Why Dryness and Respiratory diseases are getting More Prevalent in 2020 & How to Heal
Before the beginning of each lunar year, I usually publish a forecast of climate, disease, and what Chinese herbal medicine (officially categorized under food and supplements by FDA here in the US) to consider. Forecasts of 2019 have come true, despite multiple reminders and even one in English. On the day of Chinese New Year 2020 (Year of the Rat), I shared this post on WeChat and the forecast lies after a brief discussion of 2019-nCoV prediction. Since previous efforts trying to explain the Yun Qi (same spelling as “Luck” in modern Chinese) theory, a.k.a. 5 Yun 6 Qi turn out to be fruitless, I found the following quoted explanation by an American acupuncturist and Qi Gong Master Wendy Goldman easier to understand for non-Chinese readers:
60-Year Cycle （六十甲子）
The cycle also incorporates the five phases (usually translated as “elements”). The natural flow of the phases is wood -> fire -> earth -> metal -> water. Then the cycle starts over again.
Each animal goes through a cycle of each of the five elements, so when we combine all of that, we have five 12-year cycles to make a complete 60-year cycle. Then a new 60-year cycle starts.
Since the natural flow of the five elements starts with wood, which represents the start of new growth, the start of a 60-year cycle starts with the Wood Rat. The second 12-year cycle starts with the Fire Rat, and the third cycle starts with the Earth Rat. Since this is the year of the Metal Rat, we’re starting the fourth 12-year cycle in the current 60-year cycle. (This means a new 60-year cycle starts in 24 years, after we complete the next cycle that starts with the Water Rat.)
Stems and Branches (天干地支）
The Heavenly Stems are the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. They give us the energy coming from “Heaven” or the heavens or universe for the year.
The 12 animals correspond to the Earthly Branches, or the energy of the earth (the planet, not the element) each year. Each year is either Yin or Yang, and they alternate. We’ve just finished a Yin year, so this year is Yang.
According to the 60-Year Cycle Yun Qi theory, Last Lunar Year 2019, Jihai（己亥）, is a year dominated by insufficient Earth, and this Lunar Year 2020, Gengzi (庚子), is dominated by excessive Metal, a.k.a. Gold in Chinese. Metal gives birth to Water, and suppresses Wood and Fire (金生水旺，木火之气不足).
According to the Su Wen Chapter 67, the nature of Metal is cool, dry, hard and forceful. It can cause “sternness and killing”, as well as “aging and falling”. Metal also represents justice, or right versus wrong.
That gives us a good idea of the nature of a Metal year. Since it’s Yang Metal, we have to factor in the Yang nature. Yin Metal would be softer and flexible, like jewelry or metal wire. This year is Yang Metal, so it’s big, strong, powerful, sharp and inflexible, like a meat cleaver or a sword. The nature of the element tells us the nature of the year.
This adds up to the possibility of violence. We tend to have more violence in Metal years, and the fact that it’s a Yang year makes it potentially stronger, or worse. The justice nature of Metal gives the potential for violence where people think they’re right and others are wrong.
We will see next that her interpretation above is in line with what has been historically recorded for Year of Gengzi.
Since Metal is the parent of Water, and the child (Water) refers to the people “below”, Metal and Water are in a natural parent-supporting-child relationship. … The Rat represents Yang Water. So we have the combination of Yang Metal and Yang Water. Metal gives birth to, or produces Water. Metal is the Heaven energy, and is in the position of being “above” its child, the earth energy of Water. The parent is “above” the child. Since this follows the natural flow of the five elements, this is a harmonious relationship.
Metal gives birth to Water, so 2020 will have more movement and flow, and less stagnation overall. Things that were stuck should start moving again.
The Nature of Water is, of course water. It also represents cold, specifically “piercing cold”. It causes frost, ice and hail. It’s also considered “hard and stern”. This seems a bit counter-intuitive, because water feels soft, but water can do great damage. And it’s Yang Water. Yin Water is like clouds and rain. Yang Water is like the ocean. It’s big and powerful and impossible to stop once it gets moving.
