Behold SUMMER!
Summer solstice, recently come and gone, Earth tilting toward a new horizon, as it glides and whirls through the vault of heaven. When celestial orbs shift, there is something to be aware of!
Things, large and small, known and unknown are shifting and moving all the time, so it makes sense to become somewhat more aware of the larger scheme of things. A great way to do that is to become more aware of your personal health. Health and happiness go together, and we need more of both.
Summer is the time to improve LUNG health. What the ancient doctors called vital capacity or chi. Lungs filled with chi, the life force cultivated by Tai Chi and Chi Kung, are strong, healthy lungs. Who doesn’t want strong, healthy lungs?
Why is summer a great time to nurture the health of your lungs? Because during all the other seasons of the year, there is always another organ system working conjunctively with the lungs, drawing down the chi of the lungs, and it’s not until summer that the lungs get a break from having to support other organ systems. In summer, lungs have the luxury to rest and recuperate; aside from their normal job of keeping you alive by receiving and processing your breath.
As we experience sweltering, attention-grabbing heat waves, it is essential to realize that the effect of scorching heat on your health is not limited to feeling uncomfortable on those hot days only. This should be clear by how the plants in your garden and parks get singed. We humans are out here growing too, and suffer similar impacts.
Fortunately, Oriental Medicine at BIOM with Kitty offers medicinal herb formulas that aid the body in recovering from the enervating effect extreme heat has on your organs and your health.
Whatever the condition of your lungs, they can be improved! And if your lungs are in tip-top shape now, still strive to keep LUNGS strong and healthy, because you will get old, and the lungs you have when you’re young are going to be the same ones you have when you’re old. Plan accordingly.
Oriental Medicine helps …
Summer is the Season of FIRE, and the Heart is the organ most affected during the summer season. We need to pay attention to the heart in summer. And as the last vestiges of Spring-Wood Energy spontaneously combust into the vigor of summer, there is a tendency to push our limits in this season of luxurious growth.
And depending on the strength of our organs, we soon find out what our personal limits are. 
At the same time, KIDNEYS are being affected too, because as summer heat builds, the kidneys, which are governed by the WATER element, are significantly affected, working hard to keep your body cool.
It’s the same general concept as using a radiator to cool your car engine. Your body is well-designed. And when you’re mindful about its needs, it’s happy, which makes you happy.
Your LIVER Hates Heat!
If you think about it, disruptive social behavior—losing one’s temper, rioting, erratic mood swings, etc.—happensmore easily on hot summer days and nights.
So summertime is a good time to: Be cool!
LIVER provides a moderating effect on the nervous system. Kitty prescribes liver-calming herbs regularly, and we take those same herbs regularly, and have been doing so for thirty five years.
The Liver can overheat from high outside temperatures in summer; at the same, anytime of the year, the liver can, and will, overheat when its chi, its core energy, becomes unbalanced.
Balancing the vitality of the body, through its organ systems, is the essence of what Oriental Medicine is.
Oriental Medicine at BIOM is an opportunity to integrate this well-established, time-tested, holistic approach to disease prevention and health maintenance with your standard medical treatments.
Seasonal Food For Summer
So with this focus on the Lungs, Heart, Kidneys and Liver in summer, let’s take a look at foods to eat to help each of these organs to rejuvenate and rebalance themselves:
Lungs
The taste associated with the LUNGS is SPICY and the color WHITE. Lotus root, daikon radish, and maitake mushrooms, which also strengthen the immune system, are considered to be spicy. (About two ounces of maitake mushrooms a day, or every other day.)
Heart
The taste associated with the HEART is BITTER, and the color RED. So anything with a bitter taste will help balance heart energy. Foods in the bitter category include: mushrooms in general, artichoke, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and others.
Kidneys
The taste associated with the KIDNEYS is SALTY, and the color BLUE. Foods in this group include: aduki beans, kukicha tea, celery, shiitake mushrooms.
Liver
The taste associated with LIVER is SOUR, and the color GREEN. Shitake mushroom, lemon, lime, grapefruit, marinades and fermented foods all help the liver.
General Cooling
Foods that will cool you down include: cucumbers, watermelon, celery. Green beans are excellent for keeping your body cool in summer. Also, mung beans, in any form: sprouts or dall, without too much added spice. (Note: whenever you eat something that has too much spice, add some yogurt, it will cool things down. 
Cooling summer foods are also good throughout the year if you suffer from too much internal body heat, regardless of the temperature outdoors, or in the room you’re in.
Keep in mind that every day is an opportunity to experience the most fundamental feeling of health: the simple feeling and awareness of breathing and being alive.
Oriental Medicine with Kitty helps!
Learn more about Five Element Theory …
