Sum, Sum, Summertime With Oriental Medicine by Amy Reissner Holistic RN

It is Memorial Day Weekend. Rye and surrounding towns are excitedly moving into the first official summer weekend. Rye Town Park is filled with cars. The park and beach are filled with families taking in the sun, folicking in the water, playing volleyball and frisbee! Playland's rides and attractions are seeing it's fair share of visitors. The roads have increased traffic, as families make their way to a variety of country clubs, beach clubs, and boating facilities.

School is almost over for the summer! Families and their children are making summertime plans for a myriad of outdoor acitivities, including sports, adventure theme parks, biking, hiking, camping, sailing, summer camp and some family travel. 

Summertime, according to Oriental Medicine is a season filled with long days, short nights, abundant energy and hopefully lots of sunshine. Summer is a Yang energy, which is about expansion, growth, activity, creativity and HEAT. It makes sense that Fire is the element that summer represents in this paradigmn.

Feelings of summer are represented by freedom, joy and abandon! Even my dog, Boots, is excited about going out for walk, and sniffing all the wonderful scents of trees, grasses, flowers. According to Oriental Medicine, another wonderful aspect of summer is the joie de vie! A sense of adventure fills the air as the soul explores new sights, scents, tastes, discovers new interests, and finds soulful outlets for uniting the heart and mind.

As we and our family explore our summer adventures, it is wise to be mindful of summer safety when it comes to:

Summer Time Heat Exhaustion-

Sometimes the dog days of summer with the high humidity can get to you and your family. There can be symptoms of over-heating: excess body heat, profuse sweating, parched mouth and throat, headache, abdominal pains, light-headedness, and lethargy. Feelings of heaviness and sluggishness attest to a blocked flow...according to Energy Medicine.

As a holistic RN, I recommend the following to my clients:

1. Conventional Tips: Carry water with you and sip it throughout the day. Dehydration can set in very quickly especially if you and your kids are having fun in the sun! You do not want to wait until you feel thirsty to drink water.
2. Avoid drinks with large amounts of sugar. Making real fruit drinks yourself with a blender and adding Agave is a delicious treat, especially if you freeze the liquid in pop containers...much healthier than the grocery store brand ices!
3. Wearing a hat, sun screen, and light clothing is essential.
4. Staying out of the sun from 11-2PM, or seeking the shade of a tree, beach umbrella, or AC, ocean, lake or swimming pool, in order to bring down your temperature.
5. A gradual exposure of sun daily, beginning with morning sun gives your body healthy doses of Vitamin D. But if you or your kids are going to be in the sun, most of the day, than sunscreen would be advisable. There are sunscreen hats and shirts that are being made now and you can go online if that interests you.
6. If sunburn happens, anything with aloe vera works well. Also another remedy is one part Tea Tree Oil with ten parts olive oil or coconut oil spread over effective areas is very effective. It is soothing and pain-relieving, can reduce blistering and peeling. 
7. Should feelings of sun or heat exhaustion result, you should quit activity, get out of the sun, seek shade or AC. Drink cool, not cold water and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This helps to replace electrolytes and minerals much like sports drinks but without the high sugar content...a little agave for the little ones would help.
8. Summer fruits like watermelon, peaches, nectarines, and plums are wonderfully refreshing. Purchasing Organic produce is recommended, so you do not ingest the pesticides! Fruit like watermelon cools and cleanses the system, and summertime heat symptoms. It also acts like a natural diuretic.
9. Another suggestion is to take a cool bath or tepid bath. Relax in the water for 15-20 minutes. Allow kids to play with a water toy, but encourage calmness. Submerging as much of the body as possible is also recommended in order to cool down the temperature. 
10. Bach Flower Remedy-Olive restores energy when you are physically and emotionally exhausted
11. Hyland Tissue Salts-Natrum Muriaticum-great for stress or tension headaches; Hyland Mag phos tissue salts- great for stomach aches; Hyland Bioplasma-contains all essential minerals that the body needs to counteract exhaustion from summer heat and humidity
12. Aromatherapy-Lemon or Orange Essential oils are wonderfully activating and can awaken energy and vitality
13. Eden Energy Medicine-Tap the K27 points which are right under the clavicular notch, as this brings 'Chi' energy into the body and can increase vitality. Tap or massage Spleen points, which are under and alongside the chest (breasts). If feeling fearful or overwhelmed try the Frontal-Occipital Hold. This is demonstrated if you check out my videos taken at Rye Beach from my last blog, "Feeling Stressed Out?"

Wishing you and your family a safe, health & happily active summer! Remember balance is key in all things!

If you have any key remedies or recommendations that have worked for you and your family...do share by clicking on the comments tab! 

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend! Stay tuned for More Summer Remedy Suggestions and what you can keep in your Remedy Tool Box when traveling!

Amy Reissner

Should you wish to see what Energy Medicine can do for you and your family, you can contact me at amyreissner@VitalEssenceHealing.com for a FREE phone consultation! Visit my website at www.VitalEssenceHealing.com for more information.