Spring: The Wood Season

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory there are 5 Elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. All changes in the universe and in your body occur according to one of these five distinct stages. Each stage is associated with a particular time of year, a specific element in nature, and a pair of organs in the body.

Spring is represented by the Wood element and dominates theLiver and Gall Bladder. Since the Liver and Gall Bladder are primary organs for toxin elimination in your body, Spring is a great time to begin a cleanse or new health regimen. Your appetite will ease as your body shakes off the need to store energy the way it did over the Winter. People who want to lose weight can take advantage of the natural trends of spring to help them be more active and eat less.

The colour green corresponds to Spring and the Liver. Therefore, eating g

reen and leafy vegetables (such as Kale, Collards, Spinach and Mint) help by cleansing the Liver and freshening the body. Dandelion also works well as a spring cleanser. A balanced diet with a variety of juices such as citrus fruits, pear, apple, celery and carrot is very helpful. Sprouts from seeds such as beans, mung, and radish are valuable for spring cleansing as well.

The Liver organ dominates the emotion of Anger. If you are emotionally imbalanced during the Spring it will often be expressed as outbursts of anger, irritability or increased frustration. This indicates an imbalance in the Liver organ and can be effectively treated with Acupuncture. Additionally, if the Liver is in a good, healthy state we are able to make decisions and follow through with our creative visions. This is a great time of year to begin new projects. When the liver energy is deficient we may lack the ability to make decisions or follow through with them. On the contrary, when this energy is excessive we may become “work-aholics,” so determined to accomplish our goals that we neglect our needs or our personal relationships. Like everything in life balance is key to maintaining good health