Always seem to be catching colds? Your Metal may be out of balance!
Don’t you love the autumn? It’s that time of year where once again nature is in transition; it is preparing for the winter, taking stock before the time of renewal in the spring. As the days shorten and the leaves turn a golden brown and fall to the ground, it’s also a time that we should be retreating; a time to gather round the fire with our loved ones (or the central heating for most of us now!) taking stock of all that we have done and achieved throughout the year, but preparing for the long cold nights of Winter and making plans for next year.
About this time of year I see a lot of people who have a cold, and they often tell me that the changing of the seasons affects their health. So why might this be? In Chinese Medicine we associate the Metal element with the autumn, and, on a physical level, the lungs and colon. In our human lifetime, Metal is the time of letting go, a time of tranquility, peace and wisdom. In the autumn of one’s life it is a time of withdrawing from outside involvement and looking for meaning within. We must ‘let go’ to face the limits of life.
So what happens if we don’t (or can’t) let go? Well, if we don’t let go of the summer and continue to wear less, stay up late and eat summer foods, we are more susceptible to viruses and the cold. Or, put another way, if we are not in tune with the changing of the seasons (or nature), our Qi may be weakened and therefore our defenses are down.
Mistiming the transition of the seasons is something we are all prone to, however, and that’s why we all get colds every now and then. But some of us seem to get more colds and worse colds than everyone else. If this is you, it might be because your Metal element is out of balance.
And this is where Acupuncture can help you. When our elements are out of balance, we are ill. This might mean you are more susceptible to weather changes, or it might mean things are just not right. In the case of a Metal imbalance, you may have a dry cough and a sore throat (Lungs) or you could be constipated (Colon). In either case, the ‘letting go’ function is impaired.
Acupuncture is able to stimulate the free flow of the body’s energy and therefore its natural healing response.
If you would like to know more about Acupuncture and how it can help you, please call me on 07909 521847 or at the Therapy Life Centre on 01702 433959.
Steve Coster
www.stevecosteracupuncture.co.uk
