Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) , the third of the 24 solar terms, falls on March 6, 2023, which means the beginning of mid-spring. It is the season when various viruses and bacteria become active. During Jingzhe, the energy of the liver and yang Qi of the body gradually rises, and the yin and blood are relatively insufficient.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine( TCM), Health preservation should follow the law of the rising of yang and the beginning of all things, so that our spirit, emotion, qi and blood can be as smooth and vigorous as spring abundant.
During Jingzhe, it is a good time for us to get rid of the old and bring forth the new, adjust Qi movement, strengthen the body function and eliminate evil, and maintain physical and mental health. A healthy diet helps to improve immunity and prevent the occurrence of diseases. Then what should we pay attention to in terms of health preservation as the weather gets warmer?
Healthy Diet
From the day of Jingzhe,the weather become warmer, so the diet should be light and the liver qi should be followed to help the temper and calm the five internal organs. It is recommended to eat more fresh vegetables and foods rich in protein and vitamins, such as spring bamboo shoots, spinach, celery, chicken, eggs, milk, duck blood, aloe, water radish, bitter gourd, fungus, rape, yam, lotus seeds, white fungus and other foods.
In spring, when you feel dry mouth and cough due to external factors, you should eat more foods that have the effects of moistening lungs, relieving cough, nourishing yin and clearing heat, such as Ophiopogon japonicus, Asparagus, Dendrobium, honey, Sydney, Adenophora, and raw land; eat less fried food and animal fat, avoid greasy and less irritating foods such as chili, onion, garlic and pepper as much as possible.
Before and after the day of Jingzhe, the promotion function of the liver Qi tends to be strong, which leads to abnormal catharsis, head swelling and pain, red face, red eyes, irritability. At this time, we should eat less sour foods like plums or grapes, and avoid excessive drinking, emotional irritability due to strong liver qi, which cause aggravation of hypertension, cerebrovascular, and mental diseases.
Prevent disease
“Righteousness is in the body, evil cannot be done” means that evils can’t easily invade the body when our body’s righteousness is strong,and diseases will not occur. Thus, it is important to strengthen the body and improve the body’s resistance to disease. Mentally, you should maintain a happy and calm state of mind; avoid excessive anger, or you easily suffer from dizziness, vertigo, stroke and other mental diseases if liver Qi was too strong. In addition, spring corresponds to the liver, and improper health care can damage the liver.
The day of Jingzhe is a time of high incidence of liver diseases, such as influenza, chickenpox, herpes zoster, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, which are prone to epidemics and outbreaks during this solar term, so strict precautions should be taken.
Daily exercise
After day of Jinzhe, the weather become warmer gradually, people will feel more sleepy which is commonly known as “spring sleepiness”. Therefore, only by ensuring a good sleep can one be healthy and energetic to live and work.
Doing exercise on muscles and bones is conducive to stretching and relaxing the body. Washing the face and feet before going to bed, massaging the face and the soles of the feet can promote the circulation of blood and energy, warm and nourish the viscera, calm the nerves and calm the mind, which make it easy to eliminate the fatigue of the day and fall asleep.
- Stretch your muscles
In daily work, you can stretch the liver and gallbladder meridians on both sides which has a good effect on decompression and fire reduction for office workers with high mental stress.
First stand up, fold your hands together and raise them above your head, straighten your arms, close to your ears, bend your waist to the left to the limit, and feel the entire spine stretch to the left, as if the wind blows through a big tree. Hold this stretch for 15 seconds, relax, then switch to the right side and hold for the same 15 seconds. Breathe slowly and rhythmically, and do not hold your breath while stretching. If you find that the stretched position prevents you from breathing naturally, it is not really relaxing, remember to walk your body back a little to restore normal breathing.
- Basking in the sun
Regular exposure to the sun is the easiest way to get yang energy from nature. You can bask on your back and Mingmen point for 30 minutes with your back to the sun at noon or afternoon. If the clothes are thick, you can lift the clothes up to expose the gate of life, and take a deep breath to let the yang energy enter the body from the mouth, nose and gate of life.
