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Staying Healthy In Winter
Seasons change, and your body and mental outlook change with them in predictable ways. Oriental medicine combines knowledge of seasonal characteristics with your unique health situation, to balance your energy (chi) and help you adapt and thrive during the cold months of Winter.
In this episode of Seasonal Health Tips, Kitty talks about how the Water element of Winter affects your health, and how to stay healthy and thrive during the cold months of Winter.
(To get the most out of what Kitty has to say, open the 5 Element Theory chart in a new window while listening.)
Length 07:32, Size 8.7 MB
The Water Element
Every season is associated with one of the Five Elements, and for Winter, the element is Water—the energetic force that governs the health and functionality of your Kidneys and Urinary Bladder.
According to Taoist 5 Element Theory, the Kidneys play a key role in the health of the entire lower part of your body. This includes balancing and processing fluids, as well as, strong joints, healthy sexual function, and more.
Protect Yourself Against Cold
To avoid getting sick, keep your wrists, ankles, and especially the back of your neck from being exposed to the cold. When you’re outside, be sensitive to how you feel and make sure your extremities don’t get too cold—especially your fingers and toes.
When your Kidneys are working well, the proper amount of heat is generated in your body, and normal precautions like “bundling up” in the winter will prevent cold from entering and getting trapped in your body. When your Kidneys are out of balance, you’ll notice a persistent feeling of cold in your lower back and extremities. If this is the case, you need to strengthen them. Otherwise you’ll be more vulnerable to pathogens and illness.
Did You Know ...
Women living in cold mountainous climates wrap woolen sashes around their waists—with older women wearing more layers, and younger women fewer. Padding around the waist maintains the warmth your Kidneys and internal organs need to function healthily and supports your back when lifting heavy objects.
Taking Care of Your Kidneys
There are several ways to build and maintain the health of your kidneys.
Chi Kung. Take 30 seconds to a minute—a few times during the day—and briskly rub your hands together to generate warmth in your palms. Then place your warm palms on your lower back, and feel the warmth from your palms penetrate into your kidneys. Then, gently massage your back. This simple exercise is an enjoyable way to invigorate your kidneys.
Chinese Herbs. Traditional Chinese herbal combinations provide an excellent way to strengthen your kidneys.
Acupuncture & Acupressure. These time-tested methods for improving the flow of chi (health-maintaining energy) in your body works to nurture your kidneys.
Diet and Nutrition. This basic approach to health is a simple way to nourish your kidneys.
Did You Know ...
Vegetables are smart! While the air is cold or freezing, Winter vegetables send their chi (life force) down into their roots where it’s protected underground. Our ancestors were smart too, because they understood the life-sustaining value of these roots ... and we should too.
Winter Food Tips
Ancient wisdom tells us that “for everything there is a season ...”. With this in mind, here are some diet and nutrition tips for the Winter season:
- Eat root vegetables like carrots, onions, potatoes, beets, and (unsweetened) Winter squash. Miso soup is a nourishing Winter soup that provides a healthy way to get the moderate amount of salt you need.
- Eat foods that are high in calcium to strengthen your kidneys. aduki beans would be a particularly good addition to your Winter diet. Black beans, black “woodear” mushrooms, and black “cloudear” mushrooms will also add robustness to your Kidney energy.
Winter Health Tips
Here are some things to be aware of as you become more conscious about how to stay healthy in Winter:
- Moderate the amount of salty food you eat.
- Stay away from diuretic foods, like celery.
- Remember that caffeine is particularly hard on the kidneys. (Consider drinking tea or decaffeinated coffee.)
An In-Sight ...
Notice if you find yourself craving salty foods during the Winter. If you do, your kidneys are probably weak and need some strengthening.
Winter Remedies
During those time when your immunity is low, and you feel cold- or flu-like symptoms, it’s time to take preventive action by enjoying one of these nourishing, natural home brews.
Scallion Broth
This simple broth will help you sweat lightly, and is an excellent remedy for preventing and getting rid of colds:
- Take one scallion, and chop it up.
- Boil in water for 5 to 10 minutes. (Keep the lid on the pot to prevent vapor from escaping.)
- Flavor with tamari.
- Sip it slowly, bundle up, then lie down, or go to sleep.
Ginger Tea
If scallion broth doesn’t suit your culinary fancy, try ginger tea:
- Put a couple of slices of fresh ginger in one and one-half cups of water.
- Boil for 5 to 10 minutes. (Time it based on how strong you like your ginger tea.)
- Keep the lid on the pot to prevent vapor from escaping.
- Add a little honey and lemon.
- Sip it slowly, bundle up, then lie down, or go to sleep.
