Late summer is a great time to shift your routines and cleanse built-up toxins. Each season is ruled by different organ pairs, and this time of year is associated with the Spleen and Stomach. While detoxing, the Liver and Kidneys are often regulated. 

A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis is based on patterns of how each organ functions, which is viewed with a different lens than Western medicine. The descriptions of these patterns are intertwined with Eastern philosophy and lifestyle.

Listen To Your Body

Dampness, phlegm, and heat are the main culprits of discomfort at the end of the summer, but they can also happen in any season. Understanding what these elements look like in our bodies as a pattern, or as a mixed pattern, may help inform you when it’s time to see a practitioner and make health adjustments. This is the body’s way of talking to you and saying it’s out of balance.

• Dampness: Bloating, feeling easily full, nausea, feeling heavy in your body, lethargy, fatigue, brain fog, loose stools, eczema, oily skin, and other skin conditions
• Phlegm: Sinus congestion (runny nose with thick mucus), respiratory conditions with excessive mucus or phlegm, feeling heavy, brain fog
• Heat: Irritability, aversion to heat, feeling very thirsty, insomnia, sweating, constipation, bitter taste, red eyes, strong body odour, bad breath, and stools with a strong odour
• Damp-heat: Feeling heavy, lethargic, irritable; loose and strong smelling stools, oozing red rashes, eczema or psoriasis, acne with pus, oily skin, sweating, and body odour

Let’s take a look at how TCM, lifestyle, and diet may help with detoxification. 

Acupuncture and the Lymphatic System

Acupuncture helps support our lymphatic system, enhances circulation, and reduces inflammation; it helps regulate hormones and digestion and promotes relaxation and stress reduction. Your TCM acupuncturist may choose other methods to support your body's detoxification by incorporating cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, and acupuncture. 

Acupuncture helps to stimulate the body’s natural process by balancing qi (energy) flow, which aids in the body’s natural detoxification process. Your acupuncturist may choose points to support your Spleen, Stomach, Liver, and/or Kidneys, along with other organ systems found to be out of balance.

Sometimes, when a person is detoxing, they may have symptoms worsen before they get better; this can be a sign that detoxification has begun and is referred to as a “healing crisis” or purification process. This process should not last long and there should be relief afterwards. Some symptoms may include:

• Acne
• Acute rash
• Digestive and bowel changes
• Fatigue
• Sinus congestion
• Flu-like symptoms

Eating Habits for the Season

Eat for your constitution and align with a diet that is best for the season. Late summer is a time when the Spleen and Stomach are most important to nourish; take advantage of in-season foods like squash, pumpkin, legumes, lean protein, grains, and oats. Cook your food well so it’s easier on your digestion, and avoid alcohol and foods that are:

• Excessively raw 
• Spicy
• Sugary
• Greasy

In Chinese Medicine, the Liver and Kidneys are an important part of detoxing the body. Choosing cooked greens like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and broccoli will support the Liver and help with this process. Seaweed is high in fibre, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, which help support the Kidneys; adding kelp, wakame, or nori can also help to cool and relieve excess heat toxins from the body.

Starting your day with a cup of hot water will stimulate the digestive system. Between 7–9 a.m. is when the Stomach is most active, and it prefers a warm environment to digest. Adding lemon to the hot water adds a sour flavour that encourages the Liver to move and helps cleanse toxins. Drink this before eating or drinking anything else in the morning.

How you eat is just as important as what you eat. Take time to chew your food, and avoid eating on-the-go or when consumed by emotion. Less stress or rushed eating supports proper digestion and helps your body’s natural ability to build qi and blood, which eliminates toxins effectively.

Overall, it’s important to have a variety of foods in your diet to support your detox. Berries, legumes, whole grains, root vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds assist your body to function properly. You can see a TCM practitioner who offers TCM nutrition guidance to learn more.

Stress Reduction and Detox

Stress reduction is vital to emotional well-being, and it will help your body detox more effectively as well. Because stress stagnates your qi, de-stressing helps everything run more smoothly and allows for proper communication between your organs. For example, when you’re stressed or overthinking, this weakens the body’s ability to digest food, which has a relay effect on how you feel physically. One of the main things people do that adds stress to their lives is over-scheduling—not allowing for downtime. Try to be realistic with your schedule as much as possible.

Having a consistent and early bedtime (9–10 p.m.) and a regular wake-up schedule (before or around sunrise) will help regulate your circadian rhythm and balance your body. Our body restores itself during sleep, helping to detoxify. The hours before midnight are the most influential; we must be asleep early enough so our body's only job is to filter and restore.

Choosing exercises that help to move qi will also help you self-regulate. Tai Chi, walking outside in nature, and yoga are good examples of moving your body and connecting deeper to your inner and outer environment. 

Empowering your life with TCM incorporates mindfulness, living with balance, healthy eating habits, exercise, sleep, emotional well-being, and recognising that we are interconnected with nature. Chinese medicine is centralised on flowing with each season and being aware of each as it changes. The relationship we have with our environment is deepened throughout our lives as we spend time outdoors and witness nature in motion. Because we are not separate from nature, as our world advances with technology, it becomes vitally important for us to consciously go outside to stay in rhythm. 

Detoxing is something our bodies do naturally, but being in rhythm with nature and life will help support this natural process. When the body is congested it requires us to be more proactive in our detoxification process; it’s best to incorporate lifestyle changes, dietary and herbal supports, holistic healthcare, and Western medicine as needed.

I recommend seeing a TCM practitioner/acupuncturist for personalised guidance, as everyone is different with unique needs. Your practitioner will fully assess you by reading your tongue and pulse, noting what they hear, smell, and see. The whole person is taken into consideration and careful attention is given to address your underlying needs and presenting symptoms.