In the Chinese calendar, March 6, 2023, is the first day of Yin Wood Rabbit 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 Rabbit month extends till April 4, 2023.
The Yin Wood Rabbit refers to the 57th hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Wind over Wind. The Yin Wood Rabbit signifies "Gentle" or "Penetrating Wind". It represents an image of the winds' powerful influence. The Wind trigram has its source in the Wood element and has a movement property due to Wind. The Yin Wood Rabbit is just one of eight hexagrams with identical trigrams in the upper and lower position.
The Yin Wood Rabbit hexagram:
From the perspective of the body and health, the Yin Wood Rabbit hexagram represents a dramatic shift from what was observed in the previous two months. The environmental influences are shifting as the Spring season approaches. The significant differences are the highly energetic nature of the Yin Wood trigram. The Yin Wood Rabbit represents an imbalance in the body's endocrine, lymphatic, and Yin aspects, resulting in hormonal changes, lymphatic toxicity, and various body fluid retention. The dominant environmental influences are characterized by warm dry windy weather which can affect ones health in multiple ways.
The Wind is the mechanism for change. It transports external pathogenic factors. For example, this past week in north Texas we experienced a couple of days where dust from the Texas panhandle blew in filling and permeating the air. It actually looked like the smog within a large city that just hangs there. Obviously, this is unhealthy to breathe and resulted in a lot of patients in the clinic with distressed respiratory issues. Springtime is the windy season bringing dust, pollen, varying temperature changes, and environmental pollutants with it. All of these external factors affect the health of the body. Later this same week we had extreme wind coupled with thunderstorms. Wind brings change. Wind occurs externally, as the two previous examples illustrate, and can also occur internally. Internally, Wind can cause muscle spasms, muscle tics, and in severe cases epileptic seizures and Parkinson's disease.
Each season consists of various energetic states, often in conflict. These energetic states will be reflected in nature and more importantly in our bodies. The influence of Yin Wood represents the nature of Wind in the environment and the results of Wind in the body. During this month the springtime winds begin to move the external environment. The highly energetic nature of Wind affects the body in the form of Wind-Cold, Wind-Heat, or Wind Dampness. Each of these patterns has its own set of signs and symptoms.
Wind Cold: aversion to wind, chills, fever, headaches, muscle aches and pain, runny nose, and cough
Wind Heat: fever, sweating headache, red eyes, sore throat, thirst, cough with yellow thick sputum, respiratory problems, constipation, nosebleed
Wind Damp: pain and achy arms and legs, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, joint pain, dizziness, spasms
In spite of the highly energetic nature of the Yin Wood Rabbit hexagram, there is a subtle indication of weakness indicated by the broken bars in the first and fourth positions. The weaknesses occur in the Shaoyang and Shaoyin levels of the body.
Weakness in the Shaoyang level causes lymphatic congestion which in turn causes a toxic buildup in the blood, swelling, and edema. Shaoyang weakness during the Yin Wood Rabbit month can also result in pituitary imbalance symptoms: anxiety, depression, hair loss, hypertension, irregular menstrual periods, low energy, low libido, and stunted growth.
Weakness in the Shaoyin level is reflected in heart and kidney problems, with common issues of palpitations, fatigue, chest pain, urinary issues, stubborn skin rashes, and low back pain.
Common conditions seen during the Yin Water Rabbit month are problems with vision and sinuses, such as allergies, eye pain, earaches, and hearing problems; lung problems, especially bronchitis, pneumonia, influenza, and chest congestion.
The Yin Wood Rabbit month is a sign that changes have arrived. Fortunately, Chinese medicine has been treating Yin Wood Rabbit conditions for thousands of years.
In previous posts, we've been relating important ideas our family uses to keep and maintain optimum health. We continue this discussion this month by discussing the effect of the Wind trigram and the Yin Wood Rabbit on the Lungs.
As mentioned before, the Yin Wood Rabbit comprises the Wind trigram in the upper and lower portion of the hexagram. The Wind trigram is the second most energetic trigram of the Ba Gwa. It is related to the Lungs and Liver in Chinese medicine. As such, the Lung is very sensitive to Liver imbalances. In Chinese medicine, the Liver is the first line of defense when we are stressed emotionally, physically, or spiritually. The key to preventing Lung problems that result from Liver problems are:
* stress reduction activities like meditation, exercise, yoga, tai-chi, and mindful breathing (Michelle's favorites are hiking and yoga; mine are cycling and weight training)
Stress relief acupuncture is another strategy used for Liver and Lung imbalances. Most people are amazed at how relaxed they become with a single acupuncture treatment.
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.
