Autumn and Chinese Medicine

I love this time of year. With my door to my back garden wide open I can feel the cool breeze and sense that it is Autumn. I've never been able to grasp what makes that feeling but it both energises and calms me. Maybe its difficult to describe but this is the time of change, when Summer’s warm, vibrant Yang energy transitions toward the quiet, cooler Yin energy of Winter. Maybe its not meant to be pinned down. Regardless, it is an amazing time to observe our surroundings because through observing nature we learn how we should live to transition healthily to Winter. Nature acts as a metaphor for us. In Autumn, plants gather nutrients from their leaves and stems, pushing the nutrients downward and inward toward their roots. Impurities are sent upward into the foliage, which changes colours and is shed to prevent it from sapping energy that is now concentrated deep in the soil to ensure survival of the long, cold winter. In herbal medicine, many root herbs are gathered at this time of year because they are rich in chemical compounds. Autumn is a time where we prepare for the cold winter and time spent indoors. We arrange to get firewood for cozy, calm evening by the fireplace; we seal windows to prevent drafts, and begin to take out warm clothes from storage. Being busy and adapting means change. And change frequently results in emotional uprising. Organising and getting rid of the unnecessary (metaphorically, this can pertain to relationships as well as material things) can also lead to difficulty in letting go, grief and sadness. However, this is a season associated with wisdom. Through grief and sadness come lessons of life and self discovery.

As colder weather moves in, we need to consider eating warmer foods. In Summer, raw foods such as salads which are cold to the system were tolerated. However, in Autumn raw food will be difficult to digest and should be avoided. Warm foods, such as soups, roasted vegetables and meats are ideal. This very simple advice should not be undervalued. The strength of our digestion is paramount in our ability to make Qi and Blood. This is especially important in children who naturally have weaker digestive systems.

Seasonal eating of local foods is recommended because seasonal foods automatically and naturally contain the nutrients needed to prepare us for Winter. However, the convenience of freezers, fridges, pre-packaging and air travel has made it a challenge to know what foods are in season. The BBC Food website is an excellent resource for UK seasonal food and recipes.

And finally, enjoy the beautiful change of season. However, with seasonal change comes unpredictable weather. So bring an extra layer to cover up if needed. This is suprisingly effective to prevent catching a cold!

Arriving at China with Children

I had read and heard about Beijing pollution causing the "Beijing cough", hordes of crowds, pickpockets, sales scams, rude people, unbelievably
dangerous traffic, unrelenting heat, uncomfortable beds, unclean food and difficulty getting from place to place. Conscious I may be inflicting a
holiday of horrors on my children (ages 8 and 6) purely for my own passion of Chinese medicine, I was apprehensive and concerned. In an attempt to allay my fears and excite the children about our journey, I took them to see Karate Kid. It worked for the kids and scared me. I had to admit to myself that my ability to read Chinese is that of a two year old and my speaking skills only slightly higher. I had visions of being subjected to two weeks of eating donkey willies and dog meat that the kids couldn't eat because it was too spicy. Which was only secondary to the fear of having diarrhoea inflicted children and an inability to correctly say, "Where's the toilet?"

We arrived in Beijing airport at about 2 in the afternoon after an overnight flight. The kids slept a few hours on the flight; adults not at all. I've never been one to sleep on planes but my years of flying business class and flat beds have made coach class sleep impossible. I realise I get no sympathy for that. In Beijing, the sky was grey and the warm air thick with humidity. It was 37 degrees, 80 plus humidity. Hot. The kids didn't seem to notice. I always find foreign airports daunting with signs that never seem to go where you thought they did while you try to look like you've been there before. However, Beijing airport was simple to navigate, clean and...actually pleasant. Immediately our children were pointed at and smiled to. Several people said "hello" and the children responded shyly, "nihao" (hello) much to their appreciation. An older woman gently stroked my daughter's long blond hair as we waited for passport control. Surprisingly, my daughter didn't seem to mind.

