Do You Have Internal Heat/Fire?

Feel hot all the time? Anxiety and over-active mind? Irritable? Indigestion/heartburn? Red eyes and complexion? Inflammation? Red skin rashes and break-outs? Frequent infections? Insomnia? These are just some of the common ways that heat can manifest in our bodies and minds. Even if you don’t have any of these symptoms, you may also just have a gut-feeling that you have some internal heat or fire.

Putting Out the Fire

So what can we do about it? Happily, the body has a tremendous ability to balance itself, but sometimes it needs a little help. The first thing we want to do is stop feeding the fire in our daily habits. Identifying and beginning to limit things that are contributing to the heat on a daily basis is important. We can’t expect to put out a long-burning fire when we douse it with gasoline on a daily basis.

Top on this list is stress. Chronic stress is so toxic to our bodies, and it often manifests as heat. De-stressing is crucial! Also limiting intake of heat-causing foods like hot peppers and spicy foods, caffeine and stimulants in general, and alcohol, at least in the beginning until better balance is achieved, is very helpful. Adding in more cooling and moistening foods like root vegetables and coconut oil can also help. Avoiding hot environments like saunas can also be important for some people.

Acupuncture and herbal medicines are also excellent treatments for clearing heat. You can think of these like nudges to the body in the direction of a more balanced state. These treatments will also allow for some perspective from our daily routines and further allow for refinement of diet and lifestyle choices.

So what if you know you have internal heat, but you’re not experiencing any of these symptoms overtly? It’s still a good idea to think about balancing it. If you’re a fiery type, incorporating some cooling and balancing habits into your regimen now will help your body be more resilient when your balance is challenged in the future. Your body will be able to tolerate more heat without erupting into an acute, symptomatic state. This means greater ease in the physical body and more wellness versus sickness.