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Eating to beat the heat
Oriental medicine (OM) emphasises that we should eat according to the season to stay healthy.
Summer is the season of maximum Yang (expansive, warming, vibrant energy). These days, we often see it as a time to kick back and relax, but it’s worth remembering that in ancient times, especially in an agrarian culture, summer would have been a physically demanding time of year. So diet would have been very important.
So what sort of food should we eat to help cool ourselves down when the mercury starts climbing? Have you ever noticed that when you devour an ice cream, it feels cooling at the time but you actually feel hotter soon afterwards? This is an example of the body trying to restore equilibrium. You put something very cold in your system and the body will try to warm itself up again to counteract this, and will often overshoot.
Oriental medicine (OM) takes a subtler approach. One of the first principles is to eat lighter meals than you would in winter or autumn, as heavy meals are taxing on the digestion and can make you feel sluggish.
Flavour is very important in OM dietetics, with five main flavours identified – salty, sweet, sour, pungent (acrid, spicy), and bitter. Each of these flavours has different energetic properties and has a different action in the body when consumed. The bitter flavour is thought to be cooling. So during summer, it’s a good idea to incorporate some foods with a slightly bitter flavour. Some of the examples recommended in ancient texts are a little hard to come across in the modern supermarket, but equivalents include green leafy vegetables such as kale, Chinese greens, raddichio, and rocket; sprouts; vinegar; and raw cacao. Bitter drinks would include green tea, dandelion tea, and tonic water. The key here is moderation – you would not include all of these at every meal, but just use some of them in small amounts, according to the temperature and how much you feel the heat.
From a broader health perspective, many of these bitter foods are packed with beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants. The bitter taste also helps stimulate the production of gastric acid and bile, and therefore helps digestion. Interestingly, modern Western culture tends to instead favour the sweet taste, overconsumption of which can tax our digestive systems and, in the long term, lead to diabetes and obesity.
Spicy foods can also be cooling when eaten in moderation. Think fresh ginger, chilli, capsicum, horseradish and black pepper, as seasoning or in curries. These spices help dissipate heat by bringing it out to the surface. But again – moderation – as if eaten in excess, they can dissipate too much energy, leaving you susceptible to illness in cooler weather.
Other foods seen to have an intrinsically cooling effect in OM are cucumber, tomatoes, celery; and many fruits, including apples, watermelon, lemons and limes. But don’t overdose on these either, especially if you have weak digestion (tendency to bloating or loose stools).
So, as you can see, OM has many dietary strategies to help you keep cool this summer, without reaching for the ice-cream.
Can we really think our way out of unhappiness?
We live in world filled with research from Neuroscientists proving that our brains are the cause of everything that arises within us. We are told to think differently if we want to feel differently. More and more we are given snippets of studies demonstrating that our thoughts are the cause of everything we do, say and feel. But have we really got the whole picture?
Neuroscientists neglect the scientific fact that the heart actually sends 3 times more mood altering signals to the brain than the brain does to the heart. And that the Vagas nerve, which is located at the core of the stomach, sends 9 times the mood altering signals to the brain that the brain does to the body. Scientists have now realised that more than 60% of the heart is composed of neurons with the same structure as those in our brains. We have also discovered that the Vagas nerve is largely comprised of these neurons as well. Does this suggest that both our hearts and our stomachs actually have the capacity for intelligence similar to our brains?
With this in mind, the research is starting to suggest that although there is much use in changing our thinking to improve the way we feel, we could get better results if we worked more on our bodies than our thoughts.
You can’t think away most feelings!
To make such a statement suggests that in fact our brains are not in complete control of our experience and unfortunately this is often true.
Unfortunately what most of us try to do is to think our way out of feeling what we don’t want to feel, such as sadness, anxiety and anger, and by trying to figure out the cause of the feeling, or how to fix the feeling, the person loses contact with the feeling momentarily, only to have the experience re emerge later, and then the cycle of thinking kicks in and the cycle continues. Many people who try to fix their emotions like this find themselves waking in the night with that very same feeling back to haunt them for hours on end before getting back to sleep.
I see this approach to attending to our experience a little like trying to wash one’s car by watering their plants. No matter how much watering one does, the car still remains the same.
Similarly with situations where we want to change the feelings of sadness or anxiety and others, rather than moving our awareness away from the feelings and to our thinking, what ultimately transforms our felt experience is moving our awareness towards and into the feelings.
