5 Ways to Stay Healthy & Whole During the Winter Months With Chinese Medicine & Integrative Therapy
The winter months can take a toll on our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being if we don’t slow down and surrender to some of the nourishing and healing opportunities that the winter months can bring.
Ingrid Keating, Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Founder of LOTUS Integrative Therapy LLC in Mariemont, Ohio
Ingrid Keating, LAc., OTR/L, MSOM, BSN, RYT an Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Founder of LOTUS Integrative Therapy, LLC in Mariemont, Ohio, offers solutions for her patients using Chinese medicine, one of the oldest medicines within our civilization dating back to almost 3,000 years. She strives to integrate her eastern and western background to enhance her patient’s quality of life.
Keating explains how classical Chinese medicine organizes its theory into a Yin (water) and Yang (fire) philosophy. These cosmic energies generally speaking, are inward and outward, cold and hot and deficient and excess in nature.. This ebb and flow of energy translates into corresponding seasons or the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) Chinese medicine’s way of living in harmony with nature, Yin and Yang have an ever-changing geometry and are related to medical conditions or disharmonies that sometimes correspond to these changes.
Each season brings on an element that can be connected to health issues often seen during those particular months. For example:
Spring is associated with the rising element of Wood as the plants start growing toward the sun. We often see the presence of high blood pressure or a rise in anger.
Summer is the most Yang season, and is associated with the Fire element and when rashes, skin eruptions and excessive energy can be observed.
Late summer links itself to Earth element as energy begins to decrease and heat-based conditions lowers, bringing with it some intestinal problems.
Fall emphasizes the element of Metal or going deep into the earth, which is when we start to see upper respiratory or breathing problems.
Winter rings the element of Water and is the most inward focusing and restful yin time of the year, providing many healing opportunities.
Ingrid an a Licensed Acupuncturist, Occupational therapist, Aquatic therapist and Yoga Practitioner in private practice offers these 5 methods to take advantage of the nourishing and healing properties that winter brings:
Acupuncture is one of the eight branches of Chinese medicine where hair thin needles are inserted into the body on specific points based off of a person’s constitution and health needs. During the winter months, animals hibernate and rest. As humans living in harmony with our environment we need to emphasize the same principles. Some of the health conditions that are seen most in the cold, dark winter days are insomnia, stressors related to a desire to be more active, immune challenges and difficulties with mood changes due winter’s time change and decreased vitamin D levels. Acupuncture points that emphasize improvements in sleep, decrease stress levels or what we call calming the shen or spirit and boosting the immune response are essential. Many western studies have also revealed that Acupuncture releases endorphins and serotonin the feel good chemicals in the body as well as boosting red and white cell counts and T-cell levels for improved immunity.
2. Cupping
Cupping, an ancient accessory technique of Chinese medicine is a wonderful addition to therapy. Cupping provides a suction facilitated by heat that can help to pool blood to the surface of the skin to improve circulation and decrease pain. Cupping can also be helpful for colds and coughs by stimulating areas on the back to dislodge phlegm and quell the desire to cough and the overactive respiratory system.
3. Nutrition & Chinese Herbalism
Eating warm and seasonal foods is a staple of Chinese nutrition therapy. Gut health is emphasized through keeping the stomach warm to increase the immune system so shakes, raw foods and ice water are not beneficial during the winter season. The diet focuses on low residual or cooked foods that are nutrient dense and warming like vegetables and meats. Bone broths, collagens, probiotics, stews, soups and warming teas can also be beneficial to maintain proper gut and microbiome health since almost 80% of our immunity is in our gut. Chinese herbs like Jade Windscreen or Yu Ping Feng San with its primary herb of Astragalus can be immune boosting and ward off penetrating airborne pathogens.
4. Meditation & Yin Based Movement
Winter is an excellent time to look inward and utilize meditation, pranayama breathing strategies like nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breathing, yin based yoga and tai chi exercises to emphasize nourishing the body through conscious stillness and embodiment. These practices help to decrease the environmental input that is so needed to calm the mind and create a sense of renewed creativity, calm and future inspiration.
Water, the element of Winter, is a powerful modality to incorporate into your daily life whether it be magnesium baths, water based yoga or float tanks. Another therapy called Watsu® was created in the 1980’s by Harold Dull. This therapy combined land-based Zen Shiatsu techniques into the warm mineral springs of northern California. This form of aquatic therapy draws its uniqueness by incorporating a temperature close to our core temperature
(95 degrees) while the therapist dynamically holds and moves the patient’s body in a passive nature through the warm water. The hydrostatic pressure of warm water and decreased gravitational pull decrease inflammation and buoys the spine into a relaxed slumber to improve mobility and mental calm.
To learn more about Chinese Medicine and Integrative Therapy, contact Ingrid at Lotus Integrative Therapy, 513-318-7875, or via email at [email protected].
