Health Preservation Guide During the Summer and Autumn Seasons

Summer Health Preservation

During the hot summer months, the scorching sun and oppressive heat can easily make people irritable and easily angered, which is detrimental to physical and mental health. At this time, it is advisable to calm the mind and avoid emotional agitation. Therefore, maintaining a tranquil and peaceful state of mind is extremely important for summer health preservation. One should strive for a clear mind, a broad perspective, and a calm spirit, achieving the state of "a calm mind brings coolness." In the vibrant summer, one should cultivate a wide range of interests and hobbies, utilizing leisure time to participate in meaningful recreational activities such as chess, swimming, and playing cards. If conditions permit, one can also participate in summer camps, travel, and other summer retreats, which not only refresh the mind and spirit but also provide physical exercise.

Summer can easily cause dizziness, chest tightness, palpitations, thirst, nausea, and even fainting. Therefore, when working or exercising, one should avoid the hottest times of the day and take precautions to protect oneself. Prolonged physical labor is not advisable, and excessive sweating should be avoided. However, not sweating is also not advisable. Living in air-conditioned environments for extended periods, constantly exposed to low temperatures, can easily lead to internal dampness and heat, affecting the body's normal biochemistry and causing symptoms such as chills, fatigue, indigestion, and bone pain—a condition commonly known as "air conditioning sickness." This is caused by an imbalance between the body's functions and the temperature.

In the hot summer, the body's pores are open, making it susceptible to wind, cold, and dampness. Therefore, it is not advisable to sleep with a fan on, and especially not to sleep outdoors at night. When sleeping to cool off, pay special attention to covering the abdomen. In air-conditioned rooms, avoid large temperature differences between indoors and outdoors. It is best to take a nap after lunch, both to avoid the heat and to relieve fatigue. Pay attention to your sleeping posture during naps; lying flat or on your side is acceptable, but avoid sleeping face down or prone on a table, as these positions compress the chest and affect breathing.

When going out, wear a sun hat and use a parasol to avoid staying in the sun for too long. Do not wear wet or sweaty clothes for extended periods.

Autumn Health Preservation

Autumn brings warm days and cool nights, with significant temperature differences between day and night. Under these conditions, neglecting health preservation can easily lead to illness. Here are five points to keep in mind for autumn health preservation:

Regulate Diet:Autumn diet should focus on "nourishing yin and moistening the lungs." Elderly individuals with weak stomachs can benefit from porridge in the morning to nourish the stomach and generate fluids, such as lily bulb and lotus seed porridge, white fungus and rock sugar glutinous rice porridge, almond and fritillaria glutinous rice porridge, and black sesame porridge. In addition, eat more sour fruits and vegetables and less spicy and stimulating foods, which is very beneficial for protecting the liver and lungs.

Early to Bed and Early to Rise:During sleep, blood flow in the brain slows down, making blood clots more likely to form. Therefore, the incidence of thrombotic diseases is extremely high in late autumn and early winter, with onset often occurring in the later stages of prolonged sleep. Therefore, it is advisable to rise early in autumn to reduce the chance of blood clot formation. Lingering in bed for a few minutes before getting up and stretching the whole body is also important for preventing blood clots.

Strengthening disease resistance. As the weather gradually cools in autumn, avoid adding too many layers of clothing at once. Intentionally letting the body experience some cold weather is an important way to enhance the body's adaptability to the cold winter climate.

Regulating emotions. In the late autumn, with its withering flowers and bleak winds, people are prone to irritability or sadness. Therefore, autumn health preservation focuses on regulating emotions, cultivating optimism, and maintaining psychological balance. Going out to enjoy the scenery on a sunny day can dispel melancholy and worries.

Preventing autumn dryness. Autumn weather is dry, and skin moisture evaporates quickly, easily causing dry and cracked skin. Therefore, preventing autumn dryness is an important health principle. Maintain a certain level of humidity indoors, pay attention to replenishing the body's water, and avoid overwork and strenuous exercise. To prevent dry skin, you can apply various skin creams.