02 May How Slippers On A Cold Floor Can Change Your Reproductive Health!
2 May 2022
Cold is a major factor of disharmony or ill health in Chinese Medicine. It is cold (introduced from things like a cold floor) in the body that can cause Qi and Blood to slow down and stagnate, which has a negative effect on not only your physical body, but your emotional and mental health as well.
Cold is known as a Yin pathogen. Over time having this Yin pathogen in your body will cause harm to your body’s life force or Yang energy.
As we move through Autumn and into Winter and the temperatures start to drop here in Sydney, we sometimes do not take the proper measures to protect ourselves from the external factors that come with these particular seasons. It is during these seasons that our bodies especially require warmth through proper clothing as well as warm foods and drinks. If not dressing or eating properly, excessive cold can be introduced into the body, causing a reduction in Qi of Blood flow to organs and other tissues of the body. Unfortunately, according to Chinese Medicine, cold may affect every organ system and physical structure of your body.
Here is a general list of ailments or symptoms that are often associated with excess cold or weak Yang Qi:
- Musculoskeletal pain (such as knee, shoulder, neck or lower back, etc)
- Asthma
- Loose stools
- Menstrual pain and menstrual issues
- Sluggish digestion
- Fatigue
- Some forms of anxiety and depression
Where does cold come from?
Cold mostly enters your body through your environment or through the foods and drinks you consume on a regular basis. (You can see our post on how drinking too many cold drinks can affect the body here!
There is one particular and effortless way that you can protect your Yang Qi, or life force, and prevent cold from entering through your body: wear slippers around your home, especially during the cooler months of the year!
Leaving your feet to walk on a cold floor is one of the ways that cold can easily enter through the acupuncture channels of your legs. These channels include the Spleen, Stomach, Liver, Gallbladder, Kidney and Bladder (see diagram). All of these channels and organ systems can be heavily affected by cold, and something as simple as walking barefoot around your home can invite that cold into your body.
It is highly recommended to wear warm slippers on a cold floor all year round, but especially during the cooler seasons, as well as also keeping your legs and waist covered. Of course, if you have a furry friend that likes to sleep on your feet then that is an added bonus :D!
When going out, it is advised that you wear close-toed shoes as well as thick and long socks to cover your ankles and lower legs from cold movements of air. This is important as, in Chinese Medicine, it is understood that the ankles and feet are intimately connected to the female reproductive system through the acupuncture channels that travel from the feet up into the body. Therefore, this cold energy may be transferred into the reproductive organs and affect their function.
Wearing slippers around your home will not treat ailments, however it will help to keep your Yang Qi strong and help to keep you healthy as part of a larger treatment plan if you are already ill.
We have noticed many women complaining of being cold, either in their hands and feet or their whole body and even in the lower abdomen. After some dietary changes and dressing properly many of these women see drastic changes in their health.
Please note that avoiding cold is important, but so is grounding or earthing, where our body parts have some connection to the earth to have a balancing effect on many bodily functions, as well as discharging detrimental energies from the body. However, please be aware that when doing so, please do your best to balance that with maintaining body warmth and temperature. Examples would be grounding/Earthing in the middle of the daytime in the warm sunshine or laying down in the warm sun and getting a moderate dose of Vitamin D whilst laying on the beach. This helps to keep you from grounding on the cool earth in the afternoon or evening time. All practices require balance.
Just remember: never walk barefoot on a cold floor!
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