Selph Acupuncturist and TCM Practitioner Joseph Zhang explains the concept of wind imbalance and illness, and how best to avoid it in the coming cooler months.
Can you explain a little bit more about the concept of wind and how it is viewed according to Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Wind is one of five climates that make up the five seasons according to a Chinese philosophical principle. Heat occurs in summer, humidity in late summer, drought in autumn, and cold wind in winter and spring. While wind is present in all seasons, its manifestation will be stronger in the season that matches it.
Wind in the body resembles the wind in nature; it generates movement in what would otherwise remain motionless. It produces change and acceleration in what otherwise would be steady and slow and causes things to appear and disappear quickly.
How can wind cause Qi (energy) imbalance and illness?
Wind is one of the six external factors of disease (Wind, Cold, Heat, Dryness, Moisture, and Heat of Summer) in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
These climates can attack the body, enter the meridians, and can cause external diseases, for example Cold Wind can cause a cold.
Cold Wind is an aversion to wind and chill and is accompanied by fever, headaches and generalised aches, a runny nose, and a cough.
Winds often include a fever, which is a sign of conflict between an exterior influence and normal Qi (energy), and symptoms include sweating, sudden headaches, nasal obstruction, itching, and throat irritation.
How do you treat wind conditions and illness using Traditional Chinese Medicine?
When we are vulnerable, External Wind often penetrates the body through the back of the neck, so wearing a scarf and staying bundled up in windy weather can help keep us well. Once wind has entered the body, acupuncture treatments can help to release it and harmonise the Qi (energy) to prevent future disruptions.
It’s important to also consider other lifestyle factors when strengthening the body’s Qi, which include; regular exercise, eating healthy, not over working, keeping stress to a minimum, getting quality sleep and having regular bowel movements. These things will all work to play important roles in strengthening Qi and preventing wind illness.
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