Hello and welcome to Summer!
At the time of writing, we’ve just had a momentary reprieve from our unusual Scottish heatwave with some much-needed rainfall. We’re not used to such hot weather here, are we? I know some of my patients have reported struggling with keeping cool and the heat has made it tricky getting to sleep at night.
When I look through the Chinese Medicine lens to understand what is out of balance with a patient, it is helpful to ask them if they feel more hot or cold in terms of body temperature. Some of us are ‘caul tatties’ no matter what the weather, whereas others report having cold hands and feet - perhaps the hot weather has been easier for them to bear?
However, those of us whose body temperature runs on the warmer side may be finding the additional environmental heat particularly uncomfortable. In clinic I commonly hear this from women in perimenopause and menopause. Perimenopause means "around menopause" and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. In Chinese medical terms, this is a time when the body’s internal cooling system begins to work less efficiently resulting in additional warmth. In Western Medical terms this equates to fluctuating oestrogen levels.
Common menopausal heat-related symptoms manifest as vasomotor symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats and feeling physically hot. Other menopausal symptoms which Chinese Medicine sees as caused by a less efficient cooling system include anxiety, irritability, mood swings insomnia, restlessness and drying of body fluids.
For my ‘warmer’ patients I have been incorporating heat-clearing points into several of my treatments alongside hands-on massage to reduce tension. Some recommended lifestyle tweaks and tips have included:
o staying well hydrated. If you get bored drinking plain water add a slice of lemon or cucumber or brew your favourite herbal tea and let it cool
o place a pair of socks in the fridge for 2 hours before bedtime then wear them to bed to cool your feet
o reduce energetically ‘heating’ drinks like coffee and alcohol
o swap spicy food with energetically ‘cooler’ foods like:
🥒Cucumber
🍉Watermelon
🍊Grapefruit
🥬Lettuce
If you are busy and stressed look after your mental health by building in small moments of ‘you’ time during your week; if you are feeling low and lethargic, call a friend and go for a walk outside of peak sun hours or invite them round for a refreshing drink of cool peppermint tea and a slice of watermelon - I bet you’ll both feel better for it!
