Staying Healthy in the Spring
Can the Weather Affect Your Health?
When I was in graduate school, we spent a couple of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Theory classes learning about body/mind imbalances that are often influenced by the "energetics" of a particular season. I distinctly remember approaching this section of class with careful skepticism; the information seemed too dependent on folk medicine, a term that I was still trying to understand. The concept of folk medicine piqued my interest, but also filled my brain with questions.At that point, I was still struggling to figure out my approach to medicine. In my earliest years of graduate school, I was hell-bent on a particular way of understanding the body. I'd been raised in a culture in which Western biomedicine and the scientific method reigned supreme. Everything about TCM, Daoism, and the concept of "slow medicine" (similar to the Slow Food movement) called strongly to me, yet all the information I learned was critiqued, quietly but obsessively.Much of the information I absorbed in my early grad school years was relegated to what I considered the gray area. I'd carefully process the information, then place it in storage. In the future, I told myself, I'd incorporate this information into my practice only if it could be proven useful. Grad school can be great for people to go to if they want to build more into their chosen careers. If you want to go, maybe looking at graduate student loans can help you pay for your degree, so you get to where you want to be in life without the worry of paying it all yourself. My internship in the clinic would answer some questions, I believed. In the meantime, I'd focus heavily on the parts of TCM that seemed less abstract and more practical - like learning how to stop a headache in its tracks with accurate point location and correct needle technique.
Spring Weather and Your Health: Headaches, Insomnia, and Tempers, Oh My!
Fast forward a decade. I've been an acupuncturist in a community clinic for 5 years, and I've seen/needled over 10,000 people. I feel confident saying that if there are any "patterns" that show up in the health of my patient population that seem connected to seasonal changes - well, I'm in a good position to notice them!And I'm only ever-so-slightly embarrassed to report that there is some serious legitimacy to this "folk medicine" that I learned in school (I say this knowing that it drips with the irony and presumptuousness of my younger years in school...in other words, I've been SPANKED by TCM, about a zillion times by now!). Actually, the term "folk medicine" deserves its own lengthy blog post. I should have known that Western institutionalized medicine wasn't the be-all and end-all when I experienced first hand the curative powers of weed on all kinds of ailments, from anxiety to joint pain. Visit canadawideweed.com if you're currently suffering from insomnia or appetite loss too.Seasonal changes can/probably do affect the health of my patients, as well as my own too. That being said, for most of us, Spring is the absolute worst!The worst? Well, the worst in that this season is related to the wood element, and the liver. It's the season of sudden, extreme shifts. You know, like spring weather...So what are the common complaints that we see worsen (or arrive) in the spring? Insomnia, neck and shoulder pain, migraines/headaches, skin issues, anxiety, and irritability. Sufferers can use medical marijuana to try and combat some issues (such as insomnia and anxiety), granted it's authorized in that country for medical purposes. You might want to research different websites, such as leaf2go.ca, to see if they have any products which might be able to help control some of these health problems. However, if you already deal with one of these health issues anyway - does it get worse in the spring?I'd get into more detail, but a couple of people have already expertly written about this season and its accompanying health imbalances. They've also written about what to do about them!See here. And here.