Bill Klaproth (Host): This is The Healing Podcast brought to you by MarinHealth. I'm Bill Klaproth. With me is Camille Loveman. She is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a skilled acupuncturist from MarinHealth Integrative Wellness Center.

In this four part series, we'll dive into traditional Chinese medicine or TCM as we discuss Aligning with the Four Seasons. On this podcast, we'll focus on winter. Camille, welcome.

Camille Loveman: Thanks, Bill.

Host: Great to talk to you. So, this is going to be good. A lot of people might not know about TCM. So, we're going to get them all informed and aligned with the four seasons. So first off, for listeners who may be new to TCM, can you explain how TCM views the seasons?

Camille Loveman: Yeah. Thank you so much for asking. So, TCM is a form of traditional Chinese medicine. And we're really looking at patterns, and we're looking to optimize health. And we look at the body, how it is in relation to each season, each color, and we're really looking at the patterns that present in every season.

So for winter, we're looking at an element of water. And when we think of water, we're thinking of rest. We're thinking of conservation, conservation of energy. It's an inward time. And there's organ pathways that are related to this. So, the kidney, the urinary bladder, and we think of the kidneys as the core vitality, the reservoir of our body's ultimate energy.

Host: I like that. Okay. So as we said, we're focusing on winter. Why is winter such an important time to prioritize health?

Camille Loveman: Well, every day is an important time to prioritize health, but I think when we think of the seasons, we have more intention around these set for distinctions. So with winter, it's a time to conserve, to conserve energy. The days are shorter, the nights are longer. So, we really look at how the body is in relation to this, and there can be habitual changes that you can make to help conserve and rest the body. And we look at that in terms of a practical sense. And there's different things that we can do with our habits.

Host: So with rest in conservation, so we're focusing on winter, what does that mean practically for how we live day to day? How do we do that?

Camille Loveman: You know, we focus on diet. We focus on movement. There's key practices that we can do that include eating warmer foods. We think root vegetables help to boost the energy of the body. There's a color-associated with the winter months, which is more darkness, which makes sense. The days are shorter, the nights are longer. And so, eating foods that are naturally black in color, like black beans, mushrooms, dark sesame seeds. And shopping locally, getting local stuff at your farmer's market if that's available. Getting plenty of rest. So, sleeping when it's dark and practicing gentle exercise like tai chi or yoga, walking movement's important, but you want to think of gentle exercise to help preserve that energy and bring up the reserves that will bring us into spring.

Host: Yeah, that fits right in with that. Rest in conservation of winter. So, you said warmer foods, root veggies, broths. That all sounds good in the winter months, that's for sure. So, how does winter energy affect the body and mind? What imbalances tend to show up when we don't slow down enough this time of year?

Camille Loveman: So, that's a great question. If we're out of balance, we'll notice fear can come up. When we think of water, it drains downward. And so, that's the element that we're looking at. And often, that area of the body that we focus on with traditional Chinese medicine is the low back area. So, you can get more low back pain, some muscle tightness, increased urination. So, making sure that you're really keeping that back area warm is important. And If you notice that you're having more pains and muscle tightness to try to add more warmth to the body, so physically covering up or drinking more fluids, because water can be so prominent during winter.

Host: That's interesting. You wouldn't think that about winter. You would think probably summer more hydration would make sense. But no, in winter, it sounds like we actually do need that hydration as well to take care of things like muscle tightness. I guess, if you start to get dehydrated and lower back, pain starts to show up. So, how does that manifest in our daily habits? Are there changes that you recommend around sleep or work pace or exercise during the winter months?

Camille Loveman: Yeah, I mean, it's the yin time of year, so it's a time to conserve. So, a time to really slow down. We think of the warmer foods can help to nourish that low back area and the kidney system. Also, the way that we cook our foods, roasting and slow cooking helps build reserves and really just supporting the body in terms of that slower movement, taking more rest. You want to eat when it's light out. Sleep when it's dark. So, really getting more rest. It starts to get dark around four or five, so that should be the time that we start to slow down.

