September Self-Healing Tips

September is a time considered in some schools of Chinese medical thought to be the fifth season, Late Summer, ruled by the Earth element. Other theories designate the Earth element to the times between the seasons. Whatever your perspective, two basic underlying ideas are similar. One, this is a time of transition between summer and fall either way, and either way ruled by the Earth element. Two, the Earth element offers an embracing of change, and its bounty can help us through transitions and transformations.

The organs of the Earth element are the Spleen and Stomach, the taste is sweet, and the psycho-emotional components are often simplified as ideation on the positive side and excessive worry on the negative. I like to think of Earth also as stability, and the Chinese medical classics describe the Earth element as the ability to profoundly enjoy life and appreciate deeply all that we already have. A healthy Earth element in the body gives us the ability to truly feel that there is always enough, no matter how little or how much it is, it is always enough. I often work to support my Earth by simplifying. A great teacher of mine once described the experience of a healthy Earth element as follows: "It is enough just to be on this amazing planet, spinning through the universe."

Stomach 25, named Tian Shu, or Heavenly Pivot, is a powerful Earth point. This point is about stability of the self, even in the midst of great external change. It empowers dynamic movement in any direction without excessive confusion or thought. It is all about flow - the kind of flow that comes from being centered, clear, and internally stable in an ever evolving and changing world.

To locate Stomach 25, find your belly button. Move two inches directly to the side outward from your navel in each direction. Press in and see if there's any tenderness there. As with all the points, you may need to explore the immediate vicinity to find the exact right point on your body today.

Take 5 minutes or so each day to massage gently these two points in circles - and as the tissues relax, allow your thumb or fingers to move deeper and deeper into your torso. Be gentle! According to the Chinese medical classics, your bowels should be moving after every meal (important for the Earth element!), and the evacuation should feel complete. If this is not the case for you, or even if it is the case and you want to fortify your Earth, self-massage on Heavenly Pivot will benefit your overall wellness.

A sweet potato is actually a very distant cousin of what we normally consider when we think of a potato. Sweet potatoes are full of vitamins A and C, and they also contain calcium and iron. They are great for strengthening the Spleen, promoting Qi, detoxifying the body, building Kidney Yin. They are cooling in nature and sweet in flavor.

I think a nice way to enjoy life and appreciate the earth's bounty this September (while, of course, supporting your Earth and strengthening your Spleen) would be to bake you and your friends a sweet potato pie. Here's a very healthy recipe that's easy to make (we don't want to over-tax our Earth with too much complicated information!). If you don't like how healthy it is, I invite you to find and share your own recipe. No matter what you do, enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie (from Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford) - Ingredients: 4-6 Sweet Potatoes. ¼ tsp cardamom, ¼ tsp cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, ¼ cup raisins, 2 tbsp tahini, ½ tsp sea salt, 1 pie crust. Method: prepare pie crust. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Mash potatoes and mix all ingredients together. Fill pie crust with potato mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes. Yields 1 pie.