If there is one belief that has been reinforced in me over the last few years, it’s that change is inevitable. Which sounds obvious really, but it can still be rubbish when it happens. Sometimes it can be quick and shocking, throwing you off kilter, leaving you reeling. But other times it is slow and insipid, and you don’t realise how much it has affected you until you start to feel unwell.
I’m feeling it more than ever at the moment, as I’m sure you are too. Not just the change of season, but the situation in the Ukraine, climate change, and changes much closer to home, BoJo being replaced by the Trussinator and the passing of the Queen. Whatever your stance is on any of these things, it can’t be denied that it feels like the rug is being pulled from under us.
It feels like it all started in March 2020. COVID and the lockdown meant change for every one of us. It changed the way we work and the way we interact with each other. Before the lockdown who even knew what Zoom was!? For many of us the pandemic changed our attitudes to health, both personally and as a nation. And worst of all, many of us lost loved ones, either because of the pandemic or the lockdown.
Nothing is Permanent
Change is natural of course. It is happening constantly, all around us; yin must always transform into yang. Even our cells die and are reborn at varying rates throughout life until they stop, and then we are faced with the ultimate change – death. And knowing we are going to die doesn’t necessarily make it easier. That’s why all faith systems spend a lot of time meditating on the act of dying and death itself, because understanding that death is part of the cycle of life makes dying a whole lot less frightening.
In Chinese Medicine we say that shock causes Qi to stop moving, which affects the Heart and Kidneys. It suddenly depletes Heart Qi and can lead to palpitations, breathlessness, and insomnia. Shock also affects the Kidneys because the body uses the Essence of the Kidneys to supplement the sudden depletion of Qi. For this reason, shock can cause such symptoms as night sweating, a dry mouth, dizziness, or tinnitus. Sound familiar? In the West we would simply call this panic or worrying.
Fear also depletes Kidney Qi, and it makes Qi descend. Fear and chronic anxiety more often cause deficiency of Kidney Yin, causing heat to rise and harming the Heart, resulting in a feeling of heat in the face, night sweating, palpitations and a dry mouth and throat.
Not living in harmony with the seasons can be bad for your health.
Living out of harmony with the seasons is bad for your health
As nature shows us constantly, the burst of energy in the spring settles into the steadiness of summer, the summer heat always fades, the autumn leaves fall and finally there is winter.
In Chinese Medical Classic literature, ill health and a shortened life span are seen as the inevitable consequences of violating the laws of nature and not living in harmony with time. What did they mean by ‘going against’ nature? In Spring and Summer, the yang energy is at its highest – human energy is also at its highest. In Autumn and Winter yang energy is at its lowest – human energy is also at its lowest. Therefore, do more in the Spring and Summer and less in the Autumn and Winter. But that goes against our whole way of life. In our world, the modern world, we are expected to always be awake, either at work or in the gym.
Well, it’s food for thought. But if you are feeling out of sorts, it might be worth taking note of how you feel as the seasons change. If you feel like giving the gym a miss as the nights draw in, cut yourself some slack and have a cosy night in. The Spring will be back before you know it, and with it will return your energy.
I’ve written about change lots of times in the past, so if you are interested in reading more, here are a few links to previous posts https://stevecosteracupuncture.co.uk/change-acupuncture-can-help/
https://stevecosteracupuncture.co.uk/times-they-are-a-changing-acupuncture-and-change/
If you have any questions about acupuncture, or any of the topics in my blogs, please do contact me. Find out more about me, or my treatments here.