For example, when we are sad, rather than thinking through how to be happy, sit with and fully experience the sadness. Allow the feelings to pour through your being without judgement or resistance. It can often be easier than you think, and by doing this the sadness shifts and changes and the body’s innate wisdom of the sadness (the what’s and the why’s of the sadness) are realised like flashes of recognition giving rise to new ways of being with sadness. And we often realise truths about our sadness that all the thinking in the world wouldn’t achieve. When one sits with their experience without trying to change it a very strange thing occurs. The experience actually changes. In Gestalt therapy we call this the paradoxical theory of change. The paradox being that when we accept what is and allow what is and fully be what is within us, change occurs.
So next time you feel blue, angry, anxious or lonely try this out. Remember, allowing the feeling is the key to transforming the experience.
Bladder infection or no bladder infection
Interestingly, in the past year I have seen a few female patients that have mentioned ongoing bladder infection-type symptoms, but there was no bladder infection. In all the cases, urine tests were negative for infection, and a few were given antibiotics which did not make a difference to their symptoms. This doesn’t really make sense in the medical world. According to symptoms it seems like an infection but it doesn’t test as one and doesn’t respond like one. In these cases they were all women who had had children. Some had noticed these symptoms on and off since childbirth, while others many years after childbirth.
What I found was that they all responded well, (although some faster than others) to an adjustment to their bladder. An organ adjustment might sound strange but it is literally getting the organ to move slightly within the body cavity to a better position. Our organs are held in place by a type of skin that connects between all our organs. Sometimes for different reasons, such as surgery, the strain of pregnancy or giving birth, or accidents the organs can be jarred, twisted or pushed out of position and the skin that holds them in place may tighten and end up holding them in that new incorrect position. This can cause a sense of tension in the body, or it can cause some changes to the organs ability to function ideally, for example if the Large Intestine is affected it may lead to constipation.
In this case I found there was a downward pressure of the bladder onto the urethra which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder on urination. This pressure caused irritation to the bladder and urethra and hence resulted in infection type sensation. In one case the symptoms would return slightly whenever she lifted something heavy, so again this would create downward pressure in the abdominal cavity and therefore affect the bladder again.
Organ adjustments is a Chiropractic technique that can be used for many different symptoms. It is often used in addition to other adjustments or muscle releases. It may be used for digestive issues such as diarrhea or constipation or indigestion. It can also be useful for areas of pain or tightness such as in the ribs or throat. It is a technique that is also very helpful for ongoing tension or pulling sensations following surgery, as you may need some adjusting simply due to the invasive nature of surgery or to break up scar tissue as a result of surgery.
How does Acupuncture work?
It might seem bizarre that inserting needles into various points on the body can influence the way our cells work. But a lot of research shows this is the case.
One of the areas most studied is the pain-killing effect of acupuncture. We have known for some time now that acupuncture affects nerve conduction within the spinal cord. The basis of the theory is that acupuncture stimulation ‘closes a gate’ within the spinal cord, preventing pain signals from travelling up the spinal cord and getting to the brain.
Beyond this, we also know that acupuncture has hormonal effects. Researchers initially noted that when people addicted to narcotic drugs (like heroin or morphine) had surgery using acupuncture as anaesthesia, they did not experience the withdrawal syndrome that you’d usually expect when the narcotics were stopped. This is because endorphins, the chemicals released by the brain when you exercise that are responsible for the “feel-good” phenomenon, are also released during acupuncture. This effect can be blocked with an endorphin-blocking drug.
We also know that acupuncture increases blood flow at the site needled, probably through local release of biochemically active substances.
Do meridians really exist?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, energy (Qi) flows through the body along pathways or meridians, and acupuncture influences this flow. These meridian lines are depicted in texts that are at least 2000 years old.
Scientists have found that electrical resistance of the skin is much lower at acupuncture points (which are mainly situated along the meridians) than other points. This supports the idea of a flow of electrical energy through the body along meridians, which can be accessed via the skin at the acupuncture points.
But has science found any other evidence that meridians exist?
One study injected radioactive tracer molecules into acupuncture points (on meridians) and random points not on meridians. At the acupuncture points, the tracer travelled in a line consistent with the traditional description of the meridian, whereas it just diffused outwards at the non-meridian point.
