After the Start of Autumn, one should be cautious about consuming melons and fruits, especially those with a weak or cold spleen and stomach. "No bare skin after White Dew" to prevent autumn cold
After the White Dew solar term, the climate gradually cools, and mornings and evenings become even colder. If one exposes their body at this time, it's easy to catch a chill, which can lead to a cold in mild cases, or respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia in severe cases. Autumn is characterized by dryness, which easily damages the lungs. A chill can weaken the immune system, making the body unable to resist external pathogens, leading to lung and respiratory diseases such as fever, cough, bronchitis, and pneumonia. If wind pathogens invade the meridians and sinews, they can obstruct the channels, causing numbness and pain in the limbs. Be cautious with autumn melons to prevent a bad stomach
The saying "Autumn melons harm the stomach" refers to the fact that consuming large quantities of raw melons and fruits after the Start of Autumn can easily cause gastrointestinal illnesses. While eating many melons in summer might not cause spleen and stomach problems, it has already weakened the digestive tract's resistance to disease. After the Start of Autumn, consuming large quantities of raw melons and fruits will further dampen the body and damage the spleen's yang. When the spleen's yang is weakened, it cannot transport and transform fluids, leading to acute and chronic gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea, dysentery, and loose stools. Therefore, after the Start of Autumn, one should be cautious about consuming melons and fruits, especially those with a weak or cold spleen and stomach. Nourish yin in autumn and avoid excessive tonification
According to the TCM principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer, and nourishing yin in autumn and winter," autumn is now the season for tonification. However, one should not tonify indiscriminately. It's important to avoid tonifying when there is no illness and to distinguish between deficiency and excess patterns. The TCM treatment principle is to tonify the deficient; those without deficiency syndromes should not use tonifying herbs. Deficiency can be of yin, yang, qi, or blood, and only by treating the specific pattern can the body benefit; otherwise, the effect will be counterproductive. It's also important to tonify in moderation, avoid using medicine as a substitute for food, and remember that food therapy is better than medicine therapy. Food therapy for autumn should focus on nourishing yin and moistening dryness. Specific foods include black-bone chicken, pig lung, turtle meat, bird's nest, tremella mushroom, honey, sesame, soy milk, lotus root, walnut, Job's tears, peanut, duck egg, spinach, and pear. These foods are more effective when combined with other beneficial foods or Chinese herbs. Autumn exercise has "three preventions"
Exercising persistently during the autumn season can not only regulate lung qi and improve lung function but also enhance the immune function of various tissues and organs and the body's resistance to external cold. However, due to the large temperature difference between morning and evening in autumn, to achieve good fitness results, one must pay attention to three preventions:
First, prevent catching a cold. The temperature is low in the autumn morning. Adjust your clothing according to the outdoor temperature. During exercise, only remove excessive clothing after your body has warmed up. After exercising, do not stay in the cold wind while wearing sweat-dampened clothes to prevent catching a chill.
Second, prevent sports injuries. In a cooler environment, muscles and ligaments reflexively cause blood vessels to constrict. Muscle flexibility significantly decreases, the range of motion of joints is reduced, and the nervous system's control over the motor organs declines, making it very easy to cause muscle, tendon, ligament, and joint injuries. Therefore, it is crucial to fully warm up before every exercise session.
Third, prevent excessive exercise. In autumn, the body's yin and qi are in a phase of gathering and internal nourishment. Therefore, exercise should also follow this principle, meaning the amount of exercise should not be too large to prevent excessive sweating and the depletion of yang. It is best to choose light, gentle, and low-intensity activities.