Digestive Health During Summer

In Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, the digestive system is of vital importance to good health. The Chinese feel that most, if not all illness originates in the gut.

The Chinese Calendar lists the time between July 12 – August 21 (for 2021) as Major Heat. This is the best time, according to TCM “to purge winter diseases from the body” and to prepare your body for good health during the cooler months of fall. Winter diseases usually involve trapped cold and dampness in the body. To heal this condition, we need to find a time when both our body and the environment are hot, and Major Heat is that time.

The recommendation for this time of year is to avoid cold foods and drinks, room temperature is fine. I know it sounds strange to us, but the internal temperature of our bodies is anywhere from 96- 98 degrees, and to break down our food during digestion our body needs to heat it up. If it must work harder to warm and break down the food, that extra heat will become inflammation inside the body. Inflammation can create a lot of problems from sore joints, to bloating, to stomach discomfort, to headaches.

Eating cold foods can also upset the balance of heat and cold in the body and weaken the digestive fire needed to break down and digest your food. If the digestive fire is weak then cold and damp conditions can take hold.

I have been following this protocol for months now. I’m working with an Ayurvedic Practitioner called Zhermen Roman and I’ve noticed miraculous results. One example of which is my right knee which no longer swells and is stronger. In western society, we don’t think of food as medicine but what we eat has a profound effect on our health.

People who have excess body heat can eat tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, and peach.

Epoch Times, July 21, Chinese Medicine Advises Not to Drink Iced Beverages or Chilled Food/Moreen Liao

Zhermen Roman, www.zayurveda.com