Optimizing Health During Autumn, a TCM Perspective

Ever feel like you get sick nearly every season?  Or that when the weather changes you suffer somehow?  Ever have depression in the Winter, neck aches and allergies in the Spring, an awful flu in the Summer, and a dry cough or cold in the Fall?
If you've experienced any of these you aren't alone.  Many people suffer when the seasons change.  Why?  Because their bodies aren't prepared for the changes in both climactic forces and in the deeper energies of life that we call Yin and Yang.

The seasons of the year are perhaps the most obvious place to observe the impact and power of the opposing forces of Yin and Yang.  Yang predominates during the summer as heat and fire, and Yin dominates the winter with its cold, dark, and wet attributes.  The autumn and the spring display a blending of these forces.  During the autumn, we still have lingering Yang energy in the form of heat, but Yin is beginning to show itself as increasing coolness and longer nights.  The combination of cooling Yin and the persistent heat from summer produces a new quality:  dryness.  And this dryness is what we need to fortify against in the autumn.

In order to help you weather the changes, I've listed a few things you can do, and some foods that you can eat, to keep yourself healthy during the Fall.

Step one: Come in for an acupuncture treatment now.  With just a few select points, we can help harmonize your system with the energy of autumn, and boost your health.

Step two:  Follow these simple recommendations:

• According to Chinese Medicine, the Lungs are the most important organ to look after during the Fall.  The Lungs are said to be subject to cold and dryness, and that we are therefore at risk for mild colds with a dry cough during the Autumn.  Protect your Lungs from the cool, dry air by eating moistening foods.  These foods are particularly good during this period:
  
  Veggies – Chinese yam, sweet potato, white wood ear mushrooms, squashes of all sorts.
  
  Fruit – Asian/Chinese pears, any type of pear (although slightly less effective than Asian pears), dates, grapes.
  
  Nuts and Seeds – hemp seed, walnut, sesame, almond, chestnut, pine nut, flax seed.
  
  Miscellaneous – molasses, rice syrup, barley malt, American ginseng (use these in small amounts).
  
  
• We also say the Lungs are subject to grief and sadness, and that grief dissolves the energy of the Lungs.  Deal with these emotions directly and with awareness, and be conscious of increasing depression as the light decreases.
• Carry a jacket, sweater or scarf so that you aren't caught off guard by the cold.  And, wear something on your neck when you feel any draft at all.  The back of the neck is said by Chinese Medicine to be where pathogens that cause cold and flu symptoms attack our system.  Covering this area is a very strong defense.
• Eat foods that are in season.  When you eat seasonal, local food (from the same state or region) your energy becomes one with the climate and geography around you, and you become less susceptible to changes, because you change with the seasons.  You also boost the immune system with the plentiful micro-nutrients founds in these foods.
• Follow the light!  Meaning, as the light of day and night change in length, let this influence when you sleep, get up, get active, and retreat for the day.  Everyone's life is different, so you'll have to experiment with this to see what fits with yours.
• Take Vitamin D3. D3 can help reduce Seasonal Affective Disorder (a mood disorder associated with decreasing hours of sunlight), and has been shown to increase the strength of the immune system.

May All Beings Be Happy and Well,

Dr. Craig Swogger, L.Ac., DAOM