Chinese medicine health care express train

Author: Liang Xiaochun, Dong Zhenhua, Xu Huiyuan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The concept of "Chang Xia" refers to the period from late summer to early autumn, a unique seasonal concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). During this time, the weather gradually cools from the heat of late summer, but the lingering heat remains, with temperatures still relatively high. Additionally, frequent overcast and rainy days contribute to heavy humidity. Therefore, the dominant pathogen in Chang Xia is dampness. TCM considers dampness to be a yin pathogen that easily damages the body's yang qi. The spleen is closely related to this, as its nature is to prefer moisture and dislike dryness. In Chang Xia, when dampness is heavy, it can obstruct the spleen's function of ascending clearness and descending turbidity, impairing digestion and absorption. Thus, it is important to focus on strengthening the spleen and protecting the stomach during this season.
(1) Preventing Dampness in Chang Xia. What is dampness? In simple terms, it refers to excessively high humidity in the air, exceeding normal levels, which becomes a pathogenic factor when it causes illness. During Chang Xia, the weather is often muggy and rainy, making the air damp, and clothes and food can easily become musty or spoil. People may also feel discomfort. Wearing damp clothes can easily lead to dampness or trigger joint pain, while consuming moldy or spoiled food can cause gastrointestinal inflammation or even poisoning. Therefore, it is crucial to prevent dampness during this season. TCM considers dampness to be a yin pathogen with characteristics of heaviness, turbidity, and stickiness, which easily obstructs qi flow. After external exposure to dampness, symptoms such as heavy limbs and fatigue, a feeling of heaviness in the head like being wrapped in a cloth, joint pain and swelling, and persistent skin conditions like eczema are common. If it invades the skin, it can cause exudative lesions, such as lower limb ulcers, weepy soles, and leukorrhea, all of which are related to dampness.
(2) Nourishing the Spleen in Chang Xia. Since the spleen prefers dryness and dislikes dampness, when it is damaged, its normal function of transformation and transportation is impaired, leading to poor digestion and absorption, weakened intestinal immunity, and gastrointestinal diseases. Clinically, symptoms such as abdominal distension, poor appetite, bland taste, chest tightness with nausea, and abdominal pain with diarrhea may occur. TCM believes that during Chang Xia, when dampness is the dominant pathogen, it can easily obstruct the spleen, causing dysfunction in the spleen and stomach's ability to transform food and ascend clearness while descending turbidity. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to dietary regulation during this season. The ancients said, "Preventing dampness in Chang Xia requires light nourishment." Eating foods that clear heat, dispel dampness, and strengthen the spleen is beneficial. Examples include foods like winter melon, mung bean sprouts, small cabbage, and bitter gourd, which clear heat and dispel dampness, as well as foods like coix seed, lotus seeds, and red beans, which strengthen the spleen and transform dampness. This helps enhance spleen and stomach function.
(3) Cautious Daily Habits in Chang Xia. As the season approaches the autumn equinox, temperature differences become significant, with cool mornings and evenings and warm afternoons. Additionally, temperatures fluctuate, even within the same region, leading to the saying, "There are four seasons in a day, and different weather every ten miles." Therefore, it is advisable to prepare autumn clothing in advance, such as light jackets, spring and autumn shirts, thin sweaters, and so on, to adjust clothing as needed and avoid catching colds.
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