Although many countries are still in the grip of icy winter weather in February and March, according to Chinese Lunar Calendar, Spring season normally begins around Chinese Lunar New Year that usually falls in between late January and early February. Chinese call it “Spring Begins.”
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), every solar term of nature has a name, which is connected with the symbiosis of life and the nature. Spring is the season full of vitality, and the beginning of Spring is known as the resurrection of all creatures on Earth. The biological mechanism changes from the negative energy of sinking and consolidation in Winter to the positive energy of activity in Spring; all creatures become energetic.
When Spring arrives, the seasonal clock in the human body also activates and puts into practice simultaneously. TCM believes that the increased activity of human’s vitality and body fluids are reflected by the gradual enhancement of the function of body mechanism. “Yang-Qi (vital energy) of nature are reflected by the liver function of human being,” TCM Practitioners said. “The Liver-Qi not only arouses the whole metabolic performances in human body to promote the vitality, but also activates the function of brain to search for more possibilities.”
Having said that, the fluctuation between hot and cold weather in Spring also causes unbalanced organ function, which leads to uncomfortable body as well as mind. For body, as the high humidity causes dampness in the spleen and stomach, the function of our digestive system will be weakened. Symptoms include tasteless mouth without thirst; poor appetite; abdominal bloating; pulpy stools; and heavy and tired body.
At this point, we should avoid cold and fatty foods to reduce the burden on the stomach. It is because while cold foods require much more energy to digest as the stomach needs to warm them before they can be used, fat on the other hand takes more time to digest and stays in the stomach longer, causing gas to build up there.
Otherwise, if we let our digestive function continue to deteriorate, we will have insufficient production of blood, jeopardizing the liver function of storing and regulating the blood. As a result? Not only our body will be affected and causes dry eyes, dizziness, and stiff locomotion, our mind will also encounter tiredness and difficulty to concentrate.
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