Hello and Happy October.
We are entering the Autumn, traditionally a dry time of the year. You may have noticed a rainfall or two recently (It’s been downpouring). However, we assume that the traditional Autumn dryness – what is responsible energetically for the shriveling and dropping of leaves off the trees – will prevail eventually. This dryness can certainly affect the body system, notably the lungs. The lungs are often referred to as the “delicate organ”, because of their sensitivity to dryness. So, as October begins and progresses, and hopefully the dryness begins to permeate the environment around us, we can get dry coughs or nasal passages, allergies, etc. A couple of quick thoughts on how to bolster the immune system during this time of year from the perspective of Chinese Medicine… In the mornings, if you are a fan of cold foods like yogurts and bananas, try to switch that out. Hot foods, cinnamon oatmeal etc are better choices now. Soups overall are excellent, and adding green onions is really using Chinese kitchen medicine very well. Green Onions (Cong Bai) is a commonly used Chinese herb. Adding it at the end of a soup making will help keep the colds and allergies at bay. The category of herbs green onion, and cinnamon are in is called “release exterior”. The idea is that when we “catch” a cold (or virus, etc) it is some pernicious pathogen (xie or “evil” qi) that sneaks through your immune system (wei qi, or “defensive” qi). So, many of the formulas that are used for people who catch different types of colds or fevers are often comprised, in part, from these release exterior herbs of which there are several dozen. Gui Zhi is cinnamon, Cong Bai is green onions. Both are well used in the kitchen. Sarah is very fond of Bone Broth soups and I should mention them here – not for the vegans among us, but very traditional good medicine to build and tonify, strengthen the system. Bones are related to the kidneys, and the kidneys are the real core of the energy system in Chinese Medicine. When depleted, we get sick easier and age more quickly. So, the bone broth soup is especially good for those who are a little on the frail side, older, or weak in general. These are generalizations. If you are interested in Chinese herbs as part of your treatments at our clinic, we are happy to suggest some food therapy tips, and can customize a Chinese herbal formula for you as well. Acupuncture and moxa are very good for boosting the immune system. We are very fortunate to be able to conduct traditional needle-top moxa (needle warming) in our clinic. Moxa is one of the best treatments for boosting natural immunity, but we use it for pain relief and other functions as well.
October contains Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Day – October 24 – a sort of public awareness campaign conducted from our National Certifying association, the NCCAOM. You may see various promotions or activities we do as we embrace the good momentum they have building.
Kevin will be away for several days in October and early November doing continuing education. This round of classes is for Core Synchronism, which many of you have been receiving as part of your acupuncture treatments. I do this in part to help relax and settle the system, and assess the flow of things, but also it is an incredible effective therapy itself, blending well with acupuncture and the rest of what we do here.
We have been in practice ten years exactly this month. That story – and I feel it is an entertaining one – will be coming out over the next few weeks.
Thank you for your support.
Kevin