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Welcome to the Jean Donati Acupuncture Autumn newsletter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Inside you will find interesting information about the season of autumn, the element of metal, the lung and large intestine (the organs associated with metal), how metal shows up in all of us, and ways to strengthen your body, mind, and spirit in this season.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n Welcome Autumn<\/strong><\/p>\n We are now truly into the autumn season.\u00a0 The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and daylight is decreasing.\u00a0 In Chinese medicine, the<\/strong> autumn is the season of the metal element.<\/strong>\u00a0 It is a time of winding down, clearing out, and of gathering reserves for winter.\u00a0 The movement of autumn is inward and downward, taking us from the buzzing fullness of late summer into the deep stillness of winter.\u00a0 The energy of autumn, the metal element, moves us to eliminate what we no longer need, and reveals to us again, what is most precious in our lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n The organs <\/strong>associated with the metal element are the lung and large intestine<\/strong>. The function of the lung<\/strong> in Chinese medicine is to receive inspiration. The lung takes in the pure and lets go of what is no longer needed.\u00a0 If the lung is not functioning well, waste builds up and we are unable to take in what is pure.\u00a0 Instead of tranquility, inspiration and freshness, we have symptoms such as bronchitis, shortness of breath, cough, allergy, asthma, congestion, colds and flu, constipation, spastic colon, and diarrhea.\u00a0 In terms of the mind and spirit, depression and stubbornness or an inability to let go may occur if the lung is not functioning well.<\/p>\n The function of the large intestine<\/strong> is to let go of what is toxic from the body, but not just on the physical level.\u00a0 Think of how much rubbish is sent our way every day, which affects our mind and spirit as well.\u00a0 We need to be able to eliminate the mental and spiritual rubbish<\/strong> or our minds become toxic and constipated, unable to experience or take in the beauty around us.\u00a0 A well functioning colon allows us to do this effectively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In an individual<\/strong>, the metal element represents internal resolve and strength, self worth, self-esteem, vitality, and endurance as well as the ability to let go of emotional upsets and grudges.\u00a0 A person with well-balanced metal<\/strong> is organized, self disciplined, conscientious, precise, meticulous, and logical.\u00a0 They are straightforward.\u00a0 Metal qi bestows a deep inner strength.\u00a0 A person with unbalanced metal<\/strong> is disorganized, overly critical, unable to sense their value, and often lacks inspiration.\u00a0 They may seek respect and recognition from the outside because they feel a lack of worth on the inside.\u00a0 They have difficulty letting go of things because they identify their worth with those things.<\/p>\n As we move into the cold damp and windy weather of autumn, we need to nourish our yang energy.\u00a0 One way to do this is by eating foods prepared by long, slow baking, roasting, or stewing.\u00a0 Use warming herbs and spices such as ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and pepper<\/strong>.\u00a0 Foods prepared in this way warm the body.<\/p>\n Foods that reflect the quality of autumn are heartier in flavor and more astringent.\u00a0 Foods like turnips, ginger, garlic, and horseradish<\/strong> are thought to assist in cleansing grief (the emotion associated with the metal element).\u00a0 Roots like carrots and turnips and winter squash<\/strong> help ground us and increase our ability to focus.<\/p>\n To Clear Phlegm:<\/strong>\u00a0 Almonds, baked pear, garlic, onion, black tea, peppermint, thyme, and mustard<\/p>\n To moisten dryness:<\/strong>\u00a0 Baked peaches, apples, pears, tofu, butter, and eggs<\/p>\n To generally strengthen the lungs:<\/strong>\u00a0 Lung chi enhancing foods include pungent spices, ginger, garlic, rice, oats, carrots, mustard greens, sweet potato, yam, molasses, and almonds.<\/p>\n Foods to Avoid:<\/strong>\u00a0 Dairy products (introduce phlegm and create mucus), orange and tomato juice, beer, wheat flour pork and rich meats, peanuts, sugar, bananas<\/p>\n Oven Roasted Vegetables<\/strong>\u00a0 (Recipes for Self Healing, Meridian Press)<\/p>\n Choose 4-5 root vegetables (carrots, turnips, winter squash, pumpkin)<\/p>\n Chop into bite sized pieces and place in oven safe dish<\/p>\n Mix toasted sesame oil with sea salt and black pepper and pour over vegetables<\/p>\n Sprinkle with sesame seeds, rosemary and thyme<\/p>\n Bake at 400 for 1 hour<\/p>\n Autumn is the best season of the year to pay attention to the health of our lungs.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Some suggestions on how to strengthen our lungs are as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n *Keep your immune system up, and cover your neck whenever outside.<\/p>\n *Stay out of drafts, and avoid air-conditioning. Dress appropriately.<\/p>\n *Increase rest and go to bed earlier.<\/p>\n *Avoid smoke and environmental toxins.\u00a0 If you smoke, autumn is a wonderful time to\u00a0 Quit!<\/p>\n *Do deep abdominal breathing exercises.\u00a0 Yoga or Tai Chi<\/p>\n *Have a cup of ginger tea -it is pungent and tonifies (strengthens) the lungs.<\/p>\n *Have a good cry.\u00a0 Holding grief in, or refusing to recognize it, is very damaging to the metal element.<\/p>\n *Brush the skin and hair (The Skin is the associated organ of the Lungs)\u00a0 To help strengthen the Immune System, use a loofa to slough off old cells and invigorate the akin.<\/p>\n *Acupuncture treatment can strengthen lung energy to ward off colds, and flu illnesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n Consider what you need to do to make ready for the letting go of autumn.<\/strong> Suggestions for living in harmony with the autumn season:<\/strong><\/p>\n *Go through your closet, desk, garage, medicine cabinet – any cluttered storage area- and discard what you no longer need. Then donate, sell, or otherwise circulate what might be of value to others.<\/p>\n *Do a mental inventory: Examine attitudes (prejudices, envies, hatreds, jealousies, resentments) stored within your psyche. When possible, contact those with whom you harbor old “stuff.” Attempt to resolve the hurtful old issues, and then let them go.<\/p>\n *For issues you cannot resolve directly with others, or for old issues with yourself, write them on paper, being as specific as possible. Then burn the paper, symbolically…releasing the content.<\/p>\n Take time each day to breathe slowly and deeply. As you inhale the clean autumn air, feel yourself energized and purified. Feel the old negativity, impurity, and pain leave your body and psyche. Then contemplate briefly who you are without these qualities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For more information about Chinese Medicine, and Acupuncture, please visit my web site www.East2WestMedicine.com<\/a> or call Jean at 410-984-3700.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nFoods to incorporate<\/h1>\n
Autumn Recipe<\/h1>\n
The Cold\/Flu\/Virus Season is upon Us<\/h1>\n
\nHolding your harvest in mind, ask what is overgrown or unneeded. What distracts you from your dearest concerns?\u00a0 What might you wish to simplify in yourself or in your life?<\/p>\nWelcome Autumn<\/h1>\n