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Summer heat, especially when a person lives in a region with extreme weather, can be hard on anyone. But if you’re here and reading this, you either have EDS or MCAS or POTS, and maybe you live with the so-called trifecta of all three combined. Consequently, summer may be a challenge that tries you unto your very last nerve. And while there are a number of online options for finding out ways to potentially self-regulate (or at least stay safe) I don’t see a lot of information about living creatively and vibrantly and with style despite one’s health challenges.
I hope that this blog post might change that.
As we probably all know by now, weather extremes can cause an individual’s symptoms to flare. Thermoregulation is a challenging beast when you live with EDS, POTS, MCAS, or the trifecta (and I will share a companion piece to this essay, one about staying warm, once we get to fall season). Things don’t happen as expected for zebras. Someone with low blood volume or pooling may still feel cold. People who don’t sweat enough may feel miserably hot. The MCAS dragons can be angered and the POTS gargoyles enraged. All sorts of reactions can occur that are traceable right back to the weather.
There are a number of methods to manage body temperature if overheating is the problem, but not all of them work for people with unique, complex health concerns. Besides, if these things worked all the time for everyone, then extremes of temperature wouldn’t be a problem and you wouldn’t be here reading.
Whatever your presentation, learning how to listen to yourself and to respond appropriately to your own body’s unique way of communicating is crucial.
Some options are low-tech. To combat summer heat, most people know about using a floor fan with a bowl of ice in front of it, for instance, and that might be helpful for you. Other strategies might include useful gadgets. Have you ever tried any of the portable neck coolers and/or microfiber towels that purport to keep you refreshed?1
But what about reconsidering the subtle elements of your self-care practice? If you can add some creative touches to the endeavor, this could boost your spirits in ways you had never considered.
What do you think?
In Chinese medicine’s view, summer has particular characteristics, and part of being healthy is adjusting gracefully to them.
As I wrote in my Two Hearts Wellness blog post, “Living With The Seasons According To Chinese Medicine: Summer Tips For Health And Happiness,” it can be fruitful to consider four main topics. These are: environment, organs, food, and mood. In this post, I’ll be brief with the explanations of these categories (you can go to the original blog post for the more detailed outlines) so that we get right to the topic that may be most important to you: in other words, how to integrate Chinese medicine into your unique self-care practice during hot months.
Environment is key: you reflect what is around you, and what is around you reflects you. For hypersensitive people (I count myself among this group), we actually embody this principle better than the average normie. I mean…if you think about global warming, who is more realistic? Those of us whose bodies sound an alarm bell in response to weather extremes, or the person who can just go about their day, unbothered and oblivious?
Rather than beat yourself up for struggling with the temperature, maybe keep in mind that too-hot weather can actually be pretty hard on everyone. Dysautonomia makes things more challenging, but extreme heat can affect everything from digestion to mood to how people metabolize their anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications.2
Dysautonomia is not entirely to blame for reactivity during extreme weather and you are certainly not alone in your discomfort during the overly-hot summer weather. In essence: you’re not the problem…the changing climate is. Simply recognizing this fact may be helpful as you strategize how to engage with weather and temperature shifts.
What, then, to do about the extra edge that dysautonomia brings?
Chinese medicine also highlights different organs each season, and summer aligns with the Heart and Small Intestine (capitalized to differentiate between biomedicine and Chinese medicine’s organ names). The Heart is the organ of joy (though too much leads to mania). The Small Intestine separates the pure from the impure both in fact (when we digest our food) and in metaphor (when we discern and make distinctions). Summer’s element is, of course, Fire.
Keeping a steady mood can help you to find greater peace during hot weather. Ways to do so can include waking up earlier and going to bed later. It can be good to rest at midday when the heat is at its highest. Acupuncture can help to regulate body temperature, btw (you do have an acupuncturist in your life, don’t you?). Water mitigates the element of Fire intrinsic to the season, so swimming or taking a cool bath or shower may also help you to feel good. What about soaking your feet in a cool basin if a bath or shower is overwhelming?3
When summer puts the heat on full blast, can you gently and sincerely pay attention to your body and not push yourself? Are you able to stay inside and not fret about doing so? What about your medication? If you have specific meds you take on schedule, now might be the time to keep them in a pretty box or a special container.4 Make your surroundings realistic to your life and your needs, and–if it’s available–arrange things in a way that is graceful and inviting.
For some of us, it may be useful to mindfully and actively promote self-acceptance. If you need to live and eat a certain way because doing so is what your body needs… then that is what you must do. If you can love yourself just as you are, does doing so remove some of the burdens you carry on your shoulders?
Food can be another challenge (hello, fellow Masties!) and your acupuncturist will have words to say about ways to eat during the summer. We are all about hydration, minerals, vitamins, and healthy fiber just as much as your naturopath or functional physician would be. We’ll guide you towards fruit (berries, watermelon, apricots, and other yummy similar), vegetables (leafy greens, zucchini, celery), and fruits that are confused with vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber). We’ll counsel you to go light on meat and heavy foods and to perhaps try to get your protein from fish or vegetable sources.
