In Chinese Medicine during this Autumn time, which is a little short here in Gainesville, Florida, is considered the metal element and is a good time to focus on our lungs and large intestines, which dominates the skin, respiratory system, immunity, eliminating and the emotion of sadness. The cooler temperatures and dry winds of autumn most directly affect the Lung, often resulting in symptoms such as a scratchy throat, dry nose, chapped lips, dry cough, or dry stools. To protect the body from these external factors, we focus our health during this season around warming and strengthening the body. It”s a time to move from external, expansive nature of summer to the internal, contractive nature of autumn. Fall seasonal changes can play a large role in guiding our food choices to prioritize nourishing the organs.
Some things that can help promote balance and keep the lungs and large intestine healthy during this time are:
1) Breathe Deeply- especially while walking outside in nature. Taking full deep breaths into the abdomen or doing a 4-7-9 breathing (4 seconds-inhale, 7 second hold and 9 second exhale) can help calm the nervous system and nourish the metal element.
2) Let go of negativity/things/habits- The energy of the metal element is letting go, so autumn is a good time to be mindful of letting go of anything that does not serve us to make room for new experiences that will help us learn and grow. Bringing our awareness to what makes us feel bad or prevents us from living life to our fullest potential and avoiding them
3) Autumn is a great time to get rid of old things and reorganize and clean out our “closets”
4) Fall is associated with wind and in Chinese medicine, wind can cause many diseases. Wearing a scarf can be very helpful to ward of a cold where the wind enters mostly around the neck
5) Eat warm cooked foods-It’s a good time to take a break on the cooler salads. In the summer, the warm yang nature of the season helps us digest raw foods. But as it gets cooler in the fall, you should eat more cooked and warming foods. This prevents further strain on your digestion and Spleen, preventing spleen qi deficiency and stomach qi deficiency such as weakened digestion and immune system and helps your body conserve energy to protect itself from illness. Soups, stirfries and stews are easier on the digestive system. Try to also steam or cook your food at low temperatures for longer periods of time, this cooking method helps support and nourish the fluids and yin.
6) Eat foods that have a warming, moistening effect on the lungs-The Autumn has a lot of dryness and wind. So it’s a good time to try to eat foods that generate fluid and moisten the lungs such as pears, apples, snow ear fungus, persimmons, figs, pumpkins, nuts and seeds. Eating foods that tend to have a sour nature can also help the body preserve fluids and moisten such as grapefruit, pickles, lemons.
Foods that are warming and supporting to our digestion and metal element during the Autumn time:
· Parsnips
· Cabbage
· Radish
· Leeks
· Asparagus
· Celery
· Sweet potatoes and other root vegetables
· Horseradish
· Garlic
· Ginger
· Orange vegetables like winter squashes
· Onions
· Olives
· Vinegars
· Pickles
· Fermented foods (including yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, tempeh)
· Adzuki beans
· Navy beans
· Walnuts
· Chestnuts
· Almonds
· Lemons and Limes
· Apples
· Pears
· Plums
· apricots
· Spices: bay leaves, black pepper, chili, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, rosemary
· Dark, leafy winter greens such as kale, collards, chard, mustard greens, etc.
Foods to avoid during this time are ones that create coolness and dampness, such as:
· Uncultured dairy products like cold milk, cream, etc.
· Cucumbers
· Watermelon
· Cold drinks
· Raw foods (including salads, instead opt for cooked vegetables)
· Noodles
· Potatoes
· Bread
· Sugar
And don’t forget your self care with rest, exercise and Acupuncture. There are many ancient Chinese healing techniques that are helpful to boost the immune system through strengthening the Lungs and wei qi, which is our protective layer or in western medicine our immune system.
Each person is different so we use Chinese medicine diagnosis to formulate where your body is weakest to strengthen your core energy and nourish any qi and blood deficiency and move qi and blood stagnation to create balance in an individuals pattern differentiation.
As a therapist in Gainesville, Fl. I have seen that Autumn is a time the weather goes back and forth a lot so it can throw our bodies of guard, making us more susceptible to cold/ wind invasion and a weekend digestive system if we do not prepare and take care of ourselves. It is important to keep our bodies in balance with eating warm cooked foods, taking deep breaths, exercising, spending time outside and doing regular acupuncture and Tai Chi.
