Shabeh Yalda is a traditional Persian ritual that celebrates the Winter Solstice
Read More3 Simple Shifts to Reduce Stress & Stay Healthy through the Holidays
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
The busy holiday season comes upon us during the most Yin time of year when what the body needs most is to slow down and rest. Nonetheless, there are things you can do to offset the Yang energy of this often stressful time of year by simplifying your habits and self-care to keep yourself from getting rundown.
Below are three simple changes you can make to keep your energy and immunity strong — without adding to your shopping or to-do lists.
3 Shifts to Optimize Your Health During the Holidays
Eat warm, cooked foods
By this I mean try to eat only warm, cooked foods.
Avoid salads, smoothies and too much fruit, all of which can create Cold and even Dampness in your Stomach and create a fungal terrain that can compromise your gut health, which is foundation for your immune system.
According to Chinese Medicine, the nature of foods is essential to how each food is assimilated in the body, and this has seasonal implications. For example, cucumbers and watermelon are considered more cooling, which is why they’re more readily available during the summertime, while meats such as lamb are more warming and therefore more common in colder climates. So meat stew would be an appropriate wintertime stew and watermelon juice is more appropriate during the hot Summer.
Spices are also considered more warming according to Chinese Medicine, so adding more spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and cardamom to your diet during the colder months will not only keep your body warmer, but it’ll also support your gut health and optimize your immune function.
Do less by saying no more
The more Yin seasons of Fall and Winter are great for laying down the foundation for harvesting your goals and dreams, but the very Yin nature of these times of the year make it essential to take more time to rest. It’s no wonder many animals go into hibernation during the wintertime.
Sometimes more rest starts simply with doing less by saying no — in saying no to others, you say yes to more of your own personal needs, which in and of itself initiates the process of slowing down.
You don’t have to go to every holiday party or get your workout in every day.
According to Chinese Medicine, boundaries fall in the domain of the Earth element, which must be upheld during all seasonal transitions and throughout the year to keep your immune function strong. That’s because the Earth element is comprised of your Spleen and Stomach, the main organ systems in charge of digestion and gut health. Healthy boundaries come out of having a healthy Earth energy and having the ability to say no. (You can read more about why boundaries are essential to your health in this article.)
The Yin months of the year are a time to slow down and build your energy, not expend it.
To prevent yourself from overdoing it, it’s essential to listen to your body and say no when you can.
Go to bed earlier
The more rest you get during the Yin months, the more energy you’re conserving and consolidating so you can brings your dreams to fruition during the more Yang months. The less rest, and especially sleep you get during the Fall and Winter, the more you’re going to tax your Lungs (Fall) and Kidneys (Winter), which will leave you feeling exhausted as the Yang energy starts to rise during the warmer seasons.
Lack of rest also compromises your immune function making you more prone to colds and allergies during the Spring and Summer months.
Since the rest you get at night helps you consolidate more of your Yin resources, over time when you go to bed earlier you’ll find yourself more focused and energized during the day.
According to Chinese Medicine, the most essential time to be asleep is from 11pm to 1am during which the Liver and Gallbladder start to build blood and regulate Qi to support emotional processing, hormone balancing and detoxification.
You can definitely rest and sleep more during the day (and if you can, you should!) but it’s difficult to generate the blood that gets lost by staying up late at night and this is especially true for women because of monthly menstruation.
If it’s hard for you to think about getting more sleep or getting to bed before 11pm, start with going to bed 5 minutes earlier than you normally do every night for one week — at the end of the week you’ll have gained over 30 minutes of extra nightly sleep (or at least rest).
It’s also important to do something relaxing and turn off cell phones, tablets and TVs at least one to two hours before bedtime to calm your nervous system and allow your melatonin levels to rise so you can sleep more restfully. (You can read more about the importance of sleep and how it affects your health in this article).
Remember that small, incremental shifts lead to big transformations. But these transformations take time. It’s important that you nourish and be gentle with yourself, focusing on what you have to enjoy during this beautifull holiday season.
Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.
Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course.
Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic she runs with her husband, Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac., that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational courses that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. Learn more at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.
Transform into the Fall (and any) Season
3 Keys to Transform into the Fall Season
Read MoreThe Doyo Period - 9 Tips to Support Your Health During Each Seasonal Transition
by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. and Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
The transitional period between each seasonal change is a very important time to support the health of your body and mind. In Five Element theory, this period is called Doyo and relates to the Earth energy, which encompasses the Spleen and Stomach organ systems.
According to Chapter 29 of the Classical Chinese Medicine text Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: “The spleen, that is the soil. It governs the center. Throughout the four seasons it tends the four depots. In each [season] it is entrusted with government for eighteen days.”
This classical text is essentially telling us that this 18 day period at the end of each season corresponds to the Spleen’s energy and since it is an Earth element organ, it needs to be given extra care and support during this transitional time. Furthermore, the Earth organs, which include the Stomach and Pancreas as well, are more vulnerable to imbalance and disease at this time. With that said, paying extra attention to our diet and eating habits is key to maintaining one’s overall health during this transitional period between seasons.
People who already have problems in their Earth element need to take extra care as cases such as diabetes, ulcers and gastrointestinal issues in general can all worsen during this time if their lifestyle is not supported.
During the Doyo period in particular it's important to eat meals at regular times and without distractions. Staying away from too much sweet food and other damp inducing foods like dairy and fried foods is also important to keep the Spleen and Stomach energies in a healthy balance.
The Spleen as the largest lymphatic organ in the body indicates this is a good time for acupuncture and massage to support lymphatic circulation. If you only get these treatments a few times a year, it's best to do them during the Doyo periods.
The Spleen is an especially important system as it supports immunity during the seasonal transition.
In addition, the Spleen is an organ that assists in the transformation of food into energy and thoughts into purpose, so a healthy Spleen will support you to stay focused on your goals and be able to transform your dreams into reality.
Weakness in the Spleen can result in problems with digestion and elimination and cause the body to accumulate dampness. Dampness is a fungal terrain, often resulting from a diet heavy in carbohydrates, fried foods, dairy and sugar (even in the form of fruits). A fungal terrain can also develop from using various drugs such as antibiotics, sulfa drugs, chemotherapy, birth control pills, corticosteroids, antacids and acid blocking medications.
Dampness is reflected in our lives through the feeling of being stuck or lacking clarity. Dampness is also associated with psychological imbalances such as Obsessive Compulsiveness Disorder and hoarding.
The Earth element organs thrive on a simple diet based on unprocessed foods, a calm mind, and a regular daily rhythm with meals, exercise and rest.
Here are 9 tips to support you to have greater clarity and a healthier lifestyle during the Doyo Period of every seasonal change:
Take time to cook and be present during your meals. Put away your cell phone, turn off the TV and just be - with your meal and people with whom you enjoy spending time.
Eat meals at regular times and without distractions. Avoid eating under stress and eating on the run or while distracted.
Integrate more root vegetables into your diet to nourish your Earth. Root veggies such as sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots and rutabaga also help anchor your body's energy and calm your mind.
Start to integrate more cooked leafy green vegetables to support the Liver and the Wood element, which are associated with the Spring season
Reduce or avoid coffee, alcohol and refined sugars. All of these substances aggravate the Liver, so this is especially important during the transition to the Liver (Wood) season of Spring.
Take enzymes daily. Enzymes taken with meals will help break down food and prevent stagnation and heat accumulation in the Stomach. Along with a balanced probiotic supplement, enzymes are essential for your gut health, which is the core of your immune function and brain health. Not sure what to take? Call us at 408-244-8565 or stop in and pick up a bottle of our favorite probiotics and enzymes.
Exercise to strengthen your Earth. Calming exercises such as Yoga and Qi Gong are especially important to integrate into your routine. Join us for weekly Qi Gong classes Mondays at 11:45am.
