Are your feet and hands always cold? Do you have sporadic pain in your side rib? Are you sometimes moody or irritable?? Chances are you are having trouble regulating inner body temperature. Now maybe you want to just bundle up under a fuzzy blanket until you feel warmer, but this is not a long-term solution (even though you may want to stay under there forever).

Western medicine traditionally relies on the concept of homeostasis—the body’s natural tendency for balance and equilibrium. The body’s ability to maintain a set point temperature is an example of the body’s homeostatic control.

Western Medicine VS. Eastern Medicine On Body Temperature

A popular Western approach to regulating body temperature includes drinking hot or cold liquids to warm or cool down, respectively. While this may feel good and help with your body’s temporary temperature needs, it doesn’t do much in the long term to balance your internal thermostat . If you let yourself overheat or “overcool” too much and are unable to get back into balance on your own, it could lead to long-term health issues. There are healthier ways to regulate body temperature using Eastern medicine techniques that have been around for thousands of years.

Eastern medicine holds that the body is influenced by three energy flows or Qi (Chi) or Prana: the warming energy of yang, the cooling energy of yin, and their harmony in balance, the tai chi effect. According to these principles, Eastern medicine practitioners look to treat imbalances in yin or yangs to restore balance in your body’s natural processes and your overall health. In addition to exercise and diet, Eastern medicine practitioners use several other techniques to balance your body’s temperature and keep it from fluctuating wildly between extremes of hot and cold.

Internal Ways to Balance Temperature

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a comprehensive approach to balancing hot and cold conditions. One strategy is to balance Yin and Yang, or cold and hot in Chinese medicine. This can be achieved by prescribing herbs— Main classification of herbs in TCM are warming, cooling, and neutral.

With the correct herbal energetics and ingredients, heat doesn’t have to be insufferable. Consider an experiment. In warmer months, try experimenting with cooling herbs paired with  foods in new ways such aromatic herbs (mint, cilantro, etc.) for drinks or body spritzers, incorporate these fresh herbs in  dressings with yogurt, or sprinkle in a little spice to make the dressing more neutral. Children can be introduced to cooling herbs such as  mint to lemonade, dill to cucumber.

For a list of cooling and warming foods check out: Food As Medicine: The Natures and Flavors of Food According to TCM. Welleum’s No. 120  tincture can also help to regulate internal body temperature by taking just two dropper fulls twice daily. 

One tasty way to regulate core temperature is coconut water. Having one glass of tender coconut water efficiently soothes the internal organs especially during scorching summers. Tender coconut water contains important minerals like potassium and calcium and is full of vital nutrients. It balances the electrolyte levels in the body by rehydrating it completely. Drinking coconut water can help maintain the proper osmotic level of body fluids and provide energy. It replenishes the system with essential vitamins, trace minerals, and electrolytes that are lost during heat, sweat, and stress conditions of the body. 

External Ways To Regulate Body Temperature

You can also cool  your body naturally with cooling herbs on your skin. Peppermint is a great herb for this because it has a cooling effect. Consider adding peppermint essential oil to bathwater. Being active has been proven to boost and maintain body temperature over time. Improving flow throughout the body will regulate temperature and comes with many other benefits. Working out for just 30 minutes every day can alleviate some symptoms and make you feel warmer and happier. This could include yoga, tai chi, or even a mental workout with meditation.

Lastly, acupressure is a self administered solution to fix inner symptoms. Similar to acupuncture, pressing on certain locations or points on the body with either your hand or an acupressure tool can expel heat from the body. For those with a fear of needles, this is a way to experience the benefits without the anxiety and you can do from home. Before performing it on yourself, it is best to see a professional first. This can also help with insomnia, muscle pain, and headaches.

Whether it be always under a blanket or a little bit too reliant on eating spicy foods, it may be time to fix your inner temperature and eastern medicine provides many solutions. So, use one or a combination of the remedies above and more you learn from your practitioner to feel your best every day as you achieve balanced health