In the Chinese calendar, November 8, 2022, is the first day of the Yin Wood Pig 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 Yin Wood Pig month extends till December 7, 2022.
The Yin Wood Pig refers to the 59th hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Wind over Water and signifies "Dispersion" and represents a dispersion of Qi or vital energy, which in turn creates blockages. Qi or vital energy is needed to maintain good health. When Qi is weak or becomes dispersed it is unable to sustain the necessary movement of blood and vital fluids in the body, thus leading to disease.
The Yin Wood Pig hexagram:
In the Chinese calendar, there are twenty-four festivals that occur in a year. The festivals marked specific times for farmers to plant, grow, and harvest their crops. Consequently, the festivals are related to the solar and lunar calendars and the corresponding weather.
The Start of Winter festival begins on November 8, 2022, and was true for northern China but comes later in the south. For 2022 this festival is characterized by the Yin Wood Pig hexagram. The Yin Wood Pig hexagram is highly energetic and represents inflammation or fever in the upper body along with stagnation in the lower body.
This festival signals a shift in the weather that often kindles many health challenges. Some of the symptoms we typically treat this time of year because of the shifting weather patterns are:
Upper body inflammation: sore throat, headaches, stiff and painful necks, dizziness, fever, tinnitus, red and painful eyes, insomnia, mouth ulcers, cardiac pain, sinus pain, allergies, earaches, bronchitis, pneumonia, chest congestion, influenza
Lower body stagnation: abdominal distention, constipation, gastric pain, swelling of the lower leg and foot, urinary tract infections
These conditions often respond well to either acupuncture or a customized herbal formula. It's important to remember that incorrect dietary choices often are the catalyst for weakening the immune system's ability to ward off infections.
The Yin Wood Pig describes Water within Wood or the descending image of an excess energy state, to a weakened energy state. The Water trigram below the Wind trigram corresponds to the Yin aspect of the Water element. This represents the Kidney system in Chinese medicine and our adrenals from a western perspective. The Wind trigram above Water corresponds to an excessive aspect of the Wood element. Excess energy represents many characteristics. In the case of Wood, it eludes to a strong excessively windy, and dry influence above, indicative of the Fall season. In the case of Water, Yin energy represents stagnant dampness below.
Each season consists of various energetic states, often in conflict. These active states will be reflected in nature and more importantly in our bodies. The influence of Wind Dryness in the upper portions of the body and Stagnant Dampness in the lower body sets up an environment of conflict within the body. During this season Dryness from exterior environmental pathogenic influences affect the Yin Water organ, the Kidneys. The Damp Stagnation below is due to improper diet, overwork or stress. Together, these set up an internal environment leading to extreme immune deficiency.
So, now that we have a picture of the nature of this month what can we do to optimize our health and wellness? In our family, there are various strategies we use in order to keep ourselves healthy throughout the year as the seasons change.
Last month we listed the first two strategies used to maintain health and wellness: food and observation and response to the environment.
The third strategy is adhering to the concept of Yin and Yang. Yin-Yang Theory is a major concept in Chinese medicine. It permeates every aspect of Chinese medicine and Asian culture and is still applicable to modern diseases and disorders. The problem in western societies is that it's not taught. If it were introduced in early childhood development, preschool, and elementary education, many challenges society faces today could be minimized. That's how powerful this concept is! We will spend several months on this theory since it's just too vast to cover in one blog post.
The white portion of the image above represents yang and the black represents yin. The dots of opposite colors within the larger portions signify there is always a bit of yin within yang and yang within yin. The natural progression in a clockwise direction indicates yin will transform into yang and yang eventually transforms into yin. This bi-polar activity exists in all things.
An example of this property is when night turns into day and vice-versa. Each day the yin energy becomes its greatest around midnight and the yang energy becomes its greatest around noon. How can this apply to our daily activities? In Chinese medicine, the twenty-four-hour clock can be divided into twelve two-hour segments each corresponding to the twelve body organs and their meridians. Each organ's energy or Qi is strongest during the two-hour window it corresponds to. For example, our two primary digestive organs peak energetically from 7 AM to 11 AM. If we ignore this and skip breakfast we're doing significant damage to our body by not giving it proper nutrition at the beginning of each day.
Additionally, if we eat large or heavy meals from 7 PM to 11 PM during a time of the day our digestive organs naturally are less active, then we set ourselves up for poor or inadequate digestion leading to a myriad of diseases.
Many conditions can be corrected simply by recognizing this fact and by eating foods best suited for your particular constitution. Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine does not condone a particular diet. Instead, each person's diet is best suited for them when it is aligned with their own unique constitution. If you're unaware of your unique constitution then schedule a Free 20-Minute Ayurvedic Health Consultation with Michelle. She can help you get started to maximize the nutritional benefit of your meals.
This is the first example of the Yin-Yang theory that is helpful in maximizing health and wellness. Next month I'll explore additional strategies for keeping ourselves healthy throughout the year.
One last note on the Yin Wood Pig hexagram is the significant lack of strength in the Yin aspect of the body. This represents a weakness in the lymphatic, endocrine, and kidney systems, and an emphasis on our immune system.
As of the writing of this post, it seems evident that there is an impending collision of COVID, RSV, and influenza in the coming months. Many of the local hospitals are already full of patients with these conditions. Our favorite herbal formula for this time of year is BSABV-ES. It is a combination of seven traditional Chinese medical formulas dating back thousands of years for treating a wide variety of viral and bacterial infections. Our family has been using this since early 2020 on a maintenance level to keep healthy from COVID-19, influenza, RSV, the common cold, and many other respiratory infections. Our patients love it! With as many sick people I treat in my clinic I have still not contracted COVID. With the flu season upon us, let us know if you'd like to have this on hand. Unlike traditional western anti-virals and antibiotics, BSABV-ES won't harm your digestive tract. It's safe for children, too. We keep it in stock.
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Closed: Sat, Sun, Mon
Meridian Harmonics Acupuncture and Herbal Compounding Pharmacy
