As living standards improve, an increasing number of people are paying more attention to daily health care. So, what should one pay attention to for health preservation in spring?
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that in spring, a person's liver Qi begins to flourish. It is an excellent time to expel turbid Qi, promote smooth blood circulation, and focus on nourishing and protecting the liver. To this end, a reporter specially interviewed Zhang Yonghua, Deputy Director of the Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital and a renowned liver disease expert.
Many people, upon hearing "nourish and protect the liver," immediately think of taking tonic medicines or, as a matter of course, believe that "eating liver (pork) nourishes the liver." Dr. Zhang explains that this understanding is a misconception. Nourishing and protecting the liver should be tailored to each individual's specific physical condition. Generally speaking, the first step is to regulate through lifestyle: take spring outings and have more contact with nature; adjust your emotions by communicating more with family and friends; and ensure adequate sleep. This can effectively alleviate negative emotions and soothe the liver Qi. People often say "excessive heat harms the liver," "anger harms the liver," or "liver fire is too rampant," which essentially means that negative emotions can disrupt the balanced and coordinated relationship among the Qi of the five organs, thereby affecting human health.
Regarding dietary considerations, it is necessary to differentiate between three different types: For those with stagnant Qi, who generally are unwilling to speak, often sigh, and have a pessimistic and depressed mood, these individuals often have poor blood and Qi circulation. They can eat more foods with a dispersing effect, such as chives, chive sprouts, green onions, bean sprouts, spring bamboo shoots, and toon. For those with Qi stagnation transforming into fire, who are generally prone to irritability and anger, they can appropriately eat more acidic, cooling, and astringent foods, such as papaya and dark plum. 还有一些人肝功能长期欠缺，肝阴亏虚，表现为乏力、眼花，可适当多吃些滋养肝阴的食品，比如甲鱼、猪肝。