Author: Rebecca Thoroughgood

When I was a kid, snow days were a treat – a precious day off. I remember eagerly awaiting the announcement that my school was closed, releasing me to an unexpected mini-vacation. As an adult, I still look forward to snow days as a respite from the busyness of life’s obligations. More importantly, I have deepened my appreciation of winter as nature’s designated time to turn completely inward, slow down, rest, and recharge. Winter reminds us that life requires be-ing as much as do-ing. It summons us to our caves just like the bears, so that we can hear nature whisper: “Hush now, go deep inside and store your energy for the coming year. Connect to your source.”

In Chinese Medicine, winter is the seasonal expression of our Water element. In the physical realm, we know how vital water is to life. Without it, we die. Humans, and our earth are composed of about two-thirds water. Blood circulation, lymphatic flow, immune function and elimination of waste are dependent upon water as the medium through which everything passes. On an energetic level, the Water element is the well within us where we access our essence and from which we draw our potency. In other terms, the Water element is similar to the seed. It contains the embryo and the immense potential energy for the creation of a new plant. All life cycles – birth, growth, reproduction and development are propelled by our Water element.

Kidneys and Bladder: Our Deep Reserves

The ancient Chinese understood our anatomy and physiology in relation to the organ systems we understand today. However, they also recognized mental and emotional capacities associated with each of the organs. The Kidneys and Bladder energy belong to our Water element. In addition to their hysiology related to filtering and excretion of fluids, this pair is responsible for storing our deep reserves of energy and potential, and for the wise use of that energy.

When we have strong Kidney and Bladder energy, we are fluid on every level. We are able to go with the flow and have enough “juice” to meet the demands of life while respecting our limitations. We possess clever skill and ability to conserve and expend our resources (be it money, time, physical stamina, etc) much like an athlete knows how to pace himself when running a marathon.

Water energy empowers us with the wisdom that we will survive winter and gifts us with the faith that spring will indeed follow. The Kidneys and Bladder are our reservoirs for courage and strength of will. Lacking these reserves, we may experience the emotion associated with the water element: fear. While some fear is appropriate and causes us to take due care, an imbalance in our Water energy may result in inappropriate fear that
paralyzes us and blocks our ability to function. Panic attacks, anxiety, and phobias can indicate a distressed Kidney and Bladder energy.

Knee and low back problems can also point to a disharmony in our Water element. The pathways of the Kidney and Bladder traverse the knees and the back and these areas often become triggered when our Water element is deficient, or obstructed. Fear can cause us to become “weak kneed.” Overwork or excessive physical labor or activity can drain our Kidney and Bladder energies, literally breaking our back.

Acupuncture points along the Kidney and Bladder meridians (pathways of energy on the body) can be used to revive that part of us obscured by fear, fatigue, and uncertainty. Greater Mountain Stream, a point on the inside of the ankle, taps into vast healing reserves. The calming and nourishing effects of this point can address lumbar pain, kidney disease, anxiousness, heat conditions and sleep disorders.

A number of other Kidney points, located on the chest, such as Spirit Seal, Spirit Burial Ground, and Spirit Storehouse, can help resuscitate and restore the resigned or exhausted spirit. These points offer the reassurance that we are OK. We always have access to inner fulfillment and peace, no matter what the circumstances.

Using Winter’s Wisdom for Health

• Rest.
  This is nature’s season for rest, repair, and regeneration. The Nei Ching, oldestknown document of Chinese medicine, advises: “[In Winter], people should retire early at night and rise late in the morning, and they should wait for the rising of the sun.”
• Journey inward.
  Seek to learn more about yourself through meditation, reflection, and reading. Limit external stimulation. Switch exercise routines and activities to more inwardly focused ones such as yoga or Tai Qi. Nurture the “seeds” in your life, knowing that in due time they will sprout.
• Choose more “warming” foods.
  As the temperature drops, the body needs to generate more warmth. Include more cooked foods, quality oils and complex carbohydrates in your meals. Slowcooked soups and stews containing root vegetables, and warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and cayenne are a good way to feed yourself in the spirit of the season.
• Focus on what’s essential.
  Make time to deepen your relationships with others and yourself. Find ways to cultivate your ability to follow your gut and reassure yourself in times of uncertainty.

