Down to Earth: Nourishing Point Prescriptions to Help Patients During the Fall and Winter Months
Craig Williams, LAc, AHG
"If we then regulate our daily lives by adjusting them to the prevailing energy of the seasons, if we avoid exposure to extreme cold and extreme heat, if we eat and drink in regular intervals, if we protect our Shen by avoiding states of extreme anger or extreme ecstasy, and if we strive for balance by living in moderation during all four seasons, there will be peace. Otherwise, the Spleen and Stomach will suffer harm, and our True Qi will leak downward in trickles or currents, with the possibility of failing to rise again. This, then, would be like having Autumn and Winter but no Spring and Summer, and a situation would arise in which the function of birth and growth are muffled by the Qi of death and extinction. Naturally, all kinds of diseases would arise from such a situation." — Li Dong-Yuan, Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach
The concept of prevention is important when the seasons begin to turn a bit colder and darker. I always teach patients how to slowly transition their diet and daily routines to harmonize with the fall season and prepare the body for the coming winter months. The concept of using acupuncture to help patients harmonize with the seasons is also an important point of discussion with patients.
You are no doubt familiar with the idea of using ST 36 with needling and moxa as preventative medicine; however, many other important acupuncture points are just as important for boosting immunity and vitality. Let's discuss one of my favorite acupuncture point combinations to use in the fall and winter seasons to help prevent seasonal maladies that can lead to immune system issues.
Nourishing the Spleen and Stomach
Nourishing the spleen and stomach during the fall and winter months is paramount for building up the body at the deepest levels. The spleen and stomach digest food, which then is transformed into qi and blood and circulated throughout the body for diverse functions. Two important concepts related to the spleen and stomach are the creation of wei qi and the production of dampness resulting from poor digestion due to weak spleen / stomach function.
If the spleen / stomach are not functioning efficiently, wei qi is weak and dampness becomes an etiological factor. This leads to poor functioning of the immune system, as well as potential issues with the respiratory system if seasonal disturbances do occur.
Earth creates metal in the TCM five-element system, meaning the spleen supports the lungs. Therefore, keeping the spleen / stomach healthy can have important implications for lung heath during the fall / winter seasons.
Ren 12 + Ren 6 + Sp 9 + Sp 3
During the fall and winter seasons, I use the following acupuncture point prescription to boost and strengthen the spleen / stomach organs: Ren 12 + Ren 6 + Sp 9 + Sp 3. This acupuncture point combination deeply nourishes the spleen / stomach organs, prevents the complicating factor of dampness due to poor digestion, and nourishes earth to generate metal, helping support the lungs.
The foundational points of this prescription are Ren 12 and Sp 3. Ren 12 is the front mu point of the stomach, as well as an intersection point of the Ren channel with the small intestine, triple burner, and stomach channels. Sp 3 is the earth point of the spleen channel, as well as the shu-stream and yuan source point.
The combination of these two points, Ren 12 and Sp 3, deeply nourishes the spleen / stomach organs and consequently the lung organ via the five-element generative cycle. The combination of Ren 6 and Sp 9 has the cumulative actions of circulating and draining fluids.
The entire point prescription effectively nourishes the spleen / stomach organs and circulates qi and fluids, both preventing and treating potential dampness resulting from poor digestion, as well as qi stagnation. In patients who exhibit strong cold signs or present with constitutional weakness manifesting as chronic signs of coldness or dampness, clinicians can use moxibustion on all points during needling or as a stand-alone treatment.
Of course, the acupuncture point ST 36 can easily be added to the point prescription if needed with needling and moxibustion alike. If strong signs of liver depression are presenting along with weak spleen / stomach, the point Liv 3 can easily be added to the point combination as well.
Clinical Takeaway
I use this point prescription for all patients with a tendency to suffer from upper respiratory tract infections or chronic lung weakness as preventive therapy during the fall and winter months.
Patients also tend to eat larger meals and heavier foods during the fall and winter; this point prescription can provide relief for many digestive maladies, as well as boost overall vitality. I hope you find this earth-nourishing point combination inspiring and use the prescription during the seasonal transition from fall into winter to help boost the spleen / stomach. The Earth may be growing darker, but as practitioners we can keep the earth element warm and bright, deeply nourishing our patients.
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