Do not tonify during a flu. It is not advisable to tonify when you have a cough or the flu in winter, otherwise there will be endless troubles. As the saying goes, "Tonify during the Sanjiu cold days, and you will be free from illness and pain next year; tonify this winter, and you will be strong as a tiger next year." Winter is the best time for tonification.
① Do not tonify indiscriminately. Generally speaking, the elderly should focus on tonifying kidney qi. However, for individuals, there are various conditions such as qi deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, blood deficiency, and a combination of qi, blood, yin, and yang deficiencies.
② Avoid overly greasy and rich foods. For those with poor digestion, the key is to restore the function of the spleen and stomach. Only with good spleen and stomach function can nutrient absorption be guaranteed. Otherwise, tonification is in vain. Therefore, winter tonification should be easily digestible and absorbable.
③ Do not rely solely on tonification. Winter tonification is only an important aspect of health preservation, but achieving an ideal state cannot rely on tonification alone. It should also be accompanied by appropriate physical exercise and mental work, and attention should be paid to regulating the diet to be beneficial for health preservation.
④ Avoid one-sided tonification. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "qi is the commander of blood, and blood is the mother of qi." Winter tonification must not be one-sided; attention should be paid to balancing qi, blood, yin, and yang to prevent imbalance and trigger other diseases.
⑤ Do not favor expensive tonics. Tonics are not necessarily the more expensive the better; the key is to tonify according to the specific condition. Traditional Chinese medicine has a famous saying: "When used correctly, rhubarb is a tonic; when used incorrectly, ginseng is a poison." Therefore, in winter tonification, avoid blindly pursuing rare and precious tonics. Expensive tonics that do not match your condition may not be a good thing even if consumed in large quantities.
⑥ Do not tonify during a flu. It is not advisable to tonify when you have a cough or the flu in winter, otherwise there will be endless troubles. As the saying goes, "Tonify during the Sanjiu cold days, and you will be free from illness and pain next year; tonify this winter, and you will be strong as a tiger next year." Winter is the best time for tonification.