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Today, we will briefly discuss the issue of preventing exogenous diseases.
“When the righteous qi is strong within, evil cannot invade,” meaning that when the body’s righteous qi (免疫力, immunity) is sufficient, it is difficult for evil qi to invade and cause disease. Therefore, the author mainly discusses the prevention of exogenous diseases from the perspective of righteous and evil qi.
After sweating or bathing, exposure to wind is a major taboo.
After sweating or taking a bath, the pores are open, making it easy for external pathogens to invade. Additionally, after sweating or bathing, residual moisture on the skin can evaporate quickly when exposed to wind, taking away heat and increasing local coldness. Therefore, going out immediately after sweating or bathing, especially in cold weather or after sweating in summer while exposed to air conditioning, can easily lead to the occurrence of exogenous diseases.
Cold nature contracts, which is a characteristic of cold evil. “Cold causes qi to contract,” meaning that when cold evil invades the body, it can cause the qi mechanism to contract, leading to the tightening of the pores, meridians, and tendons, which can trigger pain, such as headaches and neck pain. I have seen many patients with headaches who reported that they took a shower or washed their hair in the morning and then went out immediately. This is an example of exposure to wind after bathing, leading to cold invading the head meridians, which should be taken as a warning and corrected.
It is advisable to arrange bathing times reasonably, dry off promptly after sweating or bathing, and pay attention to warmth to reduce the probability of exogenous wind-cold.
Dressing appropriately and maintaining suitable temperature, avoiding drafts while sleeping, and ensuring the indoor and outdoor temperature difference is not too large.
Dressing and covering should be adjusted according to seasonal temperatures. Generally, clothing should not be too thick or too thin; feeling neither cold nor too hot is ideal. In winter, if the heating is too hot, the indoor temperature can become excessively high, so it is advisable to frequently open windows for ventilation and moderately sprinkle water to avoid excessively high indoor temperatures and overly dry air, but close the windows before sleeping. In summer, the air conditioning temperature indoors should not be too low; firstly, a large temperature difference between indoors and outdoors makes it difficult to adapt and can easily lead to heatstroke; secondly, when the outdoor temperature is high, people tend to sweat, and suddenly entering a very cold environment after sweating is akin to exposure to wind after sweating, making one susceptible to cold invasion and leading to colds and other exogenous diseases.
During sleep, the body’s functions will correspondingly decline (in TCM, it is believed that during sleep, yang qi enters the interior), and immunity will also decrease, so it is important to pay attention to warmth. Children often kick off their covers while sleeping, so I recommend that children wear warmer long-sleeved pajamas to reduce the risk of catching a cold due to kicking off their covers. At night, when the cold is heavy, and the immune system is low during sleep, especially for those with a weak constitution, it is advisable to wear long-sleeved pajamas that cover the shoulders to prevent cold evil from invading the neck and shoulders, which can lead to shoulder pain. When falling asleep, the immune system is low, and the cold air from drafts is heavy, so it is important to close doors and windows while sleeping and not to excessively seek coolness, which can allow cold evil to invade and lead to colds and other exogenous diseases.
Moderate exercise to enhance physical fitness, avoiding overexertion.
Moderate exercise should be consistent and persistent, with each session at a moderate intensity, allowing for recovery without feeling fatigued or only slightly fatigued. Over-exercising, excessive labor, or staying up late can lead to a decline in physical condition and lower immunity, increasing the probability of illness.
Note: Images sourced from the internet
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Contributed by: Wang Zhu
Reviewed by: Hu Ying
Initial review: Xu Gang
Final review: Zhang Fuli