The Cold Dew solar term has arrived, signaling the onset of late autumn and colder weather. Staying warm is essential during this season—keeping your body warm helps ward off illness and maintain robust health. To build resilience against the chill, it's crucial to adopt proper health practices during Cold Dew. So how should one stay healthy during this period? Don't worry—here are several effective methods worth considering.
How to Nurture Your Health During Cold Dew?
1. Keep Your Feet Warm
The soles of your feet are densely packed with meridians and acupoints. When cold air invades your feet, these vital pathways and points are affected. For instance, cold can cause blood to stagnate, leading to poor circulation.Furthermore, the feet are far from the heart, resulting in inherently poor blood circulation. Combined with the thin layer of fat padding the feet, their insulation is also inadequate. Exposure to cold air or chilling stimuli can further obstruct qi and blood flow.
Moreover, once the feet become chilled, the capillaries in the upper respiratory tract mucosa constrict due to their close neural connection. This leads to a decline in the body's immunity, making one more susceptible to illness. Therefore, as the Cold Dew solar term approaches and the weather grows increasingly cooler, it is essential to take timely measures to keep the feet warm.
It is recommended to soak feet in hot water nightly. The heat penetrates directly through the skin, stimulating vasodilation in the feet and accelerating blood flow. This ultimately improves systemic circulation while distributing warmth throughout the body, leaving one feeling comfortably warm.
2. Moderate Moxibustion
Moxibustion is a therapeutic method. If you frequently experience diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness, consider moxibustion as a solution. This involves suspending a burning moxa stick directly above the navel, approximately 1 cm away, and performing moxibustion until a warm sensation is felt.
Perform moxibustion for 30 minutes daily, once per day, for a 10-day course. Proper moxibustion can help alleviate cold-type diarrhea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency. However, it's best to seek a professional practitioner for moxibustion. Self-administering carries a high risk of accidents, and skin burns would be a costly mistake.
3. Nourish Your Stomach Promptly
During the Cold Dew solar term, temperatures drop significantly across regions, leading many to develop gastrointestinal issues or experience stomach flare-ups due to the cold. The digestive system is highly sensitive to cold stimuli. If you fail to nourish and protect your stomach promptly, allowing it to become chilled, discomfort is likely to follow.
This calls for consuming warming foods like hot soups, teas, and cooked dishes while avoiding cold items such as crab and ice cream. Dress warmly and add layers promptly when chilly—don't follow trends advocating "autumn frost" health practices.
What foods are beneficial during the Cold Dew solar term?
1. Sesame Seeds
As temperatures drop, it's crucial to nourish yin and prevent dryness. Severe autumn dryness primarily affects the respiratory tract. To reduce lung irritation and moisturize the airways, sesame porridge is recommended. It helps moisten the lungs, alleviate coughing, and promote easier breathing.
2. Grapes
The Cold Dew period coincides with grape harvest season. Eating this seasonal fruit—grapes—can alleviate fatigue and combat exhaustion. Grapes possess detoxifying and phlegm-clearing properties, expelling excess toxins from the body to reduce physical strain.
3. Pears
Pears are autumn's most beloved fruit due to their high water content. As autumn air becomes dry, people often experience dry mouth and throat. Eating pears in moderation can quench thirst. They also nourish yin, clear heat, moisten the lungs, and relieve coughs. Since autumn increases susceptibility to colds, coughs, and pneumonia, pears can help alleviate coughs and prevent illness.