Fall in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Sep 29

I talk a lot about the 5 seasons of Chinese medicine in my practice and with patients. I find it helps my patients connect to what they are feeling physically and emotional throughout the year.

In TCM, we have 24 seasonal points throughout the year- we just had the autumnal equinox where daylight and nighttime are about the same length; and we are moving towards the point of “cold dew” on October 8th where the weather is colder, more damp, and potentially foggy.

Here’s a little profile on fall in TCM-

TCM Organs associated with fall: Lung and the Large intestine

Emotion: letting go, grief, sadness

Color: white

Taste: pungent

Health concerns that tend to come up this time of year: colds/sinus issues, allergies, feelings of grief and sadness, digestive concerns, skin concerns.

I encourage my patients to listen to their body and take their cues from nature. Slowing down, turning inward, letting go of things that are no longer serving us in preparation for winter. Put on more layers and keep your neck protected from windy weather by wearing scarf, make soup at home (Half Baked Harvest Italian Wedding Soup is one of my all time favorites- I swap the chicken broth for chicken bone broth), stay on top of your acupuncture appointments to use as preventative medicine to keep colds at bay (once every 3-6 weeks is an appropriate maintenance dose for most), also ask your acupuncturist about incorporating herbs to help keep immunity up. Old feelings of grief or sadness may resurface- feel your feelings, use your Lungs to breath through difficult moments and support your Large Intestine by letting go of what you no longer need.

Food therapy:

Apples, pears, and honey to support dry coughs that tend to come up this time of year
Pungent foods like garlic, onion, ginger to support immunity
Moving away from the raw, cold foods of summer and towards (patients- you already know what I’m going to say here…..) warm, cooked foods :)

I hope you find this useful <3 Love y’all

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