What should men do if they have kidney deficiency? Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the kidneys are the "foundation of innate constitution". Every year during the "Major Snow" solar term, it is recommended to make "two bone soup" because this is the time to nourish the kidneys and liver. Strong kidneys provide abundant energy, while a healthy liver ensures good blood circulation, helping to resist the cold and strengthen the bones. Ox and sheep bones can warm and tonify yang, which is beneficial for male sexual health.
【Warming and Tonifying Yang with Ox and Sheep Bones】
During the Major Snow season, everything is hidden and it is important to follow the natural rhythm for health preservation. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the Major Snow solar term is an excellent time for nourishing and regulating the body.
"Yang in spring and summer, yin in autumn and winter." This is a basic concept in traditional Chinese medicine. According to Hou Xixin, the director of the Nutrition Department at the Third People's Hospital of Zhengzhou City, nourishing the kidneys and liver during this time is essential for providing abundant energy and promoting good blood circulation, which helps resist the cold and strengthen the bones.
In winter, it is suitable to consume beef and mutton as they can warm the body. Boiling soup with ox and sheep bones has many benefits. According to traditional Chinese medicine, sheep bones have a warm nature and can tonify the kidneys and strengthen the bones, as well as warm the middle and stop diarrhea. Modern research has found that sheep bones contain calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, collagen, and other essential nutrients for bone health, which helps prevent osteoporosis. It can also relieve joint and bone pain, as well as waist weakness and fatigue.
Ox bones have the effect of tonifying kidney yang and strengthening bones. They contain collagen and chondroitin sulfate, which can prevent bone aging, as well as amino acids, B vitamins, and vitamin A, which have a good effect on liver health.
【Three Acupoints for Male Yang Tonification】
1. Zusanli: Located four finger-widths down from the outer knee, it is known for treating various abdominal conditions. It is one of the nine acupuncture points for reinforcing yang and is an important acupoint for strengthening the spleen and stomach.
Massaging Zusanli has the function of tonifying the middle qi. Using tonifying technique can invigorate the spleen, nourish the stomach, and tonify the middle qi, similar to the effects of herbs like Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Dioscorea opposita, and red dates. Using purging technique can promote digestion and relieve stagnation, similar to the effects of herbs like hawthorn and rhubarb.
2. Sanyinjiao: Located four fingers above the inner ankle, it is an acupoint on the spleen meridian of the foot taiyin. It is named after being the meeting point of the liver, spleen, and kidney meridians. Since the liver stores blood, the spleen governs blood, and the kidneys store essence, and essence and blood mutually nourish each other, Sanyinjiao is an important acupoint for treating blood-related diseases.
Using tonifying technique can strengthen the spleen, nourish the blood, and regulate blood circulation, similar to the effects of herbs like Angelica sinensis, gelatin, Ligusticum chuanxiong, and coix seed. Using purging technique can activate blood circulation and dissipate blood stasis, similar to the effects of herbs like Cnidium, peach kernel, and safflower.
3. Shenmen: Located in the depression above the transverse crease of the wrist on the ulnar side, it is the original acupoint of the Heart meridian of the hand Shaoyin and is referred to as the "gateway for the movement of spirit and qi." Using tonifying technique can calm the mind, nourish the heart qi, similar to the effects of herbs like sour jujube seed and Chinese torreya. Using purging technique can clear the mind and open the orifices, similar to the effects of Chinese medicine such as Purple Snow Pill, Acorus gramineus, and amber.
【Winter Warming Foods】
1. Brown sugar water: In the cold winter, warm tonics are emphasized. Among beverages, brown sugar water is the best warming tonic. Brown sugar has the reputation of "Eastern chocolate" because it has the effects of resolving stasis, dispelling cold, warming the stomach, nourishing the spleen, and alleviating pain. It is rich in essential minerals and trace elements such as calcium and iron.
2. Clams: Clams are rich in iodine, which can promote the secretion of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones have a thermogenic effect. They can accelerate the oxidation process of most tissues and cells in the body (except for the brain, glands, and uterus), increase heat production, enhance skin blood circulation, and resist cold. However, clams are cool in nature, so people with weak spleen and stomach should not consume them in large quantities.
3. Chinese cabbage: Chinese cabbage has a warm nature and sweet taste, and it enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It has the effects of warming the stomach, invigorating qi, dispelling cold, and preventing wind. It can improve symptoms such as cold pain in the stomach area, aversion to cold in the abdomen, lower abdominal pain, and constipation.
4. White radish: White radish has the highest nutritional value among radishes and is one of the best foods for keeping warm. It is rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B, and especially high in vitamin C, which has obvious antioxidant and anti-aging effects. In addition, white radish can prevent excessive gastric acid and has a significant effect on promoting digestion.