Scallion broth is the more effective of the two remedies, but if for some reason it doesn’t appeal to you, ginger tea is a good alternative
Get Help If You Need It
If you experience any kidney-related symptoms—lower back pain, earaches, knee problems—or other symptoms that don’t clear up quickly, call BIOM for an appointment. It’s best to alleviate your symptoms while addressing the root problem—before it becomes more advanced.
Related Links
Seasonal Retreats at BIOM
Winter Photo Gallery
Seasonal Health Tips - The 5 Element Way
Stressing Health
Each season throughout the year has energetic forces that you have to adapt to, physically and emotionally. So let’s take a look at what to keep an eye out for throughout autumn - the Metal season.
Feeling a Little Melancholy?
On the emotional health side, there is a tendency to feel a touch of melancholy every year in autumn. This includes feelings of sadness and depression. These kinds of feelings tend to come when we shift back to standard time, and the days grow shorter.
Did you know that in autumn, if your lungs are weak, you may be predisposed to feeling sad?
Signs of the Season
During autumn, you always need to be mindful of the health of your lungs and large intestine, and be vigilant in noticing weaknesses like:
Recognize and Manage Stress
Intense jolts, or prolonged periods of stress can undermine the strength of your immune system and leave you vulnerable to illness. Many of us today are suffering from the cumulative impact of pervasive stress, caused by worries about terrorism, finances, a suspect food supply, environmental pollution, among others - all in addition to the “normal” day-to-day pressures of living. Considering this, it’s important to become more conscientious about improving and maintaining the strength of your immune system.
What You Can Do
You have built-in capacities to become and stay healthy, and there are things you can do to build your resistance to illness.
Here are a few suggestions for staying healthy this autumn:
Tai Chi Chuan or Chi Kung.
An Enlightening Interview With Jack O’Lantern
Our friend Jack O’Lantern stops by BIOM every year around this time, and we asked if he would share with you some of his ideas on how to get the most out of Halloween, and the Harvest celebration.
He agreed to be interviewed, and here’s what he had to say:
Michael: So Jack, why is Halloween so special to you?
Jack O’Lantern: Well this is the time of the year when the waning of the light begins to be very obvious. And as you know, my job is to remind people that looking at the light in themselves is a fun, and necessary, thing to do. That’s why I encourage people to carve me up, put a candle inside me, and enjoy my glow.
Michael: The poets and sages say that there’s “light” inside everyone of us. How does that “light” compare to the light we see coming from you during Halloween?
Jack O’Lantern: I’m glad you asked me that! These days too many people have forgotten about the “light” that’s inside of them. Maybe they think it’s corny, or too religious; or maybe they just forgot that it’s there, I’m not sure. But there’s one thing I do know—and I built my career around this—and that is: There’s no better feeling than feeling your inner light shine through you!
People are always commenting about how beautifully I “glow.” And I tell them: “You can glow too. All you have to do is know that there is a “light” inside of you, and take some time to look at it.” For me, it’s the feeling I get gazing at the Harvest Moon on a cool, clear night.
Michael: But you’re Jack O’Lantern! How can ordinary people hope to be able to glow like you? What can people who live busy lives do to get their inner light to shine through?
Jack O’Lantern: It’s actually quite simple. Like me, you too have openings to let the light come through. All you have to do is intend for it to come through. And when you do, it will pour out of your eyes, and you’ll see what you’re looking for; and other people who are looking for the light will see it coming from you, and you’re likely to meet friends when and where you least expect to. And when you feel “lit up,” the light will come through your mouth in the form of kind and creative words. So there are lots of ways to let your light shine through.
Michael: Since Halloween, and the Harvest season is upon us, is there anything you can suggest for people to do so they can have this “lit up” experience?
Jack O’Lantern: When I was a young pumpkin, learning how to “jack-o-lantern,” my teacher used to have us stand in the moonlight and imagine ourselves, not as ordinary pumpkins, but as the glowing jack-o-lanterns we aspired to be. He taught us to feel ourselves connected to the earth, out of which we came, and then feel the moonlight coming down from above, lighting our stems like candles, and illuminating our bodies with a warm, orangey glow: very similar to some of the Chi Kung exercises you teach at BIOM.
At first I thought that was kind of a strange thing to do; but, you know what? It worked. This simple exercise taught me how to glow on my own, whether anyone lit a candle inside of me or not. You folks reading this should give it a try! After all, if an old gourd like me can be named “Jack,” you can figure out how to glow like a Halloween pumpkin.
If you want to know more about “jack-o-lanterning,” or would like to ask Jack a question, he can be reached at:
Related Links