There are eight key points for winter health preservation from Xiaoxue to Yi

November 22, 2020 (the eighth day of the tenth lunar month) is Xiaoxue, the 20th solar term of the year and the second solar term of winter. Every year on November 22 or 23, when the sun reaches 240 degrees golden, Xiaoxue arrives. It is the beginning of winter in the north, and a small amount of snow begins to fall. "On the day of Xiaoxue, the rainbow disappears. After another five days, the weather rises and the ground air descends. After another five days, it is closed and winter comes." This describes the climate of Xiaoxue, which lasts for 15 days.

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine states: "Spring brings life, summer brings growth, autumn brings harvest, winter brings storage." "Humans are born from the energy of heaven and earth, and are formed by the laws of the four seasons." After the first snow, the yang energy of the sky rises and the yin energy of the earth sinks. Yin and yang do not interact, heaven and earth are closed, and the earth is no longer full of vitality. It is a scene of storage. The temperature drops sharply, and ice forms. How to maintain positive energy during winter storage? (Positive energy: maintains the normal functions of various organs in the human body. Positive energy exists inside and evil cannot interfere).

"Nourishing the vital energy is inseparable from nourishing the blood, and blood is the mother of the vital energy. Nourishing the vital energy and blood must nourish the spleen and kidneys." During the Xiaoxue solar term, it is recommended that people do the following:

Diet: (1) Kidney-tonifying soup: chestnuts, wolfberries, walnuts, lilies, dates, and tangerine peels in appropriate amounts. Depending on individual constitutions, you can add mutton (for cold constitutions), old duck (for nourishing yin), and old hens (for strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi). (2) Eat more seasonal vegetables and fruits: In winter, we often eat hot pot, but spicy foods and beef and mutton are more likely to cause people to experience dry symptoms in the dry winter, such as dry mouth and nose, colds, and upper respiratory tract infections. So eat more cabbage, tofu, radish, lotus root slices, and white fungus to nourish yin and moisten dryness. Eat more apples, pears, bananas, and oranges to nourish yin and moisten dryness and are rich in vitamins. (3) Black foods nourish the kidneys and nourish qi and blood: cabbage stewed with tofu (black beans), stir-fried black fungus with spinach, stir-fried cashews, mushrooms, and celery, astragalus, lotus root, black beans, and beef bone soup, and kidney-tonifying porridge (black rice, black beans, black sesame, corn, and purple peanuts).

Exercise: Do Tai Chi and Ba Duan Jin until you sweat slightly, especially for people with weak constitutions who are prone to colds. Do not sweat profusely and catch a cold. It is not recommended to exercise in the morning or evening. When the temperature is low, exercise after the sun comes out and the yang energy rises to collect the essence of heaven and earth. Qi is the leader of blood. When the positive energy is abundant, blood flows with the qi and reaches the extremities, which is manifested by a ruddy complexion and warm hands and feet.

Adjust your mood: When the temperature is low, you are prone to depression. You should listen to more light music, be open-minded, be kind to others, and maintain a happy mood. The liver stores blood and is responsible for dredging. A happy mood is conducive to the liver's dredging and storage of liver blood.

Regular work and rest: "Do not disturb the Yang, go to bed early and get up late, and wait for the sun to come out." During the Xiaoxue solar term, the Yang is relatively weak and is hidden, so people should also hide with the Yang and not disturb it. At this time, the nights are longer than in autumn and the days are shorter, so people should adapt to the changes in the climate and wait until the sun comes out before getting up to avoid the invasion of cold air and protect the body's Yang. In short, go to bed early and get up late, ensure adequate sleep, adapt to the temperature and add clothes in the morning and evening, avoid the wind and cold and prevent colds.

Moxibustion: Nourish the kidney, replenish qi and blood: Shenshu, Spleenshu, Guanyuan, Yongquan, Taixi, Baqiao. Drink more warm water after moxibustion.

Massage: Baihui, Dazhui, Fengchi to increase positive energy and improve immunity.

Keep the air flowing: open windows for ventilation in the morning, noon and evening.

Xiaoxue Qi-invigorating and Blood-nourishing Paste: Lily, jujube, wolfberry, astragalus, poria, atractylodes, tangerine peel, amomum, angelica, chuanxiong, white peony root, raw rehmannia, Ligustrum lucidum, Eclipta prostrata, mulberry, Adenophora radix, Ophiopogon japonicus, etc. are selected in appropriate amounts according to physical constitution and boiled into a paste. Take one spoonful sublingually every day.

(Ding Xiaoqing, chief physician of the Department of Hematology, Oriental Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine)