As the saying goes, "a summer without illness, three points weak." One summer, the body consumes a lot, and the whole person is in a state of deficiency of both qi and yin-fatigue, heat and thirst. In summer, the yang is running outside, the body is empty, it is not easy to catch a cold, and it is easy to hurt the limbs and have diarrhea. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the most deficient place must be the place where the disease is caused. After the summer heat, with the autumn wind, people's qi and blood began to flow from the outside to the inside. Therefore, in autumn and winter, people's qi and blood are hidden inside, but not outside, and the elderly are prone to catch a cold and get sick in autumn and winter. Traditional Chinese medicine says that the outside of the guard is not solid, just like the fence that originally resisted foreign enemies outside our body, it fell down before the enemy attacked. Elderly people with chronic basic diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases, are more likely to relapse when the weather turns cold. If we lay a good nutritional foundation in autumn and enhance the disease resistance, it will play an important role in reducing virus infection and preventing the recurrence of old diseases in winter.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that autumn is the "golden" season, while "in the golden autumn, dryness is the time". Dryness hurts people and body fluids. When the body fluid is exhausted, dryness will appear, which is manifested as dry mouth, dry lips, dry nose, dry throat, dry tongue, dry stool, dry skin and even chapped skin. The lungs are moist, and after a summer's consumption, the old man is like a deficiency of both qi and yin. When autumn dryness strikes, symptoms such as nasopharyngeal dryness, hoarseness, dry cough with little phlegm, thirst and constipation are more likely to occur, and lung function will inevitably be affected. As the old saying goes, nourishing yang in spring and summer, nourishing yin in autumn and winter-nourishing yin in time according to the law of autumn and winter collection can make the yang in the body converge and not spread outside, and accumulate essential qi and nutrition necessary for life activities. Therefore, autumn tonic and nourishing yin are the best.

From the perspective of western medicine, after autumn, the climate is gradually dry, the lungs become fragile, the water in the elderly is less, and the evaporation of water in the skin mucosa is accelerated, so there are phenomena such as dry skin, dry nose and sore throat, especially the physical function of the elderly is declining, the respiratory muscles, diaphragm and ligaments are gradually shrinking, the elasticity of the lungs and trachea is gradually weakened, and the respiratory function and vital capacity are also reduced. At the same time, respiratory mucosa atrophy, ciliary activity function is reduced, airway secretions are easy to stay, and respiratory tract infections and other diseases are more likely to occur, such as acute upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia and so on.

How to nourish yin and prevent dryness?

Yuan Dynasty physician's "Drinking and Eating Right": Autumn is dry, you should eat hemp to moisten dryness, less pungent and sour, and no cold drinks.

Moisturize:

In autumn, dryness is the main qi, and the lungs are easily injured. Pay attention to nourishing yin, promoting fluid production and moistening lung when tonic. To moisten the lungs and dry, use soft foods such as sesame, fruit, lily, sesame, walnut, glutinous rice, bird's nest, honey and sugarcane. Can effectively prevent autumn dryness, but also make autumn skin lubrication.

Oligosaccharic acid:

"The lungs dominate autumn, the lungs converge, the sour food is harvested urgently, and the acid is replenished and vented." It means that in autumn, lung qi should converge but not disperse; in sour taste, lung qi should converge; in pungent taste, lung qi should be dissipated; in autumn, lung qi should be harvested but not dispersed; therefore, try to eat less irritating products such as onions, ginger, garlic, leeks and peppers, as well as spicy, fried, alcoholic and dry puffed foods, and eat more sour fruits and vegetables, which will help to nourish the lungs.

There is a saying in synopsis of the golden chamber that "you don't eat your lungs in autumn". In autumn, qi dryness is easy to damage body fluids, so it is advisable to nourish yin and moisten the lungs, such as tomatoes, lemons, strawberries, dark plums, grapes, hawthorn, pineapples, mangoes, kiwis and other sour fruits, which can stop diarrhea and remove dampness, promote fluid production and quench thirst, strengthen the stomach and promote digestion, and stimulate appetite. Limit the intake of crude fiber food and irritating food to protect intestinal mucosa and intestinal function; People with weak spleen and stomach and indigestion can take lotus seeds, yam, lentils and other foods that have the effect of strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach.

After the summer heat, the perspiration of human body is obviously reduced, and the metabolic function of water and salt is gradually restored to balance, entering the physiological rest stage, so the body feels tired and produces "autumn deficiency". To solve the "lack of autumn", we must ensure adequate sleep, go to bed early and get up early, and avoid staying up late. Dressing should be "covered in spring and frozen in autumn", and living should be "lying early and getting up early".

Since ancient times, there has been a health care proverb that "spring covers autumn, and there is no miscellaneous disease." Therefore, dressing in autumn should also meet the needs of "storing yin and body fluid and collecting yang" and be properly frozen.

"Autumn freezing" cannot be simply understood as "cold weather without clothes". In the early autumn, the heat is not over, and the cool wind is coming. When the weather suddenly turns cold, it is necessary to add clothes appropriately, otherwise it will not only prevent diseases, but will bring disasters and get sick. It is advisable to "add clothes appropriately" to make yourself a little cold and not feel cold, instead of dressing warmly and wrapping tightly. Another meaning of "autumn freezing" is that in late autumn, the time to add clothes can be postponed appropriately, but it should be acceptable to you.

"Going to bed early" can regulate the yang in the human body, while "getting up early" can stretch the lung qi and prevent it from over-convergence. Getting up early in autumn can also reduce the chance of thrombosis, which is of certain significance to prevent ischemic diseases such as cerebral thrombosis. Generally speaking, it is more appropriate to go to sleep at 9:00- 10 in autumn and get up at 6:00-7:00 in the morning.

After the summer heat, autumn is getting stronger and stronger, which is a good time to swim in the countryside, welcome autumn scenery and climb high and look far. Autumn sports can choose to walk fast, climb mountains, play ball, etc. For the elderly, exercise should be based on "not tired". It is best to choose exercise time in the morning and evening, and try to avoid outdoor activities at noon, because the outdoor weather is still hot.