Recently, the weather has been getting colder. Little Zhen, a post-2000s girl, is wearing a sweater and cropped pants, exposing her ankles. The older generation believes that "the cold starts from the feet," but Zhen thinks that young people are not afraid of the cold. However, Zhen has recently noticed that her menstrual cycle has become irregular. Experts remind us that freezing hands and feet in winter is not just about joint pain.
The ankle area contains important tissues such as lymphatic vessels, blood vessels, and nerves. It is an important weight-bearing joint in the human body. Due to the lack of subcutaneous fat in the ankle, its insulation performance is poor. If the ankles are exposed too early, it may cause ankle joint pain and even leg coldness. Especially for women, if the feet lack warmth, it is easy for cold air to invade the body. Over time, this can lead to poor blood circulation, menstrual disorders, abdominal pain, lower back pain, and even infertility.
"In addition to the ankles, the head and the navel should also be protected from the cold." Experts remind us that if women have cold hands and feet and irregular menstrual cycles, it is usually due to long-term lifestyle habits and dressing habits. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of oneself from daily life, diet, protecting the internal organs, and exercise, and adopt a winter health maintenance mode. Going to bed early and getting up late, ensuring sufficient sleep, is beneficial for the storage of yang energy. In winter, the appetite is usually strong, and the digestive and absorption functions of the spleen and stomach are better. It is advisable to add high-calorie, highly nutritious, richly flavored, and nourishing animal foods such as lamb, beef, and chicken to the diet, which is particularly beneficial for people with cold hands and feet due to yang deficiency. Usually, for people with cold hands and feet, a small amount of warm and yang-nourishing ingredients can be added to the soup, such as ginseng, cinnamon, and deer antler. A small amount of yin-nourishing ingredients, such as goji berries and mulberries, can also be added to prevent excessive heat generation from excessive warming. For those with yang deficiency and qi deficiency, Codonopsis pilosula, white atractylodes, poria cocos, Chinese yam, and astragalus can be added to tonify the spleen and replenish qi.
