Winter Newsletter 2022

Closing & Storing, Opening & Giving: The Mind-Body Winter Connection

Now is the winter of 2022, when hibernation can transform and transcend the mind and body right into spring. For a moment, open the windows and let in a blast of winter air. This can awash the home in a cleansing palate of cold crispness, able to shake one awake and make one aware. Then cuddle up on the couch and let this season lull you into closing and storing, opening and giving.

Winter is a time of “putting on the brakes” and reflecting within. It is a rare opportunity to embrace a time that enables and encourages physical and mental decompression while consciously recharging internal batteries. Through seasonal eating and mindful exercise along with naturopathic medicine and acupuncture, it is the mind-body-winter connection that can significantly become enhanced.

Each person’s health can be more powerful than realized, simply by paying attention. When life gets in the way and the body is neglected, all sorts of associated, seasonal health compromises could arise. In our IMS Winter Newsletter 2022 we explore how winter holds all sorts of enhancement potential while recommending beneficial health treatments that heal and strengthen at the same time.

Winter Acupuncture CCM Applications

As winter settles in, the body may not follow suit. There could be structural compromises or a cognitive challenge, particularly when it comes to the lingering symptoms of SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

Winter acupuncture applications are focused approaches to specific meridians linked to the season. These meridians are distinct pathways coordinated by a licensed acupuncturist. Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) training in addition to acupuncture education can be highly advantageous to the overall outcome of treatment. When acupuncture points along each meridian are painlessly needled through a CCM lens, it is a full body/full nature spectrum. This means that CCM takes into account a variety of seasonal constitutions and associations that can be influenced toward a more robust Yin/Yang balance.

From Huangdi Neijing Suwen the Inner Canon of the ancient CCM text, ‘The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine’,

“The wise nourish life by flowing with the four seasons and adapting to cold or heat, by harmonizing joy and anger in a tranquil dwelling, by balancing yin and yang and what is hard and soft. So it is that dissolute evil cannot reach the man of wisdom and he will be witness to a long life.”

Winter associations include:

• Element: Water
• Nature: Yin
• Taste: Salty
• Emotion: Fear and Depression
• Organs: Kidney and Urinary Bladder, Adrenal Glands, Ears, and Hair

As water rules winter the kidneys which hold Qi (life force energy), reserves need to stay strong. This is because stored kidney Qi is responsible for:

• Managing stress
• Dealing with change
• Wound healing
• Preventing illness
• Healthy aging

Therefore, it is essential to nourish the kidneys by utilizing the potency of acupuncture. In addition, it is just as essential to maximize the remedies of seasonal eating, nutraceutical supplementation, botanical medicine, and other naturopathic treatments.

Keeping Cold Away

As the winter settles in so does the body’s instinct to hibernate. With shorter days and less light it is easy to understand how the body wholly embraces rest, reflection, conservation and storage. However, with more time spent inside, it is essential to keep the immune system stoked and firing on all cylinders so as not to succumb to lingering airborne pathogens.

These are some botanical medicine remedies that have shown to be excellent applications when it comes to boosting the immune system or preventing allergies during the winter season.

Turmeric (curcumin) – This herb, indigenous to India, has been a staple of health for centuries on end. During the winter months (and beyond) turmeric could be helpful for a variety of applications that can address immune system enhancement as well as allergy alleviation.

According to biomolecular and clinical aspects of turmeric as posted by the National Library of Congress,

“The activities of turmeric include antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, antiseptic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephro-protective, radio-protective, and digestive activities. Phytochemical analysis of turmeric has revealed a large number of compounds, including curcumin, volatile oil, and curcuminoids, which have been found to have potent pharmacological properties.”

Green Tea – Hot beverages are highly satisfactory as well as systemically beneficially during the cold winter months. Green tea is an excellent go-to as a safe and effective daily stimulant as well as immune boosting proponent.

Women’s Health Network reported that,

“Green tea is also a source for epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol that has been found to have antiviral effects against influenza A virus (seasonal flu). Plus, green tea helps to support the immune system when viruses and other microbes do manage to slip through.”

Hot Peppers – Eating spicy food could stoke the system into high gear. This is due to the compound known as capsaicin found in Serrano, jalapeño, poblano and many other varieties of peppers. Capsaicin is what makes hot peppers burn the mouth but it is this burn (mild to major) that immediately opens the sinuses. When the sinuses expand and drain, many toxins can be sloughed out resulting in a lessened duration of cold or allergy symptoms. This winter add hot peppers to soups and savory dishes which will also bring the added benefit of extra cold preventing vitamin C, also found in hot peppers.

