As the season shifts into the blustery, wet and cool weather of fall and winter, many folks notice that chronic health issues seem to get worse. In fact, many people often decide to move to more arid regions as they get older, or flee southward as snowbirds to soak up the sun and warmth.
Part of the issue, as I have discussed previously, is related to a lack of sunlight and vitamin D3. More correctly thought of as a hormone, every single cell in the body has a receptor for vitamin D, not least the immune system, which depends upon it for its orderly function. It’s for this reason I have a narrow-band UVB phototherapy panel in my clinic in Wildwood, which takes just a few minutes of exposure to safely synthesize optimal levels of vitamin D3.
Beyond the lack of light, cold and increased humidity can have an adverse effect on health. In the ancient system of Ayurveda, different climate types are described, and our type (during winter), called “anupa” in Sanskrit, refers to a cool/wet environment and is considered one of the worst for health.
According to Ayurveda, this is because cold/wet qualities mirror that of a congestive element that builds up in our bodies due to an impairment in detoxification and excretion, called “ama.”
Ayurveda visualizes this cold/wet quality of ama as an obstructive factor, like a bunch of wet leaves thrown on top of a fire causing it to smoke, smolder and die out. Any treatment in Ayurveda is always given first to the dispersion of ama, to reinvigorate the digestive “fire” and metabolism.
Apart from these energetic factors, wet/cold conditions also increase our exposure to fungal mycotoxins. One recent patient has been struggling with long COVID for more than a year, and after she wasn’t better by the second visit, I suspected a chronic fungal infection.
Sure enough, there was some moisture issues in her home, and I had her use a HEPA filter and dehumidifier, and recommended she have a contractor take care of the water damage. I also had her perform a MycoTOX urine test, which came back with severe levels of ochratoxin A and high levels of gliotoxin, produced by the fungal pathogens Aspergillus ochraceus and A. fumigatus, respectively. Apart from avoiding further exposure, we’re going to be giving plenty of support to the liver and kidneys, which are primary targets of these toxins.
So much can go wrong with our health, even things such as a fungus that probably almost everyone is exposed to, especially this time of year. This is why it’s so important - especially in this season of cold and wet - to take care of your health. Fortunately, this is not as complicated as the mainstream media wants you to think, and you can get very good results even with simple dietary changes, such as avoiding refined, processed and packaged foods.
Often just eating a generically “healthy” diet isn’t enough, however.
Another local patient recently came to see me with a recent diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the muscles, primarily in the shoulders and pelvis. She was on the only thing doctors typically prescribe for this condition, which are steroids, and I warned her to get off of them as soon as possible.
I did tell her pain would come roaring back initially, but that over a few weeks with the proper treatment, it would gradually improve. I had her avoid dairy and gluten, supplemented with a few nutrients, and gave her two useful remedies I import from my colleagues in Nepal, called Yogaraja guggulu and Kaishora guggulu.
Sure enough, within a few weeks her pain significantly improved, and her CRP (C reactive protein) levels dropped from 45 to 10.
Warm wishes…
Todd Caldecott is a medical herbalist and Ayurveda practitioner based in the qathet region, and can be reached through the Dogwood School of Botanical Medicine website (dogwoodbotanical.com) or by email at [email protected].
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