Tuning into Spring with Acupuncture
Spring and Summer Wellbeing
It’s here, finally. The sun has arrived (well, in dribs and drabs.) But what a mixed bag spring has been so far! Similar to autumn, spring is an important time to pay attention to our health as we transition from one season to the next as sometimes going from one extreme type of weather such as freezing cold and damp temperatures to warm and windy can play havoc with our body. Not only that, similar to autumn, spring is also a time when there’s lots of bugs and viruses around – that’s often because the temperature reaches that sweet spot that viruses seem to thrive in! However, we can do a range of things to ensure we’re keeping well as we edge into - dare we say it - summer…
Preparation for Spring and Summer
Now’s a good time to review your health. Winter can sometimes stiffen our spirits and it may take a little time to unfurl and break into spring’s new pace. Incorporating seasonal fruit and veg, drinking plenty of water, reducing caffeine, sugar and alcohol consumption are all health choices any time of year. Here are also a few vitamins you might like to incorporate this season:
- Vitamin A helps with immune system function
- Vitamin B can be easily lost during warm weather through sweating and so some people like to take this during the warmer months in particular
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin) are crucial in spring as they protect your body from sun damage while also giving you energy for physical activity
- Vitamin B6 and B12 are also recommended during outdoor spring activities as they support the production of red blood cells and ensure the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system
- Vitamin C is a good all-rounder for many things but it also enhances collagen production which helps protect the skin from sun damage
- Vitamin D: As a nation we don’t get enough Vitamin D during October – May, so keep taking this for a little while to support your bones, teeth and muscles until the sun really kicks in!
- Vitamin E supplements help with energy levels and it’s also an antioxidant and can help delay sun damage.
Vitamin Testing
It’s good idea to have your vitamin levels tested via your GP. You can explore this in more detail with a Nutritional Therapist. Katie Wheaton our in-house Nutritional Therapist can give you a spring/summer MOT and advise on supplements and other spring wellness advice.
Spring = Wood Energy in Chinese Medicine
In Chinese medicine we use the different elements to understand how the body and mind presents itself. There are five elements including: Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal and Water. The Spring time is associated with Wood element, which symbolises the energy of growth, change, and ‘pushing through’. Wood is a very active energy that allows for a lot of movement and progress, both internally and externally. In Spring, we may have more energy to get moving on projects, for example, hence the classic “spring cleaning.”
It is a good time of year to work on any blockages. We want to get things moving so we can have access to all that great energy. Spring is a time of action, change and rebirth.
The elements are also often associated with body organs and the Wood element represents the liver and the gall bladder. Some believe that the liver function is considered to be the central point where we create our vision of the future, whereas the liver is known to be where we get our energy for strategic planning, and the Gall Bladder is where we make our decisions and judge wisely.
In acupuncture we can include a range of points during the spring to give you a boost, just one way to get you through final stages of winter, and the early unpredictable stages of spring, to help you ‘push through’ like a seedling into a new season and a new way of being.
Spring viruses are more prevalent this time of year, and so, in acupuncture we can also include a range of points to help with immunity and to fight off infection. The damp weather is a breeding ground for viruses and so do ask your acupuncturist about points to support immunity.
Lastly, spring is often associated with creativity. Many people find their creativity returns in this season and acupuncture can be used to harness this energy, harnessing and expanding it to lead you to more creative.
Again, the wonderful thing about acupuncture is that you can have a range of different points in one session to help with a number of things. Regardless of whether you’re having acupuncture to aid sleep, support another condition or to manage pain, we can add a few spring-themed points during your treatment.
What’s a Multi-Bed?
You might like to try one of Treat’s Multi Bed sessions which works out to be even more affordable (currently £38 for a 70 min session). A multi-bed is where you have an acupuncture treatment in the same room as other people, and the cost per session is cheaper. This is what a Multi Bed looks like:
It’s a very welcoming space with gentle music, soft lighting and a relaxed atmosphere. Also, many believe that one of the best things about the multi-bed is that you are able to tune into the energy surrounding you – people are treated together and can get a sense of the heightened energy of healing at work in the room. A lovely Zen-like space to be this spring.
Book A Session Before You Feel Run-Down
A ‘spring tune up’ acupuncture session can also be a really helpful way if you’re on the verge of feeling run down. Your acupuncturist will conduct a simple pulse diagnosis, where they listen to your pulse to assess which areas of your body that need supporting. A session can often prevent you from becoming unwell, and if you’re already feeling rundown, it can reduce the impact virus from ripening.
About Treat
Treat is a Norwich-based Health & Wellbeing Clinic. Founder and acupuncturist - Rebecca Geanty - started Norwich Acupuncture Rooms in 2011, and which has now evolved into Treat, and located at the old Dyers Arm pub on Lawson Road in NR3. Today Treat therapists offer over 50 different health and wellbeing therapies, beauty therapies and Fusion Treatments.
