Do You Need an Autumn Immunity Boost?

If you are like most of us, the summer of 2022 was all about reconnecting with friends and family that we haven’t seen in a long time.

And with that . . . comes the food of summer that certainly doesn’t do our digestion any favors! We here at Dedham Acupuncture have had our fair share of margaritas, ice cream, and baked beans (we call them candy beans in our house) this summer – have you too?

There’s no reason to feel guilty over the food you enjoyed alongside loved ones, but if you’re feeling low energy, brain fog, or just sort of “out of it” you might need to adjust your diet for fall! If you read our blog “The Fifth Season” from a few weeks back, you know that now is really the opportune time in Chinese Medicine to balance our digestion, which, in turn, can optimize our immune system. Gut bacteria and your immune system are directly related. Healthy gut bacteria will boost your immunity and keep you strong during the upcoming cold and flu season. If you’re going to cut down on anything, sugar should be top of your list! It may be yummy, but it can lead to all kinds of issues with your hormones, energy levels, and gut health. 

According to the Chinese Medicine calendar year, we have just entered the Autumn season. Autumn is the energetic time of the lungs and correlates with the respiratory system and overall immune system.  In the “Fifth Season,” we focused on digestion, which is still so important in the Autumn months. Keep eating root vegetables and winter squashes to re-colonize your gut and maintain your digestive fire. To build off of that and nourish your lungs directly, start to introduce foods that generate fluid like apples, pears, pumpkins, and soups! This will help your body internally balance the dry air that often causes colds and cases of flu. As you start to incorporate these foods into your diet, you will naturally crave them more instead of the sugary foods from Summer. 

If you need some additional help metabolizing fats from the summer, now is a great time to introduce supplements! We love the product AF Betafood from Standard Process. It is made with Whole Foods and not herbs, so it can be taken with a variety of medications.  It is particularly useful for people who feel like they have “stuck food” in their gut and struggle with constipation.  If you are struggling with sugar cravings after this Summer,  we also love the herb Gymnema from Standard Process which cuts cravings! Take 2 tablets three times a day for 2 weeks – you will no longer crave sugar. At all. Like, won’t even crave the Oreo Pumpkin ice creams at Ron’s Gourmet in Dedham Square. Just saying!

Autumn is a transitional season, preparing and leading us to Winter. What we do to control our sugar cravings now and reset our digestion is going to set us up for success during the holidays.  Remember that cold you always got around Thanksgiving (before the Pandemic and masking)?  Yup – that was set in motion by the 24 fun-size snickers bars you ate at Halloween that you pilfered from your kiddo’s candy bags. Aiding your body and immune system with nourishing foods that target your digestion and respiratory system will set you up for a successful rest of the year.  Remember, the sugar we eat now comes home to roost in November and December with our immune system.

 

What will you do differently this year?