Interpretation of the summer health-preserving concept in Huangdi Neijing

"When it rains continuously, you don't know that spring is gone. When it clears up, you feel that summer is deep." The spring with pink peach blossoms and green willows is not over yet, and the warm summer is coming. The Beginning of Summer is the 7th solar term in the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar, the first solar term of summer, and the official beginning of the Mengxia season. Around May 5th of the Gregorian calendar every year, the beginning of summer is when the sun reaches 45° of the ecliptic longitude. At this time, "the Big Dipper points to the southeast, and it is the beginning of summer. All things grow up at this time, so it is called the beginning of summer", marking the beginning of summer. Since then, the temperature rises, the sunshine becomes longer, the thunderstorms increase, the scorching heat is coming, and crops enter the peak growth season. Summer is the hottest season of the year, and it is also the season when health problems frequently occur. How to take care of our mind and body in this special season has been described in detail in the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" more than 2,000 years ago. Let's talk about summer health knowledge in combination with the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic".

First, let's look at the original text "Huangdi Neijing·Suwen" "The Great Treatise on the Four Qi to Regulate the Spirit" which records: The three months of summer are called the time of abundance and beauty, when the qi of heaven and earth interact, and all things blossom and bear fruit; sleep at night and get up early, do not be tired of the day, so that your mind will not be angry, the flowers and fruits will bloom, and the qi can be released. If what you love is outside, this is the response of the summer qi, the way to nourish and grow; if it is violated, you will be sad, in autumn you will suffer from malaria, and few people will harvest, and in the winter you will be seriously ill.

"Nourish Yang in spring and summer, and nourish Yin in autumn and winter." In summer, nourishing Yang means that the Yang Qi of the human body conforms to the changes of the solar terms. From the perspective of the five elements, summer belongs to fire. Corresponding to the five internal organs, the fire Qi is connected to the heart. The "heart" of the human body corresponds to "summer" in the four seasons. "Summer Qi and heart Qi are connected." "Sweat is the liquid of the heart." The heart governs the spirit and "the heart stores the spirit." In summer, the heart Yang is the most prosperous and has the strongest function, but "heat easily hurts Qi" and "heat easily enters the heart." Therefore, health preservation in the beginning of summer should conform to the changes of the solar terms and focus on nourishing the heart so as to make a peaceful transition to summer. Therefore, health preservation in summer focuses on nourishing the heart and preventing heatstroke. In combination with this key point, we will talk about health preservation in summer from the following aspects.

1. Daily life

"Sleep late and get up early, never tire of the sun" In the summer, the days increase and the nights become shorter. It is better to go to bed late and get up early to follow the changes in the yang energy of heaven and earth. Dress loose and comfortable to sweat. Summer is a season for "letting qi out", so sweating is an important detail of summer health preservation. Many people like to cool down when the weather is hot. The outdoor temperature is 33-38℃, and the air conditioner at home is set to 16℃. It's great! Just sweating, take a cold shower! These behaviors that make people cool suddenly are easy to induce air-conditioning disease. It will also put a burden on the heart. Summer is also a season with a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

2. Diet

In the season of nourishing Yang, the five flavors should be carefully harmonized to make the bones straight and the tendons soft. Summer is the season for nourishing the heart, softening the spleen and harmonizing Yang. The diet in summer is diverse, mainly rich in water, and the taste is mainly sour, sweet and bitter. Sour can be astringent and prevent excessive dissipation of Qi and body fluids. Sweet food can replenish sugar and multiple vitamins. Slightly bitter food can purge fire and promote urination, preventing summer heat and dampness from stagnating in the body and causing gastrointestinal diseases, such as diarrhea and vomiting. In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to the appropriate use of iced drinks and beer. Although the spleen and stomach function is strong in summer, you should not be greedy, especially when eating barbecue, crayfish and other fresh meats at the same time, which are not easy to digest and are prone to food damage and diarrhea.

3. Exercise

Summer is a season for outdoor sports. You can exercise in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer. In summer, the Yang energy is active and needs to be released. Young people are especially suitable for some intense sports. They feel comfortable after sweating a lot, but they should pay attention to hydration and prevent sports injuries. Do not take a shower or drink a lot of iced drinks immediately after exercise.

4. Regulate emotions, nourish the heart and calm the mind

"In the three months of summer, one should not be angry and should be able to release the qi. This is the response of summer qi and the way to nourish and grow." Heat is the main qi in summer. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine believes that heat is a yang evil. When heat invades the human body, it manifests as excessive sweating, loss of body fluids, dry lips and dry mouth, fatigue, laziness and shortness of breath. As the temperature rises further and reaches above 35 ℃, the human body will experience symptoms such as irritability, irritability, and memory loss. This is because the high temperature affects the emotional regulation center of the hypothalamus, which is a typical "emotional heatstroke". In summer, we should nourish our hearts and never "work our minds and disturb our spirits". If we are extremely thirsty, we should drink slowly, and we need to calm our minds even more in the heat of summer.

In short, summer health care focuses on nourishing the yang and nourishing the heart, adjusting diet, daily life, and emotions, so as to live up to the good times and leave no regrets.