References:
The Five Elements and the Officials, J.R. Worsley
The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine, Lonny Jarrett

Becky Thoroughgood is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbologist practicing in Harrisburg. She earned her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health (formerly Traditional Acupuncture Institute) in Laurel, MD.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the primary organ associated with our Fire element is the Heart and its circulatory system. In addition to the physical functions of this organ system, the ancient Chinese also recognized parallel mental and emotional qualities that they refer to as Heart energy.

Heart = Love

In our culture, we are familiar with the Fire element’s Heart energy as that which enables us to love others deeply and selflessly, and to receive love in return. Our language is rich with terms like open-hearted, from the heart, and heart-felt to describe this energy.

In classic Chinese medical texts, the Heart is the root of all life. It is what connects us to our humanity and our divinity. The Heart awakens us to the universality of our experience. It is our Heart that witnesses other people’s suffering and enables us to reach out with compassion. When we are so deeply moved to assist our neighbors’ in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we are motivated by our Heart’s need to expand beyond ourselves for the sake of us all.

When our Heart energy is flowing well, we are vital and robust on every level. We experience joy. We have meaningful and intimate relationships, enthusiasm for life, a radiant spirit, insight, restful sleep, healthy complexions, and a gift of expressing ourselves well. A healthy Heart enables us to be spontaneous with a capacity to laugh – even at ourselves. Others also benefit from and feed our Heart energy. Fire needs a spark to get started and needs to be maintained. The Heart energy opens us up so that our Fire can be engaged. And, though others are important to the care and tending of our Hearts, we also need time to be with ourselves. We have to cultivate our own Fire energy by developing self- awareness and pursuing our passions.

Tending Your Heart Energy

Our Fire can become deficient and weak or overstimulated and scattered. Either way, this can manifest as a disharmony in our Heart energy. We may be unable to receive love or be untouched by the suffering of others. We may be hard-hearted or broken-hearted. Or, we may be too sensitive or too vulnerable thus taking too much to heart. Many emotional imbalances come from distressed Heart energy. Physical consciousness is maintained because the heart and circulatory system nourish the brain. Similarly, higher consciousness occurs because our Heart Energy enables us to be mindful and calm in the present moment rather than distracted by anxious thoughts or alienated by our pain.

If our Heart or other aspects of our Fire energy is distressed, we may suffer from any number of other related physical symptoms: irregular heart beats or blood pressure, heaviness in the chest, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, poor or over-active libido, feeling cold, rashes or hives, inflamed joints, or a feeling of being burned out.

Acupuncture and other forms of Chinese Medicine treat physical and emotional symptoms by using points along energetic pathways on the body, called meridians. Several meridians relate specifically to our Fire energy including the Heart. Points along the Heart meridian and the other related meridians have tremendous potential to restore harmony to the body and the spirit. Below are just a few points that treat our Heart energy:

Utmost Source, a point located in the armpit, can resurrect a broken Heart by reuniting us with our spirit’s source. This point is also used for pain in the armpit, arm, and chest.

Spirit Gate, a wrist point, opens the Heart to receive and give love. Anxiety, insomnia, and heart disorders can be treated with this point.

Penetrating Inside, an arm point, directs the Heart energy inward when we feel like we only experience superficial and temporary happiness rather than lasting joy. Pain in the wrist and elbow, fright, inability to speak, and feeling cold can be affected by this point.

In addition to treating these points with acupuncture, there are many ways to support our Heart energy and tend our inner fire. Here are a few:

Ask yourself what brings you joy? Then do it. Live your passion whether it’s knitting or mountain biking.

Exercise. Get some aerobic activity you enjoy. Dance, walk, play with kids at a pool. Get your circulation going.

