Chilly mornings, 70 degree days, and beautiful fall foliage. I know many of you love the transition to fall in Colorado just like I do.
As the weather cools down and we start to enter into the busy holiday season, I wanted to offer some useful guidance that can help keep us healthy, balanced, and energized for the next few months:
- If you plan on flying this season, I want to give a big shoutout to wearing a N-95 mask while on the plane: I can’t tell you how many people I see in my clinic who picked up something while traveling (and they come in once they are no longer contagious). Stay safe and protected while riding on the germ tube.
- Try to avoid going outside with damp hair in the colder months: In Chinese medicine, damp hair and an exposed nape (especially on a cold, windy day) is an invitation to catching a “wind cold” or “wind heat” pathological invasion. Try to keep your exterior warm, protected, and cozy.
- Plan to stay ahead of becoming run down, exhausted, or overly stressed: Chronic psychological stress elevates cortisol, which suppresses immune function over time. This makes us more vulnerable to infections and slows recovery. Getting run down is just an unavoidable part of life sometimes but it doesn’t need to completely take us down. Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be incredibly helpful in these situations.
- Optimize Vitamin D levels: Vitamin D plays a crucial role in immune regulation, and deficiency is associated with increased infection risk. Most people’s levels drop in fall/winter due to reduced sun exposure. Get your levels tested rather than guessing. Supplementation needs vary widely, and it’s fat-soluble so take it with food. Sun exposure helps too—aim for 10-30 minutes of midday sun when possible.
- Take good care of your microbiome: Roughly 70-80% of you immune system is located in or around your gut. Hot ginger tea, fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, and whole unprocessed foods feed the good bacteria. Overdoing alcohol, processed foods, simple carbohydrates, processed meats – all of which can be in abundance this time of year – can upset the balance of good/bad bacteria in our gut. Indulge and enjoy yourself. But also take care of the good buggies.
