5 Pro-Tips to Support Your Liver & Your Health This Spring

All around us the trees are blossoming, daffodils are dazzling, days are lengthening, and (for some) allergies may be flaring! All are sure signs that spring is finally here. This means ending a season of warm mugs of bone broth, cozy blankets, endless crockpots of stew, and diving into a vast array of brilliantly colored vegetables and greens! Every change of season should come with a change in diet, lifestyle, and more. We are going to tell you what traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has to say about transitioning into spring and how to create healthy habits this season. 

We mentioned in our previous blog about optimizing your health in the winter and that it was a time for reduced activity and conserving energy. Hopefully you took this advice because now is the time to put that saved energy to good use! In TCM, spring is the season to create new beginnings and cleanse toxins and negative emotions from the body. You may have heard the phrase “cleanse your liver”. Not only is the liver one of the major detoxifying organs in the body, but it is specifically paired with the spring season in TCM. Let’s do a quick review of 5-element theory. There are 5 elements, (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and each element is paired with one season and two internal organs. Check out the photo below to see all the pairs between the seasons, organs, and 5 elements.  

Photo Credit: Altona Acupuncture

What is the significance between pairing an organ with a season you may ask? Great question! TCM organs are not just physical parts of a body, but functional organ systems that interact with each other and require balancing for the body to work its best as one harmonious unit. The body reacts to the environment, weather, seasonal foods, etc. These things usually support the specific organs paired with the current season. However, this means the same organs can also go out of balance more easily if we don’t make healthy decisions. Did you ever notice certain symptoms that tend to happen every spring, such as:

• Insomnia- waking from 1-3am each night

• Back of the head headache—usually only on one side of the head

• Digestive difficulties—feeling bloated or constipated

• Eyesight differences—temporary changes in vision

• Irritability or increased premenstrual syndrome (PMS)—according to Chinese medicine, anger is the emotion stored in our liv

These are symptoms that can appear when the liver system is imbalanced. In TCM, the liver is involved in regulating emotions, promoting digestion and absorption, reproductive function, and maintaining circulation of qi, blood, and body fluids. If you can keep the liver happy during the spring, you will more than likely be able to keep yourself happy. Conversely, an unhappy or imbalanced liver system will eventually start to wear on the other systems in the body until you cascade into poor health. 

So, now that you know WHY it is especially important to support your liver during the spring, let us tell you HOW! Here are 3 ways to support your liver in TCM and 5 tips to keep your liver healthy on your own at home. 

3 Ways TCM Can Support Your Liver

1. Acupuncture- Stimulation of acupoints such as Liver 3 (LV3), Gallbladder 34 (GB34), and Spleen 6 (SP6) can help regulate energy in the liver and gallbladder systems, support the organs, ease emotional strain, regulate digestion, and reduce many of the pesky springtime symptoms that occur. It is pretty much an all-encompassing support for the spring. Schedule with one of our doctors for a spring-support acu treatment- and to show you how to do acupressure on these points at home!
   

2. Chinese Herbs- Herbs such as Chai Hu (Bupleurum), Xiang Fu (Cyperus Rhizome), Fo Shou (Finger Citron Fruit, “Buddha’s Hand”), Bo He (Field Mint), and Yu Jin (Turmeric Tuber) can move liver energy when it gets stuck or doesn’t flow smoothly. Stuck liver energy (aka Liver Qi Stagnation) can appear as irritability, stress, depression, tension headaches, rib pain, and menstrual pain. For a customized liver-support formula, contact our herbalists!
   

3. Moxibustion- Sometimes liver qi stagnation can lead to poor blood flow which can cause cold hands and feet. Moxa is a heat therapy that can warm the body, increase circulation and boost energy (qi) and blood by stimulating certain acupuncture points that soothe the liver and smooth out springtime sass!

5 Tips for Liver Support at Home

1. Diet: The color associated with spring is green and the taste associated with spring is sour. Foods like citrus fruits, ferments and pickles, and green leafy vegetables are obvious choices. 

   1. Spring is a great time to add that slice of lemon to your room temperature water or take it one step further by making a daily delicious apple cider vinegar detox drink like the ones in this article: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/apple-cider-vinegar-detox-drinks/
      

2. Stretch - The liver controls the tendons. According to Chinese medicine, the liver stores blood during periods of rest and then releases it to the tendons in times of activity to maintain tendon health and flexibility. Incorporate a morning stretch or add yoga or tai qi workouts into your routine.

   1. Pro-tip: Outside air and exercise both help liver qi flow, so creating a stretching and exercise routine outdoors can be doubly beneficial, especially if you are feeling irritable.
      

3. Eye Exercises - In TCM, the liver is associated with the eyes and proper eye function. Try eye exercises such as:

   1. Forming a figure 8 with your eyes, blinking, alternating your focus between near and far away objects.

   2. Follow the 20-20-20 rule stating for every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds while working (especially with computer work). This will help prevent eye strain and keep your eyes well rested.
      

4. Milk thistle tea- This can be found in most grocery stores. Milk thistle helps protect liver cells from environmental toxins and encourages the liver to cleanse itself of substances, such as alcohol, medications, pesticides, environmental toxins, and even heavy metals such as mercury.
   

5. Beware of “false” liver movers- Alcohol, drugs, and caffeine can temporarily free your liver energy and make you feel good. However, they act more like band aids than fixes and overuse of these substances can further damage your liver over time. 

Try these tips at home and if you’d like the all-encompassing liver and gallbladder support that TCM can offer, book an appointment with one of our doctors for the ultimate support this spring season.