Summer

Fire Element

Fire time is summer time. Right now in my part of the world, it's hard not to notice the sun we’ve been touched by. Of course the sun is present every day – and it’s closer now, the days are brighter, it remains light longer and it's hot outside!

How has the sun influenced you this season? I notice myself and my neighbors being out doors more – kids playing basketball in the street, the clinks of glasses as people dine and enjoy each other’s company in their backyards, the scorched smell of bbqs, intermingled with the rich scent of roses in bloom. I’m inspired by the sun kissed faces of people arriving for their acupuncture treatments. Generally, the feeling is an optimistic and spirits are joyful.

Nothing we know would exist without the sun and it’s fire.

The Fire Element is about connection. It is warmth, emotionally, physically, spiritually. The Fire meridians are the Heart, Pericardium/Heart Protector, The San Jiao/Triple Heater, and the Small Intestine.

Our Hearts are our connection with Source Fire – some of us call it God, other’s may call it Divinity – the Source of Life - and what keeps us going through the rhythmic beating of the heart.

The Pericardium is literally the sheath that surrounds the heart – it’s a protective barrier, regulating what’s allowed into our hearts. For some of us we “wear our hearts on our sleeves” – we’re sensitive - stuff gets in and hurt us – the negative comment we internalize. Others of us are closed off, from the beauty and the potential pain.

The Triple Heater is how we circulate our warmth – with ourselves, with others. Perhaps we connect easily or maybe we require coaxing to share a smile or compliment (love). My friend Dan IS a Triple Heater character. He’s not the traditional “life of a party,” dancing on the table and blasting out a “WHOO HOO" at the perfect time (for that think Heart). Dan, instead, is a most wonderful host. He attends to each guest, insuring our comfort. “Could I bring you something more to drink, something to eat?” Dan ‘s gift is to make each person feel welcomed and special. Dan’s parties are warm, wonderful.

The Small Intestine. It’s function on a physical level is symbolic. It’s the sorter of the pure from the impure. The stomach digests while the small intestine further refines sending the pure energy to other aspects of the body. The Small Intestine sorts out the impure digest such as a hurtful or negative comment – rather than let it pollute us, it determines what we let go of. A well functioning small intestine allows one to see the remark as impure and unworthy of ‘taking in’ - and so sends it to the Large Intestine for moving out of the body, mind or spirit.

The Fire element is vast and integral to life – just as there are many different sorts of fire – the blazing inferno/surface of the sun or the soft relaxing embers left in the campfire late in the night. We can hear the fire element in the birds chirping at first light, children playing and laughing fully immersed in life, or on the 4th of July when the explosions blast sparkles into the dark sky.

Spring-time, great esteem, depression, growth and expansion

Today, it truly is SPRING! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the flowering cherry is in full splendor – packed with pink, delicate snow-like petals. I’m inspired to breathe it in and let the moment resonate in my body. Better already.

The Wood element corresponds with the season of spring. Wood associations include the color green - likely because everything is growing. Wood energy involves the liver and gallbladder organs and meridians. The virtue of the wood element is moving upward, growth and unstoppable birth.

The wood energetic can be feisty, active, and even explosive in it’s directionality. The pop- culture example is Kramer from Seinfeld. Can you see him bursting through Jerry’s door, his energy anything BUT subtle, his body is tall (upwardly directed) and lanky? Even Kramer's hair stands at attention! Creative ideas also spring forth from Wood energy – this is also exemplified in Kramer. He’s always coming up some (crazy) plan.

Wood’s emotion is anger.

Anger? We’re not supposed to be angry – the word, the thought, usually makes us slink away.

What is anger? According to the Five Element framework, anger, the emotion of wood, is a boundary. A positive NO is powerful and useful when used rightly: No, I will not stand for that. Gandhi used the power of a positive no. I will not be a slave. His powerful "No" was enough to defeat an entire army. He was clear in his vision of freedom for himself, his countrymen and women. Gandhi's anger was righteously expressed. He didn’t need to get ’mad’ because his vision was so clear. His boundary, impervious.

A relative of mine was recently talking about practicing saying "no," -- looking in the mirror and saying "No." She said it was empowering.

What does anger look like unexpressed? Resentment, depression. Resentment is a deep, festering irritant. It creates toxicity in the body which leads to many problems – depression is one way in which anger wrongly-expressed manifests.

One way to move through resentment or depression is to move the energy. Maybe practice saying 'No' in the mirror like my cousin did. Take it a step further and say 'no' someone who you need to say 'no' to.

