by Alexander Kanevsky, MD
Spring is the season when the energy of heaven rises to overcome the energy of earth that was dormant in winter, engulfed by the kidney’s cold water. By this energy, heaven stirs all things on earth toward itself, making them grow, turn green, come to motion, like impetuous woods, creating wind. Thus in spring Nature is dominated by one of the five elements of creation, wood. Since our bodies are essentially miniature models of Nature, one of our five most vitally important organs is of wood element’s origin –– the liver, which dominates our body in spring.
When the liver is congested, as most of our livers are by food, alcohol, medications, worries, frustrations, etc, it creates, just like in nature, the so-called “internal wind” that in our bodies manifests as pain, disquietude, impetuosity, insecurity, anxiety, depression, lightheadedness, dizziness, etc. By stirring its deficient blood upward without restraint, instead of dispersing it equally throughout the body, our liver makes us irritable, angry, frustrated, and vengeful, creating in Human affiliations the “Ides of March.”
To sooth itself, the liver favors the color green, animal –– dog, plant –– tree; fruit –– plum, and all kinds of kernels and fiber. To invigorate itself it likes sour tastes, to purge its overabundant energy –– acrid taste, whereas to release its excessive impetuosity it may ask for something sweet. So until May 7, you might take advantage of the aforementioned to revitalize and invigorate your liver, i.e. wear green, hug your dog, touch the tree in your back yard, make your diet predominantly fruits, berries, vegetables, kernels, and fresh herbs. It is in general better to saute your vegetables for lunch and eat them raw between 4 and 5 p.m. To bring the liver into balance with spleen –– eat millet, with lung –– rice, with kidneys –– green peas, and with heart –– wheat. If the liver is restored through spring and summer, in autumn your whole health can be restored.
Please regard this by not as treatment guidelines, but merely as possible precepts for improving your wellbeing in spring. Remember every human is different, unique of constitution, blood, energy, vital essence, and organ-to-organ dynamics that determine the nature of a disease and antipathogenic forces of recovery.
Therefore, please consult your physician before using these precepts, whether he or she would regard them as possibly helpful and restorative to your individual health.
Alexander Kanevsky MD specializes in Natural Integrative medicine, Traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic, Tibetan, and Western medicine, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis. To find out more please visit www.DrAlexanderKanevskyMDNaturalHealer.com or call 609-613-0225.
