From a friend, for your health. Please read this! It is very clear that Autumn has arrived! The days are cooling down and the leaves have started to fall. In the past, upon Autumns arrival, I would always feel a sense of loss knowing that the carefree days and warm nights were behind us. But it doesn’t have to be a time of grief. We can use this time to let go of old habits and patterns that don’t work for us. Just as the the trees effortlessly let go of their leaves we can release ourselves from attachments of the past and move forward into the next phase. It is an opportunity for introspection and growth. We can go inwards and reflect upon all that we have accumulated during the summer months and extract the nourishment as we descend into winter. The more we support ourselves now the more bountiful our future harvest will be. According to Chinese Medicine each season is associated with a different organ system. The organ system of Autumn is the lung. Its associated organ is the large intestine. The associated element for autumn is metal. It maintains our boundaries between the internal and external world. The skin is part of the lung system. The skin is the main protective organ of the body. It functions as a barrier and the largest detox organ in the body. As we make our descent inward sometimes we forget to keep our border protected. So right now is a good time to strengthen our lung system so that our protective borders remain intact. In biomedical this is the immune system. There are a number of different ways we can do this. Foods To nourish the lungs eat rice, almonds, asparagus, broccoli, cucumber, onion, radish, and eggs. It is also a good idea to eat warming foods as we transition into the cooler months. Eating warm soups and stews will go a long way to nourish and protect. A breakfast soup made with a bone broth is the perfect way to start the day. It will seal the gut (meaning heal and repair any areas of weakness within the lining of the digestive tract because of the high gelatin content), give you all the nourishment you need (because of the high mineral content from the bones) and warm up the whole body. In case you don’t know how to make stock here is a great recipe... westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/ It is also ideal to eat foods in their whole form. If something is coming out of a box with more than 5 ingredients, it is probably not a first choice food. I also recommend limiting foods that will block your immune function like processed foods, foods with added sugar and preservatives. If you tend toward digestive issues, have autoimmune tendencies or find yourself catching everything that comes around, it is a good idea to avoid dairy, gluten, sugar and non-fermented soy products which block proper digestion. Medicinals Medicinal herbs are also tremendously helpful during this time of year for protecting the exterior. Some herbs that are extremely effective at tonifying and strengthening the immune system are elderberry, astragalus, cordyceps, rhodiola, echinecea, elethero, red root, reishi and ashwaganda. Each of these herbs has its own way of strengthening the immune system. It is best to find a qualified herbalist to help you determine which herb or herbal formula would work best for you based on your constitution and propensity toward contracting exterior pathogens. Thieves oil Great for helping protect you from exterior pathogens. Put a couple dabs on your wrists and ankles every morning and evening. Vitamin C and Vitamin D Both know for their ability to strengthen the immune system. Get your vitamin C from fermented veggies, broccoli, elderberries, parsley, bell peppers, papaya, cauliflower, strawberries and oranges. If you find yourself getting sick take enough vitamin C till your bowels are soft. Then pull back slightly. Ideally you will get your vitamin D from the sun. But if you are not getting enough, supplement with a good sublingual. Just be careful. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which means you can overdo it. Zinc This mineral is crucial for white blood cell production. Keep zinc lozenges around the house and pop one every now and then. To be sure you have enough zinc in your system you can always get a zinc test. I believe metagetics makes one. If you find yourself coming down with something here are some things you can try: Keep on hand Herbal Wellness by Source Naturals. Take it the first moment you feel like you are coming down with something. I find that the capsules are excellent while the pills and tincture is not as helpful. Take 3 pills every 3 hours for 2 days. Keep in mind most cold and flu formulas on the market are designed to release the exterior when the pathogen is just at the skin level. That means the virus has just entered and has not had time to replicate. If you miss that point... the formula might not be as effective. So it is really important to take it when you feel that first tickle in your throat. Immediately stop eating wheat, dairy, sugar and soy (except miso which is fermented soy). You body will need all its energy for fighting the infection, not for digesting cloying foods. Make a giant pot of miso soup or chicken soup with lots of garlic, green onion peppers and ginger. Then crawl into bed and sweat out the pathogen. Drink lots of green juice with kale, spinach, ginger, cucumber, celery, parsley and lemon and apple for its high mineral and antioxidant properties. Keep loquat syrup in your house at all times. Take a teaspoon help clear the phlegm. Osha Root is great for coughs and colds. Keep some around in a glass jar and make a tea with it to open the lungs. My favorite cough remedy is asian pear tea. Take 1 pear to 3 parts water. Low boil 30 minutes. Then drink the broth and eat the pears. You can also take a whole pear cut it in half, scoop out the middle and fill it with chuan bei mu. Then drizzle with honey and put in a steamer. Steam until soft. Then eat the pear. Chinese medicine is incredibly helpful for building the immune system and clearing the body of external pathogens. Acupuncture Acupuncture can help balance the body and redirect qi and blood flow to places that need it and away from places where qi and blood flow has become stagnate. It can help to strengthen the immune system to decrease the likelihood of getting sick as well as help clear coughs, colds and flus when you do get sick. It does this by stimulating the immune system to speed up healing as well as promote phlegm and mucus drainage. Gua sha Gua sha is a modality we use in chinese medicine where we use a small tool like a ceramic spoon with some kind of lubricant to gently scrape the skin till light bruising appears. While it sounds painful it really is not. :) It is most commonly used for pain ailments but is also extremely helpful to stimulate the immune system and is remarkably effective for coughs and colds because it helps to vent the pathogen and dislodge phlegm. Cupping Cupping is another tool with have in chinese medicine for dealing with a variety of ailments. Cupping is when we suction cups onto a part of the body to stimulate qi and blood flow to the area, break up stagnations and dislodge phlegm. Like gua sha it is a great modality for dealing with coughs and colds.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:57:12 +0000
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