“The Dou refers to the southeast, the dimension is Lixia, and everything grows up here, so it is called Lixia.” The ancients regarded Lixia as an important solar term when the temperature increased significantly, the hot summer was approaching, thunderstorms increased, and crops entered the peak season. Yu Bo, a physician at the Drum Tower Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, reminded that the current season is still a transitional period from spring to summer, and health care needs to pay attention to “nourishing the heart” to better adapt to the changes in solar terms.
Summer is for fire and avoid irritability
In the four seasons of the year, summer is for fire, and the fire flows through Heart, so the summer is in harmony with the heart. The heart belongs to fire in the five elements, and corresponds to the heat of yang in summer, so it is the yang zang.
After the beginning of summer, the temperature rises and the summer heat gradually thickens, and people’s emotions are easy to be irritable. Especially if the elderly are angry, it is easy to cause myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia, increased blood pressure, etc., and even sudden death. Therefore, in this season, health care must first nourish the heart, do a good job in self-regulation, and focus on maintaining the heart. The elderly should pay attention to avoid the accumulation of qi and blood, do a good job of “spiritual health”, avoid irritability and anger, and avoid great joy and sorrow; do more things that make people feel calm and comfortable, such as painting, calligraphy, listening to music, playing chess, planting flowers, etc. Fishing, practicing Baduanjin and Taijiquan, etc.
What to eat in the “bitter summer” diet
People often say that summer is “bitter summer”, but it is actually because eating more bitter things in summer is good for the five internal organs The normal functioning of the six organs. So, which foods are suitable for summer?
1. Bitter Gourd The bitterer the bitter melon, the better the effect of clearing away heat and reducing fire. However, those with deficiency of the spleen and stomach should eat it carefully to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.
2. Lotus seed nourishes the heart and the heart is relatively fragile in summer, and the intense heat can easily make people irritable and sad. The lotus seed core has a bitter taste, which can clear the heart fire, nourish the heart and soothe the nerves.
3. Strawberry Detoxification record. Modern nutritionists also believe that strawberries contain a variety of organic acids, fruit acids and pectin substances, which can promote the secretion of digestive juice and gastrointestinal motility, eliminate excess cholesterol and harmful heavy metals, and enhance human resistance.
4. Lettuce ventilation Lettuce contains a lot of plant cellulose, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, and is also one of the best foods for anemia patients. If you can accept the taste of Houttuynia cordata, mixing lettuce with Houttuynia cordata has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying, dampness and expectorant.
5. Peas Clearing the intestines Peas are rich in various nutrients needed by the human body, especially high-quality protein, which can improve the body’s disease resistance and recovery ability. The crude fiber rich in peas can keep the stool smooth and play a role in cleaning the large intestine.
Sleep late and get up early should add a lunch break
“The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine·Su Wen” mentioned, “Xia Sanyue, this is called Fanxiu, the atmosphere of heaven and earth Jiao, all things are beautiful, lie down at night and get up early, never tire of the sun, keep ambition without anger, make Huaying become beautiful, make anger vent, if you love it outside, this is the answer to summer qi, the way to nurture longevity. Then you will be sad, fall will be malaria, the recipients will be few, and the winter solstice will be seriously ill.”
After the beginning of summer, it is dark late and bright early, people tend to go to bed late and wake up early, resulting in lack of sleep. From 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the temperature is the highest in the day. People are prone to sweating, and a large amount of blood is concentrated on the body surface. The blood supply to the brain is relatively reduced, and people are prone to lack of energy and drowsiness.
Compared with winter and spring, you can go to bed a little later in summer, but preferably no later than 23:00. At the same time, we should pay attention to naps, especially the elderly who are not sleeping properly. For those who do not have the habit of taking a nap at noon or have no conditions for taking a nap, it is also a good way to listen to music or close your eyes to relax. Generally speaking, a lunch break of half an hour to an hour is appropriate.
Take care of your stomach in hot weather
When the weather is hot, people like to eat iced fruits, drink drinks, etc., but traditional Chinese medicine believes that the hotter you feel, the better Don’t be greedy. Some people have severe abdominal pain after eating cold drinks, and even nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, and whole body cold war and other symptoms are caused by gastrointestinal discomfort after eating cold food.
The cold drinks we ingest will eventually be excreted in the form of water and liquid metabolism, but the urine and sweat we excrete are all with body temperature, around 36°C, while cold drinks are only 2°C -6°C, this process from cold to hot relies on the body to heat up the heat, which requires a lot of yang qi of the stomach, spleen and kidney.
Therefore, if the weather is hot, you should not be greedy for the cold. If you really want to eat cold drinks, it will be healthier to put it at room temperature before eating.