Author: Xin Bao (Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine, professor, practicing Chinese medicine practitioner, master tutor, registered dietitian. Expert consultant and signing author of China Clinical Nutrition Network. Head of Food Hygiene and Nutrition Department of Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Director of Prevention and Health Care Management Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Director of Dietary Nutrition Room)
"The vernal equinox, Yin and Yang. So it's hot and cold day and night. " A word "fen" tells the boundary between day and night, cold and heat. In ancient times, spring was also called "Japan-China", "Day and Night" and "Mid-spring Moon". According to the ancients, the second solstice (summer solstice, winter solstice) is always Yin and Yang, and the second vernal equinox (vernal equinox, autumnal equinox) is the intersection of Yin and Yang, which is the biggest festival, so this solar term is very important for nature and human health, and it is also a watershed for spring health preservation. We must pay attention to disease prevention and health care, and seize the opportunity around the vernal equinox, which will benefit the whole year.
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Let's talk about the influence of the phenological environment of the vernal equinox on people.
On the vernal equinox, the length of day and night is almost equal, each being 12 hour. After the vernal equinox, the position of the sun gradually moved northward, and gradually the days became longer and the nights became shorter. Folk call it "eating the vernal equinox, making the day longer". "Spring and Autumn Stories Yin and Yang in and out" said: "The vernal equinox, Yin and Yang are also half-phase, so it is cold and summer day and night." Huangdi Neijing said: "Qi reaches its peak, and the point of qi reaches its peak. When it comes to the same gas, it is different when it is divided. The so-called meaning of heaven and earth is also. " "Different gas distribution" also means that the temperature is a watershed. During the spring equinox, the temperature rises rapidly all over the country. According to the climate law, the precipitation in the south of the Yangtze River increased rapidly at this time, and it entered the period of "peach blossom flooding" in spring. In the northeast, north and northwest regions where "spring rain is as expensive as oil", precipitation is still very little, and climate problems such as drought and sandstorm will also appear. The sandstorm two days ago became a hot topic for a while. In fact, according to the statistics of sandstorm weather in recent years, April is the most, followed by March, after the vernal equinox 15 days. (For the question of 15 days, see above "The winter solstice in 2020 is destined to be extraordinary. Are you ready for Shaanxi traditional Chinese medicine fitness? " It is from the end of March to the beginning of April, so the weather will also encounter abnormal changes. After the vernal equinox, heaven and man correspond. With the rapid rise of the qi of spring yang, the blood circulation and hormone secretion of human body are enhanced, and the mood fluctuation is also great, which is easy to induce diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, dizziness and insomnia. If the climate changes greatly, people who are weak are prone to get sick, and elderly patients are also prone to relapse. In addition, various bacteria and viruses proliferate rapidly, and various infectious diseases also occur frequently.
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What is the significance of vernal equinox solar terms for health preservation?
Since the vernal equinox, the balance is mild and warm, because the vernal equinox is day and night, cold and heat, so people should also pay attention to maintaining the balance of yin and yang in health care. No matter in spirit, diet, daily life and so on. Or in terms of self-care, we should conform to the characteristics of solar terms at this time and stress "peace." Su Wenzhi's Theory of Truth says, "We should pay attention to Yin and Yang and adjust them in order to maintain peace for a period of time".
First, pay attention to the balance between day and night and climate, and arrange daily life. In daily life, we should have a regular daily life and combine work and rest, so that the pace of life can be adjusted with the changes of time, space and climate in four seasons. After the vernal equinox, the days in the northern hemisphere will gradually increase. Don't miss the beautiful spring, try to wake up with the sun. You can try to get up early for 7 days without staying up late, and your energy and color will change obviously. What we all need to pay more attention to in life is to develop good sleep habits. After the vernal equinox, the days get longer and the nights get shorter and shorter. We should "lie down at night and get up early" to adapt to spring. In life, according to Chinese medicine, in spring, you can "stay up late and get up early, stride in the court and go slow on your mission". Get up early for a walk, enjoy a healthy life in bright spring.
