Skip to main content

See also:

Hot people in summer

Summer heat can be too much for some people
Summer heat can be too much for some people

Many people like summer in Wisconsin because it is cooler than many other parts of the country. Some people do not like or do well in the heat. In Traditional Chinese Medicine there is and understanding that everyone functions a little differently and everyone has a different ability to tolerate heat.

Some people naturally run hot and are affected more by the heat. These people are known to those around them as being very hot. They show signs of excess heat in the body. Sometimes this is shown through being overly warm to the touch, a red face, or very active nature. Some people this hot nature is complicated by what is called a damp stagnation. These people not only get hot but also have difficulty moving the heat out of the body through activity. These damp heat people often have a heavy sluggishness to their bodies when they get hot.

Some people are not hot in nature, but rather have a poor cooling function. The classic example of this are women who are going through the process of menopause. They are not hot but are low in regards to cooling function in the body which makes heat flash in the system. Many people can develop this insufficient cooling for a variety of reasons. It can happen to many people who are very thin, or slightly dehydrated. Some people just naturally run dry, and have chronic dry skin and do not have the fluids to really cool the body. Some people can develop this poor cooling when they radically change their diets or levels of water intake.

Generally people who are easily affected by the summer heat can utilize foods to help them cope with the heat. During summer everyone should look to foods that cool the body, such as melons and tropical fruit, as well as green vegetables, seaweeds and green spices like mint. Those who have a heavy damp feeling to their response to heat, should look to aromatic spices that open and clear the body of damp. These spices would include cardamon, curry, garlic, as well as mint, cilantro, basil and other green spices. Relaxed walking or other sustained aerobic activity tends to also help people clear damp out of the system. For the person who has a decrease in cooling function, the cool foods help. Strengthening and stabilizing the coolant function of the body is also important. Proteins, oils, water and judicious use of rich foods help the body to provide energy to the coolant function of the body.

If food and lifestyle modifications are not sufficient to allow you to tolerate the summer heat, then a Nationally board certified herbalist may be necessary to help you adjust how your body deals with the excess heat of summer. In all these cases well prescribed herbal medicines can be formulated to help a patient adjust their body to deal with the heat.