Can you feel it beginning?  The decline into winter is on its way, and if you're like me, you're starting to feel the need to start snuggling in for winter.  The weather has turned a little cooler and the rains have returned and I am ready for a hot cup of cocoa next to the fire!

According to Chinese medicine, winter is the time to rest and recuperate in order to be ready to reactivate in the spring.  Fall helps us to be ready for that long rest.

What are some things you can do to help you become ready for the winter both physically and emotionally?

• As the weather gets cooler, switch to easy-to-digest foods such as soups and stews.  Because they've been cooked, the nutrients are ready to be absorbed by your body.  This can give your body the building blocks to rebuild so that you'll be ready for spring when it comes!
• Everyone talks about spring cleaning and how it can be useful for shaking off the dust after a long winter of "hibernation," but I'd argue that "fall cleaning" is just as useful, energetically. Autumn is the season associated with the metal element.  The metal element likes for everything to have its place. 
• It is said in Chinese medicine that if you can avoid catching a cold in the late summer/early fall that you'll be healthier through the winter.  Take extra special care of yourself during this time.  Drink plenty of fluids, get lots of rest and try to keep stress to a minimum. If you do start feeling the first inklings of a cold, get to your acupuncturist ASAP to make sure it doesn't stick around.

Autumn is a season of change from the liveliness of summer to the rest of winter.  If we can recognize the importance of each of the seasons and live our lives to match, we'll be much happier and healthier!

It's that time of year again!  Kids are going back to school and everyone's getting back into a routine.

This can be a stressful time of year for the whole family as everyone gets back into their rhythms.  Acupuncture can help everyone keep their calm! 

Now is also a great time to start getting your immune system revved up so that it can fight all of those sniffles and sneezes that the kiddos being home with them!

Mention this blog post while scheduling your appointment  between now and October 31st and you'll get 20% off!

So come on in, relax, and have a healthy school year!

I liked this article from Natural News (copied below) and wanted to share it with you all.  Apparently I am in the mood for some autumnal foods.  Bonus recipe at the end!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is represented by the metal element, which corresponds to the Lungs and Large Intestine. Weakness in this element shows up as ailments in the Lung and Intestines: allergies, asthma and constipation. The remedy can be found in this season's most notable food: the pumpkin or squash.

The pumpkin is round, orange and sweet. It corresponds to the earth element in the five element cycle. Earth is the mother of metal. In Chinese medicine there is a saying: when there is weakness in the child (in this case metal: lungs and large intestine), nourish the mother (in this case earth.)

Weakness in the lungs will show up as: 

• allergies
• asthma
• bronchitis
• pneumonia

Because the lungs open onto the skin, one may also see acne, eczema and psoriasis. The paired organ to the Lungs is the Colon, so weakness here will show up as constipation, diarrhea, or IBS.

In Chinese medicine, the pumpkin is known to relieve damp conditions such as dysentery and eczema. It promotes discharge of mucus from the lungs, bronchi and throat, easing bronchialasthma. (1)

Not only does the flesh of the pumpkin benefit the Lungs and Large Intestine, the seeds are especially good for the intestines, easing constipation and acting as a parasite cleanse. Known as nan gua zi, pumpkin seeds are especially known to alleviate tapeworm and roundworm. For this purpose pumpkin seeds are taken by boiling into a strong tea known as a decoction or grinding into a powder to be taken with water.

Nutritionally, pumpkins are high in beta carotene which is converted by the body to vitamin A. Beta carotene protects the mucous membranes of the body and has been shown to protect both the lungs and large intestine against cancer. (2)

Soup is an excellent way to nourish the body this time of year. The following soup can be made with pumpkin or any kind of yellow winter squash. Make sure to save and wash the seeds, which can then be salted and baked at 350 degrees until dry.

Nourishing Pumpkin Soup 

• 1 pumpkin or squash, halved, seeded, and baked face down on baking sheet at 350 until soft (1/2 hour to an hour depending on thickness of squash.)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cups water

1. In soup pot, saute onions, garlic and carrots in olive oil until softened.
2. Add water, flesh of the squash scraped from the skin, maple syrup, salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Cool and blend until smooth.
5. Reheat and serve.

Footnotes 

1. Pitchford, p.508
2. Ibid, p.313

References
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, CA.
Bensky, Dan and Gamble, Andrew. Chinese Herbal Medicine, Materia Medica.Eastland Press, Seattle.
Shanghai College of Traditional Medicine. Acupuncture, A Comprehensive Text. Eastland Press. Seattle.

There are few things better than cooking the first Fall Food meal of the season.  Stews and Stuffed Acorn Squash are wintery staples around my house.  

In the Chinese medical world, it comes as no surprise that many people start craving certain foods during certain seasons.  Those who do crave with the seasons are merely listening to their bodies and going with the flow of human evolution; eat foods when they're naturally available.

Some tips for eating in the Fall and Winter are:

• Eat foods that have been warmed. I know it's tempting to eat that raw salad, but try to avoid it during the cooler months - they're difficult to digest and can cause symptoms such as gas and bloating.
• Eat foods that are "in season."  Apples, Pears, Winter Squashes, etc. are all foods that will help strengthen our bodies for the upcoming winter.
• Stews are your best friend.  The foods in stews have already been cooked, making it super easy to digest, plus there's nothing better to warm you up on those cooler nights than a steamy bowl of soup. Num!

Here is a basic, easy recipe for Stuffed Acorn Squash (and don't forget to get creative and add your own ingredients to the filling!)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon (you can save the seeds and toast them, or feed them to your dog if you have one - they'll thank you!)
3. Place the halves of squash cut side up in a baking pan filled with 1/2" of water and bake for about 1 hour, or until the flesh is easily pricked with a fork.
4. While the squash is baking, prepare the filling
5. Boil rice as per instructions.
6. Once rice is cooked, add desired ingredients.  Our last stuffed acorn squash was made with a bunch of stuff we found in our refrigerator that needed to be used before it went bad - andouille sausage, mushrooms, spinach and cheese.
7. I like to scoop some of the flesh of the squash out and mix it with the filling, then put the filling mix back in the squash.
8. Top the whole thing with cheese and place in the oven until the cheese is melty.
9. Enjoy this tasty and healthy meal!

What are your favorite Fall Foods recipes?

We all make New Year's resolutions. They may be concrete and written down, or they may be kept secretly in our heads. Heck, I made some and told you all about them. I'm going to propose today that we not make New Year's Resolutions, but Springtime resolutions.

Think about it. It's not until spring that we experience that desire to get up and get out. It's called Cabin Fever or Spring Fever. Why would we want to make changes in our lives during a time of the year where animals all around us are in hibernation? Don't you want to hibernate during the winter too? I know I do! I go to bed earlier, I wake up later and really would like nothing better than to sit all snuggled up in front of a crackling fire with a steaming cup of hot cocoa (don't forget the mini marshmallows!) I find it funny that we have created the beginning of the year that doesn't correspond with any changes in nature. It's a new year, but the same old icky I-just-want-to-sleep-in weather.

We should match our aspirations for change with the changing of the seasons. Spring is the time when animals come out and play after the long winter. Spring is the time when trees begin budding again and bulbs start popping their heads up out of the ground. Spring is when our energy is ready to wake up and start growing and changing.

I'll get this ball rolling:

This year I'm going to get back into shape for triathlons.
This year I'm going to start teaching people to change the way they feel about their bodies and their health. Our bodies KNOW how to be healthy, sometimes we just need to remind them!
This year I will get a REAL start on all of my New Year's Resolutions!