While We're On the Subject of Winter...Take Care of Yourself!
We are sliding right into the holiday season with Thanksgiving knocking on the door, Christmas right around the corner, and the New Year close behind. Things are about to get hectic, so here are some reasons to take some time for your own health:
You're about to do to a dozen holiday parties with your friends, family, and coworkers where you will eat and drink way too much of the things that aren't exactly the healthiest. Yes...it will be delicious! But you're more than likely going to feel sluggish, bloated, achy, and fuzzyheaded afterward – to say nothing about adding a few extra pounds.
You're going to spend time with your family. You love them, but they stress you out.
You're going to go shopping or be out and about around town, and traffic will be crazy. More stress.
The weather is getting colder and wetter, and the days are getting shorter and darker. Seasonal Depression is very real, and the best way to get a handle on it is to prepare for it.
Research shows that the incidence of heart attacks and coronary deaths spikes around the holidays, and I can tell you from my clinical experience, so do cases of digestive distress, depression and anxiety, insomnia, Bell's Palsy, asthma, colds and flu, migraines, neuropathy, and severe pain of all types. There is so much going on this time of year and our bodies find themselves in a state of constant adjustment, and frankly, we're not wired to immediately adapt to the seasonal change, time change, and packed holiday celebrations.
Generations ago, when our communities were agrarian societies, this time of the year was viewed as the dead season. Dead in the sense that the vegetation around us has died and the animals have all gone quiet, but also in the sense that there's nothing pressing that needs to be done – other than keeping the fire burning and the children alive through the winter. All of the crops have been harvested and stored, and it'll be months before it's time to plant. Our bodies are programmed to enter a quasi-hibernation mode. Things slow down, we bundle up, our energy is lower, and honestly, some level of lowered spirits is expected.
In modern society, of course, our daily tasks and responsibilities continue throughout the year regardless of the season; we still go to work and have to be productive. The kids are still playing sports and studying for tests. Restaurants and businesses still operate and expect our patronage. We don't really have the option of hunkering down and riding out the winter. Paradoxically, some of the most significant and grandest celebratory gatherings in Western society take place during this time such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years, among others. Our minds and bodies want to rest, but we are required to engage and be social. Then again, maybe there's something to be said about leaving the hovel and being re-invigorated by friends.
The point is, there are a lot of challenges to remaining healthy throughout the winter, whether in regards to catching a cold, having poor digestion, developing pain, or experiencing the winter blues. Taking care of yourself is so important, and we're here to offer some helpful options including acupuncture, cupping, and herbal formulas such as Immuni-Tea and Bao He Wan, the great digestion and metabolism-boosting formula. (For a recap on this awesome formula to combat indulgence, check out our blog from a few years ago by clicking HERE).
Until next time, Be Well!