autumn

Living with the Season: Fall

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Hi Friends! Happy Fall Y’all!

I love fall. The crisp cool weather, the tasty treats, the layering options of scarves and boots, and of course the gorgeous leaves changing color. The start of fall is the perfect time to check in with yourself and take note of some shifts you should take. The weather obviously tells us things are changing, so we must too.

And don’t worry, not all change is bad! From my experience, if you allow it, most change can be good.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the season of fall corresponds with the Lung* and it begins the transition of the summer (yang) time to the winter (yin) time. The way you transition during the fall can either help your qi or add some extra work for your qi.

Recommendations from the Yellow Emperor for the season of fall:

  • Go to bed with the sunset and get up with the sunrise.
    • In theory, this sounds great, but we all know this may not be possible. Either way, it’s helpful to try to get a little more sleep.
    • As we enter more of a yin time (opposed to yang) we require more rest.
  • Eat warm, cooked foods.
    • Anything we consume our Spleen and Stomach have to digest, transform, and transport. The Spleen and Stomach are like a melting pot. Everything has to be heated to be used. If you consume a lot of cold/ raw/ frozen foods and drinks, especially during the fall and winter, your Spleen and Stomach are having to work extra hard.
    • This can result in digestion issues, fatigue, and illnesses.
  • Stay warm.
    • It’s tempting to want to get the last wear out of your favorite summer sandals and t-shirts, but be sure to layer up with scarves and sweaters to keep your qi strong.
    • All of the main acupuncture channels start or end in your feet, so it’s also important and helpful to keep your feet warm.
    • Be sure to layer up, especially around your head and neck to protect the very vital area where External Pathogenic Invaders (EPI’s) can invade the body.
  • Take time to gather one’s spirit and energy.
    • With the transition from yang to yin, now is a great time to take stock of where you are, how you’re feeling, and what you need to change in your life to live your best life.
  • Remain calm and peaceful, and try to avoid feelings of depression or grief.
    • The emotion of sadness belongs to the Lung and fall time according to TCM.
    • This also may correlate with people reporting more sadness and feeling down due to the less sun time.
  • Stay focused.
    • It’s easy to get scattered and spread too thin. During the fall is a great time to evaluate life choices and stay true to your course.
  • Keep the Lung energy full, clean, and quiet.
    • Do so by practicing breathing exercises to enhance Lung qi. There’s so many wonderful breathing exercises, feel free to research options that best fit you.
    • I personally find great benefit purely from breathing in for 4 counts and breathing out for 4 counts. Repeat as often as possible, but at least a couple times a day.

It’s always important to live with the season, but especially with it being 2020, I feel it’s even more important to live with the season!

Pick 1-2 points and focus on them for the next few days to a week. Once you’ve established those recommendations, add in another one. Continue until you’re feeling well and balanced! And don’t forget to always be looking for ways to add in a little extra joy into your life. Because friend, you deserve it!

With faith, hope, and love,

Emily Kappelman

*When practitioners of Chinese Medicine talk about organs, it does not necessarily mean the physical organ. Rather we are talking of the channel of the organ and the properties associated with the organ according to Chinese Medicine. 

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Does Holiday Eating Affect Your Digestion? TCM Can Help!

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The holidays are officially here with Thanksgiving this Thursday! I just love the holidays – family time, giving thanks and all of the amazing food! But with all this glorious food, usually comes overeating and digestive upset.

Whether you are always hungry, never hungry, crave sweet, salty, spicy, or bitter food, or have stomach pain and distention, Traditional Chinese Medicine can help. Digestion is the center of your health and if it is not in tip top shape, you may have some symptoms. Stop in to your local acupuncturist to see how Chinese medicine can help you!

If you are one of the many people who tend to overeat, I recommend you to try to eat mindfully. This consists of really being present when you eat: smell the food, chew each mouthful fully, and remember to set your utensil down after each bite. I just read some more helpful tips on the Huffington Post.

I also know sometimes you overeat, especially during the holidays – and I don’t blame you! I’m right there with ya. If you find yourself uncomfortable after meals or snack times, be sure to have some ginger tea or peppermint tea on hand. When I find my digestion in need of some assistance, I love to brew some ginger or peppermint tea.

Ginger is warming and helps promote digestion and alleviates symptoms of nausea and indigestion including: gas, bloating, and stomach cramps. Ginger is good for you if you tend to be cooler in temperature.

Peppermint is cooling and also alleviates symptoms of nausea and indigestion including: gas, bloating, and stomach cramps. Peppermint is good if you tend to be warmer in temperature.

