Fall-Winter transition 2025-The Wellness of Balance newsletter from Red Tree Wellness Inc

The Wellness of Balance 

Fall to Winter transition 2025 Tips + News

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Fall-Winter transition health tip reminders
• YouTube channel tips 
• Clinic anniversary and announcements

Hello,

It’s here again, the cooling trend toward cold, the Metal and the Fall season, and we head to the Water and Winter season. In the Chinese calendar Fall and the cooling trend began in August. The Equinoxes are the midpoints of the seasons. They are also great reminders of what to be mindful of from a health perspective. It is also October, an Earth month in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which is a transition month between Seasons → now we are in the Fall to Winter transition. Earth months are times to be aware of what changes you’d like to make for the next seasonal months. What has served you, or no longer serves you over the past season? How would you like to journey over the coming season of Water & Winter?

We are here for that too, to help give you the tools to have more active control over your health, and have a more self-sustaining lifestyle! Here now are some reminders and tips for the season of Fall and transitioning to Winter! There are many more, but here are some of the staples we’ve mentioned before of Chinese medicine and cultural practices to sustain optimal health. 👇🏻

• Cover your neck / wear a scarf more often! When you do this, you keep warmth over and in the Acupoints that are highly important in creating our outermost immunity in the body. These Yang / superficial channels are like our boundary, our curtain, and if we keep them warm, they are able to have more active Qi to fight, move, protect your inner house/health!
• Enhance your immune system with more warm foods, such as bone broths, soups and stews. It’s time to avoid foods that have a cold effect on the body. This can mean literally they are cold foods like salads, or they have a cold effect/function in the body, like cooling. Pivot to eat more cooked vegetables, curries, and warm drinks. Avoid those cold drinks now! Our digestive fire in Chinese medicine needs to stay warm to digest food and life. When the weather is cold outside, our body requires more of our internal heating process to stay warm. This takes away from our internal Qi / fire function, including the digestive fire. Stoke the Qi / fire by eating and drinking warm drinks and warming foods like gentle spices or curries. Growing up, my grandma would make a lot of bone broths from now through the winter. I clearly remember her removing a big bone from the soups, prior to serving it. Yum!

On November 7, 2025, the season of Water & Winter will begin in the Chinese lunisolar calendar. This is a cold weather trend and also means it is a time of slowdown, renourishment, refilling our cup, and restoration. Nature slows down, so should we. Move away from “Rushing person syndrome”, and move toward “Balanced and grounded person”. Slowing down is normal at this time and in doing so, we are more in alignment with the change in light and seasons of being quiet and nourishing. As mentioned last year, avoid forcibly initiating our Yang (active and warming) Qi when there is lack of that assistance in natural law. Avoid going against the flow otherwise you use more of your reserves to overcome what’s not naturally available. Instead, fill up the reserves. Sleep longer, sleep in, slow down and nourish. Take the opportunity when you can, like on the weekends, to hibernate and den, socialize less and nourish yourself. Lastly, if you are feeling like you are fighting something → Wear socks to bed for immune support and add Tiger Balm to KD 1 if you are feeling sick:

• Wear loose comfy socks overnight while you sleep. Wear these socks to bed for immune support and add Tiger Balm to KD 1 if you are feeling sick. Yes, you read that right. You know that sore / funny / swollen / tight feeling in your throat and maybe body aches? When you feel that, wear loose comfy socks overnight while you sleep. That will help keep your Yang Qi warm which is the core immunity fighting energy in our body. This Yang Qi is cultivated and circulated in the Foot Yin channels, especially the Kidney organ channel system. At night, these channels need to rejuvenate and restore our resources (Yin and Blood) for the next day and Yang Qi normally quiets down. However, if one is fighting a pathogen, your body needs to use extra Yang Qi. By keeping your feet warm, you allow your body to have better access to this warming Yang Qi which is now contained and absorbed by the feet. If your feet get too warm in the middle of the night, just kick off the socks. 
• If you tend to have trouble sleeping at night, especially if you feel it is too cold, try wearing socks!
• IF you are really sick, it’s likely you’ll need the socks on all night. 
• Lastly, one of the biggest pearls I can give you, is that if you are fighting a cold, if you have tiger balm at home, put a dab on this point called KD 1 Yong Quan – Gushing Spring, to help wake up and stimulate the development of Yang Qi. Stomp that pathogen out of our body – literally! Remember to wear socks on top of this.
• Experiment with thin or thick socks. Find a pair that works with you through most of the night, without kicking them off mid-way. Make sure they cover your ankles! The Acupuncture channels that provide our inner core immunity strength are the feet. Keeping these warm (not hot), keeps the Immunity Qi strong and flowing.

YouTube Channel tips

YouTube Channel tips and talks

For many years now, we’ve put on a variety of YouTube videos of health tips and tools. Some are tips, some are instructional tools like Gua Sha and Cupping. Remember to check them out! In the future, we have planned a series for Chinese food/ grocery story items and its best tip of use! Look for in the next few months. And let us know if there is a topic you wish to use to talk about!

Final Clinic FYI’s:

• Did you know, in February of 2006, I, Dr. Sonia F. Tan, DAOM will be reaching my 20 year anniversary of my Acupuncture license! I have continuously practiced for the entire 20 years! Yup, no leaves at all, nothing more than 4 weeks off. It’s time for more rest… As my teaching and school continues to expand, and as I endeavour to train the future, my hours at the clinic may be reducing. This may be more time away as I travel to teach the specialty of Acupuncture I learned from one of my Shifu’s that is not taught in schools – Balance System Acupuncture, known for quick results – or more time away to rest my brain and renourish myself. I appreciate every single one of my patients, as you have all been a part of this journey. I am happy to be guiding you on your pathway to health. Look for some celebrations in the coming year! 🥳
• We will be replacing our Bee Propolis with our redesigned version of our cold virus throat spray for cold & flu treatments and prevention. It is called Wei Qi Wind Quell – Defensive Qi Wind Quell. This is best used once you know you are sick and fighting the pathogen and PHLEGM! It may help get rid of the phlegm quicker and help you feel better sooner! Wind in Chinese medicine is the primary transporting of pathogens and allergens, so we’d like to quell it with our strong Defensive system! It is also a great preventive remedy at lower intervals.
• A heads up, there will be a rate increase for some of our services effective January 1, 2026. Thank you for continuing to choose our team to guide you on your pathway to health.
• Remember to check out our YouTube Channel for video tips – https://www.youtube.com/c/RedTreeWellnessCa

Wishing you a restorative Fall and Winter!

Yours in good health,

Dr. Sonia F. Tan, DAOM (DAOM degree), RTCMP,

on behalf of the Red Tree Wellness team of Dr. Kathleen Dang, ND, RAc & Suzanne Williams, BA, MBA, RTCMP