It’s a hot day in Syracuse today. For a city that gets yearly snowfalls in the three digits it can be tough to deal with temperatures in the three digits. My memories of waking up to over a foot of snow are much fonder than they were a couple of months ago.
Chinese medicine is all about balance within the body. One major thing we want to keep in a balanced state is our “temperature”. I put that in quotes because I do not necessarily just mean the number on a thermometer, but rather the various characteristics of body functions and attributes. When the body (or parts of the body) are too hot or too cold there can be health problems, both short term and long term. There are many different things that can contribute to our bodies level of heat vs cold but the main ones are environment and diet. We can’t change the weather outside, but we can seek places that are more comfortable. On a day like today it may be wise to hold off on mowing the lawn for just a few more days. Diet can be another way to help us beat the heat. Foods like cucumber and watermelon are very cool and refreshing. Go to the homepage of my website and click on the box in the lower right hand corner that says “Acupuncture and summer”. There is some good information on page two (see the sidebar) about cooling foods and even has a recipe for a heat balancing salsa.
It also essential that you stay hydrated on warm days like this as your body is constantly losing moisture, even if you don’t feel sweaty. Proper hydration is important year-round but be more conscientious of it today. Not only will you be healthier but it will help you prevent overheating.
So stay cool Syracuse, and enjoy the summer while it lasts. It won’t be too long before I’m blogging about cold weather and ways to stay warm.
