WATER - THE WINTER PHASE

The Dragon’s Muse

Acupuncture, Diet Therapy, Five Elements, Herbs

Winter Season:

Winter is often a difficult time to stay healthy. Strong Winds, Cold weather, creeping Damp can all conspire to attack your vitality. 

When you feel as if you have the beginnings of  the common cold, stiff neck, sniffles, headache, chills, then eat some green onion heads, either raw or boiled in water briefly.  You can add them as a garnish to your lunch time soup.

Green onions are pungent and warm and induce perspiration. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we use these attributes to drive out an attack of cold.  After eating the onions make sure you stay warm and allow the onions to clear your system with their gentle diaphoretic action.

If onions are too unappealing, fresh mature ginger boiled in a drink will have a similar action.  Ginger has the added properties of calming digestion, and resolving nausea.  Therefore, if your common cold has the component of a stomach attack, tea made with 3 slices of ginger boiled with 2 cups of water will definitely help.

Ginger tea is also recommended for upset stomach due to poor quality or contaminated food. 

Sometimes an attack of cold has an abdominal component, with diarrhea,  and sharp abdominal pains.  Cooking a rice gruel with some ginger and nutmeg added will help settle this problem and ease the sharp pains. 

TCM has some great formulas for chasing away the common cold, and helping resolve flu.  These are available as teas, raw herbs, and patent pills.

Frequently feasting in the holiday season can result in some tummy upsets. If you begin to feel bogged down by heavy foods there are some simple remedies.

 Try eating some Daikon Radish as a vegetable with a light lunch.  This vegetable is a digestive aid, as well it clears phlegm from your lungs and  the digestive system.

 On days when you know there will be a heavy dinner, eat a light lunch which contains tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango or papaya.  These foods are rich in enzymes, and help your body break down food stagnation and prepare it for the next  meal.

 An inexpensive digestive aid available in China Town is the classic  Po Chai Formula. The herbs in this formula support digestion, resolve ‘stuck food’ and treat bloating, diarrhea and headache associated with stalled digestion.  So if indigestion, too much imbibing or flu like symptoms are affecting your tummy give Po Chai a try.

The Water Element:

When you think of water, what image comes to mind?  Is it the deep still lake, capable of hiding and absorbing what ever drops in? Or do you think of the beauty of a waterfall glistening in the sun, tumbling down the rocks, persistently and relentlessly  making its way to join the great seas.  Perhaps it is the beauty of waves lapping or crashing against the shore.

Water is the basis of life.  Without water there would be no life on Earth.  Water sustains us, supports us, dissolves the elements such that we can absorb them.  How then does water relate in Traditional Chinese Medical Thought?

In balance, the Water Element provides us with an enduring Will to act upon the world.  Just as the stream can find its way around obstacles, the power of the Water element allows us to find ingenious ways to resolve issues.

Water is about beauty. Water provides suppleness to Wood, so it may bend; it provides moisture so that Earth is productive; Water tempers Fire that we don’t burn up with enthusiasm, and exhaust ourselves. Metal’s harsh edges are softened by water, for example tears dissolving unbearable grief.

Water is a changeable element as well.  The Water Element represents a deep reservoir of energy  It is our primordial energy, our genetic inheritance and our destiny.

Strong will is the power of Water, and yet out of balance fear is the emotion.  Fear to move or change, fear to act. Hence we have the reservoir, on the verge of action, yet still.

Chinese Medicine assigns to Water the organs of the Kidney, the Urinary Bladder, and the Reproductive Organs. Kidney energy is the keeper of our jing, the genetic inheritance from our ancestors.  The brain, marrow, vision and hearing fall in Kidneys domain as well.

 Classic formulas for longevity are filled with herbs which tonic Kidney energy, and which re-hydrate the tissues of the body.  In TCM, aging is seen as a drying up of essence and tissues.  Typical symptoms are night sweats, dry throat,  restless legs, easily irritated, restlessness,  wasting and thirsting disorder (type 2 diabetes) .

 In fact, the famous Liu Wei Di Huang Wan formula,  used to re-invigorate Kidney energy, is based on Kidney Yin tonics   This same formula,  with the addition of herbs to support the Gate of Vitality,  is the classic Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan. This is the treatment of choice for a cold, tired person who feels weak in the legs and back and who is wearied and does not enjoy life. 

These two formulas illustrate  dynamic balance between Yin and Yang.  It is reflected in their abilities to support and foster each other.

 One variation of these,  Ming Mu Di Huang Wan  is used to support vision, hearing and longevity.  Herbs for Kidney essence are often prescribed for seniors with fragile bones..

Personality, Character, lifestyle

Each element has a series of signature signs. According to Five Element Theory, each person embodies all five elements, though one will be more predominant. 

Well balanced Water Element is characterized by:

· Strong dense, lean physique

· Deep set eyes, long fingers and toes

· Good stamina

· Clear vision

· Acute hearing

· Ability to persevere in adversity

· Enjoyment of solitude

· Philosophical attitude to life

· Calm determination

The Water personality likes knowledge, seeks understanding, is articulate and clever. 

He or she can be self contained, self sufficient, does not seek the lime light and may be enigmatic or prefer to be behind the scenes.

The Water personality is sparkling, and enticing.  Philosophical about life; a Water personality is capable of deep understanding. 

Supporting Your Jing

Your Jing is your potential.  One is born with a complement of inherited Jing, which can be either supported or eroded by lifestyle choices.

Supportive practices include taking time to make healthy choices in your lifestyle.   Eating the “Qing Dan” diet, which is composed of small meat portions, more vegetables and fruits, and moderate use of carbohydrates, is one way of respecting your Jing. 

Excessive use of stimulants, alcohol and heavy diets all wear away at Jing.

Jing, being potential, is embodied in nuts and seeds.  Foods which support Jing are almonds, walnuts, black sesame seeds and other seeds.

Foods which build blood  also support Jing.  These foods are dark leafy vegetables, watercress, blackberries, blueberries, beets, dang gui, turnip, sea weeds, and red meats in moderation. The greens drinks are blood builders but may be hard on the digestion as they are energetically cold. 

Activities which preserve Jing are meditative in nature.  Restorative walks in nature, meditation exercises, or disciplines such as Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Yoga all help restore Jing.

Toxins, such as pollutants, both personal and industrial can have dramatic aging effects.  Kidney Jing tonics can help to restore health.

Consider slowing down, working smarter rather than more, and treating yourself to time out.  All these strategies will pay off by helping you cope with the demands of modern life more effectively.

Dear Reader

What a season we are having on the Island here.  It has been a dramatic example of the powers of Water!   Our summer too dry, and November a deluge,  shows just how important  it is to have  balance in the elements and seasons.

TCM  treatments of acupuncture, medicinal herbs, or the  various massage techniques like Cupping, Tui Na massage,  Gua Sha  can be important ways to help balance and  restore your vital functions.

If you feel dragged out, stressed or nervy, if your neck or back regularly give you grief, Traditional Chinese Medicine can provide you with relief.

TCM is part of a whole health system which includes the practices of Tai Chi or Qi Gong , diet therapy and meditation.  Once learned, these simple practices can provide a lifetime of centering and health giving resources.