The new year arrives with its share of good resolutions and new goals.
Although not every resolution is usually kept over the course of the year, January is synonymous with change and a fresh start: it's the time to take stock of the past year and embark on new things.
So we're offering you a range of tips inspired by Chinese medicine to learn how to preserve your health and cultivate your well-being in 2023.
Being healthy: what is the approach of Chinese energetics?
In traditional Chinese medicine, being healthy isn't just about the absence of symptoms or discomfort. Health depends above all on maintaining an energetic balance.
Chinese energetics offers a holistic, global view of the human being and of health: it doesn't separate mental and physical health. So emotions experienced excessively can affect the state of our organs (e.g. excessive anger exhausts the Liver).
Conclusion: your physical and mental well-being are linked and deserve your full attention. So discover 5 tips for staying healthy this year.
5 tips for staying healthy with traditional Chinese medicine
Our daily habits play a crucial role in our health, our well-being and even our happiness! Changing them can help us improve our health and harmonise our inner balance.
According to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, the time needed to change a habit for good is 66 days on average.
This length of time certainly varies from one person to another, but the principle is to anchor your new habits in your routine gradually. So hang in there until you reach your new goals!
1) Live in step with the seasons
Human beings are an integral part of nature. Their energy and health are influenced by climatic changes as the seasons go by.
In Chinese medicine, each season carries a meaning and brings a specific energy and movement. That's why it's important to adapt to them!
To do this, Chinese dietetics, a branch of traditional Chinese medicine, recommends adapting what's on your plate to the season. For example, the sour flavour is advised in spring, since it has an affinity with the Liver, which is linked to that season.
2) Strengthen your Wei qi
Our immune system is at the heart of our state of health. It plays an essential role in defending the body. When something attacks the body, the immune system reacts by secreting antibodies.
In Chinese energetics, Wei qi, also called "defensive energy", "defensive Qi" or "protective Qi", refers to our protective energy. Its role is to protect the body and block external elements from entering it. During the day, Wei qi circulates along the meridians to warm and nourish the skin and muscles. At night, it goes deep into the Yin organs to ensure restorative sleep.
In the Chinese pharmacopoeia, certain plants are especially reputed for strengthening the natural defences, such as Huang qi (Astragalus root), Dang shen (imperial ginseng root) or Ling zhi (Ganoderma).
Acupuncture sessions, energy exercises and, of course, a healthy, suitable diet are also good ways to strengthen your Wei Qi!
3) Learn to manage your emotions
Emotions are part of our daily lives. Negative or positive, they are natural and inevitable, and they have a heavy influence on our health, our mood and also our motivation. Yet they aren't always easy to live with and manage. And a new year means a new adventure! With its share of surprises (and disappointments…).
The classics of traditional Chinese medicine describe seven emotions: Joy, Worry, Anger, Fear, Sadness, Grief and Fright. Whether in excess or absent, they can cause discomfort, and they are in fact one of the most important internal causes of discomfort in Chinese medicine.
Often neglected, mastering your emotions is nonetheless vital… Do you regularly feel overwhelmed by your emotions? Don't panic! Managing your emotions well is something you can learn! Start by trying to express your emotions. Allow yourself a moment of meditation and make time to talk with others.
Indeed, seeking comfort and consolation from people we trust helps us ease suffering and step back. So it's essential to learn to accept and release your emotions, to let go and to express them when you feel the need.
4) Rest: it's vital!
While some people think rest is a waste of time, it's actually quite the opposite: rest helps to preserve mental health and is the key to any job well done.
So try to go to bed and get up at regular times. Before sleeping, choose calm activities such as meditation or Qi gong exercises, and create a serene atmosphere by reducing noise and light.
Before getting into bed, some relaxation routines can be effective in improving the quality of your sleep: choose plants with soothing properties such as Mei gui hua (rose buds) and Chai hu (Bupleurum root).
What's more, Chinese dietetics advises cutting out heavy meals, fatty foods (cured meats, fried food, cheese...) and stimulating foods (chilli, pepper, alcohol, coffee and chocolate) in the evening before bed.
5) Balance Yin and Yang
An important theory for understanding the basics of traditional Chinese medicine, Yin and Yang are two energies that it is necessary to balance in order to stay in shape.
Indeed, an imbalance between them can show up as a number of symptoms, such as sensations of Heat, Dryness in the body, fatigue, a pale complexion or digestive troubles.
To preserve your health, it's essential to keep these two forces in harmony.
To do this, practise the Qi Gong posture "Balancing Yin and Yang" every day, and fill your plate with Yin and Yang foods following the recommendations for each season. If these two forces fall out of harmony, acupuncture sessions can be useful, since they help to restore their balance.
So, to start the new year in the best possible way, make your health your priority. Don't forget to enjoy all the small pleasant things in daily life, do what does you good, listen to your body and take time for yourself.
The whole Calebasse team wishes you a wonderful 2023 filled with joy, love, peace and health.