Balance excitement and time with friends with solitude and time for your self. Our Hearts need time to recharge.

Laugh. Go to a comedy club. See a funny movie. Make fun a priority.

Make time to be friends and family you love and who love you. Tell them you love them!

Give of yourself. When you feel lonely or sad, reach out to others and offer compassion to those who need it.

Eat bitter foods, which in moderation, are good for the Heart. Dark chocolate, red wine, escarole, endive, watercress. Enjoy sun-ripened produce.

Practice mindfulness in which you bring your whole consciousness to the present moment.

Stretch and expand your upper body with deep breaths and movement. Give your Heart space to fill up your being.

Admire your maturity. Celebrate your age. Open up proudly like a rose in bloom.

References:
The Five Elements and the Officials, J.R. Worsley
The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine, Lonny Jarrett
A Manual of Acupuncture, Peter Deadman

Becky Thoroughgood is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbologist practicing in Harrisburg. She earned her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health (formerly Traditional Acupuncture Institute) in Laurel, MD.

Spring is nature’s call to action. The ancient Chinese associated spring with the wood element, because it represents birth, rebirth, and growth. This time of year, it’s easy to identify the wood element in nature: trees and other vegetation are blossoming all around us.

We too possess this wood element. Notice how spring energy arises in you. Do you take on new projects, get outside more, or just feel the need for change? In Chinese Medicine, which views certain organ systems as associated with certain elements and seasons, the Liver and Gall Bladder correspond to the wood element, or spring. This is a slightly different view from our western understanding of organs as only physical. Chinese medicine, which refers to organ systems as officials, sees them from an energetic perspective representing mental and emotional aspects as well, much like archetypes. The Liver and Gall Bladder Officials express the physical, mental and emotional wood, or spring, qualities in us: clear vision, planning, decision making and determination. Similar to an architect, the Liver possesses the big vision for our life’s design. Managing and executing the details of the blueprint is the construction foreman, the Gall Bladder.

Aspects of our Wood Element

As an acupuncturist, I observe and inquire about a person’s physical Liver and Gall Bladder functioning, as well as other correspondences associated with the wood element. These are based on the qualities described above and the pathways of the Liver and Gall Bladder meridians, which are energy channels flowing through the body that are accessed by points along them.

Some of the correspondences include a sense organ (eyes), an emotion (anger), and a body part (tendons). In spring, we often talk of seeing things anew. The eyes belong to the wood element because they enable us to see and, metaphorically, to envision our life’s purpose and how to achieve it. When expressed healthfully, anger demonstrates the up and out energetic direction of wood. Anger simply means to take effective action. It is the same creative force that propels the seedling through the soil as sprouts. The wood element also reminds us that, like trees, we stand between heaven and earth, branches extended outward and roots reaching inward. Tendons can be likened to our root structure, anchoring our muscles to bones while providing agility of movement.

When our wood is in distress, we may experience any number of possible symptoms, such as vision problems, erratic mood swings or anger, joint or tendino-muscular pain or spasm, a lack of motivation, despair, digestive problems including blood sugar issues, premenstrual tension, dizziness or vertigo, or sleep disorders.

Beyond Black and White

In my practice, I see a number of patients whose wood element needs tending. One patient, who suffers from chronic migraines, demonstrates the surging energy of the wood element unchecked. For her, anger is often unexpressed or blocked. She holds rigid expectations of herself and is quite critical when she fails to measure up. Rather than have compassion for her perceived shortcomings, the otherwise smooth flow of energy is obstructed and thrusts upward contributing to intense headaches and tightness in her upper body.

I remind my patient that being judgmental is not our true nature. One of the points along the Gall Bladder meridian that so eloquently reminds us of this is called Sun and Moon. Located on the midsection, this point gives us the capacity to see life beyond black and white. This point releases constraint so we may twist or bend in a way that broadens our field of vision. Physically, this point addresses symptoms of tension, such as shoulder pain, gastric upset or sour belching. If we lack judgment to make prudent decisions, or initiate action, this point also empowers us to integrate our inner vision with an external reality and bring our life’s purpose full circle – just as day turns into night.