So many of us do things we don't want to against our own sight of what's right. We think we need to - do or be or have - not because it's what we want. Is it because of (perceived) outside expectations? To be liked? Agreeable? Maybe it seems easier (but it isn't really)? Maybe it's because we're afraid. When in doubt, consult your heart - what your heart say? The heart receives information (conscience, guidance) and sends the information to the Liver (planner) and Gallbladder (decision maker). They're responsible for the doing and the growing, the action. The clearer the information the better.

So, the wood element encompasses growth, focus, drive, boundaries, rules, competition, aggression, power, control, domination, enforcement, patience, forgiveness, justice, seeing points of view, future – development and growth.

Great Esteem – first acupuncture point on the liver meridian I have used like magic for depression. One patient, Anne, harshly judged others, and of course, herself. She seemed to feel small, yet, KNEW she wasn’t small. Anne was a perfectionist, smart, and had a high ideal for how things ‘should’ be. Anne thought her home should be like the photos in Martha Stewart's magazine. Maybe Anne knew that such pictures are staged and clearly not real or lived in, yet she compared.

Falling short of her ideal led Anne to more self criticism and depression - a downward spiral. Anne lived in a nice home, with nice furnishings, and, her judgment – reflecting outward created a disdain for people - mostly directed at co-workers (she didn't have much of a social life).

In truth, Anne was lonely. She was stifled and stagnant in her creativity (life) which led her on a cycle of inaction: go to work, come home, watch tv until she fell asleep and do it over again. She didn't really enjoy her job but felt the stability wasn't something she could change. Anne was saying 'no' to her-Self instead of to overtime at work or to Martha Stewart's magazine.

With treatments and the point Great Esteem, Anne's energy shifted. Acupuncture shook up the energy and seemed to inspire Anne toward the creative things she used to love -- she turned an old dress into pillows for her couch. She pulled out cookbooks and started cooking again - feeding herself inspiration. Anne took action and expanded her vision of who she is - she started to remember that she's funny and likable, she reached out to old friends and family who she'd cut herself off from. Moving the stagnancy fed Anne's creativity, her ability to have fun in life and her sense of who She really is.

At the Breast - the Earth Element and Mother

The Art of Being Mother

The Earth Element is the time of late summer. Earth time is when richness—fruits of labor—hang plump on the vine. Nature is near the end of her summer cycle and labor invested in the season has grown ripe and ready for harvest.

See a busy canning kitchen with huge baskets overflowing with ripe tomatoes, overwhelming piles of basil to be dried or made into pesto, golden peaches already processed and smiling from inside their jars. Here the sweet tastes of summer line the shelf, waiting their turn to nourish us come winter when we need reminders of sunshine and when we long for the tastes of summer.

Singer Greg Brown has a song that goes "Peaches on the shelf, potatoes in the bin, taste a little of the summer, my grandmother put it all in jars…." (Canned Goods is the name of the song).

After a day of canning, I recall feeling that exhausted satisfaction associated with a full day's work. My harvest: a lineup of colorful jars. The sun low on the horizon and the landscaped bathed in gold—the magic hour. A warm breeze carrying the fragrance of ripe blackberries. There sitting, as the sun sets with feet up, breathing it all in. Perfect contentment.

THAT is the energetic of the Earth. There is a motherly femininity to it.

The stomach and spleen meridians correspond to the Earth element. The stomach rules the processing, churning, digesting of food—literal and symbolic—it assists us in digesting ideas, processing thoughts and experiences.

There is a point located on the head called "Head Tied"—indicated when thoughts go around fast like the spin-cycle. This point can help us out of that mental go-round. For some of us, when we can't move onto actual digestion, there we find ourselves - churning incessantly in 'pre-digest' mode. Another point is called "Abundant Splendor." It allows us to receive a harvest when we're feeling discontent, unable to take in or acknowledge our harvests and accomplishments in life. Being in touch with the earth element reminds us that there is abundance in nature. How splendid that fruit grows on trees!

The Stomach meridian flows right through the center of the breast, where most of us receive our first nourishment in life.

One of my most astonishing acupuncture experiences was working with a woman just days after she delivered her first child. "Elizabeth" had labored for 22 hours before reluctantly agreeing to a C-Section. The laboring is important as it serves to signal the child and the mother's body onto the next process. It was Elizabeth's great wish to have a healthy baby and she wanted a vaginal birth.

