In winter, you should do more breathing exercises to nourish your lungs and pay attention to these 4 points

Editor's note: Winter is the season when vitality is dormant. It is the end of one year and the beginning of the next. As the saying goes, "Spring brings life, summer brings growth, autumn brings harvest, and winter brings storage." Therefore, taking good care of your health in winter is crucial to your health in the coming year. Today, People's Health Network will talk to you about the precautions for taking care of your health in winter.

To nourish the lungs in autumn and winter, do more breathing exercises

Autumn and winter are the peak seasons for respiratory diseases, including colds, acute bronchitis, acute attacks of chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. Breathing exercises can improve the chest tightness, shortness of breath, dyspnea, wheezing and other symptoms of patients with respiratory diseases, adjust the breath in the body, improve the function of the internal organs, and thus enhance the body's immunity. Clinical studies have found that breathing exercises have a significant effect in restoring lung function.

There are seven sections of breathing exercises, and the specific methods are as follows:

Pursed lip breathing

Purpose: To prevent the small airways from closing and narrowing during exhalation, so as to facilitate the discharge of gas in the alveoli.

Method: Breathe in through your nose, purse your lips and lightly close them when exhaling, exhale slowly with your mouth in a whistle shape.

Abdominal breathing

Purpose: To enhance diaphragm strength, reduce airway resistance, increase tidal volume, and improve hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention.

Method: Place your right hand on your belly button and your left hand on your chest. When you inhale, expand your abdomen as much as possible and keep your chest still. When you exhale, contract your abdomen as much as possible and keep your chest still.

Breath holding

Purpose: To prolong the exchange time of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs and allow more oxygen to enter the blood.

Method: Inhale, hold your breath for 3 seconds, turn your head to the right, and exhale. Inhale, hold your breath for 3 seconds, turn your head to the left, and exhale.

Stretch breathing

Purpose: To increase lung function and relieve shoulder and neck pain.

Method: Stretch your arms straight, and gradually raise them forward and upward above your head while taking a deep breath; then close your arms, lean forward, and exhale deeply. (Note: Try to use abdominal breathing.)

Massage Yingxiang

Purpose: To relieve rhinitis, toothache and cold.

Method: Flex the thumbs of both hands and use the first knuckle to massage the Yingxiang point (the Yingxiang point is located on the side of the midpoint of the outer edge of the nose, in the nasolabial groove).

Push and press Fengchi

Purpose: To relieve headaches, neck pain and stiff neck.

Method: Stretch out your palms, and use the side of the little finger joint or the hypothenar eminence to push and press the Fengchi point behind the occipital on the same side (the Fengchi point is on both sides of the big tendon behind the forehead and parallel to the earlobe), commonly known as "driving the big tendon", until you feel soreness.

Chest percussion

Purpose: To use the vibration and gravity generated by percussion to expel secretions retained in the airway.

Method: The tapper bends the fingers of both hands and puts them together, making the palms cupped, and taps the chest wall rhythmically with the strength of the wrist.

Breathing exercises are mainly performed in standing positions, and some movements can also be performed in sitting or lying positions. It is advisable to perform according to one's physical condition. Elderly people with poor lung function should not rush for results. The key is to persist. Practice once or twice a day. Breathing exercises should focus on breathing depth and volume to improve breathing efficiency. Through persistent breathing exercises, lung function can be improved and symptoms of lung diseases can be improved. In addition, this exercise can effectively relax tense nerves, relieve anxiety, and alleviate insomnia symptoms.

Pay attention to these 4 points in winter health care

1. Prevent obesity

When the weather is cold, some people will eat high-calorie and high-fat foods, which will cause obesity. You can eat vegetables before each meal, because vegetables are low-fat and low-sugar foods, which can give people a certain sense of fullness and reduce the intake of high-fat and starchy foods. You can also choose oats or brown rice as a staple food, which can promote gastrointestinal motility, give the stomach a sense of fullness, and relieve severe constipation problems. Replacing sugary foods with fruits can not only meet people's demand for sweetness, but also take in vitamins and minerals.

2. Prevent getting angry

In winter, people wear more clothes and the room temperature is high, which reduces the amount of activity, making it easy for the body to accumulate heat and not be dissipated. Coupled with a high-calorie diet, it will cause lung or stomach fire, thus inducing gastrointestinal diseases or upper respiratory tract diseases. In winter, you can eat appropriate cold foods such as lotus seeds, white radish, cabbage, etc.

3. Drink more body fluids

The weather in winter is relatively dry and cold, and the skin is prone to lack of moisture. Staying in a heated room will aggravate the dryness of the skin, causing dry and flaky skin. In winter, you should add more liquids to your diet, such as green leafy vegetables and fruits, various soups and porridges, etc. to increase skin moisture and keep the skin moisturized.