Great Esteem: Rooting our Vision

A healthy wood element enables us to meet challenges with integrity and confidence rather than frustration or cowardice. The Liver point, Great Esteem, located on the big toe, plants our feet firmly so we may stand our ground in the face of obstacles and remain faithful to our inner purpose. This point may strengthen our ability to assert ourselves if we are timid. Or, temper volatility if we are combative.

Another gift of our wood is patience. The Chinese adage advises: Do not rush to early ripening. A wise plan outlines goals and outcomes as well as a timeline that allows it to unfold appropriately. The apple tree does not belittle itself for failing to bear fruit as soon as it blooms. Nor does it resent being an apple tree instead of an oak. Great Esteem teaches us to accept ourselves for who we are and where we are in the moment.

Supreme Rushing: A Source of Relaxation and Renewed Vision

Sometimes, we get ahead of ourselves, anxious to be further along than we are and rush the process, only to fail. A Liver point, on the web of the foot, called Supreme Rushing, roots our vision, when we become consumed by achieving goals that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Ironically, this point can also initiate smooth movement when we have become stagnant in our plans and are spinning our wheels, or are utterly inert. This point can relax our “root” system, the sinews, when we are tight or in spasm, or it can draw excessive, or aggravated energy down from the upper regions of our body so we regain movement. While, the name Supreme Rushing might evoke the image of an agitated and harried state, it is actually a great pacifier. This point calls upon our wood energy to relax and release pent up frustration.

One man I treated used to pace the waiting area on a cell phone negotiating business deals. Up until the moment he walked into the treatment room, he was “on.” Life was all about the deal, which energized him, yet also took its toll. His aspirations became a burden. As a result he experienced shoulder tension and spasms that were relieved by strong muscle relaxants, which ironically rendered him unable to concentrate and perform his job. For him, Supreme Rushing, reminded him that while financial success motivated him, he could also derive a sense of accomplishment from fulfilling personal and spiritual goals. Once he learned this, he was open to far more possibilities than his narrower view allowed.

As spring unfolds around us, observe the wood energy in nature and yourself. Plants adapt and grow, almost no matter what. We too are inspired to grow, be flexible and resilient, to see the possibilities for our lives and begin anew. This is the promise of the wood element. We are all inventors and architects – capable of having a BIG vision for our lives. And, we are engineers and strategists – capable of carrying out the details to make the bigger vision happen!

Becky Thoroughgood is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbologist practicing in Harrisburg. She earned her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health (formerly Traditional Acupuncture Institute) in Laurel, MD.

In late August, the growing season comes to a close and I am simultaneously awed by the exquisite Fall foliage and grieved that the sunlight and greenery I have enjoyed so much is bowing out gracefully to reveal a withering landscape. This is the energy of Autumn, which calls us to release what no longer serves and journey inward, much like the trees lose their leaves as sap retreats from the periphery. Nature teaches us that loss is inevitable and, that when we shift our focus from the external, we discover what is most precious, the jewels that give our life meaning.

Autumn is the seasonal expression of the Metal element, represented in nature as rare gemstones, fine silver and gold, and soil-enriching minerals. The Metal element manifests in us as the purist essence of our being. Metal inspires us to seek virtue, honor, beauty and the spiritual. It serves as the bridge between heaven and earth connecting us as finite beings to the infinite universe. We experience this element when we recognize the interface between the sacred and the mundane revealed to us in poignant moments. In one breath, we appreciate the beauty of a tree’s stunning autumnal transformation from lush green to shades of brilliant oranges, reds and yellows. In the next breath, we experience deep sorrow as the wind shakes the dying leaves to the ground reminding us that soon the tree will be bare.

