By December, I notice a good deal of tiredness afoot among my patients: the days are shorter, giving us a subtle yet powerful cue to slow down, expend less energy, and sleep longer. Despite this, what happens in our modern culture? People instead seem to have to work ever harder through that month: . . . → Read More: Self-Care in Winter : Our Joints]]>

By December, I notice a good deal of tiredness afoot among my patients: the days are shorter, giving us a subtle yet powerful cue to slow down, expend less energy, and sleep longer. Despite this, what happens in our modern culture? People instead seem to have to work ever harder through that month: projects at work have to be finished before the Christmas holidays, and we have preparations to be made in our own lives at the same time. Life actually gets relentlessly busier!

Up until the time of writing this in mid-January, we have enjoyed an extremely mild winter. Although the camelias and spring bulbs are beginning to blossom very early, we should remain prepared for cold snaps, in which the air can be cold, damp and still; this 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. After previous disappointing summers, I have seen quite a few tired patients whose batteries have not been properly re-charged. This year again, and without . . . → Read More: Looking After Ourselves in Autumn]]>

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. After previous disappointing summers, I have seen quite a few tired patients whose batteries have not been properly re-charged. This year again, and without even the benefit of a warm September, people might not be going into the autumn feeling fortified. It is therefore worth paying particular attention to our health now, because this 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 in September and October is prompting us to use instead: how about a hot pumpkin pie, a root vegetable soup, or baked apples with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg? If in doubt over diet, just ask yourself whether it is locally grown in Devon 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 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. In addition, the spectacularly beautiful autumn colours on the trees this year, will provide food for your soul.

After a relatively cool few months, in which there has been insufficient rain to water the garden but enough to interfere with our plans, we have not had a lot of opportunity to feel particularly summery in spirit. The Chinese traditionally though, see summer as “Heaven on Earth”, when the full splendour of . . . → Read More: Looking After Ourselves in Summer]]>

After a relatively cool few months, in which there has been insufficient rain to water the garden but enough to interfere with our plans, we have not had a lot of opportunity to feel particularly summery in spirit. The Chinese traditionally though, 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 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 so hard to maintain a warm, dry internal climate in an energetic sense, you can 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. We have now passed the equinox, and have therefore moved into the more Yang phase of the annual cycle, where the length of the day . . . → Read More: Looking After Ourselves in Spring]]>

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. We have now passed the equinox, and have therefore moved into the more Yang phase of the annual cycle, where the length of the day is for the next six months, greater than the length of the night.

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 though the days have felt exceptionally warm lately. If you feel at all chilly, then you are underdressed, and need to take prompt action.

After a second extremely cold winter in Devon, the birdsong has now changed, and the snowdrops, crocuses and camellias, are bringing colour back to our gardens. The energy within us which had lain deep and still through December and January, is now beginning to stir, and like seedlings beneath the soil, we feel . . . → Read More: Self-Care in Late Winter]]>

After a second extremely cold winter in Devon, the birdsong has now changed, and the snowdrops, crocuses and camellias, are bringing colour back to our gardens. The energy within us which had lain deep and still through December and January, is now beginning to stir, and like seedlings beneath the soil, we feel the first signs of slightly warmer days and an awakening within.

If over the next few weeks you like to sow seed, you will know the importance of adhering to the recommended planting depth, for each seed only contains sufficient energy to journey to the soil surface from that depth. Similarly, we only have sufficient energy to reach the spring intact, if we continue to pace ourselves carefully over this final phase of winter.

Around the boundary between late winter and early spring, people can feel unexpectedly tired: we have survived the coldest and darkest part of the seasonal cycle, and our batteries can accordingly feel a little flat, but a proper re-charge is still a little way off. Traditional Chinese advice is to continue to get plenty of sleep, and to adhere still to a winter-based diet of warm, cooked foods. If a scattering of warmer days come to Devon, 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.

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