Autumn Health (秋季养生)
Autumn is the Metal element, the Lung organ, the color white, the emotion grief. It is the time of harvest, organization, and gradual contraction.
Characteristics of Autumn
- Element: Metal 🪙
- Main Organ: Lung and Large Intestine
- Direction: West
- Nature: Qi contracts and descends
- Emotion: Grief (needs healthy expression)
- Taste: Pungent/acrid (moves and disperses)
Autumn Recommendations
🛌 Sleep
- Wake with the sun: Not earlier than in summer
- Sleep earlier: Before 10 PM
- Rule: "Sleep early, wake with the rooster"
🍽️ Food
Recommended foods:
- 🍐 Pear (the best autumn food!)
- 🍎 Apple
- 🍯 Honey (a spoonful in the morning)
- 🥬 White turnip, radish
- 🌰 Chestnut, walnut
- 🍵 White or chrysanthemum tea
Foods to avoid:
- Excessive spicy (harms the Lung)
- Dry (increases autumn dryness)
- Fried (generates dry heat)
🏃 Exercise
- Best: Walking in nature (autumn leaves!)
- Time: Morning or midday
- Breathing: Deep — strengthens the Lung
- Avoid: Strenuous exercise in cold air
😌 Emotions
- Avoid: Suppressed grief, painful longing
- Practice: Healthy expression, communication
- Advice: Autumn is a time for reflection and gratitude
Beneficial Lung Points
LU9 Point (太渊) — "The Great Abyss"
- Location: Wrist crease, base of the thumb
- Benefit: Strengthens the Lung, cough, shortness of breath
- Method: Press for 3 minutes
LU7 Point (列缺) — "The Broken Sequence"
- Location: Forearm, 1.5 cun from the wrist
- Benefit: Cervical headache, cough, cold
- Method: Press gently
Signs of Lung Imbalance in Autumn
- Dry cough
- Dry throat and nose
- Dry, cracked skin
- Sensitivity to wind and cold
- Grief, autumn depression
- Weak immunity (frequent colds)
🍂 Rule: In autumn, be like the farmer after the harvest — gather, organize, prepare. Do not spend too much. Winter is coming and needs reserves!
