Fall is here. The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisper, and the days are getting shorter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) this season is connected to the lungs. The lungs are an essential organ that purifies the air we breathe and eliminates toxins. They take in the new and let go of the old, in a constant cycle of life. This season is especially important to take care of your lungs, they are the uppermost organ in the body and can be susceptible to wind and cold.
Energetically speaking the lungs are the seat of grief in the body. Think about when you’ve suffered a loss or felt extreme sadness, it can feel hard to breathe. For this reason, this is the season to let go, or at least come to terms with, underlying issues that affect you. This allows you to make space for the new positive things in your life. Letting go of the old and accepting the new, just like your lungs do.
The lungs are one of the most important organs for the qi (pronounced chi) in the body. Qi is the energy that flows through the body, our life force. The stronger the lungs are the more qi the body is able to take in and distribute to the rest of the body. Acupuncture helps the lungs by relaxing all the muscles around the chest wall, reducing inflammation, and releasing chemicals that dilate the airways, making it easier to breathe.
If you feel like the end of summer gets you down and that you are more susceptible to respiratory issues, call us today to discuss acupuncture! We offer free 30-minute consultations where you can sit down and discuss your specific treatment with a practitioner.
References:
Enjoy the energy of fall: Autumn and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Enjoy the Energy of Fall: Autumn and Traditional Chinese Medicine - Acufinder.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Enjoy+the+Energy+of+Fall+Autumn+and+Traditional+Chinese+Medicine.
Oster, D. (2021, October 25). Five elements for five seasons. Experience Life. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/five-elements-for-five-seasons/.
Ray, D. (2016, October 15). Breathe into fall: The season of the lung. dr. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.drraynd.com/post/2016/10/15/breathe-into-fall-the-season-of-the-lung.