What does TCM recommend for us to take care of our body in fall?
When does fall start and end?
The traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar divides a year into four seasons and twenty four solar terms. Each season includes six solar terms. Fall starts at the solar term Li Qiu (立秋, Beginning of Fall), which is from August 7 to August 23, and ends at the solar term Shuang Jiang (霜降, Frost Descent), which is from Oct 23 to Nov 7. Right now we are in Qiu Fen (秋分, Autumn Equinox), which is from Sep 22 to Oct 8, meaning the mid of fall. During this period, the sun reaches the celestial longitude 180 degree and ends at the longitude 195 degree. In another word, the sun directly overheads the equator, so the day and night have the same length.
How does the fall affect our body?
Solar energy is the major energy source for the earth. The movement of the direct sunlight on the earth and the change of seasons have huge impacts on the human body. As we had discussed in the previous article “Why does TCM recommend not to drink cold water in summer?”, ancient Chinese discovered the directions of the energy (Qi) flow in the four seasons. Qi is rising (sheng, 升) in spring, floating(fu, 浮)in summer, falling (jiang, 降)in fall and sinking (chen, 沉)in winter. When summer progresses to fall, the direct sunlight decreases, plants absorb less energy through photosynthesis and leaves start to fall. Plants start to conserve the energy in the fruits, seeds and roots. Accordingly, the energy in the human body starts to move inward and leaves less energy on the surface and perimeters in fall.
Therefore, the most common effects of fall on the human body are the following:
1. Dry skin
One of the biggest impacts of fall on our bodies is skin dryness, which has been confirmed by dermatologists. People mainly attribute it to the external factor, dry air. However, if you think about why people living in the desert do not always have dry skin, you will realize that dry air is not the major reason. The internal factor is always the decisive one. That is, the blood flow in the skin is reduced in fall, so the skin doesn’t get enough blood/water supply. Similarly, some people find that they have more hairs fall out in fall, which is also due to lack of blood/nutrient supply to the hairs. In fact, when you observe the leaves on the trees fall out, you won’t be surprised to see your hairs fall out.
2. Fatigue
Another common impact of fall to the human body is fatigue. People feel fatigue and tend to sleep longer in fall than in summer. In summer, the human body consumes more energy than it gains, due to less sleep, poorer appetite, and more sweat, etc. Thus, the overall energy in the human body is deficient when summer progresses to fall. Given that the energy moves inward and the energy in the skin and perimeters like limbs is reduced, people feel fatigue and become less active. Except for the skin, another organ that is heavily affected by fall is the lung. Based on the TCM theory and modern physiology, the skin and the lung are the two major organs that release body heat and waste. When the skin function is reduced, the lung will have to do more work. It happens that the overall energy is deficient, so the lung is often short of energy to do its work, including heat release and gas exchange, which is often defined by TCM diagnosis as Fei Qi Xu (肺气虚,Qi deficiency in the lung). People with lung-Qi deficiency will easily feel fatigue and become more susceptible for respiratory allergies and infections.
3. Sad mood
It is found that people are more likely to get depression and anxiety in fall, which is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) by modern medicine. It is often attributed to lack of sunshine or the beginning of a new school year. However, they can’t explain why people usually do not get depression in spring. Now we know the key difference between spring and fall. That is, Qi is rising in spring and falling in fall. In fact, TCM has documented the fall-related depression and anxiety more than 2000 years ago. In TCM theory, the moods like depression, sadness, anxiety result from the falling of the Qi and specifically related to the lung-Qi deficiency. While it has not been recognized by modern medicine, the theories and practices of TCM have approved that the physiological functions of the organs are connected to mood and mental health. When the lung is deficient in Qi, people can get depression, anxiety and a sad mood. In modern terms, it is probably related to lack of oxygen intake and low metabolism rate. Of course, the external factors like lack of sunshine and cooler weather can also contribute to a sad mood.
4. Eat more energy-dense food
It is reported that people like to eat more energy-dense food in fall. This is because the human body is energy deficient after summer, so the body needs to take in more energy in fall. Some call it “evolutionary leftover”. Just like animals in nature, during evolution the humans need to eat more foods and store more energy in their bodies during fall and prepare themselves for the food-lacking winter.
5. Being susceptible for respiratory allergies and infections
In fall, especially in late fall, people are more likely to get respiratory allergies and infections, such as itching noses, dry eyes, common colds and flu. They come with the same reasons as described above, the overall energy deficiency, especially the energy (Qi) deficiency in the lung. Of course, the colder weather contributes partly to the diseases, but the internal energy state of the human body is always the key factor.
What does TCM recommend for us to take care of our bodies in fall?
1. Supply your body with more energy
As we have just discussed, the major problem in fall is related to energy deficiency and/or energy distribution (e.g., less energy in the skin and perimeters). Thus, we need to supply our bodies with a proper amount of energy. Eating more energy-dense foods in fall is a normal reaction. However, we do not want to overload our bodies and gain unwanted weight. After all, we are not in the ancient times when there was not enough food in winter. So here are some tips:
a. Focus on in-season, fresh produce.
b. Eat energy-dense foods with a lot of vegetables and fruits.
c. Stay active and get more sunshine outdoors. It helps us digest the foods and distribute the energy all over the body.
2. Tonify the lung-Qi
Since the lung is the major organ affected by fall, we need to tonify the lung-Qi with specific herbal foods. In TCM, there are many herbs that are also used as foods. The popular herbal foods that can tonify the lung-Qi are schisandra, wolfberry, lotus seeds, and white fungus.
3. Moisturize the skin
Normally, if we do well in supplying our bodies with more energy and tonifying the lung-Qi, it should be sufficient to solve the problem of dry skin. That is because TCM always tries to solve problems from their roots. In some cases, however, directly working on the skin can relieve the dryness faster. Here are some tips for keeping the skin moist:
a. Avoid long, hot showers and soaks in the tub.
b. Use a moisturizer daily
c. Use a mild soap
d. Protect from strong sunshine and UV radiation.
e. Use a humidifier in room
Finally, while we pay attention to the effects of fall on the human bodies, we should not forget to enjoy the cool weather, colorful leaves and produce, because fall is indeed a comfortable, beautiful and harvest season.