Take more time to meditate or just sit quietly to calm your mind. The imbalanced emotion of Earth is worry, so the more you can quiet your mind the less stress this system will take on.
Get Acupuncture treatment. This is the ideal time to support your core Earth energy and immunity with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. (If you're in our area, you can schedule yourself online here).
Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.
Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course.
Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is the Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic run by he and his wife, Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine. Salvador is a leading U.S. practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare form of non-insertion Acupuncture using Gold & Silver needles. More information at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.
Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.
Practices for Late Summer & Healthy Seasonal Transitions
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
Dr. Setareh Moafi offers simple step-by-step guidance to do Dragon Pose. This Yin Yoga posture is important to open and release the Stomach Meridian and improve digestion. Benefits of the posture and its relationship to the Earth element and Stomach channel in Chinese Medicine are explained.
The Earth element rules the late Summer as well as all seasonal transitions — all important times to strengthen your Earth and its corresponding Spleen and Stomach organs.
The Earth element relates to the digestive system and includes the Spleen, Pancreas and Stomach functions. Restoring health to your digestive system is fundamental to restoring health to all aspects of your life.
The digestive system creates Qi to support a strong immune function and fluids to support the hormones and healthy endocrine function.
Digestion is about transformation; transformation of food into energy and substance to build the body. Having a strong Earth energy also supports transformation in our lives as well so we can create the life we want to live. And perhaps most importantly, creating a strong Earth energy in our lives helps support having healthy relationships especially within our family.
Weakness in the Earth organs can lead to sweet cravings which then cause the body to accumulate dampness. Dampness is a fungal terrain, often resulting from a diet heavy in carbohydrates, fried foods, dairy and sugar (even in the form of fruits).
A fungal terrain can also develop from using various drugs such as antibiotics, sulfa drugs, chemotherapy, birth control pills, corticosteroids, antacids and acid blocking medications.
Dampness is reflected in feeling stuck or lacking clarity. Dampness is also associated with psychological imbalances such as Obsessive Compulsiveness Disorder and hoarding.
Imbalance in your Earth can also lead to excess accumulation of heat in your Stomach causing acid reflux, indigestion, excessive appetite and even anxiety as the Stomach dumps the overflow of heat into the Heart.
The Earth element thrives on a simple diet based on unprocessed foods, a calm mind, and a regular daily rhythm with meals, exercise and rest.
The following tips will help strengthen the Earth energy to help bring clarity in your life as well as to clear the heat and dampness that can lead to burnout and a sluggish body and mind.
6 Tips for a Healthy Earth:
1) Eat meals at regular times and without distractions. The digestive system thrives on eating with a relaxed state of mind. Try also to not skip meals and eat snacks if low blood sugar is an issue.
2) Cut back on sugar, including fruit. Even 'healthy' Summer fruit have a high sugar content that can create dampness and lead to immune suppression and Fall colds and flus.
3) Eat more root vegetables. Root veggies such as sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots and rutabaga help anchor your body's energy and calm your mind.
4) Take enzymes and probiotics daily. Enzymes taken with meals will help break down food and prevent stagnation and heat accumulation in the Stomach. Along with a balanced probiotic supplement, enzymes are essential for your gut health, which is the core of your immune function and brain health. Not sure what to take? Call us at 408-244-8565 or stop in and pick up a bottle of our favorite probiotics and enzymes.
5) Exercise to strengthen your Earth. Calming exercises such as Yoga and Qi Gong are especially important to integrate into your routine. Here’s an archive of Yoga classes to practice from the comfort of your home. You can also do the short late Summer Yin Yoga practice with Dr. Setareh Moafi in the video at the top of this article :)
6) Go to bed a little earlier - before 11pm is optimal. It's also helpful to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day.
The transition toward the cooler Autumn season through this late Summer period allows us to harness our energy and create a calmer, more regular rhythm for optimal health during the upcoming Yin seasons of Fall and Winter.
Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.