What is health preservation? Health preservation is a healthy lifestyle that not only prevents diseases but also prolongs life. Traditional Chinese medicine gives the elderly the treasure of post-meal health preservation. Let's keep it in mind and practice it.
Post-Meal Health Preservation for the Elderly
1. Rinse the mouth after meals
According to the ancient medical scholar Zhang Zhongjing, "After eating, one should rinse the mouth to prevent tooth decay and freshen the breath."
Keeping the oral cavity moist and clean can stimulate the taste buds on the tongue, enhance the sense of taste, and effectively prevent and treat oral and dental diseases, as well as aid digestion.
2. Massage the abdomen after meals
The Tang Dynasty medical expert Sun Simiao once stated, "After each meal, rub the face and abdomen with the hands to promote the flow of body fluids. After eating, take a slow walk."
He also emphasized that "rub the abdomen with the hands for hundreds of times, tap the teeth 36 times, and fill the mouth with saliva." As long as one can do this, "one can eat without any illness."
If one lies down immediately after a full meal, it may lead to various illnesses.
Specific method: Place the palm on the abdomen, with the navel as the center, and gently massage in clockwise and counterclockwise directions for 20 rounds each.
3. Take a slow walk after meals
The book "Shi Yang Zhen Zhong Fang" records, "After eating, take a few hundred steps, which greatly benefits the body."
This means that walking slowly after meals can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, facilitate the secretion of digestive fluids, and aid in the digestion and absorption of food.
However, it is important not to walk fast or engage in vigorous exercise.
4. Listen to music after meals
The book "Shou Shi Bao Yuan" states, "The spleen loves music, and when hearing the sound, one will immediately move and grind the food."
The Taoists also have a saying that "the spleen grinds when it hears music".
Listening to soft and fresh music while eating can stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. After meals, enjoying music can cultivate one's temperament, restore vital energy, and bring joy and relief from worries.
Health Preserving Medicinal Recipes for the Elderly
【Jellyfish and Pork Bone Soup】
Ingredients: 100g jellyfish heads, 500g pork bone soup, appropriate amount of yellow rice wine, chopped green onions, and refined salt.
Wash the jellyfish heads and tear them into small pieces. Mix them with rice wine, salt, and dry starch. Boil the pork bone soup, add the jellyfish heads, season with salt and sprinkle with chopped green onions. Bring to a boil.
Effects: This soup has a rich and mellow taste and can soothe the liver and calm the wind. It is suitable for hypertension and cerebral arteriosclerosis caused by liver wind and for symptoms such as dizziness and constipation due to anemia.
【Chicken and Sea Cucumber Soup】
Ingredients: 500g jellyfish heads, 750g chicken clear soup, 15g coriander leaves, appropriate amount of yellow rice wine, and refined salt.
Soak the jellyfish heads in cold water and wash away the sand. Blanch them in boiling water for a moment, then remove and drain. Boil the chicken soup and add the yellow rice wine. Add the jellyfish heads, bring to a boil, season with salt, and sprinkle with coriander leaves.
Effects: This soup is delicious and has the ability to dispel wind, eliminate cold, soften hardness, transform phlegm, invigorate deficiency, and nourish blood. It is suitable for joint pain caused by wind, cold, and dampness in the elderly, as well as for rheumatic pain, etc.
