A certain level of temparature must be maintained for healthy metabolic functions. When we become overheated, internal "fire" develops and creates a hostile environment, which can result in a host of problems now and for the upcoming winter.

Our body temperature can be affected by what we eat and our current condition. Environmental conditions play a large role, especially in extreme situations. Traditional Chinese Medicine called it "summer heat transformed into fire", when aggravated by extreme summer temperatures. Symptoms of this consist of thirst, fever, burning sensation, irritability, heavy sensation of head and or body, vertigo, vomiting, stuffiness, abdominal distention, general weakness, scanty urine and profuse sweating. Poor or inappropriate diet and stress can aggravate the condition. Fire depletes the body's fluids and energy and disrupts metabolism. Long-term effects can deplete the body's ability to fight off infection when the seasons change. So we have to take care of ourselves and keep hydrated.

A few words about Summer heat
Summer-heat is the main pathogenic factor occurring only in the summer. It is a yang pathogenic factor. Its characteristics are described as follows: Summer-heat is a yang pathogenic factor characterized by sweltering heat.

If pathogenic summer-heat attacks the body, the clinical manifestations are yang-heat, syndromes, such as high fever, burning heat sensation of the skin, irritability, forceful and rapid pulse, etc.

Summer-heat consumes qi and yin (body fluid), and is characterized by upward direction and dispersion.

Invasion of pathogenic summer-heat to the head region causes dizziness, vertigo, and excessive sweating due to the abnormal opening of the pores. Excessive sweating exhausts the qi and body fluid and manifests as thirst with desire to drink, dryness of the lips and tongue, constipation, yellowish and concentrated urine, etc.

Pathogenic summer-heat often combines with damp to cause diseases when the temperature and air humidity are very high.

If summer humid-heat attacks the body, the manifestations are fever, heavy sensation of the head or even the whole body, stuffiness and fullness of the chest and epigastric regions, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, diarrhea, etc.

Pathogenic factors in summer are summer-heat, sun-stroke and summer humid-heat.

Main clinical manifestations of summer-heat: fever, excessive sweating, irritability, thirst with preference for cold drinks, shortness of breath, lassitude, general weakness, scanty and yellowish urine, rapid and xu (weak) pulse.

Main clinical manifestations of sun-stroke: dizziness and vomiting for mild cases; sudden collapse, unconsciousness, profuse and cold sweating, cold extremities, forceful and xu pulse for severe cases.

This group of symptoms is caused by strong sun heat that internally affects the body qi activity leading to sudden prostration of qi and body fluid.

Main clinical manifestations of summer humid-heat: fever, irritability, stuffy chest, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, lassitude, loose stools, yellowish urine, soft pulse, yellow and sticky tongue coating, etc.

The symptoms resulting from summer humid-heat invasion include the common symptoms of summer-heat, such as fever, irritability, yellowish urine, etc., and the symptoms caused by the obstruction of dampened qi circulation, such as stuffy chest, nausea, vomiting and anorexia. Furthermore, there are also the symptoms of internal dampness, such as loose stools, soft pulse, sticky tongue coating, etc.

Tips
-We have to familiarize ourselves with which are cooling in nature.

-Avoid drinks with over loaded sugar and caffeine, as caffeine is a diuretic.

-Drink plenty of water even if not thirsty.

-Add lime to water, as it is a refrigerant.

-Iced herb and berry teas can bring body temperature down. The usage of herbs such as peppermint, lemon balm, chrysanthemum flowers, honeysuckle flowers and lavender.

-Use cooling essential oils in misters to mist your body and air. Cooling essential oils such as peppermint, spearmint, and lavender work well for this. Peppermint mist is wonderful for hot tired feet.

-Keep yogurt, melon and cucumber diced and handy for quick snacks. Watermelon and cucumbers are very cooling.

Defeat the heat naturally
Most herbal philosophies are based on a system of thermal energetics. Our bodies as well as the substances we put in them are classified as either cooling, heating or neutral. The Eastern philosophies take this concept into greater depth and extremes with hot, cold, dampness and dryness levels.

Illness and disease are generally the result of too much of any specific energy or a lack of balance. For the purpose of this feature we will focus on the simple levels for obtaining a better level of comfort with very simple methods.

All of us, from time to time, have experienced a thermal change based on something we just ate such as chili peppers. Illness and disease are generally the result of too much of any specific energy or a lack of balance. You can help your body reduce body temperature in severe heat or aggrevate it depending on what you consume. Many herbs and food are neutral which have been left out of this feature for now. The following table is a general table of common summer foods and their thermal element. You may be surprised by some of the foods classified as warming. This information is a compilation of Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese medicine. It is not exact either as the thermal element in food can be altered by additional ingredients or processing, but the table gives you a basic idea.

Thermal Energetics Of Common Summer Foods and Herbs

Cooling
Apples, Dates, Figs, Guava, Lime, Melons, Pears, Pineapple (Dual Role), Berries, Strawberries(Dual role), Tangerine, Alfalfa Sprouts, Asparagus, Avocado, Beans (Mung), Bell Pepper, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce, Peas, Potatoes, Sea Vegetables, Spinach, Squash, Grains - Most tend to be neutral, Coconut, Sunflower Seeds, Psyllium, Butter / Ghee, Cream, Ice Cream, Milk, Yogurt, Venison, Cane Sugar (Dual Role), Fruit Sugar, Maple Sugar, Aloe Vera, Chamomile, Feverfew, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tea Tree Oil.

Heating
Apricots, Bananas, Cherries, Cranberries, Grapes, Grapefruit, Oranges, Lemon, Mango, Papaya, Peaches, Pineapple (Dual Role), Artichoke, Green Beans, Beets, Chili Peppers, Corn, Mushrooms, Mustard, Onions, Radish, Tomatoes, Buckwheat, Millet, Rye, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Peanuts, Most nuts, Most meat, fish and poultry, Cheese, Sour Cream, Cane Sugar (Dual Role), Honey, Molasses, Salt, Vinegar, Alcohol, Coffee.

Tag: Defeating Summer heat