Guided Reading

We all know that cold and spicy food are spicy food and can easily hurt our stomach, so the editor always recommends that everyone eat as little as possible. But I can’t help but eat popsicles in spring and summer, and hot pot in autumn. Is this completely opposite to what traditional Chinese medicine says: "nourishing yang in spring and summer, and nourishing yin in autumn and winter"? Of course not! In fact, these two actions can also keep you healthy! Don't believe me? Let today’s article prove my statement!

Since spring and summer are about nourishing the sun, why do people in summer like to eat ice cream and feel very comfortable after eating it? Does eating these cold foods go against the principles of health preservation?

The heart is like the sun, and the lungs are like the atmosphere on the surface of the earth. The lungs are in the sky, and the hot weather in summer makes the body's heart fire, lung fire, and upper burner fire strong. People will feel irritable and thirsty, and eating ice cream to warm their body will make them feel comfortable. Is this contrary to nourishing Yang in spring and summer?

The yin and coldness in the caves in summer means that compared to the human body, it means that the spleen and kidney yang are deficient, and the lower Jiao is cold and damp. In summer, the yang energy rises, which means that it is spleen and kidney yang, not heart and lung yang. Eating a small amount of cold drinks can clear the heat in the upper burner, but excessive cold cravings can easily lead to aggravation of cold and dampness in the middle burner, which is also the reason why gastrointestinal diseases are more common in summer. To treat gastrointestinal diseases in summer, I usually let patients take Huoxiang Zhengqi Water and Fuzi Lizhong Pills. Because spleen yang is weak, abdominal pain and diarrhea are all caused by cold evil. As long as the spleen yang is warmed and replenished, they can be cured.

Since autumn and winter nourish yin, why do people like to eat hot pot in winter? There are many spicy and mild things in hot pot. Why do people feel warm and comfortable after eating? Is this inconsistent with nourishing yin in autumn and winter?

In autumn and winter, the sun is farther from the earth than in summer. The temperature on the earth is lower than in summer, so water evaporates less. The humidity in the air is low, so it is drier. Therefore, we often feel that our lips are dry and our skin is dry, so we need to apply skin care products to moisturize the skin, otherwise the moisture in the skin will be lost and people will feel as if they are very dry.

"Nourishing Yin in autumn and winter" means to properly replenish the Yin in the body, so that people will not feel too dry. But can yin supplements be effective? This is not necessarily the case! For example, in winter, the air is dry. If it rains or snows a few times, will the air get wet? It depends on the sun. If it snows and the sun shines brightly, the humidity in the air will increase; if it just snows and the temperature does not rise, the air will still be dry. The last chapter said at the end that "those who are good at cultivating yin must seek yin from yang, and yin will lead to yang, so that the spring will never be exhausted." In other words, when nourishing yin in autumn and winter, don’t forget to properly replenish yang energy, so that the yin in the human body can be transpired by yang energy, which can nourish the whole body and bring endless spring.

Only by understanding the relationship between yin and yang and yin and yang can there be depth. After understanding the relationship between yin and yang, it becomes clear why people who eat hot pot in winter have warm bodies and moisturized skin. Because when eating hot pot and drinking hot soup, it not only replenishes the body's yin, but also replenishes the body's yang. Under the warm influence of yang, yin liquid can transform qi and nourish the whole body. This is the principle of "yin brings yang, spring is endless".

But how about eating spicy hot pot every day?

That is absolutely impossible. Eating hot pot can replenish yang, but the purpose of eating hot pot is to promote yin replenishment. If you eat hot pot every day, it will damage yin, which will definitely be counterproductive and lead to aggravation of yin deficiency in the human body.

Similarly, do we need to eat more yin and cool foods every day in autumn and winter? That’s not right either!

Some people read the "Huangdi Neijing" and know that autumn and winter nourish yin, so they eat a few snow pears every day, drink cold drinks, and eat cold yogurt. Over time, they can become cold and wet. Because yin cannot be promoted by yang, it becomes a pool of stagnant water, which is bound to harm people in turn.

The above reasons may be boring and difficult to understand. Let’s give an example that everyone knows.

I was there

But due to the cold winter, it is necessary to nourish yin while preventing colds; the summer is very hot. While basking in the sun, you should also prevent heat stroke. Only by dialectically understanding the relationship between nourishing yin and yang can we not blindly nourish yin and yang.

In addition, everyone’s physique is different. Some people have Yang deficiency and some have Yin deficiency. In summer, they tend to feel sore, heavy and weak in their limbs, so nourishing Yang is very important. But in winter, even if the air is dry, the Yin points of these people's bodies will not be deficient, and they do not need to nourish Yin excessively. On the contrary, it will aggravate the dampness in the body.

Some people are weak and have more evil fire. But they need to nourish yin to prevent heatstroke in summer, so nourishing yang is not very important.

In autumn and winter, nourishing yin is particularly important, otherwise these people will feel particularly dry.

Climate conditions in different geographical environments are also different. The south is warm all year round, so you should pay attention to nourishing yin. In the north, when the seasons are cold, Yang Qi needs to be nourished to resist cold evil.

The yang of spring and summer and the yin of autumn and winter are the overall laws of nature. While complying with this rule, you should also be biased according to your own actual situation. That is to say, “Keeping good health and longevity depends on the time, place and person.” Only by truly understanding these things and then talking about health preservation and treatment of diseases can we learn and apply them flexibly and in a targeted manner.