Host: Absolutely. So, cold exposure is everywhere in winter, of course, from the weather, of course, to even things like iced drinks. How does TCM view cold? And what simple shifts can help protect our energy?

Camille Loveman: Well, I'm glad you bring this up, because we think of balance. So if there's too much of one thing, too much hot or too much cold, ultimately, it can create disease. So cold, we think of actually as a pathogen. And we're not even thinking about it in terms of lower temperature. We're thinking about it in terms of external factors. And the coldness during the winter months can invade the body, and it can cause some stagnation of the energy of the body. It can cause more stress in the body. It can impact digestion. And it can deplete that kidney system that we spoke about before, where the kidneys are physically in the low back area, So, it can cause more low back pain. And cold exposure drains our reserves. So, it can make us feel tired, it can make us cold, physically cold. We can have chills. So, we're more prone to getting sick.

So, the key is to dress in warm layers. Keeping the neck warm, keeping the low back warm, often wearing nice socks, And then, also diet. Eating those broths, the warm food, avoiding cold. We think even avoiding salads. In our American diet, we often promote eating whole vegetables, which is great, but we want to make sure we're having them cooked, even if it's steamed for a minute or two, to retain that green color. But if we're having all cold foods throughout the day, that's going to deplete the energy of our body.

So, just really adding the warmer foods, prioritizing rest, gentle movements. And we think the back area between the neck is actually called the wind gate. And this can make the body more cold. So, wearing scarves or turtlenecks really can help. It's a small thing, but these little shifts make a huge difference in our everyday life.

Host: Yeah, that is really, really important. As you said, winter drains are energy reserve, so pay attention to warm layers and warm socks and broths and warm foods, and making sure you're getting hydrated and you said even avoiding cold things like salads. So, that's really interesting. And wearing scarves, making sure that area, your upper back area is warm. So, all of that really makes sense for people that do struggle with low energy or mood changes or frequent illness in winter. Since you are a skilled acupuncturist, how can acupuncture or other TCM practices help support resilience during the season, even if we're doing all those good things you told us to do? It sounds like we might need an extra level of help. How does acupuncture help in that?

Camille Loveman: Yeah. You know, we think acupuncture helps to boost the immune system. It helps to reduce inflammation of the body, and it helps to open up anything that's blocked. So when we use the acupuncture needles, we're able to open up a system that looks at these patterns to help regulate the system and promote healing within. And then, also, just doing really good habits that can protect your health. Staying warm, not going out if it's cold, planning ahead. If you are going to be out when it's cold, just dress in layers and bring a warm tea with you. Those kind of little shifts make a huge difference.

Host: Well, that makes sense. You do see people running outside in the cold. They're not properly jacketed, if you will, and "I'm just running to the car for a minute," and you know they're freezing and they get in that cold car. It sounds like don't even do that, because that's going to sap your energy reserves, it sounds like.

Camille Loveman: Exactly, I mean, or do it with a scarf on or be prepared.

Host: Right. For sure. Camille, this has been great. Thank you so much. To wrap up, can you give us one small—or maybe one of your favorite things—a small but powerful winter habit that someone could adopt this season to feel more balanced and well?

Camille Loveman: I think really just staying with the rhythms of nature. Sleep while it's dark, and wake and eat when it's light. And protect the yin of the body. It's the restorative time of year. So, honor that.

Host: I like it. Just kind of go with the flow. Because what you're saying makes sense, in the winter we do seem to want to wrap ourselves in warm layers and drink warm fluids and warm food. So, it just makes sense. So, you're saying don't fight it. Go with that. It's darker, longer, sleep. So, that all makes sense. Camille, this has been great. Thank you so much for your time. Looking forward to our four-part series.

Camille Loveman: Thank you so much, Bill.

Host: You're welcome. And once again, that is Camille Loveman. And again, this is a four-part series on traditional Chinese medicine as we discuss aligning with the Four Seasons. And of course, in this podcast, we focused on winter.

For more information, go to mymarinhealth.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Bill Klaproth, and this is The Healing Podcast, brought to you by MarinHealth. Thanks for listening.