Spring Equinox “Chunfen” is the fourth of the 24 solar terms on the Chinese lunar calendar, which is between the Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) and Qingming(Clear and Bright). This year the Spring Equinox falls on March 21.
The characteristics of Spring Equinox
In the book “Chunqiu Fanlu·Yin and Yang In and Out Part 2”, it stated “Spring equinox means yin and yang are half and half, hence the day and night are equal, and the cold and heat are equal.” On the day of vernal equinox, the length of day and night is equal, which indicate that spring has passed half. During spring equinox, the weather gradually warms up, the average temperature is about 20 degrees, the rainfall begins to increase, and it tends to be humid.
Physical Conditioning
In Spring, we usually feel downright lazy, sleepy and tired, and even heavy head and pain in whole body. It is known as Spring fatigue. It make it worse for people who has spleen-Qi deficiency and heavy dampness in the body.
Having heavy dampness may affect the flow of qi in the body. People who are lack of exercise and have poor cardiopulmonary function are prone to Qi-deficiency, demonstrating with such symptoms as shortness of breath, chest tightness, etc. For patients feeling short of breath, it’s best to take herbal medicine that can regulate qi and remove dampness.
Another characteristic of dampness is that it affects the spleen and stomach. Digestive symptoms such as bloating, poor appetite, and bowel disorders are also very common during spring equinox. People who usually eat raw, cold, greasy and sweet foods are more likely to be affected by dampness in the spleen and stomach.
Nursing your body in daily life
You need to pay more attention to the following in daily life if you hope to reduce the various problems caused by the heavy dampness.
First of all, it’s best to avoid the cold, greasy and sweet foods that easily promote dampness. In addition, in the book “Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine” it stated that “Lying down for too long hurts Qi”. Excessive sleep and lack of exercise may aggravate the symptoms of “spring fatigue”. Exercising is a good way to remove dampness. Lightweight exercise and light sweating can promote the circulation of Qi and blood. ” Dampness disappear when Qi flows freely through the body”, which helps to remove moisture from the body and makes you feel refreshed.
When the environment is humid, you can use a dehumidifier and keep the air circulating, which help reduce dampness. As to diet, you can choose foods with dampness-removed such as kudzu root, red bean, lentils, Yunling, barley, etc.
