Early Summer Health Preservation Tips
As early summer arrives, people's metabolism speeds up, and the blood supply to the heart and brain can become insufficient, often leading to irritability, anxiety, listlessness, and lethargy. Furthermore, high summer temperatures increase energy expenditure, and nutrients are lost more readily through sweat. Those with weaker constitutions, especially children and the elderly, may be susceptible to illness and health damage if they are not careful. Summer health preservation is closely related to overall health, so starting from early summer, we should arrange our daily schedules reasonably, replenish nutrients in a timely manner, and adopt correct health preservation methods to better get through the summer.
Guard Against Summer Illnesses:
1. Prevent bacillary dysentery in early summer
Bacillary dysentery, commonly known as dysentery, is the most common intestinal infectious disease caused by the Shigella bacillus. It is related not only to the breeding activities of flies but also to the summer climate being suitable for the proliferation of the dysentery bacillus and people's preference for raw and cold foods, which can cause gastrointestinal dysfunction. The key to controlling dysentery is early detection and early treatment. Secondly, environmental hygiene, food hygiene, and personal hygiene should be well-maintained. Management of food and water sources should be strengthened, flies should be eliminated, raw and cold vegetables should not be eaten, unclean melons and fruits should be avoided, and spoiled or stale food should not be consumed. It is also important to cultivate the habit of washing hands before meals and after using the toilet.
Early summer is a dry season, and people are prone to "heatiness" (internal heat), so the number of patients with mouth sores increases sharply during this time. In addition to the dry climate, triggers for mouth sores include anxiety, tension, and insufficient intake of vitamins and trace elements. For patients with severe symptoms, treatment under a doctor's guidance is necessary, using methods such as local cauterization, applying oral ulcer medication films, and taking vitamin B2.
In addition, early summer also requires attention to preventing epidemic conjunctivitis (pink eye). The incubation period for this disease is short, with symptoms appearing within 24 hours of infection. Patients experience severe pain in both eyes, photophobia, tearing, and a foreign body sensation. If you get pink eye, it is crucial to prevent transmission and seek timely treatment. Personal items for washing and wiping should be dedicated, especially in public places, where all isolation measures must be strictly implemented. The key to preventing pink eye is to pay attention to personal hygiene and eye care during the hot and humid early summer, avoid crowded places, and steer clear of sources of infection.
2. Be cautious about spleen and stomach damage
Many people experience various gastrointestinal problems in the summer. One reason is that as summer begins, people's natural appetite decreases, and their digestive function is already affected by the weather. Another reason is that people's love for cold foods and icy drinks irritates the stomach. When the stomach is strongly stimulated by low temperatures, blood vessels constrict suddenly, blood flow decreases, and this affects the secretion of digestive fluids, leading to physiological dysfunction. Many elderly people, children, and those with poor digestive function often experience abdominal pain, gastritis, and other issues in the summer.
In terms of health preservation, the best way to nourish the spleen and stomach in the summer is to eat more soft foods like congee and soups. This can not only promote the production of body fluids, quench thirst, and relieve summer heat but also nourish the body. In addition, fresh vegetables and fruits can provide sufficient vitamins, water, and inorganic salts. Among foods, those that clear heat and promote urination include watermelon, bitter melon, peach, dark plum, strawberry, tomato, cucumber, and mung beans, all of which have a certain effect of relieving summer heat. Foods taken directly from the refrigerator should not be eaten immediately; it's better to let them sit at room temperature for a while before consumption. Also, don't eat too much at once, especially for the elderly, children, and those with chronic gastritis or poor digestion, who should eat less or avoid them altogether.
3. Prevent skin diseases
After the start of Lixia (Beginning of Summer), the next solar term is Xiaoman (Lesser Fullness), which is a period when skin diseases are more prevalent. This is because the temperature rises significantly during Xiaoman, and rainfall also increases. The combination of hot and humid weather in early summer creates conditions for skin diseases to develop. Therefore, even though it's just after Lixia and Xiaoman is still some time away, one should start preparing to prevent future skin problems.
