Beating the Summer Heat Naturally with Acupuncture

In my previous blog, I talked about Heat and Chinese Medicine – the causes and symptoms. Now what to do about it? We’ll we can’t change the weather but we can change how we manage external and internal heat. Here are some important tips:

1) Eat light and less-greasy foods, i.e. skip the burgers and fried foods
2) Avoid heat producing substances such as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, meat and spicy foods, or consume in much smaller quantities. Don’t be fooled by iced caffeine drinks; they still count.
3) Eat more cooling foods such as: cucumbers, watercress, various lettuces, watermelon, peaches, apricots, cantaloupe, lemon, summer squash, broccoli, spinach, cilantro, mint and dill. Hmmm, sounds like a salad in the making….. Also, sour foods generate fluids and can control perspiration.
4) Protect yourself from the heat by avoiding the outdoors when possible or by using protective clothing, like hats and, yes, long sleeve tops and pants. You still sweat but you actually retain more moisture and therefore stay cooler. Check out what knowledgable people who work long hours in the sun wear!!!
5) Drink plenty of water. However, it you are exerting yourself and sweating a lot, you need more than water. You also need to replenish electrolytes, minerals, sugars, and salts. I can recommend supplements that do this very well and are much healthier than what you get from the convenient store, although in a pinch they help.
5) Get acupuncture or take herbs.  Acupuncture and herbs typically clear body heat quickly and easily, and can replenish and regulate fluids in the body. This is especially necessary, if adhering to suggestions 1-5 are just not going to happen in your life or they are just not helping enough.

The bottom line is you don’t want to have prolonged heat in your body because overtime it will cause serious health problems and can damage your organs. The best medicine is well…. acupuncture… oh I mean preventative medicine, or are they the same.  🙂