Keeping Healthy this Winter with Chinese Medicine

7 tips to boost your immune system this Winter

I always get quite a shock when the Winter chill finally arrives, as Autumn is so lovely with the cooler weather and the warming sun. I find this transition usually brings a lot of colds, flus and coughs. Patients, friends, family, everyone seems to be down, fighting off the inevitable pathogens.

The best way to be prepared for the cold and flu season is to naturally strengthen your immunity.

Here are 7 tips to boost your immune system in winter.

1.     Keep warm

One of the oldest books on Chinese herbal medicine is the Shung Han Lun – literally named The Discussion of Cold Damage. A brilliant sophisticated herbal medicine system with the theory of how damaging cold is to our bodies.

A simple concept, but profound in practice – don’t let that cold in!

Cold and wind can enter our channels and bring with it pathogens that our bodies need to expel. Initially this looks like a tight neck, sniffles, feeling cold. If our bodies can fight it off here – Tai Yang level – we usually recover after a good nights sleep. If not the pathogen may have entered the next layer – Yang Ming - and we may develop a large fever, sweats, headaches etc, or the next layer – Shao Yang – where we develop a sore throat, alternating fever and chills. If the pathogen goes deeper in our channel system we may develop a cough and digestive changes (this is a simplification, there are many variations on this).

Ideally we prevent the cold entering that first layer of Tai Yang. This channel runs from our feet, up our back, through the neck, over the head into the eyes.

The best way to protect this is to wear a scarf.

The neck is most vulnerable to wind, and this is why you will see many people in China wearing scarves even in warm weather! Keeping ankles and lower back covered and warm is also important. Always dry your hair before going outside in the cold and wind. Always wear socks, as the cold on the bottom of our feet travels up the acupuncture channels that start there and weaken the system.

Avoid all cold foods – especially ice-cream, yoghurt straight from the fridge, cold drinks, anything with ice. Basically keep your body warm at all times. Wear layers of wool, sip warm water and herbal teas throughout the day, keep covered up when outside.

2.     Keep Hydrated

In Chinese Medicine the immune system arises from ‘stomach fluids’. We make components of the immune system from fluids extracted from food. While water is hydrating, it is actually more clearing. Food cooked in water – think soups, stews, well cooked rice – actually release the water they absorb in the cooking process as we digest. A slow release hydration.

So building and protecting immunity through winter looks like eating soups and broths – everyday!

If we are sick, this becomes even more important. Our immune systems are pushing out the pathogens – they need an envoy. Think of phlegm, or sweat, even coughing, releasing the pathogens with it. The more hydrated you are, the more of the pathogen you will be able to release and the less chance of lingering symptoms.

Limit or avoid dehydrating foods such as garlic, coffee, chocolate and alcohol.

3.     Slow down

Winter is a time for a quieter, slower pace of life. We see this mirrored in nature, animals hibernate, and trees lose their leaves, concentrating their energy into their roots. The days are shorter, encouraging us to sleep longer. If we can preserve our energy in winter, we build better quality energy for the more opening energy of the following seasons of spring and summer.

Modern scientific research has proven how important sleep is to our immunity. In his book “Why We Sleep” Matthew Walker proves through many studies, that we need at least 7-8 hours or more a night for efficient physical and mental functioning (1).

Some ideas for slowing down over this season to preserve energy -

·       Go to bed earlier, prioritise 8 hours of sleep

·       Limit social engagements and turn more inward (if this feels right for you)

·       Lighter more restorative styles of exersize, such as walking, yin yoga

·       Baking, poaching fruit, making soups, gathering at home, playing cards!

4.     Build up your microbiome

Recent scientific research has shown how important a healthy microbiome is for all aspects of our health, especially immune health (2). Interestingly our ‘stomach fluids’, mentioned above in terms of immunity, are a component of ‘stomach yin’ - the closest concept in Chinese Medicine to the microbiome.

The microbiome is a large collection of tiny microbes/bacteria that populate the body. There are helpful microbes, and unhelpful ones. A balance in the favor of helpful is very important; a healthy microbiome enables good gut health, immune health, better sleep, healthy moods and so much more (2).

