Fall and Chinese Medicine

By Toby Helmstetter, LAc

I recently spent a weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains where fall was beginning to settle. The air, though not exactly cooler, felt clear, and the the light was definitely beginning to get a little low. Can you feel it here yet? If not, I can tell you, after being in the mountains, that fall is on its way! How do we prepare for fall? In Chinese medicine, we can get ready for the season to come by preparing in the season before it. This means that in late summer, the season in which we are still until the autumnal equinox, we get ready physically, mentally, and emotionally by using the principles of Chinese medicine. Let's look at the meanings and associations Chinese medicine has with fall, and see how we can apply them to our lives at the change of season.

Chinese medicine associates fall with the organs of the Lung and Large Intestine. We call it the Metal Element, which can be associated with the element of Air. Metal is exact, clear, and wise. It is the archetype of the Sage, who we can picture in a long white robe, benevolent and precise in all her/his dealings. We associate the Lungs with Metal because of the quality of inspiration which we can attribute to them. This is inspiration in the literal and figurative sense. By the lungs we breathe in, and it is also the power by which our qi feels inspired. Just think of how many of us feel on that first cool, crisp, sunlit morning in autumn.... We also associate the Large Intestine with Metal because we attribute it with the quality of letting go. As trees freely and easily let their leaves go in fall, so too do we let go of all that we don't need. This is again, a literal and figurative function of the large intestine. When we have trouble letting go, the colon is one of the first place it shows up! Taking care of our lungs and our colons will help us stay healthy in the fall. Metal likes pungent flavors like mustard greens, garlic, cinnamon or peppermint, radishes, chives, and grapefruit. Metal and our lungs and large intestine get unbalanced when dry, so we eat nourishing foods like pears and seeds. Start eating less cold, raw food and move into warmer, cooked meals. The energy of late summer is damp, so start decreasing your damp-causing foods like sugar, dairy, and alcohol. This will support your Spleen and Stomach (the Earth organs associated with late summer), which will in turn support your immune system (the Lungs and Large Intestine) and get you ready for fall.

A good autumnal activity is cleaning out the closets. Get rid of clutter by letting go of things you don't use or wear anymore. Be mindful of the voice inside that tells you to "hold on" to something you haven't looked at or thought of in a long, long time. Holding on to old things--be they material or emotional--depletes and stagnates our qi. The body and mind must use their precious energy to continue clinging to things and feelings we no longer need. This creates a pattern of deficient qi and stuck qi simultaneously. Keep qi moving and plentiful by making space for new things to come,

The emotion associated with Metal is grief or sadness. Here we can appreciate the fragility of life, not by mourning it pre-emptively, but by holding space for the precious gifts of life. Never underestimate the power of a good, deep breath to cleanse and relax the body and mind, and to bring you into the present moment. Especially during this transition into fall.