I need to catch up on getting this post out. Life and the holidays threw a wrench into the works. In the Chinese calendar, January 6, 2023, is the first day of Yin Water Ox 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 Water Ox month extends till February 3, 2023.
The Yin Water Ox refers to the 8th hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Water over Water. The Yin Water Ox signifies "Holding Together" or "Union". It represents an image of water flowing over the earth. Over time Water erodes away Earth. Earth, itself, represents a solid foundation. However, when Water flows over it and wears away the Earth, the Earth becomes weak, fragile, and unable to sustain itself.
The Yin Water Ox hexagram:
From the perspective of the body and health, the Yin Water Ox hexagram represents a weakness in several levels of the body. The environmental influences are changing to even more cold and wet weather than last month. The result is stagnation along even more energetic and fluid pathways in the body.
Whenever the Earth trigram is the lower trigram there tends to be a systemic stagnant and weak energetic state of the Yin channels and their organs. The Yin channels and organs represent the nutritive or nourishing characteristics of the body. Weakness and stagnation here represent malnourished tissues, cells, and organs. This leads to fatigue, wasting and atrophy of muscles and skin, and organ dysfunction. Typical signs and symptoms include palpitations, cold limbs, swollen limbs, shortness of breath, mental fogginess, chronic illness, low back pain, low libido, chronic diarrhea, prolapse, prolonged cough, edema of the lower legs, and urinary dysfunction.
The Water trigram above the Earth represents the image of water filling up all the empty places on the earth, clinging to it. The Yin Water Ox month is characterized by the influence of the Water trigram on the Yang channels or Yang elements of the body. The Yang channels and their organs are responsible for the more active and functional aspects of the body. In comparison to an automobile's engine, the Yang channels represent the moving parts of the engine. With the Yin Water Ox hexagram, the Water trigram's influence on the functional or kinetic activity of the body is hindered. This leads, in general, to a sluggish metabolism, fatigue, lassitude, and apathy.
The Yin Water Ox has several corresponding health issues.
The first is pancreatic dysfunction. In the acute phase, this leads to irritable bowel disease, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, fatty or oily stools, dry skin, depression, edema, fatigue, dizziness, and irritability. Long-term pancreatic dysfunction can lead to Celiac disease, pancreatic cancer, diabetes, muscle loss, and dementia.
These conditions often respond well to either acupuncture or a customized herbal formula. It's important to remember that incorrect dietary choices during the Yin Water Ox month often are the catalyst for weakening the body's organs.
The Yin Water Ox month can be a hazardous time from the perspective of health and wellness. This is a good month to conserve energy and rest.
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 to keep ourselves healthy throughout the year as the seasons change.
In previous posts, we've been discussing various properties of the Yin-Yang theory and how to use it to maintain health and wellness. This month continues this topic with another strategy our family uses to optimize health.
Understanding the Lungs and their functions, Part 1
The Lungs are the only organ of our body that directly connects to the external environment. No other organ has this characteristic. This makes the Lungs an exceptional organ, as they can be directly influenced by external climatic pathogenic factors. Because of this unique characteristic, it is important to be aware of possible environmental impacts the Lungs may encounter and prepare accordingly.
Chinese medicine recognizes 6 major levels in the body. Each level has specific functions, properties, organs, and regions of the body associated with it. Three of these are various Yang levels and the other three are related to various Yin aspects of the body. The Lungs belong to one of these six major levels of the body, specifically one of the Yin levels. Because of this, the Lungs are considered to be a Yin organ.
Another property of the Lungs is their relationship with the Metal element of Chinese medicine. Each of the five elements has specific characteristics. The Metal element is affected by pathogenic dryness. Therefore, one of the common problems with the Lungs is their susceptibility to dryness. Dryness can occur externally, as in the dryness associated with winter-time dry cold air. Dryness can also occur through diet by consuming foods that are dry and rough, as in many simple carbohydrates: carbonated beverages, baked treats, packaged cookies and crackers, fruit juice concentrate, and breakfast cereal, to name a few.
In any discussion about Chinese medical anatomy and physiology, the Lungs are always analyzed first. This is due to some of its most important functions:
Regulates Qi. Qi is our body's vital energy, literally meaning "vapor", "air", or "breath", the word qi is often translated as "vital energy", "vital force", "material energy", or simply as "energy". Qi is the central underlying principle in Chinese traditional medicine. The Lungs are the major organ for regulating this vital energy throughout the body.
Cleanses Qi. The Lungs, literally, cleanse the body's Qi. A sedentary lifestyle leads to a buildup of stagnant, toxic Qi. To prevent this certain types of exercises are needed to protect the body from an overload of toxins. The Lungs are responsible for this function. Someone who smokes, vapes, or is repeatedly exposed to environmental air pollution and toxins will have a difficult time with this important function. This is why breathwork and cardiovascular exercise are so beneficial. Not only do they help regulate but also cleanse the Qi. My favorites are yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. Anyone can start with one of these exercises. Once your Qi is stronger additional exercises to add in are walking, jogging, rowing, hiking, and bicycling.
Many of the conditions listed during the Yin Water Ox month can begin to become corrected simply by engaging in activities that encourage breathwork. Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine does not condone a particular exercise. Instead, each person's ideal exercises are best suited for them when it is aligned with their own unique constitution.
One last note on the Yin Water Ox hexagram is the significant lack of strength in the Yin aspect of the body. This represents a stagnation of food, lymph, fluids, and blood. This is a good month to avoid overexertion, mentally, and physically. Instead, rest.
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