In a flash I had some thoughts on how I CAN do this every day and I wanted to share them with you.  

Take a look at the latest episode of Q 24 hr, Your Daily Dose of Vet Med Success to dive in.

Let me know if these thoughts help you to put our world into perspective and maybe even help you to feel empowered. You can reach me at pamela@healthyselfdvm.com .

Chinese medicine asserts that balance of the five elements of nature-wood, fire, earth, metal and water-allows for better health. The balance of these five elements is the basis for traditional chinese medicine which includes herbal treatments and acupuncture. The elements all coincide with a season. Wood is spring, fire is summer, earth is late summer, metal is fall and water is winter.

If we apply a holistic approach to our health, which definitely includes our mental health, we can use the outline of the 5 elements for creating harmony in each season.

We are now in autumn, which in chinese medicine is represented by metal. Autumn is a time to harvest the crops and prepare for winter. It is a time to make sure everything is ready and strong for the coming winter, it is a time to clean out unwanted things.

Metal is associated with purity – think about ore being forged and refined into steel that is strong and unbreakable. Metal is associated with air as well – the changing of one thing into another, movement, adaptability, purification.

Metal is associated with the lung and large intestines, both are organs of transformation and purification. The lungs take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide while the large intestine absorbs water, minerals and nutrients and expels the unwanted waste.

Autumn is a time of harvesting what has been sown and tendered, taking in all the necessary bounty and eliminating the unwanted, a time of change, a time of preparation.

There are traditional ways of eating in autumn based on the chinese agriculture such as more root vegetables, hearty foods, strong flavors like ginger and more water in the diet.

So today, I encourage you to immerse yourself in autumn with all of your senses. What does it feel like on your skin, what beautiful sights are there, what smells, what sounds, what foods do you appreciate in autumn?

Use this time to reflect on the harvest you have reaped this summer-what new projects were started, what family outings did you enjoy-and how can you glean strength and a deeper love for yourself and others because of what you experienced this summer.
Above all, take time to enjoy the new season and allow the ideas of harvesting the fruits of your labor create a new commitment to your health-physical, mental and spiritual.