22/04/2022
Autumn Health Tips from Chinese Medicine
The best way to stay healthy according to Chinese medicine, is to learn about the nature of each season and live in harmony with it.
Autumn is the time when leaves fall to the ground, begin to decompose to create a fertile ground, and leave the potential for growth for the spring. Similarly, the human body naturally wants to pare down, introvert, and begin a season of focused energy.
In traditional Chinese medicine, autumn is associated with the Lungs, it is linked to the metal element which is characterized by the colour white. To us and to others who feel the effects of seasonal changes, autumn can also be linked to the emotions of grief and sadness.
Traditional Chinese medicine is a form of therapy for the entire body, mind, and spirit. I have this concept that the body holds onto pain and negative emotions just like the mind holds onto thoughts. Just as psychotherapy helps the mind release tension, acupuncture helps the body release toxic emotions and memories as well.
Someone once described the lungs as a tree in the rainforest that needs moisture to thrive, as the image of a tree situated upside down in the chest filtering oxygen from the air and expelling CO2. The lungs are the rhythm maker of the body and set the pace for the entire body’s movement.
If you are prone to lung weaknesses, like asthma or breathing problems or skin conditions like eczema, they might worsen in autumn, which is a great time to pop into the clinic for acupuncture to strengthen the lung.
In addition to addressing these elements, nutritional aspects to Chinese medicine offer everyday solutions to allow the flow of movement through the body.
LUNG QI IS NOURISHED BY CONSUMING:
• Pears
• Water Chestnuts
• Cauliflower (looks like a tree)
• Lotus root (looks like alveoli)
• Almonds
These herbs and spices are good for the lungs: bay leaves, caraway seeds, cardamom, chives, cinnamon, cloves, dill, fennel, leek, oregano, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, and turmeric.
TO REDUCE PHLEGM:
Eat more building foods than summertime, such as proteins, meats, fish, dairy, nuts, beans, seeds and gluten-free grains. But not too much as these foods also cause dampness.
Avoid Foods that Cause Dampness (Fluid & mucus congestion)
Avoid wheat which causes dampness.
Avoid sugars, fruit juices, processed foods and refined flours, which cause premature aging and dampness.
Avoid cold foods or drinks, dairy, and fried foods, which cause dampness.
Warm Foods are best in Autumn
• Eat warm foods like bone broth, stews, soups, and hot gluten-free cereals.
• Eat beans, such as lentils, kidney beans, adzuki beans, always well soaked.
In General, use this season to sleep a little longer, eat warm nourishing foods and turn inwards. Because the metal element within us gives us our sense of self-worth, this is the time to give ourselves some extra attention and self-love, we can be content inside and know that we have (and always have had) everything we need to be complete, perfect beings.
