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Vacations Are Yin; Work Is Yang
I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a little rest and relaxation. It's a family tradition to get up to Camp Mather on the western end of Yosemite Park. People come from all over the world to visit the beautiful Yosemite Valley for its spectacular waterfalls and scenic splendor. Yet very few of these visitors find their way to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and O'Shaughnessy Dam just an hour's drive to the west. Every time San Franciscans turn on their lights or water faucets we have the men and women who built and operate the dam to thank. San Francisco is fortunate to have one of the finest municipal water supplies in the world; and power is produced in one of the cleanest possible ways via the turbines driven by the water in the dam. But this article isn't intended as a travelogue; actually, I wanted to share a few insights that were stimulated by being in the High Sierra.
As an acupuncturist I tend to view the world in terms of yin and yang. Yang encompasses things like summertime, heat, high altitude and dryness. So when one is in such a setting it is important to balance these elements by drinking plenty of water, as well as taking dips in the lake or pool, which are cool and wet and very yin. Hiking, biking and swimming are all dynamic yang activities. Taking naps and drinking plenty of water help to replenish the yin that is consumed by the yang. According to Chinese medicine, yin and yang are constantly evolving into each other. For example, the water in the reservoir, which is yin, generates electricity, which is yang, when it is released in a controlled fashion.
All this talk about water is probably making you thirsty, so the next time you drink a glass of water ponder these interesting facts:
- 75 percent of Americans, and most of the world population, are chronically dehydrated.
- In 37 percent of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
- Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3 percent.
- One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100 percent of dieters.
- Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
- Preliminary research indicates that eight to ten glasses of water a day can significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80 percent of sufferers.
- A mere 2 percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
- Drinking five glasses of water daily decreases the risk of breast cancer by 79 percent and the likelihood of developing bladder cancer by 50 percent.
One final word: According to Chinese medicine, water should always be consumed at room temperature or slightly warmer to ease and promote digestion. Because everything we put in our body has to be heated up to 98.6 degrees, cold drinks require more energy to be absorbed.
Salud!
© 2013 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
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