If you've over indulged during the festive season, whether that's food or booze, we've got you covered!
We all know that too much rich food and alcohol can leave us feeling sluggish, nauseous, and lacking in energy, despite that, it often seems like a good idea at the time (there's no judgement here)!
The reason why we can feel like this after over indulging, from a Chinese medicine perspective, is due to the impact these types of food and drinks have on our body's systems.
For example, alcohol, sugar and caffeine are heating on the body. So particularly if you're menopausal for example, you might find symptoms worsen, particularly dryness, hot flushes/night sweats, sleep and anxiety. This is because the body's cooling and heating system (also known as yin and yang) gets out of whack and we have too much heat from the alcohol, and too little cooling (our yin / coolant decreases as we age) so it can't control and anchor the heat which can cause flares in anxiety, a deterioration in sleep quality, and of course the heat symptoms
As for dietary choices, when we eat fatty, greasy, dairy or high sugar foods they can also have a heating effect as well as being what we call damp forming in Chinese medicine. This dampness is heavy, so we may feel sluggish, like we're being dragged down. It may also leave a greasy feeling in your mouth, make your head feel fuzzy and slow your thinking.
When coupled with heat it can also lead to things like acne and gastric issues.
Given that total abstinence is a pretty miserable choice at Christmas, the acupressure points in the link below will help you to feel yourself again soon should you find you've overindulged!