By Syvanna Siew Lishansky
November on the coast feels like a slow exhale. Mornings begin crisp and clear, the Santa Anas roll through warm and dry, and by four o’clock the light over the water turns honey gold. Farmers market tables fill with pears, pomegranates, and winter squash, and soup season is here.
In Chinese medicine, each season belongs to a pair of organs, and autumn’s are the lungs and large intestine — the organs of breath, refinement, and letting go. Cool nights fold into the last of summer’s warmth, and the climate turns dry. You might experience a scratchy throat, thirsty skin, and digestion that runs a little slow.
The lungs also hold grief, so a tender, nostalgic mood this month is perfectly natural. Autumn offers permission to release. As the trees let go of their leaves, it’s a beautiful time to consider what’s ready to fall away.
Then comes Thanksgiving, a day for cooking all afternoon and gathering around the table. Chinese medicine offers simple ways to feel nourished and comfortable before and after the feast.
The seasonal edit
• Eat: Spiced butternut squash soup. Sauté the squash with yellow onions, garlic, fresh ginger and turmeric, then blend with warm broth. Sweet squash comforts the spleen and stomach, and the aromatics support digestion and immunity.
• Sip: Golden milk. Warm your favorite milk with ground turmeric, a pinch of black pepper, fresh ginger, a crushed cardamom pod and a cinnamon stick, then sweeten with honey. Turmeric is warming and anti-inflammatory; ginger, cardamom and cinnamon comfort digestion; and honey nourishes yin. The perfect cozy evening ritual as the nights grow longer.
• Press: Stomach 36. Known as Zusanli, this point builds Qi for more energy and clears food stagnation. Find it four finger-widths below your kneecap and one finger-width toward the outside of your shinbone. Press firmly for a minute on each leg, then take a gentle stroll in nature to help everything settle.
• Practice: Keep warm. In Chinese medicine, wind enters through the back of the neck, so tuck a silk or cozy scarf in your bag for sunset beach walks, or slip on a jacket after a good workout. Wear socks around the house to keep Qi and blood flowing, and moisturize daily. Skin is associated with the lungs, and this time of year it’s at its driest.
The symptom guide
• Dry throat: licorice and honey tea (skip the licorice with high blood pressure), or a pear poached with honey.
• Dry skin: warm water through the day and a rich facial oil at night.
• Too full after a meal: press Stomach 36, take a stroll and sip fresh ginger tea.
• Sluggish digestion: kitchari, congee and soups, traditional bowls that gently cleanse and strengthen the spleen and stomach.
• Feeling low: morning sunlight, three slow breaths into your belly and walks by the ocean.
Coming in December: Winter, the water element, and the art of deep rest.
Dr. Syvanna Siew Lishansky, MSTCM, DACM, L.Ac., CNC, is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, licensed acupuncturist and certified nutrition consultant. For years she cared for patients at her Encinitas clinic, specializing in women’s health, fertility and seasonal nutrition. She now shares her weekly recipes and rituals at Nourished Fertility on Substack (@doctorsyvanna).
