According to meteorological regulations, the temperature has been higher than 22℃ for five consecutive days, and it has entered summer. Once the temperature exceeds 32℃, the human body begins to feel hot and dry. This "dryness and heat" will not only affect our mood, but also affect our health. Summer is the season when the human body has the fastest metabolism and the most vigorous qi and blood, so there is a saying that "the debt in June is still fast", which means that once healthy living habits are not formed and diseases are caused, the metropolis will attack soon. July-September is not only the high incidence of heatstroke and gastrointestinal diseases, but also called "kidney calculi season" by British doctors. It is also the second highest incidence of mental illness in all seasons except spring. If you want to have a healthy summer, you must remember the following ten words.
Protect the heart
Summer is the most tiring season of the year. Chinese medicine believes that the yang is the most vigorous in summer, and the "heart" is the organ that governs the yang. Yang of the heart can promote blood circulation and maintain human life activities, so the physiological activities of the heart are the most active and tiring in summer. Once the yang is too strong and the heart is too strong, it is not only easy to be irritable, but also reduces the immune function of the human body, thus causing various diseases. For example, in midsummer, the elderly often have arrhythmia and high blood pressure.
The most important thing to nourish the heart in summer is protection. First, avoid overheating and cooling. Overheating is common in summer. For example, at noon 12, walking in the street under the scorching sun, it is easy to accelerate the blood flow in a short time and increase the burden on the heart and blood vessels. Many people turn on the air conditioner all night in order to escape the heat, and the alternation of hot and cold environment can easily cause heart discomfort. Secondly, we should eat more nourishing food, especially those with heart-yin deficiency, and pay attention to less fatigue. When the weather is particularly hot, you can buccal tablets of American ginseng, or soak in water with longan and Ophiopogon japonicus. Jujube millet porridge is also a good choice. In addition, we must eat less salty food in summer, and eat less high-cholesterol foods such as animal viscera, fat meat and egg yolk.
Less angry
In hot summer, with the acceleration of blood circulation, people's mood will fluctuate up and down. You will find that you are easily tired, easily upset and irritable, especially angry, sometimes uneasy, and can't sleep at night ... This is called "emotional heatstroke" in psychology, also called "summer emotional disorder". For the elderly with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, this kind of emotional instability is very dangerous and may lead to sudden illness. Therefore, Chinese medicine calls the two key words of summer health preservation "less angry". It means to be calm, bear it, and don't get angry.
If you want to keep a peaceful mind, you can try to breathe and calm your nerves. Find a tree-lined park, take off your shoes and stand on the ground at night, close your eyes, let your arms droop naturally, then take a deep breath, inhale slowly through your nose, and begin to spread your arms slowly, imagining the breath filling your chest. After reaching the limit, let the qi sink into the abdomen (under the navel 1). 5 inches), then exhale a little through your nose and slowly put down your hand. This kind of breathing exercise can make the body full of vitality and pleasure, and help to eliminate the anxiety caused by dryness and heat. In addition, eating fresh, delicious, light and digestible foods, especially seasonal fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, cucumber and peach, has the functions of relieving boredom, quenching thirst and clearing heat and relieving summer heat. For middle-aged and elderly people, it is necessary to form the habit of taking a nap in summer, and lack of sleep is also an important reason for people's irritability.
Suffering
"If you suffer in summer, it is better to make up for it." In summer, many people feel tasteless and have a bad appetite, so don't force yourself to eat big fish and big meat. On the contrary, eating bitter food can play an appetizing role. Studies have proved that bitter food contains many substances needed by human body, such as alkaloids, amino acids, picroside, vitamins, minerals, etc., and has the functions of detoxification, eyesight improvement, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, summer-heat relieving, refreshing and vexation relieving. Proper diet can also stimulate the digestive ability of the spleen and stomach, stimulate appetite, and eliminate digestive dysfunction such as taste loss, indigestion and loss of appetite in summer. In addition, suffering can also clear the heart and remove the troubles in the heart.
The most typical bitter food in summer is bitter gourd. In addition, there are bitter herbs, dandelions and kudingcha. Eating some cool foods can also have a "bitter" effect, such as loofah, cucumber, wax gourd, watermelon and wax gourd in melons, tomatoes, celery and lettuce are also cool vegetables, so you can eat more at ordinary times. However, children, the elderly and other people with gastrointestinal diseases and weak gastrointestinal function should pay special attention to moderate bitter and cold food to avoid eating too much and causing stomach cold and diarrhea.
The weather is sultry, the sun is exposed, you are upset, sweaty and have no appetite ... Are these uncomfortable feelings getting worse and worse these days, making you feel that you can't escape wherever you go? The reason is simple, the long summer has arrived.
Go more.
Summer exercise consumes a lot of energy, and the description of "sweating all over" is no exaggeration. But for middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with chronic diseases, it is not advisable to sweat too much in hot weather, otherwise the body will become weaker and weaker. Slow exercise such as walking, Tai Chi and yoga is most suitable for summer, which helps to relieve insomnia and calm down the mood. People who are not sick can walk and jog alternately.
In summer, it is best to take a walk in a beautiful park and wear light shoes and loose clothes. Do some warm-up exercises before you go, such as expanding your chest and moving your joints. Walk with your head held high, your eyes straight, and your torso naturally straight; Abdomen, body center of gravity slightly forward; The upper and lower limbs are coordinated, the pace is moderate, and the feet have a sense of rhythm when landing. The elderly, especially those with hypertension and diabetes, should walk slowly 15-30 minutes every day, with 70-80 steps per minute. It is ideal to sweat slightly when walking. After walking, eat some low-fat food and fresh fruit, and add more water.
Potassium supplementation
It is easy to sweat in hot weather, so it is especially necessary to replenish water in time and correctly. Pay special attention to hydration in three periods in summer: when getting up, before going to bed and after taking a bath. At this time, drinking a large glass of fresh cold water can not only replenish water, but also clear the intestines, detoxify and dilute sticky blood. It's best to keep a bottle of water at hand, replenish it at any time, and follow the principle of slow drinking for a few times.
Some people only drink cold drinks in summer and don't quench their thirst for a long time. When the weather is hot, drinking hot tea properly can promote the secretion of sweat glands and excrete a large amount of sweat through the skin, thus reducing the body surface temperature. In addition to drinking warm water, there are many options to replenish water, such as eating some fruits and vegetables that benefit water, such as watermelon, lily, wax gourd and lotus seeds.
After sweating a lot, don't drink boiled water, you should drink some light salt water first. It is also necessary to supplement appropriate amount of potassium. In hot weather, people are prone to low blood potassium, and sweating will take away a lot of sodium and potassium. Once hypokalemia occurs, you will feel sore limbs, severe palpitations, chest tightness and nausea. Lean pork, fish, seafood, beef, Chinese cabbage, rape, potatoes, bananas, etc. are all rich in potassium, so you can eat more appropriately.