Harmonizing with the Autumn Season
One of the most important uses of Traditional East Asian Medicine & acupuncture is helping the body transition smoothly between seasons.
With the autumnal equinox just around the corner, we are at the midpoint of autumn. Today’s full moon of the Rooster Month of the Wood Dragon Year marks the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese tradition!
At our clinic, we support you to harmonize with the natural rhythms at transition points. We want to reduce the turbulence experienced between our own physiological rhythms and the larger cycles. Smoothing out and helping the body adjust to the changes of light in the sky and weather in the environment maintains optimal health.
If you feel yourself holding onto summer mentally and emotionally, there is a good chance that your body is holding on, too. Acupuncture directly tunes the body into alignment, helping us experience time moving more slowly. Things feel more ok. Then, your specific herbal formula—Chinese or Tibetan Medicine—helps your channels hold that attunement. One’s working more with the nervous system and channels, the other is adjusting chemistry.
Lifestyle adjustments for this time
Nourish Your Lungs: the Lungs and their paired organ, the Large Intestine, are associated with autumn. In our medicine, the Lungs and Large Intestines include, but are not limited to the gross physical organ, but also the physiological action of them including the associated channel system. (This is why we use acupuncture and moxa in addition to supportive diet/movement/rest.)
Breathe Deeply: Let's keep it simple. Just breathe slowly and deeply down into the belly. Do 5 or 8 in a row, a couple of times a day. It's guaranteed to change your life!
Work on Letting Go: the lungs and Large Intestines are both organ/channel systems of elimination. They deal with the removal of toxins through breath, sweat, and bowel movements, but also inflammation and other tensions in the channels themselves. On a psycho-emotional level, it is the appropriate season to work with ways in which you can let go. What are you holding? Why? The emotion of the Lung system is grief. This is a great time to check out what you are grieving and gently relax that energy. Dr. Adam and Dr. Anne can usually detect an old grief pattern in the pulse, so if you desire to work with that, mention it at your appointment.
Cook with Earth Spices: Ginger is a great one. Keep eating those nice fermented pickled veggies (always). Because Earth element, which is associated with the Stomach and Spleen organs and channels, leads to Metal, associated with Lung and Large Intestine, we want use spices that harmonize the Earth element/digestive function. Ginger is a favorite and contraindicated for no one, if you are cooking with the root. Play with other warming seasonings in your kitchen, like cumin and coriander. Thyme is a fave from the Western tradition that also specifically helps the Lung and immune function.
Gently Usher Out Heat: While the weather is still getting quite warm most days, gently help your body eliminate excess heat that built up during the summer season using chrysanthemum tea, especially after big lunches. Always use cooling herbals cautiously because fire is life! Our clinic's got a great new puerh tea line which is also great to support digestion and balance of heat and cold in the body.
Support Hydration: Think soupy stewy food, especially with the autumn windy days or “Indian Summer” hot nights we occasionally get. Think miso side soups with dinner. Bone broth to support your tissue integrity and repair. Hydrating fruits and veggies are things like pomegranate, winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets. Some hard squashes into your stews, like kabocha, also help deal with accumulated dampness without drying you out.
Feeling lazy? Visit us and take a nap while we do it for you with acupuncture!
By following these Traditional East Asian Medicine principles, you can support your body's natural rhythms and maintain vitality throughout the autumn season. Remember, personalized care is key – consult with us for tailored advice and treatments to meet your unique needs.