‘T
raditional Chinese
Medicine has been
around for more than
2,000 years,’ says TCM
practitioner Jonquil
Westwood Pinto (@
jonquilwpinto). ‘The aim of this medical
system is to prevent, diagnose and treat
disease. It’s based on the idea that qi (your
body’s vital energy) circulates around
multiple energy pathways called meridians.
‘Unlike with allopathic medicine in the
West, TCM does not isolate symptoms but
looks at the body as a whole. Practitioners
seek to find the root cause of health problems
so they can work out how best to bring the
person back into balance,’ she says,
TCM is an umbrella term that includes a
number of different therapies and modalities,
a few of which are acupuncture, which
improves energy flow through the meridians,
herbs, diet, massage and mind-body exercises
such as tai chi and qigong. Together, they help
the body regain balance and stay healthy. It
also considers everything in nature to be
influenced by five elemental energies: wood,
fire, earth, metal and water. These are said to
influence the types of foods we’ll crave at
different times of the year, as they link to theenergy of the season in question. ‘Each
element has its own specific characteristics
and is associated not only with a season, but
also a colour, taste, organ and emotion,’ says
Greg Lampert, TCM practitioner, member of
the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) and
co-author of Chinese Dietary Wisdom (£5.99,
Nutshell Press). ‘TCM teaches that your diet
should be modified to suit the time of year.
The simplest way to do this is to eat food
that’s in season. This will help you to stay
healthy physically and emotionally,’ he says.
(See the panel over the page for the seasons
and their associated elements and organs).Fire in your belly
The season of early summer is linked to the
energy of fire. In terms of organs, fire rules
the heart and small intestine. ‘When heart/
fire energy is balanced, you feel sociable,
passionate, dynamic and energetic. You
exude warmth and people are naturally
drawn to you,’ says acupuncturist Elaine
Gibbons (elainegibbons.co.uk). ‘Heart energy
is joyful, enthusiastic, creative, sociable,
affectionate and loving.
But when in TCM they talk about organs,
they are not in fact referring to exactly the
same thing as in Western medicine. In TCMReduce
foods and
drinks with
a ‘heating’
effect.
These
include
red meats,
fried foods,
alcohol,
sugar and
processed
foods.
34 TopSanté Facebook.com/ TopSanteMagazine @ TopS a n t eUKhealth | summer nutrition
How To
EAT W ELL
THIS
SUMMER
SEaSonS^ EaTIngS
in the first of a new series on traditional Chinese
medicine nutrition tips, we take a look at some of the
best foods to eat during summer to stay cool.