Helix Clinic blog

In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (which is part of the WHO) listed shift work as a possible human carcinogen. This listing was based on studies that showed that shift workers are at a 48% higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who work regular daytime hours.

The body’s production of melatonin is reduced if night time is spent in artificial light. Melatonin acts to keep the biological clock ticking so that you are alert during the day and sleep at night, but is thought to also play a role in cancer protection.

There is evidence suggesting the night shift effect is also linked to reproductive health. A Danish study of 40000 women showed that night workers were more likely to have lower-weight babies or longer lasting pregnancies, potentially increasing the risks of still birth.

The ancient Chinese were keen observers of biological cycles, and used the language of yin and yang to describe their observations. They have long noted that staying up late or working into the night can deplete the ‘yin energy’, and over long periods of time, they also noticed that this deficiency can lead to fertility and reproductive problems or more serious illnesses such as cancer.

Tags: cancer, melatonin, yin energy

Mmm, a whole month dedicated to lovely sleep. It’s wonderful when you get it, but unfortunate that so many people have problems sleeping, and attempts to improve it can often be frustrating and slow to take effect. Why is this?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, imbalances can be categorised as full or deficient conditions. Full conditions often come on quickly and generally have stronger symptoms, whereas deficient conditions tend to develop slowly over time so are generally more chronic, and often the symptoms are less intense (but no less annoying).

A simple example of a full condition affecting sleep would be disturbed sleep after an alcohol enhanced evening. You can feel hot, restless and sweaty - the alcohol creates hot and damp energy in the liver that keeps you awake. But although the symptoms come on quick, they can be cleared relatively easily. Similarly if someone has a lot of physical stress and tension stored in the body that is affecting sleep, this can be relieved quite quickly using acupuncture.

A common deficient condition that can affect sleep is when there is a deficiency in the body’s yin energy, that reservoir of cool and calm energy. Classic symptoms that would suggest yin energy is low include waking in the middle of the night, or waking feeling thirsty, or experiencing night sweats. In this case it generally takes longer to change the sleep patterns because yin deficiency often takes longer to build up and manifest.

We have made a few posts before on how to build yin energy, either through yin building activities such as acupuncture, deep breathing, yoga, tai ji or meditation, or through eating yin-building foods, or through being in a yin-nourishing environment. If you are having trouble sleeping and the usual remedies are not having an obvious effect, maybe your yin energy is what needs a boost.

Tags: insomnia, sleep, yin energy

Are you feeling stressed in your job? Do you find yourself getting more irritable with other people around you? Are you getting more headaches than normal, or is your sleep becoming affected so that you wake feeling hot or sweaty in the night? Do you find it hard to sit still, or to find time to relax? Do you find it hard to quieten your mind down at the end of the day?

If you are experiencing some or all of these symptoms, you may be suffering from what Chinese medicine calls a deficiency of yin energy. The concept of yin energy is used to describe that intangible reservoir of cool and calm energy that you can draw on in times of stress. We have all had times in the past when we have felt calm and relaxed and at ease with the world, so we can all identify with that feeling when yin energy is abundant.

Living in a city with a demanding job, active social life or a busy family life with all its pressures can rapidly deplete these reserves of cool and calm yin energy, leaving a person with the classic symptoms of stress mentioned above. Luckily there are quite a few ways it can be built back up if it has become depleted, so in this week’s articles we will look at a few of the best.

When considering whether a particular activity might be good to help build yin energy, the best words to keep in mind are cool and calm. In a previous article, we talked about the power of deep breathing to help induce relaxation in the body. When done on a regular basis, deep breathing is great at building yin energy.

Another great way to help build yin energy is to spend some time in surroundings that manifest yin qualities. Imagine being somewhere quiet and peaceful in one of our many stunning national parks, like Snowdonia, Dartmoor, or the Lake District. Imagine walking through a cool forest in autumn, by a fresh mountain lake in winter, or along a coastal path breathing in the salty sea air. Think about how great you feel at the end of a day, long weekend or a week spent somewhere like that.

The video today was taken while in the Lake District, with a view over fells rarely seen with such snow. The atmosphere here currently embodies the spirit of yin energy, taken towards the end of the day with a fading light, and cool, damp and fresh February air.

Remember that this beautiful place is only 3 hours on the train from London. Have you thought about taking a long weekend recently? It could do wonders for your yin energy!

Tags: calm, Lake district, stress, yin energy