Since ancient times, Chinese medicine has combined health care with the four seasons to achieve the unity of heaven and man. In order to achieve the purpose of health care.
The key season for liver health care is spring. In spring, the natural Yang energy of everything rises and develops, and the heavenly weather is most conducive to the function of the human liver, which is the master of drainage and the characteristic of being well organized. With the help of the heavenly “Heavenly Way”, people just need to follow the trend and don’t add to the trouble. If you are not able to promote the development of the liver, you can help, if you have too much, you can control it, and everything should be conducive to the development of liver energy. The following from the living (including emotions), diet, drugs, meridians and other aspects of the liver to carry out a full range of maintenance.
First, get up early – go to bed early and get up early to stretch your muscles and bones
People wake up earlier in the spring than in the winter, it is not worth making a fuss about, this is the performance of “the unity of heaven and man”. Accept it with pleasure and get up when you wake up! And make a conscious effort to wake up earlier. “The plan of the year lies in spring, and the plan of the day lies in the morning. With the end of the Chinese New Year holiday, all walks of life have begun a busy and intense year, each with their own intentions and plans. Early rising in the spring is good for raising Yang energy and adjusting the state to adapt to the work pressure that will come after the start of spring. If spring sleepiness is serious, not enough to rise and develop, weakness, but watching others catch up with me, busy work, will feel very disturbed, right.
Spring exercise should be based on the stretching of the body, stretching, traction spine, limbs, moving joints, ligaments, especially the cervical spine, hip, shoulder, knee, elbow joints flexible, stretching, flexible. I would like to introduce you to a few very simple movements.
First, straighten the legs, try to bend low several times; then head and thoracic waist ridge as far back as possible several times, so repeatedly pitch the spine.
Second, stand straight legs, knees do not bend, hands interlocked fingers, palms up, try to straighten up in the middle of the head, straighten the body; then stretch the side body side waist to the left and right sides respectively.
Third, stretching. You can squat and press the legs, you can also press the legs, side pressure legs: straighten forward, tense toes, tense calf stomach and N fossa.
Fourth, rub the chest. Chest and coercion, that is, the front chest and the two armpits under the rib cage area collectively. Hands rubbed hot, and then repeatedly rubbed along the breast under the chest, until the chest is hot inside, such as filling into the warm water.
Fifth, after the cold winter, many people’s hands appear stiff, then, you can often use hot water to soak hands, so that the small joints of the fingers more soft and flexible. In life, we have this feeling, where the joints, ligaments and waist soft women, usually also softer temperament, less aggressive speech and behavior. Because the soft waist, joints and ligaments so that the liver qi drainage of the stripes and smooth, no obstruction. The long-term stiffness and inflexibility of the waist, limbs, joints and ligaments will hinder the circulation of the liver and affect the mood and state of mind.
In spring, no matter what exercise, waist, limbs, joints, ligaments flexibility, stretching, flexibility is the prerequisite, the foundation.
Spring should be covered in spring. Don’t take off your clothes as soon as the weather warms up. If you get a cold spring, you will be sick a lot. It is not auspicious to be sick at the beginning of spring. When the temperature rises in early spring, the body maintains a moderate sense of heat, in order to dissipate heat, qi and blood will inevitably tend to the surface of the body, which invariably helps the Yang Qi outwardly tend to the surface, should be “spring and summer Yang”.
Go to the greenery, spring tour, go to the outdoor nature, stretch your limbs, stretch your waist, exhale the turbid air of winter and inhale the fresh air. With the help of the day, in the earth rose, steaming dense Yang Qi, and insects, birds, flowers and trees together to invigorate vitality.
To increase the air flow in the room in spring, you can have a little wind through the hall. But do not rest and sleep in the wind through the hall, otherwise facial paralysis will come to you.
In spring, you should be more conscious of avoiding moodiness, depression and anger, which can be very harmful to the liver. Find ways to cheer up your spirits a bit. What to do? Get up early in the spring, chest expansion, leg compression, stretching, bending, running, some morning exercise, and then drink some new tea, spring tea or coffee after breakfast, you will feel refreshed, light and happy! The year’s plan can not help but grand wishes in the heart, a new life plan began, this is the “unity of heaven and man”, is the best way to nourish the liver.
Second, diet – reduce acid and increase sweet
Generally speaking, there is no need to take special medicine in spring to help promote the development of the liver, as long as you pay attention to the intake of seasonal vegetables and grains that help the development of Yang Qi, and avoid foods that hinder the development of Yang Qi.
The principle of spring diet is “reduce acid and increase sweetness to nourish the spleen”. Why do we need to “reduce acid”? Because the acidic food, its astringent nature, and the spring Yang Qi rising trend. Under normal circumstances, the liver will naturally be better able to drain and regulate in the spring and function relatively vigorously. This is the time to nourish the liver along with the trend, rather than restraining it with acidity against the trend. Acidic foods, such as vinegar, hawthorn and umeboshi, are available. However, if you experience burning in the chest and abdomen, insomnia and irritability, increased blood pressure, red eyes, ringing in the ears and bitterness in the mouth in the spring, you should eat acidic foods to restrain the overactive yang energy, which nourishes, softens and calms the liver.
The first reason why we should “increase the sweetness” is that the liver is strong in spring, which tends to weaken the spleen and stomach and affects digestion, plus the bitter summer that consumes physical strength is coming, so if the spleen and stomach are weak, how can we survive the bitter summer? Secondly, the spleen and stomach are in the middle jiao, which is the hub of Yang Qi ascension and development. If the spleen and stomach are weak, liver Qi ascension and development will definitely be affected. The sweet foods are: glutinous rice, red dates, cinnamon, pumpkin, beef, pork belly, yam, lotus seeds, malt sugar, honey, carrots, etc. Spring should be “warm food” but not “warm tonic”.
In spring, you should also eat fresh fruits and vegetables in spring to help the liver Qi draining and Yang Qi rising. Because spring fresh fruits and vegetables can clear heat and promote development. For the liver, the liver is conducive to the promotion, in line with the draining and striped food, is the liver; sour astringent astringent, against the draining and striped food, is the liver diarrhea. This should be the real meaning of the so-called “tonic diarrhea” in Chinese medicine. Spring season fresh fruits and vegetables are water chestnut, leek, toon head, wolfberry seedlings, pea seedlings, mushrooms, golden needle cabbage, thorn, spring bamboo shoots, spring tea, artemisia, cherries, etc..
In spring, you can consciously eat foods that protect the liver or promote detoxification, so that the body can better enter the state of spring and summer to nourish Yang, Yang Qi rise and metabolism, such as dates, honey, carrots, monkey head mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, etc., which protect the liver, and spring bamboo shoots, black fungus, ginger, chili, kelp, green beans, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, etc., which promote detoxification. Protecting the liver and promoting detoxification invariably reduces the burden on the liver.