Our weather here in the Twin Cities drastically changed. Cold and windy all week. Dress warm. Your health depends on it. We’re talking about pathogenic Wind in Chinese Medicine. Let me explain.
Chinese medicine considers the forces of nature possibly pathogenic especially if your body is compromised. Cold causes contraction can often causes pain. Wind can be a devil. Wind can cause many problems including but not limited to colds, allergies, dizziness, vertigo, and muscle spasms.
Let me give you an example. I was taking a walk last night. I hadn’t realized how windy it really was. When the sun shined it was nice, but once you got out into the open areas the wind was quite powerful. I was wearing a sweater that was quite porous. Should of worn a wind breaker. Anyway I completed my walk and then retired later that night.
I slept deeply for a couple of hours. But I then was woken up by some intense muscle cramps and a headache. These were the result of exposure to wind during my walk.
By the way wind can be a pernicious force either naturally or artificially. So having fans blowing on you either at work or while you sleep can create problems too.
So, the remedy is to dress warmly. Especially cover up your neck from the wind. Why? In acupuncture there are some acupuncture points that are susceptible to wind invasion. One example is Gallbadder 20 located in back of the neck as depicted in the illustration above. The name of the point is “Wind Pool.” The name refers to the place where external pathogenic wind can easily enter and gather before penetrating deeper into the body. Wind can seriously cause havoc in your body. Just like wind from mother nature the symptoms of wind can come on suddenly and even leave suddenly. And they can move from area to area in the body.
Wind rarely acts alone; it can combine with other pernicious elements of nature, which often makes the condition worse. In Chinese medicine, External Pathogenic Wind is considered the “spearhead” of disease. It acts as the vehicle that carries outside pathogens, like viruses, past your body’s defensive layers, leading to illness.
When Wind combines with other pathogens, it creates specific syndromes:
-
Wind-Dampness: This manifests as achy, heavy joints caused by wind and dampness invading the body. There is stiffness and a limited range of motion. Because wind is characterized by movement, the pain or discomfort can move from one joint to a different part of the body.
-
Wind-Heat: This can manifest as a cold or flu with a sore throat, fever, chills (predominantly fever), thirst, and/or a headache. It can also manifest as allergies with an itchy nose, throat, and ears.
The Danger of Indoor Wind and Drafts
You do not have to be outside in a storm to be exposed to External Wind. In Chinese medicine, artificial fans blowing directly on your body, especially the back of the neck, can cause disease. A classic example is Bell’s Palsy, historically known as “chauffeur’s disease” because drivers would operate vehicles with the window rolled down slightly. The constant draft of wind invading the face resulted in uncontrollable spasms. Today, sleeping under a ceiling fan or sitting beneath an AC vent can create the exact same vulnerability.
Internal Wind
Distinct from weather or drafts, Internal Wind is generated within the body itself. This can cause dizziness, vertigo, spasms, and facial numbness. This can result in neurological conditions such as Meniere’s disease, trigeminal neuralgia, and Bell’s Palsy.
Spring is associated with the Wood element in Chinese medicine and also the Liver and Gallbladder. Spring tends to be a windy season which stirs up symptoms like allergies, headaches, dizziness, vertigo and spasms. If you suffer from any of these symptoms call us to discuss how we can help. Call our Edina acupuncture clinic at 952-831-8080 or reach us at https://orientalmedcare.com/contact/ .
