Friday, September 08, 2023

September 8, 2023 Yin Metal Rooster Month



In the Chinese calendar, September 8, 2023, is the first day of Yin Metal Rooster 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 Metal Rooster month extends till October 7, 2023.


The Yin Metal Rooster refers to the 58th hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Lake over Lake.  The Yin Metal Rooster represents "Joy " and is one of eight hexagrams with the same trigram above and below. It is an image of slight weakness, with an undertone of strength. 


The Yin Metal Rooster hexagram:



From the body and health perspective, the Yin Metal Rooster hexagram represents a shift away from the overbearing energetic nature of the previous month. The environmental influences are moving out of full Summer mode to a more subtle energetic state. As a result of the constant exposure to summer heat and indoor air conditioning, the human body develops a weakness in the Wei or Defensive Qi. This is the Qi that acts as a barrier to environmental influences.  


The effect now has caused a different pathogenic influence. The Yin Metal Rooster has a less energetic nature. The previous month was characterized by extreme heat, inflammation, and dryness. This month the heat and inflammation have calmed down but the dryness remains.  Residual dryness impacts the Lungs first and then cascades inward to other regions: Large Intestine, Liver, Stomach, Spleen, Bladder, and nervous system. The dominant pathological influences began with heat and inflammation in the previous months and transitioned to dryness, fluid deficiencies, and fatigue. 


The Lake trigram originates in the Metal element and is related to dry conditions. In addition to the latent heat and inflammation from the summer heat, dryness is accentuated by consuming foods that are devoid of fluid nourishment or incompatible with one's constitution.


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 Yin Metal Rooster represents a generalized pattern of dryness that affects various organs, tissues, and body regions. Each of these patterns has its own set of signs and symptoms.


Common problems during the Yin Metal Rooster month are: 


headache, dry eyes, dry nasal passages, nosebleed, fever, dry and sore throat, hoarseness, dry face, dry scalp, falling hair

nervousness, irritability, insomnia, high blood pressure, migraine headache, nervousness, chronic fatigue

heartburn, indigestion, dream-disturbed sleep, cardiac pain, palpitations, chest pain, rib pain

painful or scanty urination, constipation, abdominal pain, menstrual problems


Internal organ dryness patterns are aggravated by:

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

Many of the signs and symptoms of dryness from excess exposure to 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 Yin Metal Rooster month is to support fluid nourishment and prevent overheating the body 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 heat and dryness with the following signs: 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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