What are the characteristics of "Long Summer"?
The word "long summer" can be found in Su Wen's articles such as synopsis of the golden chamber and theory of dirty qi: "Spleen dominates long summer, and foot Taiyin Yangming is the main indication", and it is the first time to put forward the view of "long summer" and its correspondence with spleen and stomach. Huangdi Neijing divides the four seasons of a year into five seasons, and five seasons correspond to five elements. According to the corresponding relationship between wood, fire, earth, gold and water, the five internal organs of liver, heart, spleen, lung and kidney correspond to spring, summer, long summer, autumn and winter respectively.
The "long summer" in traditional Chinese medicine generally refers to June and July of the lunar calendar, which begins in midsummer and ends in cool autumn, occupying the central period of the year. At this time, the temperature is high, the humidity is high and the heat is unbearable in most parts of China. According to the growth law of crops in a year, most crops are in the stage of transformation, maturity and fruiting in long summer, so the biochemical function of long summer is "transformation". Spring, long summer, autumn harvest and winter storage all revolve around the transformation of long summer. If there is no long summer in the four seasons, the vegetation is lush, the autumn harvest is fruitless, and the winter storage is not exposed.
Why does "Long Summer" tonify the spleen?
The long summer is rainy and humid, with rising water vapor and high air humidity. In addition, due to trauma and fog, or sweating and sticking to clothes, or wading in the rain, or living in a humid place for a long time, the human body is prone to feel damp and evil, causing many diseases. Modern scientific research has proved that hot climate and high relative humidity in the air are not conducive to the human body to emit heat. At high temperature, the evaporation of sweat moisture is the main form of heat dissipation of human body. The high humidity in the air makes it difficult for the human body to maintain the balance between heat production and heat dissipation through sweating and evaporation, resulting in disorder of body temperature regulation, which is often manifested as a series of symptoms such as abdominal distension, weakness of limbs, chest tightness and shortness of breath, listlessness, physical exhaustion, and heavy body. On this basis, ancient doctors, after long-term observation, concluded that the climate characteristic of long summer was humid. In addition, due to the hot weather in long summer, spleen and stomach diseases, including epidemic infectious diseases of digestive system, are most likely to occur due to excessive yang leakage and moderate cold.
Traditional Chinese medicine has long said that "spleen flourishes and summer grows". Long summer belongs to soil in the five elements, to dampness in the five elements and to spleen in the five internal organs. The spleen and stomach are located in the center of the body, and the spleen and stomach and the triple energizer form the Tai Chi hub for the upper and lower meridians of the human body, which plays the role of ascending and descending turbidity. "Spleen governs transport and transformation" and "shows in the stomach". Spleen and stomach bear the important task of digesting food and supplying nutrition, just like the soil in nature raises everything, so Chinese medicine especially emphasizes "spleen is the foundation of the day after tomorrow" and "the source of qi and blood biochemistry". And because the spleen governs the muscles of the limbs. If the spleen and stomach function is strong, human muscles will be strong, healthy, less sick and live longer. "Huangdi Neijing" is vital qi, which emphasizes that "vital qi exists inside, and evil cannot be dried. The combination of pathogenic factors leads to qi deficiency ",which refers to the function and function that the spleen and stomach turn Shui Gu into subtle substances, and then transfer the subtle substances to the heart and lungs, thus generating qi and blood, which are distributed throughout the body. Full of qi and blood, full of healthy qi, and sufficient nutrition in viscera, meridians and limbs can maintain the stability of human internal environment and ensure normal physiological functions. Therefore, qi from the spleen and stomach is called healthy qi and middle qi. Modern medicine also believes that the spleen is the largest immune organ in human body, which is closely related to human health and longevity.
If the transport function of spleen and soil is reduced, although it can be eaten daily, it can not be converted into qi and blood, which will make the heart, liver, lung, kidney and other organs lose nutrition; Or because of the excessive humidity in the long summer, it becomes the damp evil of six evils, trapping its spleen; Or because of the weakness of the spleen and stomach and the injury of dampness, many diseases of the spleen and stomach also arise from this; Or because the long summer is hot, wet and summer are intertwined, "summer must be wet", and summer is a disease. "Spleen likes dryness and hates dampness", when excessive moisture affects the normal function of spleen, it will often further cause diseases of circulation, respiration, endocrine, blood, urine, muscles, bones and other systems, and the human body's resistance will also be reduced. It can be seen that long summer health care must pay attention to maintaining the spleen and stomach.
