Spring cleansing
The Wood Element in Chinese Medicine
Imbalances in our everyday lifestyles can lead to acute and chronic disease. But what might the warning signs be in the season of spring? Staying healthy in the spring means we tend to liver and gallbladder – our Wood Element.
In a time of new beginnings and much creative energy, it is imperative that we take time for mental relaxation in order to obtain a clear focus for the year ahead. Physical exercise can encourage clarity, lightening the diet and abstaining from alcohol and other drugs can also help. Just as we are pulled to spring clean our physical homes our inner homes are also calling for a cleanse. Try pulling the weeds in the internal garden by clearing congestion from heavy winter foods.
In the spring our efforts focus on structures – physically healthy spines, limbs, and joints. And mental structures such as – do we have a firm foundation? Do we plan well and is there organization to our day, life, business?
Physical signs of imbalance in the Wood Element may look like:
Greenish hue around eyes and cheeks
Arthritis problems
A weak constitution, easily sickened
Suffering from allergies showing up in the sinus, skin, or eyes
Unhealthy nails especially toenails
According to Dr. Elson Haas, Staying Healthy with the Seasons, (1981), “most illness is a result of excess toxins.” When the liver is overloaded it cannot clear the blood and our toxic load increases. A lifestyle of overeating puts great pressure on the liver, creating problems with the gallbladder as well. This is demonstrated by an inability to breakdown fats or to secrete bile for proper digestion. Dr. Haas suggests when this occurs we can experience “referred pains to the shoulders and back between the shoulder blades.” Taking in heavily processed foods also asks the body to work harder to eliminate the toxic ingredients used to create longer shelf life. A spring liver cleanse is an ideal tool to support a healthy functioning body all year long.
The easiest cleanse I have found comes from numerous cleanses discussed in detail in Staying Healthy with the Seasons:
Stanley-Burroughs’ Master Cleanser
2 tbl fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
1-2 tbl 100% maple syrup, do not substitute honey
1/10 tsp cayenne pepper
8 oz spring water
Drink liberally throughout the day…from 6-12 glasses
PLUS: Each day try to include 2 TB Olive Oil to keep the bowels moving. This is also also a good time to try colonic irrigation. I know of nothing more powerful to clean out old wastes and disease while rebuilding your body’s immune defenses.
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