by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.
Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below —which of these takeaways will you implement during this seasonal transition?
As the Northern hemisphere welcomes the hottest season of the year, we enter the season of the Fire element.
Positively associated with nourishment of the Earth and transformation, an imbalanced Fire, on the other hand, is notorious for digestive problems. In today’s podcast we discuss the importance of gut health and ways to keep you healthy as we embrace the upcoming season.
Living with the seasons means being aware of the changes in your surroundings and environment. As we transition into a new season on June 20th, we’re again reminded to adjust our lifestyle to accommodate change of seasons.
In Chinese Medicine, the transitional period between each seasonal change, called Doyo, is greatly emphasized. Mentioned in one of the Classical Chinese Medicine texts, Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, the 18 day period (Doyo) is considered a delicate period for the Spleen energy and the associated Earth element. Therefore it’s important to take special care of the Earth organs—the Spleen and Stomach.
Supporting Your Earth through Hydration
We need to tend to our Earth element. Using the analogy of a garden as our Earth element, we realize the importance of water in keeping plants healthy.
Too much water can create dampness and kill plants while too little water will dry out plants and result in a similar fate. In the body, excessive sugar intake can cause dampness to accumulate and stagnate the energy of the Earth organ systems.
Living in California and being surrounded by the abundance of fruits all year round – whether imported or locally grown – can encourage a diet enriched with fruits, which supports hydration. However, fruits should eaten in moderation to prevent excessive accumulation of dampness internally.
Spleen Qi
The Spleen’s function is interconnected with the pancreas, and helps with the transformation and transportation of food into Qi in Chinese Medicine.
We can think of Spleen Qi’s function as the enzymes produced by the pancreas — helping with the breakdown of food particles and essential in digestion.
Spleen also helps transform and transport our thoughts and is closely associated with the Yi, or the aspect of the mind. Processing information by our mind relied heavily on Spleen Qi therefore it becomes even more important to strengthen your Spleen Qi to support mental clarity.
Strong Earth energy supports healthy boundaries
The Earth organs are the Stomach and the Spleen. Stomach Fire is a natural aspect of the digestive system and is related to the hydrochloric acid that helps break down proteins. Pathological fire, on the other hand, is related to toxicity in the stomach — such as an infection from H. pylori bacteria.
It’s fundamental to keep Stomach Fire in balance to support digestion but also help keep unhealthy bacteria in check.
In order to keep the concentration of hydrochloric acid in our stomach balanced and combat a mild case H. pylori infection, a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can supplement a protein enriched meal and support digestion.
Small Intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is also caused by excessive gut Fire. SIBO requires careful attention to your diet so the overgrowth of bacteria is not further encouraged.
Since the excess Fire will also damage the Spleen Qi, physiological boundaries are also compromised — resulting in a common condition called leaky gut syndrome.
When the Spleen is not able to maintain boundaries internally, you’ll also have trouble maintaining social boundaries.
If you find it difficult to say “no” or feeling as if all your energy is leaking into other people’s issues, it’s a good idea to examine the status or health of your gut. When you’re able to strengthen your gut, you’ll find your relationships flourishing as well!
2 key takeaways to help support your Earth energy:
Don’t overeat — overeating will cause the Spleen and Stomach energy to stagnate and make you feel lethargic and bloated.
Avoid cold foods and beverages — since Cold damages the Spleen causing dampness and digestive issues, it should be avoided or at least lessened.
Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below —which of these takeaways will you implement during this seasonal transition?
Loved this episode?
Please subscribe and consider rating & reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts. Five star reviews help us reach & support more listeners like you. You can also follow us on Spotify to be the first to hear about new & bonus episodes!