Fall is upon us here in Portland.  The air is crisp in the mornings even if it’s been warm during the days. Portlanders have done what I like to call the “settling down” that happens to them every year.

You see, here in Portland, we complain about the rain a fair bit, but we tend to get far too busy and frenetic in the summer. It’s like we simply aren’t quite sure what to do with all that sunlight.   Once the first chilled rain hits, everyone dons their favorite sweaters, urban walking shoes and the always present scarf and “settles in”. You can tell when this happens because they all have a smile on their faces, their shoulders are a few inches lower and they have a no-guilt look on their faces while they clutch their favorite coffee drink.  We all smile that familiar smile and say, “Rain!”

First Rain - Time to prepare for fall Photo by Morimur via Flickr

Yes, the dampness has arrived.  Oh sure, we’ll have a beautiful October before the cascading sheets of water descend upon us, but we know it in our bodies, it’s time to get ready for fall.

My office is in Northeast Portland in a quiet neighborhood that has many, many squirrels.  There’s a huge oak tree in the back yard and right about now the acorns are plummeting out of the trees.  A week back I sat in the back yard watching them fall only to realize that some of the squirrels were pitching them to the ground then running down and burying them or throwing them against the house, trying to break them!

For two weeks now my treatments have been punctuated by the “POP” and “BANG” of acorns being flung at the house and also of those falling from the huge old tree.

This makes me smile of course, but it also reminds me that it’s time to store things:

It’s time to store Qi for winter.

In the winter time, our bodies go into hibernation mode a bit and we get less energy from the world around us.  Our bodies will become cold, our minds more stagnant and for those of us who suffer from stomach and gastro-intestinal problems such as cramps, abdominal pain and low appetite caused by cold in the body, now is a GREAT time to store heat in the form of warm colored roots and soups.  It is time to eat mildly acrid and energetically warm foods that compensate for the onset of external cold, such as oats, millet, corn, rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, leeks, beef and lamb.  For when you feel very cold inside and feel something coming on, bring in garlic, cinnamon, chili, ginger and onions to stimulate Qi circulation and rapidly bring the defensive Qi to the surface of your body.

It’s time to think about our immune systems

Now is the time to get into your acupuncturists office and tell them to take care of your Wei Qi!  Wei Qi or Defensive-Qi is a kind of Qi which is produced by the combination of the air we breathe with the nutrients we absorb from food. The functions of defensive-Qi are warming and nourishing the body and protecting the body against pathogenic factors (germs, viruses and bacteria etc).   Your acupuncturist can use acupuncture and Chinese Herbs to help you gather Wei Qi and be ready for winter’s cold and flu season. Foods to supplement with to help stimulate Wei Qi: Chilis, curry, ginger and pepper, spiced teas and cauliflower, leeks, horseradish, onions and watercress.  Almonds and almond butter are good as well.

If you feel something coming on do the following:

1. CALL YOUR ACUPUNCTURIST!

• They can help you fight this off quickly!

2. Make a decoction of fresh ginger and green onions as follows:

• Simmer thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger and green onions in two cups of water for about ten minutes and drink while warm.
• This will help your defensive Qi to rise to the surface and fight the pathogen.

It’s time to think about our happiness

Photo by postcardsfromhome via Flickr

Are you happy?  Are you well in your life?  Do you really want to go through another winter unhappy?  Do you suffer from depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder? Tell your acupuncturist!  She can help you deal with these things now in preparation for the darker and longer days of winter.  There are many therapies that can help with Seasonal Affective Disorder as well as depression, including acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and light and heat therapies.   In addition, think about any changes you might like to make to your life.  Wouldn’t you rather be sitting in a warm house with a great cup of tea thinking about how happy you are, rather than ruminating on why it is so bad?

Here’s a great post by Leo Babauta on Happiness over at Zen Habits.  He’s a great writer and on the top of my “Read it every day” blog list.

Fall is a gorgeous time in our fair city!  Its one that should be celebrated and enjoyed.

Take ten minutes out of your day today and think about your plans this winter.  Educate yourself and decide how you plan to keep your Qi stores high and productive, charge up your immune system and reevaluate your levels of happiness and start making plans for change. Then get out your favorite sweaters, scarves and other cold damp items and get ready, our beloved rain will be back very shortly, giving you less distractions and a quiet place within which to do your Great Work!