At Evolve, we understand the challenges that come with managing pain, especially as the colder months approach. In this insightful blog by Dr. Peter Wood, we explore how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers effective solutions for alleviating the joint pain and discomfort associated with Bi Syndrome. Through personalized treatments, including acupuncture, herbal remedies, and innovative therapies like the TDP lamp, our clinic provides a holistic approach to restoring balance and promoting the smooth flow of Qi and Blood. If you’re feeling the effects of damp and cold weather, read on to discover how TCM can offer some relief.
Snow Birds are described as the Canadian population typically aged 55 and older who choose to spend a good portion of their winters in the warm and dry climate of the southern US. They do this not just for the vitamin D3 and warmth from the sunlight, but also because their joint pain significantly decreases. Why does the joint pain and muscle ache associated with arthritis seem to diminish or disappear completely, simply by changing the environment? Traditional Chinese Medicine has an explanation.
Bi Syndrome (pronounced “bee”) is a condition characterized by pain, soreness or numbness of muscles, tendons and joints due to what is seen as the Invasion of External Wind, Cold or Dampness.
The Chinese character for ‘Bi’ conjures the idea of ‘obstruction’. In Chinese medicine, it refers to the pain derived from the obstruction of flow of Qi and Blood in the Channels caused by the invasion of external pathogenic factors – Wind, Cold and Dampness. This is made possible by a relative weakness of Qi and Blood, leaving the space between the skin and the muscles vulnerable to this invasion.
The concept of Yin and Yang in TCM considers that the human being is intimately connected to and affected by our external environment. This includes the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the climate we live in. As we move from the warm summer season to the cooler autumn and into the cold and damp climate of the winter in the West coast of Canada, pathogenic Cold and Dampness in the environment increase and become more dominant. Once a threshold is reached where the strength of our Qi and Blood is surpassed by that of external Cold and Dampness, our bodies start to accumulate those pathogens. They then lodge in the tissues of the tendons, muscles, and into the joints themselves, creating the obstruction at the root of pain.
What’s the solution? You guessed it! Dredge the channels of the pathogens. The quickest, but not always easiest way to accomplish this is to move one’s body into a hot, dry climate. Traditional Chinese medicine’s methods include acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion and other heat sources to clear the channels and promote proper flow of Qi and Blood in the system.
Another therapy can be to spend time in saunas, particularly effective are dry saunas and the more modern option, infrared saunas. These can all be effective in ridding the body of ‘bi’ and restoring proper flow of Qi and Blood, thereby reducing or removing pain.
The infrared sauna technology has been applied to the invention of a TCM tool I use in clinic called a TDP lamp. Workers in a rural mine were observed to somehow be withstanding the ill effects of the extreme heat and cold conditions on their bodies. It was discovered that the hot clay they were working with contained ground minerals radiating infrared heat. A mineral plate in front of an electric heating element installed in the TDP lamp provides far infrared heat at a light spectrum that reaches 3 ½ inches below the skin, consequently allowing for the absorption of any of the 33 minerals emanating from the heated plate. This is often considered a good substitute for the Yang (active, heat energy of the body) warming effect of moxibustion therapy.
Acupuncture uses specific points to either warm the Channels, remove Dampness, or disperse Wind. Different herbs are put together into a formula individualized for each patient’s type of Bi syndrome, once again, to either warm the Cold, release the Wind, or remove the Dampness obstructing the proper flow of Qi and Blood. Acupuncture points and/or specific herbs are also chosen to supplement any deficiencies that cause the system to be vulnerable to the attack of these environmental factors.
If the cold, rainy weather seems to increase the pain you’re experiencing, and you’re not spending these 6 months in a the hot/dry climate of the South, come get some acupuncture and rest under the dry warmth of our far infrared TDP lamp. Feel way better!
If the cold and damp of Vancouver’s fall season has your joints crying out in pain, relief is just around the corner. Click here to book an appointment with Dr. Wood online or email us at info@evolvevancouver.ca.
Please note that any advice in this article doesn’t replace personalized medical advice from a professional.