Mike Macy

Last August, we discussed the heart, my Exhibit A in any discussion of the bodymind. With all its talk of love and chocolates and Valentines, February seems like the perfect excuse to revisit our most important internal organ. Still skeptical about the bodymind? The English language is not, as words like heartened and disheartened suggest. […]

Acupuncture has used the bodymind connection to prevent and treat disease for thousands of years. In the Five Element Theory, winter is the season for the water element and its kidney and bladder meridians. Since winter officially arrives Dec. 21, it seems appropriate to focus on the kidneys and fear, the emotion most closely associated […]

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, fall is the season for the metal element, which includes the large intestine and lung meridians. The lung meridian involves the skin and hair, the ability to take in life, and the emotions of grief and nostalgia.   In the fall, indoor air pollution becomes more significant. Formaldehyde in building materials, […]

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Summer is Earth element time. Earth includes the stomach and its partner meridian, spleen-pancreas. This is the energy of ripening. Think fruit. People with chronic Earth imbalances frequently have fruity breath and tend to worry or overthink, hence ulcers. Our anatomical stomach knows all about the bodymind connection, its complexities, […]

Traditional Chinese Medicine associates summer with Fire. One of five elements, Fire includes the Pericardium, Triple Warmer, Small Intestine and Heart meridians. The pericardium protects the heart from shocks and Triple Warmer balances the thoracic, digestive and eliminative organs. In TCM, Small Intestine separates the pure from the impure, a metaphor for what it actually […]