If your digestive system needs extra help to handle the holidays, come and see me! I will be in the clinic this Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Call the Acupuncture Wellness Center at (515) 556-3304 or visit our website to make an appointment today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Acupuncture Ally: Lemon & Honey in Warm Water

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We all know it’s important to drink plenty of water throughout the day, I mean, roughly 50-75% of our bodies are made of water! But a common complaint I hear is that water is boring or people just don’t like it.

IMG_2115A fabulous way to make water a little more flavorful is to add lemon and honey. When I make this I use about a teaspoon of local honey (I love supporting local bee keepers!) and a couple drops of Young Living Lemon Essential Oil, which is a high quality therapeutic grade oil brand that is safe for ingestion.* Another option to incorporate lemon is to add a fresh slice right to warm or hot water.

Lemon: the temperature is cold; the taste is sour; the channels of the body it affects are the gallbladder, liver, kidney, lung and spleen. This promotes Qi and blood circulation, clears heat, removes toxins and transforms phlegm.

Honey: the temperature is neutral; the taste is sweet; the channels it affects are the spleen, stomach, large intestine and lung; the effects are: nourishes Yin, tonifies Qi, supplements Qi and blood, promotes blood circulation and removes toxins.

Lemon and honey are great additions to your daily habits year round, but especially in the autumn and winter since these seasons are Yin in nature, as opposed to Yang. Yin has to do with thicker, denser, more liquid substances throughout the body. According to Chinese medicine, when you combine foods of sweet and sour properties you have a wonderful mixture to tonify the Yin of the body. With the season of autumn being dry in nature, it is so important to be sure you’re nourishing and hydrating yourself.

Temperature: It’s also important to drink room temperature or warm water. This is one of the biggest differences between western and eastern theories. While western theories may say ice cold water boosts your metabolism to burn calories, according to eastern medicine, the cold may be hard on your digestive system.

Think of the spleen and stomach as a melting pot; food and liquid needs to be warmed and mixed in order to be digested. When you eat or drink warmer temperature items, you are helping the work of the spleen and stomach. When you eat or drink cooler temperature items you are making the spleen and stomach work harder. In today’s age with diet and lifestyle, many peoples’ spleens are already a little weak, so the ice and cold temperatures add to the problem. You may be experiencing bloating, gas, or loose stools if your spleen is deficient or weak.

This is one simple change you may add into your daily life. I will say it is a tough transition, and there will be foods and drinks you always want to be cold, but if you could incorporate more room temperature to warm things in your life your spleen with thank you for it! I promise you eventually get used to it! Just remember, small steps. Change takes time, but it’s worth it to feel more well and balanced.

*The suggested uses in the above post apply only to the use of therapeutic grade, Young Living Essential Oils. Not all essential oils are the same! Be sure to consult with the product label or healthcare professional for correct usage of other.

Lifestyle Adjustments for the Changing Seasons

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Have you noticed the shift in seasons has begun? Even though Iowa still has some warm days, there is definitely a chill in the air! It’s important to note when the seasons change, as it subtly suggests we should also change and incorporate some modifications into our daily life.

The season of autumn belongs to the Lung*. According to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, by Maoshing Ni, this is when “all things in nature reach their full maturity, heavenly energy cools, wind begins to stir, it’s the pivoting point when the yang phase turns into the yin phase.”

Essentially, this means it’s time to change up the way you do things a bit. Here are some helpful tips from the Yellow Emperor to naturally change with the season:

  • Go to bed with the sunset, get up with the sunrise – In theory, this sounds great, but we all know this may not be possible. Either way, it’s helpful to try to get a little more sleep.
  • Eat warm, cooked foods.
  • Stay warm. It’s tempting to want to get the last wear out of your favorite summer sandals, but be sure to layer up with scarves and sweaters to keep your qi strong. Not sure what to wear? Check out my friend Carly’s post for how to stay warm and stylish!
  • Take time to gather one’s spirit and energy.
  • Remain calm and peaceful, and try to avoid feelings of depression or grief. Sadness also belongs to the Lung.
  • Stay focused.
  • Keep the Lung energy full, clean and quiet – Do so by practicing breathing exercises to enhance Lung qi.

While it may be difficult to follow all of them, focus on a few you think you can do and try to integrate the change of season into your everyday life.

Happy Autumn! 

*When practitioners of Chinese Medicine talk of organs, it does not necessarily mean the physical organ. Rather we are talking of the channel of the organ and the properties associated with the organ according to Chinese Medicine.