Indian Summer: a season for recalibration and transitions
DOCTOR JIM BLECHMAN (seated) with longtime friend and chiropractor Fernando Mata.
“Indian summer” is a term used to describe a stretch of warm weather that lingers unexpectedly into September. It’s a liminal window between summer and fall, when the days are sunny and warm and the nights are crisp. Something subtle begins to shift—not just in the air, but in us.
For this piece, I sat down with Dr. Jim Blechman, a renowned physician and longtime local Angelino. Although he technically works in western medicine, Blechman weaves homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture into his practice for a more integrative model.
When I asked him about this transition period he said, “It’s the season between the seasons—it’s not really a season, it’s between two.” He used to offer a class to his patients called “Honoring the Seasons Within,” built around the idea that our internal rhythms mirror the external climate, adding, “Indian summer is the time where you have to recalibrate yourself to meet the season.” In TCM, this recalibration is physiological as much as psychological. The organ associated with this transition period is the spleen, which governs digestion and overall vitality. “A weak spleen makes it harder to fight off illness,” he explained. “If someone is struggling with digestion, especially in colder months, I’ll take them off raw foods entirely. What you want in winter are warming, grounding foods—stews, root vegetables, baked apples.” Even buffalo meat, he said, is particularly strengthening for the spleen.
Blechman emphasizes the importance of supporting the immune system, particularly for children returning to school. “I put kids on a return-to-school formula,” he said. “It includes elderberry, astragalus and vitamin C. Astragalus is a fantastic herb for transition periods, but remember not to use it if you have a fever since it can feed it.” When no fever is present, he uses it widely—even with patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.
In addition to herbs, Blechman considers the thymus gland to be the immune system’s underappreciated warrior and a key site for protection against viruses. The thymus harnesses the power of the innate immune system to work against viruses through the production and development of T-cells. Astragalus supplements can also be very supportive to the thymus. The thymus sits below your sternum and can also be stimulated through vibrations or tapping. “Someone once told me that if you want to strengthen your thymus, get a cat and let it sit and purr on your chest. I always thought that was funny,” said Blechman.
For adults navigating back-to-work burnout or the slow return of seasonal stress, Blechman often turns to adaptogens—plants that help regulate the body’s stress response. His favorite? Wild Siberian ginseng, ideally paired with rhodiola. “Siberian ginseng is particularly great because it modulates blood pressure,” he said. “If yours is high, it brings it down. If it’s low, it brings it up. But it’s heating—so don’t take it in summer or Indian summer. Wait until fall and winter, when you need the warmth.”
And what about diet? “The worst thing you can do in this transition season (and into the fall/winter) is eat sugar,” Blechman warned. “From a Chinese medicine standpoint, sugar drains you and makes you vulnerable. Some would say it increases your yin energy.” Of course, he acknowledges, that’s not so easy for kids constantly bouncing between birthday parties and bake sales. “That’s why I try to support them with herbs. Healing through diet can be a little impractical today.”
Impractical, maybe, but not impossible. Indian summer is a subtle invitation to slow down, look inward and start making small, grounded changes. In a season between seasons, that’s often the best we can do—listen closely, prepare gently, and, if necessary, adopt a cat.
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