Feb 4, 2022, is the first day of the Yang Water Tiger month of the Chinese calendar. Feb 1 is officially the beginning of the Yang Water Tiger Chinese New Year. 2021 was an Ox year. Each year an animal is assigned to the year along with a particular polarity, either Yin or Yang, and one of the five elements Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. What does this mean regarding how Meridian Harmonics approaches health and treatment strategies?
The Yang Water Tiger refers to one of the sixty-four hexagrams described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image represents Water over Thunder and signifies the downward movement of Water or rain over the ascending movement of Yang Wood, Thunder. Thunder and Rain create chaotic confusion and difficulty. Fortunately, this energy state will not last and will lead to a more calming state.
This hexagram is the image of Water sinking downward against the rising energy of Yang Wood. This represents a time of difficulty that requires a time of stillness and re-assessment. Neglecting this time for consolidation and preparation can result in the following general disorders:
• nervous system problems
• endocrine and lymphatic system problems
• problems with the respiratory & digestive system
• psycho-emotional and circulatory problems
We’re still in the middle of the winter season, and the effects of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 simply add to these health challenges.
Likely nervous system problems this month can challenge patients with pain and weakness of the lumbar and leg, sciatica, headache, migraines (central and one-sided), neck rigidity, facial paralysis, dizziness, epistaxis, and hemorrhoids. Other conditions that may appear are weakness of the joints, aching and dysfunction of the elbow, weakness, numbness, pain of the lower extremities, distention, and warts.
Specific problems affecting the head are blindness, blurred vision, tinnitus, deafness, and breast pain.
Possible endocrine issues that are possible this month: loss of appetite, abdominal pain, fatty stools, or weight changes.
The lymphatic system plays a role in the immune system and can be impaired during this month resulting in inadequate protection from illness-causing invaders, improper body fluid levels, malabsorption of nutrients and fats, and deficiency of cellular waste removal.
Digestive problems prone to appear this month include febrile diseases, headaches, redness, swelling and pain of the eye, pain in the hypochondrium, spasm and pain of the upper extremities, acute gastric pain, gastric distention and stuffiness, poor appetite, pain around the umbilical region, diarrhea, bloody stools, epigastric pain, chest congestion, distention in the hypochondrium, toothache, sore throat, cough, asthma, nasal problems, and allergies. This is the season!
The winter season is prone to respiratory problems and common symptoms this month include cough, sore throat, asthma, nasal problems.
Urogenital problems this month include pain in the penis, hematuria, genitourinary and gynecological problems, abdominal distention, pruritus vulva, persistent erection, irregular menstruation, morbid leukorrhea, dysuria, hernia, swelling, and pain of the foot.
Psycho-emotional and circulatory problems occurring this month include depression, dizziness, irritability, vertigo, apoplexy, hemiplegia, spasm, and pain of the upper extremities.
Here at Meridian Harmonics, during this month we will supplement our treatments to support these systems of each patient. This can be accomplished using specific acupuncture and herbal therapies. Each patient is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for every patient. We will assess each patient, individually, on what strategies are best suited for them.
Modifying one’s lifestyle can support this period and the winter season in general. The current season of winter represents a cold environment. This means we should protect our bodies from the cold, internally as well as externally. Overexposure to the cold causes cold to invade the acupuncture channels and leads to the energy of Qi within the channels being inhibited or blocked. In the Yang Water Tiger month, the cold pathogen is accentuated and invades the organs leading to the various internal medical conditions listed. The winter season encourages us to consume more warming foods and fluids, which are more beneficial to the internal organs. Colder foods and fluids will have the opposite effect by damaging our internal organs during the Yang Water Tiger month.
This is one of the major ways wintertime infections occur and results in the common cold, influenza, allergies, headaches, tension, and pain in the neck, upper back, and shoulders. Many of the channels in these regions affect the digestive tract.
One more recommendation involves activity. Winter is a time that is characterized by quiet and stillness. Engaging in activities that are in harmony with this attribute will encourage the body to rebuild that which has been degraded during those times in the summer and fall which were more prone to vigorous exercise. Activities like walking versus running or cycling are more beneficial for the body. Also, meditative exercises such as Tai Chi, yoga, and Qi Gong encourage more rebuilding of tissues that were broken down during the seasons of more vigorous exercises.
Special for this month: mention this post and receive 10% off our proprietary herbal broad-spectrum anti-bacterial/viral formula. Our staff has been using this formula for the past 2 years anytime we begin to feel a sore throat, sinus infection, ear infection, or upper respiratory infection coming on. Many of our patients have indicated that it has been very effective in treating the various symptoms of COVID-19, as well. Call or email us at 817-835-0885, info@mhaom.com to reserve either a 100 capsule or 200 capsule bottle.
Want to try out acupuncture? Call or email us to schedule a 20-minute stress relief acupuncture session for just $20. 817-835-0885, info@mhaom.com
Clinic hours: Tue - Fri 8:00 - 12:00, 1:30 - 6:30
Closed: Sat, Sun, Mon
Meridian Harmonics Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine
www.mhaom.com
