Ritual of Fire

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  FIRE RITUALS   Ancient cultures have recognized the power of FIRE with prayer and reverence. Fire has the power to destroy our homes and the life giving, usefulness to cook our food. It is a force of destruction, creation, and purification. In Sanskrit, Fire, or Agni , is one of the five basic elements of creation and is the dominant element of the Ayruveda Pitta dosha. Pitta dosha is composed of a mind and body that are made up of the two elements, fire and water. An out of balance, or out of control fire element, leads to mental … 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 →

Superfood Kiwi at AOW

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN OUR KIWI FRUIT AT AOW IS READY FOR U-PICK! Watch this blog, Facebook and Instagram for updates on the kiwi crop! Weather permitting:  Wednesday, August 28, 2019, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. While we wait for this superfood to ripen, lets talk a bit about this amazing fruit, its nutritional benefits, and why you should rush on over to AOW and take advantage of this locally grown food resource. The kiwi, or Chinese gooseberry, is the edible berry of the woody, vine plant, genus Actinidia. Kiwi helps fight infections because they are full of vitamin … 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 →

F6: Triple Burner

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

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 →

F5: Fun in the Sun!

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Fun in the Sun! The warmth and sun of the summer season invite us outdoors to soak up some sunshine and gather poolside, by one of Alabama’s many beautiful lakes, and along our sugary white, sandy beaches.  Recent research suggests that sun exposure has both beneficial and harmful effects on human health. Be aware you are also being exposed to the rays of this giant, yellow, dwarf star regularly as you travel for work and for play. Public health information, dermatologists, and the media focus on over exposure to the sun and what happens when the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation … 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 →