TCM This Season
The internal organs are much more than mere physical structures in the TCM view. They are complex systems also involving aspects of the mind, emotions, and spirit. Not only does each organ have a physiological function, it has functions at the invisible level of vital energy, or Qi. Each organ is uniquely related to a body tissue, a sense organ, emotion, taste, sound, climate, and a direction, among a seemingly endless range of correspondences. These associated qualities are organized in TCM’s age-old Theory of Five Elements. Functioning as a template systematizing all phenomena into five universal patterns, this theory provides TCM practitioners with a comprehensive framework to understand, diagnose, and treat health problems.

Late Summer—The Earth Element
Five seasons? Not so surprisingly, in the TCM Five-Element framework there are five seasons, each corresponding to an element. Late summer corresponds to the Earth element, and the Spleen and Stomach organ systems are predominant at this time of year. During each day they are predominant from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. (the Stomach) and 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. (the Spleen). The healthy function of this organ pair is crucial to the digestive process as well as several other important functions in your body.

Generating Energy
TCM understands that you have two sources of energy, or Qi: One you inherit from your parents, called “Inborn Qi,” which is stored in the Kidney organ system. The other is energy largely generated by the Spleen and Stomach through the process of digestion, called “Acquired Qi.” Functioning much like a checking account, Acquired Qi is the energy reserve for all your daily activities. This is why proper diet and digestion are so important to your overall health. If your choice of food is poor or you don’t eat in sufficient quantity or at regular intervals during the day, you can actually weaken the function of your Spleen and Stomach. And this has the ability to affect the other organs, which depend on the Qi generated initially by this organ pair to function well. When the Spleen and Stomach are weak or do not work together harmoniously, your body may not receive adequate nourishment—no matter what you eat. As a result your energy can become deficient. If you do not have enough Acquired Qi to meet your daily needs, energy is then drawn from your savings account—your Inborn Qi, which is limited in supply.

It’s the Spleen’s job to transform the food and liquid processed by the Stomach into a type of energy (called “gu Qi,” literally meaning “food Qi”) that becomes the material basis for both Qi and blood. Essentially the Spleen separates food into useful and un-useful parts, and then transports these substances to their proper place in the body.

Helping to Regulate Water Metabolism
Another key Spleen function is absorbing and transporting water in the body. A weak Spleen cannot effectively regulate the body’s water, and this state can lead to an accumulation of internal dampness, which in turn interferes with the Spleen’s ability to transport nutritive essence. Signs that can indicate weak Spleen function include retention of water, lack of appetite, poor digestion, abdominal distention, and weight gain.

Controlling Blood Flow
It’s the Spleen’s duty to determine where, how, and how much, when it comes to blood flow in your body. This includes keeping the blood flowing within the blood vessels. Symptoms like bruising, internal bleeding, and varicose veins can signal impaired Spleen function.

Affecting the Muscles and Limbs
Good muscle tone and limbs that have strength are dependent on proper Spleen function. The nutrition extracted from food by the Spleen nourishes all your body tissues.

Regulating the Upward Movement of Energy
The movement associated with the Spleen is upward. It sends its nutritive essence particularly to the Lung, which distributes it to your entire body. The Spleen is responsible for holding your body’s organs and tissues in place. This means that when the Qi of this organ is deficient, prolapsed organs can result—there is simply not enough energy to hold them in place. Persistent fatigue can also indicate weak or “sinking” Spleen Qi.

Opening into the Mouth and Manifesting in the Lips
Perhaps the Spleen’s relationship to the mouth and lips is not obvious at first, but remember that chewing is the first step in a process that takes food from its just-eaten state in the mouth to a refined nutritive essence created by the Spleen. Healthy Spleen function will give you a good sense of taste. Your lips will have a rosy color and sufficient moisture if your Spleen functions well. Conversely, they will be pale and dry if this organ is deficient or impaired in some way.

Influencing the Capacity of Thought
Several organs exert an influence on thought and memory. Spleen function relates to our capacity to think in terms of concentration and activities like study and memorization. When Spleen Qi is weak the thought process can become fuzzy and there may be a lack of concentration and an ability to memorize efficiently. Spleen Qi influences our capacity to perform these tasks, yet when these tasks are overdone they can weaken the Spleen. It’s interesting that overthinking and anxiety are the emotions associated with this organ.

