The core of autumn health care focuses on lung care. Especially for patients with basic lung diseases, appropriate health care measures should be taken to strengthen the lungs. This can not only effectively resist the invasion of autumn dryness, but also lay a solid health foundation for the cold winter to come, ensuring the overall health and smooth transition of the body.
Autumn health care can start from these aspects
1，A bowl of porridge in the morning to nourish the spleen and stomach
The weakening of spleen and stomach function is a typical phenomenon in the transition between summer and autumn. In summer, people like to eat raw and cold things, and there is less stomach discomfort when it is hot; but when the weather is cold, loss of appetite, diarrhea, stomach pain and other problems will come.
From now on, storing yang energy can prepare for winter, and porridge is a good food to regulate the spleen and stomach at this time. Drinking a bowl of rice porridge every morning after the beginning of autumn can not only defend against autumn cold, but also harmonize the stomach and spleen.
If pears, carrots, pumpkins, lilies and other lung-moistening foods are added to the porridge, it can also have the effect of benefiting the lungs and moistening dryness.
Drinking more hot porridge can also help the body sweat, dissipate heat, and dispel wind and cold, and relieve colds as soon as possible.
2, Sour food removes autumn dryness
As autumn becomes more intense, more and more people feel the power of autumn dryness, such as peeling lips, unbearable thirst, and dry skin.
To deal with autumn dryness, diet is an important means. Avoid big fish and meat, eat a light diet, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables every day, lotus root, yam, lily porridge, pears and other foods, which can help resist autumn dryness.
Timely replenishment of sufficient water can effectively prevent chapped lips. Adults should consume at least 1500~1700 ml of water every day, and children should not be less than 1200 ml.
Eating sour foods, such as citrus, hawthorn, grapes, grapefruit, etc., can help moisten the lungs, nourish yin and clear dryness.
3, Going to bed early and getting up early can nourish the lungs
Spring is sleepy and autumn is tired. It is easy to feel sleepy in autumn, but many people still continue the “night owl” habit in summer and stay up late to go to bed.
Traditional Chinese medicine often talks about “nourishing the lungs in autumn”, and one of the most effective methods is to go to bed early and get up early, which helps the lungs to stretch and prevent the yang from leaking out.
Try to go to bed around 10 o’clock and get at least 8 hours of sleep every day.
In addition, cold evil can easily invade the lungs through the mouth and nose, inducing respiratory diseases such as colds. In autumn, you may wish to wear a vest to protect your chest and back, and eat less cold food and drink less cold drinks.
4, Protect your back and feet.
As the saying goes, cover in spring and freeze in autumn. “Frozen in autumn” helps improve the body’s resistance to cold and prevent respiratory diseases.
However, you must not prefer to freeze without adding clothes. “Frozen in autumn” should be based on whether you feel cold.
People with weak resistance such as the elderly and children, as well as those with chronic diseases such as bronchitis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease should not “freeze in autumn” to avoid recurrence of old diseases.
When “freezing in autumn”, even if you wear less, there are three key parts that need to be protected: navel, back and feet.
The navel is connected to the internal organs; the back is a barrier to human health. If it is cold, it is easy to induce heart and lung diseases; if the feet are cold, it will greatly reduce the body’s disease resistance.
5, Rub the abdomen clockwise to prevent constipation
Chinese medicine believes that the lungs and the large intestine are related. The dry climate in autumn not only hurts the lungs, but also causes the peristalsis of the large intestine to slow down, forming seasonal constipation.
It is better to learn a few massage methods to stimulate acupoints to relieve constipation.
Lie on your back, rub your palms to warm them, put your hands on the right lower abdomen, and massage clockwise for about 30 circles. Or use the thumb or middle finger to press the philtrum rhythmically to promote metabolism.
The best massage time is about half an hour after breakfast, when it is most likely to act on the large intestine. If the bowel movement is smooth, the lung function will also be strengthened.