In traditional Chinese medicine, which includes acupuncture, the Colon and Lungs belong to the Metal Element. In addition to our western understanding of anatomy, the ancient Chinese understood organ systems to possess similar mental and emotional capacities. The Colon and Lungs gift us with the ability to let go of the old and to receive inspiration on every level. The body, mind and spirit aspects of this pair can be treated by accessing points along meridians (energetic pathways on the body) named for the organs.

Colon: the Great Eliminator

The Colon is responsible for eliminating that which is not useful while capturing the last little bit of minerals needed. When the Colon is functioning optimally, we move our bowels regularly and with ease. On the mental and emotional levels, we keep what has value and discard the rest. Forgiveness is a virtue of the Colon. We let go of transgressions – ours or others’— and move on.

In imbalance, our Colon energy might have difficulty letting go or recognizing what is precious. On the physical level, this may manifest as bowel disturbances: constipation — holding on to too much — or diarrhea – purging everything without retaining what is important. We may also experience sinus or nasal congestion as our system is unable to rid ourselves of excess mucus and toxins. This can occur on the emotional level too. If our system is polluted, our thinking or emotions can become pessimistic or hypercritical. If we have trouble letting go, we may live in the past, or cling to old beliefs and habits that no longer fit. We lose the ability to gain fresh perspective.

Welcome Fragrance

One of the acupuncture points along the Colon meridian, called Welcome Fragrance, is located on either side of the nostril. This point demonstrates the cleansing nature of our Colon so that we can breathe in pure air. It is often treated to address sinus and nasal congestion as well as spiritlevel complaints related to obscured thinking or a negative outlook.

The Lungs and Inspiration

While the Colon’s emphasis is on letting go, the Lungs’ emphasis is on drawing in. The Lungs regulate the entire rhythm of the body with the ebb and flow of the breath. This is more than the air we breathe however, the breath is vital pure energy from the heavens. In addition to sustaining life, the breath also symbolizes our connection to the divine. In many spiritual traditions, all of creation began with the breath. Inspiration represents our pursuit to discover the sacred within us. If our Lungs are healthy, we experience awe at the wonder of life and recognize our value.

If our Lungs are not functioning properly, we may feel hollow, or empty inside because we lack a meaningful connection to another person or a power greater than ourselves. The emptiness may feel like a chasm bringing us into the depths of despair.

We may be paralyzed by grief, an emotion associated with the Lungs, when we are unable to see loss as part of the natural order. On a physical level, grief may obstruct the Lungs causing chronic congestion. The chest may feel constricted or heavy. Breathing may be shallow and the voice lacking strength and clarity. If the Lungs are weak, they may fail to absorb enough oxygen resulting in chronic fatigue or disruptions to the heart’s rhythms.

Very Great Abyss

When we are in the lowest place imaginable, this wrist point on the Lung Meridian can revitalize the spirit. When we can’t find our way out of negativity, Very Great Abyss helps us emerge from the darkness. This point can be treated to lighten a feeling of oppression in the chest and address breathing difficulties. It can also restore order if a person suffers from a sense of chaos, manic behavior, palpitations, or poor circulation.

Using nature’s wisdom

Autumn is the perfect time to strengthen the Colon and Lung energies. The following are some suggestions to optimize health during the Fall season.

Breathe deeply. Take a yoga, Tai Qi or meditation class to learn the healing power of the breath.

Prune back on the unimportant. Let go of the busywork, clutter and obstacles that keep you from enjoying who you are and what you hold most dear. Consider your values and act on them.

Create rituals to tend your soul. Make a point to watch the sunset every day, or engage in some practice that nurtures your spirit.

Eat cooked seasonal foods. Squashes, radishes, cabbage, broccoli, kale, onions, garlic and ginger are foods that nourish the Colon and Lungs. Opt for simple warm dishes like soups, stews and sautées.

References:
The Five Elements and the Officials, J.R. Worsley
The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine, Lonny Jarrett
A Manual of Acupuncture, Peter Deadman

Becky Thoroughgood is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbologist practicing in Harrisburg. She earned her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health (formerly Traditional Acupuncture Institute) in Laurel, MD.