Summer Injuries

Summer is here and this is the time of year we are the most active with projects around the house, working in the flower garden, exercising and learning how to surf, if you haven’t already. From time to time we tend to overdo it and we find ourselves waking up the next morning with aches and pains. The body was designed to heal itself, therefore, minor injuries such as tendon and muscle strains should heal on their own within a few days. However, if the body is not in balance, it may not heal properly.

So, how do we know if our body is in balance? Warning signals. The body tells us when something is out of balance when we experience symptoms. Check your health with ‘The Five Criteria of Good Health’.

• Normal Appetite. Feeling hungry at mealtimes; being able to taste and smell the food, consuming the proper amount of food.
• Bowel Movements. Two to three times throughout the day; stools should be firm and long, brown in color; feeling of having adequately emptied the bowels is necessary.
• Proper Urination. Five to seven times daily (less if one is working strenuously). The color should be pale yellow and an adequate amount of urine and force to expel the urine is necessary.
• Proper Sleep Pattern. The ability to sleep through the night without waking up and feeling adequately rested upon rising.
• Cool Face, Warm Limbs. Face should feel comfortably cool, not hot. Back of hands and feet should feel cool, while palms and soles feel warm.
  

If you find that your health does not match one or all of the above criteria, you may find that your body does not heal quickly. Traditional Chinese medicine corrects the imbalance, thereby allowing your body to heal naturally.