The second is to pay attention to the conditioning of the body after the alternation of yin and yang. However, if a person's yang deficiency and yang weakness cannot be balanced with yin, it will often cause diarrhea (also called chicken crow diarrhea), that is, diarrhea in the early morning, and there are many undigested foods in the excrement (also called indigestion in Chinese medicine). Therefore, we should pay attention to the spleen and stomach and avoid some dietary reasons, especially food hygiene problems. People with yin deficiency constitution show dry skin, fever in hands and feet, red face, dry eyes, dry mouth and dry stool. You can eat more foods such as lily and sesame to nourish yin and moisten dryness. The vernal equinox is a period of balance between yin and yang, and it is a good opportunity to recuperate biased physique.
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Enlightenment of ancient vernal equinox health-keeping custom on today's health care
First, to prevent diseases after the vernal equinox, we should always open the window for ventilation, strengthen physical exercise, and improve the body's disease defense ability; At the same time, we should pay attention to the health care of oral cavity and nasal cavity; In addition, pay attention to avoid catching a cold outdoors on windy days in spring. If the climate is dry and windy around the vernal equinox, the ability of respiratory tract to defend against germs will decline, and it is easy to suffer from pharyngitis. "The pharynx needs the nourishment of liquid, and the throat needs the nourishment of body fluids. If the body fluid is insufficient or abnormal, it will not reach the throat, and the throat will be easy to dry, resulting in a series of diseases. Therefore, during the vernal equinox and solar terms, more attention should be paid to protecting the throat, drinking more water and increasing indoor humidity.
The second is to solve and deal with the spring sleep. During the vernal equinox, people's symptoms of "spring sleep" will become more and more obvious, especially every afternoon. In the most sleepy time, just taking a nap can greatly relieve fatigue. Conditional people can take a nap or rest. In the evening, you can do some activities that help you sleep to relieve spring sleepiness, such as doing some exercise after dinner, which is conducive to stretching and relaxing your body; On the basis of physical stretching and good digestion, you can exercise Tai Chi to cultivate your self-cultivation. Soak feet before going to bed and use foot massage and medicated bath to improve sleep quality; Half an hour before going to bed to get rid of distractions, calm down, relax for three breaths, read aloud and sit still, which is conducive to falling asleep.
Thirdly, I want to talk about the taboos of spring diet, and it is more appropriate to start with the vernal equinox. "On the expansion of the Inner Canon of Huangdi Lingshu" said: "Yin and Yang go hand in hand, for the sky, the five internal organs are new, the four seasons are orderly, and the five grains are transformed." This is the first time that the digestion and absorption of food are related to the four seasons. Personally, seasonal diet is composed of three parts: diet according to time, health according to taste (four seasons and five flavors), and careful selection of food according to time (four seasons diet is taboo), which will be explained in detail in subsequent articles. Today, I will talk about the diet in spring first. Personally, I think that in terms of seasonal diet, we can first follow the principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer" proposed in Huangdi Neijing, that is, in terms of diet. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica, quoted from local chronicles, advocated that "fresh and tender vegetables such as onion, garlic, leek, Polygonum hydropiper, Artemisia annua, mustard and so on should be eaten together". In addition to Polygonum hydropiper, Artemisia annua and other wild vegetables gradually decrease after the vernal equinox, onions, garlic and leeks can be described as good herbs and drugs for tonifying yang. But in addition, in the spring when the yang is rising, we should eat some light and sweet fruits and vegetables regularly to avoid heat accumulation in the kitchen and balance yin and yang, which is also in line with the meaning of yin and yang balance contained in the vernal equinox. There are also some sayings that you don't eat wheat in spring and you don't eat liver in spring, which will be introduced later.
202 1 spring equinox teacher Xin suggested:
China clinical nutrition net editorial department
202 1.3.22