In the hot summer, we talk about the three hot days. Pay attention to health preservation during the three hot days.

The "Three Dog Days" is a stage in the traditional Chinese season that represents the hot summer period, including the first dog days, the middle dog days and the last dog days, spanning the three solar terms of Lesser Heat, Greater Heat and Beginning of Autumn. The so-called "Three Geng days after the summer solstice is the number of dog days", the first dog days are the third Geng day after the summer solstice, the fourth Geng day is the middle dog days, and the first Geng day after the Beginning of Autumn is the last dog days. Generally speaking, since the ten heavenly stems in the sexagenary cycle are in one cycle, there is a 10-day interval from the first Geng day to the next Geng day, so each dog day has 10 days. However, due to the different early and late appearances of the first dog days each year, the number of days from the middle dog days to the last dog days is not the same, and there are two situations: 10 days or 20 days. Therefore, in some years, the three dog days are 30 days, and in some years, they are 40 days.

Whether it is 30 days or 40 days, the period from the beginning to the end of the dog days corresponds exactly to July and August of the Gregorian calendar. This is the time when the temperature is the highest and the weather is the most humid and hot in summer in my country. It is also the key node from summer to autumn.

Why does the “Three Fu” period start on “Geng Day” ?

It is not difficult to see that the three hot days are based on Geng Day. Why Geng Day? The Kangxi Dictionary records: "Fu means the day when metal energy is hidden. Metal fears fire, so Geng is the day of the three hot days. The four elements metabolize and all generate each other. When it comes to the beginning of autumn, metal replaces fire, so Geng Day must be the day of the dog days. This passage explains that the "Fu" in "Three Hot Days" is actually the day when metal energy is suppressed, and "Geng" belongs to "metal" in the five elements. Who is suppressed? From the perspective of "metal and fire restraining each other", the fire is strong in summer, and metal can rely on its own convergence to suppress the yang energy of the blazing fire and store it in the body to nourish the body's yang energy. On the other hand, from the perspective of "metal and earth generating each other", the three hot days actually include The long summer and the beginning of autumn are important nodes where summer and autumn meet. In addition to considering how to deal with the summer fire, we also need to consider how to prepare for the autumn metal. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the long summer belongs to the earth, which can take on the summer fire and produce metal. This means that during this period, the function of the lung metal can be indirectly enhanced by regulating the spleen and stomach (the organs belonging to the earth), thereby balancing the five internal organs. The specific time of Geng Day for health preservation or treatment is just to take advantage of the law of the mutual generation of metal and earth, which means to supplement metal by taking advantage of the natural time. It is believed to have the effect of doing twice the result with half the effort [2].

Why is the dog days of summer a good time to treat winter diseases in summer?

The characteristics of the dog days are that the Yang Qi is extremely strong, with more Yang Qi above the ground and less Yang Qi below the ground. The same is true for the human body. During this time, the metabolism is most active, the pores open, and the Yang Qi reaches its peak. This is the best time to prevent and treat some chronic diseases of Yang deficiency that occur every winter. Yang Qi from the outside can be used to replenish the Yang Qi in the human body. Taking advantage of the characteristics of Yang Qi being strong and ready to move at this time, Yang Qi-replenishing drugs or other Yang-warming methods can be used for patients with Yang deficiency. Yang Qi will rise more, making it easier to dissolve the cold Qi in the body, thereby better achieving the purpose of supporting Yang and dispelling cold, while also reserving Yang Qi for autumn and winter [3].

What should ordinary people pay attention to in maintaining their health during the dog days of summer?

As for how to spend the dog days, the ancients had formed a set of summer health-preserving customs and passed them down. According to the Book of Rites, in the pre-Qin period, in the midsummer month, "gentlemen should fast, cover their bodies when they are at home, stay calm, stop talking and seeing, and do not eat anything, eat less, do not be too lazy, control their desires, and calm their minds." In summary, this means that they should work hard on diet, daily life, and state of mind.

In terms of diet, there are two main points to be achieved. The first is not to be greedy for cold and cool food. That is, avoid eating too cold food to prevent the cold evil from directly attacking the spleen and stomach and damaging the spleen yang. Instead, you can consider taking some warm and neutral ingredients, such as ginger and red beans. The second is to eat light food and avoid eating too much greasy food. The weather is hot and humid during the dog days, which is prone to dampness and spleen obstruction, so you should pay special attention to protecting the spleen and stomach and eating light food.

From the perspective of daily living habits, there are two main points to be achieved. The first is not to stay up late and ensure adequate sleep time. The dog days are already full of earth and humidity, especially this year when more rain is expected, which makes it more likely for dampness to be excessive, so it is particularly important to remove dampness and protect the spleen. Chinese medicine believes that the gallbladder meridian is on duty from 11pm to 1am, and the gallbladder meridian is the hub. The purpose of going to bed early is to nourish the gallbladder and spleen. The second is to maintain proper exercise habits, do not exercise excessively, and do not excessively pursue sweating, so as to prevent the loss of body fluids and cause unnecessary burden on the heart. Avoid exercising at noon. It is best to choose the cooler time in the early morning or evening, and make sure to exercise in a well-ventilated environment. In addition, after sweating during exercise, be careful not to blow directly into the air conditioner or take a cold shower immediately, and do not rush to drink cold water.

In terms of mood, the main thing is to stay calm and avoid excessive emotional fluctuations. In addition, you can also choose some aromatic medicines or foods that can invigorate the spleen and eliminate dampness for conditioning, such as coix seed, tangerine peel, etc., to keep the body and mind refreshed and comfortable.

By doing the above points and following the natural characteristics of the dog days, you can achieve a regular lifestyle and prolong your life. As a Tang Dynasty poem says: "During the dog days, I shut myself in and put on a patchwork robe, with no pine or bamboo to shade the room. To be at peace, I don't need mountains or rivers, but to extinguish the fire in my heart and feel cool."

References

[1] Zhu Xianmin. Study on the time factors of treating winter diseases in summer and the deduction of the date of the dog days[J]. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 2013, 32(3): 224-226.

[2] Xie Sheng, Liu Yuanyuan. Theoretical construction and discussion of the three-fu treatment in Kuntu Jian[J]. Chinese Journal of Basic Medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2017, 23(5): 626-627.

[3] Huang Yansong. The traditional medical connotation of Sanfutian moxibustion therapy[D]. Guangzhou: Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 2007.