Yin and Yang affect the four seasons. During cooler winter months, Yin element is at its highest and Yang at its lowest; vice versa during warmer summer months. The human body reacts to change in season and the amount of Yin and Yang in the environment. During winter, there is an abundance of Yin in the body and in summer, Yang element is the strongest. Some diseases are more prevalent when there is Yang deficiency during cooler weather. During higher temperatures of summer, the body produces an abundance of Yang energy, thus the whole body is at its closest to Yin-Yang balance. The abundance of Yang during summer months creates a window of opportunity, which allows the body to heal very rapidly from Yang deficiency diseases.

The treatment traditionally used in TCM is referred to as “Dong Bing Xia Zhi”, which translates to “Winter diseases, treat in summer”. The treatment involves applying herbal medicine on certain pressure points on the back. The effect of the herbs penetrates the skin through the acupoints, regulating the meridian and blood to achieve its therapeutic goals. The herbs we use are in powder form, it is then mixed with fresh ginger extract to make a hard paste, which is then temporarily plastered onto your back. It may leave a faint temporary mark on your skin, which will disappear after a few days.

Many diseases caused by Yang deficiency can be treated effectively with “Dong Bing Xia Zhi”:
1.     Respiratory diseases
Chronic cough, asthma, bronchitis, obstructive pulmonary diseases, colds, strengthening immune system.
2.    Rheumatic immune diseases
Joint pain and limb numbness, frozen shoulders, rheumatoid arthritis.
3.    Ear Nose Throat (ENT) diseases
Allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis.
4.    Pediatric diseases
Asthma, coughs, bronchitis, body cold, weak spleen and stomach functions.
5.    Other
Diseases relating to Yang deficiency.

If your conditions are very severe, we recommend repeating the treatment for three years (every year approximately January). If you want to improve your general health or cure common colds, going through the treatment once may be enough for you. It depends on the person. Please see a case study where we were able to treat the patient successfully with the method.

What to expect on the day:

We will prepare the herbal mixture according to TCM traditions.
Your practitioner will give you acupuncture swiftly on the pressure points on your back. You can choose not to have acupuncture, but we generally give patients acupuncture so that the effect of the medicine can be absorbed into your body more effectively.
The herbal mixture is prepared fresh on the day, it comes in the form of a small dough and laid carefully on top of the acupoints.
A plaster will go over the acupoints to fix the herbal mixture in place.

Our recommendations to make the treatment more comfortable and effective:

On the day of the appointment, please make sure you wear an older t-shirt. There could be some stains on your t-shirt, but it will wash off.
Allow the medicine to stay on your back for around 4 hours before you remove them (to be advised by your practitioner).
Avoid excessive exercises while the medicine is on your back, it could cause the plaster to come off before the desired time.
Avoid eating any seafood on the day of the treatment.

We follow the Chinese calendar to determine the most optimal days for the treatment. On these days, Yang is at its strongest. The course of treatment is that you repeat the treatment three times, each with 10 days in between. Please contact the practice for the next treatment dates.

Please book your appointment with us in advance.

Dong Bing Xia Zhi

Cure Winter Diseases in Summer