The summer heat has arrived, and the dog days are coming. Dog days are the hottest time of the year, characterized by being hot and wet. Zhao Zhixiang, deputy director of the Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, reminded us to pay attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling, avoid long-term direct sunlight, and replenish water and electrolytes in time. At the same time, health care should pay attention to drinking less cold drinks and tonifying yang.

The weather is hot in dog days, and Chinese medicine believes that summer heat is yang evil, and its heat rises and dissipates, which is easy to hurt body fluid and consume gas, so special attention should be paid to "nourishing qi" in health preservation. Some people often drink cold drinks to quench their thirst on a hot day. Although I enjoyed it at that time, on the one hand, it actually hurt the yang and affected the function of the spleen and stomach; On the other hand, it also causes rapid contraction of blood vessels, which hinders blood circulation and is not conducive to heat dissipation in the body. It is recommended to drink hot tea or hot water (the temperature does not exceed 60 degrees Celsius), which can promote sweat gland secretion and relieve summer heat.

Chinese medicine believes that "sweat is the liquid of the heart", sweating too much is easy to be sad, and lack of heart will lead to emotional changes, such as listlessness and inability to play. From the point of view of nutrition, the human body excretes a lot of sweat, which will cause the loss of some minerals, such as potassium, calcium and sodium. , it will easily lead to fatigue, listlessness, and even heatstroke symptoms such as palpitation, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting. Therefore, in dog days, we should avoid excessive exercise and sweating, keep our body and mind happy and open-minded, so as to facilitate the ventilation of Qi.

The disadvantage of dog days is that the human body is prone to fatigue, dry mouth, bitter taste, listlessness and loss of appetite, so it needs dehumidification. Dehumidification depends on one's physique, and people with severe colds can often use boiled water such as Atractylodes macrocephala, Agastaches and dried tangerine peel. If yang is insufficient, Radix Astragali, Radix Codonopsis, Fructus Siraitiae Grosvenorii and other boiled water can be added for drinking. Damp-heat patients can be taken with boiled water such as Coicis Semen, Semen Phaseoli and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae.

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "nourishing yang in spring and summer and nourishing yin in autumn and winter". The sun is the source of yang in nature, and the rise of yang in summer is a good opportunity for our human body to replenish yang and help healthy qi. It is necessary to bask in the sun properly, so that the qi can flow smoothly, promote the accumulation and growth of yang in the body, and lay the foundation for disease prevention and treatment in autumn and winter.