As the nights grow longer and the days colder, we naturally turn inward and spend more time in quieter activities. In Scandinavia, people take out their favorite sweaters and speak of hygge, happiness that comes from having more interpersonal time with friends and family (far more than the simple translation “cozy.”) While some adore the cooler temperatures and changing leaves, others find the shorter days and damper weather a liability.
Like many others, you may struggle with colds, asthma, bronchitis, and/or digestive symptoms in the autumn. Chinese medicine recognizes that the body “leans” on different organ systems at different times of the year. The autumn is associated with Lung and Large Intestine, so not surprisingly this is peak cold and flu season.
How can you prepare yourself to navigate this season in top health? The following natural medicines are excellent allies:
1. Bergamot, Citrus bergamia var. aurantium, is one of the top performers for reducing anxiety and improving moods. Like the sunny, warm climates where this fruit grows, bergamot brings a sense of peace and relaxation. Inhaling bergamot essential oil for 15 minutes reduces salivary cortisol (a marker of stress and anxiety) and has a calming effect similar to benzodiazepine drugs without the sedating side effects. Local application of bergamot essential oil also effectively reduces chronic pain. Bergamot can even reduce agitation in those suffering with dementia, a symptom that is untouched by pharmaceutical medications. Recommendation: saturate a blank inhaler with bergamot essential oil. Hold near the nose and breathe normally for 5-10 minutes, up to six times a day.
2. The nutrient Zinc boosts immune function and speeds wound healing. You can take 15 – 30 mg daily, with food, during cold and flu season. Taking zinc on an empty stomach can make you nauseous, so be sure to take with food. Most high potency multi-vitamin and mineral supplements already contain this amount of zinc. At the first sign of a cold, you can increase to 30 mg two to three times a day. Zinc can speed the resolution of the common cold by 1.65 days!
3. Yin Qiao San is a Chinese patent medicine for “wind heat invasion.” Symptoms include sore throat, feeling more feverish than chilled, slight headache, and yellowish mucus discharge. Do not take the remedy if you feel more chills than fever and have no sore throat—the formula is very cooling. Yin qiao san is meant to cause sweating to help push out wind and heat. Make sure to avoid drafts and chills after taking the remedy. You can take three tablets four times per day for sore throat. If you have a fever, you can increase the dosage to three tablets every 2—3 hours. This remedy is for the very beginning of a cold, within twenty-four hours (optimally, within 1—2 hours) of the onset of symptoms.
A bonus: Sleep as much as you can. Most of us need 9 – 10 hours of sleep rather than the 8 hours routinely recommended. Two areas that suffer most from lack of sleep are the nervous and immune systems. Increasing sleep by one hour can bolster mood, immune function, and concentration. Lack of sleep will diminish natural killer cells, B cells, and other important components of the immune system. To improve your immune system and reduce your risk for colds and the flu, guard your rest time and sleep at least 8 hours per night.