By Hayley Stobbs R.Ac, CNC
As we embrace autumn the light energy of summer days transforms into new observations to be curious of. The crisp air refreshes your thought patterns, decreased daylight and colours re-align your path of vision, and the sounds around you soften and fall to the feet. Autumn, the first of two yin seasons, is a time of year to explore the contractive process of inner workings such as personal reflection, presence, and preservation. The external environmental inspires the ‘death’ or loosening of one’s grip to attachments, self-talk, and relationships, that block or stall you from inhabiting the true expression of who you are. This is a time for change, feeling discomfort with equanimity, and deep beginnings that are soul nourishing. Revise those boundaries and respect your inner callings so that you can declare what you deserve as you step further into self worth. The leaves that are your exterior no longer need to hold on; they fall gracefully in gratitude, giving value to harvesting your authentic sources of root nourishment and the honouring of your magnificent core. This is a season of entering into being.
The following post focuses on the Chinese medicine (CM) associations to autumn, specifically the lung system, nutrition tips, and the emotions sadness and grief.
BEFORE WE BEGIN: Clarifying the Chinese Medicine term ‘Organ’
When acupuncturists refer to a specific organ we are describing a system of interrelated physiological functions and senses, meridian and paired organ processes, mind-body-spirit aspects, and cosmic-seasonal resonances that collectively refer to one’s inner-external state of balance and patterns. This is unlike western medicine, which focuses on physiological functions related to anatomical structures in health and disease.
THE LUNG SYSTEM | HAND TAI YIN
Here is a review of its main functions & relations:
Rules QI and respiration.
Controls channels and blood vessels with the heart.
Controls dispersing and descending of fluids.
Regulates and moves water passages.
Controls the exterior; skin (pores, sweat glands) and body hair.
Opens into the nose.
Houses the PO (corporeal soul): ability to feel pain; body sensations; spiritual aspect.
Affected by grief and sadness.
Governs the voice.
Circadian rhythm energetics: 3 – 5 AM
Associated with the Metal element: the pungent flavour, rotten smell, weeping sound, and the colour white.
Interior-exterior relationship with the Large Intestine; 6 channel theory pairing Spleen [foot tai yin].
LUNG + METAL ELEMENT IMBALANCE
Chronic asthma and/or eczema.
Sinusitis or chronic runny nose.
Frequent coughs and colds.
Skin disorders: eczema, rashes, dry skin, some acne patterns.
Large intestine + Spleen link: constipation, autoimmune digestive disorders.
Dwelling in sadness.
Lack of self-worth.
HOW TO SUPPORT THE LUNG SYSTEM
Get plenty of fresh air daily.
Inhale and exhale through your nose; this is the way our body is designed to breathe as this filters the air.
Open detoxification pathways with cardio exercise until you break a sweat, such as: fast paced walking or hiking outdoors, biking, rebounding, skip rope, dancing, interval walking or running.
Stay warm; the Lung system prefers to be warm and dry.
Take care of your digestive system as the Lung is linked to Spleen health. Eat three warm and cooked whole foods meals per day and consume more white and pungent foods (see below).
Express and manage chronic sadness and grief. Reach out for support; see resources at the end of this post.
Be mindful of posture as hunching over can constrict rib cage and breathing capacity.
Home self care practices: netti pot, dry brushing, gua sha, abhyanga.
Practice signing, chanting, and diaphragmatic breathwork to open and strengthen the Lungs.
Watch electro-magnetic field (EMF) exposure throughout the day, as associated to the Metal element and the Lungs. Unplug Wi-fi at night and to keep your phone on airplane mode when not in use.
Avoid known allergens as best you can. Consider investing in a HEPA vacume and air filter.
Other: Acupuncture and cupping, chiropractic (great if you have a rib out!), yoga therapy, medical herbalism, naturopathic medicine, and prescription medication as necessary.
LUNG STRENGTHENING FOODS
Natural pungent foods can stimulate and strengthen Lung function. This flavour sends energy outwards and upwards: traditionally dispersing stagnation, promoting circulation of energy and blood, stimulating digestion, and breaking through mucus. Keep in mind that hot pungents can eventually cool the body via sweating, warm pungents produce lasting warming effects, and cool pungents can be used for heat patterns. For deficient conditions such as damp and certain stagnant patterns, combine pungent foods with a tonifying diet. In excess the pungent flavor will over-stimulate and exhaust qi and blood.
From my favourite resource for food energetics information: Helping Ourselves by Daverick Leggett.
Grains: amaranth, job’s tears, oats, rice.
Vegetables: bamboo shoot, burdock root, cabbage, carrot, cilantro, daikon radish, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leek, button mushroom, onion, parsnip, pumpkin, scallion, summer squash, winter squash, sweet potato, turnip, water chestnut.
Fruits: apple, apricot, blueberry, cherry, crabapple, mulberry, pear, plantain.
Beans: cannelini, lima, navy.
Nuts & Seeds: almond, cashew, hemp, pine kernel, walnut.
Fish: herring, whitefish.
Meat: duck, goose, turkey.
Dairy: duck egg, yogurt.
Culinary herbs: anise, basil, cardamom, cayenne, chilli, cinnamon, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, horseradish, white pepper
Medicinal herbs & spices: aloe, angelica, astragalus, barberry, bitter orange peel, black cohosh, borage, burdock, catnip, celandine, chamomile, cleavers, coltsfoot, comfrey, cramp bark, Echinacea, elderflower, elecampane, eucalyptus, eyebright, frankincense, geranium, ginkgo, ginseng (American), goldenrod, goldenseal, juniper, kava, kudzu, honeysuckle, horsetail, lobelia, marshmallow, melissa, microalgae, mint, myrrh, osha, pau d’arco, passionflower, poke root, red clover, sandalwood, sassafras, slippery elm, solomon seal, spearmint, vervain, white horehound, yarrow, yerba santa. *Seek medical herbalism or naturopathic support for herb guidance.
