Two years in the making, our Chinese nutrition video series has arrived just in time for the season of Late-Summer.

Late-summer is one of the most important seasons to support our immune system, our overall energy, and our physical health. Why? Because it is the season of the stomach and spleen/pancreas. These organs are the powerhouse behind our digestion, and are called the central pivot of health in the ancient texts of Chinese medicine.

If the beginning stages of digestion are not happening optimally, then it becomes much harder to get all of the nutritional value out of the food we eat. Without proper digestion, our body then does not reap the rewards of getting fueled by our food.

Late-summer also has a strong tie to our immune system. It is an integral time to learn how to use food as medicine to help you and your families avoid getting sick when everyone goes back to school.  By practicing certain cooking styles, using Late-summer herbs and spices, we can give our immune system a strong foundation going into the time of year where we become more exposed to colds and flus. If your immune system is strong, you can be exposed to colds and flus and not get sick. Ideally, our immune system is able to fight off most bacteria and virus without us even noticing.  If you historically get sick easy once school resumes, then this is the ideal time to learn how to use your food as medicine to strengthen your immune system.

If you are interested in learning more, you can purchase the Late-Summer Season video or the entire series at

https://www.thompsonacupuncture.org/chinesenutrition

About the videos:

The video series contains six classes: The Introduction to Chinese Nutrition, that explains the basic concepts, metaphors, and terms used in Chinese medical nutrition, and then one course for each of the five seasons; Late-Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

Each season is associated with an organ system pair in the body, and its associated video includes Chinese medicine 101 for each season, incorporating a concept from the ancient text, The Neijing, called ‘The Art of Living’ with guidelines on how to exercise, dress, and rest throughout the each of the seasons of the year. If you currently see an acupuncturist, or are considering seeing one, this will help explain the basics of what your practitioner will be looking for as guidelines for ideal health. It will also help you communicate more effectively with your practitioner, and teach you how to listen to your own body for subtle signs you may be drifting away from optimal health. The goal of these videos is to help you learn how to catch illnesses before they occur.

Next, each season will show you how to incorporate Chinese medical nutrition into food choices and cooking styles for each season. It will then teach you how to use real food, common kitchen herbs, vegetables, fruit, spices, and proteins to bring your body back to optimal health. Just as each season is associated with different organ systems, different types of produce, proteins, culinary herbs, can help support those organ systems in their season. For instance, certain culinary herbs can help mitigate the mood swings often associated with spring, or to help open up the lungs if you find yourself feeling a little under the weather in autumn.

Best of all, this information can be tailored to fit any lifestyle and dietary plan, so if you’re vegetarian or vegan, or have food allergies or sensitivities, you can easily adjust the foods and recipes accordingly.

The number one goal of these videos is to teach individuals to relearn how to use food as medicine, not simply as calories in, calories out.

Lindsey Thompson is an East Asian Medicine Practitioner at the Thompson Family Acupuncture Clinic in Walla Walla, WA. She loves growing vegetables, raising chickens, and striving to get the most out of life. Practicing medicine and help people find ways to improve their health at home is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career.