TCM’s view on health preservation in summer

Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Summer Health Preservation Concept 2017

In summer, the human body adapts to the climate changes in nature, full of energy, extroverted mood, and the strongest metabolism. At this time, the human body's ability to resist external evils is relatively strong, and overall it shows the characteristics of "all things are in full bloom" in summer. Below is the knowledge I have brought to you about the summer health care concept of traditional Chinese medicine. Welcome to read.

1. Summer climate characteristics

Summer March refers to April to June in the lunar calendar and June to August in the Gregorian calendar. That is, from the beginning of summer to the beginning of autumn. It includes six solar terms: Beginning of Summer, Xiaoman, Mangzhong, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat and Great Heat. "Su Wen's Theory of Four Qi Adjusting the Spirit" says: "In the third month of summer, this is called beauty, the Qi of heaven and earth are in harmony, and all things are flourishing." ?Fan means lush; Xiu means gorgeous. This means that during the three months of summer, Yang Qi is flowing down, earth heat is rising up, and the Qi of heaven and earth are fully integrated. During this period, the Qi is abundant and it is the season when all things in nature grow most lushly and beautifully.

Summer is the period with the highest temperatures of the year, which includes dry and hot conditions in inland areas and humid and muggy conditions in coastal areas. But the weather in summer can never be summed up in one word: hot. Our country is affected by the subtropical high pressure. Rainfall in most areas is mainly concentrated during this period, especially late July and early August, which is often the concentrated period of heavy rain and heavy rain; and various disastrous weather, such as thunder and lightning, hail , thunderstorms, strong winds, floods, droughts, typhoons, etc. also often occur at this time. Therefore, summer in the mainland almost always has a phase characterized by hot and humid conditions. Not only are the temperatures high, but there is also abundant rain and humidity, making it the most humid and muggy period. Traditional Chinese medicine calls this stage Long Summer, and people are prone to feel the evil of summer heat and dampness and get sick.

2. Physiological characteristics of the human body in summer

In summer, the human body adapts to the climate changes in nature, full of energy, extroverted emotions, and the strongest metabolism. At this time, the human body's ability to resist external evils is relatively strong, and overall it shows the characteristics of "all things are in full bloom" in summer. The physiological changes of the human body in summer are mainly reflected in the following points: First, the qi and blood circulate vigorously. Summer is the time when Yang is at its peak, when Yang is strong and the temperature is high, filling the body's surface. Yang Qi of the human body flows smoothly to the outside, and Qi and blood tend to the surface of the body. The second is leakage of body fluids. The hot weather in summer can easily cause the body's internal organs to leak and body fluids to leak out. The amount of sweat increases significantly more than in the other three seasons. At the same time, the amount of urine is relatively smaller than in other seasons. The third is that the heart is connected to Xia. The human heart corresponds to summer, and the physiological functions of the heart are relatively strong in summer. This is manifested in the fact that the heart governs the blood vessels, strong Qi and blood, smooth movement, increased sweat excretion, inflated Yang Qi, floating outside, strengthened functional activities, and abundant energy.

3. The meaning of health preservation in summer

Health preservation in summer, summer is the season with the strongest yang energy, the climate is hot and the vitality is strong. This is the period of metabolism. Yang Qi is sent out and Yin is hidden inside. The flow of Qi and blood is correspondingly strong and active on the surface of the body. Summer health care focuses on mental adjustment, maintaining a happy and stable mood, and avoid being overly sad or happy, so as not to add heat to the fire and add fuel to the fire. A calm mind and a cool person can achieve the purpose of health preservation.

4. Summer nourishes the essence, qi, and spirit, and nourishes the heart and blood vessels.

Summer nourishes the heart, and the heart controls the blood vessels, so nourishing the heart in summer is very important for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in summer will have the following three main symptoms: First, blood pressure is relatively stable. The weather in summer is hot and the blood vessels of the human body dilate. People with usually high blood pressure will have their blood pressure relatively lower and stabilize at this time. Therefore, the condition of patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is generally relatively stable in summer. The second is excessive sweating. Hot weather tends to cause the body's joints to leak and body fluids to leak out. The amount of sweat (sweat refers to the body fluid that is evaporated by the transpiration of Yang Qi, and the liquid discharged from the sweat pores is much greater than in other seasons. Because sweat is transformed by body fluid , blood and body fluid come from the same source (TCM says that blood and sweat come from the same source), and blood is dominated by the heart, so it is also called "sweat is the fluid of the heart". Summer is connected with the heart qi, and sweating occurs in summer. The third factor is fatigue and shortness of breath. There are many reasons for weakness in summer. For example, the spleen governs the limbs in the long summer, and the spleen is prone to drowsiness due to the dampness in the long summer. Symptoms of fatigue; or it may be that the yang is extremely strong in summer, "strengthening fire and eating qi".

However, the heat of summer consumes the qi and yin of the heart, and the active function of qi decreases. Therefore, patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases who have insufficient heart qi are more likely to and more obviously show symptoms of fatigue. Therefore, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular patients must grasp the relationship between the seasons and the internal organs, and purposefully replenish the energy consumed by the heart during the three months of summer to protect the qi and yin of the heart.

Summer is connected with the heart. In summer, people’s Qi and blood come outside, and the outside is very full at this time. Chinese medicine believes that summer qi is connected with the heart qi. Why do you say this? Everyone may have this experience. In summer, when the weather is particularly hot and you sweat a lot, you will feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. This is because the heart controls the order in summer ( Among the five elements, the heart and summer both belong to fire). Therefore, maintaining health in summer is more important than nourishing the heart.

The first thing to understand is that all things in the world have the laws of movement and change: spring growth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage. If people want to be healthy and live a long life, they should naturally follow the laws of nature and timing. "Chunsheng" and "Xia Chang" are both different and closely related. In spring, the life cells in people's bodies become active due to the mild weather; three months later, the yang energy in nature has gradually reached a very strong level. On the one hand, the sun is falling, and on the other hand, the heat of the earth is rising. This combination of heaven and earth energy greatly promotes the beauty and prosperity of all things. In summer and March, the human body's metabolism is also very strong. This is a good thing, but if you ignore the essentials of summer health care, it may turn into a bad thing! Although people's Yang Qi is sufficient in summer, it is easy to leak out; in summer, the days are long and the nights are short, and it is easy to lack sleep; in summer, people sweat a lot and are prone to hair loss. liquid; it is too hot in summer, which can easily affect people's appetite; people are also prone to diseases due to greed for cold in summer.

The heart is the master of the body. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the heart controls the blood circulation and also presides over spiritual activities. The heart is the official of the monarch. To maintain health, you must first nourish the heart. A strong heart is the whole. It is the foundation for all organs to be healthy and normal. To maintain the mind, we must first pay attention to the regulation of the seven emotions. The so-called seven emotions are joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and surprise. If the seven emotions are too strong, it will cause dysfunction of the organs, qi and blood and lead to disease. Therefore, you should be open-minded about everything, don't worry about gains and losses, and have a good attitude of "taking a step back to open up the sky". Maintaining the righteousness of the vast world is of great benefit to nourishing the heart, maintaining a good attitude and psychological balance. Have a good mood every day. Secondly, virtue nourishes the heart, benevolent people nourish the heart, change of nature nourishes the heart, and wise people nourish the heart. Pay attention to your own moral cultivation. Do more good deeds. ?Tranquil and nihilistic, keep your spirit in mind, and you will always be at peace with your illness? ;