Kick Off Fall the Right Way

Maybe You know how it is. A cool evening on the patio, a car window rolled down, and three days later, you’ve got a stiff neck. You think you should have brought your jacket.

It's not the jacket. It's the weeks between the first cool evening and the first frost. During this time, your body switches from summer to winter mode, and while it's doing that, it's more vulnerable than usual.

Of course, persistent symptoms and ongoing weakness should be treated by a doctor. As for everything else, this recurring vulnerability is not a matter of fate, but a matter of timing.

In Chinese medicine you're wearing a second skin. It's called Wei-Qi, and it is your defensive energy—a protective shield that circulates just beneath the skin.

It regulates the pores and opens them when it's warm. It closes them when it's cold. It controls sweating and maintains body temperature. And it traps external factors like wind and cold on the surface before they penetrate deeper.

What is remarkable about this protective cloak is that it does not come from a single source. The ancient texts describe it as a fire that requires three things.

Its roots lie in the Kidney. There, in the Bottom Heater, lies the ember from which the heat rises in the first place. Chinese medicine calls it the "fire of life.".

It is nourished from the center. Get energy from what you eat Spleen and Stomach the Qi, from which the protective cloak is woven. That is why a warm meal in the fall is not a matter of comfort, but a necessity.

It is distributed by the Lung. It is the organ that governs the skin and pores. It draws qi from the center and spreads it across the entire surface, like a cloth spread over a table.

If you keep these three levels in mind, you'll also understand why, in the next sections, you're advised to eat a warm breakfast, cover your neck, and soak your feet in water in the evening. These are three different approaches to the same thing.

ℹ️ Note: When Chinese medicine refers to the kidneys, spleen, or lungs, it is referring to energetic systems rather than the anatomical organs.

Imagine, you're renovating your house. You tear out the old windows before the new ones are installed. For a few days, you're left with gaping holes in the wall, and wind, rain, and cold come pouring in unchecked.

That's exactly how your body feels during these weeks.

In the summer, everything was wide open. The pores were open, sweat was flowing, and the heat could escape. That was just right, because it was warm outside. But now that the days are getting cooler, the surface needs to become more closed off again, and the energy must move from the outside to the inside.

This transition takes time. And it is precisely during this phase—when the old windows have been removed but the new ones haven't been installed yet—that the wind blows against an open wall.

Those who have been eating cold foods all summer are having a harder time now. That’s because an exhausted center produces less of the qi from which the protective shield is woven. This isn’t a weakness. It’s work that’s currently underway.

While Western medicine refers to viruses, Chinese medicine describes three external factors, that occur at the change of seasons. And it specifies exactly the order in which this happens.

1. WIND is the door opener. It always comes first, and it makes the surface receptive to everything that comes after it. That is why, in Chinese medicine, treatment almost always begins at the neck. That is where the point is located Fēng Chí, literally “wind pond.” If you wake up with a stiff neck after a drafty evening, the wind has already found its way in. It comes suddenly, and what it sets in motion spreads.
2. The COLD follows him. It draws together what was open and slows everything down: blood circulation, digestion, movement on the surface. It is the factor that makes you feel cold without breaking a sweat and awakens a craving for something hot.
3. DRYNESS is the defining characteristic of fall. It’s the opposite of the muggy summer humidity, and it targets the very lungs that provide your protective barrier. Dryness doesn’t block the barrier—it makes it brittle. The scratchy throat without mucus, the dry nose in the morning, the chapped lips as soon as the heat comes on. And a brittle barrier tears more easily than a supple one.

If you notice the wind at your back early on, you'll have an easier time dealing with it. If you wait, you'll have to deal with all three later on.

There are Three observations that will tell you more during this time than any calendar ever could.

The change in weather. If you feel more tired than usual on days when the weather changes, it means your body is working at its limit and has less energy left for anything else.

Sweating. If you start sweating with minimal exertion and then feel cold right away afterward, it means your surface is more exposed than it should be. The ancient texts call this a sign that your protective layer has become thin.

The neck. If you're stiffer in the morning than you are in the summer, that's the area where your body is working the hardest right now.

None of this is a diagnosis. It’s an invitation to be a little more mindful of yourself over the next few weeks.

Chinese Medicine It doesn't give you a pill to help you cope with the change of seasons. Instead, it gives you three habits that target each of the three layers of your protective shield.

That sounds trite, and yet it is still the most effective technique of the entire fall. In Chinese medicine, the neck and upper back are the points where the wind enters the body. One point there is even literally called “Wind Pond”—the Acupuncture Point Gb 20.