Yang Metal is very inflexible, because it doesn’t bend easily. On the other hand, Water is very flexible, and always finds a way to go where it wants.
Metal is like a knife that cuts, and Water washes things clean.
Water is associated with wisdom, so hopefully the Water energy will bring some flexibility and wisdom this year. But the hardness and sternness of both elements may just steamroll over wisdom. There could be big movements this year, with lots of people caught up in the flow.
Water is very strong this year. So “children”, or those “below” or with less power are strong enough to stand up to their “parents”, or those “above”, especially when it’s an issue of justice or right and wrong. We’ll likely see continuation and strong growth in the movements of those who feel like they’ve been abused by those in power and want justice, like the #MeToo movement, women’s rights, and the youth movements around gun control and climate change. These are also movements spurred by wanting justice (Metal), and fear, which is the emotion associated with Water.
Because Water is the “child” and we’re at a new beginning in a new cycle, there is a lot of support for youth movements and new things. And the Yang nature of the Water could make those movements become unstoppable groundswells or tidal waves. It should be an interesting year, particularly with the U.S. presidential election this year.
Overall Image for the Historical Years of Gengzi
In a non-mainstream ancient book of China, called “Book of Mother Earth” （地母经）, there’s a poem describing year of Gengzi out of the 60 years:
In the year of the Gengzi, the people were violent.
Water flooded in spring and summer, hunger and thirst frequent in the fall and winter.
Takada is still halfway, and there’s little late rice to be reaped.
River Qinhuai region was full of homeless wandering, Wu Chu region full of robberies.
Mulberry leaves have a low harvest, and ladies who silkworms are unhappy.
Seeing silkworms but not silk, cutting in vain.
Although the poem gives a general description of Year of Gengzi, how the Gengzi year is not necessarily what everyone thinks, we still need to use an analytical method to arrange thoughts and give health recommendations for the year.
Climate and Health Trend for the Year of Gengzi
In the year of Gengzi, according to the characteristics of Yun Qi (written identical as “luck” in modern Chinese), Si Tian (literal translation: Master Heaven, ditto.) at Quan, there will be King Fire Master Heaven in the first half of the year, and Yang Ming Dry Gold at Quan in the second half; if it is King Fire Si Tian, there will be Fire restrains Gold/Metal, which can naturally lead to the human body’s viscera related to Gold/Metal is harmed. For example, as we know, Gold/Metal is divided into yin and yang, Yang Gold is Geng Jin, and it is the large intestine; Yin Gold is Lung, and all problems related to the lung and large intestine are prone to appear. Note that the words “lung” and “large intestine” mean the functional organ systems in Chinese medicine, not just the physically lung and large intestine in modern medicine.
King Fire Master Heaven, there must be a relatively hot phenomenon in the first half of the year, that is to say, the spring and summer of 2020 are generally hot. As for what specific situation would come out of the heat, we need to consider the Host Qi and Guest Qi arrangements to see the specific problems at a specific time. In the Dry Gold/Metal at Quan, there must be enough Metal Qi in the second half of the year, and it will be relatively dry; but what effect will these have? In fact, sometimes the dryness manifests itself in high sky and clear air. When it comes to disease, this will make people with chronic dryness-related health issues such as Sjogren’s Syndrome (SS) feel worse. We have a 90-Day to Oasis program for people suffering from SS using personalized high-end herbal medicine.
Therefore, in “The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine”, it is proposed that “the cold and heat lingering culminated in the struggle, the people were suffering from not only cough, short breath, asthma, and the like, but also bleeding, hemorrhage, sneezing, red eyes, ulcers, coldness gets isolated from Yang into the stomach, heartache, low back pain, big belly, dry stomach, Swelling”, these phenomena can be considered from the perspective of Fire restricts or constrains Metal, all the problems are caused by Fire constraining Metal, causing problems in the large intestine and lungs. (Definition of internal organs ditto.)
