Transition Into Fall With These Chinese Medicine Tips.
By Kari Pettersen
Fall is one of my favourite times of the year. The heat and activity of summer always burns me out and I look forward to going slower in the fall. If we look to nature we see that this is the time of the year that animals finish their harvest and store food to get ready for approaching stillness of winter. Everything contracts and moves their energy more inward. Leaves fall from the trees, grass turns browns and sap goes more into the roots.
In Chinese Medicine each season corresponds to a specific organ in the body and fall all is all about the Lungs and Large Intestine. Both organs help eliminate waste from the body. It is not a coincidence that flu season starts in the fall. Cold wind and dryer air can easily affect the lungs. Unresolved grief and sadness can deplete our Lung Qi making us more susceptible to pathologies. If you have healthy lungs they maintain a moist, protective coating on all mucous membranes; in conjunction with well- nourished and energized skin. This helps ward off weather invading the body, as well as virus’s and pathogens, allowing good immunity in general.
Chinese Medicine is holistic meaning that we look at all aspects of our lives and see the bigger picture of how it affects our health. Here are some Chinese Medicine wisdom to incorporate into your fall routine to help your lungs adapt to the changes. Keeping you happier and healthier this fall.
Diet
In the West we tend to think of food in terms of nutrition but the East also focus’s on the energy of our food. We can start preparing our bodies for colder weather by adding more astringent as well as heartier flavours and foods to our diets. Now is the time to add heat to our cooking methods to help fuel our digestive system. To prepare for the greater energy required by the cooler season, in general, cook with less water at a lower heat for longer periods of time. Add in more salty, bitter foods as well sour flavoured food. By adding in these warming foods it helps our body fuel properly for the upcoming colder weather including our Wei Qi which is our immune system.
Some food suggestions are:
sourdough bread
sauerkraut
olives
pickles
leaks
rosehip tea
vinegar
cheese
lemons
stews and soups
If you do get sick and have chills adding ginger to your tea can help expel the cold pathogen. If you feel hot and have some heat symptoms adding in peppermint can also help expel some of the heat.
Supplements
We live in an area where it can be hard to get fresh, organic food while we also have a depletion of sunlight that starts in the fall going into winter. I always suggest supplementing with with vitamins and supplements to help the immune system. Bioclinic Naturals identifies these key supplements for boosting the immune system.
Key Nutrients for Immune Function
Vitamin A (retinol) – significant antiviral effects and barrier function
Beta-carotene and other carotenoids – support thymus function
Vitamin D – numerous immune mechanism
Vitamin C – critical for optimal immune function
B vitamins, especially B1, B6, and B12 – required for antibody production
Zinc – the ”gatekeeper” of immunity with direct antiviral activity
Selenium – essential for thymus and cell-mediated immunity
NAC- has immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory effects, improving cold and flu symptoms as well as reducing excess mucus production.
Clothing
If you have read my blog Feel your best this winter with these Chinese Medicine tips then you know that external elements such as cold and wind can be harmful to your internal environment. The lungs indicate the health of the skin which can easily be invaded by wind. Our Wei Qi, immune system, runs up along the back and the neck. This is the time of the year to be protecting that area. It is not uncommon to see me with scarfs around my neck in the fall to protect my Wei Qi and lungs from pathogenic factors like colds/ flu virus. This is the time of year to really start to layer on the clothing and protect from the cold fall winds.
Scarfs -or really anything that will cover and protect the upper neck and back
Socks- wearing socks in the house and keeping the feet warm is important in Chinese Medicine. There are several acupuncture meridians that start in the feet and travel inward to the body. If cold invades the body it can cause all sorts of disharmonies and lots of pain. One way to keep cold out is to protect our feet and those meridians.
Emotions
Emotions play a huge factor in disease in Chinese Medicine. Emotions become pathogenic when you feel them too long, too strong or repress them. The emotions associated with the Lungs and Large Intestine is grief and sadness. This is a time to look within and identify unresolved sorrows and to let them go. By focusing internally one can heal where deep illness may otherwise develop. Grief can interfere with the lungs ability to disperse nutrients and Qi thus easily become congested with phlegm.
My tips of ways to deal with the emotions of grief and sorrow.
Journal- follow some journal prompts if you have troubles journaling. This can help you identify what is really going on in your life and look at area’s where you need to let go. I love Kris Carr’s journal prompts if you are having troubles journaling.
Therapy- I am always a big fan of therapy. Sometimes it takes someone who is objective to help you sort out feelings and help create boundaries. Therapies like EMDR can help release past trauma deep rooted in the body and nervous system.
Move- Moving can help move difficult emotions out of the body and keep them from getting stuck. I am a fan of moving with intention. Sometimes I go into a meditative state while running or swimming and I find focusing on breathing releases the stress that is built up. Grief and sorrow depletes Qi in the body and working on difficult emotions can be exhausting so be gentle with yourself. I am always a fan of slowing down and walking / doing yoga in the fall or anytime I am experiencing grief.
Meditation- Meditation allows us space to sit with those difficult emotions. We often get so busy with our day to day it is easy to numb or distract ourselves from how we are truly feeling. This works in the short term but not dealing with emotions will manifest in the body in one way or another. Meditation is hands down my favorite way to release repressed emotions from my body, heart and soul. Give yourself that 10-20 mins to feel uninterrupted. I always find it helps to remind myself , when dealing with difficult emotions, that this too shall pass. After I have sat with the emotion I then allow myself to get on with my day. This allows me from dwelling on the emotion or essentially feeling it for to long.
Rest
Rest is really important in Chinese Medicine. Everything is looked at in terms of yin ( rest) and yang ( movement). As the days get colder and nights get longer everything in the fall starts slowing down compared to our more yang summer. Now is the time to be like nature. Start by going to bed earlier and taking more time to rest during the day. In general, slow down to protect your energy.
Acupuncture
I always suggest Acupuncture in the fall as a way to prepare for the changes of the seasons. Acupuncture is a gentle way to help the body transition into flu season to help regulate Qi in the Lungs and the Large Intestine. By placing tiny needles along the Lung and large Intestine meridians, as well as other meridians, we can help move large intestine blockages, decrease excess mucus or moisten the lungs if dry. Help support depleted Qi and warm up the body, if needed, to help the immune system. If there is inflammation we can add points to clear heat. Acupuncture is excellent at releasing repressed emotions stuck in the fascia making acupuncture a great way to support the nervous system.
References
Pitchford, P. (2002). Healing with Whole Foods, Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Bioclinic Naturals,2020. Bioclinic Naturals NAC . Retrieved from https://bioclinicnaturals.com/en-ca/product/nac-nacetyllcysteine/
Dr Morello G.A. (2020) Covid-19 and Immune Support. Website ://bioclinicnaturals.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/COVID-19-Bioclinic-Presentation_May12sml.pdf