October 21, 2014
Happy Fall! I’d like to take this time to offer some fall-time health and life-style tips from a Chinese medicine perspective, and seasonal recipes that reflect the importance of living with the seasons to optimally benefit health and prevent illness.
The Basics:
Element: Metal | Season: Fall/Autumn | Environment: Dryness | Organ/Channel: Lung/Large Intestine | External organ: Nose | Affiliated tissue: Skin/Body hair | Color: White | Odor: Rank/Rotten | Flavor: Acrid/Spicy/Pungent | Emotion: Grief/Sadness | Sound: Crying/Weeping
Autumn is a time of year to shed and let go in order to make room for new ideas and self-discovery. We begin to draw our energy back from the outwardly focused energy of Summer and gradually turn inward preparing for the reserved energy of Winter. The trees let go of their leaves to focus their resources inward and conserve energy for the cold and sparse months ahead. The internally invested energy of Winter will result in a rebirth and new growth of abundant life and ideas in the Spring.
In the 5 Element system, Autumn is the Metal time of year. Between Autumn and Summer is Long Summer or Late Summer, which we are just coming out of. It’s the time of year when the markets are bursting with beautiful, ripe fruits and vegetables that the Earth has graciously offered after all the efforts of growth and cultivation invested in the Summer months. Long Summer corresponds with the Earth element when the weather is still warm, but the light is waning. In 5 Element acupuncture the smell associated with Metal is “rotten”, while Earth is “fragrant”. The fragrant odor relates to the blossoms and fruit while the rotten odor reflects the fruit, leaves and flowers that have fallen to the ground and begun to decay. It’s symbolic of the “letting go” quality of the season.
The associated emotion of Metal is Grief/Sadness. I think everyone feels a bit of sweet melancholy as we part from Summer, letting go of our attachments to its lush exuberance and brightness. Fall ushers in a bit of introspection with the crisp air it brings. The Metal element expresses itself in the body through the Lung. The brisk air opens the chest and makes you want to step outside and take a deep breathe; an inspiring time of year with a sense of freshness and renewed intentions bringing focus to detail. People with a dominant constitution of Metal are said to have a “breathy” quality to their voice and a cool, crisp and meticulous nature. They enjoy precision and clarity, and value things that have meaning to them so much so that sometimes it can be difficult for them to let go when it’s time. The paired Metal organ to the Lung is the Large Intestine; therefore constipation can be an issue this time of year for people with Metal constitution, or with a weakened Metal element.
The Lung is a delicate organ susceptible to injury this time of year with dryness in the air. Many people experience dry coughs or allergies in Fall. Some Fall-time foods that benefit the Lung are apples and pears*, and in general, anything white, since this is the color of the Metal element. Acrid, or spicy is the flavor associated with Metal. Cinnamon is acrid and warm, while mint is acrid and cool. Moistening things that go to the Lung, like pear juice, can help with asthma and dry cough. Cool-acrid herbs can soothe the throat, or open the nasal passages, and warm-acrid herbs can help to break a sweat, helping to release early signs of a cold. However, excessive warming spicy foods can be drying for the intestines, exacerbating constipation. Moistening foods for the Large Intestine are nuts and seeds like almonds and sesame seeds.
Acupuncture can be extremely helpful for constipation because of its moving nature, but dietary changes will most likely need to be considered, and herbal medicine may be necessary for stubborn cases.
Because Fall is when we’re prone to getting a sniffle or dry cough, acupuncture and herbal medicine should be considered as your first go-to. If you are able to get into the office for a treatment at the very first sign of a slight ache at the back of the neck, sore throat, slight cough or sniffle, you should be able to avoid the “external invasion” from penetrating deeper. Your symptoms will be markedly reduced and the duration will be noticeably shorter. If that’s not an option for you, get a cup of miso soup, or make a tea with fresh ginger and fresh scallion**. These remedies are only effective at the initial onset and are not for immune boosting or on-going use. If you weren’t able to catch it in time, an acupuncture treatment will still help to knock it back out. Acupuncture and herbal medicine (if needed) together are one of the best remedies for cold and flu, and ways to manage seasonal allergies. Many people are not aware that this is an option. If you are too sick to go out, stay home and rest, and feel free to call or email for recommendations for home remedies. But if you are well enough to travel, getting a treatment at any stage of a cold or flu will help speed up the recovery, as well as preventing a chronic or recurring cough or sinus infection all winter long.
* Baked Apples or Pears (For the moistening the Lung and preventing dry cough)
My mother makes baked apples in the morning in the fall. It’s great to do with Mac’s that have lost their crispness, but any apple or firm pear will do.
Ingredients: (One serving) One apple or one pear. One teaspoon of butter, about a half teaspoon of brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon.
Preheat oven to 375F. Scoop out the apple core from the top or slice the pear in half and remove core and seeds. First put butter then brown sugar and sprinkle cinnamon in the center. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 min, or until it starts getting soft and sizzling and smelling lovely.
Serve warm.
This is helpful for overall constitutional support for weakened lungs resulting in chronic dry cough. If there is a lot of phlegm with the cough or lodged in the throat, go easy on the sugar and butter.
** Ginger and Scallion Tea: (For initial onset of external invasion, i.e. cold, flu etc.)
Ingredients: (For one serving) Fresh ginger (about 2 inches long), fresh scallion (one stalk), 1.5-2 cups water, a pinch of salt or couple drops of soy sauce or tamari to taste (optional toasted sesame oil for flavoring)
Bring the ginger to a boil and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes, shut it off and throw in the scallions and let them steep for a couple minutes, drink hot.
The desired effect is to produce a mild sweat.
Pumpkin and White Bean Soup
http://edibleboston.com/pumpkin-and-white-bean-soup/
Here is a hearty seasonal soup recipe I love; perfect for the Metal element with the white beans and good for the digestion with the pumpkin. Personally I leave out the cream, cheese and garlic, reduce the sugar, use water instead of chicken stock and sometimes add kale or chard.
