Tag Archives: Spleen

Earth: Develop an environment of deep trust

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  Earth:     Lǎo shànrén kàn wǒ xìn shí. Wǒ xìn shí. 老善人看我信实。我信实。 Cleansing doubt & blame. Affirming信实xìn shí, the virtue of deep trust, integrity & trustworthiness. ~Confucian Chant, 500BCE Trust (n) As early as 1200AD the word traust appears likely originating in the Old Norse referring to help, confidence, support, reliance from sound qualities; religious faith (v) have faith, to rely, make safe and strong *source The emotional spectrum of the Earth element is worry to faith. The organs associated with the Earth element are the spleen, stomach and pancreas. Worry can manifest as blame and doubt, while faith express … Continue reading →

Earth: Down to earth

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

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 →

Soup Cleanse: Butternut

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Soup Cleanse recipes can be found  a few posts back (click here). Wanna dive deeper into the cleanse with spices, soup toppers and self-care actions?  Check back in for our upcoming posts or follow our blog to have the posts delivered to your email Water is the representative element of Winter.  The Kidney Bladder organ pair and the Adrenal glands (as the endocrine extension of the Kidney) are manifestations of Water in the landscape of the human body. *Read about lifestyle practices and self-care actions to take now for best Winter health* This energy of this trio peaks during the … Continue reading →

Soup Cleanse

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Soup Cleanse…….aka a winter reset    The number one question I get in January is “What do you think about this detox kit or that cleanse program or this product? My general answer is Winter is NOT the most harmonious time of the year to detoxify – save it for spring and fall.  And always, always prepare your body for a detox by opening the 5 avenues (emunctories) of elimination  ~ more on that later. Winter is for resting, restoring, dreaming, merging – hibernating in essence. I do understand the desire, even the need to reset after the overindulgence of … Continue reading →

Earth: Spice it up with cardamom

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Spice it up with cardamom. Also known as ShaRen in the Chinese herbal apothecary, cardamom enters the Spleen, Stomach & Kidney meridians. Yes, herbs and spices enter meridians. It is one of the considerations for practitioners when prescribing a formula for a patient. This seed is warm & pungent and functions to ‘wake’ the spleen, remove dampness, promote the circulation of qi and warm these organs. 💫 So…….sleepy spleens, imbalanced stomachs and cold kidneys: this spice is for you! Cardamom is a stellar attraction in my chai tea, delightful brewed with coffee beans and lovely sprinkled on frothed nut milks. … Continue reading →

Earth: Iced drinks shock the spleen

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Iced drinks shock the spleen. Have you ever shared a meal with someone that requests their beverage sans ice? What might they know that you don’t? Cold damages our organs. One of the ways that we can prevent dis-ease and invite balance is to say no to iced beverages and foods. If you check your tongue and it is a bit fuller than it should be or has indentions on the sides you really, really should give up the iced drinks and cold eats. The earth element is faith when balanced and worry when out of balance. Struggling with this … Continue reading →

Return to Earth

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Clicking the grey ‘follow’ envelope above will deliver weekly health and wellness tips to your inbox via our weekly cultivating wellness blog. We are dynamic beings.  We change.  We change under influences such as the seasons, life situation, and our current physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states and even the aging process.  Typically we have main constitution element and a secondary constitutional  (which may be the same or different as the main element). As we become more and more self aware and heal our imbalances, we will manifest and move more freely from one elemental state to the next during the natural generative … Continue reading →

FIRE CREATES EARTH

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Love Heals. Period. In Memoriam In a recent post about Fire pericardium, I introducted you to Dr. Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc.  Rachel passed from this world into the light on the autumn equinox. Her body was diseased with cancer. I’ve included the last message she sent out to her community/tribe below. Rachel was a wayshower of how to reflect and transmute beauty in any situation; she was a beacon of light, a gatherer of women to heal together. I was recently gifted a very special Love Qigong from my dear colleague Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc, when we gathered in Hara Mara, … 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 →

E6: Simple food preparation for transitional times

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

In the South, cooking and eating are central to bringing people together, spending time with loved ones, and developing new friendships.   The seasonal return to the Earth element invites simple methods of food preparation that allow more time for self-love and beloveds.  Golden and earth toned foods like millet, corn, amaranth, rice, garbanzo, golden split mung and soy beans, hazelnuts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, yams, squash, carrots, apricots, and cantaloupe are harmonizing choices.  All root vegetables strengthen our internal Earth.   Keep spices, seasonings and flavors mild during these days of transition and keep food temperatures not too hot and … Continue reading →