The Bad News Winter Blues

February and March exist in that quiet in-between space: the motivation of January has faded, the promise of spring hasn’t arrived, and the days are still shaped by cold temperatures, and limited sunlight. The ongoing uncertainty reflected in global headlines, paired with infrequent sunshine, frigid temperatures, and oppressive snow showers, has resulted in a low-grade but persistent sense of unease.

While we’re all well-versed in the foundational advice—regular exercise, proper nutrition, and a good night’s sleep—there are quieter, often overlooked daily habits that can gently but powerfully renew our energy. Going for walks, even in the cold, provides daylight exposure and rhythmic movement that soothes the nervous system. Singing (yes, even badly) stimulates the vagus nerve and lifts mood. Meeting with friends—whether face-to-face or through a simple phone call—helps regulate emotions through connection. And moments of quiet reflection or meditation allow the mind to settle, creating space between us and the constant stream of external noise.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, fluctuating moods and the “winter blues” often stem from constrained qi, particularly within the Liver system. When Liver qi becomes stagnant, emotions such as frustration, sadness, or irritability can surface and linger. Acupuncture works to gently release this constraint, restoring smooth flow throughout the body. At the same time, treatment supports the dynamic relationship between the Heart and Kidney systems—known as the Shao Yin axis. When this communication is strong, the Heart (which houses the shen, or spirit) feels anchored and calm, while the Kidneys provide the deep reserves needed for emotional resilience during winter’s inward, conserving season.
Chinese herbal medicine offers additional support through time-tested formulas that address both the emotional and physical aspects of low mood:

Xiao Yao San (Free & Easy Wanderer)

This formula is used to soothe Liver qi stagnation while supporting the Spleen and nourishing blood—an important combination when stress affects digestion and emotional balance.

Key herbs include:

  • Chai Hu (Bupleurum)– moves Liver qi and relieves emotional constraint
  • Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis)– nourishes and moves blood, supporting emotional flexibility
  • Bai Shao (White peony root)– softens Liver tension and calms irritability
  • Bai Zhu (Atractylodes)& Fu Ling (Poria) – support digestion and prevent emotional stress from depleting energy
  • Gan Cao (Licorice)– harmonizes the formula

Xiao Yao San is often helpful when low mood is accompanied by tension, PMS-like symptoms, digestive changes, or emotional ups and downs.

Ba Zhen Tang (Eight Treasures Decoction)

Ba Zhen Tang is a deeply nourishing formula that builds both qi and blood, making it appropriate when emotional low mood is rooted in depletion rather than stagnation.

Key herbs include:

  • Ren Shen (Ginseng)or Dang Shen – strengthens qi and mental clarity
  • Bai Zhu& Fu Ling – support digestion and energy production
  • Dang Gui– nourishes blood and emotional vitality
  • Shu Di Huang (Prepared Rehmannia)– deeply nourishes blood and yin
  • Bai Shao– supports blood and calms the nervous system
  • Chuan Xiong– ensures nourishment moves smoothly

This formula is often used when sadness is accompanied by fatigue, weakness, brain fog, pale complexion, or a sense of emotional depletion.

Kai Xin San (Open the Heart Powder)

Traditionally used to “open the Heart orifices,” Kai Xin San supports clarity, emotional connection, and gentle uplift when the spirit feels heavy or withdrawn.

Key herbs include:

  • Ren Shen– supports mental clarity and emotional resilience
  • Fu Ling– calms the spirit and stabilizes emotions
  • Yuan Zhi (Polygala)– enhances Heart–Kidney communication and emotional connection
  • Shi Chang Pu (Acorus)– clears mental fog and supports focus

Kai Xin San is often considered when low mood presents with forgetfulness, rumination, emotional withdrawal, or a sense of disconnection. Each formula is selected and modified based on the individual, ensuring treatment matches not just the symptoms, but the underlying pattern.

Winter can be heavy—but it is also temporary. In nature and in our bodies, change is always happening, even when it’s not immediately visible. Energy begins to stir long before spring announces itself. With the right support, this season can become a time of restoration rather than endurance. And yes—this too shall pass.

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Menopause & Traditional Chinese Medicine

It’s no secret that menopause is a game changer. From low sex drive, hot flashes, irritability, anxiety, and joint pain—this time in a woman’s life brings on drastic changes. Thankfully, there is more support than ever as channels of communication open, prompting an exchange of insights and information, and strengthening the bonds of sisterhood as we face these changes together.

