Defeat Winter Fatigue: Secrets to Nourish Kidney Jing

Patients Guide to Winter using Chinese Medicine.

As practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we view the seasonal shift into winter not merely as a drop in temperature, but as a profound energetic change. Winter is the season of Yin—a time of deep contraction, stillness, and conservation. To truly thrive, we must align our lives with this natural rhythm, preparing the body for the dynamic expansion of spring.

In TCM theory, winter is intrinsically linked to the Water Element, which governs the Kidney and Bladder organ systems. The Kidneys are the foundation of our constitutional health; they store our Jing (Essence), our inherited vital energy. When we live out of alignment with winter’s energy, we tax the Kidneys, depleting our Jing and leaving us vulnerable to chronic issues, fatigue, and low immunity.

My goal this season is to help you conserve and nourish your Kidney Essence. Here is how we strategically approach winter wellness in TCM:

1. Conserve Your Yang Qi: The Principle of Warmth and Stillness

The external cold can easily invade the body, especially if your protective Wei Qi (Defensive Energy) is weak. The Kidneys rely on warming Yang Qi to perform their functions. Therefore, our primary strategy is two-fold:

  • External Protection: Always dress in layers and specifically protect the lower back, neck, and feet. These areas are vulnerable entry points for Cold and Wind, which can travel along the Bladder and Kidney meridians. The back of the neck is especially important.

  • Internal Conservation (Rest): The ancient texts advise us to “go to sleep early and wake up late, waiting for the sunlight.” This means honoring the darkness. Avoid excessive activity, as chronic exhaustion is the fastest way to deplete your Jing. Prioritize seven to nine hours of quality rest to allow the Kidneys to replenish.

2. Dietary Prescription: Warming and Strengthening the Root

In the clinic, I always guide patients toward foods that support the Kidneys and the Water element. This means shifting from the cooling, raw salads of summer to warming, cooked, and slightly salty flavors.

TCM Winter Food Focus Why It Works
Black Foods (Kidney Supportive) Black beans, black sesame seeds, black rice, and dark mushrooms—the color black resonates strongly with the Water Element.
Root Vegetables Long-cooked carrots, parsnips, and turnips are grounding, tonifying, and provide essential earth energy (Spleen support).
Warm Broths & Stews Slow-cooked bone broth and hearty congees (rice porridge) are highly digestible, warming the Middle Jiao (Digestive center) and conserving the energy that would otherwise be spent on digestion.
Warming Spices Ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are powerful for activating and protecting your internal Yang Qi.

Important Note: Minimize cold drinks and raw foods. Consuming them requires your body to expend precious Yang energy to warm the food up to body temperature, which is highly taxing on your system during the winter months.

3. Mindful Movement and Kidney Tonification

While high-intensity workouts can be overly depleting in winter, gentle movement is essential to prevent the stagnation of Qi and Blood.

  • Qigong & Tai Chi: These practices are ideal because they involve slow, controlled, deep abdominal breathing, which directly massages and supports the Kidneys and the internal organs. They focus on internal circulation rather than external muscle exertion.

  • Restorative Practice: Consider performing gentle stretches or yoga focusing on the lower back and inner thigh areas, where the Kidney meridian traverses.

  • The Healing Foot Bath: A time-honored tradition in TCM is the therapeutic foot soak. Use very warm water, submerging the ankles, and adding warming herbs like ginger or Mugwort (Ai Ye). This practice draws excess heat and stagnation down from the head, promotes the circulation of Qi and Blood to the extremities, and is incredibly relaxing before bed.

Pro-Tip: Focus your meditative or movement practice on stillness and gathering energy inward, rather than outward expression.

Conclusion: Embracing the Seed

Think of winter as the season when a seed rests deep underground, gathering strength and preparing for the spring burst. We must do the same. By embracing stillness, eating consciously, and honoring our need for rest, we align with the wisdom of the Water Element. This practice is not restrictive—it is an investment. You are conserving your Jing now so that your Shen (Spirit) can flourish brightly in the coming seasons.

A Holistic Approach for Building Immunity

“If the normal qi is stored in the interior, pathogens cannot attack.”
Normal qi is our overall strength / vitality, which is the foundation of our immune system. Quite simply, if we are strong enough we will not get sick. Chinese medicine has a profound understanding on how to build this holistically.