6, Swallow saliva to block the autumn chill
Proper swallowing of saliva is good for health and longevity.
In the early morning and before going to bed, close your eyes and sit quietly. First, click your teeth 30 times, then lick your upper palate and upper and lower teeth with your tongue. When your mouth is full of saliva, swallow it two or three times.
Then pause for a moment, take a slow and deep breath, tighten your anus when inhaling, and silently recite the word “xi” when exhaling, but do not make a sound, and repeat 30 times.
This method can not only exercise the lungs, but also promote blood circulation and resist the cold in autumn.
7, “Drinking” some autumn breeze is healthier
The autumn is clear and cool, which is conducive to the diffusion of pollutants, so the autumn breeze is the freshest and suitable for “air bathing”. In the early morning and on weekends, it is best to go to the mountains, forests, and parks to take a few deep breaths to achieve health benefits.
If you insist on morning exercises from this time until winter, it will allow the organs of the whole body to receive cold resistance training in the “air bath”, laying the foundation for winter health care.
In addition to deep breathing, you can also practice abdominal breathing more often in daily life. Relax your shoulders and place your hands on your abdomen. When you inhale, expand your abdomen as much as possible and pause for 1 to 2 seconds; when you exhale, contract your abdomen as much as possible and pause for 1 to 2 seconds, and repeat this cycle.
These two movements are simple and easy to operate, and there is no limit to the number of exercises. You can do them while waiting for a bus or queuing. Persistent practice will help improve lung capacity and enhance cardiopulmonary endurance.
The autumn is clear and refreshing, and it is more suitable for outdoor sports. Persistent physical exercise can improve cardiopulmonary function and cold resistance. However, exercise should vary from person to person, be done according to one’s ability and persist.
The elderly can take walks, climb mountains, practice Tai Chi, etc., and young and middle-aged people can play ball, run, swim, etc. At the same time, you can also cooperate with some “static exercises”, such as sitting in meditation with your eyes closed to nourish your spirit, so as to achieve a combination of movement and stillness.
8, Adjust your mood and promote lung qi
Autumn is the season when all things mature, and it is also a transitional period when the human body’s yang disappears and yin grows. According to Chinese medicine theory, “autumn” in the four seasons corresponds to “lung” in the five internal organs, “sadness” in the seven emotions, and “gold” in the five elements. Therefore, sadness and sorrow are both autumn emotions.
Some women who are sensitive by nature, when they see the falling leaves in autumn, the separation of heaven and earth, and feel the coming of the killing air, are easily trapped in a sad mood because of the psychological and physiological correspondence. There is a sentence in “Treatise on Febrile Diseases” that “women are irritable, happy and sad and want to cry, as if they were made by gods… Ganmai Dazao Decoction is the main treatment.” Licorice is sweet, wheat replenishes liver qi, and jujube replenishes spleen. Use this hot, sweet and warm liver qi medicine to calm down and relieve this kind of sad depression, sadness and trance, and the upset mood in the heart. Don’t let the metal overcome the wood too much.
“Huangdi Neijing” also said, “Sadness makes the qi disappear”, pointing out that excessive sadness is most likely to damage the lung qi. Therefore, it is also important to pay attention to mental adjustment in autumn to nourish the lungs. Excessive sadness or sorrow can easily lead to abnormal lung qi.
Keep a good mood and laugh when you have nothing to do to help the lungs. When people laugh, their chest muscles stretch, the chest cavity expands, and the lung capacity increases, which helps to relieve chest tightness, eliminate fatigue, and dispel sadness.
9, Press and rub acupoints
Shaoshang acupoint: slightly clench your fist, with the back of your thumb facing up, and the acupoint is about 3 mm from the inner corner of the thumb nail.
This acupoint has the effects of clearing the lungs and relieving sore throat, opening the orifices and refreshing the mind. When the throat is swollen and painful, press and stimulate this acupoint, and the heat-clearing effect is obvious.