There is a dazzling array of foods that you may be able enjoy if you are willing to be adventurous. And if or when you can’t tolerate many things? Time to try to make what you can eat look beautiful.
Personal story alert: I went through a depressingly long period where my diet was limited if I didn’t want my upper lip to swell and the roof of my mouth to peel off like when you eat a piece of too-hot pizza and burn yourself. I could only eat a few fronds of arugula, a tiny bit of watermelon, a couple pieces of celery, a small scoop of white rice, and about a third of a can of tuna for MONTHS. And I had to eat slowly or my lip would start tingling and my face would go numb. It was wretched. The only thing I could change was presentation, so I would plate my food creatively at each meal. Some days the arugula would make a bed for the watermelon; other days, it cradled the tuna fish, and so forth. If I couldn’t eat variety at least I could make things look nice, and that brought me a lot of comfort. And now, though I am able to eat a wider variety of foods, I still have to be more careful than a normie would be…and presentation, when I can’t achieve variety, is my saving grace.
What about you? Do you think that creativity on your plate might encourage you?
And this brings me back to mood. A question for you, then: can you try to find your bliss and be present for any small moments of success or reprieve? If your challenges have gotten to you, can you mindfully practice trying to remember feeling happy? Can you cultivate joy in your life? When it is miserably hot out, people get cranky. Digestion gets disrupted. If you can’t eat much to begin with or you’re struggling with depression or anxiety (all things exacerbated by dysautonomia, POTS, MCAS, and/or EDS), the weather is going to crush you if you don’t fight back.
Making your plate look lovely, soothing foot soaks, and getting a nap in the afternoon…all of these things can be part of your self-care plan. What else can you do to create grace in your life? Off the top of my head, these are some options:
- Maybe textures and colors could provide you with some encouragement. Natural-fiber sheets in colors you enjoy can bring joy & soothe temperature fluctuation woes…style & intention are mood-boosters no matter the weather;
- Linen clothing in neutral shades can help you to stay cool;
- Depending on what you can drink, perhaps you might try to give your beverages some fanciness. What about water infused with lemon and cucumber? Do you have any special salts you could add to your drink that make you feel like you’re on the Italian Riviera?5
- Can you start a summery novel that you could read or listen to via audiobook?
- If flowers give you hives, can you put up a photograph or get Mexican paper ones?
- The next time you are in a good mood or feeling especially strong, you may decide that it’s time to write up a mantra or some encouraging words that you repeat to yourself until they become part of your narrative…
What do you think?
Going with the flow of the seasons is smart, healthy, and ultimately can be very simple once you make it a habit. During the summer, especially if you live in a place where it’s remarkably hot or there are extreme weather events every other week, doing so becomes a necessity. Most important, though? Remember that it takes a lot of guts to live with EDS, POTS, and/or MCAS. You’ve made it this far and you deserve credit for that! Combine the to-dos and the actions with genuine self-acceptance and appreciation for all that you do, have done, and are able accomplish as you make your life the best it can be.
What would you like to do to take good care of yourself during the summer?
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Dr. Paula Bruno, Ph.D., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, an AOBTA-CP traditional Chinese bodywork therapist, an author, and a health coach. She maintains an active and growing practice at Two Hearts Wellness, her Austin, TX office. Dr. Bruno is also available for distance appointments for wellness consultation or coaching.
In her first career, she was a Spanish professor.
Dr. Bruno’s specialties as a Chinese medicine practitioner include: • Musculoskeletal health (acute or chronic pain relief; Ehlers Danlos syndrome & hypermobility support) • Digestive support, gut health, and weight loss • Aesthetic treatment, including scar revision • Men’s health • General preventative care and wellness support for all persons.
She is the author of Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide.
When you are ready to discover what traditional medicine plus a vibrant and engaged approach to holistic health can do for you, either contact Dr. Bruno or book an appointment online.
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- Please note that I do not engage in affiliate marketing at this time (if anything changes, I’ll update and add a disclosure). This said, I looked around for information on neck cooling devices and found this article, “10 Best Cooling Neck Wraps To Beat Body Overheating 2024.” ↩︎
- For instance: refer to “Excessive heat and its impact on mental health” and “Extreme Heat May Aggravate Gastrointestinal Problems.” The WHO also has a useful fact sheet, “Heat and Health,” that outlines how extreme heat affects the human body. ↩︎
- As to foot soaks? There are some things to keep in mind if this appeals to you (see “Foot Soaks: What To Know and Whether To Try One“), but if the idea does resonate, “The 8 Best Foot Baths for Improving Your Foot Health” might have some good options for you. ↩︎
- Etsy has some really fun pill boxes and containers; take a look. ↩︎
- Personally, I love salt from Trapani, a town in Sicily that has produced Mediterranean sea salt since forever. My favorite is the fiore di sale, which is a little pricey but there is also a basic table salt that is good too. Another healthy and fun option could be Jacobsen Salt Co.’s cute salt tin that you can carry in your pocket. Be fabulous and attend to your needs as a potsie? Yes! ↩︎
Holistic Health and hEDS 