Like many of us, I tend to experience a version of what I believe to be Spring Fever.
I TRY to rest up during our New England dark, cold, Winter days and months so by the time the end of March is here, I will have the energy to rise up with Spring. I begin to feel that pressing Spring-like determination to accomplish all sorts of things, from gardening, to exercising, to kicking up activities associated with building my practice and Spring cleaning. With that energy I begin to plan and forge ahead to fulfill all that I am determined to do as the days lengthen and warmer weather develops
Quite often however, I will see in myself and with many of my clients, friends and family that the upwelling Springtime energy is accompanied by a strange sense of urgent anxiety and nervousness. Along with that anxious energy, I often see myriad of physical and emotional symptoms such as sudden gastrointestinal disorders, mental and emotional sense of feeling frazzled, scattered, or even strangely exhausted, along with restless sleep. For many, of course, there is a surge of allergies and headaches, even before many flowers and trees are blooming.
Chinese Medicine has a comprehensive explanation for Spring fever!
According to the Five Elements theory in Chinese Medicine, Spring is the Wood element time of year; a time of rapid change and growth in nature. Since humans are of nature, our bodies, our emotions, and our mental activities are in sync with this upward surging energy and movement. It is important that as we move into the Spring/Wood time of year that we stay grounded so that we can be PRO-ductive and PRO-active rather than dwelling in an emotionally reactive, mentally exhausted unproductive state.
The Wood element is about our Vision, our goals, and our ability to make decisions that help us move forward. Wood is the part of our personality trait that makes things happen, so if we are moving into Springtime unrested, or under nourished by good balancing grounding foods, the energy of wood will work in a way that produces feelings of frustration and being blocked with a variety of physical anomalies.
When out of balance, the Wood element can manifest in us in several ways:
Wood energy can assert itself aggressively and if you are not grounded enough, can cause anxiety, nervousness, depression, buzzing in the ears, easily rising temper, and a mind whizzing with more thoughts than you can manage to organize often involving a difficult time making decisions. On the other side of the coin, you could come into spring with a depressed wood energy meaning a malaise, lack of motivation, and mental fatigue.
Another syndrome described as “Wood attacking Earth” can show up as sudden, unhappy gut issues such as exacerbation of irritable bowel syndrome, or looser bowels than usual, acid reflux, hovering nausea, or feelings of bloating and distention.
Mentally and emotionally, Wood attacking Earth manifests as the inability to set boundaries and feeds feelings of self-doubt or self-consciousness and causes obsessive worrying.
Another example of Wood out of balance in Chinese Medicine is Wood counter-attacking Metal (our respiratory and immune system) occurring as sudden coughs and colds, allergies, sinus infections and headaches or even constipation. You could also be waking up from 3 to 5 am with a stuffy nose or headache.
So what can help us work with this amazing energy so that we can be part of the create, productive aspect of it? How do we gain the inner resources in order to get the most out of Spring time, physically, emotionally and mentally?
Acupuncture and herbal remedies are stellar in calming and focusing the energy of Wood, such as anxiety, nervousness, irritability, and depression. At the same time treatment can strengthen your ‘Earth’ or digestive functions so that Wood energy can help regulate digestion, reduce your sense of vulnerability, and ease worry rather than overwhelm your system. These treatments also help strengthen your Metal energy which will increase your immune system to reduce or eliminate allergy reactions and to avoid or more easily get over colds and coughs.
The Wood element in Chinese medicine is associated with the liver and gallbladder, we need to eat foods in Spring that especially support cleansing and rejuvenation of those organs:
- Green Foods: During spring, foods green in color and rich in chlorophyll help rejuvenate of the liver. This includes things like spirulina, chlorella, parsley, sprouts, wheat grass, kale, Swiss chard and collard greens.
- Radishes: Radishes are perfect for the springtime, and even grow quickly when planted very early spring are especially good to support Liver Qi – function.
- Sour Citrus Fruits: Foods like lemons, limes and grapefruit help cut fats that may have been stored up in the body during the winter months and also keeping the liver Qi function moving smoothly.
- Bitter Leafy Greens: Spring is the appropriate time for liver cleansing, which is what the bitter flavor does. So adding things like dandelion greens, arugula, radicchio, mustard greens and spinach are very liver supportive and cleansing.
- Chicken: Believe it or not ‘Spring Chicken’ is a thing. Spring is the appropriate time of year to enjoy pasture-raised, locally grown chicken.
Note: even if you no longer have a gallbladder, this still applies to you!!
Here at Niantic Acupuncture, we are available to support you in your efforts to tap into your body’s innate ability to heal and rejuvenate and we are happy to answer any questions about what we provide and how we can help you. Please feel free to learn more about us at our website: NianticAcupuncture.com or feel free to email Maggie or Bernadette at info@nianticacupuncture.com