Feb
20
Tips from Chinese Medicine on Staying Healthy During Deep Winter
February 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
In Winter’s Emotional Weather it’s suggested that winter is a time when energy retreats deep inside the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine, lifestyle choices should shift with the changing seasons, and winter is a time to explore the interior landscape of your body as well as your thoughts, feelings and aspirations. Physically, stretching, yoga practice, focused pilates, or Tai Chi practices open the bodymind through increasing flexibility, and strengthen and stabilize joints, tendons and ligaments. They help counter the prevailing contraction of mind and body, gently bringing to the surface thoughts, feelings and memories stored in muscles, making them accessible for review, release and transformation. If outdoors exertions are your way of recharging, your deep work may emerge in your dreams. It’s advised in winter to rise and sleep with the sun – perhaps not so practical! – but it does underscore the impulse and need to nourish processes that lie underneath the surface.
You’ll notice that meditation or deep breathing practices that still your mind and bring you into the now may be easier to access, and bring a quiet simplicity to your life. Or, you may notice the incessant chatter in your mind, bringing to your awareness the emotions, feelings and thoughts may be disturbing your peace.
Eat foods that warm the interior
Eat warming foods, especially proteins and carbohydrates from slow-metabolizing grains and legumes, provide a steady source of energy. Vital ch’i is stored in root vegetables like carrots, turnips, and potatoes. I use them in soups and add a bit of miso or seaweed for their abundance of trace minerals, vitamins, enzymes and proteins that also help rid the body of radiation and heavy metals. Miso is fermented soybean paste, an alkalinizing food that aids digestion, builds resistance and is a good tonic. But be sure not to destroy the enzymes by boiling your soup after adding a spoon or two of miso. You can fish out the seaweed by the way, it’s just there to exude its bounty into the soup.
Use herbs that promote circulation and moisten tissue
Warming herbs like garlic, ginger, and cayenne help stimulate circulation and protect your immunity. Ginger aids digestion, relieves gas and promotes sweating, and is helpful in fevers, colds and sore throats. Simmer a thin slice or two of the fresh root for 20 minutes in water, sweeten with honey, and a bit of milk if you like, for a delicious and stimulating tea. Garlic is a potent antibacterial. It benefits the blood and the heart and keeps cholesterol levels in check, while a touch of cayenne is a natural stimulant to circulation.
Marshmallow root, nettle leaves, oats, and slippery elm nourish and promote fluids with their demulcent and emollient effects, counteracting dryness and helping soften body tissue. Remember: leaves and flowers go last in the pot – don’t let them boil, while barks and roots need to simmer for 15-20 minutes and seeds to extract their deeper essence.
« « Previous: Carolyn Myss: Why You Settle For Less| Next: An Eater’s Manual for Anyone Who Eats » »
