Change is in the air. The shift to autumn is apparent. Chinese medicine teaches to live according to the season which means eating what grows in each season and changing the way we prepare our foods accordingly. The seasons tell us when we should wake, sleep, and how much activity we need. Traditionally, autumn is the harvest season. It is the time for our bodies to harvest energy to nurture our bodies for the colder months ahead, internally warming the body against external extremes to support strength.
Autumn is associated with the metal element. The metal element governs the mind, organization, and stability. We tend to reflect, turning inward to our work, our families and our homes during this time. The organs associated with Autumn are large intestine (yang) and lung (yin). How exquisitely these two are paired. Lung qi gathers and disperses energy and maintains strength. The Large Intestine ‘lets go’ of what is no longer necessary. A healthy balance between the Lung and Large Intestine will allow a person to honor commitments, but then move forward.
The time of day associated with the lungs is 3-5 a.m -perfect for early morning meditation, with deep breathing practices. Get into the habit of deep breathing and paying attention to the beauty in your surroundings. Human emotions and physical health are seen as deeply intertwined—as mutual correlations. As the body houses the mind, nourishing our body allows for proper functioning of the mind and supports clear, positive thought. Positive thought and a healthy mind create a peaceful body that can function with balance. The lungs are the organ most affected by sadness and grief. If grief is repressed, over time causes the Lungs to contract, which means the Lungs can’t extract sufficient qi from the air or distribute that qi around the body and our ability to defend ourselves is compromised. Be in touch with your emotions so that you may process them and release them. Deep breathing, meditation, counseling, exercise, and pungent foods may help clear grief by balancing the Lung qi. Acupuncture works on releasing emotional issues as well as physical ones.
The Lungs in TCM are very closely associated with the immune system, our skin and digestion, defending the body from external attacks by viruses, colds and germs, often led by ‘wind’ in TCM causing cough, dry throat, asthma, acne, psoriasis, eczema, dry skin, constipation and other gastro-intestinal conditions are common at this time of year. To treat dryness in autumn you can enjoy moistening, seasonal foods such as: tofu, tempeh, soy milk, raw honey, spinach, celery, broccoli, squash, daikon radishes, carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, beets, cranberries, pears, peaches, apples, papayas, persimmons, tangerines, citrus, loquat, seaweed, mushrooms, almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, watercress, lima and navy beans, millet, barley, clam, chicken broth, yams, eggs, crab or pork, also congee (millet, barley, rice) with watercress and small amounts of Himalayan salt. A simple tonic to boost immunity is leek soup.
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Steaming combats dryness. Cook at low temperatures for longer periods of time. Heavy foods, such as thick stews and soups build energy reserves for the colder months. Hydrate — drink lots of water, and wean yourself from dehydrating fluids such as coffee, black tea and alcohol and refrain from smoking.Pungent flavors are important to strengthen and clear the Lungs. Phlegm with heat use cooling pungents such as peppermint and chamomile. For hot phlegm (yellow or green colour) use cooling damp removers such as watercress, radish, daikon radish and seaweed. For cold phlegm (white) use warm damp removers such as fennel, cayenne, garlic, onions, mustard greens, horseradish and ginger. There are foods that can be used to clear all types of phlegm in the Lungs, including potato, pumpkin, linseed, turnip, job’s tears barley, tuna and mushrooms.
Sour and sweet foods to support digestion for autumn include adzuki beans, apples, grapes, olives, sauerkraut, pickles, rose hip tea, sour plums and sour dough bread. Soups are great in autumn for several reasons, including the longer cooking times that mean the ingredients are easier to digest, and the watery medium that nurtures yin fill with vegetables and grains, such as rice to nurture the digestion. Avoid damp in the autumn to strengthen Spleen qi. Dairy and wheat are damp forming. Drain damp with mushrooms, green tea, black sesame, black soybeans, capers, dry ginger, job’s tears barley, turnips, mulberries and pine nuts in your diet.
Avoid excessive intake of cold drinks and cold food in Autumn that will slow the digestive process and encourage wind –
flatulence. Autumn generally is a good time to cleanse the intestine. Keep your nose and sinuses clean and clear using a netti pot. If you suffer from a runny nose, cold, or sinus infections, acupuncture and Chinese herbs are wonderful for alleviating that problem. Now is the time to strengthen your Qi to prepare for winter, a perfect time to get a “tune-up” from your registered acupuncturist to strengthen your immune system. TCM includes many traditional practices intended to simultaneously support healthy mind and body functioning, including: herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, meditation, Qigong, facial rejuvenation and last but not least, nutrition.
