How to Stay Healthy This Autumn Season From a Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. The air becomes crisp and cool
and the leaves change from green to red, orange, and gold. How can we
keep ourselves healthy so we can enjoy this time of year? Traditional
Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help keep our body, mind, and spirit
healthy and balanced throughout the fall season.TCM is one of the
oldest medical treatments used in the world today. It includes
acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet therapy, massage, and cultivation
of your body's vital energy or qi ("chee"). It began in China over
2000 years ago and has been used as a popular medical treatment ever
since. One of the distinguishing characteristics of TCM is that it
looks at the body as a whole, rather than focusing on individual
systems. Ancient practitioners compared the body to cycles found in
nature, one of these being the seasons. To remain healthy one must
follow the natural circulation of energy through these cycles.The
season of autumn is linked with the metal element. The qualities
associated with metal include clarity, purity, discernment, structure,
and value. Metal is associated with the movements of contraction and
condensation. This is the time of year when the plants have reached
their fullest potential. Like the metal element, the energy of fall is
contraction, moving inwards and downwards. Leaves and fruit fall from
the trees. Plants wither and die. They begin the decline towards the
dormancy of winter, followed by their rebirth during spring.In our
bodies the metal element is linked to the organs of the lungs and
large intestine. These organs are involved in the processes of taking
in, and letting go on all levels, physical, emotional, mental, and
spiritual. On the physical level this includes breathing, the immune
system, health of the skin and large intestine function. On a
non-physical level these organs encompass the grieving process, the
ability to keep what is valuable and let go of what is not, and
forgiveness.To remain healthy during the autumn season we should
encourage our energy to move inward and downward. We should take time
for ourselves to reflect on our lives. It is a good time to
concentrate on what direction we'd like our life to go and what steps
we can take to get there. It is beneficial during this time to find
what is sacred and valuable in our lives and let go of what isn't. It
is also a time of year when buried grief can rise to the surface. It
is best to deal with this grief and express it in a healthy way. Often
repressed grief can lead to later problems with the lungs and colon.
If we take time in the fall to do these things it can lead to greater
clarity and purity in our lives.We also need to protect our lungs
during this season. Many people have an increase in allergy symptoms
during the fall. This is also the beginning of cold and flu season. If
we do things to keep our lungs healthy during the fall, we can often
avoid the illnesses that come during the winter. It is important to
get enough sleep. The days are shorter and we should go to bed earlier
than we did in the summer time. We also need to take some time each
day to be with ourselves and most importantly Breathe!