Generally, skin diseases around the Xiaoman solar term are mostly "wind rash" (urticaria). The causes and pathogenesis include dampness trapped in the skin and accumulated heat in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the treatment principle for skin diseases at this time should be to dispel wind and remove dampness, and clear heat from the blood. A light, clean vegetarian diet is beneficial for preventing these types of skin diseases, especially foods that clear damp-heat, such as mung beans, winter melon, cucumber, water chestnut, black fungus, carrot, tomato, watermelon, Chinese yam, crucian carp, and grass carp. Spicy foods should be reduced, such as raw onions, raw garlic, ginger, mustard, pepper, chili, fennel, and cassia bark.
Health Preservation Notes:
1. Drink more water, less beverages
According to nutrition experts, early summer weather is generally dry, and a person's daily water intake should reach 2000-2400 milliliters. Because blood concentration is very high in the morning, which can easily lead to thrombosis, the first thing to do after waking up should be to drink a glass of water. Supplementing and maintaining fluid intake throughout the day is also very important; keeping the body sufficiently hydrated can cleanse the intestines and prevent "heatiness." Beverages should not be used as a substitute for water. Soft drinks, juices, and cola contain more sugar and electrolytes, which can irritate the stomach and affect digestion and appetite.
2. Ensure adequate sleep
Summer days are long and nights are short, and the high temperature accelerates the body's metabolism, leading to high energy consumption and fatigue. Therefore, maintaining sufficient sleep in the summer is crucial for promoting health and improving work and study efficiency. To ensure adequate sleep, first, maintain a regular daily routine; second, ensure the bedroom is well-ventilated and cool; third, maintain a calm state of mind, striving for "a calm heart brings natural coolness"; and fourth, take an appropriate nap. A summer nap allows the brain and all body systems to relax, which is beneficial for afternoon work and study and is also an effective measure to prevent heatstroke. Avoid cold showers
As the temperature rises, people often like to take cold showers after being outdoors. Since the body has absorbed a lot of heat in the sun, a cold shower will cause pores to close rapidly, trapping heat inside the body and causing a high fever. It can also lead to insufficient blood supply to the brain due to the rapid contraction of cerebral capillaries, causing dizziness and vertigo. In severe cases, it can even lead to shock. Therefore, the best way is to let yourself sweat to release the body's heat before taking a shower.
3. Eat a reasonable diet
Follow a light diet, but don't reject meat. Due to reduced gastric acid secretion in the summer and increased water intake which dilutes stomach acid, the body's digestive function is weaker. Therefore, the diet should be lighter. Eat more nutritious and lightly flavored foods, and avoid greasy, fried, and "heaty" foods. However, a light diet does not mean vegetarianism. Although vegetables contain a large amount of dietary fiber and rich vitamins, they lack the essential protein that the human body needs. Therefore, even on a hot summer day, don't reject meat. You can appropriately consume some lean meat, eggs, milk, fish, and soy products. The key is to use cooking methods like steaming and cold dressing, and avoid making them too greasy. For example, you can use fresh, tender green lotus leaves, briefly scald them with boiling water, and then use them to wrap chicken or meat for steaming. This creates a unique, refreshing, and delicious flavor that can stimulate the appetite.
4. Eat more bitter foods
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is believed that most bitter vegetables have the effect of clearing heat. Therefore, nutritionists recommend eating bitter foods like bitter melon and bitter greens regularly in the summer, which can help reduce summer heat, eliminate fatigue, and more. Frequently consuming bitter melon soup or dishes in the summer can harmonize the spleen and stomach, relieve fatigue, refresh the mind, and has a certain preventive effect against heatstroke and gastrointestinal diseases. Bitter greens are also a vegetable that is both a food and a medicine, with functions such as cooling and detoxifying, eliminating inflammation and draining pus, removing stasis and relieving pain, and preventing and treating gastroenteritis. When eating bitter greens, wash the roots and leaves, and they can be eaten cold, stir-fried, or in soups. They have a unique bitter yet fragrant taste and are a great dish to relieve summer heat and stimulate the appetite, and they also have a certain preventive and therapeutic effect against enteritis and dysentery. In the summer, when you sweat a lot, you might want to drink some bitter beverages. Beer, green tea, and Kudingcha (bitter leaf tea) are all good choices.