Check Your Food Mood

Check in on that, ‘after-meal-food-mood’ to see if snack and meal choices may be causing a drag. It seems more common than not that after a snack or meal, various symptoms can occur. However, if these symptoms (or others) are a chronic response, then more seasonal appropriate choices could be a better approach.

Check your ‘after-meal-food-mood’ and determine if you are always:

• Bloated
• Sluggish
• Nauseous
• Foggy
• Sleepy
• Unsatiated (still hungry)
• Experiencing indigestion, reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)

As stated, these symptoms are common but if they are beyond normal and seem to takeover the system, a change may be needed. If any of these symptoms are presenting, eating with the seasons may be a better choice. For winter, try taking advantage of these foods for optimal performance:

• Soups and stews
• Root vegetables
• Beans
• Miso and seaweed
• Garlic, peppers and ginger
• Quinoa, brown rice

Eating with each season can be paramount to how energy reserves are utilized throughout the day. For example, during spring or summer choosing a cool bowl of fruit or yogurt or a cold smoothie for breakfast can relieve rising body temperature, but in the winter this could be disadvantageous. This is because the body is in a yin stage. Resting, storing, and reflecting are instincts associated with winter. They require a good core temperature to fuel through. During the winter months, to fill the body with coldness, first thing in the morning, could negatively affect digestive function, cognitive focus and muscle performance. However, choosing a warm breakfast during the winter could help maintain a meditative balance.

Try this tasty recipe that fits right into the winter food choice book.

Quinoa and Brown Rice Porridge with Stewed Fruit

Porridge

5-6 cups water
3/4 cup dried quinoa
3/4 cup dried brown rice
1 tbsp ghee
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cardamom
5-6 whole cloves
5-6 threads saffron
pinch pink salt

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the grains and spices, cover with a lid and simmer on medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally and continue adding water as needed until a soupy well-cooked consistency is reached. This can also be made in a slow cooker or rice cooker the night before for an easy, ready to eat morning porridge. Serve with stewed fruit and toppings of your choice (a splash of almond milk, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds…just to name a few!).

Stewed Fruit

½ cup water
1 apple or pear, cored/pitted & sliced
¼ cup raisins
2 dates, pitted & chopped
½ tsp cinnamon

In a small skillet, bring water to boil. Arrange the sliced fruit in one layer around the pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon, raisins and dates over top. Allow to simmer in the water until tender, about 3-5 minutes, adding more water to avoid burning or sticking to the pan. When ready, serve hot over top cooked porridge. Makes 4 hearty servings

*Recipe courtesy of Vidya Living

News & Noteworthy

Acupuncture Treats Tinnitus – Tinnitus is described as a ringing or buzzing in the ears which cannot be controlled. As a result many people are challenged by this condition which can negatively affect balance, speech, and vision. Now treatment to alleviate or in some cases stop tinnitus and symptoms thereof, may be acupuncture.

In a study, ‘Effects of acupuncture on the outcome of tinnitus: An overview of systematic reviews’, it was concluded in one review that, “acupuncture seems to be a positive and effective treatment for tinnitus”.

Going Botanical – Botanical medicine is the foundation of many conventional medicine pharmaceuticals. Working with a naturopathic doctor trained in botanical applications could be highly beneficial with less side effects. When it comes to preventing winter colds, Women’s Health posted these major players:

1) Astragalus (A. membranaceous)*
2) Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
3) Cordyceps (C. militaris)*
4) Echinacea (E. angustifolia, E. purpurea, E. pallida)
5) Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng — Eleutherococcus senticosus)*

At Integrative Med Solutions, we will design a winter health treatment program that works for you. In many cases, insurance covers portions of the treatment. Allow us to support you to achieve optimal health. To make an appointment or find out more about how acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can benefit you, please call our office at 914-337-2980 or Click Here to schedule an online appointment.

*Please Click Here to see a current list of insurance companies that commonly carry acupuncture benefits for its members. For more info, please call 914-337-2980 or securely email us at info@intmedsolutions.com.

Best in health from Integrative Med Solutions.

Sources:

https://vidyaliving.com/recipe-box-ayurvedic-breakfast-porridge-with-stewed-fruit/

https://healthspaceclinics.com.au/blog/a-chinese-medicine-take-on-winter

https://bodymindwellnesscenter.com/winter-in-classical-chinese-medicine/

https://www.twelveriversmedicine.com/blog/2016/winter-breakfast-ideas-for-health

https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666312/

https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Chinese+Medicine+and+Winter+Season

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92752/
https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/immune-health/foods-immunity-and-respiratory-health/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.1061431/full