Westgarth Chinese Medicine Centre

The forces of winter create cold in Heaven and water on Earth. They create the kidney organ and the bones within the body… the emotion fear, and the ability to make a groaning sound.

~ Inner Classic 

The winter has begun with us still immersed in a world wide pandemic. The change upon change continues and even the way we say hello and goodbye has been affected. It has been called  ’a new normal’, and while we establish our days in different ways, the seasons continue to ebb and flow.

Winter, winter, with it’s shorter days and darker nights. It is an odd offering, a welcome invitation to go inward. Winter is the end of all seasons, and in traditional chinese medicine it is said to unify with winter we should emphasise the yin principle. That is, to...

David Bowie famously sang:

Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
There's gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

Was he a Prophet in great 70's glam and incredible make up? Many people would argue that he was, but regardless of opinion, the idea within that lyric 'Turn and face the Strange'  embodies a kind of acceptance to the reality of what is. And here we stand, all trying to place ourselves in positions of clarity within the reality as the entire world comes to terms with what is going on.

In Victoria stage three of the lockdown has been announced with no more than 2 being allowed at ‘group ga...

Bees

on sunflower disc
bees rummage in zenith sun
reaping the nectar

~Diana Richardson

In summer, in the south, we have experienced heat, cold, rain, snow, and fires to devastating effect. We have sped through this summer season, and have arrived at autumn.

The start of a season brings with it new things, an awakening to old things or a new perspective to such things, because it is defined by being different to what was. Summer brings the heat to our days and our ways while Autumn carries a subtle warmth and welcoming, a step away from the complete open and expanse of the summer heat. 

2020 also saw us reunite with the astrological Year of The Metal Rat. The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals, it represents movement with speed, action, det...

clivias

bell-shaped buds of green
blossom in cinnabar-red
chime sounds in the breeze

~Diana Richardson

We have just passed through the Spring Equinox, which signals that there is more light in our days. The first signs of spring have entered with the sight of blooms and the smell of jasmine in the air.

Melbourne has come alive with communal art and thoughts and insight. A conscious sprawling of positivity and hope for change.

The Melbourne Writers Festival this year was centred around the heart and many shows at the Melbourne Fringe Festival are shouting ideas of equality, quality, while many more are filled with hope and joy- loud music, pumping sounds, dance.  On the Friday week just passed, over 100,000 people marched the streets in unison with...

Haiki 1

The voice of winter

Reverberates in the trees

Remnant leaves whisper

~Diana Richardson

Winter is the end of all seasons, the time of year to hibernate, withdraw, remove. Our bodies thicken and slow, as we protect ourselves from the cold. To unify with winter, we emphasis the yin principle of becoming more receptive, introspective, and storage oriented. Cold and darkness drive us to seek inner warmth with the idea to rest, to meditate, to refine the spiritual essence and to store physical energy.

The Kidney and Bladder are the organ systems associated with Winter, as is the element of Water.

Water represents the concept of flowing, free, yet it's emotional association is fear- which contracts the body. Like the kidneys, fear is deeply rooted, an...

Autumn, the time of harvest, contemplation, inward retraction and a gathering together on all levels. A time to store up on fuel, food, warmth, study and plan for the approaching stillness of winter. Autumn is the time of imminent withdrawal, as the leaves fall from the trees colouring our streets with that beautiful autumn hue, we are reminded of the beauty of all of the life cycle that our seasons in this state, represent. Life, death, renewal, stillness and its cycle which begins again.

Autumn is aligned with the element of Metal and the organ systems of Lung and Large intestine- intake and outtake- and of letting go. Always an easier task to say than to do, but the simple act of consciously breathing deeply into and out of the lungs connects...

Summer - the season of fire and heat, as represented so eloquently in Chinese
medicine, is governed by the organs the Heart and its yang pairing The Small
Intestine.

The Heart is the mental, emotional, and spiritual centre of the person, and it processes our life experiences accordingly. The Small Intestine receives deep nourishment from what we put into our system (physically, mentally and emotionally) and distributes it into our lives. Together these organ systems are at their peak in summer and embody the concepts of 'having heart', 'following your heart' and being able to 'receive and distribute' the rich tapestry of life.

The summer months ask us to express the yang principles of expansion, growth,
lightness, outw...

Spring is a new beginning- the time to rise early with the sun and take brisk walks shaking off the slumber of the winter months. The Chinese Classics remind us that spring encourages yang activities like brisk movement, reflecting the uprising and active nature of spring.

Food becomes simpler in the spring, it’s a good time to lighten the diet . Raw and sprouted foods can be emphasised, things like; young plants, fresh greens, immature wheat or other cereal grasses. Salty foods and meats, and heavy foods tend to clog the liver and gall bladder in spring- the yin/yang organ associated with spring.

The liver and the gall bladder not only occupy a place in the physical body but run the length of our bodies through our legs, torso, arm...

We are in the depths of the winter once again and some people, like myself, associate winter with skiing - Hooray! But for many it is associated with the ‘winter blues’. Some people are much more affected than others, going into apathy and depression. 

Chinese medicine gives us a unique perspective into the effects of the winter on people:

• In winter KIDNEY YANG energy is overused. Kidney Yang is the warm energy as well as the ZEST for life. The ‘Let’s do' principle. So of course if Kidney Yang is depleted people can be plunged into the grey areas of life.

• The "Four cold extremities syndrome” is prevalent with some people which leads to bad circulation and bad overall Qi nourishment.

• “Heart Fire” can be over exhausted by the cold we...

Some of the most susceptible candidates for an Autoimmune disease are what I call "The Beautiful People". They are the ones who:

• Really push themselves

• Work 60-80 hours per week

• If they are sick, they still go to the next meeting, meet the deadline

• Do a few things at the same time

• The simple "No, I can't do this" does not enter their mind as a possibility

• They are usually peace makers and keepers in the family, at work and with friends

• Their shoulder is always there to cry on

I love these people and that is why I call them "The Beautiful People"- but they are much more likely to get an auto immune disease. 
Then all we need is a trigger: common cold, family problems, sickness in the family or with friends, bad...