Spring brings life, summer promotes growth, autumn harvests, and winter stores; these are the rules of nature. The changing seasons and climate have different effects on the human body. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasizes that individuals should follow the changes of the seasons, adjusting their spirit, diet, and daily activities to achieve health maintenance.
1. Key Points for Spring Health◀Quality of Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps maintain a calm mood, boosts immunity, and is beneficial for stabilizing blood pressure and liver health.
◀Exercise Considerations
Stretching and activating the meridians is one way to care for the liver. Due to reduced physical activity in winter, many bodily functions are still in a state of “hibernation”. Therefore, spring exercise should be “slow”, with walking, jogging, and swimming being more suitable gentle activities.
◀Mood Regulation
Maintaining a peaceful mindset is beneficial for the smooth flow of liver qi. Traveling and enjoying nature are excellent methods.
◀Dietary Aspects
Choose spicy, sweet, and warming foods, avoiding sour and astringent items; opt for light and palatable dishes, avoiding greasy and cold foods; consume more fresh vegetables, such as shiitake mushrooms and carrots.
2. Key Points for Summer Health
♦Gentle Exercise
Summer exercise should adhere to several principles: first, the amount of exercise should not be excessive; second, it should not be too intense; third, avoid excessive sweating, as this can damage heart yin and harm the body. Tai Chi, natural health exercises, and yoga are recommended for their balanced approach to physical and mental health.
♦Deep Breathing
Inhale and exhale deeply through the nose, focusing on long, calming breaths while concentrating on the lower dantian, which helps maintain tranquility.
♦Emotional Control
Summer is when yang energy is at its peak, making individuals more prone to irritability due to high temperatures. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a calm mindset, and confiding in friends when feeling troubled is a good option.
♦Heart-Healthy Foods
Consume seasonal vegetables and fruits, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelons, which are rich in various vitamins.
3. Key Points for Autumn Health
★Drink More Water
The liver, as the body’s largest detoxification organ, metabolizes and expels almost all toxins, a process that requires a significant amount of water. Due to the dry climate in autumn, the body’s moisture evaporates quickly, necessitating increased water intake to enhance blood circulation, promote metabolism, and expel toxins, thereby reducing harm to the liver.
★Lung Moistening Foods
From a TCM perspective, foods like lily and pear have a “moistening lung” effect. Therefore, consuming foods such as lily, pear, yam, white radish, and water chestnuts in autumn is beneficial for health.
★Prevent Cold and Keep Warm
The lungs are located in the thoracic cavity, connected to the throat and nose through meridians. Cold pathogens can easily invade the lungs through the mouth and nose, preventing lung qi from dispersing and causing fluid stagnation, which can lead to colds and respiratory diseases. Repeated exposure can lower immunity or trigger chronic rhinitis. Thus, it is crucial for individuals with lung issues to keep warm.
★Ventilate the Room
In autumn, it is essential to frequently open windows for ventilation to replace indoor air, thus expelling stale air.
4. Key Points for Winter Health
●Reduce Salt Intake
Excessive salt intake increases the burden on the kidneys, as sodium in salt can hinder the smooth excretion of water, further straining the kidneys. Therefore, it is advisable to consume less salty food.
●Limit Beverage Consumption
Beverages often contain additives that can harm the kidneys, so it is best to limit their intake and drink more water to help expel toxins from the body.
●Prevent Infections
Winter is a peak season for respiratory infections, and the elderly have weakened immune functions, making them more susceptible to respiratory infections. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid crowded places such as stores and entertainment venues.
●Avoid Holding Urine
When urine accumulates in the bladder to a certain level, it stimulates nerves, triggering the urge to urinate. It is essential to respond promptly and empty the bladder. Otherwise, retained urine can become turbid qi, harming the kidneys. Thus, timely urination is one of the best methods for kidney health.
▌Source: Internet
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Introduction to Huixian Maternal and Child Health Hospital
Huixian Maternal and Child Health Hospital is a secondary-level maternal and child health institution centered on health care, combining health care with clinical services. It serves as the maternal and child hospital and children’s hospital in Huixian City, responsible for the management of maternal and child health services in the area. The hospital has a critical care center for pregnant women and a critical care center for newborns, and is the only institution in the city providing pre-marital medical examinations, pre-pregnancy health checks, and prenatal screening services. It is also a designated rehabilitation center for disabled children in the city and a member of the Henan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital network.
The hospital is equipped with over 30 medical and health departments, including obstetrics, gynecology, neonatology, pediatrics, child health care, child rehabilitation, prenatal care, breast health, pre-marital and pre-pregnancy health care, TCM, TCM pediatrics, TCM gynecology, internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, and dentistry, as well as 7 medical technology departments such as anesthesia, medical laboratory, and ultrasound. The hospital fully implements free pre-marital examinations, free pre-pregnancy health checks, free folic acid distribution, prenatal screening, newborn disease screening, eye health projects for children aged 0-6, and cervical cancer screenings.
In recent years, the hospital has adhered to the maternal and child health work policy of “health care-centered, reproductive health-focused, combining health care with clinical services, targeting the population, grassroots, and prevention-oriented”. It has established a comprehensive service chain covering five stages: pre-marital, pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, postpartum, and child health, focusing on improving health care quality, medical quality, and service levels. The hospital has gradually developed a model of “health care based on clinical services, clinical services supported by health care”, leading the way among similar maternal and child health institutions in Xinxiang City. It was the first in Xinxiang City to pass the national secondary-level maternal and child health institution assessment and has received numerous accolades, including the National Health System Advanced Collective in Science and Technology, “Baby-Friendly Hospital”, provincial-level demonstration advanced unit, municipal women’s civilization post, municipal maternal and child health advanced unit, and municipal health work advanced unit, contributing to the physical and mental health of women and children in the area and the happiness and stability of countless families.