From the C-section, she moved slowly since the stitches were still red and healing. She was hard on herself, feeling like she'd failed a "real" delivery. A few days after birth, Elizabeth was producing very small amounts of colostrum—her milk hadn't yet come in. The baby was eager to be fed. Feeding was a struggle for both of them; he cried, hungry and frustrated. She, too, was overwhelmed, frustrated and tired.

After a visit to the midwife, Elizabeth was told the baby was losing weight and if her milk did not come in very soon, she would have to consider an alternative. Interestingly, there are groups of women so devoted to mother's milk that moms with too much send their milk to mother's producing too little. As a last resort, formula...

Elizabeth hated the idea of formula. When available, mother's milk is of course baby's best source of nourishment, physical and emotional. Feeding is a time for mother and child to bond: mother stroking baby's forehead and admiring his little toes, watching him lovingly suckle and slurp and gulp is perhaps some of the most precious, loving and welcoming time we have in life. Certainly it's a wonderful beginning.

Breast feeding is good for mother physically too, the suckling assists the uterus in shrinking back to size and milk production burns a lot of calories, helping mom lose her "baby weight."

Elizabeth's midwife recommended a breast pump to measure how much her baby was getting. At first she was just producing very small amounts, just an ounce.

While Elizabeth pumped, I gave her an acupuncture treatment to stimulate the Earth element. I also touched the small intestine point called "Assembly of Ancestors," energetically calling upon grandmothers to help out and, in this application, calm mom and let her know that this process of birthing children has safely and successfully been going on for generations! Mothers need mothering support, too.

In an instant, Elizabeth's milk flowed! 2oz, then 5oz, and 8oz!

The mood at Elizabeth's house completely turned around. Tears and frustration turned to relief and appreciation! Just like when we're hungry and discontent, after a delicious meal, we're fed, satisfied and content.

Elizabeth acknowledged her harvest—the gorgeous little being she'd nurtured and eagerly awaited for the past 9 months. In the following days, baby began to plump up beautifully. Elizabeth let go of the perceived "failure" of C-section delivery and moved with ease to the next stage of her life: mommy!

Yin Yang and Sexuality

Yin and Yang (pronounced yong) of Sexuality

What is yin? Yin is cool, dark, moist, slow, receptive, estrogen. It literally translates to the shady side of the mountain.

What is yang? Yang is warm, light, dry, fast, initiative, active, testosterone. Literally, the sunny side of the mountain.

Yin and Yang are continuums. Depending upon the time of day and season, one side of the mountain is sunny while the other side is shady. A sleeping child is 'more yin' than a screaming child. A blazing fire is yin compared to the surface of the sun.

Although women are 'more' yin, of course, we also initiate and are warm. Likewise, men, while 'more' yang, can be receptive and cool.

The sexual organs are an appropriate frame of reference. The vagina is dark and mysterious, moist and soft: receptive, yin. When the penis swells, it is strong, full and dry: active, yang.

In recent years, western medicine has been looking at the influence of the mind and emotions on physical health. The conclusion seems to be that there IS a connection but just how they connect is elusive.

In oriental medicine, the perspective is that the body, mind, emotions (and spirit) are aspects of the whole, similar to how there is yin in yang, and yang in yin–the body, mind, emotion and spirit cannot be separated .

Likewise, the 'world out there' is the same as the 'world inside" --- literally and figuratively.

Have you ever noticed, depending upon where you're at, the character of people changes. In South Beach, Florida, it's hot outside – people tend toward being flashy, scantily clad. In Portland, Oregon, even in the hottest days of the year, it would be a shocking to witness a young woman walking down the street in just a bikini. Portland's geography, it sits in a valley (yin) – nestled between two mountain ranges. Miami is 'more yang' than Portland.

How does this translate to sexual health? For each of us it's different.

In one case, I treated a man in his mid-30s with the primary concern of erectile dysfunction (ED). "Sam" had a history of relationships with controlling women and had been single for the past 3 years. He met his sexual needs through masturbation and used pictures to arouse himself. He reported he felt he'd reached a plateau – the images did not stimulate him and he could not hold an erection. He longed for a relationship.

Generally, men are stimulated through direct touch and visual cues. Along generally, women require emotional connection to warm up sexually. With these aspects of relationship present, a man's emotions open more to the woman and the woman's physical connection deepens her emotions.

So, in the case of Sam, it seemed clear to me that his heart (emotional connection) and his kidney (will, strength, the energy to hold an erection) were out of communication. The images took him so far, but without the connection emotionally, there was a breakdown that resulted in the ED. He was nervous about pursuing a relationship with someone he'd recently met for fear of embarrassment at not being able "perform" sexually.

