Here are some of my favorite ways to support the Earth Element. The tips are appropriate for seasonal wellness and are helpful all year long for constitutional Element Earth types. Want to establish or return to care with Dr Cox? Book here!
Continue reading →Spice it up with Ginger. Meet Fresh Ginger. Nature: warm Taste: slightly sweet, acrid Action: releases exterior, disperses cold: stops cough, alleviates vomiting, regulates migrating motor complex of Small Intestine Skin: promotes urination, reduces edema Affinity: Lung, Spleen & Stomach According to eastern dietetics & herbalism – foods, spices, herbs and medicine have a distinct nature, action, direction & affinity with one or more organs. As we become more familiar with these qualities in some of our familiar foods, we begin to fine tune our eating & drinking to the dynamic rhythms of the season. We also eat … Continue reading →
Did you know that historically the apple was the standard for the taste of sweet? We’ve come a long (not so healthy) way from those days. I love to substitute applesauce in recipes for cakes and pies to create the taste of sweet in healthier ways. Last year, I also perfected a sweet potato pie with just three ingredients: sweet potatoes, butter and coconut. just bake, mash and combine into a nut pie shell. What are your sweet tricks? Sweetness is associated with the Earth Element. Although a touch of sweetness can stimulate the spleen and pancreas, indulging in too … Continue reading →
Down to Earth. What does the phrase ‘down to earth’ mean to you? Earth Writing Exercise Take a moment. Find pen and paper. Transcribe the phrase Down to Earth. Place both feet on the ground. Take three deep breaths, expanding your ribs. Write free associations of what ‘down to earth’ means to you for 90 seconds. Wake the spleen, an earth organ with the exercise below. Repeat the automatic writing exercise. Wake the Spleen With both feet on the ground, raise your left arm. Wake the spleen organ by tapping on your left side, one hand width below the … Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
Triple Burner (San Jiao) 三焦 The fire element, which peaks during the summer season, not only governs the heart but also the small intestine, pericardium, and the TRIPLE BURNER. SO WHAT THE HECK IS A TRIPLE BURNER? Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon defines and discusses (click here) this mysterious organ recognized in Chinese Medicine. The triple burner or triple warmer is a unique concept in Chinese Medicine and there is no similar organ in western medicine. It is a collective term describing the upper, middle, and lower burners. The Chinese word “triple burner” translates … Continue reading →
