Dr. Na Zhai Clinic Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

Stay Warm

 

Two months ago, I accepted a new patient—the wife of a colleague. An elegant woman, she had endured long-term pain in her lower back and knees. During her consultation, when I gently advised her to stop drinking ice water, her expression shifted to one of profound surprise and puzzlement. That look has stayed with me ever since.

Lately, the cold weather has sent many people to the Emergency Room, most with cardiac issues. Modern medicine has clear protocols: high cholesterol leads to blocked vessels, followed by prescribing statins, anticoagulants, and implant stents. In an emergency, these interventions are logical and life-saving. Yet, we rarely pause to ask the foundational questions: What is the root cause? And what can we do to guard ourselves from this vicious cycle from the start?

Our body is an incredibly intricate microcosm, a masterpiece of natural engineering. It operates by its own profound laws and possesses an innate capacity for self-healing. As The Yellow Emperor's Classic, Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM, teaches, the heart is the ruler of the body, the sun of our personal universe. Its yang energy—its warming, animating force—allows our organs and tissues to thrive. With every beat, the heart does not merely pump blood; it distributes vital warmth throughout our being.

When the body is subjected to cold, internally or externally, our blood vessels constrict like pipes in winter. Blood flow slows and thickens. Imagine your home's water pipes freezing. You might frantically tap the pipes or replace a section, but if the house itself remains icy, the pipes will freeze again. So it is with our bodies. Modern medicine focuses on the "pipe" (the blood vessel) without addressing the "climate" of the body itself.

I recall a patient with purple-black lips, who described a heavy, oppressive weight on his chest. The slightest movement or a breath of cold air would trigger a sharp, radiating pain. A TCM diagnosis revealed an excess of internal cold and dampness—a thick cloud obscuring his heart's sun. Upon questioning, he confessed to working outdoors year-round and habitually drinking ice-cold beer and water. This is no coincidence.

We see patients whose stents become blocked again within months. This is because the internal environment never changed. If the body remains in "winter," how can we expect it not to freeze again? Therefore, a core TCM approach to heart health is to invigorate the heart's yang—to help the body's sun rise more powerfully, transforming its inner season from a damp, cold winter to a warm, vibrant summer. The ice melts, stagnation moves, vessels open, and pain ceases. This is what we call "unblocking the yang and transforming qi."

What can you do? Here is my practical advice:

1. Stop Drinking Ice Water. This cannot be overstated. To the heart, which belongs to the fire element, a glass of ice water is a profound shock. The cold pours into the stomach, and its chilling energy rises to clash with the heart's fire, instantly weakening its yang. When the heart's fire dims, vessels constrict, and circulation congeals. Regardless of the weather, choose warm or room-temperature drinks. Nourishing your body's yang energy is a primary defense against disease.

2. Keep Your Back Warm. The back is the "gate" to the heart and our greatest protective barrier, where the Governing Vessel (Du Mai) and Bladder Meridian run. Exposure here allows cold to strike directly at your core vitality. A warm back is a shielded heart.

3. In a Sudden Cardiac Emergency: If you experience severe, crushing chest pain with a sense of impending doom, cough forcefully and repeatedly. Coughing increases intrathoracic pressure, effectively massaging the heart and helping to maintain circulation, buying critical moments until help arrives.

4. Seek Balance Proactively. Regular TCM care aims to maintain your body's yin-yang harmony, preventing the conditions where disease thrives.

You can gauge the state of your heart's energy yourself. A healthy person, with sufficient heart fire, will have warm palms and soles, even in cold weather. This is a sign of robust vitality. Conversely, chronically cold hands and feet often signal that the heart's warmth is struggling to reach its destinations.

Modern Western medicine often treats the body as a machine, analyzing static clinical data. But the human body is a dynamic, living ecosystem. Remember this: If you can eat, sleep, stay warm, have regular bowel movements, and feel essentially comfortable, your vital energy is strong. Do not be ruled by fear of isolated test results. In TCM, fear itself harms the kidneys and collapses qi. Many people do not die from illness, but from the terror that drains their will to live and dismantles their immune defense.

Your vitality is your greatest treasure. By breaking the habit of icy drinks, protecting the warmth of your back, and using wise practices to rekindle your inner fire, you can nurture a heart that remains vibrant and resilient at any age. This intrinsic vitality is the ultimate protective amulet—a priceless asset no wealth can ever buy.