Touch of Radiance

Large Intestine 4

Large Intestine 4 (Joining Valley or He Gu) is a very powerful acupressure point. Do not use this point during pregnancy. Some of the many uses for Large Intestine 4 are: headache, toothache, pain, cough, sore throat, constipation, and delayed labor. It is found on the hand, in the middle of the second metacarpal bone, on the radial side. That means the edge of the hand bone to which your index finger attaches, about halfway between the base of your finger and your wrist. Use your thumb or fingertip to press and hold this point for several slow breaths.

Go for a short walk after dinner to help digestion, especially if you eat late at night. The body doesn’t digest as well in the evening, and sitting on the couch makes things worse. A bit of moderate physical activity can be just the thing to help kick start digestion and prevent your dinner from sitting in your stomach like a rock. You might even sleep better, too!

The Large Intestine Meridian

The Large Intestine meridian is partnered with Lung, and they both belong to the Metal element. Large Intestine is known as The Great Eliminator, and it gives us the ability to let go and release. The pathway begins on the index finger and travels along the arm, over the shoulder to end on the face just to the outside of the nose. There are a total of 20 points on the Large Intestine meridian.

Physically the large intestine, also known as the colon, is responsible for producing fecal matter and eliminating it from the body. It accomplishes this, in part, by absorbing water from the intestinal contents to be reused by the body. In Chinese medicine as well, the Large Intestine’s function is elimination. Dryness is the climate of the Metal element, and when Large Intestine is not functioning properly the body may become overly dry. We often notice dryness in our skin, which also relates to the Metal element. Other associations include the color white, the season Autumn, old age, grief, the pungent or spicy flavor, and the nose. The time of day that the Large Intestine is at its peak is 5:00 to 7:00 AM.

When Large Intestine is out of balance, we may experience difficulty in letting go. Physically, this means a person with a Large Intestine imbalance might have constipation or diarrhea, but also skin conditions such as acne and rashes could result. In the emotional realm, it might cause someone to have a hard time dealing with grief. This could be either the inability to express it at all or being stuck too long in the grieving process. There is also a connection with childbirth, as the mother must “let go” of the baby, and postpartum depression may result if she is emotionally unable to do so. Intellectually, we can get stuck on some topic and experience mental “constipation” as well.

To support the Large Intestine, many of the same suggestions for Lung may be appropriate: wear white more often, watch a sad movie and let yourself cry, practice meditation, and consider adding more pungent or spicy foods to your diet. It is also possible that removing an excess of spicy foods from the diet may help if the opposite extreme is present. Specific foods that act on the Large Intestine include spinach, mushroom, eggplant, avocado, banana, rhubarb, fig, pine nuts, and tofu.

A common misconception is that deep tissue massage is any massage technique performed with very firm pressure. Deep tissue is actually a modality of massage, a collection of certain techniques designed to achieve specific results. In fact, deep tissue generally doesn’t feel all that deep due to the way in which the techniques are applied. The strategy is to work layer by layer, starting at the surface, to release adhesions (tight spots) in the soft tissue. By the time the deeper layers are reached, the surface layers are so relaxed that the client often doesn’t notice how deeply the work is taking place. This prevents the body from tensing up, and therefore allows the work to be more effective.

Deep tissue massage can help with chronically tight areas, and is often combined with other modalities such as Swedish massage. The techniques involved with deep tissue take time, so choose a specific body part (the back, for example) as a focus area during a massage. And remember, the saying “no pain, no gain” does NOT apply here. There are times when deep tissue can be painful, but it is generally quite relaxing and it does not have to hurt in order to be effective.

Eating seasonally was a necessity in times past, but today it is easy to take for granted the wide availability of food. These days you can buy just about anything at any time in your local supermarket. A lot of the produce is grown in greenhouses and even more is grown in other parts of the world in order to provide consumers with exactly what they want, when they want it. This has led to a disconnection between foods and their proper seasons for many people.

It isn’t just produce that has seasons – other foods are traditionally seasonal as well. Fresh milk, yogurt, and young cheeses were consumed only in Spring and Summer because they simply were not available during the Winter. Aged cheeses were made in Spring and Summer and eaten in Winter during the time when the family cow was not in milk. Meats were not always available year round either.

We are designed to eat seasonally, and we digest better and feel healthier if we choose foods when they are naturally in season. Our bodies need variety, and changing our diets with the seasons is an important part of keeping our digestive systems functioning well. It also helps with keeping food fun and exciting – you can’t get bored with the same old flavors if they are changing all the time. Check out your local farmer’s market and see what foods are in season today!