Foods that Benefit the Digestive Organs

Include these foods in your diet during this season and help strengthen the function of your Spleen and Stomach.

• Bamboo shoots and tips*
• Celery
• Chinese barley*
• Chinese red dates*
• Ginger
• Lotus seed*
• Peanuts
• Pineapple
• Red beans
• Red and white daikon radish*

* Available at most Asian food markets

Just as serious as the stressors themselves are the adverse effects stress can have on your emotional and physical health. There are a number of studies linking stress to heart disease and stroke, while stress is also implicated in a host of other ailments such as depression and anxiety, chronic lower respiratory diseases, asthma flare-ups, rheumatoid arthritis, and gastrointestinal problems.

Stress is not all bad. Your perception of a real or imagined threat can spark the stress response, which prepares the body to fight or flight. That swift reflex was encoded in you for survival. Thanks to the stress response, you might suddenly jump out of the path of a speeding truck or flee from a burning apartment. But when your stress response is evoked consistently or continually, your body experiences unnecessary wear and tear — such as high blood pressure — that can lead to poor health.

Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, the stress-busting suggestions described below can make your days calmer, if not easier.

Take the sting out of 10 common stressors

Sometimes just thinking about embarking on a program of stress control can be stressful. Rather than freeze in your tracks, start small and bask in the glow of your successes. Give yourself a week to focus on practical solutions that could help you cope with just one stumbling block or source of stress in your life. Pick a problem, and see if these suggestions work for you.

Frequently late? Apply time management principles. Consider your priorities (be sure to include time for yourself) and delegate or discard unnecessary tasks. Map out your day, segment by segment, setting aside time for different tasks, such as writing or phone calls. If you are overly optimistic about travel time, consistently give yourself an extra 15 minutes or more to get to your destinations. If lateness stems from dragging your heels, consider the underlying issue. Are you anxious about what will happen after you get to work or to a social event, for example? Or maybe you’re trying to jam too many tasks into too little time.

Often angry or irritated? Consider the weight of cognitive distortions. Are you magnifying a problem, leaping to conclusions, or applying emotional reasoning? Take the time to stop, breathe, reflect, and choose.

Unsure of your ability to do something? Don’t try to go it alone. If the problem is work, talk to a co-worker or supportive boss. Ask a knowledgeable friend or call the local library or an organization that can supply the information you need. Write down other ways that you might get the answers or skills you need. Turn to CDs, books, or classes, for example, if you need a little tutoring. This works equally well when you’re learning relaxation response techniques, too.

Overextended? Clear the deck of at least one time-consuming household task by hiring help. If you can, hire a housecleaning service, shop for groceries through the Internet, convene a family meeting to consider who can take on certain jobs, or barter with or pay teens for work around the house and yard. Consider what is truly essential and important to you and what might take a backseat right now.

Not enough time for stress relief? Try mini-relaxations. Or make a commitment to yourself to pare down your schedule for just one week so you can practice evoking the relaxation response every day. Slowing down to pay attention to just one task or pleasure at hand is an excellent method of stress relief.

Feeling unbearably tense? Try massage, a hot bath, mini-relaxations, a body scan, or a mindful walk. Practically any exercise — a brisk walk, a quick run, a sprint up and down the stairs — will help, too. Done regularly, exercise wards off tension, as do relaxation response techniques.

Frequently feel pessimistic? Remind yourself of the value of learned optimism: a more joyful life and, quite possibly, better health. Practice deflating cognitive distortions. Rent funny movies and read amusing books. Create a mental list of reasons you have to feel grateful. If the list seems too short, consider beefing up your social network and adding creative, productive, and leisure pursuits to your life.

Upset by conflicts with others? State your needs or distress directly, avoiding “you always” or “you never” zingers. Say, “I feel _____ when you _____.” “I would really appreciate it if you could _____.” “I need some help setting priorities. What needs to be done first and what should I tackle later?” If conflicts are a significant source of distress for you, consider taking a class on assertiveness training.

