Category Archives: summer

Fire – Discover Divine Purpose

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Fire – Discover Divine Purpose. True alignment with your divine purpose is not a permanent state of calm, nor is it an escape from the grit of the human experience. Traditional wisdom from ancient cultures teaches us that purpose is not a destination, but a way of moving through the entire spectrum of human emotion.   We often mistake spiritual alignment for endless positivity, yet the oldest traditions view grief, anger, fear, and joy as equally sacred messengers.   In the crucible of daily life, full-spectrum living means allowing yourself to feel deeply without losing your center.   Traditional wisdom … Continue reading →

Fire – Cool down with cucumbers or watermelon

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Fire – Cool down with cucumbers or watermelon   Balancing Your Heat: Top Cooling Foods for Vitality In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), optimal health relies on the balance of Yin (cool, moistening) and Yang (warm, activating) energies. When your body accumulates excess heat—whether from stress, hot weather, or spicy foods—you might experience symptoms like acne, irritability, dry mouth and skin, or constipation. To restore harmony, TCM recommends consuming “cooling” (Han) and “cool” (Liang) foods to clear internal heat and generate fluids. Here are five essential TCM cooling foods to add to your diet: Cucumber: Clears heat, detoxifies, and promotes fluid … Continue reading →

Fire – Hug heart to heart

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Fire – Hug heart to heart   The hug Next time you go in for or are receiving a hug, take note.  Do you lean in left shoulder to left shoulder, right shoulder to right shoulder or reach for the waist with a side hug? Are you comfortable with a hug? Were you raised with hugs? How long is your natural hug? Do you want to practice hugging?   Word Origin Etymologically, “hug” is thought to come from the Old Norse word hugga, which translates to “to comfort or console”.   A lesson from one of my clinical mentors in … Continue reading →

Fire – Laughter is therapy

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Fire – Laughter is therapy     The summer season belongs to the Fire element in Chinese Medicine. This vibrant energy governs the Heart, the organ responsible for circulation, mental clarity, and housing our spirit, known as the Shen.   When Fire is balanced, we feel joyful, connected, and full of life. When it burns too hot, it manifests as anxiety, insomnia, or restlessness.   Laughter is the ultimate medicine to keep this seasonal Fire in perfect harmony. In TCM, every organ system associates with a specific sound and emotion.   The sound of the Heart is laughter, and its … Continue reading →

Fire – Schedule mid day Siestas

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Schedule mid day Siestas.   Summer is the apex of the seasons. Temperatures run hot. Energy requirements run high for travels, social gathers, family & friend time. Making time for a mid day pause is a habit that recharges and regenerates for the adventure packed day and fun filled evening ahead. How to spend that currency of quiet is custom designed by you. 15 minute power nap 10 minutes of following your breath 20 minute body scan guided meditation zoning out, eyes closed, falling into the quiet choiceless awareness yoga nidra legs up the wall for lymph support   There … Continue reading →

Fire – Love Heals. Period.

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Love Heals. Period. A shout-out to those beloveds that offer and receive unconditional love. I’m blessed with so much love. It’s a mighty power. Relationships are the theme for the fire season of summer. Did you know you become like the 5 people you spend the most time with? Let that sink in. Yes, you become like them. Choose wisely. I choose heart. I choose integrity. I choose passion, honesty, kindness, presence. What do you choose? With love and all the while, I am super picky about my close-ins and with whom I spend my precious time. #elementwisdomcards #fire #naturopathicdoctor #tcm #fiveelements #love #relationshipcoaching #friends #coworkers

Continue reading →

Fire – Burn Bright Beautiful One

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Boundaries with Dignity = Self Love 💗 People treat you the way you allow them to treat you. The pericardium, heart protector, may be injured with boundary violations like rape or incest or with trauma like divorce or heartbreak. If you struggle with setting or holding healthy boundaries or it appears that your boundaries are frequently being challenged, look inward AND outward. It is a self love practice. If you are still confused ask yourself: how does it feel if my daughter was being treated in this manner/allowing this situation? How does it feel if my best friend was? Then … Continue reading →

Fire – Shine your light

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Choose integrity in relationships ever single time. If they have been holding you secret- run. If you have been holding shadow secrets – shine your light. Is it ‘jealousy’ or is it intuition? Cut the drama. Cut the cord. Claim your honor. Pierce the Matrix. If you need support, contact me. Let acupuncture release your inner Viking.

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 →