July 7, 2022, is the first day of the Yin Fire Goat Month in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar assigns one of the twelve animals, five elements, and the polarity of yin or yang to each year, month, day, and hour. What does this mean regarding how Meridian Harmonics approaches health and treatment strategies?
The Yin Fire Goat refers to one of the sixty-four hexagrams described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Fire over Earth and signifies the progress of the sun rising over the earth. The light of the sun rising over the earth is by nature clear. The higher the sun rises, the more it emerges from the dark mists, spreading the pristine purity of its rays over an ever-widening area. The real nature of man is likewise originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity. The Yin Fire Goat describes constant progress through both peaceful and trying times. Do not take each triumph for granted. During times of difficulty, an individual should keep the same mind frame when dealing with a pleasant situation.
This hexagram for Yin Fire Goat represents a strong energetic state above and a weak energetic state below
This hexagram is occurring during a time of the year when the season is strongly rooted in summer. It warns us to be particularly careful of the heat pathogen. Fire over Earth represents the effect of heat on the earth or drying out of the land (drought). The rising sun over the earth eventually sets. This reminds us that during this month of July the daylight hours are waning and the summertime heat will eventually begin to wane. The heat and dryness won’t last. Until then, we should be vigilant to protect ourselves and our personal environment from the heat. As of this writing the current weather, locally, is forecast to be dangerously hot for the next seven to 10 days. In general, summer is a time that pathogenic heat can be very detrimental to our health and the earth. Heat will eventually weaken that which is exposed to it.
Each region and organ of the body has various aspects and qualities associated with Yin, Yang, and the five elements. The Yin Fire Goat month predominately affects the Earth aspect of the body through excessive heat. The Yin Fire Goat month represents an excessive heat pathogen affecting the Earth's elemental organs, tissues, and regions of the body. During this month those regions easily affected are the nose, lips, mouth, ears, liver, blood-lymph circulatory systems, joints, and large intestine.
Common disorders during this month can be classified in three different regions, known as the San Jiao, in Chinese medicine. San means three and Jiao means warmer or heater. So, San Jiao literally means Triple Warmer or Triple Heater.
Upper Jiao disharmonies this month include:
Cough with a large amount of phlegm, asthma with weakness
Vascular problems: faint pulse; headache; hemiplegia
Hiccups
Insomnia, amnesia
Cardiac pain, palpitations due to fright, irritability, chest pain
Mania, epilepsy, stupor, manic psychosis, depression
Headache, dizziness, blurring of vision, toothache, tinnitus, swelling of the pharynx
Redness, swelling, and pain of the eye, wry face
Middle Jiao disharmonies this month include:
Gastric pain, abdominal distention, and pain, diarrhea, dysentery
Lassitude and heaviness of the extremities, overweight, diabetes
Epigastric pain, vomiting
Lower Jiao disharmonies this month include:
Cold, pain, and weakness of the lower extremities
Impotence, frequent need to urinate, deafness, lumbar pain, heel pain
Weakness, numbness, and pain of the lower extremities, difficulty in walking
Irregular menstruation, metrorrhagia, hernia, enuresis
Summer time is characterized by incessant environmental heat. The heat is often very stifling and can remain for long periods of time. One of our favorite herbal remedies we use this time of year is Summer Cool. It’s a proprietary formula to treat many of the conditions common this time of year. Summer Cool relieves the muscle layer to act as a muscle relaxant. It clears heat, especially helpful this time of year. It benefits the lungs and throat to treat dryness and nourishes the Yin aspect of the body easily damaged by the summertime heat.
Here at Meridian Harmonics, during this month we will supplement our treatments to support Yin Fire Goat Month for each patient. This can be accomplished using specific acupuncture and herbal therapies. Each patient is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for every patient. We will assess each patient, individually, on what strategies are best suited for them.
Modifying one’s lifestyle can support this period and the summer season. This period in the year brings very hot weather patterns. It’s important to protect yourself from the heat as it consumes the nutritive or Yin aspect of the body. Drinking plenty of water and consuming whole foods containing a high-water content are immensely beneficial.
Summertime meals need to be simpler, with fewer combinations, and easy to digest. Fewer heavy animal-based proteins prevent excessive heat to build in the gastrointestinal tract. Eating lighter whole foods allows our appetites to be more easily satisfied without overeating. Plan regular meals and chew slowly and thoroughly.
Drink plenty of distilled water throughout the day to promote drainage.
Avoid spicy/pungent/aromatic vegetables such as pepper, garlic, onions, basil, rosemary, cumin, fennel, anise, leeks, chives, scallions, thyme, saffron, wormwood, mustard, chili pepper, and wasabi. These foods and spices will damage the body’s Qi and Yin.
Avoid fried, spicy or greasy foods, refined sugar, tea, coffee, caffeine, salt, chocolate, strong spices, and carbonated drinks. Stay away from sour and acidic food and fruits.
Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine-containing beverages whenever possible. Alcohol and caffeine increase stomach acid and exacerbates internal heat and inflammation.
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Closed: Sat, Sun, Mon
Meridian Harmonics Acupuncture and Herbal Compounding Pharmacy
