"Post-meal health preservation" is particularly crucial for the elderly's health, and there are many related proverbs, such as "A cup of tea after a meal refreshes the mind and aids digestion." In fact, post-meal health preservation has existed since ancient times. The following are post-meal health preservation methods that have been passed down in ancient texts for a long time.
Rinse your mouth after a meal. The ancient physician Zhang Zhongjing pointed out, "After eating, one should rinse, so that the teeth will not decay and the mouth will remain fragrant." Maintaining oral moisture and cleanliness can stimulate the taste buds on the tongue, enhance the sense of taste, effectively prevent and treat oral and dental diseases, and aid digestion.
Massage your abdomen after a meal. The great physician of the Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao, once proposed, "After each meal, rub your face and abdomen with your hands to allow the fluids to circulate. After eating, one should walk with a leisurely pace." He also required, "Rub the abdomen hundreds of times with the hand, knock the teeth thirty-six times, and fill the mouth with fluid." If this can be achieved, "one will be able to eat and drink without a hundred illnesses." If one "lies down after a full meal," it will "cause a hundred illnesses." Specific method: Place the palm on the abdomen, with the navel as the center, and slowly and gently massage clockwise and counterclockwise for 20 circles each.
Walk slowly after a meal. The book "She Yang Zhen Fang" records, "Walking a few hundred steps after eating is greatly beneficial to people." This means that walking slowly after a meal can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and help with the secretion of digestive juices and the digestion and absorption of food. However, one should not walk fast or engage in strenuous exercise. The time for walking should be 20 minutes after a meal, not right after finishing. However, people with poor constitution and those suffering from conditions like gastroptosis should not walk after a meal but should lie flat for 10 minutes. People with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are also not suitable.
Listen to music after a meal. The book "Shou Shi Bao Yuan" says, "The spleen loves music; when it hears a sound, it moves and grinds the food." The Taoist school also has the saying, "The spleen grinds when it hears music." Listening to soft and refreshing music during a meal can stimulate the appetite and aid digestion, while enjoying music after a meal can cultivate one's temperament, restore vital energy to its origin, and bring joy while forgetting worries.