Worn out or burned out? Focus on self-nurturing. Carve out time to practice relaxation response techniques or at least indulge in mini-relaxations. Care for your body by eating good, healthy food and for your heart by seeking out others. Give thought to creative, productive, and leisure activities. Consider your priorities in life: is it worth feeling this way, or is another path open to you? If you want help, consider what kind would be best. Do you want a particular task at work to be taken off your hands? Do you want to do it at a later date? Do you need someone with particular expertise to assist you?

Feeling lonely? Connect with others. Even little connections — a brief conversation in line at the grocery store, an exchange about local goings-on with a neighbor, a question for a colleague — can help melt the ice within you. It may embolden you, too, to seek more opportunities to connect. Be a volunteer. Attend religious or community functions. Suggest coffee with an acquaintance. Call a friend or relative you miss. Take an interesting class. If a social phobia, low self-esteem, or depression is dampening your desire to reach out, seek help. The world is a kinder, more wondrous place when you share its pleasures and burdens.

Fluid Needs

Individual sweat losses and weather conditions are the main factors in determining someone fluids requirements. It is important to maintain regular hydration and replace any fluid debt, particularly during longer games and hotter weather, for optimal concentration. Water is a good option and for those hotter days and heavy sweaters sports drink or an electrolyte replacement may assist.

Pre-Event Eating

A meal or snack should be consumed 1-2 hours prior to the start of the playing. It is important to choose food that sits well in your stomach.

Some high carbohydrate choices are:

• Jam or honey sandwich
• Yoghurt and fruit
• Rice pudding
• Sustagen Sport
• Fruit smoothie
• Cereal
• Cereal Bar

Fluid and Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise – Events 1-3 hours duration

Drink as much as is practical and comfortable in attempting to match sweat loss. Begin ingesting fluid early in the exercise and continue to ingest beverage regularly to maintain gastric volume and increase fluid availability.

Plan to consume 30-60g Carbohydrate/hour of exercise

Amount to provide 50g of carbohydrate

• 600-1000ml sports drink
• 1½-2 sports gels
• 2-3 medium bananas
• 50g jelly beans/babies/snakes

Nutrition for Recovery

Replenishing muscle glycogen and minimising muscle damage is particularly important for recovery and this means an immediate intake of carbohydrate after exercise.

Some initial recovery snacks are:

• Cheese sandwich or roll
• 3 medium pieces of fruit
• 2 breakfast bars or cereal bars
• 3 rice cakes with jam or honey
• 250g creamed rice

Drink more water.  Dehydration can lead to headaches.  Increasing your fluid intake can decrease your risk.  Working in an air-conditioned work place can make it easier for you to become dehydrated.

Schedule regular breaks.  At a minimum, take a few minutes break each hour to get up, move around and stretch.  Try setting a reminder on your computer to prompt you.  Standing while talking on the phone is another idea to get you out of your chair.

Check your desk set-up.  Below are a few simple guidelines to ease the strain on your body.  If you are unsure most workplaces have an Occupational Healthy and Safety Officer to assist you.

• Chair.  The height of your chair should allow you to sit with your feet flat on the floor, or a foot rest, with a 90 degree angle at your hips and knees.  The height of the back rest should be adjusted to support the curve of your lower back.  There should not be an arm rest as these stop you sitting closer to your desk.
• Desk.  The top of your desk should be just below elbow height.
• Monitor.  The top of your screen should be level with, or slightly lower than eye height when sitting upright.  Stands, or books can be used to raise the monitor.  The monitor should be placed about an arms reach away and directly in-front.
• Desk layout.  Items used frequently should be placed close and within reach.  The keyboard should be placed close to the edge of the desk with the mouse beside it.  If using the mouse  a lot, try swapping sides occasionally to avoid overuse injuries.
• Document Holder.  These take the strain off your upper back and neck by bringing the document you are referring to, or reading closer to eye level, decreasing the need to look down.
• Head-sets.  Are great because they free up your hands to take notes while on the phone. A much better option than holding it between your cheek and shoulder which, causes neck muscles to tighten.

Get out and exercise.  Find a sport you love and stick to it.  The fitter and healthier you are, the better you will cope with the daily grind.  Swimming is a great form of exercise to free up joints and muscles.  Pairing up with a friend or group will help keep you motivated.

Seek treatment.  Too many people go day to day with pain and discomfort.  So, don’t wait until it gets worse, call the staff at Stay Tuned to book an appointment.

