Expert Column: Warming Up Before Winter — Autumn Self-Care with a Fermentation Bath

By Prof. Kazunori Ito
Professor, Faculty of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Meiji University of Integrative Medicine / Director, Japan Enzyme Bath Association

Every month, Hakkou Ningen and Prof. Kazunori Ito publish a column on the enzyme bath — also called a fermentation bath — from the perspective of Eastern medicine and yojo, the Japanese tradition of everyday self-care. This is the English version of the September column.

Autumn chill: borrowing from winter

The morning and evening air is starting to feel cool. In Eastern medicine, autumn is linked to the element of metal and to the lungs among the five organ systems. As the air begins to dry, this is traditionally seen as a time when the throat, nose and skin tend to feel the change.

The gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures is also growing, so the body is constantly asked to adjust. It is a little like a car with only the accelerator pressed — the sympathetic nervous system, the body’s “go” mode. Feeling a bit sluggish, tired even after sleep, or low in mood: Eastern medicine sees these small signals as mibyo, a state that is not illness, but not quite full health either. Heading into winter while still carrying the chill is, in a sense, borrowing from your future self.

Autumn is the season to “store” for winter

This is where we suggest a fermentation bath (enzyme bath). It uses the heat created as rice bran and sawdust ferment through the work of microbes, and it gently wraps the body in warmth without any hot water. Its special quality is that the warmth reaches slowly and deeply.

In Eastern medicine, warming the body from the core is thought to open up circulation and to help the body let go of the tiredness built up over the summer. At the same time, a gently warmed body naturally relaxes, and it is thought to shift more easily from the accelerator to the brake — the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s “rest” mode. Think of it as warming up a car’s engine on a cold morning. Taking care of your circulation during autumn is a first step toward a body that is ready for the cold of winter.

Gently, and only as far as feels good

• Drink before and after. Have water regularly before and after the bath.
• Comfortable is enough. Stop while it still feels pleasant. Sweating more does not mean better.
• Moisturize. Autumn is a dry season, so take care of your skin after bathing.
• Any pace works. Once a week or once a month is perfectly fine.
• At home, too. On days when you can’t go out, simply soaking in a bath at 38–40°C (100–104°F) one to two hours before bed is self-care in the same spirit.
• Warm from the inside. A bowl of miso soup with root vegetables that grow in the soil — ginger, daikon radish or burdock — warms you from within as well.

If you have a medical condition, or on days when you don’t feel well, please don’t push yourself, and talk to your doctor first.

Subtract, rather than add

There is no need to blame yourself on days when you can’t keep it up. Resting well on a tired day is also a fine form of yojo. Rather than aiming for perfection, do what you can, when you can. Instead of adding something new, let go of the fatigue and tension of summer, and little by little bring back time to warm your body. Those everyday moments add up, and they are the gentlest path to welcoming winter. This autumn, why not make some time to get warm and cozy?

This column shares general ideas from Eastern medicine and the Japanese tradition of yojo. It is not medical advice, and experiences vary from person to person. The original column was written in Japanese for the Japan Enzyme Bath Association.

About Prof. Kazunori Ito

Prof. Ito is a professor in the Faculty of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at Meiji University of Integrative Medicine in Nantan, Kyoto, and a director of the Japan Enzyme Bath Association. He has spent many years in research and education in Eastern medicine, and works with Hakkou Ningen on joint research into the enzyme bath and on academic conference presentations.

For wellness business owners

Hakkou Ningen has supported more than 80 enzyme bath openings across Japan — from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south — and now supports owners around the world. If you are thinking about offering an enzyme bath in your country, message us on WhatsApp to get our free program guide, or visit our opening program page.