Categories of common diseases this year of Gengzi
ONE
Respiratory disease such as cough, short breath, asthma will be a major issue in 2020. The main cause of this disease is aforementioned Fire constrains Metal. Fire constraining Metal often displays symptoms as constipation, or a sore throat (“fire in the throat” in Chinese), and damage in lung or large intestine systems. Therefore, this year’s cough is mainly caused by fiery fever. In the treatment, we must pay attention to adding some products that nourish yin and some products that clear heat. If you have post-infectious or lingering cough and would like to be healed from root cause without strong side effects of cough suppressants, book a personalized consult at Herbal-Pal.
TWO
Bleeding, from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) basic theory we know “Blood is born from the Heart (“blood”, “heart” as defined by Chinese medicine, ditto.), Liver sores the Blood, Spleen masters the Blood”, but many people forget that the blood in the human body actually needs the care of the Lung system. If a person’s lungs are injured, it can also cause bleeding. So out of the TCM methods of hemostasis, there is a method of bringing down or calming lung fire, mainly by using scutellaria. In Zhang Zhongjing’s book, whenever bleeding occurs, the method of calming lung fire is usually treated with scutellaria baicalensis. Among them, the so-called “bleeding” also includes the large intestine meridian problems caused by hemorrhoids, and there will be bleeding symptoms.
THREE
Sores, in the years of King Fire Masters Heaven, many cases are too much Fire, which leads to “blood heat” (in TCM terms) of the human body, so as long as there is a certain stagnation, it is easy to cause qi and blood stagnation, which will cause ulcers. Therefore, the treatment of sores in the year of Ziwu is actually very similar to the treatment of other diseases. That is, clearing away heat, nourishing yin, and regulating qi. As long as these characteristics are grasped, sores and ulcers can be solved very well.
FOUR
Constipation. Some people may not be able to have a smooth bowel movement due to Fire constraining Gold/Metal. Constipation may also cause other issues with bowel movements and urinary excretion. Many TCM doctors treat constipation by diarrhea. In fact, it is through the passage of the large intestine. However, there is a faster and more convenient method, is to through lung gold, which is mainly based on clearing the lung heat, or based on diverging lung evil. Medicinal foods and traditional herbal medicine has proven to be effective in this aspect too. If you have constipation and would like to be healed in a natural way, reserve a personalized service or herbal prescription delivered at Herbal-Pal.
FIVE
Throatitis, pharyngitis is a common disease in modern times already, but it should become an even more common type of disease in the years of Shao Yin Master Fire. The main climate cause is still Fire Constraining Metal, so in the treatment, generally we do not need to “free or faciliate lungs”, only need to clear heat, purging fire, or nourishing kidney yin (all in TCM terms), and should be able to get a good treatment result by doing the latter.
In the second half of the year, there are Dryness Gold/Metal at Quan and Gold/Metal constrains Wood. Many problems will also occur as a result. One is the problem of liver wood, and the other is the problem of bile wood. There is a drastic difference between liver wood and bile wood in TCM, which needs to be treated differently. In fact, we can speculate on the specific problem, but in fact, “at Quan” not as important as “Si Tian”/”Masters Heaven”, so the time spent on this topic will be relatively less.
SIX
This is a bonus not exactly about human disease: plague of locusts. If you heard from the news that countries in the horn of Africa are suffering an infestation of locusts, this will probably come back in the fall. Historically, a locust plague usually happen after a severe drought. There was a severe drought last year, so there was a locust plague at the beginning of this year. However, locust plagues generally occur in autumn, because locusts can breed unbridled after sufficient rain in summer. This year’s locust plague will still be severe.
For minor dryness and Yin-deficiency induced functional issues such as dry mouth and throat, dry tongue and lungs, please check out a common patent formula called Sha Shen Mai Men Dong pills, and ideally consult a knowledgeable TCM herbal medicine doctor to find out if it’s suitable for you.
References:
《地母经》，即《黄帝地母经》
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