Inger’s Blog

Fall has clearly arrived, at least it has here in the Pacific Northwest. Temperatures are in the 50s; it’s mostly cloudy with showers. This is the time to cover our neck and back with an extra layer of clothing and wear hats in order to avoid catching colds. It’s also important to eat foods that are in season, such as root vegetables, in soups and stews. Fall is also the time I treat patients who have allergies in the spring and summer.

In Chinese medicine, Fall corresponds with the lungs. The lungs are associated with breath and respiration, as well as with the “Wei qi,” translated as the defensive qi (your vital energy). This defensive qi wards off potential colds one can contract during the change in seasons. If your lung qi is flourishing, you’re less likely to get ill. If you do get ill, your body is able to ward of the disease fairly quickly.

By focusing my acupuncture treatments now on strengthening the lung qi, come spring time the lungs are better equipped to do their job in fighting allergic reactions. In addition, I prescribe herbal formulas that include either huang qi (astragalus root) or ren shen (ginseng root), based on the patient’s pattern presentation. These herbs effectively strengthen areas of the body that are depleted and also strengthen the body’s defenses against disease.

I like to think of these treatments as similar to seasonal tune-ups for a car. I focus on getting you healthy now to help prevent severe problems in the future. If you are someone who gets allergies in the spring or summer, consider a tune-up acupuncture treatment right now in the fall! Sorry, I am not offering shuttle service at this time.

—Inger

Happy New Year to you! I hope you had a restful holiday. Although we are entering a new year, we are still in the midst of winter. Winter from a Chinese medicine perspective is a time for rest and renewal. Yin energy is predominant, meaning the body’s natural tendency is to be more still: to stay at home, read, regroup, rest. Some people may experience a general lack of a desire to be social or participate in major external activities. Don’t feel guilty or “lazy” about feeling this way. You are living according to nature’s natural cycle. Just wait until spring; you will find you have a surge of newfound energy!

Winter is a good time to start up with regular acupuncture treatments. The external environment and change in the weather patterns, such as wind, rain, and snow, can bring on colds especially if you are feeling run down and exhausted. I’m treating a lot of patients with head colds and the initial onset of cough and fevers lately. As soon as you are feeling symptoms such as headache, body aches, unusual sweating, fever, chills, sore throat, cough, fatigue and/or depression, it means it’s time to schedule an acupuncture appointment. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are very effective in treating the initial onset of colds. While my patients are resting on the treatment table with their needles, I will then prepare an herbal formula for them to take home. I decipher whether their particular cold is more of a Wind-Cold pattern or a Wind-Heat pattern. The prepared formulas are different based on these patterns presentations.

In Chinese Medicine, a “Wind-Cold” and a “Wind-Heat” are two types of early-stage Cold patterns. For example, a patient with a Wind-Cold pattern will present with the following symptoms: fever and chills, head and body aches, clear or white nasal discharge, and a floating pulse. There are many types of Wind-Cold disorders, but the key treatment strategy is to release the pathogen from the exterior by inducing sweating. Based on the individual patient’s pattern presentation, I will decide the appropriate formula for the patient’s Wind-Cold pattern and prescribe an herbal formula accordingly. Alternatively, a patient with a Wind-Heat pattern will present with the following symptoms: fever, sweating, slight chills or a minor aversion to wind, headache, thirst, and a sore throat. Patients may also have a cough and/or redness surrounding their eyes. The pulse is usually floating or rapid. And the tongue can have a white or slightly yellow coating with slight redness at the tip. Heat moves quickly through the body and therefore herbal formulas for Wind-Heat patterns include herbs that are acrid and cooling, which help to release the pathogenic influence at the exterior level as well as clear heat. Also, pathogenic heat patterns tend to attack the lungs first and “injure the fluids” (causing dehydration). These formulas help to generate fluids and help the lungs to disseminate and descend fluids downwards.

Hopefully this will help you better understand colds from a Chinese medicine perspective. If this is confusing you, that’s okay too! All you need to know is acupuncture and Chinese herbs are a wonderful way to resolve the initial onset of a cold as well as boost your qi (your vital energy) in order to prevent illness in the future.

Here’s to a year of good health!

—Inger