Embracing the coming Fall Season
The other night I stood outside watching the sun fade over the hillside by my house. The sky was a brilliant blue and huge towering white clouds danced across the sky. As they moved across the sky, they grabbed bits of the fading light and swirled them into purple and red hues as if painting upon a canvas. It was a truly beautiful night. As I stood there, a breeze came across the field running along the tops of the long grass and wrapping itself around me like a big embrace.
As the breeze moved up my body I felt it touch my face with a cool hand – the first touch of Fall weather had arrived. After 30 or more days of temperatures close to 100 degrees, I cannot tell you how wonderful that first cool breeze felt. I wanted to grab a blanket and a lounge chair and park myself there for the whole night.
I love the fall weather, it is so invigorating and I love the energy of the changing seasons. The end of summer brings the season of harvest, when we think of this in terms of the gardens and orchards bringing forth their fruits, but this also refers to the inner harvest of your heart. This unique time of years blends the expansive fire energy of the summer with the descending Earth energy of late summer to create an energy which calls us to complete projects and bring ideas and goals that we have carried with us all summer into fulfillment. The dominant Earth Element energy is one that is nurturing, creative and brings forth a ripening of the life force in our bodies and the plants of the earth. This is why we love to take classes in the fall to learn new things or seek out our inner artist to create new things.
If your energy feels out of balance during this shift in seasons you may be spending too much time thinking and over analyzing our thoughts. You may also find you are unable to bring things into completion. This excessive thinking and dwelling can turn into anxiety and worries, causing you to feel stuck and feel like you have a heaviness hanging over you. Physically your digestion and metabolism slows down and you may start to gain weight or develop digestive problems.
It’s important to remember that the late summer energy calls us to return to our central core, to nourish our bodies and mind and to bring forth our life force energy from within us. This is a time to take care of You, to nurture yourself, and to stay balanced and focused. It is ok to reflect upon your life situations but it is not beneficial to dwell on problems and worry excessively. Reach for the creative power of this season to envision ways to turn your obstacles into opportunities. Allow for transformation and growth in your life.
Nutritional Help for the Changing Seasons
Mental Clarity: If you have spent too much time dwelling on your thoughts your mind can get overloaded, you can develop “brain fog” and lose your mental clarity and focus. The herbal formula Focus Attention (#1833-4) is an excellent choice to help nourish your mind and balance overactive brain activity. Focus Attention provides nutrients to help restore your mental clarity and focus as well as improve memory and overall learning ability. I love to take it when I am learning new hobbies or studying new information, it’s a great formula for students of any age. In addition, this formula offers protection for the brain from exposure to environmental chemicals or pollutants by including herbs that have antioxidant properties which can cross the blood–brain barrier.
Nourish yourself: If you have not been taking care of yourself then consider supplementing with the herb Noni at this time of year. Noni supports the emotional aspects that many people have of constantly caring for others but neglecting caring for themselves. The energy of this plant helps you to connect with the natural cycles of the Earth; it’s a great herb to help you connect with the outdoors during gardening, hiking or bird watching. The herb reminds you to connect with the rhythms of the earth and helps you to open and develop your intuition. I prefer the whole herb form of Noni (#457-6) for this purpose which comes in the capsules this formula contains the roots, fruit and leaves of the Morinda plant, commonly known as Noni. Immune Support – An added benefit of taking the herb Noni as the fall weather approaches is that Noni offers excellent support to the immune system and has strong antioxidant properties. I like to take 3-4 capsules once or twice a day. It is wonderful to take when relaxing and is fine on an empty stomach. Noni is a tonic herb which means it nourishes and supports the body to balance itself and enhance energy. Because it is a gentle herb, it can be taken in much higher quantities if you are feeling run down and want to build your reserves back up. Noni helps to improve digestion which is another reason it is a good choice for this time of year. It has strong anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties and supports the structural system – so again this is a good herb to help you become more physically active while spending more time outdoors during the cool weather.
Nourish your digestion: if your digestive tract is off balance due to excessive worry and dwelling then the Formula Chinese Spleen Activator TCM (#1070-5) is a good choice. In Chinese medicine the Spleen refers to the organs of digestion including the stomach, pancreas and the actual spleen. The action of the Spleen in Chinese medicine is to convert our food we eat into energy to fuel the body. This gives us the energy to sustain our daily activities and activates our metabolism. Chinese Spleen Activator formula contains Chinese herbs which nourish the digestive process as well as herbs to support stress and build energy.
Balance your Sinuses: One of the main indicators of the change of seasons is the sudden drop in temperature at night and the resulting tickle or drainage in your throat. As this drainage becomes more pronounced, it becomes a welcome breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. The drainage can also leak into the ear canal causing plugged ears as well. As soon as the weather dips and cools like this I begin taking two burdock herb capsules every evening.
Burdock Root (#140-2) is a wonderful plant that comes to help in times of seasonal changes. Burdock helps to minimize the reaction to the temperature changes, and stops the over-secretion of mucus that causes all the problems. I found it very helpful to take a couple burdock capsules just before bed, it helps stop the sinus drainage that results from the overnight drop in temperature. If you are bothered by the fall allergies consider the formula Sinus Support EF (#1250-3) this formula contains the herb burdock so it helps with the sinus drainage from the change of seasons. It also contains herbs with expectorant and decongestant properties, as well as herbs to shrink swollen inflamed sinus passages and help fight infections. I have always found it very helpful for the fall allergies.
As we move into this beautiful time of year may we remember to embrace gratitude, for the gift of life we have been given. Gratitude helps to reduce the stress response and balance brain chemistry. Be grateful for the gifts our Earth provides, this wonderful planet that we live on. Practice Good self care –take time to create some special time for yourself. It is good to nourish the lives of others, but make sure you take the time to nourish and meet your own needs as well.
Direct your energy towards your goals and desires,
Visualize the outcome you are seeking, Feel it in your heart,
See through any clouds that lie before you,
Hold fast to your desires, treasure them, cherish them,
Commit to your path, the road map to your goals lies within you.
– Blessings, Valerie Greguire
Disclaimer: Supplement recommendations are not designed to treat a disease condition. Discussions are for educational purposes only. Supplements should be used to nourish and strengthen the natural function of the various body organs and systems so that they will have a greater capacity to heal themselves. It is not intended to replace your doctor's recommendations. Any questions or concerns that you have regarding existing medical conditions, or the use of medications with supplements, should be discussed with your nutritionally oriented medical doctor.
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