During autumn, every time it rains it gets a little colder. The days become shorter, nights become longer, nature’s Yin Qi as cold energy will grow, and Yang Qi as warm energy will recede.
For people who have digestion
problems, stomach problems or irritable bowel problems, it is a good idea to
start to have warm breakfasts and more warm meals and drinks.
People who often have colds,
bronchitis, pneumonia and high blood pressure in winter should start to have
hot footbaths in the evening, and warm meals and drinks.
For people who have sore backs, this
is a good time to start to keep your back warm.
People who have had
winter depression and those who feel lethargic should have more ginger, lamb,
cinnamon, walnuts, soup. These will help us to reduce anxiety and prevent
winter depression.
Traditional Qi’s two concepts are prevention and wisdom.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor. Copyright ,2020
When we are complaining about the hot humid summer weather, autumn is not far away.
The laws of nature are: Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. And our human body should follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and preserve health.
“To go with it will bring health, to go against it will bring illness”.
Circulation and blood to keep up with our energy consumption, therefore, people can get energy-deficient sometimes.
In autumn, the law of nature is like this: everything matures and calms down in this season, the Yin energy increases, temperature drops, (atmospheric pressure goes up), dry heat diminishes.
Nature uses these natural phenomena to drive away the wet and humid weather. People have a clear and crisp climates’ feeling in autumn.
Restrain the functioning of Qi in autumn.
Preserve the Qi of our bodies. Early to bed and early to rise, keep a peaceful mind.
Avoid diarrhea and indigestion.
Diarrhea is a common illness in autumn, our gastrointestinal system can store some damp-heat, symptoms like diarrhea and gassy stomach might come along in autumn.
What can we do about it?
Have lighter food, cut back on oily food and icy drinks. Keep the abdomen warm at night.
Tips:
Clear the heat and dampness in our intestines and stomach.
Eat more light food, vegetable and fruit. Try to have less fried food and meat.
Kiwi fruit has good effect on relieving the stomach and cleaning the bowel.
Chinese radish: It has the effect of relieving gassy stomach, clearing bowels and food retention in stomach. You can have raw Chinese radish, boil it in soup or stir-fry it
Reduce anxiety and promote relaxing.
Have warm drinks and food, try not to get over-excited and exhausted, keep doing appropriate exercise, so that you can get enough energy to avoid and resist depression and anxiety.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
A client came to see me recently with an upset stomach and diarrhea which started with the bush fires and the smoky air. Even though he is not near the bush fires, nor does he have a lung and heart condition, he can suffer as a result of the particles in the air which circulate throughout the whole body. The smoke can make people feel nauseous and give them an upset stomach with diarrhoea.
People who have mental disorders could feel worse because of the lack of oxygen in our whole body.
People generally who have poor digestion, or a stomach condition, may feel depressed too. People who feel depressed have anxiety and sometimes this affects their digestion – it works both ways. They are very much connected because in TCM, Stomach energy governs our digestion, the absorption of nutrients and it also nourishes our muscles. When we inhale a lot of smoke, it can weaken our Stomach energy and it may lead to problems such as poor appetite, abdominal distension, loose stools and tired muscles. It can make you feel emotional, depressed, anxious, easily upset or fearful because the Stomach is considered our second brain.
What can we do?
Avoid smoky air whenever possible
Eat light food regularly
Avoid eating heavy, oily and too much food all at the same time
Avoid eating when you are angry and upset
Eat food and drink liquids at body temperature to preserve your energy
Have a warm breakfast
Try not to drink and eat at the same time to avoid a bloated stomach
Try to keep your stomach warm with appropriate clothes
Consume less alcohol, coffee and soft drinks
Take short showers, at medium temperature, to preserve your energy
Massage your ribs which helps digestion and also moves the bottom of your lungs – to release matter which has settled there. Place your palms on your ribs circling inwards, down and to the side, several times.
When we are complaining about the hot humid summer weather, autumn is not far away. Lately, I’ve been told by some patients that they are suffering from some phlegm in the throat and their children keep coughing up phlegm.
The laws of nature are: Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. And our human bodies should follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and preserve health. “To go with it will bring health, to go against it will bring illness”. Summer is the perfect season for everything to grow, it is a season full of Yang energy. The weather is hot and people usually go to bed late and get up early. With a lot of sweat and being switched back and forth between the air-conditioned environment and outside temperature, our bodies keep adjusting the Qi and blood to keep up with our energy consumption, therefore, people can get energy-deficient sometimes.
In autumn, the law of nature is like this: everything matures and calms down in this season, the Yin energy increases, temperature drops, wind becomes stronger (atmospheric pressure goes up), dry heat diminishes. Nature uses these natural phenomenon to drive away the wet and humid weather. So people have a clear and crisp climates’ feeling in autumn.
How to preserve our health in autumn?
Restrain the functioning of Qi in autumn.
Do not expose the Qi of our bodies. Early to bed and early to rise, keep a peaceful mind.
Avoid diarrhea and indigestion.
Diarrhea is a common illness in autumn, especially for children. Because of the wet and humid weather in summer, our gastrointestinal system can store some damp-heat, especially in those who are used to drinking icy water and having cold food. When the weather becomes cool in autumn, our bodies will automatically adjust to eliminate the dampness and heat inside, therefore symptoms like diarrhea and gassy stomach might come along in autumn.
What can we do about it?