Yuji acupoint: The depression behind the first metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb, approximately on the radial side of the midpoint of the first metacarpal bone, at the junction of red and white flesh.
This acupoint has the effects of clearing the lungs and purging fire, clearing and dispersing lung qi, nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, and can treat colds, bronchitis, pharyngitis, etc.
Kongzui acupoint: Straighten your forearm, turn your palm upward, and the acupoint is one horizontal finger above the midpoint of the line connecting Chize acupoint and Taiyuan acupoint.
This acupoint has the effects of clearing heat and stopping bleeding, moistening the lungs and regulating qi, and relieving asthma and relieving sore throat. For epistaxis caused by dryness, you can press this acupoint more to relieve it.
Taiyuan acupoint: Extend your arm and look up, located in the anterior wrist area, specifically between the radial styloid process and the scaphoid bone, in the depression on the ulnar side of the tendon of the extensor pollicis longus.
The lung faces all the meridians, and the meridians meet at Taiyuan. This acupoint has the functions of nourishing the lung and replenishing qi, relieving cough and reducing phlegm, and unblocking meridians and restoring pulses. It can treat cough, asthma, and pulseless syndrome.
Feishu acupoint: Sit down and lower your head. One hand goes back around the opposite neck. First touch the highest point of the cervical spine (Dazhui acupoint), then touch the three higher vertebrae downwards. When you touch the third vertebra, it is about 2 horizontal fingers to the left and right.
This acupoint has the functions of promoting and replenishing lung qi, nourishing yin and moistening dryness, relieving cough and relieving asthma. It mainly treats chronic cough, pneumonia, rhinitis, etc. caused by bronchitis.
Chize acupoint: First raise your arm. Chize acupoint is located at the elbow, that is, on the elbow crease, in the depression on the radial side of the biceps tendon.
This acupoint has the functions of promoting lung function, descending qi, clearing lung heat, and removing toxins. It can treat cough, asthma, rhinitis, etc.
The above 6 acupoints are one on each side. Shaoshang acupoint can be stimulated by pressing with a cotton swab, and the other acupoints can be rubbed with the thumb. Use both hands alternately, and rub each acupoint for 3 to 5 minutes.
10, Sunbathing the back to nourish the lungs
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the back of the human body is where yang energy gathers, and important meridians such as the Governor Vessel and the Bladder Meridian pass through it. The Governor Vessel is the “sea of yang meridians” and governs the yang of the whole body. There are many acupoints related to the lungs on the Bladder Meridian, such as the Feishu acupoint and the Fengmen acupoint.
Sunbathing the back can stimulate yang energy, allowing yang energy to flow smoothly in the meridians, and enhance the body’s resistance and immunity. In autumn, the yang energy of the human body gradually decreases. By sunbathing the back, you can replenish and store yang energy and prepare for the coming cold winter.
The Feishu acupoint is located 1.5 inches below the spinous process of the third thoracic vertebra on the back. Regular sun exposure to this acupoint can regulate lung qi, relieve cough and asthma, and is particularly suitable for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Fengmen acupoint is located 1.5 inches below the spinous process of the second thoracic vertebra. Sun exposure to this acupoint can help dispel wind and cold and prevent wind evil from invading the lungs.
After sun exposure, it is inevitable to sweat due to the heat. At this time, you cannot immediately drink frozen drinks. You can have a bowl of room temperature rock sugar and snow pear drink, which can clear the heart and moisturize dryness, relieve cough and moisturize dryness, and be delicious.
Rock sugar and snow pear drink
Ingredients: Prepare 1 snow pear, wash it and set aside, and an appropriate amount of single crystal rock sugar.
Method: Cut the snow pear into small pieces, boil the rock sugar in water in a pot, then add the snow pear pieces, cover, and stew over high heat for about 15 minutes.
How to take: Cool it at room temperature before taking.
Note: It is not suitable for patients with diabetes. ■