Summer is the season of the fire element. It is associated with the heart and small intestine and when in balance laughter, play, and joy are abundant. However, if the fire element is out of whack you will have experience anxiety (deficient fire) or mania (excess fire) or even depression (lack of fire). Symptom wise you may also have insomnia, restlessness, upper back shoulder blade area pain or tension, heart palpitations, or medial forearm pain (carpal tunnel patten rather than tennis elbow area). So what's one simple thing you can do to help all of this? LAUGH! Laughter helps all of these but especially the emotional components. Just as creativity is the antidote to many of the springtime stress/anger/trapped feelings, joy, laughter, and play all antidote summer symptoms. I fully encourage you to tell dirty jokes, look up funny stuff on you tube, play games, and watch comedians in any form! Be goofy and enjoy it and soon you will find your anxiety levels drop and your shoulder tension eases. I will post some of my favorite laughter inducing videos, pix, jokes etc. for your enjoyment. Today and throughout the summer. Here's to your health!

My favorite chicken joke from childhood:

Why'd the chicken cross the road? 

To prove to the opossum it could be done! 

Please post more jokes etc in the comments below! Let the giggling fest begin! 
 
Yay, we have finally made it through the end of cold season! Besides the occasional summer stomach flu, most of you won't need to worry about colds until September's back to school germ fest! A few things you can do to protect your gut from falling prey to summer stomach funk are:

1) Avoid over indulging in sweets and cold foods especially when in combination (for example ice cream). If you do have ice cream have some hot tea or soup with it. Better yet have watermelon instead, it's cooling and the white part is amazing for improving kidney function. Coconut water is also a lovely cooling beverage and is full of electrolytes. Cucumbers are also effective at cooling you down. 

2) Avoid over eating. Food stagnation, besides being uncomfortable, will also over tax your digestive system. This goes for alcohol as well. 

3) Keep your tummy and low back covered, especially in the evening, in cooler weather, or if it's windy out. 

In other words gorging on ice cream and beer and then drunkenly hang gliding in a bikini would be tempting fate;-). 

If you do end up with stomach funk, be it food or flu related, Po Chai pills are a good first resort. There's not a whole lot in the way of contraindications for them so I feel comfortable posting their name without examining each of you first. If you want to know more about Po Chai pills such as child and adult dosages or summer ailments just let me know.