When we look down a conventional microscope, meridians have been elusive. But some studies using electron microscopy (giving a much more magnified view in which individual cells can be seen) have shown thread-like structures within lymphatics, within blood vessels, on the surface of organs, and elsewhere. These structures appeared to contain fluid and may be the meridians described in ancient texts.
Although further research into this is required, the preliminary findings are fascinating. Clearly we are only just beginning to understand the science behind what the ancient texts described thousands of years ago.
Chiropractic and Bursitis
Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. A bursa is a fluid filled sac that is located in certain areas of the body that experiences rubbing or friction between two structures, usually between a tendon and bone, or muscle and bone. The bursa sits between these two structures and acts as a cushion to reduce any rubbing, friction or irritation.
Bursitis is commonly caused by injury or repetitive movement, with the most common areas affected being the shoulder, elbow, ankle, knee and hips. Common advice given by Doctors and Physios is rest and ice together with painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
Some people don’t realise that Chiropractic can also be a very effective treatment option. A bursa becomes inflamed because there is excessive rubbing of the tendon over the bursa. It is considered excessive because either it is happening more frequently (such as increasing the amount or intensity of running you do) or because there is more friction because the muscle and tendon is tighter or less elastic and therefore rubs harder over the bursa. So certainly it may be necessary to reduce the amount of training, but if it is due to a tightness of the tendon, then by improving biomechanics and the balance of the muscles and tendons across the joint will help reduce the bursitis. This is exactly what Chiropractic does. By balancing the body it improves and normalises biomechanics which results in releasing the muscle. When the muscle is released it reduces the tension on the tendon and so reduces the friction on the bursa. This will improve the bursitis, and also the chance of it returning when you return to training.
Children’s Health
Naturopathy works very well with children’s ailments, as it is gentle and effective, with few side effects. In fact Naturopathic care can start as early as preconception, to ensure optimum health of Mum and Dad prior to conceiving, throughout the 9 months of pregnancy, and of course breastfeeding.
Some dietary tips for encouraging healthy children are as follows;
- Ensure your children are eating a healthy breakfast every day as the brain needs fuel to work efficiently. This will be giving your child the best start to a good day, and ensure optimum learning and concentration
- Ensure there is protein with each meal as proteins are essential for growth, repair and maintenance of all body tissues. They act as building blocks for hormones, antibodies, immune compounds, enzymes and neurotransmitters. Examples are meat, chicken, seafood, nuts, seeds and pulses.
- Adequate fibre is essential for digestive health, cleaning the digestive tract, lowering risk for many diseases, binding toxins and removing them from the body. Fibre is found in fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and cereals.
- Vitamins and Minerals – there are water-soluble (vitamin B’s and C) and fat soluble (vitamins A, D, E, K), it’s important to include healthy fats in the diet to ensure fat-soluble vitamins are being absorbed. Most of these nutrients can be found in a healthful diet of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates
- Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) – the body does not make it’s own EFA’s, so these must be obtained through diet. They are important for many functions in the body such as a healthy immune system, reducing cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, building hormones and promoting a healthy nervous system and brain function. Examples of these foods are cold-water fish, dried legumes and raw nuts and seeds.
- Probiotic foods such as yoghurt, fermented vegetables and miso. These foods are also an important part of your child’s diet as they have been proven to be beneficial for the immune system, as well as so many other illnesses as a healthy gut is an important factor for long term health.
Naturopathy can help with many conditions that affect children such as asthma, colds and flu, constipation, recurrent ear infections, eczema, hyperactivity, impetigo, sleeplessness, insomnia and many more. Treatment is very individualised based on the symptoms that the child is presenting with. Your Naturopath will help guide you through making the necessary dietary changes, as well as supplementing with herbs or nutrients if needed to get a result faster. If you’re not sure, get in touch to see if we can help!
Ice or heat for injuries?
A question I am often asked in clinic is “Should I use ice or heat on this injury?”.
The icing controversy
The conventional viewpoint is that it’s best to ice an injury in the first few hours and to apply heat to a chronic (long-lasting) injury. Ice, along with rest, compression and elevation (R-I-C-E), is seen to limit swelling and inflammation for the first 24-48 hours following an injury. However, the use of ice has recently been questioned by some in Western medicine, and has never been advocated in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In clinic, what we tend to see is that people continue to ice injuries long after this initial period, and that this can lead to problems.
