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Winter
As the winter solstice approaches it brings to mind all the things that this season represents. One thing I always notice is that people's biorhythms change in the winter. As the days get shorter and colder, there is a practically universal inclination to hibernate, to slow down and to sleep more. It's as if our collective unconscious remembers a time before alarm clocks and electric lights when people used to rise with the sun and live in synchronicity with the cycles and patterns of nature.
In many cultures the winter solstice has traditionally been a time of feasting and festivals with lights. No doubt these traditions were rooted in the need to survive long, cold, dark winters and to keep spirits bright during the stressful times.
Winter "is the season to be jolly," which means more hugging and kissing (yeah) and the passing of more germs (yuck). It also means we're likely to be consuming more rich food and treats than usual, which in turn means more stress on our digestive and eliminative systems. Add to this mix weather that is colder, wetter, and windier than usual, and we're talking cold and flu season. I'm already seeing an upswing in upper respiratory problems with symptoms including coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and sinus and lung congestion. In addition to getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of water it is also a good idea to keep a ready supply of Yin Chiao and Gan Mao Ling. Both of these Chinese herbal formulas are all natural, inexpensive, and highly effective at stimulating the immune system and get you feeling better fast.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), winter has a number of very specific correlations that relate to our health. Chinese medicine is founded on the concepts of balancing yin and yang. Winter is the season that tends to be cold, dark, and wet, all of which are yin in nature. In particular, the season of winter relates to the element water, the organs kidney and bladder, the sense of hearing, the direction north, the temperature cold, the color black, the emotion of fear, and the tissue of bones.
In a Western physiological sense we think of our kidneys as the organs that filter our body's water, preserving the portion that is useful and passing on the waste to the bladder for storage and elimination. From the TCM perspective, kidneys have a vital role in regulating the body's fluids and much more. One important function is the role as the "root of qi" and store house of "jing," our essence. We can compare the role as the root of qi to the function of the adrenal glands, which secrete the hormones that trigger the fight-or-flight response, which kicks in when we are stressed. We live in a stressful, highly complex technological society. We have to deal with congested cities, advertising, traffic, working indoors with unnatural lighting, processed air, computer screens, air pollution, coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, and many other stimuli that keep us on edge. I suspect that many of us are on the verge of adrenal fatigue or exhaustion more often than not. In winter we want to especially make sure to protect and tonify our kidneys.
Another key function of the kidneys is to store the jing, or essence. According to TCM theory, each of us is born with a set amount of jing to last our lifetime. In a way we can compare jing to DNA molecules we inherit from our parents. To a great extent it determines how we develop. By proper lifestyle—good diet, adequate rest, and exercise—we add to and sustain our jing. As we age we use up our essence, our hearing and vision tend to diminish, our bones become thinner, and so on. There are a number of Chinese herbs that are said to nourish the kidneys and the jing, slow down the aging process, and keep us from withering.
One good thing to remember about the winter solstice is that by virtue of being the shortest day of the year, it means that after December 22 the days will again begin to get longer and warmer as spring approaches.
I'd like to thank each and every person who has taken the time to read this or any of my other articles over this past year. I hope they have been entertaining as well as informative. And I want to wish you all a very healthy, happy, and peaceful 2004.
© 2003 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
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