I’ll write here a little about Fire and Metal – the Summer Heat, the Autumn and it’s relationship to the Lungs. A long smoky summer in California and Southern Oregon has a lot of us exhausted, even a little depressed, and kind of wondering if this is the new norm given the changing climate. The long Dog days of summer seem best spent indoors. And many are wondering what the effects are of the short and long term exposure to our health. In this season, breathing clean air has become an event to cherish.
On a personal note – as a kid I had asthma attacks and allergic attacks, rather badly and frequently. My grandfather was a pharmacist and early on I received medications for asthma, as well as exposure to a lot of carefully and artistically illustrated pharmaceutical ads. I liked looking at them and eventually got the see-through anatomical model of “The Visible Man”, which was pretty popular back in the 60s.
My mom spent hours painting all the organs different colors. Here I am with my sister and the “Visible Horse” model in 1st grade. And in 3rd grade I made a ceramic tile called “The Lungs” as I related to mine always needing attention.
Later in life I learned that, surprisingly, relating artistically to the organs like this is reflective of traditional medicines worldwide. People have related organs to colors very much throughout history, both Eastern and Western.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we have the theory of the 5 phases (‘elements’) of Wood/Fire/Earth/Metal/Water, which all have correspondences that associate to various attributes. In TCM the Lungs fundamentally relate to the “Metal phase”, which also relates to the color White, the Fall/Autumn, Grief/Sadness, as you can see here:
One phase flows into the next: Water—>Wood—>Fire—>Earth—>Metal—>Water—>etc. Forever.
The previous phase in the sequence is considered the “Mother” of the next. So that the “Earth/Spleen Stomach” nourishes and strengthens the “Metal/Lung/Lg Intestine”. Good digestion and nutrition will help tired or fatigued Lungs.
Note that there are actually 4 seasons (though perhaps the monsoon season in Asia might feel like a Late Summer ‘season’). In TCM we tend to look at the Earth element as an in-between season. Like a neutral, grounding space before shifting into another gear.
How exactly does this all relate to the fires and smoke? Understanding Chinese Medicine can give some help and insight into treating and nourishing issues that arise from these conditions.
The collective Lung in Ashland, from the end of June until now, has taken a hit. We feel it in different ways depending on our backgrounds, ages, health status, and emotional status. Inside some of us I hear more than a little grief being felt- there is a genuine lack of inspiration and questioning of ideals. Fortunately the rains will come, and collective action is still very possible to mitigate environmental harm. As I said in my “Dog” year newsletter, we could all pull together communally this year, the potential is there.
Our Lungs come in contact directly with the environment around us. Being in contact with the outside world, they regularly encounter a variety of environmental influences – dryness, heat, damp, wind…. and a variety of problems can manifest. Allergies, sore throat, cough, fatigue, and much more.
So what is there to do?
We can protect our Lungs of course, and when the wind blows away we can do the best yogic exercise available: walking.
You might find it helpful to try some energy practices incorporating the elements and clearing and purifying the organs of the body through sound or meditation. This music video by Drukmo Gyal is on calming and healing the elements (Tibetan style) in your body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeL3_Ga-VCw
Get to know the hot/cold and dry/wet diet suggestions that are useful in adjusting your diet to an acute condition. For example, pears are considered moistening for dry coughs, watermelon cooling for overheat by the summer sun, and ginger rice congees helpful for wet coughs.
Along with lifestyle, diet, and exercise suggestions, there are specific Chinese herbs that can help. As I’m writing this, an email came in from Golden Flower herb company, one of my suppliers for my KPC granules, offers this:
When I studied extensively in Hangzhou in 1992 I focused my herbal studies on respiratory remedies, and I keep a supply of bulk herbs around especially for acute bronchial conditions. Prescribing granules allows me to be very flexible and sometimes to make small amounts of formulas to try for a few days, or different formulas during the same day.
Seasonal transitions, like the little bit of Earth between Summer and Autumn season – are a great time for an acupuncture ‘tuneup’. These periodic checkins are a great opportunity to keep you in balance before things get out of control in a season that is traditionally hard on your health. We can use Astragulus (Jade Screen formula) in the Fall to prevent recurrent colds and flus in the Winter. If we haven’t seen each other in some time we’ll spend some of the session discussing diet/herb/lifestyle ideas adapted to your condition or situation at hand.
Until very recently, for 3 years I was commuting back and forth to Portland, working on projects in the city while maintaining my practice here. I have now fully transitioned back to Ashland, and it feels great to stabilize and be in one place, even as I’m spending most of it indoors lately! I had a good run up there, thoroughly enjoyed my work at NWEA by the Chinese garden and the city life, but it’s even better to be back in my own office and to be back with the community here.
I hope to see you soon.
Appointments can be made at: https://centerforchinesemedicine.fullslate.com/or by calling 541-482-7071 during office hours (T-F)
All the best,
Ken Bendat, L.Ac.