SADNESS, GRIEF + THE LUNGS
The primary emotions related to the Lung system are sadness and grief. These are often feared, vulnerable emotions that we don’t want to willingly face but inevitably do. In part because they feel strong, heavy, depleting, dissolving, and empty. Sensations as these can overpower the trust within one’s capacity to feel and heal with time, and this is very much a part of the process. At their tipping points, death and endings are something that we humans all naturally pass through and express or deal with uniquely as an individual, between families, and cultures across the world. We can eventually accept that we are ultimately connected in our hard experiences and that there is no grief hierarchy. In Chinese medicine we look at both the yin and yang of emotions; when we look a little deeper with our wisdom heart, we can see that grief and sadness can gift one with new beginnings (re-birth) and connections, gratitude for memories and experiences, and reflection of one’s values and spirituality. Read on for some soothing tips for heavy, overwhelming times.
”In the fall, you don’t grieve because leaves are falling and dying. You say, “Isn’t it beautiful!” Well, we’re the same way. There are seasons. We are fall sooner or later. It’s all so beautiful. And our concepts, without investigation, keep us from knowing this. It’s beautiful to be a leaf, to be born, to fall, to give way to the next, to become food for the roots. It’s life, always changing its form and always giving itself completely. We all do our part. We live; we die. Always right on time, not one moment sooner or later than we do. Reality rules. It doesn’t wait for our vote, our permission, or our opinion.” - Byron Katie
7 TIPS FOR BEING WITH GRIEF
1) There is no timeline for grief. If you have lost a loved one, expect sadness to come and go, for it to change and show up unexpectedly, and to decrease in intensity over months and years. Don’t pressure yourself to “get over it”, to get closure, or to over-analyze it, but do make an effort to not dwell in sadness and to resume your best life in present moments.
2) Set aside a ritualistic time to grieve. Shorter or intense periods of grieving can help our systems respond better as this may reduce the frequency and intensity of related emotions. This could be every day to each season depending on where you are in your journey. Light a candle, buy some flowers, read inspirational writing, or journal. Start and end at the same time each day. When time is up transition into a nourishing activity. Throughout the rest of the day, remind yourself you can come back to your grief at the scheduled time.
3) Set your boundaries and nourish your whole self. It’s okay to feel depleted, but do so while taking care of yourself as best you can while asking for help if needed. Bring the energy back to you by making sure you’re nourishing yourself with whole foods, connecting with positive friends (and pets!), saying no when you feel like it, booking that massage, receiving sky light nourishment by getting outdoors, and through moving your body. Do things that make you happy; just practicing what may be authentically fun for you can help re-wire those pathways.
4) If you have a loved one who is experiencing grief, try asking, “How can I help?” rather than “Let me know if I can do anything. If a friend is struggling plan to do something they enjoy. Schedule it, and then during your time together listen with presence and non-judgment.
5) If sadness intensifies during dark months consider investing in a light box to use in the morning and get outside early in the day to get natural light exposure for circadian rhythm balancing. Get your vitamin D levels tested by your medical or naturopathic doctor and discuss supplementation for darker seasons.
6) Seek professional guidance and support. Counsellors can help guide the way through navigating triggers, confusions, frustrations, and new found feelings.
7) Because you feel sad know that you have also loved greatly, and this is something to be grateful of. Celebrate happy, heart-felt memories. Although people leave in the way that you knew them, they live forever in your head and heart.
”Grief is the great connecter. It is the driving force of release – a force that removes the emotional barriers between us and other. Let it rip you open. We can channel the potent emotions that arise when we’re going through life transition to take us deeper into the sacredness of our being.” – Kylie McBeath.
Mental health and grief support in Victoria, BC:
Citizen's Counselling; accessible, affordable counselling: www.citizenscounselling.com
For women in abusive relationships (past or present), Victoria Women's Transition House: www.transition.net
Mental health & substance use services (emergency or crisis, and non-emergency resources),
Central Access and Rapid Engagement Service (CARES) Victoria: cares brochure
Vancouver Island Crisis Line, 1-888-494-3888: talk to a mental health counsellor here for free, 24 hours per day.
Needs Crisis Line, 1-250-386-6328
Crisis text service (www.vicrisis.ca), available from 6 - 10 pm at 1-250-800-3806
1-800 SUICIDE, 1-800-784-2433
BC 211, will provide information from a specialist 24 hours per day.
If you’re interested in acupuncture for processing sadness, grief, and for supporting lung health, I’d be happy to guide you along. Please visit www.vcaspa.com to book online or call 250-590-4341. To learn more about my acupuncture practice, follow @hayley_stobbs on Instagram.
Wishing you love & vitality,
Hayley Stobbs R.Ac, CNC
Related Posts: My Acupuncturist Tells Me I’m Damp!
Basic Whole Foods Guidelines
Mindful + Intuitive Eating Guidelines
Change of Season Soup
References:
Leggett, Daverick. Helping Ourselves: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Food Energetics. Totnes, England: Meridian Press, 1994.
Pitchford, Paul. Healing With Whole Foods. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2002.
Hicks, Angela; Hicks, John; Mole, Peter.Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture.Churchill Livingstone, 2011.
Robertson, Jason D. Applied Channel Theory In Chinese Medicine. Seattle, Washington: Eastland Press Inc., 2008.
Disclaimer
Hayley Stobbs shares general Chinese medicine, nutrition, and health information solely for informational purposes of the reader. The contents displayed are not intended to offer individual medical advise, diagnosis or treatment. Information by the blog author is not a substitute for medical care and if you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider first and foremost.