Your Metal Element Prescription — Fall Season — Time to Let Go!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the cycle of Fall begins on 8/5 and ends on 10/16. We enhance our health when we understand the correlation between the Metal Element and Fall.

Metals, whether gold, silver, minerals or trace elements give value to the earth, the metal element within us gives us our sense of self-worth. When a person is suffering from a metal imbalance, they tend to seek admiration and acceptance from the outside because they feel a lack of worth within. These are people who have difficulty “letting go” because they identify their self-worth with “external accomplishments” — acquired accessories, possessions, and achievements rather than an inner self-confidence.

Fall is about slowing down, turning inward, and cleaning out in order to restore our sense of inner well-being. Recharging our Metal Element during the Fall season will help us maintain good health. As the days grow shorter, and the nights and morning become cooler, our immune systems become physically challenged and we become more susceptible to colds and upper respiratory problems. We become more vulnerable to sadness and depression which can affect our digestion in the form of constipation or diarrhea.

In Traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs and large intestine are associated with metal because of their ability to expand and contract. The Lungs and Large Intestine are considered to be the outside organs because they both directly interact with the outside environment to take in, make use of what is good, and let go of what is not useful, in order to strengthen the whole. Like metal armor, both organs protect the Qi (pronounced “chee”).

Fall is time to take extra care with one’s skin—remove layers burned by summer heat and keep skin moisturized during the dry season.

Massaging points Large Intestine 4 (He Gu) and Lung 7 (Lie Que) will help harmonize the Metal element.

Eating spicy foods will help to warm up the digestion and counteract any over-contraction of the organs. Pungent foods that support our Metal Element are: rice, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cucumber, mustard greens, onion, radish, soy and navy beans, apricots, bananas, pears and eggs.

Although August still feels like the last, lazy days of Summer, our spirit and bodies are already easing into Fall. As the days become shorter, some inner reflection will provide strength for Winter.