This is particularly true for tendons and ligaments, as these structures naturally have less blood supply than muscles. So ligament and tendon injuries are particularly likely to become longstanding if we interfere with the already low blood flow.
So among some sections of the sports injuries world, for tendon and ligament injuries, RICE has been superseded by M-E-A-T (movement – exercise – analgesia (pain relief) – treatments (that promote blood flow).
Conventionally, ice application is recommended immediately after an injury under the premise that it helps the coagulation process, limiting bleeding from damaged blood vessels. The second reason put forward for icing an injury is that ice can ease inflammation. Thirdly, it has a numbing effect so can help relieve pain.
So let’s look at these aspects in turn.
Stopping bleeding immediately after an injury certainly makes sense. But how long is the window of opportunity for this? One animal study suggests that critical period for preventing secondary injury (from swelling due to bleeding around the injury) may be much shorter than we originally thought – somewhere from 30 minutes to 5 hours, with the first 30 minutes being the most critical.
It’s generally accepted that too much inflammation is a bad thing. But some animal research shows that interfering with inflammation after trauma may be detrimental. It could actually slow down healing. Researchers have found that injured cells produce the inflammatory hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), which significantly increases the rate of muscle repair. In mice bred to not produce IGF-1, healing after an injury was slower than in normal mice.
How about pain relief? In 2004, researchers looked at all the available studies to try to determine the effectiveness of ice after injuries and surgery. As part of this, they looked into pain relief. They found that while ice helped to reduce pain, the majority of studies showed that compression alone was just as effective. They also noted that there wasn’t much good-quality research into this area.
How Traditional Chinese Medicine sees cold
In Chinese Medical theory, too much cold is not a good thing. In fact it is seen as the root of many problems, with the cold becoming lodged in the tissues, leading to ongoing stiffness and pain.
Of course, in ancient China there were no freezers. Only those who lived in cold or mountainous regions would even have had access to ice. So people needed other ways to treat injuries. Traditional Chinese Medicine has a whole toolkit of techniques to help heal injuries. For acute injuries, a form of massage incorporating acupressure points (tui na), as well as acupuncture and moxibustion (a herbal heat treatment on specific points) can help relieve pain and reduce swelling. For chronic injuries that are slow to heal, as well as the above therapies, techniques such as Tai Chi can be very useful in gently promoting movement and freeing up the area. These forms of treatment correspond much better to the MEAT viewpoint than the ICE protocol – Tai Chi for movement and exercise, acupuncture for analgesia (pain relief), and acupuncture/massage and moxibustion for treatments that promote blood flow, thereby promoting rather than hindering the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
How does heat help after an injury?
Heat is certainly useful in the chronic phase of an injury, as it relaxes the area, promotes blood flow and relieves pain. I generally recommend patients apply warm packs after any swelling has gone down. Another approach is to use ginger soaks or compresses, which also have a warming action. [Link to ginger poultice article]
When used correctly, heat is also very useful in the acute phase of an injury. If you come to see me in the first couple of days after minor trauma, I will perform a full assessment of the injury. Then I will usually burn small cones of moxa, derived from the leaf of the mugwort plant, to apply heat to specific points around the site. I can also teach you how to use this technique at home between clinic visits, to maximise the rate of healing. When used in this way, moxa actually has a slight cooling effect (by encouraging local sweating), but is much gentler than ice. It encourages local blood flow and reduces pain, allowing you to gradually get back to the activities you enjoy. Other moxibustion techniques are useful once the inflammation has started to subside and we are concentrating on regaining range of motion.
Gentle acupuncture using very fine needles at specific points is also helpful in triggering the body’s healing mechanisms.
Heat or cold for injuries – summary.
- See if you can avoid ice if possible, especially for injuries likely to involve ligaments and tendons rather than muscles – in other words the sinewy parts of the body: ankles, knees, wrists/hands. If you are going to use ice, restrict it to the first 24-48 hours. Make sure any cold compress / ice pack is well wrapped in a towel to avoid injuring the skin from excessive cold. Use for no longer than 20 min at a time.
- Heat is more useful after this stage, along with gentle mobilisation, depending on the extent of the injury. Be guided by your body and stop any movements that make the pain worse.
- If you can get in to see an acupuncturist in the first day or so after the injury, this is very useful and may allow you to avoid using ice and speed up recovery.