WINTER

Many of my patients report that their symptoms worsen in the winter. This applies to obvious conditions such as a propensity to catch colds, or chest infections and coughs. However, it also applies to a variety of conditions such as arthritis, long-standing muscle and tendon injuries, as well as digestive disorders and period pains.

Central to Chinese medicine is the concept of qi (pronounced 'chee'). Qi is the life force or energy, which flows through the body. Chinese medicine aims to harmonise and harness this life force in order to stimulate your power of self-healing.

In a healthy person the qi flows smoothly throughout the body activating and nourishing our organs and tissues, ensuring their normal function. However, if this flow is disrupted for some reason, then illness can occur.

In Chinese medicine, of which acupuncture is part, the effect of colder, damper weather is to slow down the circulation of energy and blood. This is felt all the more keenly in older people.

As the summer turns into autumn, and autumn into Winter, our bodies have to adjust to cope with the cooler, wetter conditions. These changes often take us by surprise, and this is the time when colds and 'flu do the rounds. As our bodies and immune systems have not quite adjusted to the new conditions, we are just that bit more vulnerable and pick up infections more easily. Our centrally heated homes and workplaces give our bodies a false sense of security and paradoxically increase our vulnerability.

So as we move into autumn and winter, this is the time to take a little more care to protect yourself and to allow yourself to adjust to the changing conditions. You can do this by observing a few simple rules:

• Winter is the time to consolidate and conserve energy. So, in winter, go to bed early and rise late.
• Make sure you are protected from the wind, cold and rain, especially when emerging Ofl a dark evening from a warm, centrally heated house or office.
• Eat according to the season. Eat warm, cooked food, in preference to cold, raw food that takes extra precious energy to digest. Certain foods have warming energy and so will be more beneficial in the winter. Meat in general is more warming, while game, such as venison, is the most warming. Roasting increases the warming effect. Vegetables and fruit that are in season in the winter are preferable to vegetables and fruit that are only available because they have been imported. Interestingly, many of the classic British dishes, roast beef, Lancashire hot-pot and porridge are ideally suited to keep us warm during our damp, cold winters.

In addition, you can help to boost your immune system with acupuncture treatment. Research has shown that needling certain acupuncture points can increase numbers of white blood cells which help fight infections. This supports the traditional Chinese approach which advocates treatment at the change of each season in order to protect against disease.

Geoff Wadlow MBAcC, Acupuncture practitioner

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