May 5, 2023 Yin Fire Snake

In the Chinese calendar, May 5, 2023, is the first day of Yin Fire Snake month. The Chinese calendar assigns one of the twelve animals, five elements, and the polarity of yin or yang to each year, month, day, and hour. The Yang Fire Snake month extends till June 5, 2023.

The Yin Fire Snake refers to the 30th hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Fire over Fire.  The Yin Fire Snake signifies "Clinging". It is one of eight hexagrams with the same trigram in the upper and lower portion of the hexagram. The Yin Fire Snake is represented by the Fire trigram in both the upper and lower regions of the hexagram. It represents an image of heat ascending. 

The Yin Fire Snake hexagram:

From the body and health perspective, the Yin Fire Snake hexagram continues a  dramatic shift from what was observed in previous months. The environmental influences are transitioning to the Summer season. The Yin Fire Snake is a highly energetic hexagram. Its image is the Fire over Fire. The Yin Fire Snake represents an imbalance in the movement of systemic energies and inhibited cardiovascular functions. There are two pathological influences: internal organ problems and external environmental factors. The dominant pathological influences are characterized by heat and dryness. During the Yin Fire Snake month dry heat patterns have their root in mostly, environmental influences and secondarily, in organ problems.

The Fire trigram originates in the Fire element and is related to the Heart, Small Intestine, and Spleen. Its nature is heat rising. During the Summer environmental heat enters the body through the skin. This is known as Wind-Heat. 

Each season consists of various energetic states, often in conflict. These energetic states will be reflected in nature and more importantly in our bodies. As mentioned before, the Yin Fire Snake represents a generalized pattern of Heat that affects various organs, tissues, and body regions. Each of these patterns has its own set of signs and symptoms.

Wind Heat enters, primarily, at the Taiyang level of the body. The Taiyang level is one of the six energetic levels of the body. It symbolizes the most exterior of the six levels and is easily affected by the external environment. Each of the six levels has links between the exterior and interior of our body. The Taiyang level links the nervous system with a major portion of our digestive tract. Unresolved external environmental heat can be transferred to the digestive tract. Likewise, digestive inflammation can result in inflammation within the nervous system. 

Common signs of Wind-Heat are headaches, fever, sore and swollen throat, red and painful eyes, runny or congested nasal passages with thick yellow discharge, thirst with desire to drink cold fluids, shortness of breath, and tightness or pain in the chest. Just like in the winter when we need to protect ourselves from Wind-Cold, we need to take similar precautions in the summer to protect ourselves from Wind-Heat.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from Wind-Heat:

Avoid exposure to windy and hot environments: Try to avoid exposure to windy and hot environments, particularly during the summer months. Wear appropriate clothing to protect yourself from the sun and wind.

Keep yourself hydrated: Drink plenty of water and avoid consuming hot or spicy foods, which can aggravate Wind-Heat symptoms.

Rest and relaxation: Make sure to get enough rest and relaxation. Stress and fatigue can weaken the body's immune system, making it more susceptible to Wind-Heat.

During the next few months, especially here in Texas, many of our patients come in for acupuncture and herbal medicine to release Wind-Heat and its effects on their bodies. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help regulate the body's energy flow and strengthen the immune system, thereby reducing the likelihood of Wind-Heat damage.

Another pattern of disharmony during the Yin Fire Snake month is associated with internal inflammation unassociated with an external Wind-Heat scenario. In this pattern, consuming foods inappropriate for the current season or unsuitable for one's constitution creates an inflammatory response in the gastrointestinal tract. It doesn't even have to be "bad" food. All it has to be is food incompatible with a person's particular energetic nature or constitution. When this is the case I will have them meet with Michelle. She helps clients zero in on foods that are better suited for them along with those that should be avoided or eliminated from their diet.

Yin Fire represents the Heart within the Five Element theory of Chinese medicine. Heart inflammation is a common problem in our modern culture. Typical signs of Heart inflammation are irritability, fever, palpitations, impulsiveness, tongue ulceration, erosion, and pain of mouth & tongue, thirst with desire for cold drinks, insomnia, possible red face or flushed face, bitter taste in the mouth, inability to stay asleep, anxiety, mental restlessness, heat sensation & disturbance in the chest, and excessively loud voice.

Heart inflammation has its root in two organs: the Small Intestine and Gallbladder. The Small Intestine is the Yang aspect of the Fire element. The Gallbladder is the Yang aspect of the Wood element. Whenever one's Yang energies become excessive the Yin energies and their associated organs suffer. In the case of the Yin Fire Snake month, the Heart and Spleen are the organs affected.

Small Intestine inflammation is due to the food choices made that are often contraindicated for a person's constitution or the particular health challenges they face. As such, the inflammation here is easily transferred to the Liver, Heart, Spleen, Urinary Bladder, Kidneys, and nervous system. To protect ourselves from systemic inflammation that has its root in the Small Intestine it is necessary to modify one's diet to prevent inflammation from escalating. This often means including bitter green vegetables in the diet which aid in clearing and draining inflammation from the Small Intestine. Limiting or avoiding excessively hot, spicy foods is also, highly recommended.

In our society, I find it alarming the number of patients who've had their Gallbladders removed. The only reason this occurs is due to excessively eating foods that are fried, greasy, oily, or rich and creamy. Gallstones and gallbladder inflammation are problems with food choices.

In spite of the highly energetic nature of the Yin Fire Snake hexagram, there is an indication of weakness indicated by the broken bars in the second, and fifth positions. The weaknesses occur in the Jueyin and Yangming levels of the body. 

Weakness in the Jueyin level causes inhibited blood circulation which in turn causes a buildup of toxicity and heat in the blood, swelling, and edema. 

Weakness in the Yangming level affects the Large Intestine and Stomach leading to constipation or diarrhea, bloating, gas, fullness in the chest, abdominal pain, low-grade fever, and fatigue.

The key to the Yin Fire Snake is the Wind-Heat and Small Intestine inflammation. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are very effective in treating both of these patterns. schedule a consultation

I recommend patients schedule a personal consultation to determine the correct foods for them as most diet programs miss the mark. Michelle offers a free 20-minute Ayurvedic Health Consultation to help with identifying those foods that will promote Small imbalance health specifically for you.

If you are in need of remedies from our herbal compounding pharmacy, for any condition, please reach out to us. In most cases, we can schedule a telemedicine visit for you.

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