So: Keep a scarf handy as soon as it gets cooler in the evening. Never go outside with wet hair. Don't point the air conditioner at your neck or shoulders. And when you sleep with the window open, position it so the draft doesn't blow on the back of your neck.

Click here Focus on the center—that is, on the raw ingredients. In the fall, the spleen and stomach prefer warm, cooked foods because that’s how they most easily draw Qi from them. Think porridge, congee, or steamed fruit with cinnamon. Cold smoothies and yogurt on an empty stomach cost the center more than they provide.

The same principle applies for lunch and dinner: cooked vegetables, soups, and stews, served with lukewarm drinks instead of ice-cold ones.

If you like, you can add the ginger here instead of putting it in your evening tea. In China, they say that three slices of ginger in the morning are worth more than a bowl of ginseng soup.

The reason for this is simple: Ginger directs heat outward, and in the morning, that's where it wants to go anyway. In the evening, it should take the opposite path—inward and downward—so you can find peace.

And here It's all about the root. The feet are the part of the body farthest from the heat. According to Chinese medicine, when they cool down, the energy of the kidneys cools down as well—and with it, the very root from which your protective layer draws its warmth.

A bowl of warm—not hot—water, ankle-deep, for ten to fifteen minutes late in the evening. If you like, add a piece of ginger. Then dry off, put on warm socks, and go to bed. It’s one of the oldest evening rituals known to Chinese medicine, and it costs you nothing but the time you’d be spending on the couch anyway.

If you go to bed earlier afterward, you’ll be doing the transition a second favor. Chinese medicine explains that Wei-Qi circulates on the surface during the day and moves inward at night.

Staying up late actually shortens the very time when it builds up. That's why going to bed early in the fall is just as much a part of a foot bath as warm socks.

If you If you’re going to try just one new thing this fall, make it this. Three points—each takes just under a minute—right after you wake up. Two of them are located on the back of your neck, where the wind enters. The third is on your arm and belongs to the lung meridian—the organ that distributes your protective energy.

Gb 20 (Fēng Chí) — the Wind Pond

The most important shot against the wind. If you're going to make just one, make this one.

You'll find it at the back of the head, in the two indentations at the lower edge of the skull, to the left and right of the neck muscles. Place both thumbs inside them and massage vigorously in a circular motion for about forty-five seconds. Ancient texts attribute to it the ability to dispel both internal and external wind and to clear the mind.

Bl 10 (Tiān Zhù) — the pillar of heaven

It’s located roughly at the hairline, on the outside of the neck muscle you can feel, a good distance below Gb 20. Apply moderate pressure for about thirty seconds. It’s said to relieve gas and strengthen the neck—which is exactly the area your scarf covers anyway.

Lu 07 (Liè Quē) — the interrupted sequence

This is the point associated with this entire topic. It is located on the forearm on the thumb side, about two finger-widths above the crease of the wrist, at the edge between the inner and outer sides. Just thirty seconds, and apply gentle pressure. Ancient texts say that it sets the defensive qi in motion and dispels wind. It bears this name because it is the only point on its meridian that deviates from its course.

Three minutes, every morning. That's all it takes.

🧭 You can find all three points, along with video instructions, in our free acupuncture atlas: 👉 www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturatlas

Fall It's not the season you just get through. It's the season that makes you pay attention.

What trees know: If you draw up the sap in time, you’ll make it through the winter. What your body knows: What you protect now will sustain you later.

You don't have to stop this transition. You just have to be there for it. With a scarf as soon as the sun goes down. With a warm breakfast. With your feet in warm water in the evening. And with three minutes in the morning that cost you nothing but the decision to do them.

Just close the door today before he moves in. That's all.

In October, we'll go deeper. We'll focus on the lungs and the large intestine—the pair associated with autumn—and on how you can not only maintain your protective layer but also build it up for the entire winter.

🎥 Live Qigong with a Focus on TCM, every Monday: Starting September 14, we'll be practicing together through the metal, with a new sequence on a specific theme each week. The sessions will be live and open to everyone, and will later be available in the playlist for channel members.
👉 www.youtube.com/@EinfachbesserLeben

🧭 The Acupuncture Atlas: You'll find all three points from this post there, along with video instructions, plus 78 more, organized by meridian. It's free and requires no registration. 👉 www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturatlas

📜 The Newsletter: The Yellow Emperor, Qi Bo, and Dr. Weber in conversation. Every month, a topic, an insight, and a tool you can try out that very evening. 👉 www.meine-tcm.com/newsletter-anmeldung