Mindfully going with the flow of the seasons is wise, healthy, and surprisingly easy once you make it a habit.
As the summer heat increases, being attentive to weather and time change is a matter of safety, too. It is hot here in Austin pretty much all year long, but from about May to August, the temperatures can be downright dangerous. Learning how to gracefully go along with the seasons has become a lifestyle requirement, not just in Texas but all over the world, especially for people who live in regions known for extreme temperatures.
What about you? Is the weather vivid and challenging where you are right now?
Both patients who come to my office and virtual-visit health coaching clients (who may or may not be in Austin) benefit from Chinese medicine’s perspective on seasonal living. By reading this blog post, I hope that you will do the same!
Consider these four categories: environment, organs, food, and mood. Doing so can provide Chinese medicine’s filter for seasonal health, as you can see in this blog post about living well during the spring. (Though I must say…summer brings out the Mediterranean in me, so my native traditions plus acquired Chinese wisdom are definitely my vibe during this time of year.)
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The four categories:
Environment: Chinese medicine looks at pretty much everything from a comparative perspective and values finding balance between yin and yang. Summer, like spring, is yang; fall and winter are yin. Yang is expansive, energetic, and hot, among other qualities opposite to its pair, yin (in this context, think: contracting, dormant, and cold). Summer’s essential element is fire (no surprise there).
But what does this mean for you?
It’s pretty logical: daylight is longer and we want to be outside and having fun. All the new birth of spring is blossoming into maturity and energy is high. We sleep less and get up earlier. CM sees human beings as reflective of their environment and their environment is reflective of the human beings. Summer is when we want to be active just as much as the earth and sun and skies. All creatures are awake and expansive.
Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Paul Unschuld, trans., pg. 46.
“Go to rest late at night and rise early.
Never get enough of the sun.
Let the mind have no anger.
Stimulate beauty and have your elegance perfected.”
What do you think of the above-quoted from what is, essentially, the bible of Chinese medicine?
Today, we know better and partake of the sun in moderation and with sunscreen applied, but its point remains valid even today: summer is when we enjoy the light and we need less sleep. It’s also a great time to practice not becoming easily angered. Studies show that heat does exacerbate anger.1 Indeed, cultivating patience is an art in the summer, as is creating an elegant and pleasing routine.
Organ: CM assigns summer to the Heart and its pair, the Small Intestine (I capitalize Chinese organs to differentiate them from Western biomedicine’s terms). The Heart is the emperor that is in charge of the Shen, or mind, and it governs the Blood. This aspect is not so different from the way biomedicine narrates the cardiovascular system and circulation but it sounds prettier from the perspective of CM, don’t you think? The Small Intestine separates the pure from the impure. In other words, it’s in charge of digestion. It is tasked with the job of discernment. Just like we pick through information to decide on certain ideas, your Small Intestine takes things apart and decides what to keep and what to throw away.
The emotion we assign to the Heart is joy, but too much of it can lead to mania. As always, in the case of Chinese practices, not too much and not too little is the watchword. An overstimulated Heart can lead to insomnia; palpitations; anxiety, crabbiness, or restlessness; a red face; excessive perspiration; and/or depression (not enough Heart energy) or the aforementioned mania (too much Heart energy).
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Food: During the summer when it’s so hot, your CM practitioner will counsel you to eat less and eat lightly.
If you think about it, it makes sense, right?
I mean…do you really want to stuff yourself with barbecued brisket (don’t forget the mac-n-cheese, the potato salad, the bread slice, the pickles, the onions, and the barbecue sauce) until you’re groaning and then finish it all off with a big piece of pecan pie? That’s fine for any other time of the year, but the height of summer? Maybe–if Texas food is your thing–you’d rather have some chicken and coleslaw with a smallish serving of peach cobbler instead? (And then go to your acupuncturist to get your gut health restored…no judgement, no judgement…just support and maybe an herbal formula).
