This is always one of the toughest times of the year for me as attested to by my lack of blogging for quite awhile. The colder weather combined with the shorter hours of even less direct sunlight make me just want to hibernate. And, this shouldn’t be a surprise to us as Chinese medicine practitioners. This is the most Yin time of the year.
In the Chinese calendar Winter started almost a month ago on November 8. Currently we are between the Minor Snow and Great Snow seasonal nodes. Right now in northern New Jersey we are in the middle of a few days of combined ice, rain and snow – real Winter weather. Even taking my dog Nelson outside is difficult. He doesn’t want to go out in this weather, and I feel completely chilled walking into it.
Predictably I’m not alone in feeling this way, as last week there was an article in the New York Times titled How Not to Feel Dead Tired This Winter. In it, the author gave some great recommendations that I’ll summarize here (with my own comments of course).
Manage indoor lighting
In Winter the light is less direct and lasting for fewer hours than in Summer. Perhaps the most useful recommendation in this article is the use of light therapy lamps. I also recommend people use full spectrum light bulbs to better mimic natural sunlight. Normal florescent lighting won’t make us feel better.
Eat good food
When we feel tired, we are all more apt to consume takeout or other prepared foods. Finding good fruits and veggies is also harder in the colder months. We should all be making an effort to continue cooking meals at home when possible. When not possible, make a conscious effort to choose better takeout options that are not as high in sugar and bad fats.
Exercise
When tired, exercise is another thing we tend to allow to fall by the wayside. Yet, people who exercise regularly generally feel more energetic than those who do not. Make an effort to do some regular physical movement. I think this is an excellent time of year to start or to reinvigorate a Taiji (Tai Chi) or Qigong practice (click here to the school in NJ where I teach). Nothing makes me feel better after 10+ hours in the clinic than going to teach an hour Qigong class. In that spirit (since I’ve been lax in my own practice a bit), before sitting down to write this I just finished 30 minutes of Standing Post Qigong.
Get regular sleep, and try to maximize good quality sleep
Sleep is essential all the time, but particularly important when we feel tired. One important thing for all of us is to practice good sleep hygiene. Turning off laptops and tablets earlier in the evening is associated with better sleep. Also, avoid the consumption of alcohol or heavy meals in the evening – both will significantly disrupt normal sleep patterns. In addition to these recommendations from the article I will remind everyone that one downside of going off Daylight Savings Time onto Standard Time is that everything is an hour later. That means if you go to bed around the same time every night based on your clock, in Winter you are automatically going to bed an hour later! Remember, the second chapter of the Su Wen says we need to get more sleep in Winter.
These are all some great recommendations from a well-written mainstream media article. Now let’s talk about the upcoming seasonal, Major Snow, node from the Chinese medicine perspective.
Major Snow (大雪), which starts this coming Saturday, November 7th, is the last Seasonal Node before Winter Solstice. Representing the final stage of the most Yin time of year, this lunar month is symbolized by the hexagram Kun 坤, composed entirely of Yin (broken) lines. The two weeks of Major Snow are the longest nights of the year, culminating with the Solstice, after which days will slowly be getting longer again. The Material Manifestations for Major Snow are Spangled Drongos Cease to Sing (He Dan Bu Ming 鶡旦不鳴), Tigers Begin to Mate (Hu Shi Jiao 虎始交), and Water Irises Grow (Li Ting Sheng 荔挺生).
The main way to guard health in this period is to focus on warm supplementation, while at the same time avoiding exposure to cold. Thus the Neijing tells us during Winter it is appropriate to “avoid the cold and seek warmth” (去寒就溫). Along these lines people can continue practices such as preventive moxibustion on points like Qi Hai REN-6, Guan Yuan REN-4 and Zu San Li ST-36. Another guideline from the Huang Di Nei Jing for the Winter is to “Nourish Yin” (秋冬養陰). While this may seem counterintuitive for the cold time of year, the meaning of ‘Yin’ in this passage refers to the body’s ability to store, and thereby regenerate, its vitality. Yin means being able to be in a state of quite, rest and solitude. Therefore, as mentioned above, during this Seasonal Node try to get more sleep, attempting to get into bed earlier. Sleep is one of the best Chinese medical prescriptions for supplementing the Qi and strengthening the Kidney!
In terms of Tung’s acupuncture, Nourishing Yin (in other words, nourishing consolidation and containment) means we should focus on Zones 7 and 8 on the legs. The point groups that will focus on Kidneys, the organ of the season, are the Lower Three Emperors (Xia San Huang 下三皇), and the Penetrate Kidney Three Needles (Shen Tong San Zhen 腎通三針). These points are easily and quite effectively combined with the moxibustion suggestions above.
Aside from acupuncture and moxibustion, medicated wines have a long tradition of use in Chinese medicine. They are a cost effective way to take a small dose of expensive or hard to find herbs, and alcohol itself is a preservative to stretch the shelf life of medicinal products. Since alcohol is warm, acrid and sweet by nature, it has the ability to warm and expel cold, and supplement the Qi and Blood while also circulating them. Thus, medicated wines are appropriate for Winter. One traditional medicated wine that is prepared during Major Snow is Gecko Wine (Ge Jie Jiu 蛤蚧酒). To prepare, soak one pair of Gecko (ge jie 蛤蚧) obtained from a Chinese pharmacy in 1000ml of grain alcohol of at least 80 proof (vodka is a good choice). Let sit for at least 1 month, and then take 1 small shot glass per day in the evening. Gecko has a Yang warming and Kidney supplementing effect. Alternate medicated wines can include herbs such as Ginseng (Ren Shen) and deer antler (Lu Rong).
In addition to medicated wines this is the time of year to eat warming, and especially Kidney supplementing, foods. Although many people think of Chinese herbs as the main way to supplement Kidneys, in Chinese there is a saying, “medicinal supplementation cannot be as good as supplementing with food” (cao bu bu ru shi bu 藥補不如食補). Foods appropriate for Major Snow include lamb, beef, chicken, venison, shrimp, and mussels (those of you who know me know that I have long advocated for venison to replace turkey at Thanksgiving!). In addition to these animal products, foods to emphasize this Seasonal Node are walnuts, almonds, or other nuts, and warming spices such as ginger and cinnamon. Since this time of year can be cold and dry it is appropriate to cook soups or stews as they are both warming and moistening. Sipping warm water throughout the day is also an excellent recommendation for people who feel dry (i.e., our patients with Blood or Yin vacuity). Now is the time of year to continue using root vegetables such as yams or turnips that traditionally could be kept in cold storage for Winter consumption.
While warming foods are good for the season, the pitfall is overconsumption creating too much heat and stagnation in the digestive system. As such, if possible this time of year we should consume some foods that help gently clear heat, open the Stomach, and descend yang (to consolidate it). An example of this is edible chrysanthemum greens (tong hao 茼蒿), one of my favorite veggies.
To read more about general health guidelines for Winter, click here. Also, for those interested, please remember the Qi Wellness Conference that is happening next weekend (click here for more information on the Conference).
I hope all of you who are local to me, or if in similar weather conditions, will stay warm and dry today!