Spring blog: spring fatigue and hay fever

In Chinese medicine, spring is linked to the wood element and the liver. Imbalance during this period can lead to spring fatigue and hay fever. Acupuncture and seasonal advice help to support energy, flow and resistance.

Spring — along with autumn — is the season when climate changes are greatest. Nature moves from minimum (winter) to maximum (summer) in growth and temperature. This transition requires a lot of energy: living is hard work 🙂

Especially during this period, there is also a greater risk of complaints, such as spring fatigue and hay fever. In the weather, we see this in rapid changes: “March stirs his tail, April does what he wants”. Wind, rain, cold and heat can alternate daily.

In Chinese medicine (CG), these turbulences in nature are compared to processes in the human body. After all, we are part of nature and respond to the same influences. To understand this, the five element theory is used.

Five elements (five phases)

The five element theory is a philosophical model in Chinese medicine that helps to understand life processes. The five elements are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These can be applied to both nature and the human body.

Below is a simplified overview of how the five elements are interrelated:

springtime → Wood → Liver → Growth & Movement → Emotion: Anger
summertime → Fire → Heart → Activity & Warmth → Emotion: Joy
Late summer → Earth → Spleen → Nutrition & Stability → Emotion: Worrying
autumn → Metal → Long → Release & Defension → Emotion: Sadness
Winter → Water → Kidney → Rest & reserves → Emotion: anxiety
(back to spring)

With this coherence, you can make connections between seasons, organs, emotions and complaints. This gives direction to treatment and prevention.

We are now heading towards spring: the time of wood element and the Liver, a period of growth, movement and change. In nature, everything sprouts again, and our body also has more activity. But what happens if the body isn't ready for that yet? For example, after a tough winter or when energy is reduced.

Spring tiredness

When energy and blood cannot move enough, stagnation occurs. This can be expressed in tiredness, a feeling of heaviness, or headache. That headache is often along the Liver and Gallbladder Meridian: on the side of the head, near the eyes or on the crown.

Stagnation can also be noticeable emotionally. There's nothing more frustrating than wanting to move or move forward, but feeling like it's not working. That's why you should anger or irritability in the spring. This combination of physical and mental complaints is often called spring fatigue.

Hayfever

Within Chinese medicine, there is a fixed relationship between the elements. The spring element wood (Lever) is normally kept in balance by the autumn element metal (Long).

When the Lung Energy is too weak, or the Liver Energy too strong, complaints can express themselves via the sense organ that belongs to the Lung: the nose. This can lead to symptoms such as sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes — or hay fever.

In addition, reduced energy, poor flow and accumulation of waste often play a role. A low resistance makes the body more sensitive to stimuli, so that symptoms occur more quickly or become more severe.

At Nurture Your Nature, the treatment takes into account:

• Energy
• Flow-through
• Wastes
• Seasonality

The treatment and advice are always tailored to the person and the moment.

Do you have questions or want to discuss your situation? Please feel free to contact us, we are happy to help you!