Xiaoxue (Minor Snow) is a solar term in winter. Many friends like to eat dog meat or other foods for nourishment in the winter. So, what are the common misconceptions about health preservation during the Xiaoxue solar term?
First, avoid eating dog meat blindly. Some people with weak constitutions or suffering from diseases like arthritis can benefit from eating more dog meat in the cold winter. However, one should not eat dog meat blindly to avoid consuming rabies-infected meat and contracting rabies. Do not drink tea after eating dog meat, because the tannic acid in tea combines with the protein in dog meat to form a substance. This substance has an astringent effect, which can weaken intestinal peristalsis and reduce water in the stool. Therefore, toxic and carcinogenic substances in the stool are more easily absorbed by the body due to prolonged retention in the intestines.
Second, distinguish between deficiency and excess. The therapeutic principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine is "tonify the deficient." If there is a deficiency, it should be tonified; if not, a normal diet is sufficient. At the same time, one should clarify the properties and scope of application of tonifying products to see if they are suitable. Experts believe that the main function of tonification is "to tonify deficiency and benefit damage," and deficiency is further divided into four types: Qi deficiency, blood deficiency, Yin deficiency, and Yang deficiency, each requiring different methods of tonification.
1. Qi deficiency: Common symptoms include listlessness, a weak voice, spontaneous sweating, a pale tongue with a white coating, and a weak, forceless pulse. For Qi deficiency, one should tonify Qi. For this condition, products like royal jelly ginseng, Zhongyi Qi Wan, American ginseng, Astragalus root, Codonopsis root, and Chinese yam can be chosen.
2. Blood deficiency: Common symptoms include sallow complexion, pale lips and nails, dizziness, palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, numbness in the hands and feet, a pale tongue, and a thin, weak pulse. For blood deficiency, one should nourish the blood. For this condition, products like blood-nourishing liquid, Shiwan Dabu Wan, Guipi Wan, Angelica sinensis, donkey-hide gelatin, and longan pulp can be chosen.
3. Yin deficiency: Common symptoms include tidal fever and night sweats, sensation of heat in the palms, soles, and chest, dry mouth and throat, dry cough with little phlegm, dry eyes, a red tongue with little coating, etc. For Yin deficiency, one should nourish Yin. For this condition, products like Dabuyin Wan, Shenqi Royal Jelly, Liuwei Dihuang Wan, tremella, turtle shell, Ophiopogon root, Glehnia root, and black sesame can be chosen.
4. Yang deficiency: Common symptoms include a pale complexion, cold limbs, impotence and premature ejaculation, poor appetite and loose stools, a pale and tender tongue, and a faint, thin pulse. For Yang deficiency, one should warm Yang. For this condition, products like Jingui Shenqi Wan, antler oral liquid, Guilinggao, antler, placenta, gecko, Cordyceps, Eucommia, etc., are often chosen. When taking tonifying herbs, one must also pay attention to the spleen and stomach's digestive function. If the spleen and stomach are weak with poor appetite, fullness and oppression in the chest and epigastrium, it is necessary to add herbs that awaken the spleen and strengthen the stomach, such as dried tangerine peel, Amomum fruit, saussurea root, medicated leaven, and sprouted rice, to strengthen the spleen and aid transportation.
Additionally, if a patient has external pathogens (such as a cold), it is generally advisable to clear the pathogens first before tonifying, to avoid strengthening or retaining the pathogens.
Third, avoid tonifying blindly just because it's famous. Chicken soup is not suitable for everyone. Chicken soup (including plain stewed chicken soup and medicinal chicken soup) is nutritious, but the nutrients it contains are small water-soluble molecules dissolved from chicken oil, skin, meat, and bones. The protein content in the soup is only about 7% of that in the chicken meat, and the chicken oil in the soup is mostly saturated fat. Due to these unique nutritional components and stimulating effects of chicken soup, the following groups of patients should avoid it:
Patients with biliary tract diseases, such as those with frequent cholecystitis or gallstones, should not drink too much chicken soup. The digestion of fat in chicken soup requires bile, and drinking it stimulates the gallbladder to contract, which can easily trigger an attack of cholecystitis.
Those with excessive stomach acid should avoid chicken soup, as it stimulates gastric acid secretion. Patients with gastric ulcers, excessive stomach acid, or gastric bleeding generally should not drink chicken soup.
Patients with renal insufficiency should avoid chicken soup. Because chicken soup contains some small-molecule proteins, patients with acute nephritis, acute or chronic renal insufficiency, or uremia cannot process protein breakdown products in a timely manner. Drinking too much chicken soup can cause high nitrogenemia and worsen the condition.
Fourth, avoid tonifying if there is no deficiency. Tonifying without a deficiency not only increases expenses but can also harm the body. For example, an overdose of cod liver oil can cause poisoning, and long-term use of glucose can lead to weight gain. Furthermore, tonifying herbs are not "the more, the better." Any tonifying herb taken in excess is harmful.