As we celebrate the Lunar New Year this week, we are officially in the throws of Winter. In these cold and damp months, there are practices we can participate in that will help us to support our bodies and align with the natural rhythms of the season. Below we explore how we can use the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), to optimize our health during these months. Evolve’s own Dr. Peter Wood offers his insights on acupuncture, dietary adjustments, and self-care rituals, to help nourish our bodies and preserve our inner vitality. Let’s explore how you can embrace winter’s wisdom and prepare for the growth and renewal of spring.

According to the 5-Element Theory in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), winter is associated with the water element. Water is a symbol of wisdom, fluidity, and femininity (or yin energy), making this season the perfect time to rest and reflect, go with the flow, and develop your inner wisdom.

Then, once springtime approaches, you’ll be ready to sow the seeds of growth and expansion.

Below are five holistic tips to help you optimize the yin energy of the winter season and benefit from the coldest months of the year:

1. Slow down

As daylight hours shorten in the winter, this is a time for hibernation and retraction in the animal kingdom. Similarly, our energy tends to dwindle as the temperature dips and nights become longer. With the intention of resting and resetting, winter is the ideal season to get into the habit of going to bed earlier and waking up later.

In addition to enjoying longer and deeper rest, we can also spend more time reflecting and nurturing ourselves (both in the physical and emotional sense) this season. This may looks like making time for self care rituals like massage, or taking a warm bath.

In nature, winter to spring marks the transition from death to rebirth. We can follow nature’s lead and spend the season thinking about the things in our own lives that no longer serve us. What do we want to let go of? What intentions do we want to set for the rebirth of springtime?

As we slow down, this is also a good time to reduce intense physical exercise and instead stick with lower-impact workouts like restorative yoga and tai chi to conserve energy and facilitate the process of self-reflection.

2. Support kidney health

In meridian theory, the kidney meridian stores “jing,” or congenital essence, also known as the “root of life.” Essence is the origin of chi and blood, and primordial yin and yang. It is responsible for key functions from growth and reproduction to healthy aging. It also affects the autonomic nervous system, teeth, hair, ear, brain, and bone health.

The winter season is associated with the water element and manifested by the kidney and bladder meridians. Winter is hence the best time to nourish the kidneys. In TCM, the best foods for the kidneys are generally color-coded black: black rice, black sesame seeds, black beans, lentils, blackberries, blueberries, oysters, woodear mushrooms, and seaweed.

3. Keep the feet warm

Cold and wind are considered two of the six main factors in TCM that can cause imbalance. It goes without saying that staying warm is crucial to maintaining good health during chilly winters. This means bundling up when going outside and protecting your midriff, neck, and head from being exposed to the wind and cold.

Have you ever had the experience of warming up your feet and feeling your whole body immediately warm up too? This is because our feet have lots of blood vessels and nerve endings and play an essential role in temperature regulation. Similarly, the kidney meridian begins on the bottom of your feet, so it’s vital to keep your feet warm to prevent cold from entering the body.

At home, consider wearing socks or cozy slippers if you tend to get cold feet. Or, try having a warm Epsom salt foot bath before going to bed. Soaking your feet will warm up your whole body in no time, support the quality of your sleep, and guide any overactive energy from the head back to the source—the kidney.

4. Support your body’s natural defenses

By receiving regular acupuncture in the winter, we can align our energy with the season and support the body’s Wei Qi (defensive energy), and its ability to heal and recover from illness. Seasonal tuneup sessions can be used to benefit the kidney and bladder meridian for overall health.

Evolve’s doctor of TCM Dr. Peter Wood supports Yang energy even more by using a TDP lamp in his sessions. Not only is this specialized lamp a warm and cozy addition to your acupuncture treatment, it provides far infrared heat at a light spectrum that reaches 3 ½ inches below the skin, allowing for the absorption of any of the 33 minerals emanating from the heated plate.

Getting plenty of sleep, managing stress levels, and keeping the body moving are also ways to support this defensive energy. Stay active with low-intensity exercise to keep the blood flowing. Take a long walk even though it might be gray outside!

With dipping temperature, winter is also typically a time for old injuries to flare up. From a TCM perspective, the windy, cold, and sometimes damp weather can result in stiffness in the muscles and joints. Try acupuncture for musculoskeletal support to promote healthy blood circulation and support the comfort and mobility of your joints. You can also use a heating pad daily, but don’t go overboard. Limit to about 20 minutes at a time.

5. Eat naturally salty foods

Eating fresh and seasonal produce is a great way to support the body as it goes through cyclical changes with the seasons. In winter, the water element is associated with the salty flavor, so this is a season to enjoy slightly saltier foods (as long as high sodium is not an issue for you). I’m not talking about salty potato chips but naturally salty flavors such as seaweed, miso, and high-quality sea salt.

On top of that, pungent flavors are associated with the metal element, which is said to promote the water element according to 5-Element Theory. Some examples are ginger, scallion, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, and horseradish.

6. (Bonus) Reduce consumption of cold foods

An bonus tip from Evolve’s own Dr. Peter Wood is to reduce the amount of cold and raw foods and beverages you consume. During the winter months, it is helpful for digestion to avoid excessive consumption of foods and beverages that can hamper the Yang Qi (warm, active energy) of the Spleen Energy system (system in charge of digestion). 

Too many icy drinks (smoothies included), raw foods (considered Cold in property in TCM), sweet and fried foods (gum up the digestive mechanism of the Spleen) should be avoided. Drinking warm water is preferable and steaming veggies makes them easier on the Spleen.  And unless you’re of strong, warm constitution, liver/candida cleanses are considered Cold on the system and should be avoided until the weather begins to warm up in the spring.

If you’d like to support your health through these colder months with an acupuncture session with Dr. Peter Wood email us at info@evolvevancouver.ca or book here.

Please note that any advice in this article doesn’t replace personalized medical advice from a professional.