We treated his heart and pericardium (heart protector) meridians (points I chose are located on the arms and legs) to open up the communications between his physical and emotional centers. We touched the point called "outer frontier gate" – about inspiring the sharing of what's in our hearts, appropriately, with others. Likewise, "inner frontier gate" allows one to bring in the love that another is giving.

Sam reported feeling confident to pursue the woman he fancied. He took the relationship slowly, not wanting to make the emotional mistakes he'd made in the past. He reported satisfaction sexually and emotionally. Sam's new girlfriend was not controlling in the ways his past partners had been and he felt a healthy bond with her that continued to grow.

In another case, "Dan" had an emotional bond with his wife of many years, but Dan, in his 60's, was having more physical problems: frequent urination, sleep difficulty, and leg pain. For Dan, we pursued a treatment involving the water element to build up his physical strength – so he could hold his urine and hold his erection, hold himself up (leg pain) as well as rest (sleep) soundly. His virility returned, the ability to hold urine improved, leg pain got better. He felt stronger overall and was again able to sleep well.

Elemental Acupuncture and Smoking Cessation

Many people ask about acupuncture treatment to help them quit smoking. Generally, my response is acupuncture can help one quit, however, one needs to be truly ready to quit smoking. That said.....

An interesting case is a woman I'll call Katie:

In her initial appointment, I asked Katie why she wanted to quit smoking. She reported she felt like a hypocrite - Katie worked as a massage therapist and feared any clients knowing she smoked. How could a someone whose job was to assist with another's health, smoke? She had concerns about the odor, and the toll it was taking on her. She said she'd quit once before.

In asking into why she she started again, she said it was 5 years ago, just after her mother died of a smoking related illness. She'd been about a pack a day smoker since then.

--In Oriental Medicine, the lung is related to the element of Metal and the emotion of grief--

see www.AcupunctureforPortland.com for more information on the 5 Elements

Katie was very emotional when she talked about her mother. Her eyes filled with tears. She said she and her mother were close. While her mother was dying, she was afraid and even said to herself, "I won't have anyone to talk with, once my mother is gone..."

--Katie was still, 5 years later, grieving the loss of her mother --

Her intake form also indicated that she had her jaw replaced two years ago. I asked into that. Katie said her jaw bone literally disintegrated. Her other bones were fine. The damage was severe. She required surgery - bone from her hip was grafted to create a new jaw. All of her teeth were false.

The element of Earth is related to one's mother -- the Earth organs are the stomach and spleen. The Earth element is about physical level digestion as well as the digesting of life experiences. Earth is centering, stabilizing and is about nourishment, harvests, abundance.

I gave Katie an acupuncture treatment focused on the Earth element to help her (re)connect with her mother. I recommended that if she wanted to smoke, it was okay, but if she did, to smoke and thoroughly enjoy it. Feel how it feels, the smoke coming into the lung. Indeed do nothing but be present with the cigarette. No reading the paper or talking on the phone. "Be with yourself and the cigarette." Katie agreed.

At our appointment the next week, Katie reported between the sessions, she'd smoked just 3 cigarettes. She realized they did not taste good and she didn't actually 'enjoy' them.

It was immediately clear to me, and to Katie, her smoking was not a physical addiction, it was emotional and related to her grief. Katie saw this and was transformed.

I treated Katie 5 or 6 more times, each time touching the Element that struck me. The Water Element, for foundation, her bones and jaw. Water rules the bones, our ancestors and genetics. The Water also offered support in Katie's loving and forgiving herself.

Katie noticed the connection and power of her words "I won't have anyone to talk with anymore, after my mother dies"... The jaw, of course, being integral to communication - had dissolved. Katie hosted a party and connected with her siblings and friends.

At one point, after some progress, I gave her an acupuncture point called "Great Oneness" - a point on the Earth element. I explained the poetry behind the point: Great Oneness offers the gift and image of a child at her mother's breast. The child being nourished and enveloped by her mother's love. Picture the mother and child connected. Mother and Child are One. Katie felt the connection with her mother and wept during her treatment. The grief was letting go. It resounded in her and she responded.

We talked about the Lung and how the Lung is about taking in (Inspiration, literal and symbolic) and letting go, exhale.

When there is nothing, one strives to fill up the emptiness. Katie said saw how she smoked to connect with her mother -- one of her mother's "less inspiring behaviors," she said. Katie said her mother loved to knit. Katie decided to take up knitting as a way of allowing her mother's love to live through her.

She stopped smoking, when she was ready. And, most importantly, Katie healed.