In the last month I have seen more people coming in complaining of dizziness than I have seen all year, ranging from just a slight feeling of light headedness to full blown vertigo. While it’s never fun walking around seeing the world spin around you, it’s a great (though potent) reminder of just how much the seasons influence our bodies. So, if you’re one of the many people out there today wondering why you’re dizzy, this blog is for you!
We’ve previously discussed a predominant theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which is the relationship between the macrocosm (the world) and the microcosm (the human). Just as time passes and seasons change on the planet, our internal climate goes through seasonal changes. At different times of year, different organs and their Qi have different levels of strength over the flow of Qi through your body; and just like any transition, the transition between seasons causes a bit of ruckus! 
As we move into the thick of the fall season, our metal organs (lung and large intestine) are coming into full charge, which is why this is the best time of year to start strengthening our immune systems. But there’s a secondary transitional ruckus that often gets forgotten about, and sadly we’re blaming the poor liver again! The liver, being of the wood element, is most predominant during Spring Time; but during the Fall (it’s seasonal opposite) it’s extremely susceptible to imbalance. When the liver becomes imbalanced, it’s most often prone to becoming deficient in the nourishing yin and excessive in the active yang Qi. When the liver’s yang goes awry, its Qi will rise upwards causing a myriad of symptoms like migraines, dizziness and vertigo. So, this time of year it’s crucial to keep your liver in check (let’s face it, it’s always important to take care of your liver). There are some great acupuncture treatments and herbal remedies that Hardin and myself can provide, though it will often take a few sessions to get the liver balanced out again. However, there are also some home techniques that can help in the mean time!
- Massage: providing massages along the meridians in downward strokes can help coax your Qi back down again. Traditional massage therapy techniques can also redirect the flow of energy and blood in your body.
- Foot Bath: Remember in school when we learned about the laws of Thermodynamics? Well here is a real life example! Heat (Yang) will follow heat. When your yang qi is getting stuck up in your head, you need to anchor it. A great way to do this is to fill a large bowl or your tub with hot water and Epsom salts and soak those feet to draw the Yang Qi down. I’m also a fan of putting in some peppermint oil, since peppermint as a liver soothing quality to it.
- Green Leafy Broths: green vegetables are great for the liver, especially kale, spinach, chard, and dandelion greens. Consider adding them to a soup or stew to warm your bellies and calm the liver.
Acupressure: Doing acupressure down your liver meridians can be most helpful for anchoring the liver, especially Liver-2 and Liver-3, which are located in the fleshy space between your first 2 toes. Pressing on the bottom of the ball of your foot (Kidney 1) is also great.- Hydration: nourish that yin by drinking plenty of water. I’m particular a fan of water that has the electrolytes to provide additional balance.
- Abdominal Breathing: taking full and deep breathes into your abdomen will allow full oxygenation and can help dizziness attributable to poorly oxygenated blood.
*Side note: another very common cause for dizziness this time of year is due to allergies and inner ear issues. Theoretically, TCM still attributes this to variation of Liver Qi pathology so we will still be able to treat you. However, if it’s very severe, there are some exercises you can learn from your primary care provider to rebalance your inner ear here: http://www.webmd.com/brain/home-remedies-vertigo.
Please seek the guidance of a healthcare practitioner before attempting any inner ear exercises
