Category Archives: Five Elements

Metal: guest blog GS -Sound Medicine/Gong Therapy

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Welcome Fall With Gong Therapy by Gillian Shapiro Family Herbalist, Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Gong Therapy Practitioner, Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Instructor, Reiki Practitoner, GriefYogaTM Instructor We have entered Fall season in the Western hemisphere, a season dominated by the vata dosha. Vata is one of the three doshas or constitutions according to the ancient science of Ayurveda, the sister science to Yoga which is over 5000 years old. The word “Ayurveda” means “science of life”. All of us are made up of a blend of the elements of fire, water, air, ether and earth. In Ayurveda. these elements are categorized … Continue reading →

Return to Earth Autumn Equinox

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

RETURN TO EARTH ELEMENT Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor. –Irish proverb Autumn is right around the corner for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere, while the folks in the Southern Hemisphere are preparing for warmer, spring weather.  In 2019, the Autumnal Equinox arrives on Monday, September 23, at 3:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. The autumn equinox happens at the same moment worldwide marking the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. After the autumnal equinox, nights begin to grow longer than the days until the winter solstice in December, when the days start to … Continue reading →

Herbal Vinegars starring Pepper Sauce

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

HERBAL INFUSED VINEGARS starring pepper sauce on greens! For centuries, healers and households relied on vinegars to both preserve foods and supplement diet and medicines.  Vinegar is a household staple as a health tonic with multiple medical uses. It is used as a treatment for allergies, flu, sore throat, acid reflux, gout, and other ailments. Some of the more common uses include: Antiseptic Vinegar is an antiseptic that is used to treat a variety of infectious and noninfectious conditions including the treatment of boils, acne, and minor cuts, scrapes and burns. Since it is antibacterial and antifungal, taking apple cider … Continue reading →

Pericardium The Heart Protector

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  Pericardium The Heart Protector (Xin-Bao) 心包 The fire element, which peaks during the summer season, not only governs the heart but also the small intestine, triple burner and the PERICARDIUM. WHAT IS THE PERICARDIUM? The word pericardium is derived from Latin Peri (around) and Cardium (heart). Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as the “Heart Protector” or “Circulation-Sex” Meridian, the pericardium is associated with the FIRE element and the HEART. The pericardium protects the heart from emotional trauma, constricts the chest to protect the heart, and helps to express the joy of the heart. The pericardium protects the heart … Continue reading →

F7: Top 5 Summer Wellness Tips

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Summer Wellness Tips for this Fire Season The Five Elements system is ancient and comprises a holistic way of approaching health and wellness that organizes all natural phenomena into five groups. The five groups, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, each have an association with a season, a direction, climate, organs, emotion, taste, color, and sound among many, many, many other associations. Each element pushes and pulls the natural order of our bodies into states of excess or deficiency. This approach is to ensures that there is balance with no disharmony between the elemental factors. For this week’s blog, we … Continue reading →

F4: Separator of the Pure from the Impure

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

SMALL INTESTINES THE SEPARATOR OF PURE FROM IMPURE             As most of the planet is enduring and even setting heat records during the peak of the fiery summer season, in the Southern U.S., we are experiencing an unseasonably cool period this week.  Here we continue with our seasonal theme of the fire element and the elemental organ system. The element of fire embodies the bright, light, energetic essence of yang. However, fire without the grounding influence of Earth easily flares out of control.  The 2nd century dictionary Shuowen jiezi defines the heart as an Earth element, predating the concept of Heart … Continue reading →

F3: Summer Stones Guest Clarissa Boggess, HMCCH

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Healing Stones of Summer by Clarissa Boggess, HMCCH Our natural state is to move in rhythm with the seasonal tides. Summertime brings with it a desire to immerse ourselves in the lush splendor of nature and revel in the joy of life. Like the world around us, we lean into the Solar energies of playfulness, growth, expansion, and manifestation; welcoming the season of fiery transformation! During these long, jubilant days, the heavy air can feel nearly electric with the flurry of activity around us. Balmy nights bring with them a choir of insects and frogs exalting in the all too … Continue reading →

F2: Bless Your Heart

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

BLESS YOUR HEART “If the spirit is at peace, the heart is in  harmony;  when  the  heart  is  in  harmony,  the body  is  whole;  if  the  spirit  becomes  aggravated the heart wavers, and when the heart wavers the body  becomes  injured;  if  one  seeks  to  heal  the physical  body,  therefore,  one  needs  to  regulate the  spirit  first.” ~ Liu Zhou, a 6th century Chinese philosopher. Every organ in our bodies has functions and responsibilities. Some are physical while others are psychological and spiritual.  The fire element, which peaks during the summer season, governs the HEART as well as the small … Continue reading →

F1: Summer Fire!

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

SUMMER FIRE! THE SEASON OF JOY Summer, ahh sweet summertime ~ this season of joy is not surprisingly associated with the element of fire. Summer’s fire ignites life! It’s an exciting time of year as our gardens mature with flowers, fruits, and vegetables during these long, hot, summer days. It is the season for adventures and activity; a time when our yang energy is at its peak. Summer’s fire spreads warmth, fosters growth, and expresses itself as life in full bloom. The fire element, in our bodies, governs the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and triple burner. In balance, fire manifests as joy … Continue reading →

E5: Happy Summer Solstice!

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Happy Summer Solstice! (xià zhì夏至) It’s the longest day of the year so let’s celebrate the start of summer! The summer solstice happens between June 20 and 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the start of summer and the point when days start to become shorter and nights longer. The summer solstice is not the same day and time every year because the calendar does not exactly correspond to the Earth’s rotation. For 2019, here in Alabama, the Sun reached its greatest height in the sky on June 21 at 10:54 a.m. Central Time.   We are technically still in … Continue reading →