How does "Long Summer" nourish the spleen?
The principle of tonifying spleen in long summer is "invigorating spleen and eliminating dampness", which can be started from daily diet and daily life. Specifically, there are eight items below.
Dietary adjustment In the long summer, special attention should be paid to dietary adjustment. Diet should be regular and regular, and should be adjusted according to time, place, person and illness. There should be a variety of foods, such as white gourd, beans, Chinese cabbage, bitter gourd and fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals, such as kiwi fruit, tomato, pear, watermelon, banana and peach, in order to meet the nutritional supply needed by the body. For another example, carp, poria cocos, lentils and coix seed also have certain dampness-promoting effects. But we should pay attention to eating too much fruits and vegetables, so as not to damage the spleen and stomach and cause indigestion. Also pay attention to avoid favoring sour, spicy, pungent, dry and greasy diets. Overeating spicy food is easy to help damp heat, which is a big taboo in long summer.
Appropriate hydration is sultry in summer, and people are prone to sweating. Pay special attention to hydration. The method of drinking water is several times, that is, drinking frequently, but it is not advisable to drink more every time. Remember to drink cold water once after hot, tired and strenuous exercise. Drink as little as possible, because wine also cures dampness. Liquid foods such as milk, soybean milk, porridge and soup are also good ways to replenish water. People with weak spleen and stomach can make herbal tea or medicated porridge with lotus seeds, lotus leaves, coix seed, loofah, jujube, hawthorn, Amomum villosum and other Chinese herbal pieces for invigorating spleen, promoting digestion and promoting diuresis. Especially in the long summer, it is not recommended to eat a lot of cold drinks, because it is easy to hurt the yang of the human body.
Avoiding greed and proper indoor temperature are important conditions to ensure a healthy life. In the long summer season, be careful not to be too greedy. Don't let the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor be too big. The indoor temperature should be 25℃~28℃, and the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor should not exceed 65438 00℃. Using the dehumidification function of air conditioner, the indoor relative humidity can be adjusted to 40%~60%.
Good sleep "long day and hot summer" is the main climate feature of long summer. Everyone should consciously adapt to the law of "long days and short nights" in nature, and go to bed late and get up early. Advocating "siesta" means increasing the siesta time by half an hour. Chinese medicine believes that "disharmony between the stomach leads to anxiety", and some friends suffering from spleen and stomach diseases due to spleen and stomach dysfunction or dampness are prone to sleep disorders, so they should choose Chinese medicine for treatment in time.
Pay attention to summer vacation and long summer season, and try to avoid exposure to the hot sun. It is best to exercise in the morning and evening to prevent excessive sweating and yang leakage during exercise. Patients with chronic spleen and stomach diseases can not only do "dynamic exercises" such as broadcast gymnastics and running, but also encourage them to do "static exercises" such as "internal strength training" or "relaxation", because this can fully relax, calm down, reach the realm of "calmness and nothingness" and better safeguard their spleen and stomach. Studies have proved that proper exercise can inhibit the pathological excitement of cerebral cortex and regulate the function of cerebral cortex. I especially recommend friends to do Baduanjin, Wuqinxi and Taiji series exercises, which are more helpful for regulating the spleen and stomach, strengthening the body resistance and eliminating evil spirits.
Shen Liangshui advocates taking a bath with warm water, especially for people of all ages and infirmities. A cold shower will increase the risk of getting sick.
Happy. Summer is hot and humid, which makes people upset. Keep a good mood. A happy and relaxed mood can strengthen the spleen and stomach. If the "seven emotions" go too far, it can directly hurt the viscera, especially the negative emotions such as overthinking, anxiety and depression, which are not good for the spleen and stomach and the body.
The long summer is the best time for health care and treatment. The long summer is not only the best time for health, but also the best time for illness and treatment. With the help of the long summer, yang is the most vigorous period of the year. Active treatment of spleen and stomach diseases or other original chronic diseases will often receive one or two effects. For people with spleen and stomach diseases, attention should be paid to the treatment of chronic inflammation of mouth and nasopharynx and the prevention and treatment of systemic diseases. Attention should also be paid to the side effects of drugs used to alleviate gastric mucosal damage. For patients with severe spleen and stomach diseases, such as atrophic gastritis, it is recommended to have regular examinations to prevent malignant transformation.