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Autumn and your Lungs

It’s hard to believe that this earth that we call our home has completed over 3/4s of its annual trek around the sun but here we are, September again and signs of autumn can be seen everywhere. It’s an exciting and busy time, one of change and transformation. With cold and flu season just around the corner, fall also invites us to call on the wisdom of Chinese medicine to strengthen our immune system for the colder months ahead.

But first, a little Five Element theory (you didn’t think I was going to let you off that easily, did you?). With each season having its own dominant element, that of fall is the Metal Element. This element perfectly represents all that change and transformation of growth bearing fruit, of ripening seeds, or the ground preparing to rest after its hard work is done for the year. Taking a step beyond this, each element has an associated organ, for the Metal Element it is the Lungs. When we strengthen an element/organ during its dominant season, we help it function at its best year-round.

This year however, presents an interesting challenge to us and our lung energy. This is the year of the Fire Snake. In Five Element Theory, there exists different relationships among the elements, one of which being the controlling cycle, where one element controls another one to keep its growth from getting out of hand. This is the relationship between the Fire and Metal Elements, where Fire controls Metal. What this means for us is that we are in a year where the Metal Element is already quite weak. You may have already noticed this earlier this year with all of the more severe respiratory illnesses that were going around. While there’s a lot of potential for more of that in the months to come, there are plenty of things you can do to protect your metal energy and by extension, your Lung Qi:

• Eat and drink ‘warmer’: Even now while temperatures are still warm
  outside, shifting to soups and hot teas over iced coffee and smoothies
  help support our very systems internally that make all of our Qi-Qi
  that we need to protect us from viruses and bacteria.
• Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Delicious ripening fall fruits like pears,
  persimmons, apples, and peaches all help to keep the lungs moist and
  the climate gets drier. Old favorites like fresh ginger, sweet potatoes,
  oats, and rice all help to support our protective and precious lung Qi.
• Slow Down: The down and in nature of metal energy invites us to
  take our foot off the gas pedal, go to bed just a little earlier, make a
  few less plans, and take some time for reflection and introspection.

These are just a few suggestions that represent what you can do for yourself at home. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are also fantastic ways to support your immune system during cold and flu season. If you’d like to learn more, we’re just a consult away.

For further reading on the Metal Element Click Here

Written by Molly

Image by Dorothe from Pixabay