Today as I woke, I looked outside and saw a wintry mix of snow and light rain – the first snow of any sort here this season. This is welcomed, as in New Jersey the last month has been particularly dry, and even in the suburbs there have been small fires in wooded areas. This first glimpse of snow in my area is right on time as today, Friday November 22nd, starts the Small Snow (xiǎo xuě 小雪) seasonal node. Since it seems that I haven’t posted about this seasonal node in a few years, I made it my task to do it first thing when I came into my clinic this morning.
This time of year the evenings temperatures are just above the freezing mark. Sundown is early, and by the time I head home most nights after seeing patients, it is well past dark. We are heading into the most Yin and the darkest time of year. The three smaller segments of Small Snow allude to the gradual unfolding of the new, Yin, Winter season – Rainbows Stay Hidden Out of Sight (虹藏不見), Heaven Qi Ascends While Earth Qi Descends (天氣上騰，地氣下降), and All is Blocked Up and Has Completed Winter (閉塞而成冬).
Daoyin Posture for Small Snow
Preventive health guidelines for Small Snow are similar to immediately previous seasonal nodes. The thing to focus on this segment of early Winter is to nourish the Kidneys and protect the Yang Qi. During winter we need to get a little more sleep, getting into bed a little earlier and ideally sleeping past sunrise. The Neijing tells us to, “not disturb the yang - go to bed early and rise late. You must wait for the shining of the sun (無擾乎陽，早臥晚起，必待日光).” Since at a fundamental level Kidney represents the Water phase, it is just a symbol in the body for the movement of Winter – quiescence and storage. Being a little more quiet, a little more rested, and a little more inward-directed puts us in resonance with the Qi of Winter.
Environmental cold is the main Qi for the time period from Small Snow to Small Cold (just after New Year). Cold easily harms the Kidneys, and thus nourishing Kidney and protecting the Yang (against Cold) are more or less two sides of the same coin. Trying to stay warm is one way to protect the Yang. Be sure to dress appropriately for the temperature, and avoid unnecessary exposure to cold. Moxabustion can be continued on points such as Guan Yuan REN-4 or Qi Hai REN-6. If appropriate, some patients can take small regular doses of herbs like Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan in pill form.
As the weather gets colder another pitfall is stagnation of Qi and Blood. As a result, lately in my clinic many patients have been complaining of an increase in pain and stiffness. One of the best formulas for moving Qi and Blood is to increase movement (which is why in some systems of acupuncture, such as Tung’s, we combine movement with needling). Encourage patients to engage in some regular movement activity or exercise. If the weather allows, walking outside is great, or if the weather is bad then doing some easy exercise inside is a good substitute.
Diet should also be modified to match the Small Snow node. A very simple recommendation is to take a small amount of fresh ginger every morning just before breakfast, or alternately start the morning with a light ginger tea. Ginger warms and protects the Yang, and circulates Qi and Blood internally, thus satisfying the basic recommendations previously mentioned.
Another easy idea to follow for diet is to avoid foods that create internal heat rising, and incorporate foods that are gently heat clearing and Qi descending. This may sound contradictory, but the ancient Chinese realized this time of year people are prone to eating more meat. Before refrigeration in Winter there would be less access to fresh fruits and vegetables. If people consume more meat than usual over the next few weeks (think Thanksgiving with lots of turkey and heavy desserts), they may be prone to internal heat from dietary causes. The way to counteract this is consuming just a little heat clearing and Qi descending foods. One traditional food for Small Snow that does this is daikon radish. Small amounts of bitter greens, or more salty foods are also appropriate.
Here is a traditional recipe for Small Snow…
Lamb and Daikon Soup 羊肉白蘿蔔湯
Ingredients:
Lamb ½ lb. (boneless)
Daikon ½ lb.
¼ large onion
Ginger, cilantro, salt and pepper
Directions:
Blanch lamb, drain away water and then cut lamb into cubes
Place blanched lamb back into pot, add ginger and sliced onion. Cover with an appropriate amount of water and bring to a boil Simmer for around another hour.
Cut daikon into cubes and add to pot, cook for another 10 minutes until daikon are translucent
Remove from heat, garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt/pepper to taste
This recipe warms the stomach, supplements Qi, protects the Yang and restores vigor to a weak body.
This is the last seasonal node post before Thanksgiving here in the Unites States next week. In the spirit of this holiday, I want to express my gratitude for all of you reading this blog who form a community of medicine that I think continues each day to make a tremendous difference in people’s lives. In my opinion the world today is in a state of sickness (as we’ve seen from earlier events this month). My wish this Thanksgiving week is that we all continue to try healing the world. It is a tall order, but I think this is our task. And the task is healing on a physical level, emotional level, social level, and political level. The immenseness of this job reminds me of this quote from The Analects of Master Kong:
曾子曰：士不可以不弘毅，任重而道遠。仁以為己任，不亦重乎？死而後已，不亦遠乎？
Zeng Zi said, “a scholar-official must be determined and strong as his burden is heavy and the path long. Benevolence [towards all people] is the burden he considers as his to sustain – is it not heavy? Only with death does this burden end – is that not long?”
My wishes to everyone for a happy Thanksgiving and peaceful Winter.