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A Word on Silence & Going Inward

Silence has been one of my biggest teachers. It is the place were we go inward and start to know ourselves deeper.

One thing we start to see is that our complaints about others, or the world, are really coming from ourselves. For example, we blame or shame someone because we feel wronged, hurt etc.. They “did” this to us and that is “not okay”. However, it may just be that we are actually doing this to ourselves and are not present with our own process and pain enough to understand what is happening. What we SEE in the world IS what we are experiencing within. When we start to catch this, we see a pointer to where we still are holding resistance / inner conflict and lack.

Awareness of this is the first step to changing it. Realizing that the “other” is not the cause of our pain is a powerful evolutionary leap in consciousness. It empowers us, instead of us being a victim. Anytime we think someone is doing something to us, consider going inward, and investigating this deeper, and feeling ourselves first. Be on the lookout for when we make the world wrong and drop into silence before reacting, speaking, texting etc. And ask gently, is this really true? is it kind and connecting? or even necessary.

Do this gently and compassionately because it is easy to turn things on ourselves (if our ego structure is not solid) and make ourselves wrong.

I recommend taking time daily to be in silence / meditation as well as 1 full day (or more) of silence periodically. It not only gives us space to see ourselves, but helps calm the nervous system, which is essential for deeper layers of healing.

As we deepen into silence, we go beyond the self, beyond right and wrong, and our mental ideas of the world get replaced with the simplicity of love that accepts everything, even those parts of others and us that we don’t like- and Peace remains. Silence is the foundation of nature where all life exists. Silence is where we find truth. There is no fight, no resistance. It just is, in all its beauty.

Should I Do a Parasite Cleanse? Four Things to Consider

Parasite cleanses are popular, as the mere thought of crawling creatures living inside of us is frightening. Did you know that the herbs that kill parasites, as well as bacteria, fungus, candida, & viruses, often significantly damage our microbiome (our good bacteria and hence immune system). Knowing this, I did an experiment on myself to get some real data. I tested my microbiome before and after a 2 month gentle parasite cleanse. If I would have known how damaging this was I would not have done this. It dramatically reduced my good bacteria. Fortunately I know how to heal my microbiome :).

Four take aways when considering a parasite cleanse:

1. Be very careful when using herbs to kill organisms in the body, there is often collateral damage that is hard to foresee. This is why nourishing the good bacteria, creating a healthy terrain that does not allow bad organisms to grow, and work on building the immune system is a solid way to eliminate harmful pathogens.

2. Many cleanses create problems, from collateral damage, to not fully eliminating toxins from the body. Please see my previous post on the topic of cleanses for more information.

3. Modern testing is finding more and more parasites than ever before, many are microscopic. There is much debate about how harmful many of these are, if at all. We evolved with parasites and organisms, just eliminating things something is not the best idea. Be very clear which parasite you have and evaluate how harmful it actually is before attacking it. I do not trust muscle testing and other fridge methods to determine this, get a stool test from a reputable company. If not severe, consider gentle methods to boost the immune system first.

4. There is a time and place for cleanses and killing parasites. It is best to work with a health practitioner that is level-headed around this matter and understands the risks.

Health Care Hacks to Save Money

Here are two ways to save money in the modern healthcare system that you may not be aware of.

  1. Insurance alternative– a health share. If you are in reasonable health then this is no brainer. Monthly fees are a flat rate, (e.g. $250 for single person) with a flat liberal deductible of $1000. Family plans drop the price even more. My experience is that they are easy to deal with, answer the phone, and reimburse without question. If interested I can send you an invite for Liberty Health, just let me know.
  2. Inexpensive lab tests.  Did you know that YOU can order any blood work (and other labs) online (walkinlabs) without a doctor’s order? You can also walk straight into Boulder Community Hospital and self-pay for ANY lab test (including MRI, CT scans, blood work, x-ray etc) – Click here for a sample price list. This is especially useful if you have not met your deductible.

These prices are exponentially lower than most insurance prices and even a co-pay through a doctor’s visit. I have been using these methods now for years and can even get you 15-20% lower than the price online. Of note, my service to the community is to not up-charge on lab tests, because healthcare is costly enough. Just let me know if you need help ordering or interpreting mainstream or alternative / functional medicine lab tests.

Jason Blalack