The Kinesio Taping Method is a performance enhancing taping technique that is designed to provide support and stability to muscles and joints, without restricting the body’s range of motion. It is also effective in facilitating the body’s natural healing process, as well as providing extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting.

Latex-free, Waterproof and sandproof, it is wearable for days at a time.

Kinesio tape increases proprioception. This is vital in any upper limb dominant overhead sports (volleyball, baseball, cricket, tennis etc.)

Proprioception is our ability to sense our body’s static position in space. Kinesthesia is our ability to sense how our bodies move through 3-dimensional space. This “sense” occurs through several different types of sensory organs under our skin and around our joints that provide our brains with information about pressure, vibration, touch, temperature, and tension.

The effectiveness of the Kinesio tape lies in its ability to alter the sensory feedback that enters your nerves in the area that the tape is applied. The contact of the tape on the skin appears to increase the ability of the joint and/or tissue to detect movement and to respond to outside forces. As a result, this has a positive effect on the communication between your brain and the affected tissue which, in turn, could enhance athletic or movement performance.

Kinesio Tape can be applied in hundreds of ways and has the ability to re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain and inflammation, enhance performance, prevent injury, promote good circulation and healing, and assist in returning the body to homeostasis.

Article by Bryan Robertson, Physiotherapist at Stay Tuned Sports Medicine Elwood.

A little work on prevention can often lead to avoiding many injuries and can save a lot of time in recovery.

• Weak muscles, tight muscles or muscle imbalances can reduce performance and can lead to increased chance of injuries.
• Rehabilitation of injuries is often more than just ice and rest.
• Joint stabilization, strength of the large active muscle group and core muscles, flexibility and correct biomechanics all effect the recovery time as well as the chance of reinjury.

As the damaged muscle heals, scar tissue is being formed causing the injury to become tight and stiff leading to an increase of reinjury. Strengthening and stretching the injured site during the healing process can help the scar tissue form stronger with less chance of future tears. The recovery is not finished after the injury has healed but continues until the individual is back to full strength.

Correct alignment and joint stability need to be assessed and achieved during a rehabilitation program for the individual to regain their levels of performance and reduce any chance of future injuries. Even more important than recovering sensibly from an injury is protecting yourself from one in the first place.

So if it is taking yourself to the next level or getting back to being at your best seeing an exercise physiologist is vital to help you achieve your goals.

Stress Fractures are a common injury when people return to activity after a break and are under prepared for action. They are regarded as an overuse injury or occur when the muscles are over tired and no longer able to decrease the shock of repeated impacts. Activities such as running, tennis, basketball or dancing are all common sports with a high degree of “stress fractures.” Most stress fractures occur in the weight bearing bones of the foot and the lower leg and occur when you increase your high impact

activity by frequency, duration and intensity, or possibly a change in playing surface. In all of these sports, the repeated stress of the foot striking the ground can cause problems, possibly leading to a fracture.

Picture taken from American Academy of orthopedic surgeons – AAOS website – www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm

Doing too much too soon is a common cause of these type of injuries, without adequate preparation.

So what does a Stress Fracture feel like? And how do I treat it???

Generally people report a slow onset of pain with weight bearing activities, which eases with rest, but then becomes increasingly painful with day to day activities. There may be swelling around the effected area as well as tenderness to touch the area.

Stress fractures are best treated with rest. Avoiding the activity which has caused the over use is essential and if bad enough, weight bearing should be avoided at all times (crutches or a Cam walker may be prescribed by your therapist. Icing the injured area may help as well as ensuring you have good and supportive shoe to wear.

During this “rest” period it is important to speak with your health care practitioner so they can advise you on your training methods to prevent a re-occurrence. They can advise you on alternating your activities to prevent overuse from occurring, such as cross training. They will also be able to advise you when it is safe to progress your level of activity as well as give you a strengthening tips to help prevent muscle fatigue or injury.

It is important to remember that it may not be an increase in activity or an over use injury. Conditions such as Osteoporosis, which weaken the bone, may also lead to “Stress fractures” If there is a family history of Osteoporosis in the family, it is important to ensure your diet is adequate in providing you with the calcium you need. Consulting your dietitian can help address this issue.

Remember if pain or swelling returns, stop your activity and seek your health care practitioner’s advice.