It's Fall in the PNW!

One of the beautiful things about my Chinese Medicine doctorate program was its focus on the classical Chinese medical texts.

That focus meant that as fledgling medical students, we did a lot of translating classical Chinese and trying our damndest to remember the characters and figure out what the heck these passages were trying to convey.

As one might imagine, in such a “scholarly focused” medical program, we often asked ourselves and our professors, “how is this ‘clinically relevant’?”

Or, in other words, “how do I apply what I am learning in these Chinese medical texts to the patients I am seeing in clinic?”

Sometimes, this was answered well; sometimes, not so much.

Yet, I found so many "clinical pearls" in what I began to refer to with my patients as “the foundational medical text of Chinese Medicine”. And I found such great satisfaction when I was able to communicate with a patient how a passage from this 2,000 year old Chinese text was so applicable to their presentation and to life in the year 2017…

So, I started this blog (!) to talk about the intersection between Chinese Medicine & life!

…& specifically my life, here with my horse in the Pacific Northwest.

And here, in the Pacific Northwest, it is fall! 

A time of year in which your grandmother encourages you to “bundle up!” and put on that scarf to protect you from our characteristically blustery weather.

And maybe not surprisingly, Chinese Medicine supports what your grandmother told you.

The Huangdi Neijing - or, that foundational medical text of Chinese Medicine - states*:

故風者，百病之始也，

gù fēng zhě, bǎi bìng zhī shǐ yě,

as for wind, it is the origin of the one hundred [this means a large number – maybe, many? all?] disease(s),

This is simply because in Chinese Medicine, the function of the wind is to carry disease-causing pathogens in through the protective barrier of our skin and into the interior of our body.

It is telling that the character for wind, 風 fēng, literally has within it a picture of an insect or bug. How often do you hear people say, “I caught a bug” or “there’s a bug going around” when describing a common cold or flu?!

Yet, our bodies – equipped with this protective barrier – have a natural physiological function to protect against these external invasions.

The Huangdi Neijing continues:

清靜則肉腠閉拒，

qīng jìng zé ròu còu bì jù,

[when] one is in a state of purity and stillness, then the pores of the skin close & resist [the wind],

We could liken this to our Western concept of a healthy and robust immune system, which keeps us from getting sick frequently with colds & flus.

Which according to the Huangdi Neijing has a lot to do with our ability to be in a state of “purity and stillness”…

Here’s an interesting article on our ever increasing understanding of the relationship between meditation and a healthy immune system (how cool is that?!)

The Huangdi Neijing concludes:

雖有大風苛毒，弗之能害

suī yǒu dà fēng kē dú, fú zhī néng hài,

although there is great harsh wind, [it] cannot cause harm,

此因時之序也.

cǐ yīn shí zhī xù yě.

because one is in living in accord with the sequence of the seasons.

So, Chinese Medicine sees two major factors that influence our health:

The first is the nature of the “external invasion” afflicting us – how strong and penetrative is that wind?

We intuitively feel the difference between a warm summer wind and the blustery wet wind of fall and winter.

Maybe the first feels comfortable or slightly invigorating and the second causes us to recoil into our jackets and pull our scarves tighter. This aligns with the belief in Chinese Medicine that the winds of the fall and winter are particularly harsh and injurious.

The second factor is the state or health of your body - commonly called “the terrain” -  that encounters these external pathogens.

We can strengthen our terrain by being aware of and living in accordance with seasonal change.

This means wearing our scarves and hats in the cold winds of the fall and winter (just like grandma advised).

And supporting our digestion as the weather turns colder by eating warm, nourishing foods & broths.

And observing the shorter days of the fall and winter months, which encourage us indoors and ask us to slow down and rest more.

So, in addition to all the really effective ways that you can strengthen your own terrain and immune system against the changing weather...

Chinese herbal medicine and individualized acupuncture treatments can offer even more support to your body as we enter this most blustery part of the year.

This means that:

You get sick less often;

You have relief from asthma and seasonal allergies;

You have more energy (!);

And you can better enjoy all four of the beautiful seasons of the Pacific Northwest.

Until next time!

Arista

*this passage comes from the Huangdi Neijing Suwen chapter 3, section 4