Seriously though…and all joking aside: if we don’t take care of ourselves and our digestion during the summer, we end up struggling with headaches, constipation, dehydration, and fevers. The Heart is not happy and neither is the Small Intestine.2
During the summer, it stands to reason that you want to eat things that hydrate you and replenish lost micronutrients. Acupuncturist-approved fruit options include watermelon, pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe, peaches, strawberries, citrus (oranges and tangerines, for example), and tomatoes. From the CM perspective, the good vegetables for summer can be things like cucumber, endive hearts, spinach, kale, lettuce and other leafy greens, bitter greens (mustard, dandelion), and celery. You have a lot of choices when it comes to fruits and vegetables during the summer. It’s smart to eat less meat and get your protein from fish or other sources during this period. Herbs to keep on hand include dill, cilantro, and mint. Summer is a great time for drinking green tea. Mint tea is good, too!
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Mood: Crankiness and heart palpitations offer an example of unbalanced summer energy. Negativity, impatience, frustration, and exhaustion are also signs of an off-kilter system. If you find that you are short-tempered, prickly, and unable to sleep during the summer, you might want to set up an appointment with an acupuncturist–why wait?
Keep in mind that yang will turn into yin, and that summer expansion will not last forever. It is healthy to enjoy the moment and to go with the flow, comfortable in the awareness that yes, things will change.
Summer is a great time to be active and to rest and enjoy replenishment and renewal. We do look ahead, knowing that fall is around the corner. In fact, we prepare for the upcoming season of turning inward by not being too excessive right now. We intentionally take care, knowing that self-care is not selfish, and we know that our own wellbeing reflects to those around us and comes back to its source.
So what does it look like when summer moods are on an even keel and humming along nicely?
Consider the following vision and picture yourself within this framework:
You are calmly energetic and have a decent measure (not too much, not too little) of positivity. You are heart-centered and productive, and your joy feels good, healthy, and without any brittle edges. When you need to get things done, you can start and finish the job. When it’s time to rest, you are able to slow down and let things come back to a simmer. Sure, you go to bed later but yes, you get up early and in a good mood.
All things in right balance. Doesn’t that sound marvelous, relaxing, and elegant?
Chinese medicine, especially if you’re willing to invest some time and energy into shifting your lifestyle and dietary choices, can help to make your summer truly this good.
Are you ready to try it?
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Dr. Paula Bruno, Ph.D., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, an AOBTA-CP traditional Chinese bodywork therapist, a health coach, and an author. She maintains an active and growing practice at her Austin, TX office. Dr. Bruno is also available for distance appointments for wellness consultation or coaching.
In her first career, she was a Spanish professor.
Dr. Bruno’s specialties as a Chinese medicine practitioner include: • Musculoskeletal health (acute or chronic pain relief; Ehlers Danlos syndrome & hypermobility support) • Digestive support, gut health, and weight loss • Aesthetic treatment, including scar revision • Men’s health • General preventative care and wellness support for all persons.
She is the author of Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide. Dr. Bruno also maintains a second website, holistichealthandheds.com, with resources and information curated specifically for people with hEDS and HSD.
When you are ready to discover what traditional medicine plus a vibrant and engaged approach to holistic health can do for you, either contact Dr. Bruno or book an appointment online.
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Two Hearts Wellness does not accept paid advertising on this website
Note: Material on this web site site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, illness, or ailment. A Chinese medicine practitioner in Texas identifies syndrome patterns but does not diagnose illness. Material on this web site does not purport to identify syndrome patterns.
- See “Excessive heat and its impact on mental health” for details. ↩︎
- Chinese medicine has known about the effect of heat on digestion since forever, and scientific research is coming around to to the same way of thinking. See the 2019 article, “Temperature as a modulator of the gut microbiome: What are the implications and opportunities for thermal medicine?” and “Extreme Heat May Aggravate Gastrointestinal Problems” (2022) for further discussion. ↩︎
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