The first month of the Yang Wood Dragon Chinese year is the Yang Fire Tiger which begins February 5, 2024. 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 Fire Tiger month extends till March 5, 2024.
The Yang Fire Tiger refers to the 21st hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Fire over Thunder. The Yang Fire Tiger represents "Biting Through an Obstacle". Its image is that of weakness and stagnation below unable to support a strong position above.
The Yang Fire Tiger hexagram:
From the body and health perspective, the Yang Fire Tiger hexagram represents a weakness of various energetic conditions. The environmental influences, currently, are in Winter mode. Here in Texas, it seems more like Spring with all the rain we're getting. The Yang Fire Tiger continues a season with a predominant damp, cold, stagnant nature. The Yang Fire Tiger, generally, represents the stagnation in the middle and lower body encouraging toxic buildup there along with increasing inflammation in the upper body.
Chinese medicine recognizes two types of inflammation. One is Yang type, and the other is Yin type. The Yang Fire Tiger is an example of both types existing concurrently. The Yin-type inflammation is due to a toxicity buildup in the spleen, pancreas, liver, and lungs. Yang-type inflammation is located in the gallbladder, lymphatic system, urinary bladder, and small intestine.
The organ meridians of the intestines and stomach reach the upper body, especially the head. During the Yang Fire Tiger month, Yang-type inflammation and fevers from infection will be located here. The two main causes are incorrect diet for a person’s constitution and external environmental pathogens. When damp toxicity accumulates in the tissues and organs, toxic inflammation will overwhelm our body's natural immunity. During the Yang Fire Tiger month, damp toxic patterns have their root in external climatic pathogenic factors, such as cold damp weather, coupled with the accumulation of turbid fluids in the internal organs. This culminates in an extreme weakness of Yang Qi, the motive force necessary to maintain vibrant health.
The Fire trigram originates in the Fire element. When Fire is located in the upper trigram it indicates a condition marked by fever and inflammation in the upper body. This pathology affects the Wei Qi or Defensive Qi, the lymphatic system, and is related to the immune system. Heat stagnates the stomach and large intestine causing a buildup of turbid toxins, facial swelling and pain, sore throat, and neck and upper back pain.
The Thunder trigram is one of two trigrams originating in the Wood element and is related to damp, sticky, and toxic conditions. During the Yang Fire Tiger month, the Thunder trigram affects the yin aspects, primarily in the respiratory, and gastrointestinal tracts, and inhibits blood flow in the circulatory system.
Each season consists of various energetic states, often in conflict. These conditions will be reflected in nature and, more importantly, our bodies. As mentioned earlier, the Yang Fire Tiger represents a generalized pattern of stagnant damp accumulation in the digestive organs and inflammation or infections in the upper body. The buildup of toxicity requires a focused effort to flush toxins from the body. Flushing the body of toxins will be inhibited with certain foods, diets, and wrong or inadequate exercise. Additionally, care should be given to clear heat toxins responsible for infections and fevers in the upper body. We have specific herbal formulations to address toxic buildup in the body.
During the Yang Fire Tiger month be careful not to initiate inflammation in the small intestine, gallbladder, and lymphatic system. These organs and tissues are prone to developing infections and inflammation this month. The focus with meals is to use simple combinations, fewer spices, and foods easy to digest.
Common problems during the Yang Fire Tiger Month are:
Upper Jiao (above the diaphragm)
acute mastitis, aching shoulders and back, facial paralysis and swelling, headache, red eyes, tinnitus, deafness, sore throat, scapular region pain, finger stiffness, migraines, eye redness, and pain, mastitis, breast distention, neck pain, and stiffness
Middle Jiao (between the diaphragm and umbilicus)
acute gastric or abdominal pain, borborygmus, rib pain,
Lower Jiao (below the umbilicus)
knee joint pain and swelling, lower leg paralysis or weakness, leg pain, foot and toe spasms and pain, irregular menstruation, lumbar and sacrum pain,
Many of the signs and symptoms of toxic dampness, inflammation, and fever will fatigue the body. Fortunately, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have great treatment options for all the above conditions.
We continue to see a lot of patients with a variety of respiratory conditions. No one is immune from contracting, influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the current strain of COVID-19, the common cold, bronchitis, sinus infections, and ear infections. Once you develop a fever it is advisable to avoid most all foods you normally consume. The reason is once you're sick your body needs to sluff off the accumulated turbid fluids that are aggravating your symptoms.
Once your health returns and you want to undertake a maintenance dietary program, I recommend patients schedule a personal consultation to determine the correct foods for them as most diet programs miss the mark. Michelle offers patients an opportunity to help with identifying those foods that will prevent dampness, mucous, and phlegm from accumulating, specifically for you. Schedule with her here.
If you need remedies from our herbal compounding pharmacy please reach out to us. In most cases, we can schedule a telemedicine visit for you. If you're unsure a condition will respond to pharmaceutical-grade herbs, send us a text or give us a call. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
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Meridian Harmonics Acupuncture and Herbal Compounding Pharmacy
