Autumn is a time of gathering, of harvesting, collating and organizing. It’s a time for letting go of what is not needed, a time to assimilate and store what’s needed for the upcoming winter season. It’s a time to reduce and to distill what is essential to our nature so that we move through winter in a strong and healthy state. A few of the tools to help with this are acupuncture, herbs and diet. Acupuncture is the process in which a trained professional places hair thin, solid needles into certain acupoints or nodes. This facilitates the free flow of the body’s natural energy or Qi (pronounced chee). A properly trained practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can also help you with the selection and use of various Chinese herbal medicinals specific to your body’s particular needs.
In this abundant harvest season, we have many foods from which to choose. As it is the season of the Lung and Large Intestine, foods that energetically support these organ systems are important. Since the Lung Qi prevents colds and flus it is of paramount importance to nourish. Poor eating habits can cause phlegm or mucous to settle in either organ system, resulting in cough, diarrhea or constipation. Mucous producing foods tend to be dairy, sugar, white flour and overly processed foods. Smoking, large amounts of alcohol, and drug use can also contribute to mucous disorders. Mucous disrupts the free flow of your body and its Qi. Carefully chosen foods assist healthy living. For example, with Autumn as a time for distillation, this means cooking your food a bit longer to distill its nutrients. Instead of the fresh raw vegetables of spring, Fall is the time to cook squash into soups or roast them until they are soft.
Depending on whether you tend to more dryness or more mucous in your body, you have a choice of many foods that will be helpful. In general, spicy chilis can clear mucous from the Lung and Large Intestine. In his book, Healing With Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford cites a Los Angeles study in which “...Hispanics who smoke have a surprisingly low incidence of respiratory problems.” The findings were reported by Dr. Irwin Zement, a professor at University of California Los Angeles’ School of Medicine and, based on this work, Pitchford prescribes chilies for Lung related problems.
Other protective foods for the Lungs include garlic, onion, turnips, cabbages, seaweeds, ginger, horseradish, leafy dark green vegetables such as collard greens, kale, chard as well as yellow vegetables including carrots, squash and pumpkin. For the Large Intestine, dietary fiber is important. Certain types of dietary fiber can eliminate cholesterol from the digestive tract. These include carrots, apples, cherries, oats and other produce containing pectins.
Don’t wait until winter hits and force your body to make quick adjustments. Start planning now by eating right and keeping your body in tune with the seasonal changes.
