Spring is Still Springing

Jefferson Breland

(5/2023) Today I continue the introduction of new ideas about wind from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

In case you missed part 1, I shall describe a few of the high points from that article.

I also encourage you to visit the Emmitsburg News Journal archives on their website to read part 1 and to look at other past editions. You never know what gems you will find.

In part 1, I offered this advice based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory: Until mid-May: Cover your neck. Keep your feet and ankles warm. Don’t wear shorts or skirts that expose your lower legs. Wear a bit more clothing than you think you should. The reasoning behind this recommendation is the coolness of the earth and the wind in the air that can have a negative effect on our health, according to TCM.

Last month, I explained wind means different things depending on which lens you look through. In this case, the two lenses are modern science and TCM.

According to science, wind occurs due to atmospheric pressures caused by temperature differentials between land masses and water, the rotation of the earth, and cows. Bovine methane production is representative of the many factors involved in the global weather system. I also like cows. A quick internet search of the scientific causes of wind will provide you with hours of entertainment. If that is your idea of a good time. I say, "Go for it."

With relation to our health, modern science limits itself to the physical effects of wind on the body like wind burn, wind chill factor, being knocked off our feet by a sudden gust, and being tossed in the air by a tornado.

Now begins the Chinese medicine portion of the article, so I will define a few terms I use which may not be familiar to you.

Firstly, I will mention Qi (pronounced "chee") a few times in this article. Qi according to TCM is a vital form of energy that composes pretty much everything in the Universe. A "close but not quite right" way to look at Qi is how modern scientists look at the subatomic energy of quantum mechanics or quantum physics.

Secondly, wind is viewed differently in TCM. Wind can affect the health of our body as well as our mind in a variety of ways. Wind affects our Qi, so it can affect any part of us. TCM also makes a distinction between external wind which starts out side of us and internal wind which starts on the inside of us. Wait, what? Confused? Good, now we can learn together.

TCM’s external wind is similar to the thing out there in nature that we feel against our skin, just like the science thing, but without all the sciencey stuff.

But wait, there’s more. To the ancients who discovered TCM, wind is considered a vehicle for the "External Pathogenic Factors" (EPFs) to enter our body.

EPFs are all caused by the extremes of the seasonal climates: cold, wind, heat, dampness (humidity), and dryness. EPFs can enter slowly or quickly.

In this radically different framework of TCM, we can get something called "Wind Invasion." This is the sudden effect of an EPF trying to enter the body. And get this, the wind doesn’t even have to be blowing. The concept of "wind invasion" refers to the quickness of the onset of symptoms. Sometimes the "wind invasion" is the subtle action of the movement of the EPF. We may barely notice the effect. Other times, "wind invasion" can be the obvious onset of an illness.

Have you ever experienced a sudden chill or flush of heat? Have you ever suddenly become more sensitive to a cold or warm draft? Have you ever been annoyed by the wind blowing against your skin?

Do you ever feel a chill around your neck when it is windy, even on a warm day? According to TCM, this was an external pathogenic factor trying to get in your body and your body’s response to it.

A simple example is we might feel a cold wind blowing against our neck and we have a stiff, achy neck the next day.

We rack our brain trying to remember what we did physically to hurt our neck when the culprit according to TCM is an invasion of wind-cold. This wind-cold affects the muscles in our neck the same way our hands feel stiff on a Winter’s day when we make snowballs without gloves. (The cold in our snowball-making hands is an example of a relatively slower way of an EPF entering our body.)

Have you ever felt the moment you think you came down with a cold or flu? It doesn't even have to be windy and you may suddenly feel like you’re on the verge of being ill.

This is what I mean by external wind affecting our Qi. It can be the sudden cause of aches and pains we can’t explain as well as the cause of a more serious illness.

Many of us have had these experiences. Years before I studied TCM, I was standing in line at an airport and, wham!, I felt a sudden sensation on the surface of my belly, as if someone had gently poked or jabbed me.

Then I noticed a cool sensation on the back of my neck at the same time feeling my face get warm. I thought, "I think I just got sick." And sure enough, that night I came down with a fever and all the other symptoms of stomach flu.

When I heard about TCM’s description of the action of "wind invasion," I thought, "Yup, that was it."

Earlier, I mentioned an internal wind that starts inside of us. How many of you thought I was talking about flatulence? Come on, admit it. You know you did. Okay, maybe it was just me.

I have mentioned before in these pages that emotions play a big role in our health. Internal wind is often caused by our emotions. Internal wind can also be caused by conditions inside our bodies that generate heat like a fever.

According to TCM, emotions can lead to energy imbalances in the body responsible for approximately 90-95% of all illness. These imbalances will then affect the energy pathways (meridians) in our body and can lead to a variety of symptoms.

If we get really upset with any of the emotions, this can affect our health in good or not so good ways. The phrases, getting wound up, spun up, pumped up, flying high, grief-stricken, down in the dumps, butterflies in the stomach, petrified, etc. all describe a bodily feeling that results from strong emotions.

We can be overcome by fear, anger, joy, worry, and sadness. Each of these strong emotions can create symptoms like hives, sweating, paralysis, numbness, and convulsions.

Most commonly, internal wind is generated by the emotion of anger or frustration. Internal wind could be considered the cause of "seeing red." It can be the source of migraine headaches, vertigo, tremors, tics, or blurred vision.

I am introducing you to the concept of "wind" from a TCM perspective to expand your understanding of different factors that can affect our health. When we realize there is more than one way to look health, we might find solutions to our health challenges.

I have found when we pay attention to the messages our body sends us through our symptoms, the path to feeling better is often right under our nose. Quite often the answers are as simple as covering our neck and keeping our feet warm. Prevention is the best medicine. Take care.

Jefferson Breland is a board-certified acupuncturists licensed in Pennsylvania and Maryland with offices in Gettysburg and Towson, respectively.
He can be reached at 410-336-5876.

Read past editions of Complementy Corner