Wednesday, August 02, 2023

August 8, 2023 Yang Metal Monkey


In the Chinese calendar, August 8, 2023, is the first day of Yang Metal Monkey 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 Metal Monkey month extends till September 7, 2023.


The Yang Metal Monkey refers to the 2nd hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Heaven over Heaven.  The Yang Metal Monkey represents "Creation". It is an image of strength, and since it is without weakness, its essence is power or energy. 


The Yang Metal Monkey hexagram:



From the body and health perspective, the Yang Metal Monkey hexagram represents a shift away from the solid energetic nature of early springtime. The environmental influences, currently, are in full Summer mode. As a result, the effect now has caused a different pathogenic influence. The Yang Metal Monkey is a highly energetic hexagram. It represents a hyperactive movement of systemic energies throughout the body. This happens as a result of the extreme environmental heat of summertime. When inflammation overwhelms our body's tissues and organs systemic heat and inflammation set in. The dominant pathological influences begin with heat and transition to inflammation, dryness, fluid deficiencies, and fatigue. During the Yang Metal Monkey month, dry heat patterns have their root in external climatic pathogenic factors coupled with internal organ inflammation. This culminates in an exuberance of Yang Qi. 


The Heaven trigram originates in the Metal element and is related to extremely dry hot conditions affecting the Lungs, Large Intestine, Bladder, Gallbladder, and nervous system. Internal organ inflammation pathology in the summertime often results from eating the wrong foods for the summer season. Essentially, the Yang Metal Monkey month represents a perfect storm of inflammation.


Each season consists of various energetic states, often in conflict. These conditions will be reflected in nature and, more importantly, our bodies. As mentioned before, the Yang Metal Monkey represents a generalized pattern of extreme heat accumulation that affects various organs, tissues, and body regions. In addition to the environmental heat of summertime, systemic inflammation during the Yang Metal Monkey month involves the Urinary Bladder, Gallbladder, Large Intestine, and the peripheral nervous system, Each of these patterns has its own set of signs and symptoms.


Common problems during the Yang Metal Monkey month are: 

Taiyang Level (peripheral nervous system) - headache, eye pain, nasal congestion, epistaxis, fevers, apoplexy, loss of consciousness, acute mastitis, sore throat, conjunctivitis, headache

Upper Jiao key signs: problems in the head, pituitary gland, scalp, facial bones, brain, inner & middle ear, sympathetic nervous system; Headaches, nervousness, insomnia, head colds, high blood pressure, migraine headache, nervousness, amnesia, chronic fatigue, dizziness

Middle Jiao key signs: Heart valves, arteries, pericardium; Functional heart conditions and certain chest conditions

Lower Jio key signs: Kidney problems, hardening of the arteries, chronic fatigue, nephritis, pyelitis

Yangming Level (stomach/large intestine inflammation) - swelling of the face, toothache, sore throat, nosebleeds, nightmares or dream-disturbed sleep, manic psychosis

Taiyin Level (GI tract, fluid metabolism) - menstrual problems, abdominal distension, 

Shaoyang Level (hormones/lymphatic system) - Migraine, redness and pain of the eye, pain in the hypochondrium, tinnitus, deafness, hemiplegia

Jueyin Level (circulatory system) - heat stroke, cardiac pain, irritability, swelling, and stiffness of the tongue

Shaoyin Level (central nervous system) - Loss of consciousness, headache, neck pain, dizziness, manic psychosis, nausea, vomiting, swelling of the pharynx, dryness of the tongue, painful urination, constipation, heat sensation in the sole, palpitations, cardiac pain, chest pain, rib pain, fever

Internal organ inflammation patterns are caused by:

  • excess consumption of alcohol, spicy, salty, and sweet foods
  • long-term emotional upset or anger
  • exterior heat invading the digestive organs
  • long-term physical, mental, or emotional stress

As you can see many of the signs and symptoms of extreme heat and inflammation are quite debilitating. Fortunately, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have great treatment options for all the above conditions.

The key to the Yang Metal Monkey month is to prevent overheating the body and consuming foods inappropriate for the summer. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are very effective in treating 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 prevent extreme heat from accumulating, specifically for you.

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

Our special this month: 10% Discount on Summer Cool, our in-house Chinese herbal formula to address the many signs and symptoms associated with Texas summers. We developed this formula for folks who exercise or work outdoors in the Texas heat. This formula comes in a 200-capsule bottle and helps with summertime influenza, acute skin rashes, acute tonsillitis, acute upper tract infection, early-stage acute bronchitis, acute tonsillitis, and acute conjunctivitis. Summer Cool is suitable for a low-grade fever, chills, headache, body aches, sneezing, coughing, red eyes, thirst, and sore throat. 

This herbal formula is great for those who spend a lot of time in the heat of summertime, whether it is work or play!


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