The "Huangdi Neijing" has a unique and insightful understanding of health preservation. "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" says that the twenty-four solar terms should be maintained in time to maintain health. So how to maintain health in winter.
There are six solar terms in winter: Beginning of Winter, Light Snow, Heavy Snow, Winter Solstice, Lesser Cold, and Great Cold. "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" says that it is "closed and hidden" in winter, and it is best to nourish Yang when the weather is cold and the ground is freezing.
The beginning of winter: nourishing yang and nourishing the kidney meridian. Traditional Chinese medicine follows the laws of the development of all things in nature and believes that winter is the season of closure in the year. Pay attention to preserving Yang Qi during the Beginning of Winter, especially for the elderly. In winter, you should go to bed early and get up late, and get up with the sun. And go out less often. Elderly people can do some quiet and leisure activities, such as practicing calligraphy, to maintain their physical strength.
Xiaoxue: Warms kidney yang. During light snow, you need to take good care of your kidneys so that your yang energy will grow in the second year. To protect the kidneys, you should eat more black foods and less sweets and spicy foods. For example, black rice, black beans, black sesame seeds, seaweed, etc. It should be noted that salty taste entering the kidneys will make the kidney water colder and easily damage the yang. So don’t eat salty things in winter. Eat radish in winter to keep warm and prevent cold.
Heavy Snow: Warming and replenishing to avoid cold. If you nourish your body properly during heavy snowfall, you won’t get cold all year round. Be careful not to take supplements casually, and don’t take supplements indiscriminately. People with weak gastrointestinal tracts can first take some gastrointestinal conditioning medicines such as Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Poria cocos, and then take a small amount to a large amount of tonics. At this time, you must pay attention to keeping your head, neck, feet and back warm.
Winter Solstice: Protect Yang Qi. There is a folk saying: "In the cold winter solstice, dog meat is fat." Dog meat tastes sweet, salty, sour, warm in nature, replenishes vital energy, warms the kidneys and supports yang. But note: Eating too much dog meat can easily cause internal heat. Patients with fever should not eat it, and patients with gout should not eat it. Moreover, dog meat and carp are incompatible and cannot be eaten together. Do not drink tea after eating dog meat, and do not eat dog meat with garlic, otherwise it will add fire and harm people.
Xiaohan: It is best to nourish the stomach. Folks have long had the custom of eating Laba porridge during the Xiaohan season. Drinking Laba porridge in winter can relieve stomach qi, produce body fluids, warm and nourish. Barley and Laba porridge: nourishes the spleen and strengthens the stomach. Nut Laba Porridge: nourishes the heart and kidneys. Black rice and Laba porridge: Nourishes yin and nourishes the kidneys. Osamu is suitable for reasonable exercise.
Dahan: moistens the lungs and removes evil dryness. In a warm room in winter, dryness of the lungs can easily occur, leading to nosebleeds. If you have frequent nosebleeds, you can apply garlic paste to Yongquan point to stop the bleeding. Yongquan point is the location of the front sole of our foot. It is best to use single head garlic.