We hopped into a taxi with our pre-printed destination located on a Chinese language map and headed to our first hotel-located in a hutong near Dongsi station. I was pleased that the ride was no more crazy or terrifying than anything I had experienced during my days in New York City. It was far better than Bangkok or Vietnam which were almost a religious experience creating a belief in fatalism.

We arrived at Double Happiness, located midway down the grey grittiness of the 4th alley. As in any grotty, gritty, grey alley I hoped it was a safe location and was comforted that we were located midway between two police stations. Double Happiness was a haven. Everything about it was fantastic. It was so safe that our kids walked around the hotel on their own, ordered juice at the bar and then came into the room to tell us all they discovered-fountains with spinning balls, bonsai trees with hidden statues, fish with bulging eyes, a rooftop garden. They talked with the people who worked and lived there. The kids confidence in speaking some Chinese grew and the staff complemented them and helped them say more. The beds were comfortable and despite being woken by our children giggling at 2am and not falling asleep again until 4:30am, we got some sleep in our beautiful room (the Family room). When we awoke for breakfast, we passed a staff member doing Qi Gong in the courtyard. The buffet breakfast was all made on site with dumplings, steamed buns (pork or bean paste), delicious vegetables, meat , eggs, and everything else you can imagine. The kids managed their breakfast without resorting to forks or Western food (both were available).

We were now ready to venture out...

Facial acupuncture vs a bike?

A year ago I took a course in "facial revitalisation". I took it because, as a woman who has hit the 4-0 mark, I really wanted to know "does it work?". When I left the course, all the students were abuzz with excitement with their new found skill that was going to get them new, and happy patients... except me. It's not that it doesn't work. It does. However, deep inside I feel its being a little deceptive. It's like giving someone a bike to stop wrinkles. If a person is in poor health, stressed, angry, holding tension in their shoulders and have a furrowed brow, one of the best thing they can do is to move their Qi a bit. A great way to move your Qi is through a bit of exercise... a bike will do. Once that person starts moving their Qi, getting a few endorphins, a bit of serotonin, they feel a lot better. Moving their Qi is synonymous with stress release. So, they stop furrowing their brow and pinching their shoulders up. You'd be surprised at how much tensing the shoulders radiates up to the face. When you relax facial muscles the wrinkes appear less. Relaxing facial muscles is exactly what botox does. Well...not exactly-- botox paralyses the muscles and then heads to the brain (or at least it did in one 2009 study on rats). Essentially, riding a bike could result in reduced wrinkles. Needles could have relaxed the facial muscles as well, so it does work. However, as a practitioner, I feel that acupuncture is a tool, not a prop. Patients should be given the awareness and knowledge of how to improve their own health. Sometimes they can't and needles can be an excellent tool to start them on their way. For example, sometimes people can't relax their shoulders because they are so used to them being tense they don't even know what relaxed feels like. A few sessions can give such strong relief from that tension that they suddenly are aware of when they are pinching their shoulders to their ears. With that awareness, they can then relax them on their own.

But wrinkles aren't always about tension. They can be caused by being depleted. I had a patient come in several months ago who was overworked, exhausted from poor sleep, and feeling run down. She came in because she felt her immune system was weak and she was constantly on the verge of getting a cold and she couldn't afford the break in her schedule. Physically, this showed on her face with bags under her eyes, furrowed brow and skin sagging. She looked beyond her 40 years. I gave her four weeks worth of treatment aimed at moving and tonifying her Qi. I also talked with her about ways to manage her time which was causing her stress. She responded well to treatment and each week she reported feeling stronger. And each week, she looked younger and more vibrant. Her brow wasn't furrowed, her eyes weren't puffy and she looked "lifted". I didn't put one needle into her face. I wasn't giving her a beauty treatment, I was giving her a health treatment. When you are healthy, you look vibrant and younger.

Facial acupuncture is expensive. If you want to spend £600 on your looks, that money might be better spent to extend your holiday or upgrade your hotel room. We all know how much younger we look after a great holiday!