Turning Point Acupuncture Newsletter
Vol. 2 Number 2
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Patients,
WELCOME TO SUMMER!
The Summer Solstice occurs Thursday, June 21st (7:58 am EDT), marking the first day of Summer . For some lucky folks, this will
mean days spent out of doors and in the sun. Traditional Chinese Medicine describes the perils to our health of each season's
characteristics. The last two issues of this Turning Point Acupuncture Newsletter examined the Winter cold and flu season and
the Spring allergy season respectively. (To read these past issues, go to
http://www.nycacupuncture.com/archive.html)
In this issue we will focus on the effects of Summer's heat and humidity.
Newsletter Contents:
1. "Summer Heat "
2. Shane's Summertime Tips
3. Safety in the Sun
4. Tee Shirt Special
5. Turning Point Acupuncture Summer Hours
1. "Summer Heat" - The Traditional Chinese Medicinal Perspective
Now that summer is upon us, a few words about the Chinese condition known as "summer heat".
The syndrome of summer heat is characterized by fever, thirst, restlessness, absence or increase in perspiration, fatigue, dizziness,
cough, constipation and a sense of just feeling miserable. Since a high fever can damage the qi and fluids of the body, rapid
breathing may also occur along with a rapid pulse.
A second type of summer heat involves dampness. Damp heat symptoms would include fever, dizziness, a suffocating feeling felt in
the chest, tired limbs, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. There would also be scanty dark urine and a thick, slimy feeling on the
tongue. Sudden vomiting and diarrhea may occur if the condition becomes severe.
How to prevent this from happening? Be careful about staying out in the hot sun for too long or even staying in a hot room which is
poorly ventilated.
Consider eating foods that have an expelling effect or that move the qi outward and are pungent or sweet in taste. Examples would
include black and white pepper, cinnamon, dried ginger, green and red peppers and soybeans; also bananas, watermelon, lemons,
cantaloupe, bamboo shoots, apples, bitter endive, celery, cucumber, peppermint and adzuki beans.
----Presented by Joan-Ellen Macredis, ND
http://www.nycacupuncture.com/docbios.html
2. Shane's Summertime Tips: Summer Lovin'
As the song says, "It's only just begun". The summer swelter is just seconds away. We've already had a few choice preview moments
of the hot mugginess in store for us urban jungle dwellers. The sun and warmth of the season draw us out to nature, either at the
parks, the river, the country or the beaches, in the same way the sun entices the buds from the trees and flowers. Like the flowers if
we sit in the sun too long, we wilt and succumb to what Chinese medicine calls summer heat.
The affliction of summer heat is akin to what we in the west know as heat stroke. Any excessive exposure to the heat or the damp
can leave us wilted, weary and possibly nauseous. Dr. Macredis describes the characteristics of summer heat in the preceding
article.
Do not dismay. A few simple preparations can fend off any discomfort. Here are a few of my favorite tricks to keep my cool.
Warren Beatty in Bugsy modeled the ever useful sliced cucumber applied to the eyes. I prefer to peel the cucumber to get more
contact of the meat to the eye area. The cucumber has been shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce that
periorbital puffiness.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink up! And I'm not talking about mint julep here. Drink water like it's going out of style. It doesn't have to
be the most expensive kind. Watch out for the sodium content. Some of the carbonated waters pack a wallop of salt. If you find that
drinking lots of water causes you to need an annoying number of trips to the WC, try drinking smaller sips of water. Less then 4
ounces at a time will pass through the body more slowly then huge gulps.
Auntie May had the right idea in the Wizard of Oz. A cold compress to the head and face is efficient and delightful to quell heat fever.
Here's how I update the idea. In a 4 quart sauce pot I steep a tea of chamomile and mint. I let it cool a bit and then dunk, fold, roll up
and freeze a nice plate full of wash cloths. I try to keep them fluffy so that they hold as much of the liquid as possible. They're perfect
for serving to guests or just directly applying to the face often on a hot summer's day.
Consider your cuisine. Try to use the list of cooling foods that Dr. Macredis provided earlier in the newsletter to make light, soothing
fare.
