Get Ready For Spring Cleaning

Traditional Chinese Medicine draws much of its wisdom from Taoism, and the understanding that our bodies respond to the natural flow of the seasons.  In Five Element theory, each Element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) corresponds with a season, an organ system, emotion, sense organ, etc.  
A simple Five Element chart looks like this:

Spring is the season of rebirth and mobilizing energy, and it corresponds with the Liver.  If we haven't conserved our energy adequately during the winter months, our bodies will have a tendency to get stuck during the transition from the still, energetically subdued state of winter, to the dynamic, energetically active state of spring.  Our Liver channel might need some additional support.  Think of Liver energy as a seed that, after laying dormant through winter, is ready with its bud to burst forth through the hard, cold earth.  When there is a struggle with the natural seasonal progression, we see symptoms physically and emotionally, such as frustration, anger, headaches, PMS, shouting, eye irritation and tendonitis.