Spring brings life, summer fosters growth, autumn harvests, and winter stores; these are the rules of nature. The changing seasons and climate have different impacts on the human body. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasizes that individuals should follow the changes of nature, adjusting their spirit, diet, and daily activities to achieve health maintenance.
1. Key Points for Spring Wellness◀Quality of Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps maintain a calm mood, boosts immunity, and is beneficial for blood pressure stability 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,” so spring exercise should be “slow,” with walking, jogging, and swimming being 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 warm, sweet, and spicy foods, avoiding sour and astringent items; opt for light and palatable dishes, avoiding greasy and cold foods; consume plenty of fresh vegetables, such as shiitake mushrooms and carrots.
2. Key Points for Summer Wellness
♦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 beneficial for both body and mind.
♦Deep Breathing
Deeply inhale and exhale through the nose, focusing on long, calming breaths, concentrating your mind 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 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 Wellness
★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 loses moisture more rapidly, necessitating increased water intake to enhance blood circulation, promote metabolism, and expel toxins, thereby reducing harm to the liver.
★Moistening the Lungs through Diet
From a TCM perspective, foods like lily bulbs and pears have a “moistening” effect on the lungs. Therefore, consuming foods such as lily bulbs, pears, 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.
★Open Windows for Ventilation
In autumn, frequently open windows to exchange indoor air, which helps expel stale air from the room.
4. Key Points for Winter Wellness
●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 them 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 the 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 care.
Introduction to Linxi County Maternal and Child Health Hospital
Linxi County Maternal and Child Health Hospital is located in the center of Linxi County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province, formed by the integration of the former Linxi County Maternal and Child Health Station and the former Family Planning Technical Service Station. It is a public non-profit comprehensive hospital that integrates prevention, health care, medical treatment, rehabilitation, and public health examinations, with a building area of 10,500 m² and 90 open beds. The hospital’s mission and scope of services are to provide maternal and child health services, including women’s health care, children’s health care, and perinatal health care, as well as common disease prevention and treatment for women and children, midwifery services, and more; undertake family planning technical services, genetic counseling, information consultation, follow-up services, reproductive health care, and personnel training; conduct premarital medical examinations and preconception health checks for comprehensive prevention of birth defects; and manage maternal and child health and family planning technical services in the jurisdiction as entrusted by health and family planning administrative departments.Our hospital is a member of the medical alliance with Jizhong Energy Xingtai Mining Group General Hospital, a member of the Xingtai Maternal and Child Health Medical Alliance, a designated medical institution for urban and rural residents and employee medical insurance, a basic public health service provider for urban residents, a designated unit for premarital examinations and prenatal screening, and a designated institution for the first establishment of the “Mother and Child Health Handbook” for pregnant women. We provide various beneficial services, including free premarital examinations, free prenatal health checks, free distribution of folic acid (to prevent neonatal neural tube defects), non-invasive DNA and hearing loss gene testing for pregnant women, and cancer screening for women. We always adhere to the principle of “focusing on health care, ensuring reproductive health, integrating health care with clinical practice, targeting populations, grassroots, and prioritizing prevention” in maternal and child health work, and are dedicated to serving all women and children in the county!
Contributed by: Public Health Department
Editor: Hu Shudan
Initial Review: Li Hongxia
Final Review: Zhao Jihua