Can you take the heat?!
Take a quick look at your Facebook news feed. Undoubtedly, someone is talking about the heat and humidity or posting a picture of their car’s temperature gauge showing 100+F. St. Louisans love talking (complaining?) about the weather!
For some, weather can become an all-consuming matter. A number of individuals suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn year after year. For the vast majority of us, thankfully, extreme temperature conditions are a mere annoyance and a topic of discussion. But this does not necessarily mean weather does not affect us all in some way.
As I have stressed in previous writings, it is so very important to remain pro-active in monitoring your overall personal well-being. Any change in mood is a good indicator. Personally, I know how the heat has the ability to make me feel tired and irritable. Professionally, I have had more patients come in with similar complaints and symptoms. Everyone has been running extra tired and children have been coming in with feelings of nausea and flu-like symptoms. Adults are experiencing more muscle aches and joint pain, similar to arthritis or any other inflammatory disease. So, what can be done about the weather’s overbearing stimulus to our bodies without having to move to Alaska?
Staying cool and hydrated is always a must. I have found myself in the past few weeks having to firmly remind my patients to drink more water. Water! And, no, soda, juice and vodka do not count. The simple act of drinking good ol’ fashion H2O is important because poor circulation caused by dehydration can cause nausea and cramping in your stomach and muscles. Dehydration in conjunction with excessive heat systemically produces symptoms like headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, mental fatigue, mood changes, muscle spasms, and joint pain. And remember, thirst is an indication that your body is already dehydrated.
If you begin to experience any of the above-listed conditions, it is advised to temporarily eliminate nightshade vegetables. (This goes for any inflammatory reaction.) Nightshade vegetables contain a substance called alkaloids, a component in the vegetable that protects it from insects. Alkaloids can have an impact on our nerve, muscle, and digestive function. In addition, due to its ability to affect calcium metabolism, joint function can also be highly compromised. Among the most popular of nightshade vegetables are tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers of all kinds, and spices such as cayenne, paprika, and Tabasco sauce. As I always say, “food can either hurt us or help us.” This is a case where vegetables, what are usually perceived as good foods, can actually hurt us.
Foods that help hydrate and reduce the heat in addition to increasing water intake are: mung bean sprouts, celery, carrot, water chestnut, bamboo shoots, tofu and most fruits and vegetables. Although beware of excessive fruit consumption which can imbalance your blood sugar and cause loose stools in persons with weak digestion.
I also recommend the use of acupuncture. Acupuncture can do wonders during these long summer months. Acupuncture points like LI 11 and LI 4 can reduce fever and body temperature. Points such as LU 7 and KD 6 nourish the body fluids, adjust and cool the lungs. Acupuncture needles also mobilize the body’s own defenses, improve blood flow to organs, activate cell growth, and influence the movement of substances in and out of cells.
Stay cool!