Enrico Sassi – Chinese Medicine, holistic and bionatural disciplines https://www.medicina-cinese.it/ https://www.laghianda.org/
Combating the Summer Heat with Chinese Medicine:
Summer is the season of Fire Element (Traditional Chinese Medicine), the most Yang of the phases of the annual cycle. This season is characterized by expansion, outward movement, warmth, light, enthusiasm, and connection. However, all this Fire, if left unchecked, burns.
External Fire, in fact, is reflected in internal heat, and if the proper balance is not found, heat becomes a pathogenic factor, with symptoms that indicate:
– Excessive sweating;
– Palpitations and agitation;
– Insomnia or restless sleep;
– Dry mouth and intense thirst;
– Intense fatigue, especially during the hottest hours;
– Red tongue, sometimes with a red tip;
– Dry stools, concentrated urine.
The organ that reigns in summer is the Heart, associated with joy, but also vulnerable to emotional and thermal excesses. Its accompanying organ is the Small Intestine, responsible for distinguishing the pure from the impure.
And it is precisely from this discernment that healing can begin.
According to TCM, as in Western medicine, heat-related fatigue is a condition in which Qi (energy) and bodily fluids (Jin Ye) are consumed. Sweat draws in not only water but also Yang Qi.
In some cases, this leads to depletion of Heart Qi and Yin; in others, it leads to depletion of Lung Yin or a weakening of the Spleen, which has difficulty transforming and transporting accumulated moisture.
Heat consumes;
Dampness blocks;
Emotional Fire agitates;
And the soul becomes weary.
In these cases, the strategy is to restore the balance of Fire, not by extinguishing it, but by regulating it.
To achieve this, the fundamental therapeutic principles are:
1. Clearing Summer Heat (qing shu, 清暑 );
2. Tonifying Qi (bu qi, 补气 ); 3. Nourishing Yin (yang yin, 养阴 );
4. Cooling Blood (liang xue, 凉血 );
5. Strengthening the Spleen (jian pi, 健脾 ). The 5 most effective acupuncture points for heat and fatigue, which can be treated with acupuncture or acupressure (including self-massage), are:
1. PC6 – Neiguan (Inner Gate):
Pericardium Meridian
Location: 2 cun above the wrist, between the flexor tendons.
Action: Calms the Heart, cools the Blood, and harmonizes Thoracic Qi.
Symbol: A hand calming the storm.
2. ST36 – Zusanli (Three Miles of the Foot):
Stomach Meridian
Location: 3 cun below the lower border of the kneecap, next to the shinbone.
Action: Tonifies Qi and Blood, strengthens the Spleen, and helps restore energy.
Symbol: The path that regenerates, even in heat.
3. LI11 – Quchi (Bend Pool):
Large Intestine Meridian
Location: Bend of the elbow, radial side;
Action: Disperses heat, reduces fever, purifies the blood;
Symbol: A pool that welcomes and transforms fire.
4. KI3 – Taixi (Great Stream):
Kidney Meridian
Location: Between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon;
Action: Nourishes yin, cools empty heat, grounds the spirit;
Symbol: A cool shade at the foot of a mountain.
5. HT7 – Shenmen (Gate of the Spirit):
Heart Meridian
Location: Crease of the wrist, side of the little finger;
Action: Calms the Shen (spirit), harmonizes the heart, relieves anxiety and insomnia;
Symbol: A door leading to a water garden.
In addition to individual points, it is useful to work the meridians systematically:
Heart Meridian (HM): to protect the Shen and regulate heat;
Kidney Meridian (KID): to ground energy and support Yin;
Spleen Meridian (SMR): to transform moisture and strengthen the center;
Lung Meridian (LUN): to regulate sweating and fluid balance;
Sanjiao Meridian (Triple Warmer): to harmonize the three energy levels.
Daily activities that can help:
Deep, long breaths
Practice Summer Qi Gong: slow, circular movements that open the chest and move the diaphragm. Expands and reunites.
Imitates a beating heart, not a racing one.
Yin and Hydrating Diet
Promote cool, moist foods, such as:
Watermelon, cucumber, melon;
green mung beans, lettuce, pears;
hot green tea or chrysanthemum infusions.
Avoid:
fried foods, spices, alcohol, red meat;
excessively cold foods and drinks (they damage the spleen).
Traditional Teas and Decoctions
A tea with lotus, jujube, and kudzu root can tonify Yin and calm Heat.
Some solutions suggested by other holistic traditions:
Ayurveda: recommends cooling Pitta fire with coconut oil, aloe vera, and sandalwood.
Using cold (not ice-cold) water on the wrists, neck, and feet is very effective.
Cooling pranayamas like Sheetali help cool the mind and body.
Naturopathy: Suggests the use of trace elements like magnesium and potassium to replenish lost minerals, and flower remedies (such as elm or olive) for fatigue. Aromatherapy: Peppermint, lavender, and lemon, diffused or applied diluted to the wrists and temples.
Foot reflexology: Massaging the solar plexus, heart, and kidneys to promote energy recovery.
In essence, summer tests us, like the midday sun that often forces us to slow down.
But this test holds a valuable lesson: learning the art of doing nothing, of conserving inner energy, of letting nature take its course.
We need to nurture our relationships: between ourselves and time, between ourselves and the climate, between ourselves and that part of us that, though exhausted, has not stopped seeking freshness in the heart of the world.
Listen to yourself. Ground yourself. Breathe. As an ancient master from the south said:
“When heat invades you, don’t fight it: let it flow… and let it go like a leaf in the wind.”
Beneath your warm skin, the water of balance always pulses, calm and deep.
Just stop. Touch it. And drink.
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