Author Archives: Dr. Sarita Cox

Earth: Don’t worry be happy

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  Don’t worry, be happy.   How to soothe your nervous system: Take a cold shower or plunge Splash cold water on face & neck Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug Restore the microbe of the gut Relax jaw tension Meditate on loving kindness Positive Social Connect Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The … Continue reading →

Earth: Too much sitting injures the spleen: qi gong

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

The digestive organs are injured by stagnation.  Desk or remote virtual jobs, long hours of studying, research and writing keep us seated.  Relaxing and decompressing may also become habituated to screen time, gaming or media binging. Fatigue sets in from lack of activity; a sedentary life is injurious. Frankly, it is killing us slowly. The combination of oversitting and overthinking is a harmful combination for the earth organs,  particularly the spleen.  The lack of healthy circulation settles dampness deep into our systems. If you are prone to oversitting, please build in healthy habits.  Set a timer at the desk for … Continue reading →

Does your yes serve the balance? Earth Sounds

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

HEALING SOUNDS FOR THE EARTH ELEMENT The earth element, is involved with digestion and transformation of food. It can get bogged down with overthinking, oversitting, worry, anxiety. This can result in weight gain or indigestion. When the earth element is weak we may say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’ or ‘can I get back to you on that? In this way, we create imbalance within by giving ourselves away to be liked or approved of, to avoid conflict, to fit into social norms or to get something from the other party. The earth season holds the energy of center, return, … Continue reading →

Earth: Shake into your muscles

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Learning to “shake it off” during times of stress could be as simple as practicing just that, shaking.   The traditional warm up before practicing a qi gong form is 5-15 minutes of shanking.  We progressively shake deeper starting with our skin, into the muscles, tendons, bones and organs. Read our blog post about Qigong Shaking: https://drsaritaelizabeth.com/fire-creates-earth/ A daily habit of shaking for five minutes will pave a path of wellness for you.  Need science to convince you? Check out this research on Qi Gong for the Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of COVID19 Infection in Older Adults       … Continue reading →

Earth: Touch the earth

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Nature based prescriptions are one of the fastest growing therapeutics globally as humans grow increasingly disconnected from nature. The research is promising for treatment and prevention of disease. Therapeutics from forest bathing, time spent in nature or greenspace, wilderness activities, even a view from a window and caring for a potted plant have been studied for reduction of disease specific disorders and general well-being. Spending time in the woods—a practice the Japanese call “forest bathing”—is strongly linked to lower blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones and decreased anxiety, depression and fatigue. Time in a forest is linked to decreased inflammation, which has … Continue reading →

Earth: Change directions without losing balance

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Earth: Change directions without losing balance. The Earth element is associated with times of change throughout the year, which happen between each of the seasons around the two solstices and the two equinoxes.  Solstices and equinoxes are astronomical event of the Sun reaching its highest position in the sky as viewed from the North or South Pole, one day to mark the onset of the winter season and one day to mark the onset of the summer season of 72 days each . On these days the tilt of the axis of the Earth (with respect to the Sun) is … Continue reading →

Earth: Convert discord into harmony

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Convert discord into harmony.       It is time to come home. It is time to find your true center.    The 18 days around each solstice & equinox hold the power of transition. The fifth season of earth resonates with trust, harmony and abundance.       Here are a few practices that I encourage my patients to utilize during the earth season to break up discord:   1. Take a walk.  Nature works best but a few flights of stairs, a walk around the building or the block interrupts the pattern.   2. Bring awareness to your … Continue reading →

Earth: Develop equanimity

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Develop equanimity.    Even mindedness.    Earth season is about walking the middle path. Walk barefoot on the Earth   Even mindedness is the capacity to accept whatever comes with the wisdom that everything is impermanent.   We can encourage this disposition by coming back to the present moment when we have gone astray.    The present may be comfortable or uncomfortable. We often time travel backward or forward because of uncomfortable feelings in our body. These sensations are experiences locked in our body.   Ease is rooted in acceptance. Accepting things exactly as they are. Our minds become agitated … Continue reading →

Metal: Visualize white light filling your lungs now

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Visualize white light filling your lungs now.    ‘Tis the season of lung support. The metal organ network reaches it’s energetic peak in autumn.  Sound and light resonate the paired organs lung & large intestine. Healing our physical lungs also shifts us from criticalness, blame and distrust toward deep integrity.    Physical breathing practices like pranayama (yogic breath control) strength our immunity by exercising our lungs and oxygenating our cells.    Before any action there is an ideation and a mental impression (visual or words).    The color white & the sound shhhhh balances the lung.    Close your eyes.  … Continue reading →

Metal: You are precious

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

You are precious is one of the messages that I speak to my patients during the fall season. Outside of the clinic, I love to remind friends or strangers how valuable they are. Try it and notice how it makes you feel. It immediately moves me into heart space.  I delight in seeing the sparkle in their eyes or their body relax into goodness. What an easy way to make the world a better place. Metal is the element of autumn. Theme of the season is value, worth, letting go of that which no longer serves, honoring our grief, integrity, … Continue reading →