Autumn and Chinese Medicine
Fall is the season when Summer days become shorter and the leaves begin to change, presenting us with their beautiful colours before they fall off the trees to prepare for the coming Winter. The cooler air signals us to start putting away our Summer clothes and get out warmer wares for the coming cold weather. It is the time of year that we go from the relaxed and carefree attitudes of Summer to the more serious and introspective energies associated with Fall.
Fall’s Associations in Chinese Medicine
Element – Metal
Yin Organ – Lungs
Yang Organ – Large Intestine
Emotion – Grief / Sadness
Stage of Development – Harvest
Flavor – Pungent
In Chinese Medicine, Fall is associated with metal and the lungs. This season governs organization, setting limits and protecting boundaries – moving from the external, expansive nature of Summer to the internal, contractive nature of Fall. This is the time to finish up any projects you started in Spring or Summer and reap the rewards of all your hard work. It is also the time to begin new projects that focus more on the internal – cultivating body and mind and becoming more introspective. The energy of the lungs is “letting go,” so Fall is a good time to be mindful to let go of anything we may be holding on to so that we can make room for new experiences that will help us to learn and grow.
Grief, the Emotion of the Lung
In Chinese Medicine, every organ is associated with an emotion, and the emotion of the lungs is sadness and grief. The lungs are associated with clear thinking and communication, openness to new ideas, positive self image, and the ability to relax, let go and be happy. When the lungs are out of balance or you are dealing with excessive grief, you may have difficulty coping with loss and change, feel alienated, and experience a prolonged sense of sadness that does not dissipate. The lungs are also associated with attachment, so if you have a hard time letting go of people, objects, experiences or spend a lot of time reliving the past, this can point to a deficiency of the lungs. If the energy (or qi) of the lungs is weak, you may experience an overwhelming, constant state of grief that does not ease. This deficiency, if prolonged, can lead to depression and other issues.
In contrast, grief that is expressed fully and resolved is strengthening, both physically and psychologically. Therefore it is not about avoiding grief, but rather dealing with it in a healthy way in order to be happy and maintain balance in all aspects of life.
The Lung and its Partner – The Large Intestine
Every organ in TCM has a partner – one is yin, the other yang. The lung is yin, and the large intestine is yang, and they work together to keep balance in the body. The lung is responsible for taking in the new. This manifests physically as breathing in the clean, crisp Fall air, filling us with the oxygen we need to think clearly, and our bodies to function optimally.
On the other hand, the large intestine is responsible for letting go of the waste. It is the last stage in digestion, and takes everything the body doesn’t need, and releases it, only keeping what is vital and important for us to function. Emotionally, this is why Fall is a good time to look at things we might be hanging on to, and not only work through them so that we can let them go for good, but distill the lesson to be learned, i.e. the “golden nugget” takeaway.
While it may feel like there’s a lot of focus on the emotional aspects of the Fall season, it is important to note that emotion impacts us physically. For example, people with elimination problems like chronic constipation can have problems letting go, and an acupuncturist would look at the emotional aspect of what’s behind this. Therefore, the symbiotic nature of physical and emotional well-being necessitates examination of this introspective, inward, and heady time.
As we enter the Fall season, we encourage you to try the October Treatment of the Month. With its focus on the lungs and large intestine, this treatment will assist your assimilation into the season – to not only help you let go of the things that once had value but now does not, but also to discover the relief of release.
