7 Simple Ways to Transition into Autumn

Happy belated Fall Equinox! In Chinese Medicine Autumn is all about keeping your immune system healthy, slowing down, and letting go of grief and sadness. Listed below are examples of how to stay healthy this Fall.

1. Integrate more Yin nourishing foods into your diet.                                                    

In a healthy body, Yin and Yang are perfectly balanced. Autumn is a very dry season and can easily deplete the body’s supply of Yin. One way to offset the dryness is by adding some Yin supporting foods into the diet. Examples of these foods are:

• Pears, persimmons, grapes
• Beets, string beans
• Black beans, mung beans, kidney beans
• Millet, barley, rice, quinoa
• Eggs, beef, pork, duck
• Clams, sardines, abalone, oysters
• Almonds, pinenuts, sesame seeds
• Seaweeds, micro-algae (such as spirulina or chlorella)
• Honey

2. Avoid all processed foods.

Refined sugar and other processed foods offer a quick craving fix. In the long run this depletes both the Yin and the Yang of the body, leaving you exhausted. Because your energy is drained, the immune system won’t be functioning at its best. As a result, you will be more vulnerable to the cold or flu virus. This vicious cycle can be avoided by simply not eating processed foods. So instead of heating up that TV dinner, do yourself a favor and make a nourishing stew with some of the ingredients listed above. If you are short on time, you can even make it in the crockpot. Believe me, your body will thank you!

3. Strengthen your immune system with acupuncture.

Acupuncture can help build the immune system and keep it strong. For those who frequently and easily get sick, it is recommended to get acupuncture at least once a week in the fall and winter months. Weekly community acupuncture sessions are a great, affordable way to stay in balance and maintain healthy immunity.

4. Keep immunity boosting and cold/flu fighting herbs on hand.

Stop illness before it starts by taking these immune boosting herbs at the first sign of a cold or flu.  Examples of herbs I have on stock to prevent cold and flu are:

• Medicinal mushroom combination with Reishi, Shitake, and Maitake mushrooms to boost the immune system, combat viral infections, improve lung conditions, and calm the nerves.
• Black Elderberry to boost immunity, combat viruses, and improve nasal and chest congestion.
• Ban Lan Gen packets for sore throat and viral infections.
• Yin Qiao San blister packs to counteract the onset of a cold.

5. Move at nature’s pace.  

That means slow down! Being in rhythm with nature leads to good health. If you look around, everything in nature is starting to contract and move inward. By following nature’s example, we too should start to transition our awareness to our internal (more Yin) self.  Now is the perfect time to integrate meditation into your daily routine. This shift in focus will help solidify our strength and preserve our “fuel” for the winter ahead.

6. Cultivate practices that can harmonize the Yin (quiet) and Yang (active).

Examples of these practices are:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Tai Chi
• Qigong

7. Resolve long-standing grief and sadness.

The focus of autumn is letting go. Trees have no problem letting go of their leaves, nourishing the ground for new growth. It is no coincidence that in Chinese Medicine, autumn is associated with the lungs (grief) and large intestine (letting go).   Now is the time to focus our attention on what we may be hanging onto, and release it! Let it go! Sadness or grief that has been expressed and resolved actually improves your health. Almost everyone with lung and colon issues has some form of unresolved sadness that needs to be cleared. Below are various ways of working through repressed grief.

• Give yourself permission to truly feel your emotions. It is okay to be sad! It won’t last forever! If you feel like crying, please don’t hold back the tears. Let it out! Crying is a huge emotional release and can bring immense relief.
• Journaling is a great way to bring up any repressed emotions.
• Meditation can also release stored emotions. Below is an example of a great meditation that involves the emotional and physical body:
  • Scan your body and feel where the emotion is held. When you have located the sensation, slowly breathe into it. Focus your breath on that space, creating heat.  Continue breathing heat into the area until you feel as though the stuck emotional blockage starts to melt away. This exercise can be repeated as often as necessary.
• Seek help through a counselor. Talking with others about your feelings can diminish some of the energetic charge surrounding the emotion and grant you the freedom to let it go.

Enjoy Autumn and stay healthy out there! For more information about acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, you can check out my website at leslieroethlac.com or sign up for the newsletter here.