[Health and wellness] Here is a guide to early summer health and epidemic prevention

In May, there is abundant rainfall, sufficient sunshine, rising temperatures, and the coming of hot summer. It is an important transition period for all things in the world from "birth" to "growth". In early summer, people should follow the changes in natural phenology to maintain their health and do "follow the four seasons and adapt to cold and heat" and "adapt to the weather and communicate with the gods".

Early summer health care requires "three adjustments"

Adjust your emotions

As the temperature gradually rises, people's "anger" also increases, and they are easily irritable. In summer, health preservation should pay special attention to calming the mind, and must not be overjoyed, angry, petty, sad, resentful, etc. In the afternoon or after dinner, when it is cool, you can adjust your mood by sitting quietly, listening to soothing music, etc.

Adjust your work and rest schedule

After the beginning of summer, we should adapt to the characteristics of long days and short nights, go to bed later, insist on getting up early and take a moderate nap to compensate for the lack of sleep at night.

Adjustment Exercise

When the temperature is lower in the morning and evening, you can participate in more outdoor sports, such as jogging, walking, Tai Chi, etc., but it is not advisable to do too intense exercise to avoid excessive sweating, damage to body fluids and consumption of energy.

Eating in early summer

To be energetic, you need to nourish your spleen and stomach

Summer is hot and humid, and people often feel lazy all day long, have no motivation to do anything, feel tired and weak, and have no appetite. In fact, this is mostly a manifestation of insufficient qi and blood.

According to Chinese medicine, unstable emotions, frequent anger, overthinking, irregular lifestyle, and staying up late for a long time can easily damage the body's qi and blood. If a person wants to be energetic and have sufficient qi and blood, the spleen and stomach must function well. The spleen and stomach are the source of qi and blood. Once there is a problem, it is difficult to convert food into fine substances and transport them to the whole body. In summer, it is easy for dampness to attack the body, leading to a variety of diseases. The following is a four-shen winter melon soup that can strengthen the spleen, replenish qi and remove dampness, which is suitable for daily consumption.

Ingredients: 20g water chestnut, 25g lotus seeds, 200g fresh yam (30g dried product), 15g Poria cocos, 100g winter melon, 30-40 soybeans, 1-2 pounds of pork spine, 5 slices of ginger, 4 red dates, a little kelp, and appropriate amount of salt.

Method: Put the pork spine into the pot, add water and boil, remove the foam, then add other washed ingredients, bring to a boil, simmer on low heat for 1 hour, and add appropriate amount of salt to taste.

Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen and replenishes Qi, removes dampness and resolves phlegm.

Wheat is used to nourish the heart and relieve troubles

Wheat is sweet and cool in nature. It can nourish the heart and kidney, calm the mind and replenish qi, strengthen the spleen and intestines, eliminate heat and quench thirst, and treat restlessness and agitation. It has a good effect on symptoms such as physical weakness, sweating, dry mouth and tongue, restlessness and insomnia. There is also a kind of wheat that is immature, not full, and relatively shriveled, called floating wheat, which is very effective in treating spontaneous sweating and night sweats. The following are two wheat diet recipes for your selection.

Wheat porridge

Ingredients: 100g wheat grains, 20g rice.

Method: Soak the wheat and rice separately until they swell, then wash and cook into porridge.

Efficacy: Soothes the mind, promotes diuresis and reduces swelling.

Wheat bran, coix seed, lotus jujube porridge

Ingredients: 30g wheat bran, 30g coix seed, 15g lotus seed, 5 red dates.

Method: Put the wheat bran into a wok, stir-fry over low heat until fragrant, then grind into fine powder. Soak coix seeds, lotus seeds, and red dates in clean water for 30 minutes, remove the pits of the red dates, and put the three into the pot together. Add appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat first, then simmer over low heat until the lotus seeds are cooked and the coix seeds and red dates become a paste. Add the wheat bran powder, stir well, and it is ready to eat.

Efficacy: Nourishes the heart and blood, strengthens the spleen and eliminates dampness.

Licorice and mung bean soup is suitable for detoxification and heat clearing

Licorice is sweet and neutral in nature. It enters the heart, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the functions of harmonizing medicinal properties, replenishing the middle and replenishing qi, and strengthening the body and eliminating evil. In addition, the detoxification function of licorice has also been valued by doctors of all dynasties. Licorice is a product of both medicinal and edible origin, and can be used for stewing rice, making soup, making porridge, and soaking in water. It should be noted that licorice cannot be used with cardiac glycosides, potassium-excreting diuretics, and traditional Chinese medicines such as seaweed, euphorbia, gansui, and daphne. People with high blood sugar should also use it with caution. It is recommended to be consumed under the guidance of a doctor. The following is a licorice mung bean soup that can detoxify and clear away heat.

Ingredients: 15g raw licorice, 100g mung bean.

Preparation method: Wash licorice and mung beans, soak the licorice and slice it, soak the mung beans for 2 hours, put them into a casserole with appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat, then simmer for another hour, and drink at any temperature.

Efficacy: Detoxification and heat-clearing. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that mung beans are sweet and cool in nature, enter the heart and stomach meridians, and have the functions of clearing away heat and detoxification, relieving heat and promoting urination.

In early summer, stay at home to prevent the epidemic. According to the relevant policies of epidemic prevention and control, most people are currently at home for epidemic prevention. During the stay at home, we should pay attention to restoring and supporting the positive energy to enhance our own disease resistance. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine also says: "The positive energy is inside, and the evil cannot interfere." Chinese medicine attaches importance to both strengthening the positive energy and avoiding the evil energy in preventing and controlling epidemics. Many aromatic herbs have the functions of removing dampness and warding off filth, preventing and protecting the body. Atractylodes lancea is pungent and bitter, warm in nature, and aromatic in smell. It can dry dampness and strengthen the spleen, dispel wind and dampness, and relieve depression and ward off filth. It can be taken orally with other drugs, or it can be used for external bathing and fumigation, and the epidemic prevention effect is better. The New Compilation of Materia Medica states that Atractylodes lancea "is the most effective in warding off evil spirits. It is appropriate that all evil spirits can be completely eliminated. Why is it effective and ineffective? Where evil spirits gather, their qi must be weak. However, qi deficiency is also different. There are those with qi deficiency and damp phlegm, and those with qi deficiency and dry phlegm. Atractylodes lancea replenishes qi and is good at removing dampness. It is effective in treating those with qi deficiency, damp phlegm and evil spirits."

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "Tao Yinju also said that Atractylodes can remove bad air and prevent disasters. Therefore, during epidemics and New Year's Day, people often burn Atractylodes to ward off evil spirits." This custom of burning Atractylodes to ward off evil spirits is actually an effective method of air disinfection. Modern research has shown that using 1g/㎥ of Atractylodes for fumigation can achieve the ideal disinfection standard after 1 hour.

You can also use Atractylodes macrocephala to make incense bags and sachets and hang them indoors or wear them on your body. In addition to warding off evil spirits, they also have the effects of calming the mood, improving sleep, clearing the mind, and repelling mosquitoes.

In addition, you can also use the detoxification and purging recipe of Qi Wensheng, chief physician of the emergency department of Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, as a tea substitute. Take 3g of Atractylodes lancea, 1g of mulberry leaves, 2g of Imperata root, 2g of honeysuckle, and 2g of tangerine peel. Soak in boiling water, 200ml each time, 3 times a day, for a total of 600ml. You can add a small amount of rock sugar for flavoring.

Source: China Traditional Chinese Medicine News