Finally, enjoy watermelon whenever it seems right. Besides nourishing your liver yin and body fluids, it proffers the chance to hone
one's seed spitting skill.
Should all this fail and you still find yourself wilted, hie thee to our office for an urgent-care acupuncture treatment and some herbs to
help restore your body and spirit to its natural luster. Happy SPF and happy summer to all.
--Shane
aka. E. Shane Hoffman, MAcOM, Lac
http://www.nycacupuncture.com/docbios.html
3. Safety in the Sun
At the end of the previous section, Shane refers to "SPF", that is, the sun protection factor rating on the sunscreen that is essential to
summer health.
We all know that it is dangerous to expose our skin to the burning rays of the sun. The skin is the largest, most protective and most
visible of the body's organs. There is no such thing as a "healthy suntan". Any change in the skins pigmentation is a response to
injury from ultra-violet rays. Injury over time results in damage to the skin chromosomes accounting for most of the age related skin
changes, such as, wrinkles, and nearly all of the one million cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year.
If you must be in the sun, wear protective clothing and apply a sunscreen to exposed areas. The SPF ratings on such products refer
to how many times longer you can remain in the sun without getting burned then you usually can (therefore SPF 15 means you can
be out in the sun 15 times longer before burning). Apply the sunscreen liberally and at least a half hour before going out in the sun.
Out of doors, reapply the sunscreen every two hours -- even more frequently when exercising, sweating or swimming. Consider a
waterproof product if you are very active. Stay out of the sun at its peak: 10 am -2 pm. Remember to also protect your eyes by using
sunglasses that block U-V light.
Certain substances increase our sensitivity to the ultra-violet rays and may result in the outbreak of a rash. These included the
commonly used herbs echinacea, gingko biloba, dong quai and St. John's wort. Some medications have the same effect including
Tetracycline, Accutane for acne, minoxidil for hair loss and such anti-inflammatory pain medications as ibuprofen and naproxen. To
a lesser degree even some foods can have this increased photosensitizing effect. So be cautious when handling carrots, celery,
fennel, figs and limes as these foods contain chemicals called psoralens which can cause blisters on the skin if exposed to the sun.
On the other hand, one study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that fair skinned individuals may get some
protection from the U-V induced damage by taking 25 mg of beta carotene with mixed carotenoids and 500 mg of Vitamin E daily.
Finally, to answer the two questions I most commonly hear on this subject: there is no benefit to using a bottled tan accelerating
product prior to going out in the sum. The color produced by such products is not protective. Similarly, the u-v light used in tanning
salons is not safer than the rays of the sun, despite their popularity.
- NR
4. Tee Shirt Special!
In time for Summer, we are offering the beautiful, all cotton Turning Point Acupuncture tee shirt (with its unique logo on the back)
for just $10! It is available in sizes: small through XXXlarge.
5. Turning Point Acupuncture Summer Hours
We will be closed on July 4th, Independence Day.
Otherwise, throughout the summer we will maintain our usual hours:
Daily from 7:30 am (8 am on Tuesdays) until 6:30 pm (7pm on Wednesday and until 6 pm on Friday). Saturday hours are 10 am -
3pm.
John T. Smith will see massage clients on Saturday from 3pm on (For appointment call 212 579-4754).
Dr. Macredis is available to do homeopathy consults by appointment only at 1 pm on Mondays (Ask the Front Desk).
To review our usual hours and staffing click here:
http://www.nycacupuncture.com/patientinfo.html
Elevator note:
We continue to be inconvenienced by long needed repairs on the building elevators. Four more months to go! For quickest access
to our fifth floor office, all patients should use the freight elevator located west of the 1841 building entrance (between the Rich and
Famous Deli and Mike's Copy Center). The stairs can also be used by the hardy. Ask our front desk people for directions.
All of us at Turning Point Acupuncture wish you ...
A Happy and Healthy Summer!
Naomi Rabinowitz, MD
20 June 2001
Turning Point Acupuncture
copyright 2001 Naomi Rabinowitz and Shane Hoffman
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