The last month of the Yin Water Rabbit Chinese year is the Yin Wood Ox which begins January 6, 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 Yin Wood Ox month extends till February 4, 2024, which marks the end of the Yin Water Rabbit year.
The Yin Wood Ox refers to the 20th hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Wind over Earth. The Yin Wood Ox represents "Contemplation". Its image is that of weakness and stagnation below unable to support a strong position above. Again, this month has four lines denoting a weakness and stagnation of various body regions and organ systems.
The Yin Wood Ox hexagram:
From the body and health perspective, the Yin Wood Ox hexagram represents a separation of various energetic conditions. The environmental influences, currently, are in early Winter mode. The Yin Wood Ox begins a season with a predominant stagnant nature in the middle and lower regions of the body and inflammation in the upper body. This occurs as a result of the sudden transition to a colder environment which drives us more indoors leading to closer contact with others. More frequent contact indoors during the winter months has proven to show increased infection rates of respiratory illnesses. The Yin Wood Ox represents the accumulation of cold dampness 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 Yin Wood Ox is an example of both types existing concurrently. The predominant one is Yin-type inflammation due to a toxicity buildup in the spleen, pancreas, liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, and lymphatic system. Yang-type inflammation is located in the small and large intestines, the urinary bladder, and the stomach. The organ channels of the intestines, bladder, and stomach reach the upper body, especially the head. This is the location of the Yang-type inflammation and where fevers from infection will be located. 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 Yin Wood Ox month, damp toxic patterns have their root in external climatic pathogenic factors coupled with the accumulation of turbid fluids in the internal organs. This culminates in an extreme weakness of Yang Qi, which is the motive force necessary to maintain vibrant health.
The Wind trigram is one of two trigrams originating in the Wood element. When Wind 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 and is related to the immune system. It also stagnates the lymphatic systems causing a buildup of turbid toxins, neck and upper back pain, tightness in the chest, and labored or difficult breathing.
The Earth trigram is one of two trigrams originating in the Earth element and is related to damp, sticky, and toxic conditions. During the Yin Wood Ox month, the Earth trigram affects the yin aspects, primarily in the lower body, weakening the gastrointestinal tract, stagnating the circulatory system, and weakening the heart and kidneys.
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 Yin Wood Ox 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.
Common problems during the Yin Wood Ox Month are:
Upper Jiao (above the diaphragm)
manic psychosis, dementia, headache, neck rigidity, acute spasms in the fingers, elbows, and arms, epilepsy, deafness, eye congestion and pain, upper eyelid atrophy, difficulty opening the eyes, facial and general edema, toothache, sore throat, fever, redness, and swelling of fingers and dorsum of the hand, febrile disease, redness, swelling, and pain in the eye, tinnitus, spasms, and pain in the upper extremities, night blindness, blurred vision, weakness, distention, and pain in the breast, cough, asthma, nasal problems, chest congestion, irritability, coughing blood, asthma, depression, dizziness, vertigo, chest congestion, cardiac pain, palpitation, sudden loss of voice, stiffness of the tongue, wrist and arm pain, palpitations
Middle Jiao (between the diaphragm and umbilicus)
hypochondrium pain and distention, abdominal distention, acute gastric pain, gastric distention and stuffiness, poor appetite, pain around the umbilical region, epigastric pain, vomiting, hiccup
Lower Jiao (below the umbilicus)
lumbar and sacrum pain, swelling, and pain in the dorsum of the foot, numbness and pain in the lower extremities, urogenital system problems: pain in the penis, hematuria, spermatorrhea, diarrhea, bloody stools, retention of urine, enuresis, constipation, heel pain, irregular menstruation, morbid leukorrhea, dysuria, hernia
Internal organ damp toxicity patterns are aggravated by:
Seafood: especially shellfish, like crabs, oysters, scallops, clams, lobster, and shrimp
Fermented foods: cheese or fermented tofu.
Dairy: milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream.
Sugar: all foods containing sugar, such as cake and dessert.
Meat: lamb, beef, goose, and duck.
Deep-fried or greasy food.
Certain fruits: mango and durian.
Stimulants: coffee, alcohol, and energy drinks.
Carbohydrates: white rice or bread as they may damage the Spleen and in turn produce more dampness.
Spicy, pungent, aromatic vegetables: pepper, garlic, onions, basil, rosemary, cumin, fennel, anise, leeks, chives, scallions, thyme, saffron, wormwood, mustard, chili pepper, and wasabi.
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.
This time of year we're seeing 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. A simple congee of water, rice, chopped celery, and a small bit of salt is the best meal to eat until the body temperature is back in the normal range for two to three days. Yes, this is bland but your body will love you for it. Once the fever is down to normal levels consider adding in a small amount of roasted chicken without too much fat.
Once your health returns and you want to embark on 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.
On a personal note, I don't remember the last time I was sick. However, I tested positive in early December for COVID-19 after being exposed by one of our patients in late November. Four years after the virus began in China I contracted the virus for the first time. I had many of the more common symptoms associated with the current strain. I treated myself with herbal formulations from our herbal compounding pharmacy. Thankfully, I never needed to be hospitalized for COVID, as do many patients. Nor did I take the more common pharmaceutical medications for treating COVID, such as Paxlovid. To recover fully I had to close the clinic for two weeks in December to simply allow my body the rest it needed. It was a good reminder for me that the virus can take up to seven days to incubate before the body exhibits any symptoms. Though we're not requiring patients to wear a mask while in our office, Michelle and I will resume wearing our masks so that we're not another link in the chain of transmission of either bacterial or viral infections.
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.
Our special this month: 10% discount on BSABV-ES, our herbal anti-viral, anti-bacterial formula. This formula is compounded in-house to address the many signs and symptoms associated with infections. This formula is available in a 200-capsule bottle or a 100gm powder for making an herbal tea.
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Meridian Harmonics Acupuncture and Herbal Compounding Pharmacy
