After the start of the dog days, most regions in our country officially enter “grill mode.”
The dog days fall between Minor Heat and Start of Autumn, marking the hottest, most humid, and sultry period of the year. As the saying goes: “It's hot during the dog days.” This can be interpreted as: “During the heat, it's better to stay still than to move around.”
So, how should one maintain health during this season?
First Challenge: Nourishing the Heart
As temperatures gradually rise, the body's consumption also increases. Once summer arrives, many people feel unwell and lethargic.
According to Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), “the summer qi is connected to the heart qi.” During this time, nourishing the heart involves two aspects: caring for the blood vessels and adjusting sleep patterns.
Caring for Blood Vessels: To care for your blood vessels, it is recommended to maintain a light diet. Eat more foods like onions, mushrooms, black fungus, milk, lotus seeds, and bean products. Try to maintain a calm state of mind and eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to increase fiber intake, Vitamin B, and vitamin C, which helps prevent arteriosclerosis.
Adjusting Sleep Patterns: Sleep nourishes essence and qi, strengthens the spleen and stomach, and fortifies bones. According to TCM, poor rest at night leads to an imbalance of yin and yang. Due to the longer days and shorter nights in summer, many people experience insufficient nighttime sleep, leading to daytime fatigue. Therefore, try not to stay up late and ensure 6-8 hours of sleep daily. Additionally, take appropriate naps to make up for the lack of nighttime sleep, helping to restore your energy.
Second Challenge: Nourishing Yang Qi
During this period, human yang qi is abundant. It is important to preserve the heart yang, remain calm, and avoid the excessive loss of yang qi, which could lead to internal deficiency. Therefore, consume fewer cold foods, reduce air conditioning usage, and consider moxibustion therapy.
Third Challenge: Removing Dampness
In summer, dampness is heavy, and dampness can easily invade the spleen. If dampness lingers, it can eventually harm the heart yin.
Soaking feet in warm water at night with appropriate massage can effectively stimulate acupoints on the feet, promote blood circulation, regulate the organs, nourish vital energy, and strengthen the body, expel illness, lower blood pressure, and delay aging.
However, it's important to note that in summer, soaking your feet until a slight sweat is enough; do not sweat excessively. Sweat is the fluid of the heart, and excessive sweating can damage the heart qi.
Fourth Challenge: Diet Management
The hot and humid climate can cause dizziness and headaches and lead to depression, fatigue, chest tightness, and lack of appetite.
Dietary intake should be moderate, avoiding overeating. Consume light yet nutritious foods, especially those that help clear heat and remove dampness.
Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty advocated eating light, sweet, and bland foods, such as wheat, barley, and rice.
Vegetables with cooling and bitter properties are also good choices, such as celery, tomatoes, bitter melon, luffa, and mung beans.
Fifth Challenge: Emotional Regulation
The hot climate can easily make people irritable, sleepy, and lacking in spirit. Fluctuations in emotions can aggravate heart fire, which is detrimental to health.
Remaining calm can alleviate tension and improve mood, promoting a smooth flow of qi. Thus, mental tranquility is ideal, as a calm mind naturally cools the body.
During the dog days, tea replenishes fluids better.
During the dog days, we tend to sweat a lot, leading to the loss of salt and water from the body. Therefore, it is crucial to replenish fluids. Tea contains a large amount of inorganic salts, which can supplement potassium and sodium lost through sweating, making tea more refreshing than plain water! Southern Gongfu tea drinking, despite its small cups and infusions, inadvertently encourages significant consumption, making it an excellent method for hydrating with tea!
During this period, drink warmer teas such as aged White Tea, black tea, dark tea, and Pu'er tea.
These teas have a warm nature and can help drive out cold and nourish the stomach. Additionally, a key aspect of health preservation during the dog days is “removing dampness,” as this period is not only hot but also humid, and the body often experiences cold or heat accompanied by dampness, known as cold-dampness or heat-dampness.
Additionally, during the dog days, Ginger tea is worth trying. The saying “eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer” is well-known. Ginger has a warm nature and can tonify yang qi. Consuming ginger regularly in summer can supplement yang qi. Moreover, ginger can dispel cold, induce sweating, relieve coughs, harmonize the stomach, and stop vomiting. Drinking ginger tea during the dog days is a simple yet effective way to maintain health.
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