Building a healthy microbiome is done through eating a variety of whole foods and avoiding foods that feed unhealthy bacteria.

Mainly eating lots of fruits and vegetables, wide variety of whole grains and legumes.

My advice is that they are well cooked and warm, such as –

·       Poached fruit

·       Vege soups

·       Pho

·       Beef & vegetable stew etc

- to allow for easy digestion and keeping our bodies warm and working efficiently. And avoiding processed foods, sugar and deep fried foods that will build pro-inflammatory microbiome, damaging the system.

I also advise taking a good quality practitioner grade probiotic suited to your individual needs.

This is even more important if you have any antibiotics over the last 2 years. Research shows that our microbiome can take up to two years to grow back after just one course of antibiotics (3). It is very important to get the right probiotics for you, and of the highest quality. Most of them need refrigerating, so buying off the shelf is likely wasting your money.

5.     Use Chinese Herbs in cooking and medicinally

There is so much to learn from the amazing wisdom of Chinese Medicine. In the older Chinese generations, family members would cook according to the health of the family, limiting or adding certain foods or herbs for those that were sick.

Keeping food warm and ideally wet, we can then add things according to our health.

For example, in my family if one starts to get the sniffles chicken soup with fresh ginger is made and eaten over a few days. If a family member is sick and resting, no meat is given to them, just clear broths and vegetables, with pungent herbs – such as spring onion, coriander, Vietnamese mint – to move the fluids in the broth up to the lungs to be dispersed around the body.

If one has a dry cough, pears poached in cinnamon and ginger is moistening and nourishing.

Vit C promotes stronger immunity and good natural sources are lemon juice, Kakadu plum powder, kiwifruit, dark leafy greens – spinach, kale etc. I make sure these are added to family meals everyday during winter.

Sometimes our bodies can fight the pathogen on it’s own with rest, fluids and appropriate foods, however sometimes we are not strong enough – ie. if we have had a long period of stress, insomnia, post-natally, while menstruating etc – and we need help medicinally.

I have taught many patients how to build up a basic home herbal medicine cabinet, allowing them to have basic formulas on hand.

This is such a wonderful tool to have, getting onto something quickly, preventing the pathogen going deeper and thus lingering colds/flus, time off school and work. Or having a practitioner you trust that offers tele-health is great for more targeted herbal formulas.

6.     Supplement with Vit D

Studies show that sub-optimal levels of Vitamin D are related to increased infections and auto-immunity (4).

While I am not big on taking lots of supplements, taking Vitamin D during winter is smart.

This is because it is not easily gained through foods, mainly through sunlight exposure. In winter this exposure drastically deceases (well, it does in Melbourne), so taking a good quality Vit D supplement will keep those levels in a healthy range, allowing for healthy immunity.

Or ideally have 20 mins, or more, of sun exposure if possible.

7.     Get acupuncture

Ah the wonder of acupuncture….

Acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping are so great at achieving the above goals. Depending on what is happening for you at the time, acupuncture can -

·       Nourish and increase stomach fluids

·       Open the lungs to release pathogens and ease coughing

·       Relax and calm the nervous system (5)

·       Slow us down, aid in turning energy inward, encourage reflection

·       Nourish and maintain a healthy microbiome through -

-        Calming the enteric nervous system (5)

-        Promoting and maintaining healthy bowel movements (5)

-        Aiding digestion, moving food stagnation

-        Reducing inflammation in the gut (5)

·       Warm the acupuncture channels and deeper areas of the body (with moxa)

·       Move fluids up to the throat to moisten a dry or sore throat

·       Expel pathogens from the different layers

·       Strengthen the qi/energy of the body to build stronger resistance

Keeping well is not always easy in the cold months, but by understanding ancient wisdom and modern research, we can apply this blended knowledge to build strong resilience and health during winter and for the more social seasons ahead.

For more information, or for bookings in person, or via tele-health (with herbs sent to your door), feel free to contact the clinic on (03) 9386 2145.

1. Walker, M. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, 2017

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362776/

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8756738/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8615708/

5. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1251470/full