The Metal Element and The Lungs

The Metal Element and Your Lungs

Autumn, a time of cooler, crisper weather, is associated with the Metal Element in Chinese Medicine. The Metal Element includes the Lung and Large Intestine. The Lung’s is Inspiration - of physical breath and spiritual creativity. And the Large Intestine superpower is Letting Go. Autumn can be the ideal time to let go of physical clutter and mental/emotional clutter, and situations in our life that are no longer serving us.

The Lung is also responsible for your immunity as the first place an invasion occurs is through our airways. Now is a pivotal time to focus on breathwork, meditation, and immunity-enhancing foods for the Metal Element. These include garlic, onions, potatoes, cauliflower, almonds, radishes, parsnip, pear, apple, oats, rice, and white peppercorn.

The Lung also manifests in the skin. So if you have any chronic skin conditions, acupuncture treatment for strengthening the Lung could hold the answer for you.

We can assist our skin to be as radiant as possible by looking after our internal organs, which are the root cause of our health: the Lung and the Spleen. The Spleen plays a crucial role in digestion - the transforming and transporting of food as nourishment. The Spleen ascends moisture and pure qi upwards towards the lungs. Keeping the Spleen healthy will assist the Lungs indirectly through our diet and digestion. We can see through the quality of our skin and the state of the Spleen as if the skin is greasy and has many pimples; it can show the Spleen is weak in controlling dampness. Healthy digestion will show on your face as a radiant complexion. Foods like asparagus, papaya, beans, and turnips help eliminate dampness and avoid excessively cold foods like ice cream, dairy, iced drinks, and raw food diets.

Yin nourishing foods, though, will assist the Lung in creating a youthful, radiant glow. Think of foods like goji berries, beans, dates, and dandelions, to name a few.

Using a jade roller on the face will boost circulation to the face and help with elimination of stagnation and toxins, making your skin brighter and more elastic. Use it from the center of your face and roll outwards after your regular cleanse and moisturize routine.

Acupuncture facials are second to none for an immediate boost of collagen to the face, and a course of facial treatments can give phenomenal results. A facial acupuncture treatment will also be combined with body points according to your unique diagnosis to strengthen the internal organs and promote the smooth flow of qi and an immense sense of wellbeing.

Acupuncture points you can self-massage with acupressure are Heavenly Appearance, located behind the curve of the jaw, and LI4 situated in between the thumb and first finger on the mound of muscle there.

These are some TCM recommendations, and of course, good hydration, exercise, and sleep are imperative. Happy autumn.

For an easier transition into a brand-new season, give Marc Gian, Acupuncturist in Flatiron, NYC, a call.