Happy Spring

Here in northern Vermont, we’re experiencing the transition from Winter to Spring. The temperatures are increasing, the light is returning and the piles of snow are mostly melted. Birds are chirping for the first time in months and the first of the buds are appearing on trees. And the iconic process of making maple syrup is happening–smoke is rising from the tops of sugar houses as the sweet water from maple trees is cooked into syrup.

For Chinese medicine, this transition from the cold and dormancy of Winter to the warmth and re-birth of Spring is a time of often dramatic change. Just as nature is waking up, now is the time when our energy is waking up as well. When we’re in balance, Spring is a time of excitement where new things are possible and physical and mental activity naturally increases. It’s the time of the year to get outside more, get more exercise and start seedlings for our gardens.

When we’re out of balance this time of year, the upward rising energy of the season can get stuck within us creating a wide variety of issues. We can feel frustrated, depressed, tired and experience insomnia, headaches and migraines in particular. Spring can also be the season where there’s an increase in neurological symptoms of all kinds including dizziness, vertigo, muscle twitches and a general sense of instability. All of these can be signs that the increasing energy within us is not flowing smoothly. The good news about all of these symptoms is that in our clinical experience they are very treatable with Chinese medicine.