Immunity: Preventing External Wind

Immunity

Preventing External Wind

If you’ve ever had a cold or flu, you’ve experienced what we call WIND in Chinese Medicine. The Huangdi Neijing says, “Diseases develop from Wind… The damage inflicted by Wind affects primarily the top”. Wind is thought to manifest in the highest parts of the body, especially the face, skin and sweat glands, and lungs. It affects us from the outside in. Our common cold or flu are invasions of wind upon our bodies. Wind diseases are very common this time of year.

We can protect ourselves by:

• Keeping our body warm, dressing in extra layers and especially wrapping our necks and heads on cold days. Keep your feet warm inside the house with socks too!

• Sticking to warming foods in our diet. When we eat seasonally, our bodies benefit. That means avoiding cold, uncooked and raw foods during the Winter Season.

• Moving our bodies to keep qi flowing. We might not be motivated for big yang sports like tennis or soccer daily in Winter, but doing yoga, tai chi or qigong daily is very beneficial.

• Keeping our immune systems strong to ward off the wind and protect our bodies by making sure we are getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals. One of my favorite tricks is adding high mineral herbs like nettles to my veggie soups and stews.

• Getting enough sleep so that we can fully recharge. Rest during this season is key. It allows us to protect our essence and prepare for the seasons ahead that will require more energy. It also allows us to be more reflective upon our relationship with ourselves.

• It’s always a good idea to keep elderberry syrup on hand. Elderberry is a potent ancient healing with lots of vitamins that helps to ward off infection and viruses.