Noting the weather

[Guest guest]

One of the advantages of TCM is that it does recognize that external weather

conditions can have an effect on people's health. TCM goes much, much

further than Western medicine in recognizing this and in offering

correction.

 

If you or someone you know are having chronic, recurring problems that wax

and wane in severity, please consider the possibility that the weather may

be playing a role in how badly you or the other person is feeling at times.

In order to determine this, the person needs to start noting what the

weather conditions are when s/he feels the worst (and in some cases the

best). For example, many arthritis sufferers know that cold and/or damp

weather will cause their arthritis to worsen. They note that they feel the

best during the summer (heat) when it's dry. BTW, a lot of Americans with

arthritis don't realize that wind also can worsen arthritic symptoms. TCM

views arthritis and rheumatism as being conditions in which the person is

bothered by Cold, Dampness, and/or Wind.

 

We can't change the weather, but we can change our resistence to the weather

and/or the ways our bodies cope with the Pernicious Evil. For example, if a

person is weather sensitive because of a lack of resistence to Exterior

Pernicious Evils (Cold, Wind, Dampness, Dryness, and Heat), an herb to

increase Protective Qi may be needed. In other cases the person may need

herbs to release Wind Cold or Wind Heat from the Exterior. In a few cases

the person's problems may be so severe that s/he may need to move to another

climate. For example, a lot of arthritis sufferers retire to the Southwest

of the U.S. because the area is hot and dry and their arthritis is worsened

by cold and damp. But even in the Southwest the underlying problems need to

addressed because it does get cold and even damp at times in the Southwest.

And the Southwest does get more wind than some other parts of the country

(though not as much as some other parts).

 

Americans aren't taught to pay the kind of attention to their health

problems that could reveal a correlation between weather and the health

problems. In fact, they're discouraged from doing so. A person who keeps a

diary of when conditions are worse and notes weather conditions, food

intake, activity level, etc. often is branded a hypocrondiac who shows

excessive attention to aches and pains. But sometimes a diary like this is

the only way to be able to pinpoint certain problems and come up with

corrections that work. Denial doesn't work with any problems - just enables

them to get worse and worse. Failing to consider certain possibilities is a

form of denial.

 

Also be aware of the possibility of problems due artifical environments.

This includes things like sitting in the draft of an air conditioner (Wind

Chill) and the excessive dryness due to the heating system in some homes in

the winter.

 

Victoria

 

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