4. Prevent respiratory tract infections

In winter, the temperature is relatively low and the wind is strong. The air is too dry, which will cause certain damage to the respiratory tract and increase the chance of pneumonia, colds and bronchitis. You should supplement your nutrition. Eat more eggs, milk, lean meat and fish that are rich in high-quality protein to enhance the immune system. In addition, you should also supplement vitamin C to dilute the toxins in the body and improve the ability to resist viruses and bacteria. In winter, the dust content in the air is relatively high and there is a lot of haze. The nasal mucosa is easily damaged, so you should drink more water to keep the nasal mucosa moist, help resist the cold and viruses, and help expel toxins from the body.

Do these things to keep your kidneys healthy in winter

Go to bed early and get up late, do moderate exercise

Health preservation in winter should follow the principle of "sleeping early and getting up late to wait for the sun" in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. Winter is a season of silencing, so exercise is necessary, but not excessive. At the same time, it is not advisable to sweat too much during exercise, so as not to damage the yang energy and kidney essence, which violates the health preservation requirements of "hiding" in winter.

In winter, go to bed early and get up late. It is best to get up and go out after the sun comes out. Going to bed early and going to bed early can ensure adequate sleep, which is conducive to the hiding of yang energy and the accumulation of kidney essence. Getting up late and going out late to wait for the sun can avoid severe cold and prevent the cold evil from dampening yang energy and damaging the kidneys.

Remove cold, warm and protect Yang Qi

Cold is the dominant air in winter. When cold evil attacks the body, in addition to causing acute attacks such as colds, acute bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, and bronchial asthma, it can often damage the yang energy in the kidneys, causing joint pain and arthritis, cold and numbness in the limbs, clear and long urination, and frequent urination at night.

In winter, it is very important to get rid of cold and warm up, and to protect Yang Qi. In addition to using indoor heating facilities, the elderly and the weak should pay special attention to keeping their backs and feet warm. In addition, you must take good precautions against cold and keep warm when going out in winter. You should not wear too thin clothes during outdoor activities, and you should not stay outdoors for too long, so as to avoid the cold damaging Yang Qi and harming the kidneys.

The diet should be warm, bitter and less salty

Winter is cold, and the Yang Qi is hidden. The Yang Qi and kidney essence of the human body are also in a period of accumulation. The diet should be warm and should focus on storing heat. Therefore, in winter, we should choose foods that contain high-quality protein and have the function of preventing cold and keeping warm, such as chicken, beef, mutton, dog meat, eggs, walnuts, chestnuts, longan, red dates and other sweet and warm ingredients, or Chinese medicines that can be used as both medicine and food. These are all excellent seasonal health foods in winter.

In winter, the kidneys are in season and kidney qi is relatively strong. The kidneys belong to water and taste salty, while the heart belongs to fire and tastes bitter. A strong kidney is easy to hurt the heart. Therefore, in winter, the diet and health care should "eat more bitter food and less salty food". For example, nuts are fried until they are slightly burnt and slightly bitter, which can both nourish the kidneys and clear away heat, and are most suitable for consumption in winter.

Swallowing saliva to maintain health is simple and easy

Swallowing saliva is a traditional Chinese medicine method for maintaining health in the meridians of kidney deficiency. It is simple and easy to do. If you stick to it for a long time, it can make your kidney essence abundant, your qi strong and your spirit vigorous, your appearance youthful, your ears and eyes sharp, thus achieving the health purpose of not declining in old age and prolonging life. Here are some common methods of swallowing saliva:

The palate-licking and saliva-swallowing method: Gently close your lips and lick the upper palate with your tongue, licking in circles 20 to 40 times. Saliva will be secreted in your mouth, and then you swallow it slowly. Do this 2 to 3 times a day.

The method of puffing up the cheeks and swallowing saliva: close your lips tightly, blow air outwards with force, and your cheeks will puff up. Lick your cheeks back and forth with your tongue, and saliva will be secreted quickly. When there is more saliva in your mouth, swallow it slowly. Do this 2 to 3 times a day.

The method of tapping teeth and swallowing saliva: close your lips, and gently tap your upper and lower teeth. After tapping your teeth, use your tongue to stir your mouth, usually around the teeth, first left then right, first outside then inside, first up then down, and gently stir 30 times in turn. The force should be soft and natural. Then press the tongue against the upper palate to gather saliva. When the saliva increases, puff up your cheeks and gargle for more than 10 times. Finally, swallow it slowly in 3 mouthfuls, and it is best to send it to the Dantian below the navel with rapid recitation.

Qigong combined with saliva swallowing method: sit upright, eliminate distracting thoughts, press tongue against the upper palate, clench teeth, regulate breathing and calm down, saliva will flow continuously, when the mouth is full of saliva, lower your head and swallow it slowly, sending it to the Dantian below the navel with your mind.