What Does Traditional Chinese Medicine Say About It?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine principals, our lives are maintained by the balance of yin and yang energies. Those energies are constantly transforming our bodies from birth—a time when yin energy dominates; to adolescence where our yang energy flourishes; moving through adulthood— a time of relative balance. In our final stage of maturation, marked by menopause, both yin and yang energies withdraw from their external expression, to enter back into the source of our Being—until it is time again for the next big transformation.

Assistance Vs. Resistance

“Resist nothing.” Many philosophies from Taoism to Non-Dualism advise this. But rather than resigning oneself to the inevitable, it is a call to a certain inner freedom that allows us to engage in this constant transformation of energy in a way that assists its natural flow rather than resisting it. This theory is what Traditional Chinese Medicine aims to accomplish. The needles are not magic wands—though at times they can appear to be, but instead tuning forks that can help direct the flow of qi and harmonize the substances in the body. In relation to menopause and perimenopause—the yin and yang hormones (estrogen and progesterone relative to one another), are fluctuating drastically while the body transforms from a reproductive to a non-reproductive state.

Acupuncture and herbs can support the yin and yang energies to reduce stagnation and supply nourishment to relieve the symptoms. Including:

  • Hot flashes and night sweats: Acupuncture can help regulate the hypothalamus, which is involved in temperature control, and balance hormone fluctuations. Phytoestrogens found in herbs like Black Cohosh or Dong Quai mimic estrogen and can help with symptoms related to estrogen decline.
  • Mood swings, anxiety, and depression: By promoting the release of endorphins and regulating stress hormones like cortisol, acupuncture can alleviate mood disturbances.
  • Improving sleep and calming the mind: Acupuncture can improve sleep quality by calming the nervous system and addressing underlying imbalances. Herbs like Zizyphus (Suan Zao Ren) and Valerian can enhance relaxation and deepen sleep.
  • Fatigue and low energy: Stimulating certain acupoints may boost overall energy levels and reduce lethargy.
    Relieving stress and mood issues: Adaptogenic herbs like Astragalus (Huang Qi) and Ginseng (Ren Shen) can help improve resilience to stress.

Thoughts On Hormone Replacement Therapy

Many women are on the fence about whether or not hormone therapy is a sound treatment for them. In general, TCM theory does not support impeding the natural results part and parcel with the flow of time. The aim is to resolve stagnation, strengthen deficiency, reduce excess and facilitate tempered transitions throughout life. However, compounded by imbalances in our environment and our lifestyles—many women experience drastic changes that are unnecessarily extreme. Severe symptoms can be so disruptive that day to day functioning becomes a challenge. In these cases, weighing out the risks and benefits is essential to discerning what combination of treatments offer the effective support.

One of the things I love about what I do is the constant exchange of experiences, insights, and information that have helped me improve my TCM practice—and I am happy to share:

  • Mel Robbins w/ Dr. Jen Gunter MD-Menopause Podcast Link Podcast w/ host Mel Robbins and guest Dr. Gunter discussing latest HRT research. Great information to help you weigh out your options along with your doctor.
  • Equilibriahc.com – Visit Website Dr. Karm Hans ND is a compassionate Naturopath who can help make sense of your bloodwork and discuss any nutrient deficiencies you may have. Both In Person and Virtual appointments are available.
  • Outdoor Fitness Toronto – Visit Website Combining strength training, cardio, and nature, this outdoor fitness program gives you a great workout while you take in fleeting moments of sunlight. Don’t let the cold weather deter you—you’ll warm up within the first 5 minutes!
  • Seabuckthorn Berry Oil – Article Link Rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins A, E, B1, B2, K, and high in rare Omega—taken internally and topically for cell membrane repair, improves skin, and promotes liver, vaginal and GI health.
  • Athletic Greens (AG1) Canada – Visit Website Daily super green food drink containing digestible forms of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. Some patients have reported less bloating and abdominal discomfort.

Other Mentionalbes:

Vitamin D3, B Complex- including B12, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Calcium, Glutathione, Creatine

Note: It is useful to check for nutrient deficiencies before supplementing, especially in the case of Iron, B 12, Calcium, and D. Also, if you are taking a food supplement like AG1, check to see which supplements are already being provided.

Don’t forget to make time for yourself and connect with friends and family — it’s powerful medicine!

Menopause and perimenopause resources. Scientific research on HRT. Helpful resources Naturopathic insights, outdoor fitness, superfoods, such as Athletic Greens, Seabuckthorn Berry Oil.

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A Walk On The Dark Side

Happy Samhain (sow-in)!  Samhain is the Celtic tradition from which our present day Halloween originates.  Over 2,000 years ago the Celts prepared for the hard winter ahead with a festival where they would gather around sacred bonfires dressed in costumes of various animals, offering sacrifices to ward off the danger of illness, invasion, and the scarcity of food that came with their cold and damp winters.

