Why acupuncturists like cooked vegetables.

In the summer, we tend to think about eating salads … rather than soup.  And that’s fine if your constitution suits eating raw vegetables.  But for many people, it’s not a great idea.  Why?  Because of something Chinese medicine calls “damp”.  It won’t come as much of a surprise to you to discover that here in the UK, we live in a damp climate.  And if you think what a dampening (sorry …) effect weeks of rain, gloomy skies and cancelled outdoor events have on our feelings of wellbeing and positivity, it’s not a big leap to imagine that internal damp isn’t a great thing to have too much of.

So what are some of the symptoms?  Sluggishness, having a fuzzy head, feeling bloated and tired (particularly after eating), swollen ankles, aching and stiff joints, heavy limbs, cloudy urine, chronic sinus trouble, yeast infections like thrush and perhaps a thick coating on the tongue. There are more, but that’s enough to give you the rough idea.

If you tend to have some of these symptoms, it’s likely you’re suffering from too much dampness in your system, and there are certain changes you can make to your diet which can begin to help, in conjunction with getting acupuncture treatment to clear damp and get your system working more comfortably.

I’m not going to overwhelm you with a Do & Don’t list – but an easy step in the direction away from dampness is to eat lightly cooked vegetables rather than raw salads, and to drink warm (not milky) rather than chilled drinks.  Start there, and you’ll probably begin to notice a difference – and then making other changes can feel easier.

I hope you like my photo of home grown courgettes, sliced and chargrilled, then mixed with lemon juice, olive oil, basil, salt & pepper – from a recipe in Nigel Slater’s fantastic Tender book.  Best eaten luke-warm or at room temperature.

Call me on 07970 295177 – for tailor-made lifestyle guidance & treatment.