Embracing Spring: Health and Wellness Tips for the Season

February 4th is the beginning of spring. "Li Chun" is the first solar term of the year, which means the start of spring. It marks the beginning of the spring season when everything starts to revive. With the arrival of Li Chun, people can clearly feel that the days are getting longer, the sun is warmer, and the temperature, sunshine, and precipitation are increasing.

Spring health care should follow the characteristics of spring, which is the time when the yang energy and all things begin to grow. It is important to protect the yang energy and focus on the concept of "growth". According to the theory of the Five Elements, spring belongs to the wood element, which corresponds to the liver. The liver's physiological characteristics are to promote circulation of qi, express emotions through anger, and dislike depression. In terms of mental health in spring, it is important to avoid anger and worry, maintain an open mind, be optimistic, and maintain a pleasant state of mind. At the same time, we should fully utilize and cherish the time when nature is "rejuvenating" in spring. By taking advantage of the rising yang energy and the vigorous metabolism of the body, we can promote the circulation of the spring yang energy and ensure the normal functioning of the body's metabolism.

The climate in spring changes greatly, with sudden cold and warmth. As the pores of the body become loose, the resistance to cold evil weakens. Therefore, in early spring, especially for those living in the northern regions, it is not advisable to suddenly stop wearing cotton clothing. Older and weaker individuals should be cautious when changing clothing and not reduce it abruptly. The book "Qian Jin Yao Fang" advocates that in spring, clothing should be "thick at the bottom and thin at the top". The book "Lao Lao Heng Yan" also says, "In spring, the lower body should not be too warm, but the upper body can be slightly reduced. This is how to nourish the yang energy." In terms of daily routines, the qi and blood of the body, just like the natural world, need to be stretched and relaxed. This requires us to sleep early and rise early, loosen our hair, relax our clothes, stretch our bodies, participate in outdoor activities, overcome laziness and drowsiness, and adapt our spirits and emotions to nature, in order to strive for physical and mental harmony and abundant energy.

In terms of diet, consideration should be given to the fact that the yang energy is just beginning to grow in spring. It is advisable to eat foods that are pungent and sweet, which can disperse energy. Foods that are sour and astringent should be avoided. The book "Su Wen: Zang Qi Fa Shi Lun" says, "The liver governs spring... When the liver is bitter and urgent, eat sweets to relieve it... When the liver wants to disperse, eat pungent foods to disperse it, use pungent to supplement it, and sour to purge it." In the relationship between the five organs and the five flavors, the liver is associated with the sour flavor, which has a contracting nature and is not conducive to the growth of yang energy and the circulation of liver qi. Dietary adjustments should be based on the preferences of the organs, which means "oppose their nature and they become bitter, follow their nature and they become desired. Desire is what the spirit of the organ likes, which means nourishment. Bitterness is what the spirit of the organ dislikes, which means purging." With a clear understanding of this relationship, we can purposefully choose some herbs and foods that nourish and regulate liver qi, such as wolfberry, turmeric, salvia, and radix astragali. Food choices can include warm and dispersing foods like jujube, black beans, scallions, cilantro, and peanuts, and they can be flexibly formulated.

On the other hand, spring health care is also about disease prevention and health maintenance. Especially in early spring, as the weather changes from cold to warm, various pathogenic bacteria and viruses begin to grow and reproduce. Warm and toxic evils begin to circulate, and diseases such as influenza, meningitis, measles, scarlet fever, and pneumonia are more likely to occur and spread. To prevent spring diseases, the first step in preventive measures is to eliminate the source of infection. Secondly, it is important to keep the windows open for air circulation and to maintain fresh air indoors. Thirdly, exercise should be strengthened to improve the body's defense capabilities. In addition, attention should be paid to oral and nasal health to prevent warm evils from invading the lungs, as they are the first to be affected.