The Chinese see summer as “Heaven on Earth”, when the full splendour of heaven’s energy is manifest around us. This is nature at its zenith, and the time of year when our energy and activity levels peak. It is traditionally considered healthy in summer, to rise earlier in the morning and stay up later into the evening. Spend time outside and soak up the sunshine and fresh air, as if you are charging your battery ready for the eventual return of winter. If you have been contemplating beginning an exercise program, then now is the moment, especially if it’s an outdoor sport you would like to take up.

It is easier also over the next few months, to adhere to the traditional Chinese dietary advice of eating produce which is locally grown and in season. (“Food miles” is a recently introduced term, often invoked to draw attention to the cost to the environment of putting say, kiwi fruit on the UK shelves in December, but in energetic medicine, food which has travelled vast distances is also considered slightly de-natured and less wholesome for the body.) Because summer weather is more favourable, and our bodies are not struggling to maintain a warm, dry internal climate in an energetic sense, you can now sample the full variety of salad vegetables and all the health-giving berries on offer.

Finally, if you are very physically active, and still up and about late on a summer’s evening, consider a short siesta on days when it’s practical. Just twenty minutes lying horizontal somewhere between around 1.00 and 3.00pm, is considered very replenishing.

For the purposes of this article, the period of spring is around early March to mid-May, defined by those milder days and an increase in activity in nature.

Whereas in winter, Chinese wisdom teaches us to retire earlier to bed and to rise later too, with the coming of spring, we should continue to retire early, but can now begin to rise earlier. As the mornings get progressively lighter, and the birds greet the dawn with enthusiasm and joy in their song, this is a time of day which offers you the opportunity of a moment of meditation, a moment which will stand you in good stead for whatever the rest of the day may hold. Try to take a walk before work, or even just sit in your garden: the Qi at this time of the morning is fresh and renewed, like a sparkling, clear brook from which you can sip. If you cannot be outside, then begin the day with some stretches, as if awakening your body from its long, winter sleep.

We can also now become generally more physically active again. For some it may mean returning to a favourite outdoor sport. For others, it might mean engaging with the garden. Be careful to avoid a springtime injury, by just building back up to things gently.

Finally, refrain from casting off too many layers of winter clothing too soon: your body needs time to adjust to spring, even if the days are feeling warmer. If you feel at all chilly, then you are underdressed, and need to take prompt action.

As winter begins to draw to a close, and we see those wonderful signs of early spring in the Devon countryside around us, our hearts can start to stir excitedly, like seedlings beneath the soil. Unlike this time last year, we have not yet had any really warm days in the southwest, but when such days finally come, we should not be tempted to leave off too many layers of clothing: warm weather when it is still relatively early in the year, catches the body out, and as a result of going out in only a t-shirt, we can come down with a cold.

Our energy levels around the boundary between late winter and early spring, may not be all we would like. I see many people at this point in the seasonal cycle, who are feeling really quite tired, and who benefit from some tonic treatment around now. Again, do not expect too much of your body too soon: continue somewhat in “winter mode” for a little while yet, getting plenty of sleep and sticking to warm, cooked foods.

Keeping in mind these simple measures from traditional Chinese medicine, should help you to reach springtime intact, and with a sense of rising vitality.

We have recently been through some of the lowest temperatures Devon has experienced in decades, and winter is not finished with us yet. The air is often cold, damp and still, and that is a combination which can chill us to the bone if we are inadequately dressed.

In Chinese medicine, it is particularly important to protect your lower back (considered the seat of your warming Yang Qi), and your joints (considered vulnerable to adverse climatic factors). In Britain, rheumatic aches and pains are unfortunately very common: I treat a lot of people who can categorically state that their troublesome joints are more uncomfortable when the weather is cold and/or damp.

The Chinese recognised this pattern centuries ago, and gave it the name “Bi”; it is described in a medical text dating from 610AD. Sometimes, but not always, there is evidence of osteoarthritis in the affected joint(s); other times, it may instead be an old injury which plays up in unfavourable weather. What can you do to help yourself if this sounds like you or someone you know? When I am treating this condition, I recommend that my patients wear additional warm layers over the joint concerned, that they avoid the damp eg kneeling on damp ground if the knee is affected, that they have an appropriate diet of warm cooked foods, and that they take up the right kinds of exercise. Acupuncture and self-help can mean that winter need no longer herald in the dreaded rheumatism.

A change of season is always seen in Chinese medicine, as a challenge to the body, and a time when we should take care to adjust our lifestyle and habits. Last autumn (2008), after three months of poor summer weather, I saw quite a few tired patients whose batteries had not been properly re-charged. This year, after our third successive disappointing summer, the pattern may be repeated; under these circumstances, paying particular attention to our health now, will stand us in good stead through the coming winter.

Looking firstly at diet, we can now begin a tilt in favour of more warm, cooked foods: porridge for breakfast is an excellent start to the day. Cut back on the salads, replacing them with what nature is now prompting us to use instead: how about a hot pumpkin pie, or a root vegetable soup? If in doubt over diet, just ask yourself whether it is locally grown and in season. If the answer is yes, then from a Chinese medical perspective, you are unlikely to go far wrong.

Turning to sleep, traditional teachings recommend we adjust our bedtime to remain in harmony with the rhythms of nature: in autumn, we can continue to rise early, as is the recommendation in summer, but we should now try to retire earlier in the evening.

Finally, if the lower light levels on all our overcast days plus the now ever-shortening length of the day, conspire to lower your mood, then I can offer two recommendations: one is, if you have to be indoors, to locate yourself right in front of a window; the other is to take a thirty minute walk in the fresh air daily. The latter could be a lunchtime stroll if you are normally confined to an office all day. These measures will dramatically increase the light levels you are exposed to, and combined with fresh air, will help you to feel better.