Drug regimen depends on the body

People with kidney deficiency or sub-health status can take medication under the guidance of a Chinese medicine practitioner according to their specific circumstances:

For patients with kidney yang deficiency, they often have cold limbs, prefer warmth and fear cold, pale or blue complexion, loose and soft stools, clear and long urine, frequent nocturia, and prefer summer and hate winter. They can take single-flavored drugs such as velvet antler, seahorse, Morinda officinalis, Cistanche deserticola, Cynomorium songaricum, etc., and Chinese patent medicines such as Jinkui Shenqi Pills and Yougui Pills. For patients with kidney yin deficiency, they often have emaciation, hot palms, prefer cool and fear heat, dry and hard stools, yellow and red urine, or hot flashes and night sweats, restless sleep, and prefer winter and hate summer. They can take single-flavored drugs such as wolfberry, cornus fruit, Ligustrum lucidum, black sesame, etc., and Chinese patent medicines such as Liuwei Dihuang Pills and Zuogui Pills. For patients with kidney yin and yang deficiency, they often have hot five hearts, night sweats, or spontaneous sweating, cold limbs, or insomnia, dreaminess, and other discomforts. They can take single-flavored drugs such as processed Polygonum multiflorum, Chinese yam, black sesame, etc., and Chinese patent medicines such as Quanlu Pills and Erxian Decoction.

Winter health care starts with "no"

Do not make up for it

Many people believe that winter is a golden season for nourishing the body. When winter comes, a large number of tonics are consumed. Many businesses have launched various "packages" and "partners" to cater to the needs of consumers. In fact, proper nourishment in winter is enough. Winter is mainly about storage, not leakage. Excessive nourishment will cause the body's balance to be broken and form a pathological state. In particular, excessive use of yang-tonifying and qi-tonifying products will cause the leakage of the body's essence and cause "no storage of essence in winter". Therefore, proper nourishment should be taken in winter, and no reckless nourishment should be taken, especially ginseng, deer antlers and other "tools" for replenishing qi and yang should be used with caution.

Do not eat indiscriminately

In winter, when it is cold and freezing, many people will feel comfortable after eating a spicy hot pot and sweating, but they don’t know that this is dissipating the body’s yang energy. In winter, the main focus should be on nourishing the yin essence, and hot foods should not be used recklessly. Of course, you should not eat some cold foods in winter, so as not to damage the spleen yang, affect the spleen and stomach, and damage the digestive system. In short, in winter, you should mainly eat a mild and nourishing diet, such as drinking more porridge, adding some jujube, wolfberry, longan, white fungus, lily, and adding a small amount of ginger. It can nourish without being greasy, moist without being dry, and is a good tonic for winter. It is forbidden to eat a lot of hot foods such as mutton, peppers, etc., and a lot of cold foods such as fruits, ice cream, etc.

Do not drink recklessly

In winter, many people like to drink some liquor to warm up their bodies. In fact, drinking in moderation is good for health. It can warm the blood vessels, dispel wind and dissipate cold. Shenghua Tang, a common prescription for postpartum women, is boiled with liquor. However, liquor is a warm product after all. Excessive drinking will dissipate the body's yang energy. In addition, excessive drinking will also produce dampness and phlegm, causing phlegm, dizziness and lack of energy. Nowadays, many young people like to drink beverages. These beverages contain a lot of sugar, which can easily lead to weight gain. In winter, excessive drinking of beverages can damage the spleen yang and cause indigestion. At the same time, some beverages also contain a lot of gas, which can easily cause abdominal distension after drinking. Therefore, you should not drink too much liquor in winter, and you should not drink too many cold beverages. In fact, red wine, as the most natural and healthy drink, has the function of beauty and skin care, and can be used as a good product for winter health care. In addition, black tea is sweet, warm in nature, good at storing yang energy, generating heat and warming the abdomen, which can enhance the body's resistance to cold. It also has the functions of removing greasiness, stimulating appetite and refreshing, which is very suitable for drinking in winter.

Don't work in vain

In winter, you should not stay up late, go to bed early and get up late, and ensure adequate sleep time, so as to facilitate the storage of Yang Qi and the accumulation of Yin essence. The response to winter Qi is the way to nourish and store. In winter, you should exercise appropriately, not sweating like in other seasons, just a little sweating is enough; in winter, you should appropriately reduce the number of baths, and you should not take a long hot bath or sauna frequently, so as not to dissipate the body's Yang Qi; at the same time, you should pay attention to abstinence in sexual intercourse in winter, recuperate and store your essence. (People's Health Network Comprehensive Self-Health News, China Traditional Chinese Medicine News, Family Doctor Online, China Medicine News)