We have to pay attention to our diet from late summer to early autumn. Try to have lighter food, cut back on oily food and icy drinks. Please remember that bowel movement is necessary every day, so that our bodies can eliminate the waste in our alimentary canal to get rid of heat and dampness. For children, it’s important to keep their abdomen warm at night.
Prevent cold and cough.
In hot summer, our bodies dissipate heat by keeping the pores open and sweating. When autumn comes, the temperature drops, usually it’s warm during the day and chilly at night, and the air becomes drier. If no special attention is paid to keeping warm at night, then it’s easy to get a cold and cough and fatigue.
So, in this season, we should make sure to keep warm if the weather suddenly change and have enough sleep at night, drink warmor room-temperature water, hot tea.
Avoid depression, Enhance mental health
Summer goes and autumn comes, temperature fluctuates and then drops. Nature enters a phase where Yin energy thrives and Yang energy decreases, some people may have depressed mood sometimes. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Yin energy (chilliness) increases, Yang energy (warmth) will decrease, during this time, depression can be triggered easily.
Therefore, to avoid depression and the recurrence of depression, we have to make sure our Qi and blood is strong. Pay attention to our clothing – keep warm. Eat warm food and have warm drinks.Have enough sleep and good lifestyle, restrain your Qi and be positive and optimistic. Preserving our health in autumn lays a good foundation for us in winter.
Prevent arthritis
It is common for arthritis to occur during the end of summer and at the start of autumn. Cold, heat, wind and damp can be easily stored at the joints. Especially for people who are suffering from arthritis or people who have joint pain, recurrence could take place easily so it is important to conduct certain exercises for the joints. Cold, heat, wind and damp can be discharged of the joints with certain physical exercises. Also do not stay or sleep in the draft. Keep your joints warm when the weather is getting colder. Take more rest when the joints are inflamed.
Tips:
Clear the heat and dampness in our intestines and stomach.
Eat more light food, vegetable and fruit. Try to have less fried food and meat.
Kiwi fruit is rich in Vitamin C, which has good effect on relieving the stomach and cleaning the bowel.
Chinese radish: It has the effect of relieving gassy stomach, clearing bowels and food retention in stomach. You can have raw Chinese radish, boil it in soup or stir-fry it.
Tips for cold and cough
Peppermint tea: It has the effects of detoxification and clearing heat in the lungs.
Stay away from draught.
Cut back on spicy food.
Avoid depression and anxiety.
Generally speaking, those people who are depressed or anxious because of the temperature drop, their constitution is characterized as weak in Yang energy. Yang energy has the effects of stimulating and promoting warmness. So, people who are weak in Yang energy should pay attention to keeping themselves warm, have warm drinks and food, try not to get over-excited and exhausted, keep doing appropriate exercise, so that they can get enough energy to avoid and resist depression.
Rotation practice for the joints
Practice rotation exercise for the ten major joints every day clockwise and anti clockwise. The ten joints are: Left and right shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles. At the same time, rotate your waist in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions as much as you can comfortably do, with Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Yoga.
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by Angela Zhu (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
The concept of cold or hot features of food has a double meaning: one meaning is the cold or hot in temperature, the other meaning is the cold or hot in the food’s attribute.
As the weather is becoming colder, we should not only eat more hot/warm food in terms of the food’s temperature, but also eat more hot/warm food in terms of food’s attribute.
This article will talk about food in terms of its attribute, not the food’s temperature.The wise Traditional Chinese Medicine divides food by its attribute, the application of the food’s attribute is good for adjusting the inner environment of the human body, thus helping with the prevention and recovery of the diseases. This is called “food treatment” It is natural and effective.
The attribute of food is generally being categorised into cold and hot/warm. Generally speaking, cold food helps the body to get rid of heat. It also helps to remove toxins in the inner environment. Hot-warm food helps to warm up the organs, clear coldness, and strengthenQi in the body. Generally speaking, people who have an inner environment with a cold manifestation should eat more hot/warm food, and people who have an inner environment with a hot manifestation should eat more cold food.
As a rule, people who have an inner environment with a cold manifestation are likely to have the following symptoms: Feel cold, cold hands and feet, aching knees resulting from coldness, like hot weather and dislike cold weather, infrequent urination, and faeces with undigested food in it, deficient in energy, feel depressed, worry, anxiety in favour of drinking warm water, hot food, the face colour can be pale.
In contrast, people who have an inner environment with a hot manifestation are likely to have the following symptoms: like cold weather, diss like hot manifestation are likely to have the following symptoms: like cold weather, dislike hot weather, hot in five “little centres” (two palms, two feet and chest), thirsty or dry throat and mouth, feel upset, angry, anxiaty and nervous, insomnia, like to have cold food and drinks. The face colour can be red.
People come to this world clenching their fists, and leave with open hands.
First we collect things bit by bit, then we discard things little by little. As we age we look older, but we have more wisdom. .
Nature gives our childhood to our parents. Nature gives our early adulthood and middle age to the country and society. When we get older, we should give ourselves back to us.
So, not only do we strive to live longer to do the things we didn’t have time for earlier in life, we also need to have a better quality of life to enjoy the rest of our lives given back to us.
Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor. Copyright 2018
ACCEPTANCE
THIS IS HOW IT IS. NOT HOW IT-Was. -Might have been -Should have been
NOT HOW I-Wanted it to be -Hoped it would be -Planned it would be
I ACCEPT THAT THIS IS HOW IT IS – Now I get on with my life in a positive way.
Three generations.