not a condition, it’s simply a modification
and adaptation to a new situation.
Chinese medicine includes several modalities such as acupuncture and Chinese herbs. We have a range of formulas that we use depending on your situation and the way we tailor those formulas to your need is based on a treatment strategy that we agree on in support of your situation. Most women respond positively to both acupuncture and or Chinese herbs.
What you eat every day is your responsibility, but we will certainly address dietary optimization and most importantly, we understand that menopause is an important (and exciting) phase in a woman’s life and we are here to support you. We have done so with many other women in the past, and we can confidently say that the results have been very positive.
Yep it’s time to say thanks to all the amazing dads out there and what better way to say thank you then a gift voucher for a acupuncture or massage treatment with one of our skilled therapists? Treatments are tailored toeach individual so you can be sure he will be getting just what he needs this fathers day! Call us on 03 5956 7011 to find out more!
Spring has officially arrived! For most of us the warmer months will be a welcome change to the Winter just passed, unless of course you are one of the 18% of Australians who suffer from Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (hay fever). The presence of increased pollen in the air this time of year can cause an overreaction of the immune system leading to symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes, itchy nose, chills, sweating, asthma or malaise. This is due to immune cells releasing the irritating compound histamine in response to allergens in the environment. Apart from living on antihistamines, sufferers can take steps to improve their symptoms and gain a better understanding of their body processes.
Click to read more about what you can do to help reduce the severity of hay fever symptoms.
SPRING TIME AND NOURISHING THE LIVER
In Traditional Chinese medicine Spring is attributed to the wood element and the liver and gallbladder organs. The Liver plays a major role in your body system. It works to remove toxins from the body, produces bile and preforms essential metabolic functions. In TCM the Liver is said to regulate the Qi of the entire body, it also stores the Blood and thus plays a big part in overall health and well-being. Signs of bad liver health may include a yellow or pale complexion, acne, eye problems (such as bloodshot eyes or blurry vision), muscular weakness, insomnia, migraines, vertigo and menstrual irregularities. The liver also helps to regulate emotions, so unexplained irritability and anger can also indicate a liver problem. It’s important to note that many liver detoxifying methods use cold and draining herbs and while this may work for some, many people will damage their digestive fire if too many cold herbs are consumed. For this reason, we recommend seeing one of our dedicated practitioners to delve deeper into your unique constitution and discover the best ways to promote your health.
Many of us are familiar with our spicy
friend called ginger, but do you know just how potent this little rhizome is?
Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, commonly
known as fresh ginger, is native to the warm parts of Asia and is often added
as pungent flavouring for soups, stir-fries and sweets. Ginger is frequently
used in Chinese medicine for a variety of ailments and this time of year is the
perfect time to start adding it into your daily food regime.
Chinese medicine defines ginger as
warming and tonifying, it enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach meridians, induces
perspiration and expels cold from the body. Placed in the herbal category of
‘Releasing the Exterior” ginger is traditionally used to push disease out from
the superficial layer of the body making it perfect for colds and flus. It
warms the lungs and stops coughing and its spicy nature helps to break up
phlegm.
It is also said to warm the digestion and stop vomiting and is often used to aid in the relief of digestive complaints such as nausea, morning sickness, diarrhea, constipation and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Compounds found in ginger are known to help relieve GI (Gastro Intestinal) irritation and stimulate saliva and bile production. It also seems to have positive effects on the enzyme trypsin and pancreatic lipase, increasing motility through the digestive tract.
The spicy warm nature of ginger makes
it ideal for those who are easily affected by the cold. If you feel your energy
levels dropping coming into the cold months or notice that your hands and feet
are always cold, then ginger is a great start to help build your internal fire
and get your circulation moving.
Modern research has shown that high doses of ginger powder could be beneficial in the treatment of menstrual pain and osteo arthritis and further research is being conducted to uncover the mechanisms and potential health benefits of this widely used spice. To find out how best to nurture your body through these cold months book your appointment with us today or simply call 5956 7011.
HOORAY FOR FATHERS DAY!
HAY FEVER RELIEF WITH CHINESE MEDICINE
SPRING TIME AND NOURISHING THE LIVER