Do you need help cooling down?

Here in Melbourne at the moment we're in the middle of a heat wave so pretty much everyone is feeling the heat. I have some tips and Acupressure points that you can use to help you cool down and survive the heat.

1. The obvious: Drink lots of water. By lots I mean two litres daily. Try to drink throughout the day, not all at once. Staying hydrated keeps us cooler and makes us feel heaps better too. You will need to drink more water too if you are losing fluids through sweat.

2. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol raises our body temperature and makes us feel hotter.

3. Eat cooling foods like: watermelon, lemons, cucumber, coconut, coconut water, melons, lettuce, celery, Chrysanthemum tea, Peppermint, grapefruit, avocado, cabbage, plums, green tea, bananas, kiwi fruit, pineapple, broccoli, lime, mango, peach, spinach, white tea, tofu, tomato, zucchini.

4. Also avoid fatty, greasy and sugary foods and drinks. Other foods that will warm you up are garlic, onion, ginger, chilli, capsicum, chicken, black tea, lamb, tuna, mustards – these should be eaten sparingly over the warmer months.

5. Wear natural clothing. Cotton, bamboo, and hemp fibre clothing will keep you cooler. Artificial fibres cause us to sweat and hold the heat and are unable to allow the heat to escape. This causes us to feel hotter and can also lead to irritation – of both our skin and our mood!

6. Remain calm and manage your stress levels. Our body temperature rises when we are angry, frustrated and agitated. The art of managing our stress keeps us cooler. I have found Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine to be very effective for managing stress.

7. Exercise when it is cooler early in the morning. Exercising later in the day can be too stimulating and heating thereby making it difficult to sleep. Or go to the beach and enjoy the cold sea water (especially if you’re in Victoria) and cleanse your soul as well.

8. Try pressing these acupuncture points for 2 minutes, especially when you are feeling hot:

Large Intestine 11- Pool at the crook

Think a pool of water that you can cool down in. This is one of the strongest points in the body for clearing heat.

(Synergy Acupuncture & Wellness)

To find the point bend your arm and look for the end of the crease on the outer side of your bent elbow.

DU 15 - Big Vertebra

This point, named after its location, is great for clearing heat, and relieving neck stiffness. It is particularly good when you have caught a cold and have a fever with neck stiffness and pain.

It is located on the back of the neck in the space below the 7th cervical vertebra. To find this, place your finger on one of the bones at the bottom of your neck, turn your neck side to side, if the bone moves it is one of the vertebrae of the neck. You want to find the space that is between the lowest moving bone and above the top most fixed bone of the spine.

If none of this works or if you feel hot all year round or mainly in the evenings or overnight, then Chinese Medicine can help you. Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs) works at treating the cause, while it is treating the symptoms. Say good-bye to hot flushes and restless nights by booking in today.