Now, with the comforts of modern advances like electricity, winters don’t pose the same threat that they once did.  Aside from the nuisance of more frequent colds and the travel hindrances, most of us get along just fine during this time.  Today’s kid friendly version is celebrated with creepy spiders and skeleton decorations, pumpkin carving, and of course every parent’s favourite part…trick or treating for pounds of candy.  Our present day tradition, although far less intense, still affords us the same opportunity as its originator.

We have surrounded ourselves with reminders of the dark side of life, and of our own mortality. Through costumes and candy we have found a playful way not only to face our darkest fears, but to celebrate them.  Most of our daily lives are spent avoiding this aspect of life.  So, does this holiday have more to offer us than what meets the eye?

All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) is said to be the day where the veil between the living and the dead is thinned and communication between the two is made easier.  In a more practical sense, one could see this as a time to give some attention to the dark side of our nature.  In Taoism, the root of much of Traditional Chinese Medicine, life is seen as a blending of yin (dark) and yang (light) nature.  You cannot have one without the other.  If we set our attention, our look upon, only one aspect, we will confine ourselves to an imbalanced psychological framework.  This contributes much to the social emotional dysfunction we see around us and within us.

Well known psychiatrist, Carl Jung developed the idea of the “shadow”, the aspect of ourselves forced to retreat into the dark recesses of our subconscious, kept away from our daily lives in order to maintain socially acceptable interactions with each other.  According to Jung, “the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational is prone to psychological projection, in which a perceived personal inferiority is recognized as a perceived moral deficiency in someone else.”[1]

Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one’s personality, the shadow is largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects that may also remain hidden in one’s shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem, anxieties, and false beliefs).[1]

In his words,  “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.”[2]

For more insight, check out the youtube clip of Alan Watts’ commentary on Carl Jung’s theory below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVyg_I0uGo

Attempts to face our shadow can be haunting (I had to do it).  However, if we approach our dark side with an attitude that is free of judgement and full of kindness, we may find an opening for the light to come in and play with the darkness.

As we walk in the darkness of neighbourhoods tonight, perhaps we will be reminded that it is possible to navigate the dark side within each of us.

Wishing you a Happy Halloween!

[1] Young-Eisendrath, P. and Dawson, T. (1997). The Cambridge Companion to Jung., Cambridge University Press, p. 319

[2] Jung, C.G. (1938). “Psychology and Religion.” In CW 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East. p. 131

 

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Is It A Cold, Or Is It Allergies?

Is It A Cold, Or Is It Allergies? – How Knowing The Difference Can Speed Recovery

The change in season has finally arrived and our bodies have already begun adjusting to the drier air and cooler temperatures. It is at this time that I see an increase in patients coming in complaining of headache, nasal congestion, frequent sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, and dry throat. Before I reach for classic formulas such as “cong chi tang” or “yin qiao san”, I must consider that these symptoms could be the result of seasonal allergies.

Often, what appears as an invasion of the TCM pattern known as wind-cold, wind-heat, or wind-dryness, can often be the body’s response to an increase of allergens in the environment. I learned this first hand when treating patients in Fenton, MI, a town known to the locals as the “allergy belt of the U.S.”. I found Chinese formulas such as “chuan xiong cha tiao san”, “cang er zi san”, and “yu ping feng san” the most helpful.

Both allergies and colds usually present with headache, nasal congestion, mild cough, and watery eyes, however there are some symptoms that are more indicative of a cold. The right diagnosis and treatment brings about a prompt alleviation of symptoms. Cold  Symptoms To Look For 1) Alternating fever and chills 2) Body aches and stiffness 3) A high temperature 4) Throat pain that is more severe These symptoms are not typical of allergies, which tend to produce a lot of head symptoms from post nasal drip. In either case, the immune system is being taxed and can benefit from some support. How to gear up for this season’s demands on our immune system?

  • Give yourself a little more time at night and get to sleep earlier.
  • Eat well, and include a soup each week that uses a chicken or vegetable stock as the base.
  • Take Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate 1 – 5 grams per day.
  • Take Vitamin A daily or every other day. Cod Liver Oil provides an excellent source.
  • Drink 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1/2 cup of water in the morning and late afternoon.
  • Drink water throughout the day to help your body eliminate its’ toxin stores.
  • Get a few weekly acupuncture treatments to promote a stronger immune system.

These simple actions will help get you through the allergy and cold season in good health! Michal Metcalfe

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