Wind....What's your opinion?

Today it sure was windy walking to my office to see patients in SF. I had several conversations with people about how wind affects people. The truth is is that most people don't think about Wind or it's affect on their health. They may notice that they don't enjoy it when it's blustery out, but other than that they seem to give it little thought.

Which is why I thought it'd be a good idea to write an article on how wind affects your health according to Chinese Medicine. In Chinese Medicine Wind is it's own category of "evil". It sounds grim, but people in the east have tuned into the affects of wind on the body both internally and externally.

I'll start our discussion today with how Wind can make us sick. According to Chinese Medicine, the reason we sometimes get sick or "catch something" is often because our vulnerability to Wind. There is even a place in the body that the Chinese call the Wind Gate, which is located on the back of the neck and head. This area is extremely susceptible to wind especially if the immune system is weakened or you are run down. So, what I usually tell patients is that if you are out when it is cold or windy make sure you have a scarf and a hat. In other words, San Franciscans are right to make "hoodies" their garment of choice because it does a good job of keeping out wind and cold to the back of the head/neck.

I won't go into too much detail about internal Wind, but I'd like to give a few basic pieces of information on it. I will tell you that when it's gusty outside it can also stir up your internal wind. This is why people may notice that they get agitated out when it's windy. It's important to make sure you are well covered as there are many diseases that the Chinese believe that can crop up if you already have a disposition to internal wind. Internal wind is thought to cause stroke, bells palsy, parkinsons, and any other symptoms where there is shaking/trembling. Bells palsy, which is where a person loses motor skills on one side of a person's face is directly linked to too much Wind in Chinese medicine. Often someone can get it from sleeping with a window open or too much cold wind exposure and weakened system.

The purpose of this article is not to scare you, but it's to give you a different way of looking at this thing called Wind. I like to educate folks so that they won't have to come in and see me with these issues. Often I see patients who come in with these conditions and hadn't realized Wind could have had such a powerful affect their condition. At that point, they wish that they had been educated earlier.

Coming Soon....Chakra Balancing Acupuncture in the Mission

Heart Seven Acupuncture will soon be offering Chakra Balancing Acupuncture in the Mission starting in a few weeks at Psychic Horizons! More details to come!

I've Got Pain...Should I Ice it or Heat It?

I get a lot of patients who have learned from countless chiropractors and doctors that you should always ice an injury. In Chinese Medicine, there is not that same strong belief that ice is the best strategy for an injury. In some cases it's believed that heat will improve the recovery of the injury and ice will just make it worse.

It's said that when there is pain there is no "free flow". When you ice something you "freeze" it. "Freezing" it means you stop the flow of blood and qi to the wound. So, when you freeze the free flow of your blood and qi you don't always allow it to heal.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that icing is never applicable. I usually tell people that if they injure themselves and it is swelling, to ice it the first day. I usually give patients herbs to help move the blood so that it can heal faster. I also encourage folks to gently massage the area if it's not too painful. The idea is to get fresh qi and blood to the area as soon as possible in order to have the fastest recovery.

If someone has a chronic injury I usually tell them to apply heat. Well, first I feel the location of the injury. If it is cold to the touch, I am positive that they should apply warmth. This means, depending on the location, taking a hot bath/soaking the area or applying a hot water bottle. Throwing in epsom salts to a bath/soak, which are available at any Walgreens, also aids in the healing process.

If you come in for a treatment, cupping can be an excellent treatment for injury. Cupping is a cup that has suction and when applied to the body will help the body bring all the stagnated and old blood that is causing poor healing/pain to the surface. Once it's on the surface, the body can flush it from the body and it is no longer stuck in the muscles.

Another option is to come in and pick up a linament. These linaments were designed early on by martial artists, the most famous of which are the Shaolin Monks. Many of them developed effective linaments for sprains, muscle aches, and pain from their workouts.

Hope that helps and remember, try heat instead of cold if it's a chronic injury!

What to eat during a San Francisco "Summer" day

I thought it would be worthwhile to start this online newsletter with food, since it is a daily ritual that we all share. More specifically, what to/not eat during "Summer" in San Francisco from a Chinese Medicine point of view, as we are soon approaching the Summer Solstice at the end of this month. San Francisco specifically tends to be plagued with cold foggy weather when the rest of the bay area is hot. So what does your acupuncturist say you should eat?

There is a lot of information about diet in Chinese Medicine. In order to be in balance, we have to be conscious of the weather. The Chinese use common sense...when it is hot outside eat cooling food, when it is cold outside eat warming food. So, even though our grocery stores are overloaded with cooling summer foods like watermelons, salads, and raw foods, we should make sure the weather is appropriate to ingest them.

What would happen if one consumed cold foods during cold weather? Well, the body absorbs all of that cold energy. The cold energy will douse the life-giving fire that we have, and over time, it will leave us running cold. It may create other issues such as "cold pain" (arthritis), cold stomach (difficulty with digestion), low sex drive, and many other issues. The point is that you don't want to become inbalanced according to Chinese Medicine.

A common culprit during the "warmer" times in the city are iced/smoothie drinks as well as ice cream. Often when drunk at inappropriate times, it will create a very strong painful feeling soon after consumption. This is a direct strike of cold to the stomach.

The point of this article is help give you a consciousness about eating with the seasons since you also do not want to be eating "cooling" foods in the winter/fall. At those times stick to soups, stews, and warming foods. You can also eat these warming foods if it is cold, foggy, and as you know a typical San Francisco summer day.